Chapter 23
ABIGAIL
Our heads were pounding the following day, but our butts were moving. Foraging for food was our first errand, and I wasn”t about to cook anything in my state. Seneca drove my car out of the barn through the opposite door, and I hopped in my rental car as we set out onto my sleepy street for our ”Mystic Experience.” After dropping the rental off at the rental return, (another thing I forgot to do on Monday), our next biggest challenge was where to eat.
Best eggs or best French toast? Two diners on opposite sides of the street a half-mile downtown from each other both touted the best breakfast in the village. I didn”t care which one we chose because we were returning tomorrow to try the other one.
We agreed last night that we”d act like tourists for the next forty-eight hours and afterwards, stop spending money we didn”t have. Granted, I was sitting on almost seventeen thousand dollars after getting my house up and running and renting a car for two weeks. I”ll never have this kind of money again, so I will enjoy some of it with my friends.
”Deese is da best eggs,” I mumbled, stuffing another forkful into an already stuffed face.
”I know!” Seneca pointed her fork at me. ”Great choice. Do you see that guy over there? Don”t look.”
I looked. ”Where?”
”Sit still,” she hissed. He”s by the window, wearing a baseball cap, drinking coffee, and looking hot.
I swiveled in my chair again. ”Him?” I pointed.
”Abigail! Stop pointing!” she hissed again, grabbing my hand.
It was too late. He stood up, grabbed his bill, and walked to the register, looking at us from the corner of his eye. One moment, he was paying, and the next, he was standing at our table.
”Hello, ladies. I couldn”t help but notice you looking my way.” Gulp.
Thank goodness Seneca was quick on her feet. ”Yeah. Um, are you in the construction business? You look like you might do that.” She pursed her lips and scanned his body head to toe and back up again. Smooth. I slunk into my seat.
He chuckled. ”I am. Restoration work.” Seneca and I shared a knowing glance.
”Really,” she said, dragging out the word. ”My friend here just moved into a historic home a few weeks ago and might be interested in your services.”
Damn it!Why did she have to say it like that? I need my floors refurbished, not my pussy.
He shifted his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. His dirty blond hair fell over one of his eyes, and his eyes beamed with potential services he could render.
”Floors!” I blurted out. ”Just floors. Stripped, sanded, and stained.” My God, that sounded like an exotic dancer”s after-hour show.
Men like him shouldn”t lick their lips unless they want a Seneca in their face.
”Maybe you should come by later today and check them out.” She licked her lips as she pressed her big breasts tightly against her sheer T-shirt.
Fuck my life. She wrote my address on his hand, conveniently nestled beside her chest. ”There you go. We”ll be there in a few hours.” It”s a wonder her fake eyelashes didn”t fall into her hash browns the way she batted them.
”Alright then.” He cleared his throat again. ”Have an enjoyable day, ladies.” He appeared to change his gait as he walked toward the door. No doubt, after rubbing against Seneca’s tits, his tighty-whities were choking his dick. The bells that rang as he opened the door alerted me to the fact that my dear friend invited a stranger into my home under the pretense of restoration when she was blatantly transparent that he would be restoring her sex life. I hoped she wasn”t including me in that game.
I shook my head and shoved the rest of my potatoes into my mouth. ”Hussy.”
Prude.”
”Bitch.”
”Killjoy.”
”Fine. Have fun, but count me out. I know everything about you but don”t plan on me having a threesome. No way.”
She mocked tears. ”Just when I was having so much fun.” She ground her fists into her eyes.
”Fuck off. We”re out of here.” I stood to pay the bill and walked out of the restaurant. I needed air. I forgot how much trouble she could get me into. Elias would have a cow—two cows—if he knew what Seneca was planning. Good thing I planned on another round of phone sex tonight. Best friend be damned.
The only stipulation on my spending was no knick-knacks; no matter how funny they were, I had more than any human should have. I”d take pictures instead. I needed a wardrobe fit for a proper proprietor if I wanted to be taken seriously. My closet resembled a discount store of holy T-shirts and ripped jeans. My finest dress was a faded sundress from the sales rack of a discount retailer purchased for my high school graduation. I should add that to my rag bag.
Seneca and I discussed her dad”s decision to close the store and move to Cleveland. It seemed he had caught the love bug too, and felt his daughter was old enough to manage her own life.
”It wasn”t my choice to live with my father; it was his. ”Save money. Keep me company,” he”d say. Whatever. I suppose the couple of grand I did sock away is handy,” she said flippantly.
