The House Ch. 03

Minerva fell asleep watching television as Aaron watched her. When she was sound asleep, he lay on the bed next to her and wondered what it would be like to hold her as she slept. His hunch was that she would like it unlike both of his late wives. After performing what both of them called their marital duties, Martha would immediately leave the bed and wash his seed from her skin. As far as she was concerned, her job was complete but Aaron wanted to hold her and be held and it never happened even when he asked.

Aaron had a thought, what if he could touch her? Then what? He might scare her away and he certainly didn't want her to leave; he liked having her here. Aaron watched as she in her sleep moved one of the tiny braids from her face, and settled back into sleep. Aaron sighed in frustration; he wanted to touch Minerva so badly that he could almost taste it.

Taste.

It had been a long time since he had tasted a woman and the woman hadn't been either of his wives. It had been a widow who was kind enough to offer him a place to sleep when he was on his way home, she came to his room that night seeking comfort and he obliged by bringing her pleasure with his mouth and she reciprocated. Before her, it had been years since he had experienced the pleasure of a warm mouth on his cock as his wives thought both acts disgusting and only things that women of ill repute did.

Aaron came to a decision; he was going to try to touch Minerva. He took a breath, closed his eyes and slowly began to move his hand toward her arm. The closer he got the more excited he became, closer he moved until his fingers were just above the surface of her skin, just a little closer....

Minerva moaned and turned over facing him. Aaron pulled his hand back in surprise at the sudden movement. When Minerva settled down, Aaron looked at her; she was totally nude beneath the sheet. When she turned over, the sheet slid down exposing a large breast making Aaron's mouth water and his cock jump.

Aaron made a decision; somehow he was going to make love to this woman. He didn't know how he was going to make it happen but he was going to do it. He watched as Minerva in her sleep reached under the sheet and rubbed herself, it was too much. Aaron reached between his own legs and began to stroke himself matching his strokes to hers. Suddenly, Minerva was awake. She looked over at what she thought was the empty side of the bed and frowned.

Aaron stopped stroking himself and wondered why she had stopped and willed her to continue. To his pleasure and relief, Minerva began stroking herself with one hand while pinching her nipples with the other. As she began to moan softly and then louder, Aaron stroked himself faster. He murmured her name as he pumped into his fist coming just before she did.

Minerva lay still catching her breath and wondered what in the hell was happening, she had just had the most erotic dream of her life and it involved the man in the picture. She rarely woke up with the need to make love to herself but then she had started when she was asleep. After a few minutes of thinking about what had just happened, Minerva decided that it was just because she was relaxed, at Diana's house she always had to be so careful.

Aaron looked down at his nude body; he had never thought to wander the house nude, after all; who would see him? He took hold of his semi-erect cock and wondered what it would feel like to be inside of Minerva. He stiffened at the thought and began to stroke himself again. He had the feeling that he would be doing that quite a bit until he figured out how to be with her.

Minerva got out of bed and headed to the shower. Her plan for the day included walking around the grounds and seeing what fruit trees had blossoms on them. After that, she would do laundry, she was almost out of underclothes and it would be several more days before her things arrived from New York. After her shower, she made her way to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee and fixed a bowl of cereal. Aaron watched her eat and wondered why she was eating so little. In his day breakfast was a hell of a lot more than whatever it was she was eating and coffee. He looked at the cereal box and read the title 'Special K' "What in the fuck is a Special K?" he muttered and continued reading, 'lose a jeans size in 2 weeks'. He looked at the thin white woman on the box and then looked at Minerva and understood, or thought he did. His Minerva wanted to be thin like the woman on the box! The fact that he thought of her as his didn't escape him; he knew exactly what he was thinking. With a flick of his wrist, the open box of cereal was on the floor.

What Aaron didn't know was that Minerva simply liked the taste of the cereal, she wasn't interested in looking like the woman on the box and the way in which she was comfortable with her body should have told him that but he came from a time when it was fashionable to be thin.

