The Bequest Ch. 02

This story is a bit slow. Hang in there. Or, not. But, just a word of warning about the pace.
All characters are over 18.

Jessica and I climbed onto the ATV and headed back to the South Pond on my dad's... well, now her... property. The picnic basket was strapped onto the rear rack and my camera, wrapped in a couple of blankets was tied down to the front. Jessica encouraged me to drive, arranging herself behind me once the engine was fired up and I was comfortable.

This was a newer model ATV than I had been used to, but I managed to get comfortable with it fairly quickly. Getting comfortable with Jess was a different matter. Sure, I was a grown man – not easily embarrassed or made uncomfortable- but, Jessica was certainly acting a bit strangely on this visit. She'd given me the envelope of my dad's possessions, sure. And nothing particularly definitive had happened. Still, my dad's ring was clearly something strange.

It had changed size to fit my finger. What kind of jewelry does that? And, it had clearly let me read Jess's emotional states. I think it had even let me adjust them – not flipping a switch or anything – more a fanning the flames. I could sense her emotions, reading them as faint ... echoes I suppose... of what she was feeling. Some were stronger than others, but it was such a strange experience. And just wearing the ring seemed to have... I don't know, maybe, keyed something in her that reacted to me much more familiarly than I would have expected. Maybe something in her recognized the ring's presence? Who knows?

What I did know was that I needed to find a way to concentrate on driving this damned four wheeler without plowing into a tree. That would have been a lot easier if I wasn't so aware of Jessica's arms wrapped around my waist as her body was flat against mine. Sure she was in her sixties. So? I was in my forties. But, she was also my recently deceased father's girlfriend. That had to put her far off limits in everyone's book, right? Then, why was she acting so much more... familiar... with me. And I wasn't just imagining it – the ring was echoing her emotions and I could feel the arousal. It wasn't a raging out of control arousal or anything... I AM a forty year old man with no discernable Brad Pitt-like qualities... but there was something there. Of course, I admit that putting faith in what might be my delusion of this ring's abilities might indicate a whole host of other issues. Well... let's just work on the assumption that I'm not openly crazy... and if so, it's a nice crazy so why not go with it til the meds kick in, right?

The drive to the South Pond wasn't hard. It was mostly a well worn dirt path that wasn't quite a road. You could make it in a truck, but probably not a lower sitting sedan. The walk was straight forward enough, but on the ATV it was a breeze. We headed through the main pastures down to the spring fed creek that ran through most of the property crossing at the shallowest point. The creek was really just a glorified damp spot there, but would gather depth and volume as it went further along.

On the other side of the creek, the road began a climb, which would take us up to the South Field. It wasn't a particularly steep climb, but the road was fairly rutty, which meant that there were more than a couple of places that dipped and bumped us toward the top.

"Unless you've grated all this flat, Jess, this next bit is going to be a bit bumpier than average" I called back over my shoulder.

"Sure is, hon. I'll just hang on tighter. Don't you worry about me," she said closely in my ear. I could certainly hear her clearly, but I could also feel her lean in against my neck, breath on my ear.

Jessica gripped me firmly around the waist in a tight hug. I admit, it felt nice. We hit a small dip and Jess seemed to loosen her hold on me slightly, only to move in tighter, laying her palms flat against my body. The climbing road evened out, but Jessica didn't loosen her grip.

I gave myself a moment to focus on reading her through the ring. It seemed that I could get a general feel for her without much effort, but I was curious what was really going on in her head. That seemed to require an intentional act of will. Focusing on Jess' presence behind me I could feel her emotional states very clearly... really, so much more clearly than before. Possibly it was the proximity, or maybe I was better able to read now that I'd tried it a time or two. It wasn't easy to tell, but it was easy to read Jess. She was clearly, feeling... alive... a sense of confident well-being... there was the confidence I'd felt earlier... relief seemed to be present... that was a little strange... contentment... and a low thrumming of arousal. That hadn't gone away. In fact, it was slightly stronger now than before. Not the foremost thing on her mind, I thought, but something she was aware of. Interesting.

"Wake up, sleepy head, I'd like to not hit that tree if you don't mind," she said as I drifted a bit off the center of the path.

