Chapter 29
ABIGAIL
I don”t remember going upstairs last night; I only woke up to pee and was starving. I slipped downstairs for a granola bar and glass of water before stumbling back up the stairs for another six hours of slumber. If I wanted a good night”s sleep, all I had to do was make decisions—all day. I”ll file this away for the next time I can”t sleep.
Today was Sunday-Funday, and we needed a break. After calling the second restoration contractor to reschedule our meeting, I made some sandwiches, packed up a cooler I found in the basement, and informed everyone we were going to the park—my village park.
”Why the park? I want to see the Mystic Aquarium,” Seneca whined.
”Quiet. If you”re a good girl, I”ll take you for dessert at that fancy-schmancy dessert place that guy from the cooking show opened a few months ago. Besides costing a fortune for dessert, I heard they were little works of art. I”m feeling inspired.”
”I like dessert,” Elias muttered.
”You behave, too. This girl needs to sit still and not move. There will definitely be no thinking today. My brain still hurts from yesterday.” The ground was wet, so I set up under the gazebo—yup, that gazebo. I floated a blanket I found in one of the linen closets onto the floor, put my cooler on the wrap-around bench seat, and, without further ado, starfished a pose on the floor.
Elias snapped several pictures, and I posed for him like a pinup girl.
”This is not resting or appropriate for a park.” Seneca insisted.
”Shut up. You”re next.” I challenged her. She stepped up like I knew she would and unbuttoned the top four buttons of her top and pushed her tits up tall in her bra. ”Have a seat, Elias. I”ll take these.”
Seneca delivered some naughty poses and a few sweet ones to send to her dad. ”Missing you, Pops.”
Elias and I collapsed, and Seneca excused herself to find a bathroom. I closed my eyes, snuggling into Elias”s chest as he drew circles up and down my arm. I listened to his heartbeat and counted the number against the second hand on my watch. He was so at ease with himself, and I was so bouncy. I would voice that thought, but I”d have to put a quarter in the ”Don”t Talk About Myself That Way” jar. I was old enough to recognize our differences in age and personalities. He wasn”t immature, not in the least, so why would he want a girl almost fourteen years younger? Our Daddy/Little Kink was only a way to play, not a way of life for us. I wouldn”t want it that way; it would become too uncomfortable for us in public. He said I was entertaining, except didn”t the same act get boring? I wasn”t sure how to bring up the topic, so I let it go for now. Instead, I counted his heartbeats and dozed in the morning sun.
”Hey, you guys. Guess who I ran into at the coffee shop? Derrick!”
I guess it didn”t matter we were asleep. Seneca brought us company, and now we were awake.
”Hi, Derrick. Howse it going?” I said drowsily. ”What”s up, man?” Elias echoed.
”Sorry. I didn”t realize you were sleeping, or I would have hushed her.”
”What”s that? No one hushes me.” Seneca threw in his face. ”Never mind. We”re going to go to lunch and then hang out on the river. I”ll catch you cats later.” Her reference to yesterday”s comment stuck.
”Safety first, Sen. Respond when I text you later.” We waved her off, knowing she”d be alright with this guy—we hoped, anyway.
Elias”s phone pinged. ”Speaking of texts, it”s Reilly. He can come down tomorrow if that”s still okay with you.”
”Sure. Tell him to bring some work gloves and a pillow. We”re going to be busy moving furniture.” I grabbed my phone and opened the list I was making of house stuff I”d need to add or replace—pillows and handcuffs.
ELIAS
Abigail and I finished packing the contents of the first bedroom”s bookcases, drawers, and closet before continuing to the following two rooms. The plan was to have the first three rooms cleared and the carpet removed before moving the rest of us out of our rooms. By Wednesday, we”d all be living in the living room.