Minerva jumped when the cereal box hit the floor and the contents spread all over. The box hadn't been close to the edge and she wasn't standing near it so how had it fallen? Aaron felt guilty afterwards, he had created work for her when he made the box fall but he liked the view when she bent over to pick the box up. He imagined his hands on her ass as he took her from behind.

Aaron left the kitchen; he had to get himself under control. Desires that he had not felt in almost one-hundred and fifty years were overwhelming him and if he wasn't careful, he would manifest in front of her before he was ready and he would lose her.

Aaron stayed away from the kitchen until he was under control, he put his clothes back on thinking that it might help and was surprised that it actually did. The cereal was cleaned up and Minerva was sipping from a mug that was filled almost to the rim with coffee. Aaron peeked into the cup and frowned, why was the coffee so light? He wondered and then saw the container of creamer. As far as he was concerned, coffee was meant to be enjoyed black and without sugar but he smiled when he saw how much Minerva was enjoying her coffee.

He followed her to the living room and saw her frown, what was she looking at? The picture.

Minerva stared at the picture, she was certain that she hadn't left it lying face down but how else could it have gotten that way? She turned it over and looked at it. There was the man that had been in her dream but damn he's good looking for a white man she thought as she took in Aaron's strong features. She remembered the story about how he died and wondered if his wife was the one who set him up. She began to wonder about the history of the house and decided to postpone her walk around the property and do the laundry. After that, she would go back to the antique shop that she had bought the picture at, maybe the woman would be working today and could tell her something.

He would have to be more careful Aaron realized. He had turned the picture over in anger when he thought about Clara and her betrayal of him. Minerva laid the picture down face up and left the living room taking her coffee with her. Aaron followed her to the room where the washing machine and dryer was excited that he was finally going to see how they worked. Minerva threw in her underclothes with the exception of her thong underwear, added the soap and fabric softener and started the washer. Aaron quickly lost interest in the washer when he saw the small bit of material in Minerva's hands.

Minerva ran some cool water into the sink and washed the thongs by hand. She knew that most people would think that a woman of her age and size shouldn't be wearing thongs but the hell with them; she liked them and thought that they were comfortable as well as sexy. Aaron's eyes bugged out when she draped the thin material over some clothes hangars to dry. She wore those? He wondered as his cock hardened once again, oh yes, he had to have this woman.

While the laundry ran, Minerva booted up her laptop and typed in Aaron's name. Why go into town when she had the internet? She asked herself. After a few second's, there were several hits under Aaron's name. He stood behind her looking over her shoulder fascinated as pictures of him came up. There was even a picture of the house as it had been and another picture showing the renovations in progress several months ago. He watched Minerva as she realized that the house that she had just moved into had once belonged to him.

"Fuck me." she murmured softly.

"I would love to." Aaron murmured in response.

Minerva kept reading. The account of Aaron's death matched what the woman at the antique shop told her. Even then there was speculation that Aaron's wife Clara had arranged for his death when she found out that he was coming home. While he was gone, she had taken up with an Oliver Norton who was made his money by profiteering even moving into a house close to his. The popular thought was that Clara put Oliver up to shooting Aaron as he made his way home but there were still those who believed that Aaron was shot by a lone Yankee not aware that the war was over. Minerva put her money on the bitchy unfaithful wife, after all, he was on his way home and that would put an end to her playtime.

From there Minerva looked up Aaron's wife Clara Richardson nee Williams. Clara, the article said was the only daughter of a wealthy farmer who was new to money. He happened to come into it by marrying a wealthy widow who met her demise just four months after the wedding leaving him and Clara as the only beneficiaries. There was speculation surrounding her death with the most popular opinion that Hiram, Clara's father killed her. It was never proven and Hiram never remarried. The article went on to say that Clara was in love with Oliver but because he had no money, her father forbid the marriage and forced her to marry Aaron who was from a wealthy family and was wealthy himself.

"Geez, it's like a soap opera." Minerva muttered as she kept reading forgetting about the clothes in the washer.

