The Shepherd of Ashburn Court Pt. 01

Gabriella turned off the TV before she heard any more bile. The two mothers looked at each other and knew immediately who their protector was. Miriam sat quietly at her mother's side with a sweet smile on her face. The Khaleel girls looked questioningly at their mother who just smiled and settled more comfortably in the chair, snuggling deeper into the warm white knit sweater. Gabriella looked a little conflicted... and envious.

Chapter 5

The funeral home was very busy. The viewings for three of the men were being held in the available chambers. Across town other funeral homes were dealing with the other families. The viewings were for family and friends only. Daniel Wallace and Devon King were given open caskets but this was impossible for Ashraf Khaleel. This upset his parents but there was nothing that could be done. They spoke briefly with the girls then left, ignoring their son's wife completely. They'd never approved of their son's choice.

Catherine and her three daughters were sitting on chairs along one wall doing their best not to cry but Megan was having the hardest time of the young women. Her mother was holding her hand and greeting those who came in to express their condolences. There weren't too many people willing to run the gauntlet of press outside.

She looked up when Ben walked into the room. He was such a big man and the sharp blue black suit he was wearing made him look even more massive. The black shirt and tie were very classy but it looked like he'd given his hair a little trim himself and had made a bit of a mess. He was staring at the casket and she could see his shoulders relax when he saw it was closed. He looked over at the family and she saw the compassion on his face when he saw Megan's tears. His eyes moved to hers and he smiled with a little nod. He approached them and shook each of their hands telling them he was sorry for their loss. Megan hadn't looked up yet. When he reached Catherine she had to ask.

"Mr. Shepherd, I can't help but notice you had a little mishap with some hair shears." She pitched her voice just loud enough to be heard by the immediate group. She also kept watch on Megan who was their household stylist. As she expected Megan's eyes snapped up to his head. She was surprised when her youngest snorted explosively at the sight of his butchered hair. Everyone smiled at her reaction including Ben.

"What? I thought I did a good job!" he said with a puzzled smile.

Megan lost it. Clutching her tissues over her mouth to stifle the laughter she leapt from the chair and rushed from the room. Her sisters went after her trying to hide their own smiles.

"Thank you." Catherine said quietly.

"For giving myself a terrible haircut? Pfft!" Ben scoffed.

"No, for protecting my family." she said seriously.

"That's what good neighbors do." he said gruffly with a small shrug. "How are you holding up?" Ben changed the subject.

She looked over at the casket and sighed. She wondered why she wasn't more emotional. Her tears tonight were really only in sympathy for her daughters for their having lost their father. While her girls were all grown up, the youngest being 18, the loss of a parent is never an easy thing to deal with. Even one as unaffectionate as Ashraf had been.

Rochelle King sounded absolutely devastated by losing Devon. She could hear the woman crying at the end of the hall. For herself she just felt a little sad. She'd come to the realization years ago that while Ashraf loved her he would never love her as much as he loved himself. The time of that epiphany had been a rough time in their relationship. She stayed in the marriage because of the girls but from then on it hadn't been the same between her and her husband. Now the play acting was done. She no longer had to pretend. Her girls were grown and she had her future in front of her.

"I'll be ok." she said with a smile which he returned. He patted her hand and stepped aside as the girls returned. Megan kept her eyes away from his ridiculous haircut. She suddenly reached out and snagged his jacket.

"Tomorrow, you come by the house around noon and I'll fix... that." She stifled another burst of giggles.

"Yes, maam." he replied seriously and she shooed him away still without looking at him.

With a final nod Ben moved down the hall and stepped into the next room. The sight of Daniel's body in the open casket right next to the door hit him like a tonne of bricks. Images of his dead parents lying in their caskets flashed across his mind and he felt his chest tightening. He looked away sharply and saw Gabriella looking at him with concern. He stumbled away from the casket and the next thing he knew he was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands.

"Breathe! Deep and slow." Gabriella's voice was starting to register over the roar in his ears and he felt her rubbing his back. Miriam was on her right and Daniel, Jr. was on her left.

"What happened to him, mom?" her son asked.

Catherine heard the huge thump and saw a picture rattle on the wall as if something had hit the other side. She rushed to investigate and saw her friend appearing to console Ben.

"What happened?" she asked.

