That Old House

"You bastard," she mumbled, "You've ruined me. Ruined me for anyone else."

"Good," I answered, pulling the covers over her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. At the same time, the covers were moved away from my waist, my greedy girl refusing me rest, her ghostly touch taking its time milking me for her need.

When she'd satisfied herself, she covered my shivering form and I faded away into slumber.

* * *

I woke to the smell of coffee, on the verge of another release for my demanding phantasmal guest. I chuckled. "Used up a lot of energy, didn't you?"

Her movements increased in intensity and I groaned through my finish, trying to keep it down. I glanced over at the closed door. "You can go again," I said softly. "It's going to be difficult to find private time for you for the next couple of days."

I leaned back and stifled a moan as my tortured cock rose again from her mystical touch.

I was feeling the guilt again, with no idea what I could do about it. Her stroking was working its magic. "You're really Ok with Karen?"

The motion below paused, and I received a hint of a kiss and a gentle ear tug. 'Yes.'

Then she was back to business, getting me off a few teasing minutes later. Foolishly, I offered her one more, the guilt gnawing away at me. When she was finished, I was spent, totally drained. It took more energy than I thought I had to make it to the bathroom, stumbling, crawling under the shower, waiting for the water to heat up. I huddled in the tub, the water beating down upon me, until it was too scalding to stand, and I took a half-hearted swipe at the cold water knob. A few minutes later my shivering had stopped, and my heart rate was near human.

"You alive?" I heard Karen's voice tease.

"Barely. No thanks to you, wild child," I told her, trying to hide my weakness.

She laughed that sweet, full laugh of hers. "No way, buster. You're not putting that on me. I was the innocent victim."

"Innocent?"

"I was! At least before you got your evil hands on me."

She walked into the bathroom, and placed a coffee mug in my hand. "Clean up your act, handsome. I know it's your house but I don't think Bev's heart will survive another naked stroll through the house."

"Oh crap," I moaned, after sipping from the life-giving brew.

She giggled. "I appreciate the welcome last night, but I think we need to dial it back. You look like death warmed over this morning, and I'm not sure I'll ever walk normally again."

I didn't answer, gripping my cup with both hands, sipping away.

"You've got about 10 minutes. How do you like your eggs?"

"Anything but raw."

"Scrambled alright?"

I nodded mutely, then ducked my head under the running water. Ten minutes. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Once I had breakfast in me, I felt considerably better. I shared my list of errands with the women, and less than an hour later we were out the door. I'll admit, working with Bev made everything take a little longer, but I didn't mind. I was thankful for the truck; the bed was a handy place to carry her wheelchair.

Rather than start in town, I hit the highway, and cruised another 15 minutes south toward Fredericksburg. Just off the exit were a couple of shopping centers, and a Wal-Mart. Perfect for my immediate needs. By the time lunchtime had arrived, the backseat of the truck barely had room for Karen. We had our groceries, decorations, and quite a few odds and ends. For me that included jewelry cases, some more gifts, and wrapping paper.

They were happy to hit one of the local restaurants, and I was feeling on top of the world, eating with my two lovely guests, and having accomplished 90% of what I'd intended.

"That covers most of my needs," I explained. "Anything particular you guys want to do?"

Bev shook her head. "I found everything I wanted," she said, sipping her drink. She had insisted on going through a separate check-out than me, and had a few bags bulging with mystery contents.

Karen echoed her sentiments. "Enough for the next couple of days. I think we're done."

"No, not quite done," I reminded her. "We still have to get a tree. Don't let me forget to buy a tree stand, as well."

"What are the plans for tomorrow?" Bev asked. "Do you mind if we go to Sunday service?"

I hadn't thought of that. "I don't know which church is which, in town. I think there are at least three. We can check it out. I'm guessing you'd like to go to a Methodist church." I glanced back at Karen. "Is that Ok with you?"

She nodded. "Christmas Day service is fine. I'm willing to go wherever Bev wants."

I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. I knew that there was a church on the way into town, with a Christmas tree lot out front. I imagined it would be slim pickings, but we'd find something.

It was the first time for the women to see Millville. I figured the population for somewhere around 10,000-12,000. The old downtown area was six blocks long, running parallel to the water, and there was a decent sized shopping center before you hit the entrance to the highway.