”You”ve done well for yourself, considering your line of work. At least you only had to work one job. I worked two and still had trouble making the rent.” I strolled through the shop and picked up a very expensive dress, casually eyeing the price tag. ”Will I ever be able to afford two hundred dollars for a dress with pineapples?” We both doubled over laughing.
We picked through hundreds of clothes in every shop along Main Street before turning the corner at an upscale resale shop. The door chime tinkled as we walked through to the retro-designed shop steeped with clothes labeled by decades. Normally, I didn”t confine myself to a genre, but I was feeling the 1980s and perhaps some early 2000s.
With my arms loaded with possibilities, I yelled to Seneca.
”Fitting room, Sen!”
”Coming!”
With my best friend trailing behind me, we synced our fashion reveals by the giant mirror on the wall.
My first outfit was a gossamer-overlay silk blouse in white paired with fitted black leather pants that slung relatively low on my hips. Depending on how I accessorized, I could have been a pirate or a dominatrix in this outfit. Watching those modeling shows was paying off.
”Holy shit, Abs. That”s hot as fuck. I bet you Elias would like it.” She winked and twirled in her paisley mini dress and white go-go boots.
”You don”t even know him—though this will get his attention.” I turned, catching myself from all angles. Yes, this would do. ”Your outfit is a must! We”ll need to find a place to go dancing soon.”
We must have made ten reveals before the sales lady came by. She looked put together, dressed in tailored tan pants and a cardigan sweater in blue. Chunky gold jewelry and a silk patterned scarf made her look like a Diane Keaton wannabe.
”My, my, ladies. I”m Sheila. You are tearing this place up. Have you narrowed down your choices? Let”s take a look at what you picked.”
She sat down, crossing her legs as she settled into the loveseat across from the mirror. Seneca and I shrugged our shoulders. I guess it couldn”t hurt to have a third opinion.
For my first outfit, I chose a white blouse and black pants. In minutes, Sheila jumped up and ran through the store, grabbing this and that and returning with a pile of accessories she dropped on the loveseat.
”Here,” she said, pulling me in front of the mirror. She clasped two necklaces, three bracelets, and a thin black patent leather belt on me.
”Now you look complete. Oh, wait one minute. What size shoe are you?” She disappeared again, bringing back three shoe boxes of my size. Holding up a strappy four-inch heel in patent leather, ”These are for nighttime and dancing.” She put those down and unboxed a chunky black heel with a silver buckle. ”These are for work or standing for long periods of time.” And, lastly, a cool pair of ankle boots with a kitten heel. ”These are for when you”re feeling sassy. Shoes make the woman as much as the man.”
She wasn”t wrong. I loved shoes, and shoes loved me. My dream of having a closet with hundreds of shoes in every style and color started today. I loved color, and, now that I had a few bucks, I”d brighten everything in my life.
I held the strappy heels, ”Do these come in ruby red?” A giant smile appeared on the woman”s face.
”Darling! You have fabulous taste. Give me a minute.” While she dashed away again, I looked at Seneca as she clucked her tongue.
”She”s got your number, girl. Did you see how she upsold you with another three hundred dollars of accessories? Be careful with that one, Abs.” I felt panicky every time she laid another item on me.
”I feel you, but I can use all these extras with lots of other outfits, so maybe just a few to get me started?” I asked as if she was paying my bill.
”Your money, honey. You”re living here now. You can come back anytime. I”m just saying you don”t have to feel obligated because she ran all over this store for you.”
Thank goodness Seneca was there to keep me from being impulsive. After picking out three outfits and accessorizing them, I politely informed the saleswoman I was done for the day. Seneca handled her shopping spree much better. She had a plan for specific things and stayed in her lane like a horse with blinders. Ultimately, she got the paisley dress, white boots, and two scarves.
”Scarves make your outfits pop. Young, old, it doesn”t matter. A fuchsia scarf with all black says sassy every day of the week.” She popped her hip and snapped her fingers above her head. Yeah. Seneca was all kinds of sassy. That”s why we were best friends. I was the silent but deadly friend, and she was the firecracker. And, no, I”m not a fart!
We managed to get back to our car in time to grab some ice cream and get home. Little Miss Firecracker had made a date for us, and I didn”t want to be rude.
The knock on the front door startled me, given that my pants were down at my ankles and I had changed into work clothes in the living room. Don”t ask.
Seneca bolted for the front door before I could finish pulling myself together. Striking a seductive pose, she yanked open the door, brandishing her perfect smile all over her face.