"Oh, don't tell me you're scared of a little wreck, woman." I called back to her. "I thought you were tougher than that."

"Oh I'm tough all right, kid. I just don't want to drag your sorry ass all the way home when you crack your noggin."

"Well, I'll bear that in mind."

We crested the hill and the road flattened out into open pasture. When we kept cattle out here, this pasture had seen a lot more use. Nowadays, it was just open land. I think dad would hunt out here from time to time, but otherwise it went mostly unused. Still, it looks like they had, in fact, done a good bit of work with it, as Jessica had said. Interesting. The grass in the field was probably knee deep throughout most of the open area. They had probably sent someone up here to bush hog it, not all that long ago. And, I could see that the pathway had been flattened down a bit more completely than that. They hadn't graveled it or anything, but clearly they kept it under control. Looking down the path, I could clearly see that they had done some construction out here. Wow.

When I had last been on solid terms with my dad, we had talked about putting a horse barn out this way. He had had a (in my humble opinion) wackadoodle notion of raising horses as some sort of side business. I knew enough about business and enough about horses and (frankly) enough about my dad to know that this was a disastrously bad idea. Still, he had been pretty sold on it for a while. And with that, he planned to put a whole facility out on the South pasture. I think he'd talked about a barn, a corral, grazing space, and possibly living quarters for a full time trainer. Seemed a bit wacky to me given the financial commitment, but then again, dad had always been impulsive... also, quick to get distracted... which is probably why he had clearly gotten started out here but not finished.

Jessica saw me taking it in and said in my ear, "Yeah, it was always a silly idea to do the horse thing out here. But, he'd done some of the prep work already, so I got him to work on some other options out here. I like it, myself.

There was a ... what is the term? Summer house? Folly? Gazebo? Well whatever it was supposed to be, there was a small open sided decorative shelter sitting about 5 yards from the pond's bank. The pond itself was clearly being maintained with freshly mown grass around the banks extending back some 30 yards. Though, I had remembered seeing stumps and grown up places throughout the pond, it seems that dad had removed those. It was a fairly uniform body of water now. I could see that they had installed a small boat dock and a two person rowboat was tied up to it. And on the far side of the pond at the edge of the mown area was a free-standing cabin of some sort. It was smallish, probably two rooms. There were flower beds planted around it. Even though it was quite small, there was a small porch on the front with two rocking chairs. Very picturesque I suppose.

We pulled up to the cabin and I killed the engine.

"What do you think, Mikey."

"It's actually pretty nice, Jessica. I'm a little surprised. I wasn't enthusiastic about the whole horse thing."

"Oh me neither, hon. That was a boondoggle waiting to happen, but your dad had already started clearing some of this. He put in the cabin and ran water and sewer out here before I could pull him away from the notion. So, I thought it'd be nice to use the investment without losing everything to horse training."

We unstrapped our things from the ATV and walked over to the porch. Jessica opened the door, which apparently didn't have a lock, and stepped inside.

"See here, we put in a daybed and a chair. There's a small bathroom. 'Course if you want to get cleaned up more than washing your hands you'd have to step out back to the outdoor shower. I figured, what the hell, it's not like there are folks wandering by. I wanted to get clean if we stayed out this way for long, but I didn't want to expand the cabin more than we had to."

Jessica set the basket down and turned to see what I thought.

"I think it looks really neat, Jess. Looks like a nice place to spend an afternoon or evening. You've really done it up nice."

I could sense the swelling of pride.

"Thanks hon, that's nice of you. I really enjoy it. You can spend a day out here and not see a soul. Watch the sun go down and then count the stars. It's a nice little spot. No cell service, of course, and no other distractions, but all the amenities that you need, really. There's even a small window unit to cool the place down if the summer heat gets to be too much."

"Thanks for sharing it with me, Jessica. It really is lovely. So, let's take a look around. I'll just grab my camera and see what's to see." I grinned at Jessica and stooped down to unwrap my camera from the picnic blankets. I powered it on and removed the lens cap, stowing it in my pocket. "Okedoke. I'm all set. Let's take a look at the homestead."