Ben finally felt the roaring go quiet and leaned back in the chair. He kept his eyes averted from the casket and found himself looking into the curious face of the boy. He blushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here making a scene." He struggled to stand but Gabriella had leverage and pushed him back into the chair.

"Ben, you almost passed out. You are in no condition to leave. Just sit and rest for a bit." she chastised him.

"Why did you fall down Mr. Shepherd?" the boy asked.

Ben looked over at him again. "I was surprised by the casket being so close to the door. I didn't have time to prepare." He put his head in his hands again and took some deep breaths.

Catherine stood next to Gabriella and asked quietly once more, "What happened?"

"Ben stepped in the room and froze when he saw Daniel. He looked like he was going to pass out and stumbled across the room to land in that chair." she told her friend in a whisper.

Rochelle appeared in the doorway holding a tissue to her nose. Her eyes were red from crying and rimmed with tears but they held curiosity in them as well. "Is Mr. Shepherd alright?" she asked.

Ben surged to his feet. He felt terribly ashamed for having disturbed these women in their time of mourning. His cheeks pinked with his embarrassment. Still a little light headed he closed his eyes and staggered once as hands automatically braced him. "Please, I don't mean to be a distraction. I'm truly sorry for your loss. I'll get out of your way." He opened his eyes and saw Gabriella and Catherine had their hands on his chest, Rochelle had his left arm and Daniel, Jr. his right.

He ducked his head and tried to move but they all just pushed and pulled him gently back into the chair. Rochelle immediately sat down to his left as she continued to hold his arm. She looked up at the other two women and smirked.

"If he didn't mean to be a distraction maybe he shouldn't look so damn good!" she said. Gabriella and Catherine immediately blushed as similar thoughts remained unsaid in their own minds. Rochelle saw she wasn't alone in her appreciation and smiled. She dabbed the tears from her eyes and looked up at the big man. She was 5' 5" with abundant curves but seated next to Ben she looked absolutely miniature. "You're not running away until we know you aren't going to pass out on your drive home. Now, what's wrong?"

"Sorry, I'm just not good with open casket viewings. I shouldn't have come. Brings back too many memories... of my parents. ...I'm feeling better now, I should go." Ben said, uncomfortably aware of Rochelle's soft but heavy breasts resting on his left arm and his hand touching her thigh but he couldn't free himself.

Gabriella whispered something to Catherine who nodded and left. After she watched her friend leave she scooted her son over one chair and sat down on Ben's right. She took his right hand in hers and held it on her lap. He twitched visibly as his hand rested on her smooth legs.

Catherine returned shortly with one of the funeral home directors who closed the lid on Daniel's casket. Rochelle pointed at her viewing hall and nodded. The man returned her nod then left to close Devon's casket as well.

"No, please you shouldn't have to do that!" Ben looked concerned at the two women holding his arms.

Catherine pulled a chair right in front of Ben, sat down in it blocking him in and looked into his eyes. "When did you lose your parents?" she asked gently.

Ben looked at Catherine in surprise. "Uh, I was five. Drunk driver."

"You saw them at the funeral home?" she continued.

"Yes, but... it didn't look like them. Shouldn't have been open casket. Shouldn't." Ben mumbled trying not to remember.

"Who took care of you after they were gone?" Gabriella asked.

"Foster homes." Ben said.

Rochelle made a sympathetic sound and leaned in. Her impressive chest pressed more firmly on his arm. Gabriella just squeezed his right hand a little tighter against her silky legs.

Ben was embarrassed to feel his body reacting to the wonderful softness of the two women. He needed to leave before he made a fool out of himself. He tried desperately to think of anything else to calm his growing stimulation.

Then Catherine put her hands on his knees.

It was too much. His erection kicked into high gear at the feel of her strong hands. His pants were becoming distinctly uncomfortable and the evidence of his excitement was distinctly visible. He panicked.

"I'm so sorry, I should go." He pulled his arms back and stood up.

Catherine suddenly leaned forward to block his escape but instead planted her face solidly against his groin and the large solid mass that was straining to get free. She bounced back and his face went beet red when he saw the look of surprise on hers.

"Oh god! I didn't mean- I'm sorry." he said to Catherine who was holding her hands over her face. He rushed from the room and disappeared down the hall.

