A couple of weeks went by and Adam didn’t show up at the job site, but that was fine with Charlie since she barely gave him a thought. Her house was coming right along and before long, they’d put on the roof and install the windows. Since it was an odd little house, she’d had to special order the windows, but she’d planned ahead, so the installation could happen almost as soon as the windows were delivered.
Charlie would be glad to move the work
inside the house because the weather was heating up. Today hadn’t been bad, but
she was still contemplating a skinny dip in the lake. She’d filled up her huge
ice tea mug and added a dash of bourbon and was sitting on the steps to the
front door, enjoying the peace and quiet and shade when seemingly out of no
where she heard, “Well hello there, neighbor. Hope you don’t mind my dropping
by, but Adam’s talked so much about your building I simply had to come see for
myself.”
A blond woman had emerged from the
woods to Charlie’s left. She spoke with a sweet southern drawl that almost made
Charlie’s teeth ache. She just bet the woman used, “Well, bless your heart.” a
lot. She also figured this was the blond woman that had been at the pub a
couple weeks before.
“Hello yourself,” Charlie responded.
“You’re welcome to come see what we’ve been up to. Would you like some sweet
tea?”
Charlie watched as the woman
approached. She wasn’t terribly tall, but had shapely legs although her hips
were a mite wide. Short shorts displayed the tan beautifully. A small waist was
emphasized by the huge boobs, also accentuated by the low-cut top that flaunted a lot of cleavage. Charlie wondered if she was as tan all over as the rest of
her indicated.
“I’d dearly love some sweet tea if
it’s not too much trouble. It’s hot out even walking in the shady woods.
I’m a bit parched.”
Charlie got up, invited the woman to
sit, found a glass and asked if she would like a taste of bourbon in with the
tea. A full glass in hand, bourbon included, Charlie returned to the steps. “My
name is Charlie,” she said as she offered the glass.
“Oh my, how rude of me. My name’s
Rebecca and I’m a good friend of Adam’s. I’m afraid I wore him completely to a
nubbin this afternoon. He’s in bed sound asleep and I wouldn’t be the least bit
surprised if he didn’t wake up until tomorrow morning. Well, cheers.” Rebecca winked and giggled as she said that
and clinked her glass to Charlie’s mug.
Charlie was tempted to ask if Adam was
as good a lover as the hunk in his books, but bit her tongue before the words
could escape. “Depending on what kind of work one does, it can be quite tiring.
I know when I crawl in bed the end of the day, I’m asleep almost before my head
hits the pillow.”
“Adam told me you own the construction
company that’s building your house. He also said you work right alongside your
crew. I simply cannot imagine doing that kind of labor. In fact, I’m kinda
surprised to see your pretty nails. You must not work too hard to keep them so
nice.”
“A sturdy pair of gloves, a good
manicurist and lots of lotion is all it takes,” Charlie responded.
“Well, bless your heart.”
Charlie turned her head away and
rolled her eyes. This was the type of woman her mamma had wanted her to become
and had tried to make her that way with a variety of classes for young girls
and young women. Charlie had had to attend, and she worked hard to perfect the
lessons taught, but she never ever used them. If anything, she’d worked so her
diction didn’t flow like molasses in mid-winter. She was sure Rebecca had taken
all the same classes and religiously practiced what she’d been taught until it
was second nature.
“Yes, well it’s work I enjoy. I like
to see my vision slowly become reality and knowing the result is a product of
my efforts and that of a great crew makes it all worthwhile. So, did you want a
tour?”
“Why, yes, that would be so nice of
you, that is if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Well, come on then,” Charlie said,
and led the way off the stairs and around the side of the house. The
foundations were complete and appeared to simply rise up out of the ground.
“Oh, my goodness. It looks like your
house just growed right in place. However did you do that?”
Charlie started to explain, but
quickly saw Rebecca’s eyes begin to glaze over, so she stopped and just
continued around to the back door.
Inside, some of the framing was in
place and Charlie pointed out where the kitchen, master bedroom, and bathrooms would
be located. A huge open space, which took up almost half the floorplan would be
her living room. At the left side of the room by the front door, was a small
spiral staircase which would eventually lead up to her office and studio the only place there would be a second floor because she wanted a cupola.
“It’s so hard for me to imagine what
you’re telling me. It just looks like wood sticks on a wood floor.”
“You’ll have to come back when I have
my open house. I’m hoping to have it pretty much finished and furnished by the
end of summer.”
“Oh, I’d love that. You just tell Adam
when and we’ll be there.”
Charlie offered to freshen Rebecca’s
sweet tea, but she declined, saying she wanted to be able to walk back through
the woods without stumbling. “Afraid I get tipsy so easy when I have something
to drink. If Adam wakes up, I wouldn’t want him to think I was a bad girl and
into his Glenfiddich. You know that stuff’s nasty.”