Jessica led the way and stepped out on the porch. We walked around to the flower beds, which were obviously well tended.

"Are you keeping all this up yourself?" I asked.

"Oh, no hun. I do the flower beds, yes, but the grass is kept down by the Johnson boy. He comes around from time to time – every two weeks, or when he needs beer money – and takes care of clearing the road and cleaning up the grass. It's not exactly landscaping, but he does a nice enough job and he's cheap."

I squatted down and shot a couple of photos of the flowers that were blooming. I've no idea which ones they were... red... blooming... that's the extent of my botanical expertise.

Standing up I stepped around to the back of the house and saw that there was, indeed, an outdoor shower area. It was essentially a concrete pad which had been poured off the back of the house. A shower nozzle seemed to come up out of the concrete and was aimed straight down onto the pad. I'd guess no hot water, but still, a nice addition.

"I'd bet that's pretty chilly water, Jess, unless you've got a hot water heater out here too."

"Oh no, dear, it'll freeze your tits off on a cold day. Well, mine anyway." She smirked and I could feel that her naughtiness was intentional. There had been nothing accidental about that remark.

What the hell. "Well, that would be quite a loss, there Jess. They seem to be very fine tits, after all." I chuckled a bit to soften the remark.

"Hey there, kiddo... watch yourself, gettin' all forward," she laughed. "Though, truth be told they ain't half bad, now that you're mentioning it." And she cupped them in each hand, briefly hefting them as if to appreciate their weight. She looked up at me and guffawed.

And, of course, I blushed.

Well, she was old enough to be my mother.

But, damned attractive.

Still, old enough to be my mother. And, had been seeing my dad before his death. So, she might as well have been a step-mother. So, I suddenly took an interest the gazebo on the other side of the pond.

"Oh, now, hon. Don't be embarrassed. Shame and I haven't been introduced. So, I tend to say what's on my mind." She followed along as I stepped over to the gazebo camera in hand. "But, then again, I think that's what your old man loved about me. My straight talk. Not my tits. Well, yeah, he liked those too, as a matter of fact, but ... well... you know... I'll just shut up now and you can stop blushing whenever you like."

I chuckled and stepped into the gazebo. "Oh, Jessica, I have a feeling you're gonna keep me blushing for a while. But, don't worry, I've never been shy about being shy."

I felt Jess step up into the gazebo behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Well that's a good thing, Mike. I like having you around and I'd hate to run you off."

I could feel that she really meant that. Both from the sincerity in her voice and from the echo in the ring. How odd. I could really feel that sincerity. That contentment in having me near.

I used my camera to snap a picture of the cabin from this vantage point and then turned around to snap a shot of Jessica in the gazebo.

"Oh now, dear, you don't want to waste a picture on me, I'm sure I look a mess." I decided to really focus on her with the ring. I wanted to see how clear a picture I could get of her.

There was a little surprise, sure, but she was actually enjoying the notion that I would take her picture. I couldn't read exactly what she was thinking but there was certainly contentment, pride, a bit of excitement. I snapped another, and then changed my position a little to get a different angle.

"Well, you said you'd be my model, didn't you?" The camera allowed me to look directly at her, to stare even, without seeming unnatural. I used the opportunity to channel my attention through the ring. I wanted to see what I could read, but also if I could actually use it to alter the emotions I was sensing.

"Now, I didn't exactly say that, did I? I said, you might find something up here to take pictures of" Her modesty was mostly false. It was clear that she was flattered. And, it was equally clear that she didn't want me to stop, at all.

"And, I did didn't I... I took pictures of the cabin..." Snap. "Of the flower beds" Moving to a lower angle "of the gazebo" Snap. "And of the lovely lady in of the meadow... so, looks like I'm doing exactly what I said, I'd do"

Jessica was genuinely delighted. I could read affection for me and more than a little pride that I thought she was worth photographing. How nice. I stepped out of the gazebo and then framed my shot to capture her standing in the door of the structure backed by the pond and the cabin.

"That's nice. Now, give me a profile and lean against one side of that door." I could read that pride shifting toward excitement. Something about the situation was keying on her in a way that I didn't quite see. Sure she was happy about being perceived as attractive. Hell, she was beautiful, but regardless she was enjoying the impromptu photo shoot in a way that seemed to be connected to a memory. Hmm.