Catherine slid her hands down over her mouth to contain the laughter that was screaming to get out. Completely inappropriate, badly timed, but God-it-felt-good laughter!

Rochelle's eyes were almost popping out of her head. She looked at Gabriella. "Did you see the size of that thing?"

Gabriella smirked and watched Catherine choking on her supressed laughter. Tears were pouring from the woman's eyes and her face was getting red. People looking in the doorway saw a woman struggling with her grief. Gabriella should have taken pity on her friend but deep down there was always just a little bit of competitiveness between her and the blonde.

"I think Cat got the bird's eye view." she said staring her right in the eye.

It was too much for Catherine whose laughter exploded past her hands. She jumped to her feet and rushed from the room colliding with her daughters at the door. They grabbed her and hustled her away as her face got redder and redder and the laughter continued to burst forth.

Rochelle looked at her neighbor and shook her head with a smirk. "If I didn't know you were best friends with that woman I'd say that was just a little mean."

Gabriella did her best to school her expression and look dignified but she couldn't quite eliminate the smile from the corners of her lips. She'd apologize to Cat tomorrow but tonight she'd enjoy her little victory.

Rochelle suddenly frowned. "We should probably check in on Mr. Shepherd tomorrow. Make sure he's ok and doesn't think we were offended or anything."

Gabriella's smile got the better of her as she looked at Rochelle who had a smile of her own.

Chapter 6

Ben was pushing a stack of big plates on the bench press. He was trying to clear his mind of the embarrassing mess he'd made of the viewing last night. He should have known better than to attend. Then to get a freaking erection in front of the grieving widows?!? What kind of a low life does that? Why did his body have to be so fucking reactive to women?!? What was he, a teenager?

Hitting Catherine in the face with it was so beyond reprehensible he didn't know what to do with himself. He obviously couldn't show his face to them again. He was seriously considering selling the house and moving so they wouldn't have to share the neighborhood with such a deviant.

He threw his self-disgust into the weights and pushed until he could barely get the weights back into the rack. He was breathing hard after his set and his arms and chest were pumped and maybe a little wobbly from overdoing it. He was punishing himself which was a damn stupid thing to do when working with such heavy weights.

He sat up and wiped the sweat from his face with his towel then froze when he heard the doorbell ring.

He jogged up the stairs and looked out the front door.

Megan Khaleel was standing on his porch with a cross look on her face. Crap! He'd messed up so badly with Catherine now her kids hated him. He couldn't really blame them. Better to take his deserved punishment. He opened the door.

"You missed your hair-" Megan barked until she saw he was only wearing short black shorts and runners. Then her jaw dropped as she took in his sweaty muscles. She tried to start again but the words weren't there.

Ben was getting a chill by the door. "It's cold out. Please come in."

She stepped into the foyer and stared at his chest. "God, you've got bigger boobs than Mrs. King!" she blurted then slapped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.

He grimaced. He raised his index finger and went down the hall to his bedroom. He quickly kicked off his shoes and sweaty shorts and pulled on his long terry dressing robe. Now he was covered up so Megan wouldn't be embarrassed. He walked back towards the foyer.

Megan saw him approaching and was a little disappointed he'd thrown the robe over his rockin' body. Sure, he was an older guy but damn he looked GOOD for an older guy! A lot better than any of her past boyfriends ever did.

She heard a knock on the door behind her and saw Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. King huddled from the cold. She opened the door and they were a little surprised to see her there. They stepped inside just as Ben got back.

He saw the three women standing there and his heart fell. Catherine had obviously sent Megan as her representative and the three were going to tell him to his face what a dirtbag he was. Well, he deserved it. He steeled himself and looked at the gathered women.

Rochelle was first to speak. "Mr. Shepherd, did we wake you?"

Megan wanted the two women to share what she'd just seen. He'd obviously been body building but he seemed to be tongue tied. She answered for him.

"No, he was just working out. Have you seen these muscles?" she said stepping forward and yanked his robe open.

Ben was completely caught off guard and was so surprised he didn't react for a few seconds.

Megan looked down and discovered his shorts were no longer there.

Rochelle looked like a deer caught in headlights. The image of his naked, sweaty body was burning into her mind for all time.

Gabriella soaked it all in and smiled like that cat who got the cream. Catherine may have briefly felt him through the fabric of his pants but she'd seen it fully exposed not four feet away. Even at rest it was magnificent.