She found an article about Aaron's first wife Martha Richardson nee Lamb. According to this article, the marriage was a relatively happy one with the exception that Martha wasn't a healthy woman. Her father was a wealthy slave owner who was known for treating his slaves well.

"Whatever that means." Minerva commented and kept reading.

Martha like Clara was a small woman and Aaron towered over her but unlike Clara, Martha had a smile on her face, she loved her husband, Minerva could see it in her smile and he apparently was fond of her. Minerva didn't get the sense that he loved her and didn't know what it was about the picture that made her think that but she was sure that it was true.

Three hours later, she was still reading about Aaron and the history of the area in general. Her cell phone rang making her jump. She checked the caller ID and moaned. Diana.

"Hey, yes I'm fine. No. Diana I'm not moving back to New York, I like it here. Look, I gotta go...bye."

Minerva turned the ringer off; Diana would be calling her back in less than five minutes. She turned her attention back to the laptop and continued reading. There were quite a few historical sites around, maybe she would go sight seeing one day. She closed the laptop and remembered the clothes in the washer. Aaron followed her once again interested in the machines. It wasn't long before he understood that one washed the clothes while the other dried them. The people of this time were spoiled he decided as he watched Minerva put the clothes into the dryer and turned it on.

Minerva picked up the picture of Aaron and his wife Clara and looked at it for several minutes.

"Who killed you baby?" she murmured as she ran her fingers over the face in the picture. Suddenly she wanted to know where he was buried. It had to be somewhere on the grounds but where?

Minerva looked at the clock and thrummed her fingers on the table. It was just after two in the afternoon, still early enough to do some exploring. Having made up her mind to go, Minerva went back to the bedroom to change clothes. She pulled her shoulder length braids into a ponytail, grabbed her 'Yankees' baseball cap and headed back to the kitchen where she took a plastic sack from under the sink and tossed in a bottle of water.

Aaron watched as Minerva got ready to go out wondering where she was going. He followed her out of the house and to the small house in the back that at one time had been a cabin that a slave family had lived in. He thought that was where she was going and relaxed. He didn't want her going into the woods alone, especially this late in the day. When she walked past the house he began to panic what if she got lost? And he wasn't the only spirit that lived here, some of them were quite dangerous. Even though he/she owned the land far beyond the house, the only place she was totally safe was inside the invisible line that ended about one-hundred yards beyond the back door of the small house and with him.

"Fuck!" he swore as he tried to think of a way to get her to turn back. She had no sooner passed the safety zone when Aaron saw the spirit of a fellow confederate soldier eyeing Minerva. Aaron moved to the front of her and mouthed a single word- "mine" The soldier looked at Aaron and then at Minerva before disappearing.

Minerva stopped and looked around. She could still see the small house and the bigger house beyond it and wondered if she shouldn't go back and come into the woods when it was earlier in the day. After debating for several minutes, Minerva, much to Aaron's relief turned around and headed back.

Aaron stayed outdoors while Minerva went inside; she would go out again of that he was certain. He wouldn't be able to stop her so the question became how to keep her safe. He would go with her and protect her against the other spirits that coexisted with him but if she got lost or hurt he wouldn't be of much help to her. There was also the possibility that she would go into the woods without his knowledge. Visions of the things that could happen to her passed through his mind.

The confederate soldier would no doubt spread the word that she was here and that she belonged to him which would give her some degree of protection but there were those that it wouldn't matter to. They would try to make her lose her way in the woods and do horrible things to her with the least being driving her insane, the worst being leading her to her death.

The only thing that he could do to protect her if she went alone was to roam the woods warning everything away from her. Of all the spirits on his property he was by far the most powerful since this was his land and he had died here still owning it. He had the power to exile spirits to other places although he had never done so. For the most part, he left the spirits outside of the safety zone alone. Maybe if he made an appearance to the others they would see that he meant it when he said that Minerva was off limits. He also had a few spirits who he had been friends with in life, he would enlist their help in protecting her. It was all that he could do and he hoped that it would be enough.