Between rooms, I”ve had to settle Abigail”s mind that she was doing the right thing by moving forward with the floors. Knowing the base was completed, everything else in those rooms could be added later. We”d gone to the bank last week to open an account, of which her money was transferred from the care of Mr. Brickner to Mystic Federal Bank Trust. They assured her she had enough money for the project but to be frugal about the rest. The manager helped obtain a safety deposit box large enough for Abigail”s paperwork and supposed trinkets, though I felt there would be more to deposit before long. In addition to the box, he suggested opening a short-term CD until she could decipher the complete value of her inheritance. We needed to discuss insurance soon.
We sipped iced tea at the kitchen table later in the afternoon when Reilly arrived.
”Hey, brother. Nice place.” We hugged it out on the front porch, turning to enjoy the generous front yard. ”It”s not a horse ranch, but it”ll do.”
I clapped him on the back as we entered the house. ”Horses are for the backyard. It goes on and on and on.”
”Shiiiit. Can I sell my place and move here, too?”
”No fucking way. I may have a parting gift for you, though.” I winked at him and walked through to the kitchen.
”Ladies, let me introduce you to my best friend, Reilly. Reilly, this is Seneca, Abigail”s best friend, and this is my girl. Hands off.” Reilly made a show of hugging the girls and lifting them off the floor. He”s such a dork.
I took special care to watch how Seneca received him. Her feisty nature and his charm were sure to create sparks.
”Welcome, Reilly. I”m so happy you were able to make it over. Elias goes on and on about missing you, although I think he misses the hard labor you subject him to the most.” Abigail loved to bust my chops.
”Hey! I resemble that remark. This body is getting flabby, sleeping all day. If it weren”t for the horizontal athletic program Abigail has so generously provided, I”d have a beer belly by now.” I suppose I earned the smack she landed on my arm.
Seneca sat quietly, an unheard-of occurrence. She stepped around Reilly, bumping into his shoulder on her way to get him a glass of tea. ”Sorry,” she said demurely. Yep, I called it.
”I”ll grab your things from your truck and meet you upstairs. You”ll get the grand tour tomorrow, but we have work to do before sunset.” I fake-punched him in the arm and left him and the girls to chat.
SENECA
”So, Abigail tells me you have a farm in Pennsylvania. How did you come by that?” I was curious. How many people in a lifetime say they own a farm? Two?
He stood across the island from me, checking out my chest. I”ll admit I wasn”t dressed well, but my bra held my girls upright and proud. I wanted to point to his eyes with my finger and raise them until he looked at my face, but I”d just met the man, and he was fine. He was lean but not skinny, with dark, straight hair that he tucked behind his ear. His piercing blue eyes captured my attention, and it was hard to turn away.
”I”ll let you know I won it in a poker match. I have a keen eye for telling signs.” He gave me a wicked wink. Who did he think he was coming on to? I wasn”t a prude, far from it. Derrick and I played all touchy-feely for over an hour before I asked him to bring me home. I liked to have fun, but I didn”t feel obligated to put out on a first date, even for this player.
”Poker, huh? It must have been quite a game. Are you sure you don’t work a desk job? You can be straight with me.” He wanted to play poker—OK, but I was calling his bluff.
He walked in front of me, crowding me into the center island.
”I”m not a player, Seneca, at a poker table or in real life. I like you and your spunk. We”ll get along just fine.” He put his glass in the sink and walked out of the kitchen.
What the hell just happened? That man was aggravating, and, no, we will not get along ”just fine,” as he put it. I”ll make my judgment calls, but this fool didn”t deserve me.
I found Abby upstairs, sitting on a bed in the first room. We need to name these rooms.
”I”d like to take pictures of each room,” Abigail said, “so I remember where everything belongs. Then you guys can bring the big furniture down first, and Seneca and I can work on the smaller items. Okay?”
We nodded, letting her have control of the situation. Any of us could have taken the lead, but we needed to respect the woman whose house this was. While Abby worked, I pretended to look busy while checking out Elias”s thick thighs and tight ass and that magnificent mechanical tattoo adorned with clocks and pistons. There had to be a story behind that kind of artwork. And—not to be outdone—was Reilly and his cut abs and long, muscular body that oozed sensuality. He could be eating turnips, and I”d drool watching him. Note to self: cook for Reilly.
