The Real Estate Connection Ch. 05

“I know honey. I was stupid and I’m sorry. I just got a bit panicky… I had to make sure you were okay. Can you understand that babe?”

“Yeah I can honey but the thing is… I’m the pro here. I know what I’m doing and I can get the job done a lot easier and safer if I don’t have to be looking behind me for you. If I have to worry about where you are hon, it could prove to be a fatal distraction. Okay so this time it was a false alarm. What if it wasn’t? You could have got your gorgeous little ass shot Stevie. From now on do what I say, when I say it. Okay baby?” She hung her head and moved forward for a hug. I just held her for the longest time stroking her back and hair as I felt the tension drain out of us both. After a few moments Lee joined us.

“Craig this is getting freaky man. These guys were given an anonymous tip about you and your merry band being involved in two murders and drug dealing.” That got my attention. It was definitely not Montoya’s style and didn’t make sense at all. Montoya wouldn’t want a news crew shadowing us. He’d want as much anonymity as he could get. A news crew would restrict his ability to get at me. Besides, it would bring him into focus on governmental anti drug radars. The DEA and other agencies would be forced to target him more thoroughly than they already were. I relayed this to Lee who digested it with a thoughtful look on his face.

“We’re going to have to start looking at other possibilities Craig. There are lots of hidden agendas at work here, and until we can nail down exactly who is after you we are completely in the dark. It’s going to be harder to protect you folks now, you know that don’t you?”

“Not really buddy. It’s still the same situation; unknown hitters coming after us. No matter whose paying the bills, we still have folks out there who want me dead. So as far as I see it there is no change to the game plan Lee. I’m going to call an old friend of mine who’s in the security business. He’s got a similar background to mine and really knows his shit and he’s got a couple of damned good men working with him. I’ll see if he can lend a hand here.” I could see he was still worried. “Look Lee, I have weapons, the advantages of knowing they’re coming and knowing the battleground better than them, and a group of good men on my side. We’re gonna be okay man.”

“Craig, up ‘til now we have been assuming that it’s you that they’re after. What if it’s not? Stevie’s a rich woman buddy. And what about Matt? He’s a pretty free spirited kinda guy. Maybe he’s pissed off a husband somewhere. Just don’t get too comfortable buddy. And call me anytime you need a hand or want to talk. I know when to take the badge off… okay?”

With that he turned and walked back to the news crew who were starting to come out of their shock and looking for a way to get to us. I guess the story is everything. Lee’s men were having a great time running interference; putting their bodies between the camera and our little group as we piled back into the Tahoe and headed out of the subdivision. I figured I was going to have to throw a barbeque for the SWAT team in the near future. Actually it might be a good way to break in the pool I had yet to use at home. As we drove past the news crew’s car I saw one of Lee’s men cover the lens of the camera with his helmet. Yep… a barbeque was definitely going to be on the agenda.

We arrived at the car dealership 20 minutes later to find my Tahoe ready to go. It took only a matter of minutes for the final paperwork details to be cleared, then we were on our way with me and the girls in my new truck and Hemi and Sam following. Earlier in the morning the plan had been to take Hemi with me while Sam took the ladies to the office to get some work done. The drama with the news crew had wrecked that idea. Becky still needed to go into the office but Stevie had nothing urgent that needed her presence. We decided to go and grab some lunch before we split up so we headed to Killer Muffins. I was getting addicted to cappuccino and could think of no better place to get my daily fix than Killer Muffins. The atmosphere was great, the service awesome and the owner was very cool.

As we sat and chatted I reflected on the fact that since coming to Richmond my life had hardly been anything close to ordinary. Two men had been murdered; one an innocent. The alarm installation guy’s funeral was in two days and I made a mental note to learn as much as I could about him and to attend the funeral. He hadn’t deserved to die and I felt a lot of guilt over his death. All I knew about him was that his name had been Nelson Madden and that he was a single man with no family. That was a blessing of sorts I suppose but it still didn’t alleviate any of the guilt I felt.

My reflections were interrupted by the arrival of an unwelcome visitor; Carmichael. The table had gone silent and I looked up to find him standing behind Sam looking over at me. I sighed. It had been inevitable.

