UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CHAPTER 5

 

          It was one hell of a hot day. Charlie was so glad they’d gotten the roof done and the windows in, but she wished the air-conditioning had been installed. Even with the windows open, and the house mostly in the shade of the big trees, it was hot. They were all sweating and muttering about the heat. Charlie had had more than enough for the day.

          “Okay guys, let’s call it a day. There’s a beer at the pub with my name on it, maybe more than one. Let’s close it up and move out.”

          Everyone pretty much cheered and Tom said, “Thank God it’s Friday because it’s supposed to be even hotter on the weekend. I think I’m going to spend both days on my deck or in my boat or in the water. If this keeps up, you think maybe we could stop work until it cools down?”

          “Boy, don’t I wish, but that’s not going to happen. Instead, I’ll see if we can get the air conditioner installed sooner rather than later.”

          There were more cheers for that idea and one of the men offered to see the guy and make sure he knew it was an emergency to which everyone laughed because Brad was definitely not a fighter.

          At the pub, Charlie had one beer before paying the bill and wishing everyone a nice, cool weekend. They all thought she was headed home, but she was headed back to the job site. She’d been thinking about skinny dipping for some time now and today seemed like the perfect day to indulge herself. She’d even packed a couple of beach towels and a change of clothes in her truck that morning once she’d heard the expected high temperature.

          On the way back, she stopped at a little market and bought a six-pack of beer which she put into the cooler in her truck. Then, she stopped at the local hamburger joint and ordered a bacon-cheeseburger and onion rings. She hadn’t had much for lunch and could feel her belly grumbling.

          The house didn’t yet have any furniture of course, but Charlie liked the front steps just fine. She opened one of the beers and practically gobbled the hamburger. The onion rings were perfect, crisp and thick. They were going to give her really bad breath, but she didn’t care.

She finished her beer, stood up and began to pull her dirty and sticky clothes off. Naked, she removed her cap and released her hair from its pony tail. Then, she walked to the end of the dock and dove into the water. Oh. My. God. She thought, this feels wonderful. The water was actually fairly cold, but she’d been so hot for so long, it felt sublime. She swam back and forth for a while until she was warm again, then turned over and floated on her back.

          This is the life she thought. Once my house is finished and I’m living here, I can do this any time I want to. Thank heavens the lake’s too small for lots of cabins or houses, plus all the lots are pretty big and private.

Charlie smiled as she remembered her grandfather for whom she was named. His name was Charles so her mother named her Charlotte, but her grandpa had always, from the very beginning, called her Charlie. They’d had such fun out here together. He’d had a little fishing shack without running water or electricity and an outhouse, all of which Charlie had found remarkable when she was a child. They’d all been demolished in order to build her crazy house. She knew he would have approved of her design and decision to not take out any of the trees. She could almost see him sitting on her porch. He’d been gone for years now, so he hadn’t seen her become what she was. Somehow, she also knew he would have approved of her choices.

Adam had finally managed to discourage Rebecca from showing up every single day and staying until late at night. He knew he needed to end the relationship because of all the hints Rebecca was tossing at him. He wasn’t ever going to marry a woman like her because her brain was just so very empty. He actually felt guilty he’d allowed the relationship to continue for so long. Of course, the eight months he’d spent writing had kept her away during that time, but now she was back more eager than ever. Perhaps he needed to tell her he was beginning a new book. That would be the coward’s way out, but he just knew Rebecca would turn his farewell into a horrible and uncomfortable scene.

Almost at Charlie’s house, he shook his head and those thoughts away. He was looking forward to seeing the boss lady and hoped she was there. He also hoped Rebecca’s visit hadn’t caused her to change her opinion, whatever it was before that visit, of him. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the zing he received when they touched. He was going to find some way to touch her again this evening, if she was there, and see if he felt the way he had before.

Adam stopped just short of leaving the woods to look around. He was amazed at what had been accomplished and judging by the stuff on the porch steps, Charlie was here, but he didn’t see her anywhere. Maybe she was inside. Just as he started to step forward, he glanced at the lake and there she was, floating on her back, eyes closed and unless his eyes were using his imagination, she appeared to be stark naked. Adam stepped back a bit further into the trees and stared. He couldn’t see all of her and wished she’d decide to climb out on the dock.