"Oh, that's nice," snap "You're good at this... okay, now lift your arms over your head and grab the woodwork behind you... just relaxing against the frame." Snap. "That's great, Jess. You've done this before haven't you?"

I could feel a spike in the excitement and real stirring in the arousal. Well, that hit something alright.

"Oh, once or twice, Mikey. Your dad had a camera. He liked to take photos from time to time."

Ahhh, so that was it. The old man had snapped her photos before and that excited her. Well, I'm guessing that knowing him the way I did, those photos were a little more risqué than I was shooting. But, she seemed to get a kick out of playing around with the posing. I wonder. Could I use the ring to push things a bit? I mean, what's the harm of trying. I'm supposed to be looking at her through this viewfinder and concentrating anyway... she'll never notice. I focused in on her sense of excitement and mentally blew on the embers. I stirred that emotional reservoir. I could feel a tingle in the ring and saw Jessica take a deep breath as she pulled out of the pose.

"Okay, Jess, now the other side of the doorway. Same pose, but lift your left foot and put it against the woodwork behind you as well... just one foot on the ground... and then look up a bit at the top of the door frame. That's it." Snap.

I stirred a bit more reaching out to her arousal reservoir... that echo of emotion... that pool that seemed to be churning and stirred it a bit. I wasn't sure what the right move was for this but I started by mentally stirring the figurative cauldron of lust that seemed to be bubbling away in there somewhere. I could tell from her reactions that she and my dad had likely done just this sort of thing out here, and I was getting the impression that it was a fond memory. It didn't take much to feel her arousal growing.

"Okay now, let's have you turn around... face the cabin... now, look over your right shoulder at me." I stoked that arousal reservoir a bit more and snapped the pic. "Hon, are you just trying to snap a picture of my ass?" she joked.

"Oh, Jess... I thought it was a nice shot of you in silhouette against the cabin..., but it IS a nice ass... so, if you'd like I could just zoom in on that." I smiled broadly.

Her lust was growing on its own now. I could feel the arousal climbing quickly and steadily without my direct influence. Where was this going?

Jess reached back and slapped her ass with her right hand and said, "Well, snap that picture, Mikey. This ass isn't getting any younger." I knelt in the grass and snapped that photo.

"Well, if we're doing that, you might as well give me something to work with. Bend over and stick that thing back this way... I need to get a good shot of it."

"I'd say you were being a smart ass, kid, but in the circumstances I guess I'll just take you at your word." And she bet forward slightly at the waist. Her ass was well rounded, full without being flabby, and in a pair of shorts that seemed to be riding up, just a tad.

I took the shot.

"Okay, now let's get it in profile... never let it be said, I neglected all the angles on my photographic subject." Her arousal was now at a level that told me things were going to progress. I wasn't going to offend her at this stage with anything other than indifference. That was something we were in no danger of coming across. Jessica turned and, in profile, reached out to hold the woodwork of the doorway with both hands over her head as she leaned her ass back to the other side of the doorway. Her back was straight. Her breasts full against the shelf bra of the tanktop/cami top that she was wearing.

I snapped the pictures. Lots of them. She shifted to the opposite side. And I snapped more photos. She wasn't waiting for direction any more.

"How about this pose, Mikey?" Jessica turned completely away from me, spread her feet out to touch each side of the doorframe. She bent forward at the waist and touched the floor with her fingertips. She looked back through her legs, and said "Does that work for you, hon?"

"You know it does, Jess. That pose would wake the dead." I reached out this time through the ring... found what I thought might be a sense of inhibition. It was at the edge of the growing arousal reservoir. I imagined that pool of emotion being covered in a blanket... contained... and I felt it slowly start to shrink... to pull away. As I felt that shift, I called out... "Well, I think you said something about modeling "au natural" didn't you?"

Her echo of arousal rang out... grew... it was beginning to overshadow everything else she was feeling... I blew on that flame just a bit more through the ring and said, "Seems a shame to waste this lovely light ... I think you'd look pretty amazing without that top on."