Downfall: Culminations

My eyes traveled up her dark stockings as she talked into the phone. I paid little attention to what she said. I've learned to do so over the years. When she is on a phone with one of her clients, I tune her out. It's my own little way of aiding in the clients confidentiality. However, her expressions left little to the imagination.

I watched as her face changed from one of confusion, to disappointment, to upset, to frustration. Finally, she brought the phone away from her ear and covered the mouth piece. Her mouth contorted into a silent scream, giving me the cue to give her even more space. I vacated the living room quickly, as she brought the phone back up to her ear.

The light from the waning moon outside glittered off the wood floors in the dining room. I walked to the window and gazed outside into the ghostly world beyond the glass. A very slight breeze shook the trees as their leaves swayed in unison. The pool rippled the movement of the wind. Each tiny wave caught the light of the moon and danced its image across my eyes. The entire sight looked ever so welcoming.

Lilly's door was closed as I approached the hall. I could hear their voices laughing inside. Part of my mind flashed to the afternoon weeks ago when I overheard them sexually toying with each other. My breath quickened for a moment but I quickly shook it off. I continued on my way to the bedroom.

It took me less than five minutes to change out of my clothes and snag a cigar from my case. Add another few minutes and there I was; out under the dark night sky enjoying a well rolled Cuban cigar.

It was a beautiful night. The soft breeze carried every sound it could to my waiting ears as I devoured it all. The crisp chirp of crickets was a pleasing accent to add to the soft croak of a near bye frog. I could almost hear each blade of grass struggle not to move in the wind.

There was a golden box of light cutting into the moon's illumination on the lawn. The edges were crisp and sharp. My mind led me to conclude it was from Lilly's room. Apparently the rest of the lights were out in the house for no other interruptions disturbed the moons' work.

The air was so crisp that I inhaled deeply, welcoming it into my lungs. The chill air filled every space it could. It was ever so relaxing. I brought the cigar to my lips and drew a deep breath through it. The fiery tip glowed brightly as its embers snaked closer only to grow dark a moment later. I blew the smoke from my mouth and watched it dance on its journey to the west. In another moment, it was gone completely.

As I sat there, I heard the sliding glass door behind me open slowly, and then close. Solid footsteps approached leading me to assume they were Helen's. As the figure walked into my presence before me, I was proven correct.

"Hey baby," she smiled as she leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Good cigar?"

I smiled up at her, "Fabulous." I winked at her. "Care to sit with me?"

"I better not," she replied. The moon was directly behind her framing her silhouette in a sliver glow. "I just got off the phone with Mr. Sanders. Something's come up and it looks like I have to leave too."

She looked out to the sky. The moon illuminated the world around us. She took a deep breath. "I'll be back Monday before your flight, but I have my own to catch tomorrow morning around five. I think I better try and pack up now and try and get some sleep."

The patch of light on the grass had gone out. I turned my eyes to the house to see nothing but a large boxed shadow. I then looked up to my stunning wife. Her hair danced in the wind. Her skin glowed. "I understand," I whispered softly. Part of me was afraid of disrupting the calming silence of this outside world.

She turned her gaze away from the stars and back to me. Our eyes caught as they had many times before. Lights danced between them. She smiled and kissed me once more. Her lips bringing warmth to my cooled face. In another moment, I was alone once more.

The simple pleasure in loss of time is one that I don't embrace enough. One of the most therapeutic things you can achieve is the ability to say to one's self: "Relax, you have all the time in the world." It was just after this realization that the door opened once more. I listened for the footsteps, waiting for Helen to emerge from the darkness of the shadowed shadow. As I listened, I was somewhat surprised to hear two sets of feet; and by the sound of it, each were barefoot.

From the shadows at the edge of my vision emerged Lilly with Celeste following close behind. The moment she stepped into the haunting light, my eyes jumped to the glowing skin of my daughter's friend. I immediately felt a feeling I knew was wrong. Whether it was a greater wrong than those I have already committed or not, I do not care. My mental reprimand followed quickly.

"Hey, Dad," Lilly spoke softly. The two girls stood beside me with the breeze blowing through their hair.