Bev was willing to provide her opinion from inside the warm cab of the truck, as I dragged over tree after tree, and displayed them for her. Ten minutes later, we'd picked out our favorite, and it was tossed in the bed of the truck. The church was Catholic, but they were happy enough to point us toward the Methodist church. We drove by and checked out the Christmas day service times, listed out front.

As we drove through the downtown, storefronts and light-posts decorated for the holiday, Bev expressed her approval. "Not too gaudy, but definitely in the spirit of things. It looks like a nice place. Clean."

"I'm surprised there's this many places open on Christmas Eve," Karen said.

"Anyone up for a treat?" I asked, when I saw the local social hot spot was open. A family owned ice cream emporium called the Double Dip. "Decadent homemade ice cream," I teased.

"I don't imagine one little sundae with chocolate syrup, nuts and a cherry would hurt," Bev said casually.

Karen got a single scoop cone, dipped in chocolate. I was convinced they served the richest, most delicious chocolate shake in the free world, and ordered a large. I bought two gallons of their ice cream for our dinner party. Chocolate and vanilla. Yes, chocolate was my idea. It was my weakness.

We drove to The House in quiet, each of us intent on satisfying our sugar craving. Slowly cruising up the dirt lane, I sighed. "I love this."

"The view? It is gorgeous," Karen said.

"No, doing these errands with you two. Enjoying a morning out, and leisurely sharing a treat, instead of gobbling it down alone."

Bev nodded. "It is nice, isn't it?"

"Perfect," I said.

As we crested the hill, I heard Karen cry out from the backseat. "Hey! What's that under our tree?"

"That's one of your Christmas presents, nosy. You're not supposed to be peeking."

"Peeking? How can I miss it?"

I turned and drove across the grass, over to the old oak. I had cleared away a few nearby smaller trees, and the underbrush. A half circle bench surrounded the bole of the tree, and a picnic table stood a few feet away. It took most of a day, to complete it all, but it looked damned inviting, if I do say so myself.

Karen laughed. "Can't you do anything half-assed, Jack? It's perfect. It seems everything you turn your hand to is perfect."

"Hardly. I was hoping to put in a path from the house, and never got that far. The bench around the tree was supposed to go all the way around it, but I couldn't figure out a way to work around the big root in back, and gave up. I guess it's good enough. Up close you'll see there's plenty of flaws in the woodwork."

Bev chuckled. "She's right, Jack. It's perfect. I can only imagine how delightful it will be to sit under the tree in spring, relaxing, reading a book, the hilltop breezes rusting in the leaves. Idyllic."

"Karen gets the credit. It's her idea. I'm just the manual laborer."

I pulled up to the house, and parked in front. It took us a few minutes to get Bev situated, and the fires stoked. The house was still warm. The foot thick stone and triple paned windows provided excellent insulation. The multiple layers of decking and flooring above seemed to do a decent job as well. Once we had everything out of the truck and into the house, I got a little assistance putting up the tree, and the decorating started.

Music was something I enjoyed, but I didn't have much of a stereo. Just a simple old fashioned boom-box which played CDs. I placed my solitary CD of Christmas music in the holder, and cranked it up, while we decorated the tree with the new decorations. When we were done, it was still rather sparse, but it looked damned good to me.

Before we started with the rest of the decorations, Karen brewed up some spiked eggnog which we enjoyed while decorating The House. I saw a garland I had placed on the dining room fireplace mantle move by itself, and I was reminded of my spectral guest.

"Join me in the bedroom?" I said softly, in her direction.

I felt guilty leaving her out. I took a few small decorations into the bedroom, and placed them on the bed. "Help me decorate our room?" I whispered. I got a quick little kiss, and watched in amazement as the shiny silver garland moved to the headboard. It made me feel amazingly good, that she'd play along. I placed a few things around the room, a nutcracker, a sitting elf, some evergreen branches, and watched as they were each adjusted. I noticed for the first time her picture on the wall, where she'd moved it.

I walked over to the picture, once more reminded of her beauty, and the life she'd lost. "I've got to go back. I'll see you in a bit. How about a kiss?"

I received my requested gift, a nice soft lingering touch to my lips, and another teasing rub of the crotch.

"Damn it, Mary! I've gotta go out there like this," I griped teasingly.

She ruffled my hair, and gave my right ear lobe a tug. Ornery thing.