”Hey. We”ve been expecting you,” she purred. To me, it sounded more like the opening line of a thriller movie.
”Hey. I”m Derrick.” He said in a deep, throaty tone, thrusting his well-formed chest in her face.
”Did you find the place okay?”
”No problem. I live a few miles from here, so . . .” He pulled his cap lower over his eyes, looking sheepish.
I stepped into the door frame alongside my brazen friend. ”Hi. I”m Abigail. This is my house. Please come in.” I extended my hand, and he shook it professionally, following me inside.
I could feel his eyes on my ass, and my ego loved the attention. However, my pussy self-corrected herself, making me trip on the floor mat. I belonged to Elias and not some hot, muscular carpenter guy.
”Please sit down. Can I get you something to drink?” I could at least be polite. Seneca perched herself on the opposite side of the sofa while I kept my distance in an armchair off to the side.
”I”m good. Thanks. So, what can I help you with?” He pulled a pencil from his ear and a notepad from his front pocket. If I could only get my head out of the gutter, I might be able to get my floors fixed.
I gave Seneca a keep-your-mouth-shut look and began explaining my plans to do this work in stages since my finances wouldn”t allow me to do it all at once.
”This isn”t uncommon in homes like these. We won”t know what we”re dealing with until the carpet is pulled back. Do you have an idea where you”d like to begin?”
I liked his demeanor—it was validating, assuring, realistic, and oozing with charm. Knock it off, Abigail.
Seneca took her moment to shine. ”Upstairs—in my room.” Ugh. She”s been here for two minutes and already owns a room.
”Follow me.” As we walked up the grand staircase, I could feel him staring at my ass again. I hope he didn”t need reminding who was interested in him.
I pointed out the five bedrooms and the office that needed to be done. He pulled back the corner carpet of each room to get a quick look at the state of the hardwood beneath it, making various faces ranging from not too bad to cringe.
At the end of our tour, we sat down again in my bedroom to discuss his findings.
”Although I can”t say for certain, covered floors usually clean up nicely, provided they aren”t covering up a problem. Please note that I can”t fully quote this job without seeing the wood firsthand. I want to take some measurements and then work up a quote for the carpet removal and the basic restoration of the floors. This will be a time-consuming, messy job, so everything in the room must be removed. I”ll add that fee there as well. Once you”ve reviewed that quote, I can see where to fit you into my schedule. Plan on upturning your house for at least two weeks for the upstairs alone.”
My face blanched. ”Weeks? It could take me a month to move all the stuff out of one of those rooms.” I twisted my fingers, feeling nauseous again.
Seneca gently hugged me from behind as panic set in. ”Listen, babe—one step at a time. You don”t have to make any decisions today. We”ll make a plan. You always do great with a plan. Okay?” She kissed the side of my head and looked over to Derrick for backup.
”Seneca is correct. These are big decisions, and, like I said, I can”t even schedule you for two weeks. You might consider a yard sale or purging those things you don”t want to put back in these rooms. Let me break down this project into phases, and I”ll have it to you in a few days. Sound good?”
He stood motioning for the door. I was paralyzed with another monumental task. Weren”t there any easy things for me to do around here? Like picking a color for a wall or where to put a chair? I could do that in my sleep. Running a house, especially one of this size, was daunting.
Seneca motioned for him to take the side stairs out of the house. I”m sure she plied him with a dozen reasons he should come back and see her. And, if history proved me correctly, she”d offer to barter the price down in blow jobs. My girl loved to suck dick.
My phone rang, and the sun burned brighter, seeing Elias”s name pop up on the screen. He”d know what to do.
I didn”t wait for his greeting. ”How do you know to call me when I need you most? Are you psychic or something?”
His deep, throaty voice made all my troubles evaporate.
”More like psychotic, princess. Is everything okay?” He picked up the strain in my voice.
I picked at my shirt hem, choosing my words carefully.
”Everything is fine. My friend, Seneca, came down to visit me for a while. We went shopping, and now I”m panicking about how much this house will cost me, and I”m unemployed.”
He didn”t respond immediately; instead, in his methodical manner, he contemplated my situation.
”I like that you”re staying calm and sharing your thoughts. They are all valid reasons to feel overwhelmed. Are you remembering that all your awesome ideas aren”t going to happen all at once?” His steady voice and reassuring tone helped me to find reason in his words.