Minerva finished the laundry and put it away before making her dinner for the evening. She decided to watch television in the living room instead of in bed because there was a program that she really wanted to watch and if she watched it in bed, she would fall asleep. She put the last of the gourmet frozen dinners in the microwave and made herself a cold drink. As she waited her mind went back to Aaron.

What woman in her right mind would throw away someone who looked like that for someone who looked like a weasel? She wondered as she thought about the internet picture of Oliver Norton. She picked up the picture of Aaron and Martha and then set it down when the microwave went off. She put the dinner on a plate, grabbed her drink and went to the living room. She had just turned on the television when her cell phone rang.

"Please don't be Diana." she whispered as she picked up the phone. "Thank you god." she whispered when she saw that the call was from a local number.

"Hello?" she answered curious as to who would be calling her.

"Dwight! Hello! I'm fine, how about yourself?" she said pleasantly surprised.

"I was just calling to check on you, how are things?" Dwight asked.

"Great, I love the house and I especially love the quiet." Minerva replied.

"Good. I actually called for another reason as well, I know that you're new to the area and I was wondering if you would like a guided tour. We could leave early in the morning and grab some lunch and dinner along the way."

Minerva hesitated and then agreed.

"I would like that, when were you thinking of going?" she asked.

"I'm free tomorrow, will that work for you?"

She was still on vacation, why not? She asked herself.

"Sounds good, what time?"

"I'll pick you up around eight and Minerva? Wear comfortable shoes. I'll see you in the morning."

Minerva hung up and smiled, it would be nice to have someone show her around.

Aaron got back to the house long after Minerva had gone to bed. He took his time in roaming the grounds making sure that everyone knew of Minerva and that she was off limits. He met up with some of his friends who agreed to protect her anytime they knew that she was in the woods. He also found the confederate soldier who agreed to stand guard by the safety zone and to alert the others if Minerva should decide to enter the woods. The last person that he spoke with wasn't a friend in death anymore than he was in life, Oliver Norton.

"I don't owe you a damned thing!" Oliver told him when Aaron talked to him about Minerva, "as a matter of fact, maybe I should take her just as you did my Clara." he added.

Aaron saw red but made himself calm down.

"Oliver, at the time Clara was my wife and I was well within my rights to take her. However, let me warn you, if you make a move toward Minerva, I will exile you to the worst place that I can think of. Have I made myself clear?" Aaron asked.

Oliver became even paler than he was, as in life he was still basically a coward. In response to Aaron's question, he vanished into the night.

***

Aaron stood by the bed watching Minerva sleep for several minutes before lying down beside her. He took in her profile and thought that she could be royalty. He wanted to touch her face; he wanted to run a finger along her high cheekbones and her full lips. He still wondered about the tiny braids and wondered what they would feel like in his hands. He took a deep breath and smelled the lotion that she had applied before getting into bed, vanilla this time he noted. He moved until only inches separated them only moving back when she turned over to face him, he watched as Minerva kicked the sheet off and turned toward the opposite way again. God she was beautiful he thought as he watched her settle back into sleep.

The alarm went off at six-thirty. Instead of lounging as she usually did, Minerva was up and out of bed and in the shower in no time flat. Aaron wondered what was happening that she was in such a hurry especially since it was so early. He followed her to the kitchen as she made a pot of coffee and fixed a bowl of cereal, this time he refrained from making it spill not wanting to create more work for her.

Minerva made sure that her cell phone was charged and that she had plenty of cash before making a last check around the house making sure that it was secure. Where was she going so early? Aaron wondered. His question was answered a few minutes later when Dwight knocked on the kitchen door.

"What in the hell is he doing here?" Aaron murmured.

"Morning Minerva! Ready to go?" Dwight asked.

Go? Aaron thought, go where?

"I sure am! I'm really looking forward to this! Thank you for showing me around." Minerva replied.