As we finished up the bulk of the decorations, I was given new orders. The women had some wrapping to do. I had to take one of Karen's boxes and move it to Bev's room, and I was told to make myself scarce for a while.

"It works both ways," I told them. "I've got some wrapping to do as well, so no interruptions."

Bev glared at me. "I hope you didn't do anything crazy. Having me here is gift enough. That and our beautiful tree oasis outside."

"Not too much," I told her, knowing full well I was going to catch hell for the jewelry. "I need a minute. I'm going to do my stuff upstairs so I'll be completely out of your way."

"That works," Karen said. "We'll go into the bedroom. Give us a knock when you head up stairs. We'll let you know when we're done."

Bev laughed at our antics. "Geez, you two! It's just Christmas present wrapping. Not international intrigue. We don't need to make such a big deal out of it."

Once they'd moved into the room, I hit my own, closing the door behind me. "Mary, I need you."

I almost jumped out of my skin, when her eyes appeared before mine, twinkling. I got a quick kiss, and a rub. And like that, I was ready. I reclined on the bed, as my pants made a quick journey to my ankles. My ornery girl was in a hurry. She got like that sometimes. It only took a few minutes of her attention to have me stifling a groan, erupting into her demanding mouth.

Taking a moment to catch my breath, I pulled my pants back up. "I'm going to wrap the presents now. I'd like you to do me a favor. Can you stay with the girls? I'd like a little privacy."

I received a brief kiss, and a tug on the ear. Then she was gone.

It was odd, I'll admit it. I couldn't always tell when she was around, but most of the time I knew when she wasn't. Ok, I know that doesn't make any sense. It was more a case of, when she had been around, making her presence known, I knew when she left. If that makes any clearer. Oh, never mind. Suffice it to say, she was no longer with me, and I knew it.

I made a quick trip out to my trailer, gathered up the presents, found my wrapping paper, tape and scissors and retreated upstairs.

Wrapping the gifts for Bev and Karen was easy enough. I placed the jewelry in the cases I'd bought, and did the best I could wrapping. Let's just say that's not a skill I've mastered, but I did what I could. I attempted to hide the nature of the gifts, by placing the small objects inside of larger boxes, which I did a similarly poor job of wrapping.

The bigger job was for Mary. I had retrieved the family portrait, and removed the photo and glass. The picture glass had not survived well. One corner was cracked, the soot seemed permanent. I had some reservations about replacing the 80 year old glass with modern, but I brushed those aside. The antique frame meant little to me, it was the picture that mattered. Ten minutes and two failed attempts working with a glass cutter for the first time, finally yielded a replacement for the frame. I cleaned it the best I could, put the glass back in, and gently wiped down the photo, testing a corner to make sure I wouldn't damage it. I put the whole thing back together, and examined the picture closely for the first time.

There was no denying Mary was a beautiful young woman. They looked so happy, it broke my heart thinking of how little time they had together. I noticed for the first time, she was wearing the necklace that I was about to give to Bev. I couldn't see it, but I had no doubt she'd been wearing the ring as well.

I wrapped the picture in holiday paper, only covering the front, leaving the back exposed, so I could hang it, while still wrapped.

There were a couple of more items I still needed to wrap. I was done sooner than I expected, and transported the gifts downstairs under the tree. The final job I had to do was to hang the stockings from the mantle. I hung four. One each for Bev, Karen, and myself. The other was for Mary, of course. I had decided to tell the women it was in honor of the previous inhabitants. It wasn't a lie, just not the entire truth.

Standing near the door to Bev's room, I could hear the women chatting and laughing. I stepped back, not wanting to intrude, but I did want to get one of their attention.

"Mary?" I whispered.

I waited, and didn't detect her presence. I called out to her two more times with no success. We didn't have many chances to be alone, Mary and I, so I improvised.

I knocked on the door, opening it a crack. "It's me," I called out. "I'm almost done, I'll be upstairs if you need me. I hung some stockings, but I didn't know if you had your own, so let me know when you're ready."

Karen appeared in the open door, grinning. "You're not trying to peek, are you? Naughty boys get coal in the stocking."

"No peeking. I just wanted to let you know I'm finished down here, so you have the first floor to yourself. I'll be upstairs if anyone wants to come up."

She giggled. "You're acting weird, Jack. Now get lost, or there'll be nothing under the tree. Give us a little time."