Ben finally snatched the robe closed and more securely tightened the belt. His mouth was working but nothing was coming out.

Megan was also trying to speak but couldn't tear her eyes away from his now covered groin. He snapped his fingers in her line of sight and she jumped. "I'm so sorry Mr. Shepherd! I thought you had your shorts on underneath!"

"Yes well... even if I had you don't go yanking people's robes open. What if I did that to you?" he said then closed his eyes tightly, shook his head and blushed at the image in his mind. He WAS a dirty pervert!

The three women caught the blush and smiled as images passed through their minds as well.

Ben seemed to get a hold of himself. "Look before you say anything I want to apologize for my behavior last night. It was totally inappropriate and I'm more than a little disgusted with myself. I fully deserve your contempt. I wish I could have told Catherine to her face-" Gabriella snorted then quickly suppressed it. "...how sorry I am for disturbing the viewing for all of you."

Rochelle glanced questioningly at Gabriella and they shared a look. While there was opportunity here for a little naughty blackmail neither of them felt Ben deserved it. He was a decent man who shouldn't be made to feel this way.

"What happened?" Megan asked. Ben's face went crimson and he tucked his robe a little tighter.

Gabriella spoke up to let Ben off the hook. "Ben, no one aside from you is upset by what happened last night. We came here today to make sure you were ok. Well, that's what Rochelle and I were here for. Why did you come over Megan?"

"Oh! Right! Mr. Shepherd was supposed to come to our place thirty minutes ago for a haircut. Mom made us all lunch too. I was sent to collect him." she said.

"Oh really?" Gabriella said.

Megan looked at her a little nervously. "She made a large pot of stew so I'm sure there would be enough for two more guests."

"That would be lovely. Ben, why don't you get dressed and we will accompany you to Cat's." Gabriella said.

Ben looked a little confused but didn't argue. "Please have a seat in the living room. Just give me five minutes." Once they were seated he moved back down the hall. He closed his bedroom door and leaned his forehead against it for a few seconds then he stripped and jumped into the shower.

Back in the living room, Megan was looking at Gabriella. "Mrs. Wallace, what happened last night? Mom won't tell us what she was laughing about when we found her in your viewing room."

"Ben did something that embarrassed him and amused your mother. Let's leave it at that so we can spare Ben any additional hurt feelings, alright?" she suggested.

The three ladies waited and imagined what might be happening in Ben's shower.

True to his word he returned five minutes later freshly washed, dried (except his hair), and dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt, a black knit sweater and white socks. He slipped his boots and jacket on and followed the women outside. He locked up and followed them over to Catherine's. He looked a few doors down the block on the north side and noticed a black limo idling on the street at the base of the driveway outside of the Lee residence.

James Lee, a 38 year old foreign market investor and recent member of Ashburn Court's Gentleman's Club, had been one of the fatalities from the plane crash, leaving his 24 year old wife Tina and their six month old baby Christopher alone. Ben saw a well-dressed older Asian woman standing in the driveway yelling at the young woman who was holding her baby and crying. The old woman gestured for her driver to get out of the car and continued to yell at the crying woman. Ben immediately turned towards the Lee home and ran over to see what was upsetting Tina.

He took off his jacket and placed it around the young woman's shoulders since she wasn't dressed for the weather and pulled it around the baby as well who was only wrapped in a blanket.

"Mrs. Lee, what's wrong? What's she saying?" he asked. He'd spoken to her before so he knew she spoke English.

"She wants to take Christopher away from me and take him back to Korea." she cried. "She says I was a bad wife for her son and an unfit mother for her grandchild." The young woman burst into tears.

Ben saw the driver walking up the drive towards them. He had something in his hand and when he flicked his wrist it snapped out into a baton. Fuck! Ben wasn't a fighter though he'd been in a few minor scraps during his University days on pub crawls. Now he was facing a guy with a club who looked like he knew how to use it. Ben whipped off his sweater and balled it around his left hand just as the man rushed at him swinging the club. He blocked the first few swings but the next three got through and Ben went down on his right knee in pain. Seeing victory the driver stepped in close to bash Ben's skull but got a solid punch to the groin from Ben's right fist instead. The hit lifted the man right off his feet.