I took a long final drag of my cigar. The heat from the smoke sizzled against my tongue. I pulled it from my lips and brought it to the cold ashtray near me. The tightly packed leaves crunched as I twisted the lit end into the metal dish.

"What brings you two out here?" I asked. As my vision caught sight of their protruding nipples strained against the light fabric of the shirts. It seemed the cool wind enjoyed toying with their bodies.

Lilly smiled softly. "We saw you from the window and thought you might want some company."

Celeste was letting her eyes travel across the starry sky. I could just barely make out their reflection in her eyes from where I sat.

"It really is beautiful tonight," She said as she gazed upward.

The serenity of the atmosphere was suddenly disrupted by an awkward cacophony of beeps and chirps that could only be associated with a cell phone. Celeste jumped immediately and reached into the pocket on her shorts.

"Sorry," she smiled embarrassed to be suddenly the focus of attention. She pulled the phone out and accepted the call. "Hello? Hi! Oh nothing... At Lilly's, remember?" She started to walk away in search of some privacy.

I watched my daughter's friend as she walked around our backyard staring at the sky above while speaking into the phone. She moved so gracefully for not seeing where she was going. I would have chuckled had I not been so entranced by her.

A sudden glint from near her feet immediately called to my eyes. They quickly traveled down her long, slender legs to the tiny golden bracelet clinging to her ankle. The moon shined off of it proudly as Celeste walked around our yard barefoot. The soft grass had already begun to gather moisture as it slipped between her toes.

She was on the other side of the yard when Lilly spoke again. This time, much more secretive.

"I thought you might want to know," she began "... She found out about us..."

For a moment, I could swear the world just stopped. Not a sound from the crickets. Not a breeze through the yard. Not a beat of my heart nor a breath from my lungs. My eyes went wide with sudden panic.

Lilly placed a hand softly on my shoulder, sensing my sudden state.

"Relax, Daddy. It's okay." She whispered.

"How? How can you say that? Oh Shit I'm going to jail," I began to mumble.

"Why? You didn't do anything wrong," she said soothingly. She knelt down on one knee beside me as she brought her face closer to me. "It's okay. Trust me."

I looked deep into those soft emerald eyes. "How did she find out?" I softly demanded.

Lilly took a deep breath. "To be honest, I'm not sure. Maybe I screwed up somehow and said something that made her mind start piecing things together. I don't really know." She seemed so calm as she leaned in closer to my ear. "What I do know is that it excited her."

Her words echoed in my head as I recalled every moment of our exploits. I turned back to Celeste on the other side of the lawn as she stared at the stars as if she never seen them before. This sweet girl who I had known most of her life. She and Lilly had been friends for over fifteen years. Celeste is just a few months older, but it never mattered to these two. If there were ever a girl I would consider my second daughter, it would be her.

Sweet Lilly's breath felt hot against my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck began to grow erect as my skin grew tight with goosebumps.

"I know it made her wet, Daddy. The thought of us together turned her on so much she masturbated in front of me."

My mind wandered to this evening. They ran away from dinner so quick and giddy, I didn't think much of it. It allowed Helen and me a few moments of... Helen.... This was wrong.

"Lilly, stop," I said as I shook my head. "That's enough."

"What?" she asked wide eyed. "I thought you would like to know. She is a very attractive young lady, don't you think?" she asked as she nodded her head in the direction of her best friend.

I couldn't help but follow her gaze to behold Celeste once more. It did strike those hungry desires in me, but if I was to have control, I needed to grasp it now.

"Stop it, Lilly." I said more firmly as I stood and prepared to leave. Lilly's hand quickly grasped my arm.

"Fine, go. But I thought you should know that she has had a crush on you for a very long time and wouldn't be able to say 'no' if anything were to happen." Her eyes held a feeling of intensity.

I grasped her hand on my arm and threw it off. Anger was beginning to boil inside me. Why was she acting like this?

"Lilly, I can't." I lowered my voice but kept my drilling intensity, "What we have shared is already too much for me. I am a married man with a commitment to my wife. I love her and I am not about to throw that away for a pointless fuck with your best friend."