Daylight made a final appearance at about seven, and no one was interested in cooking or going out. Pizza and salad were a phone call away, and Elias left money by the front door as we filed up the stairs to shower. The den didn”t have an attached bathroom, so he used mine. I wasn”t complaining, but he was so damn long that when it was finally my turn, the water was freezing.
”Come on! You assholes used up all the hot water.” I screamed my displeasure for the whole floor to hear.
”Give it twenty minutes, and it will get better,” Elias yelled.
”Pizza is here, get the door,” Abigail yelled.
”I need five more minutes,” Reilly yelled.
They could all fuck off. I stomped down the hall to answer the bell, gave the kid his money, and told him to keep the change. No change for you, Elias. Abby and Elias were probably fucking anyway, and screw Reilly. I didn”t wait for them to come down and popped open the steamy box of cheesy goodness. Ironically, Reilly was the first to appear just as I took a rather sizeable cheesy bite of an oversized slice.
”You look hungry,” he commented, smirking, looking superior to me.
I wouldn”t dignify his comment and continued swallowing the burning hot cheese like a pelican swallowing a fish. Ultimately, I had to pull part of it out so I wouldn”t choke. You”d think that asshole would ask if I was okay, seeing as how I was struggling.
”Bit off more than you could chew? I’ve got something else you can choke on if you’re interested.” He shifted, cupping his dick.
I shook my head, running his disgusting words through my mind. Unbelievable! I just met this guy and this was how he spoke to me? No fucking way was I going to inflate his ego by responding to that comment. If watching a girl choke was a turn-on, then he made Elias look like the mother fucking Eagle Scout he claimed to be.
I collected my plate, another piece of pizza, and a water bottle and stormed out of the kitchen and up to my room. That fucker better stay the hell away from me or he’d leave here without his dick attached.
ABIGAIL
Seneca was gone when Elias and I made it down to the kitchen. Reilly was eating alone, looking at his phone, and I felt like a heal screwing around upstairs with his friend forgetting he had given up his week to help me.
”Sorry, Reilly. I”m glad you didn”t wait for us. Did you see Seneca?” I scooped up two slices and a can of soda and set them on the table. The salad was already there, and I filled a glass with ice while Elias took his food.
He shook his head and pocketed his phone. ”She was miffed the last time I saw her. I think she”s in her room—probably about the cold water.”
Maybe, but that didn”t track with Seneca. She flows better than that. I”d leave it be for now.
”Want to watch a movie after dinner? We finally have internet, so we”re ready to roll.” Elias always knew how to lighten up a situation. I couldn”t have been the only one feeling the tension.
”Sure. I”m not sure if I”ll make it through, though. It”s been a long day, and I”m exhausted,” he stood and excused himself to get his room ready.
”Use our bathroom,” Elias called behind him, and he waved, hearing the offer.
”What”s up with him?” I asked Elias.
”I wish I knew. He was fine before the showers, then he wasn”t. Do you think Seneca”s disappearance had anything to do with it?” Elias stuffed half a piece of pizza in his face, looking at me as if something was wrong.
”Let me text her. Hang on.”
Are you in your room? Are you okay?
Yeah, I”m fine. I”m not feeling sociable. I”m going to shower and then sleep. Have a good night.
So long as you”re okay. Did Reilly say something to you?
Nothing I couldn”t handle. Night, Abs.
I put my phone down and looked closely at Elias. ”I thought you said your friend was cool?”
He looked indignant. ”Because he is. What are you implying?”
”Sen said that he said something, and she didn”t feel like dealing with it, so she went to her room. Seneca rarely backs down, so it must have been a doozy.”
Elias scrubbed his face. ”I was afraid of this. I think Reilly likes Seneca more than I thought he would. He only acts like an ass when he”s crushing on someone.”
”Hmm, my ass. You better find out what he said and tell him to make it right with Seneca. I”m not having hard feelings in my house. Understand?”
”Yes, ma”am.”