Chapter 6: The Villa, Part 1

The train ride south was pleasant and relaxing; Jonathan slept for a bit and he actually found an English novel at the train station and started to read for the joy of it, something he hadn’t done in years. He also had the time to reflect on the past few weeks and how his Uncle Chas, without even intending it, had set his life on a new track. While his sex life with Shelly was a whirlwind of adventures, looking back on it, he realized it was always about what she wanted, even the threesomes with other women. It dawned on him, after all this time, that the threesomes were her way of justifying cheating on him, by giving him another woman, but under her control. His inheritance from Chas set in motion a whole new series of adventures, one driven by his own desires, but one also of self-realization. It wasn’t just about going out and fucking whatever woman or women were available, given his wealth now, he could have done that. But his encounters were all learning experiences, about giving something to his lover or experiencing something new and exciting. There was purpose and intent in his liaisons, not just a climax.

Having an orgy with three women, spending time with an engaged woman, helping Lydia, and even fucking Mary and then Beth, his married next-door neighbors, took on purpose and meaning with his newfound sexual freedom. The sixteen-year-old virgin Mai Lin seemed to be the cherry on top (literally and figuratively, he mused to himself), of providing something to the woman he was with, and not just being taken advantage of as Shelly had. Shelly used him, she took and took. The women he had all been with the past few weeks all gave him something, an opportunity to be himself, to explore his own desires, while also fulfilling their most intimate needs. Particularly with Brie and Mai Lin, he felt a dormant inner-self being born, one of a guiding dominant, not controlling, but more like a daddy figure, a mentor. It didn’t quite make sense to him as it is nothing he ever explored or was cognizant of. But he felt good helping out Brie and giving Mai Lin what she wanted by showing her what a responsible and caring lover should do for her.

The six-hour train journey was a well-spent opportunity to rest, enjoy, and reflect. Arriving at the Nice train station he called the number Juliette had texted him and met Gilles, someone who lived in the village near Chas’s villa that drove for him when needed. He was picked up in a Porsche Cayenne, apparently, one of a number of cars Chas had owned, that were now his, so Gilles explained in his broken English.

The sun was setting as they wound their way along the Cote d’Azur, heading east away from Nice towards the border with Monaco. They made their way into a small village that Gilles explained was where he was from and five minutes later they were pulling through a gate, up a drive, to a beautiful villa. Admittedly, when he heard the word “villa,” particularly one located on the French Riviera, Jonathan assumed a classical stone home, with Louis the XIV adornments, more akin to Versailles, though perhaps not quite so luxurious. What sprawled before him was not a classical villa, it was a modern home, with lots of glass. It sat on five acres of land and had several other buildings on the estate, including a garage for ten cars, of which there were four, according to Gilles.

Jonathan just stood there and took it all in. His eyes were quickly drawn to a woman coming out of the entry portico, Juliette, he assumed. She was tall, perhaps 5’10”, later to learn she was 5’8”, wearing a pair of cut-off denim shorts that accentuated her thin, long legs. On top, she wore a simple white camisole covered with a loose, chiffon blouse, mostly unbuttoned, showing off the curves beneath. She wore no make-up, her facial features glowing with a natural beauty that Jonathan found immediately enthralling. She had a thin, elongated face, with distinct high cheekbones, dark eyes, and luscious lips. Her hair was dark brown, with a sprinkling of gray, wavy, coming down past her shoulders.

Jonathan quickly took in her natural beauty and realized, when they hugged, that she was also braless. He guessed her to be in her early- to mid-forties. She kept holding him, sharing the loss of Chas and their new connection with one another.

As it was getting dark, Juliette gave him a tour of the inside of the villa, particularly the view from the upper ‘tower room’ that was Chas’s study, cum reading room, with a 360-degree view. On one side, the Mediterranean Sea, no more than a few hundred yards away, on the other side, forests and cliffs of the hills that ran along the coast. There were four bedrooms plus the master suite, which was truly a suite, with its own spiral staircase up to the tower room, a large sitting area, a bedroom, a huge walk-in closet, and a bathroom that one could easily get lost in. The bathtub had an open view through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the sea and the shower had all-around sprayers and two separate areas, one big enough for a small orgy, which he imagined Chas took full advantage of.