”I”m trying. A floor restoration guy was here today to give me a quote on restoring the hardwood floors upstairs. It”s not the cost so much, as it”s the purging, moving, and a million decisions during the process that are making me insane.” My voice hitched, but I had to keep my shit together. Elias shouldn’t have to deal with a crybaby whenever something isn”t easy. He was right. I did need to grow up and get over myself.
”Last I saw, you had already begun that project and made progress in the dining room armoires. Try shifting your focus to those bedrooms, and I”m sure—in a few days—you”ll have plenty to throw away or sell. Can your friend help you post your stuff?”
He was brilliant! Of course. Seneca could help me with that. I bet that between Micah taking stuff and my selling the rest, I could move all this junk out in a month. By the time we were done, I could have Derrick start working as soon as his schedule opened up.
”Princess? Where did you go?” Oh my God. My mind kept wandering off.
”Sorry. My mind was chasing a squirrel, so to speak. Thank you for helping me through another house dilemma. I don”t want to burden you with my troubles, so tell me what you”re up to.”
I heard him humming, and he was probably stroking his beard. ”I”ve been working with Paul on a few plans for the shop. I told you about my friend, Reilly. He had me over for a beer and to play pool on Sunday. I”ve been doing some purging of my own around the house, but that”s about all.”
”Wow! You”re always thinking and planning. I like that about you. You”re the opposite of me. I guess we balance each other that way.” I didn”t want to pressure him about when I”d see him again, but tomorrow wasn”t too soon either. ”Do you hang out with any other friends?”
What if he didn”t have any other friends like me? What if I alienated him? Abigail, don”t fuck this up!
He chuckled. ”I have a few friends from college I talk to every once in a while. I belong to the Masonic Temple in Pittston. Occasionally, I help with charity work or hunger relief events. It”s a good way to meet people and help my community.”
”Amazing! You never mentioned that. I don”t know much about that group, but, if you’re a member, it must be worthwhile.” I wonder if we have one in Mystic. I sighed to myself. If Elias came to stay for good, he”d want to keep being a Mason.
”You do. I looked it up. You can stop wondering.” Damn! It”s like he can read my mind.
”I”m starting to think you are psychic,” I giggled.
”Do you have a dress, Abigail?” His voice deepened, and the hair on my skin pricked up.
How convenient that I just bought one.
”As a matter of fact, I bought one this morning.” I got up and walked to my closet, eyeing the deep purple, flouncy short dress hanging on my new hangers. The neckline was a deep V, and the skirt was made of three layers of silky material.
”Put it on, and show me.” God, I loved how he ordered me around like he owned me. I dropped the phone on the small coffee table in my sitting area and peeled my clothes off at lightning speed. I all but ripped the dress off the hanger and slid it over my naked body, fluffing my loose hair around my face.
”I”m changing to video mode. There. What do you think?”
I bit my finger, watching him take me in. He had trimmed his beard shorter, and I could see how full and pillowy his lips really were. I remembered what that mouth did to me, and my pussy clenched under his scrutiny. It had only been a week, but it felt like a month. I needed him like a child needed their daddy.
His eyes hooded slightly, and he licked his lips slowly. He hissed the word, ”Fuck,” and my clit began to throb.
”I have shoes, too.” I stepped back into my closet and pulled out a pair of sexy silver-glitter slingback heels decorated with a thin, long bow over each toe. I shouldn”t have spent the money, but they were worth it seeing Elias”s eyes glaze over.
I watched as he took a deep breath and covered his mouth with his hand. When he shook his head, I thought he might hang up on me. Didn”t he like the look? Did I look ridiculous wearing this dress—I barely filled it out.
He pulled the phone closer to his face and spoke slowly, ”You are fucking stunning. Do NOT make plans for tomorrow night. You”re going on a date—with me. Now, you”ll excuse me while I jack off to the picture I just took.” His smile was devilish, and he blew me a kiss. ”See you soon, sweetheart.”
Uhhhh! I fell into the armchair, feeling tingly all over. Remembering his face filled with desire made my clit pulse. I wanted him to fuck me in these heels with my ass in the air. I wanted to be taken so desperately that I stripped off my dress and plunged two fingers into my wanton pussy as I worked myself so quickly it left me panting after I came. Fuck! This man was my soulmate—my everything! I wanted to please him in naughty ways as much as in proud ways. He deserved to have a classy lady at his side, but no one needed to know what happened behind closed doors. Tomorrow night would be epic; I”d make sure of it. Now, what to do about Seneca?