“Tracking device on Hemi’s truck eh?” I sighed again at his nod.

“Good morning Craig, may I sit?” I nodded and he pulled a chair in from a nearby table and parked his ass. With an imperious wave of his hand he summoned the waitress to our table. Once he had ordered his lunch he sat back and regarded us with what I would term a fairly nasty smirk.

“So… how was your night?” There it was! The fucking bugs! I’d forgotten to make sure that they were deactivated in the bedroom last night. Carmichael had listened in to everything that had gone on between Becky, Stevie and me. My first urge was to leap the table and rip out his heart… with a spoon. But that wouldn’t have gone down well with the owner of Killer Muffins and I liked the place so I just leaned over and smiled back as I said, “Yeah… we had a great night. How ‘bout you? Listen to anything interesting Carmichael? Did you have fun sitting there in your cold little control room listening in to real people living real lives?” His secret was out and he knew it. Okay so I’d blown the usefulness of the bugs with a petty comment, but it was worth it to see his face flush and him start to fidget.

“What? Do you think I’m some sort of green amateur? You think I fell off the last freight train or something pal? You have to remember that I’ve been doing this shit for the last eight years. You’re guilty of underestimating me Carmichael, and I’m guilty of overestimating you. I thought you’d be better. I guess I was wrong.”

I looked around the table at my friends, seeing a range of expressions and reactions. Becky looked shocked and embarrassed but looked determined not to let the fact that our playtime last night was all on tape in some CIA vault somewhere. Stevie was trying hard not to giggle while at the same time looked pissed off. It was comical to watch. Hemi and Sam looked a little uncomfortable. After all… they had been on the clock last night while they were screwing Liz and Joanne. Also I had asked Hemi to make sure the bug in the bedroom was deactivated. I grinned inwardly as I imagined the apologies that were sure to come when Carmichael was gone.

“So where are my intelligence reports Carmichael? I told you I wanted them yesterday.” He looked flustered. I think he expected to find us rattled from the deaths a couple of days ago and the fun and games this morning, which I felt certain he had been updated on.

“I want those reports by three o’clock today Carmichael. I also want you to remove all the bugs from my house. I want your cell phone number so I can call you any time, day or night. Until you’ve done all this, you and I have nothing to talk about. Tip the waitress on your way out.” With that I turned away from him to find the rest of the table staring at me in shock. They hadn’t expected me to climb into Carmichael the way I had. Hemi and Sam looked particularly worried, but they had seen the lone wolf side of me before so they should have been used to it. I did my best to look completely unconcerned as Carmichael rose and walked out… ignoring the waitress as he passed her. He looked like someone had pissed in his pocket. Not a happy chappy at all. I had called his bluff… now I just had to see how strong my hand was.

“Jesus Christ Craig. Did you have to push him so far man? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so pissed. What the fuck did you think you were doing?” Hemi was almost apoplectic.

“Listen buddy, I’m sick of having to jump through hoops for that clown. I used to respect him but that seems like a different life and a different man. I owe him nothing so he gets nothing. Unless he plays ball with me. I need the intel he’s holding so I can protect me and mine, and if this is what it takes to get what I need then so be it. Now you might have to bow and scrape to him but I don’t. Remember buddy, I don’t work for him any more. Now let’s just enjoy our lunch shall we?”

I got up and walked over to the waitress and cancelled Carmichael’s lunch order and apologised for his rude behaviour, then returned to the table where I got a very warm kiss from Stevie the moment I sat down. I grinned at her and kissed her back. Life was good.

After lunch we split up with Becky heading off to the office with Sam and Hemi. Stevie and I headed for the mall. I was determined to have a semi normal day. I wanted a spot of retail therapy to soothe my ruffled feathers and with Stevie as my guide I was sure I could have a successful session. She seemed like the sort of woman who could get a lot out of a shopping trip. I wanted to pick up some books and a few DVDs. There were a lot of movies made in the eight years I was in the jungles of Colombia and I figured it was time I did some catching up. My plan for the rest of the day was to shop, then head back to the house and start setting up my library.