“I think it’s an acquired taste,”
Charlie responded. “I don’t much care for it myself. Kentucky bourbon’s always
been my liquor of choice.”
While Rebecca finished her sweet tea,
Charlie steered the conversation to Rebecca’s background. Sure enough, she had
attended many of the same classes as Charlie, just a couple of years after her.
It was almost as if Charlie could see inside Rebecca’s head as her oh-so-feminine brain wondered
how on earth a woman who’d gone to all those required classes as a member of their city’s high society could have ended up in dirty jeans, boots,
and a smelly, sweaty tank top.
Without even trying, Charlie also got
Rebecca to talk about Adam. They’d met at a book signing and Rebecca had hung
around and boldly offered to buy him a drink after.
“Don’t you go telling my mamma I did
that. Ladies don’t offer to buy strange men drinks, but I simply loved his
books so much I just had to get to know him. He was real nice and wouldn’t even
let me pay for the drinks. I gave him my phone number and he called and invited
me to dinner. We’ve been together since, although I don’t ever stay long at his
cabin. My mamma would have a cow if she knew what I do with Adam. Course, my
mamma’s never read one of his books, so I don’t think she has any idea the kind
of sex we have. I think my mamma’s probably only ever had sex three times cause she and daddy only have three kids.”
Charlie nodded and made little sounds
of agreement as Rebecca continued to talk about her family and what she
expected out of life.
“Course, mamma’s gonna have a cow when
Adam and I get married, but that’s simply too bad. He’s such a real man
compared to all the boys I’ve dated.”
“So, you two are engaged?”
“Well, no, he hasn’t asked me yet, but
it’s only a matter of time. We’ve been together for almost a year now, but he
was busy writing his last book, so some of that may not count. He has to be on
his very own when he’s creating. Now that it’s gone off to the publisher and
we’re together more, I just know he’s going to ask me to marry him real soon.”
Charlie felt her heart sort of cringe
at the marriage news, but figured it was mainly because she was so hungry. And,
she’d had enough of sweet Rebecca and all the topics Rebecca found interesting
and she didn’t. Well, maybe except for Adam.
Charlie picked up her glass, drained
it, added Rebecca’s empty glass and stood up. “Well, it’s time I headed out and
had some dinner. I’ve stayed longer than I usually do, but surely did enjoy
talking with you Rebecca. Feel free to stop by any time.” But, please don’t.
Charlie added under her breath.
On the way home, Charlie stopped by the
rib joint and bought her dinner. There was nothing like spicy ribs, collard
greens, corn bread, and an ice-cold beer for dinner. She sat at the kitchen
table and ate like she was starving. By the time she finished, she had barbeque
sauce almost to her elbows and all over her chin. It made her think of the
scene in a very old movie about someone named Tom Jones. It was set far back in
time and the way Tom and his lady friend ate their food, throwing the bones
over their shoulders for the dogs, was extremely erotic. They appeared to go
right from the table to the bedroom, grease, sauce and all even though the
movie didn’t show that part.
Charlie thought it was too bad she
didn’t have a boyfriend she could jump on the kitchen floor, but her last
relationship had ended more than a year before. Ben had been a really nice guy,
but he wanted the usual sweet southern woman for a wife and there was no way
Charlie was going to take on a role like that. Of course, if she didn’t get out
there and try to meet an eligible man or men, she was likely to end up an old
southern maid.
As she tidied up the kitchen and moved
toward the shower, Charlie thought it would be right nice if there were
brothels that provided men for the discerning woman. Course that would never
happen, or if it did, it wouldn’t last. She’d heard someone had tried to start
a place like that in Nevada, but there weren’t enough women interested to keep
it in business. Charlie really didn’t understand how women could not be
interested in sex with a handsome, built man. She knew she’d certainly be
willing to pay for an evening or night filled with skin-to-skin orgasmic
experiences.
Ah well, she told herself as she
stripped and climbed into the warm shower, at least you know how to satisfy
yourself. Actually, when she thought about it, she couldn’t remember ever not
knowing what an orgasm was. She didn’t know the name for the feeling way back
then. All she knew was that it felt so good to touch herself there. She also
knew it was something private although it was possible her mamma had caught her
and told her that. She didn’t think so though because she’d never felt ashamed
and surely if her mamma had talked to her about that, there would have been
shame involved.
Charlie spread lotion all over every
single inch of her skin, dried her hair, brushed and flossed and pulled on her
nightie and climbed in bed. Squeaky clean, tummy full, she tried not to think
about her future and how it was entirely possible she’d be climbing into a bed
all by herself for most of her life. She sighed and turned over to her belly
and hugged her pillow. Her mamma would be home soon and perhaps this time
when she wanted to match-make, Charlie would be way more cooperative than she
had in the past. There had to be a man out there that would accept and love her
as she was. Songs, movies, books all claimed there was someone for everyone.
Her last thought as she fell asleep was that she was ready for her someone and
it was too bad it wouldn’t be Adam.