My words pierced her immediately. I could see her eyes welling with tears. "That's not what I meant," she whimpered as she tried with every ounce of her strength to refrain from crying.

The still night air held the feeling of danger. My heart pounded fiercely against my chest fueled by fearful rage.

Her lower lip shook. "I didn't mean it would be... 'pointless'..." I shook my head as I exhaled in frustration. I started to storm off when Lilly grabbed my arm once more.

"Dad! Wait, please! Hear me out," she whispered desperately. I slowly turned to her once more. She had one chance.

"Dad, I'm scared, alright. And I've done a lot of thinking. Celeste didn't find out tonight. It was actually last week. You did excite her, yet she still feels weird about it. I'm afraid of what might happen if she told. That's why I need you to be with her. I need you to bring her out of her shell a bit."

This I was not ready for. Lilly spoke every word with more sincerity than I have ever seen. Her hands shook as they held my arm. I laid a hand atop one of hers.

"Lilly, I understand your fear; but I don't think that would solve our problem."

"Neither do I," she responded. Once more, I wasn't ready for that. Lilly swallowed hard and then took a deep breath. "It's only the beginning... We're going to get her to sleep with her father too."

For a moment, I was speechless. Many questions began flying at me at once. and the question of which question to ask presented its own quandary.

"Lilly, I..."

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll take care of the hard stuff. I just need you to help out for a little bit of it, okay?" She seemed so sure of herself. I was afraid to ask her plan in detail, but chances were I would be much better off if I didn't know.

She gave my arm a reassuring squeeze and kissed my cheek. A smile came to her lips as she winked. I watched as she started walking to her friend across the yard when she suddenly turned back.

"And Dad, don't worry about Mom either. I'll take care of that one too..."

How did she turn into this creature? My sweet Lilly...

* * * * *

As I woke with a start the next morning, my senses were shocked into activation.What day was it? What time was it? Holy shit I must be late to work!The thoughts exploded through my mind simultaneously until I realized it was Saturday. Brilliant start.

In a calming exhalation of air, I sank back into the soft, welcoming embrace of my warm pillow. It enveloped me in its relaxing hug as I enjoyed the weight of the blankets. They never seem this heavy when I go to sleep, but whenever I wake, it's like they've put on a few pounds. The thought of over-weight blankets brought a smile to my face as I rolled over to gently wake Helen.

As I turned, I was surprised to see her space vacant. Resting peacefully on her pillow was a folded piece of ivory paper. On the very front was a dark red printing of Helen's puckered lips. Sometimes she can be so cute.

The letter read:

Good Morning Sleepy,

I'm sorry I didn't wake you on my way out, but you looked too adorable to disturb. I just wanted to say I hope you and Lilly have a great weekend and I cannot wait to see you two early Monday morning. It saddens me to think it will only be for a few hours before you will be gone for the week, but I'm sure we can make up for that when you get back. Give Lilly a big kiss for me!

Love,

Helen

I folded the letter and placed it back on the pillow beside mine. She really can be so cute sometimes.

* * * * *

It was around three in the afternoon when I pulled my car into the driveway, getting back from the few errands I had to run. It was an absolutely stunning day. Blue skies, very few clouds, and a soft breeze. It was the kind of day that makes you think that the grass looks greener than it ever had before. As I opened the door and stood outside my car, I couldn't help but take a big breath of the fresh air. Then it hit me... I must look like some crazy urban-yuppie, standing out in my front yard with this big grin on my face. Christ, I feel like I'm in a damn allergy commercial.

Shaking my head, I walked up to the house. Around half-an-hour later, I was back outside. This time, ready for a dip in that welcoming pool with a beer in one hand and a towel in the other.

I tossed my shirt and towel on the same chair I sat in last night as I glanced at the surface of the water. The gentle ripples rolled from one side to the other majestically. What I realized at that moment was that the pool looks much better at night. In the light of the moon, you can't always see all the crap that gathers inside when the pool hasn't been swept for a couple weeks. Here in the afternoon sunshine, I was staring at one more task before I could relax for good. No point in complaining, right? I just grabbed the pool sweep, took a long swig of my beer, and got to work once more.