“Ahh the illusion of domesticated bliss,” Stevie mocked me when I informed her of my plan. “Honey I have something I want to run by you later. I need your opinion about something I’ve been planning for a few years. Up ‘til now I guess I just haven’t had the guts to do it, but lately I feel like I could do anything. So what do you think? A quiet dinner, a good movie and a good conversation. Sound like fun?”

“It sounds like a damned good plan baby. I suppose I can start setting up the library tomorrow. Let’s make this shopping trip a quick one. Borders, the supermarket, then home.” We drove the rest of the way to the mall in a companionable silence. The Tahoe had a very good sound system and the radio station the stereo was dialled in to was playing a selection of rock ballads. The mellow strains of Someday by Nickelback wafted through the car as we pulled into the parking lot at the mall.

Borders was the sort of experience I had dreamed about for the eight years I was in the jungle. Peace and quiet even though I was surrounded by people. Books, CDs and movies as far as the eye could see. The minute we walked in the door I knew my credit card was going to take a serious hammering. When we left nearly three hours later, I had spent an embarrassing amount of money and it took us three trips to carry all our purchases to the truck. The trip to the market was completed in record time and by 4.30 we were pulling into the drive at my place. Dinner was to be pre-prepared salads and steaks done on the grill. I’d bought enough steaks for everyone although I had no idea if or when they would be turning up. Becky had mentioned meeting Matt at the airport so I figured they would want to catch up. Sam and Hemi would probably roll up after Becky was safely with Matt.

As we were unloading the truck Stevie’s original cell phone rang. I carried on unloading the bags from the truck as Stevie stood in the driveway and had a very animated and excited conversation with the person on the other end of the line. I could tell by the mile wide smile on her face that it was good news; a deduction that was supported when she finished the call, closed her phone and raced over to me and flung herself into my arms giggling.

“I’ve sold it!” she screamed, kissing me all over my face. I was still none the wiser as to what she’d sold but caught up in the moment I kissed her back and laughed right along with her. Finally she calmed down long enough for me to pop the question.

“What have you sold baby?”

“My house! I’ve had it on the market for a while and there’s one guy who has been dithering over it for as couple of weeks. He’s finally bitten the bullet and wants to sign… tomorrow. Damn this feels good. I love my house but it was time to move on.” Linking her arm through mine she grabbed the last bag of books and we went inside.

“Actually honey, it’s your fault that I got the itch to sell my house. I was looking for a place for you and started to think that maybe a place in the country was what I wanted. If you hadn’t bought this place, I would’ve. Now I’ll have to start looking all over again. Hell… where am I going to stay now? I could put my stuff in storage for a while I suppose.” She was starting to ramble so I let her carry on. It was so damned good to see her excited. Mind you, it seemed to be a perpetual condition for Stevie. The answer to her housing problem was as plain as the nose on my face, but was I ready to take the step of actually cohabiting with her? I guess there was only one way to find out. I’d ask her after dinner.

While Stevie got the kitchen organised I started to drag a few boxes of books in from the container which was still creating an eyesore in my driveway. I was going to have to empty it and get rid of it. That would be a good job for Hemi, Sam and me tomorrow. I still had boxes of books, CDs and DVDs that needed to be unloaded. Down time in the jungle had given me plenty of time to do lots of catalogue shopping, and I’d discovered that Amazon deliver anywhere. My collections had grown but in a very haphazard way over the years.

“Craig, want to grab a swim before we have dinner? You haven’t tried out your pool yet have you baby? I had the pool man come in the day before you moved in and check it out. It should be okay to swim in but you should arrange for a guy to come and do regular maintenance on it.”

That sounded like a damned good idea. There was still a lot I had to get used to with both my new house and my new life. In the jungle a swim meant setting up two watchers to keep an eye out for reptilian wildlife in the water. A caiman or snake attack could really tend to fuck up your swim.

“What about swim suits honey?” For some strange reason this brought a gale of laughter from her.

“Yeah I suppose it wouldn’t do for you to see me naked, or for me to see your dangly bits would it?” She had a good point there. We shed our clothes on the way to the pool and in a couple of minutes we were splashing around naked in the cool clear water of my very nicely sculpted pool. It was laid out in blue with a diving board at one end and a dolphin pattern on the bottom. I could picture long summer afternoons spent lying on loungers sipping cool drinks and soaking up the sun. As we played Stevie babbled on about the house sale. The topics bounced from where she could store her furniture and other stuff, to where she could stay while she looked for a new house. She wasn’t making sense but it was great to see her this excited. I was so wrapped up in enjoying her happiness that it took me a while to figure out what she was trying to lead up to. She wanted to ask to move in. Grinning inwardly I decided to make her work for it.