Charlie suddenly felt a chill and it wasn’t from the cold lake water. She felt like someone was looking at her. She rolled over and ducked beneath the water. When she came back to the surface, only her head showed and she turned in a careful circle looking for whoever was intruding on her private space. There were no kayaks or rowboats in sight and a careful survey of the lake’s shore didn’t show another person. She appeared to be completely alone, but still felt as though eyes were crawling over her. She heaved a big sigh and began to swim toward the dock. Time to get out. She wished she’d thought to bring her towel to the dock. Now, she’d have to walk to the steps naked before she could wrap it around herself.

At the dock, she still felt a presence and decided to give the voyeur a show. She reached up and placed her forearms on the dock and then heaved herself up. She rolled onto her back and lay there for a moment. Then, she langorously stood up, pulled her matted hair forward and squeezed the water out so it ran down her torso. Then, she flung it back over her shoulder and slowly and methodically, ran her hands down each arm, her upper body and finally her legs. Finished, she walked slowly toward the stairs and her towel. She hoped whoever was watching had enjoyed the show.

Adam couldn’t take his eyes off Charlie. She was absolutely gorgeous, but he’d known that before. Naked, she was tall and lean with hair that hung almost down to her ass. Her tanned face, arms and neck offset the alabaster white of the rest of her body which was all muscle and beautifully shaped. Her breasts were very white in contrast to the skin above, with what were probably large rosy nipples but that were now crinkled into small and dark tight buds from the cold water. Charlie’s breasts weren’t overly-large like Rebecca’s, but looked pert and very firm. There wasn’t a bit of sag to them at all. Adam wished he could jump out of the trees and join her on the dock.

As he watched Charlie walk toward the house, he wasn’t sure what he should do. He couldn’t just suddenly burst out of the woods, especially with the biggest hard-on he’d had in forever. He was both embarrassed and ashamed of himself for watching like some dirty pervert. At the same time, he wouldn’t change one single second of the opportunity Charlie had just provided. Adam wondered if he could silently back away and return, making a lot of noise in the process. He decided he’d give it a try and hope like hell his swollen cock returned to normal in the process.

Wrapped in a big towel Charlie sat on the stairs and cracked open a second beer. The feeling of being watched had left and she knew somehow she was alone. That was fine with her, although she guessed she was going to have to give up skinny dipping until she figured out who had been observing her in the lake and on the dock. As she contemplated getting dressed, she heard someone whistling in the woods. She looked to her left and Adam appeared out of the trees and the melodic whistling ceased.

Adam smiled and wandered her way. “Hi there boss lady. I thought I’d pop over and look at how your fantastical house is progressing. Wasn’t sure if you’d be here or not since it’s so danged hot.”

“Hi yourself. You weren’t here earlier were you?”

“No, why do you ask?” Adam seemed to realize she was wearing a towel as he reached the porch. “Were you swimming? It’s a perfect day for it. I jumped in a couple of times this afternoon to cool off.”

“Yes, I went swimming in my altogether and at first I was very comfortable, but then I felt like someone was watching, but I never saw anyone. Are there other people living on the lake besides you?”

“Actually, there are a couple more cabins people live in full-time, but they are pretty much on the other side of the lake. And, okay, the lake isn’t that big, so someone could have watched you with a telescope or binocs.”

“So, who lives there? Do you know?”

Adam silently asked the neighbors across the lake for forgiveness just in case Charlie decided that’s who’d been watching her. “There’s an old married couple, the Fosters, Mary and Glen. Then, there’s crotchety Phil. Don’t know his last name, but he’s never very friendly, even when I run into him in town. I met them kayaking when I first came to stay here. Mary and Glen are pretty nice people and the laughter and yelling comes from their grandkids when they visit. Before you and your building began making noise, that was the only noise that ever disturbed the lake. I imagine the grandkids will be coming to stay for a couple of weeks soon.”