The water always seems to fight back when you skim the pool with the netted sweep. The resistance of the water makes this task somewhat arduous. Nothing too difficult, but enough that after a short while, I couldn't help but notice that all my muscles began to ache and swell with their laborious task.

I felt like I was in high school again as I looked at my bicep as I swept the pool-sweep across the surface. If there were a mirror, I'm sure I would be striking poses. I smiled proudly as well as I began to overly exaggerate each sweep across. My skin soaked in every ounce of sun it could with the surface hardly beginning to glisten in sweat. What a sight it must have been. A grown man quite pleased with his shape as he cleaned the pool. I'm sure the neighbors would have even heard me singing my theme music to myself had their houses not been surrounded by tall trees.

These charades continued for quite some time as I played my little game along with it. It wasn't until I caught site of two silhouettes in Lilly's room watching me that my event came to a screeching halt. Lilly and Celeste stood in her window watching me with beaming smiles. Embarrassed is hardly the word I would use yet it is the only one to come to mind.

I shook my head at myself. What a foolish old man I had become, I thought to myself as I let out a little chuckle. I discarded the overly-used pool sweep and stood at the deep end of the pool. The clear surface bounced the sunlight back up into the atmosphere with perfect reflection. It looked ever so welcoming. Who was I to deny it?

My toes gripped the edge of the tiny ledge I stood upon as I gave a last stretch. With a quick shift in weight, I pushed off the ground and sprung into the air. My body flexed into position, keeping my legs, back and arms perfectly aligned.

As if it were filmed in slow motion, I pierced the surface of the clear water. My fingertips entered the cool depths first. The wet surface wrapped around them quickly as more and more of my body sank into it. The feeling of being enveloped completely was one I always pay attention to. The first time is always the one with the most sensations. It was not even a moment later that my toes completed the journey as I flew below the water's surface.

The water felt incredible. My sun-dried skin was instantly satisfied with abundance of moisture I soaked it in. After a few brief laps, I jumped from this water hole of mine. A quick trip into the house brought me a new beer and my pair of sunglasses. I had truly mastered the recipe for a relaxing time.

I sank back into the depths once more, but this time swam toward the stairs. I backed myself into the as I rested an arm on each ledge. The rough surface of the gravel ground did little to annoy me as I opened the beer bottle against the ledge. The bottle cap flew off as I slammed my hand against it in my little trick from college. The cold brew filled my mouth as I looked to the blue skies above me. It really was a beautiful day. At some point in time, I closed my eyes.

* * * * *

I have no idea how long it was, but I woke suddenly to the sound of a large splash. Not a drop of water hit me, but as I opened my eyes, the pure surface was disturbed by turbulent waves that give only one explanation. From where I was, I could just make out the blurred image of a person beneath the water. However, I had no idea whom.

A quick scan around the pool's edge brought me no explanations. What was surprising, however, was the empty beer bottle beside me. I don't remember draining it, but I have been known to do so in the past. But to be honest, the fact that there is a completely full and frosty one beside it would hold the position a little higher on the oddity-scale.

I turned my gaze back to the silhouette beneath the water. It was drawing closer and closer. I stood up straight as I tried to see, but the ripples from the surface distorted any image I could gather. I ran my fingers through my partially wet hair as I tried to focus.

I kept my vision fixed on this being as it came closer still. It was this distraction that aided in my sudden surprise. A pair of hands suddenly grasped my ankles and pulled me down with surprising force. I immediately slipped beneath the water barely drawing a breath in time.

Under the turbulent surface, the world became clear. I looked to my side to see my sweet Lilly beside me floating like an angel. In front of me was her radiant friend, Celeste, coming closer and closer still. Both girls were wearing sheer bikini bottoms. Lilly in black, Celeste in yellow. As for their tops, well, they must have left them in Lilly's room. There was nothing to cover the flesh as they swam topless before me. Oh Lilly... What have you done?

I couldn't seem to draw myself back up to the surface as I noted Celeste drawing closer still. Her short dark hair swayed this way and that as she continued on her path. She swam right up into my immediate presence and looked me deep in my eyes as she arched her back and surfaced. Her delicate breasts glided past my face just inches away. Her dark, tiny nipples more rigid than a pencil.