“Honey you want to know if you can move in right?” I grinned at the look of pure innocence she shot me. “Just ask Stevie… that’s all you have to do. Just ask… nicely.”

“Craig honey, would you mind if I came and stayed with you for a while until I found my own place? Please? I can pay my own way and wouldn’t be a nuisance on those nights you brought stray sluts home from wild nights on the town. Can I stay baby? Pretty please?” As she spoke, she moved closer giving me the full eye contact and body language treatment as she advanced. Through the clear water her body took on an ethereal glow; her breasts floating in the water, her wet hair plastered to her shoulders and back. She was absolutely captivating. Gorgeous was an understatement for the way she looked in the pool.

“I don’t know hon. I mean I don’t really need the money and if I managed to pick up a stray slut I’d probably go to her place. So what else can you offer me homeless person? Do you cook or clean?”

The look of wide eyed innocence changed in an instant as she closed the remaining distance between us and shifted into sultry temptress mode. Her eyelids hooded as he reached one arm around my neck and pulled my face down for a long wet kiss full of passion and promise. At the same time her free hand wrapped around my flaccid cock which chose immediately not to stay flaccid. I moaned deep in my throat as her pointed tongue slid its way between my lips and teeth. The feeling was intense and incredible. Her fingers entwined themselves in my hair as she pulled my mouth harder against hers.

Her fingers were slowly sliding up and down the length of my rapidly hardening shaft as her tongue found mine and started the wrestle for domination of my mouth. I was used to Stevie’s aggressiveness now but I guess the outdoor location of our encounter added to the highly charged eroticism of the moment. Whatever the reason, in a matter of moments, Stevie had a hand full of pink steel. I still hadn’t reached for her; my hands hanging limp in the water. I was going to make her work for the confirmation that I wanted her to stay. God I can be an evil bastard at times. Stevie called a halt to the kiss and looked up at me.

“So do you think I can stay or do I have to show you more?” Her throaty voice and sultry grin almost made me lose it then and there. The fact that her hand was still playing with my cock didn’t help my self control at all.

“I’m still undecided honey… you better show me more,” I managed to croak. Her grin grew wider as she slowly backed away toward the side of the pool, towing me with her by the firm grip she had on my cock.

“Aaaah… so you’re gonna really make me work for my room and board are you? Well I guess I’ll have to get to work straight away. Climb up on the edge of the pool sir and I’ll see what I can do about this swelling. I do have some first aid experience. With a bit of luck we may just be able to get rid of it for you.”

Who was I to argue? Seconds later I was sitting on the edge of the pool with my feet dangling in the water and a very aroused gorgeous woman moving in between my spread thighs. Her eyes flicked from mine to my cock and back to my eyes. Her breasts heaved and her nipples stood out like erasers just above the waterline as she resumed stroking my hard cock. Her tongue flicked out and swiped over the head of my now throbbing cock sending a bolt of pure pleasure through my body. Her eyes locked with mine as she opened her mouth wide and slowly descended on my shaft, sinking her hot wet lips down to the very base of my cock. She gagged momentarily then fought the gag reflex and swallowed as my cock entered her throat. I moaned deep in my throat as this new sensation threatened to throw me over the edge into an orgasm I wanted to postpone for a while yet. Stevie kept on coming up with ways to amaze me. It was an aspect of her personality that definitely boded well for our future. My only worry was would I be inventive enough to keep a woman like her interested. I didn’t have time to ponder this though as she cupped my balls in one hand and lightly scratched the soft skin between them and my anus with the fingernails of the other. I was going into sensory overload. There was no way I wanted to blow but if she kept up with what she was doing, the situation was going to be out of my control. The only thing I could do was forestall her. Reaching down I grabbed her under the arms and leaned back pulling her off my cock and up out of the water. She giggled as she collapsed on my chest.