“Hmmm. Do you think crotchety Phil owns binoculars or a telescope? Or, what about Glenn? Could either of them be a dirty old man who likes looking at naked women?”

Adam laughed. “I don’t know about dirty old men, but I seriously doubt there’s a man in all of the world, maybe the universe who doesn’t like looking at naked women. In any case, if one of them, or even me, were watching, you don’t have a thing to worry about. We’d all just be enjoying the view.”

“So, was it you being a voyeur?” Charlie asked, letting her towel creep downward so the white tops of her breasts showed. “I promise I won’t be pissed if it was you. Knowing would just make me feel a lot better and especially more safe, so you can fess up if it was you.”

Adam rolled his eyes, but the blush that rose up from beneath his tank top made it impossible for him to tell her a lie. “Okay, it was me. I was coming to see you and your house and just before I stepped out of the trees, I saw you in the water. I could tell you were naked and wasn’t sure what to do. Then, you swam over and climbed out and I couldn’t have left no matter how many admonishments I offered myself. I guess you could say I was frozen in place.”

Charlie stood up and wrapped her towel more firmly around her body. “Well, knowing it was you does make me feel much better.”

“I have to tell you Charlie, I certainly did enjoy the show you put on on the dock.”

“Sure doesn’t to be seem any evidence you enjoyed it all that much.” Charlie responded with a smirk and glance at his crotch.

“Yeah, well, think again.”

“Maybe I could just drop this towel and see what happens.” Charlie said and took hold of the towel’s corner.

“No, don’t go doing that. I couldn’t be responsible for my response and I know exactly what it would be. You might not like it at all. Why don’t you get yourself dressed and offer me a beer and a tour?”

Charlie laughed and turned to enter the house. A few minutes later, she returned clad in shorts and a tank top with two beers. Her limit was usually two, but she was feeling a bit daring and it was Friday.

As they drank their beers, Charlie took Adam through the house. He was impressed by how the foundation had turned out and didn’t have a problem visualizing what the inside would look like. He was a much more interesting and appreciative visitor than Rebecca had been. He was also surprised to see the second floor was just large enough to fit over the porch and even more surprised when Charlie told him when finished it would be a cupola with windows all around and serve as her studio and office.

They sat on the porch stairs and talked of various things and Charlie finally brought up Adam’s books. “I’ve read every single one and was simply amazed. I haven’t had such an active sex life with myself for years. My best friend read them too and her husband wanted me to extend his appreciation for the benefits his wife provided while reading. All three of us are waiting impatiently for the next one. When’s it going to be published?”

Again, Charlie didn’t seem to have any sense of propriety and it made Adam very uncomfortable. He didn’t want to hear about her active sex life, no matter who it was with, unless it was him he realized. “It should be available the end of September. I’m glad you and your friend enjoyed them.”

“Sandi and I have talked about whether or not you write all that erotic stuff based on your own experiences. Do you?”

“Look Charlie, this kind of talk makes me really uncomfortable. It’s one reason I don’t post a photo of myself on my web site or tell people the name under which I write. It's also why I try very hard to not do very many book-signings. I seriously doubt I could write eroticism if I weren’t completely alone and I doubt I would have shared that personal information if I hadn’t had way too much to drink.”

Adam stood up and did look very uncomfortable. “Thanks for the beer and the tour, but I think I’d best head for my cabin. I’ll visit again one day soon and if you’re skinny dipping, I’ll be sure to yell or whistle or something. You have a good night.”

Charlie was nonplussed. He wrote shit like that and it made him uncomfortable. As he’d spoken, he’d been backing up and as soon as he wished her a good night, he turned and loped into the woods. It certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting. And, damn it, they hadn’t touched once, so she didn’t know if the feeling he gave her was real. Next time, even if she had to knock him down and straddle him, she was going to find out if they had a connection or not.

Humming whatever tune Adam had been whistling, Charlie gathered up her belongings, locked up and left for home. She was going to have to spend the weekend getting her parent’s house tidied up. They’d be home the following week. Maybe she could figure out a way to stay here in her unfinished house. She’d have to think about that.