I leaned forward for a kiss, taking a quick glance around the room. She chuckled and pushed me away. "You're just like a little kid! Don't tell me you weren't trying to peek. Now behave or I swear, no Christmas goodies for you!" Her eyes twinkled as she gave a quick meaningful glance down below my waist.

"Meanie," I told her, stealing a quick kiss before retreating. I headed back upstairs, and waited a moment to see if Mary had gotten the hint. "You here?" I asked softly.

My belt unbuckling answered that readily enough.

I chuckled. "No rush, I think we have plenty of time. We can go twice if you want." I stepped out of my pants, reclining on a couple of the thick pads I had lying about while working. "I'd like that. Slow and easy, if we could."

My girl was willing. She took her time, teasing, playful. For the second round, she unbuttoned my shirt, and went for the real deal. Her lips pressed against mine, as she mounted me.

"I love when you do it like this," I told her, feeling the decadent movement on my cock, her touch soft on my chest, my face. Her nether embrace solidified, firming up, a slight pressure impacting my hips and thighs with each movement. I groaned my enjoyment, hoping she'd let it go on for a while, no hurry, just an intimate moment for the two of us.

My God, she felt good.

"C...Can I see you? Just for a moment?"

Her face slowly appeared before mine, a smile on her lips, those dark eyes of her searing. They closed, while she moved up and down. Then she faded away, leaving me yearning.

Her movement accelerated, firmer, more demanding. I felt the adjustment as my cock pointed upward, ridden hard. I almost laughed, thoroughly distracted, when her breasts made a brief appearance, bouncing up and down, in time with the pressure on my cock.

"Go ahead and tease me, you wicked thing."

I moaned when the view of my shaft disappeared, her pubic hair blocking the sight. It was beyond bizarre, watching my rod disappear inside of her, only a tiny bit of her visible, the top of her thighs, her crotch, her wild curly growth. I reached down to touch her, feeling the resistance, my finger gliding through her hair, down to her cleft.

Her up and down movement stopped, becoming an insistent grinding while I felt a pulsing around my shaft. It was too much. I groaned her name, and thrust upward, amazed when she didn't immediately pull away, letting me finish inside of her. I hated to lose the sight of her, when she disappeared.

I collapsed backward, exhausted, completely spent. I pulled the pad around my shoulders when I felt her touch again, gentle, cleaning me. I almost laughed. Didn't want to waste any of it. Not after working that hard.

The tug on my shirt brought me to my senses. Mary was trying to button it. I reached for my pants, pulling them up, and adjusted my shirt. I lay back down, waiting for the chill to leave, enjoying her touch, as the buttons on my shirt slowly closed, from the waist up.

I pulled the pad closer around my shoulders, resting, recovering. "Stay with me a bit," I asked softly.

'Yes'. A tiny kiss confirmed her presence.

My eyes were closed, and I was totally relaxed. "Someday, I want to fall asleep with you in my arms."

Her answering kiss was long and firm. A 'Yes' if I'd ever heard one.

* * *

She was in my arms, solid, yet soft. Her lips on mine, real and demanding. Her touch once more aroused me, and I moaned. I almost said her name out loud, before I heard her words.

"Jack, time to wake up. Nap time's over."

I was still in a haze, half-asleep, but I recognized who I held. I drew Karen close. "Don't wanna. Stay."

She kissed me again, her hands gliding over my chest, her fingers opening a button, the buttons which Mary had worked so hard to close. Karen's hand slid inside, flesh on flesh. "I'd stay forever," she whispered, "But Cranky's worked up. Besides, I need to start dinner."

I hugged her close, pressing my face into her hair. Smelling her, nibbling her neck. "Stay with me."

She settled down, no longer so insistent, content in my arms. It was all so wonderful. So right.

"Love you," I whispered, without thinking.

I immediately felt the change in her, a tensing, followed by an attempt to crawl into my skin. "Not like this, lover," she whispered nervously. "Tell me when you're awake. Tell me then."

For a moment I'd felt nervous, then it slipped away. I moved my lips over hers, a soft kiss, that heated up, growing passionate, before cooling again, our lips gently grazing each others. "Won't change anything. You know it."

Her hand stroked my cheek, and I opened my eyes to find her gazing on me lovingly, the look unmistakable.

"Later, please, Jack. I need to hear it when you're clear-headed."