The master suite was on its own level, off the main floor, where there were two of the guest bedrooms as well as two different living areas, cum sitting rooms, a formal dining room that sat twelve, and a kitchen that left Jonathan speechless. It wasn’t like he was a gourmet chef or anything, but the layout, the quality of the appliances and utensils, and the view from wherever one stood were spectacular. There was also a lower level with two more bedrooms and a game room, along with a small theater. Chas had style. Jonathan knew he had money and enjoyed expensive things, but never really realized how wealthy he was.

For her part, Juliette was a delight to be with, regaling him with stories of Chas, his parties, his moods, and his mindset. At times, they both teared up, but she seemed to enjoy, and need, reminiscing. They got good laughs out of her encounters with Margarette when she was there for the funeral. She had come with the expectation of inheriting Chas’s property, leaving with nothing. Well, she did end up stealing some valuable pieces from Chas’s art collection and his watch collection, including five Patek Phillip watches, each worth over $100,000. Jonathan said he would get his lawyer to work on recovering the missing items, particularly when Juliette related that Chas had gifted several of his watches to Pierre, her fifteen-year-old son, and two of the bronze statues he prized to her daughter Chloe. It was only right that they inherited something personal from Chas’s estate, given they were the ones who lived with him, cared for him, and loved him.

Juliette had prepared dinner for him earlier and then offered to slip away to her own home on the estate, one of several out-buildings, where she and her two teenage children lived. Jonathan insisted that she stay and join him, if she didn’t have any pressing need to return. They ate and drank a bottle of wine, laughing and crying more remembering Chas. It was clear that Juliette had not had the opportunity to process Chas’s untimely death as there were no others that she felt comfortable enough with her emotions. With Jonathan, she sensed from the beginning a kindred spirit and someone who appreciated Chas for who he was. She also sensed Jonathan’s black hole, the unprocessed loss of his mother, as well as his difficult life with his strict father and stepmother, and the lingering pain of his divorce.

After a few calls and texts from her kids though, she soon took her leave, explaining the kitchen and all the food she had bought so he could settle in with ease. They hugged again, this time even longer, just holding one another. This was the first time she had someone she could commiserate with following Chas’s tragic death. Margarette had treated her more like a servant of the house and was not interested in listening at all to any stories about Chas and his “corrupt” lifestyle.

Though it felt odd, it also felt very comfortable and welcoming to find himself settling into Chas’s master suite. The closet was still full of his clothes and accessories, but Juliette did make a little space for him.

He awoke late, for him, that meant after seven, and went up to the tower room to see the morning sun dance across the turquoise blue waves of the Mediterranean. There was an expresso machine up there so he made himself a cup, opened the windows, and sat, enjoying the cool mid-June morning breeze. Now, this was something he could get used to.

Feeling the pangs of hunger, he made his way down to the kitchen, seeing that Juliette had called. She offered to bring him some breakfast and while he insisted it wasn’t necessary, she didn’t mind at all and had already made a bunch of crepes with different stuffings. He wasn’t about to refuse that.

This time though she brought her two children in to meet him. Pierre was fifteen and a bit shy, but, as he was to find out soon, was quite talkative once he felt comfortable with a person. His passion was photography, something that Chas had helped get him started in, buying him some equipment, making him a dark room, and encouraging him to take some classes, not to mention, introducing him to a number of professional photographers in the area that were part of Chas’s social circle. Chloe, like her mother, had a natural beauty. At just sixteen, she was stunning. Chas had convinced her to try out modeling, which was just beginning to take off for her, but it meant lots of travel and exhausting days, that she wasn’t quite ready for. She had curly, dark brown hair like her mother, though cut short. Her breasts were not as developed as her mother’s, but they looked spectacular under her tight tee shirt. She was also braless, meaning her breasts were clearly visible. But it was her ass that kept drawing Jonathan’s attention, when he could stealthily. For her part, Juliette was in a loose v-neck tee shirt, braless, with her large breasts swaying back and forth as she walked and moved around. Jonathan could get used to having such beautiful women around.

He had promised Pierre that he would come to check out his photos later that afternoon and Chloe dismissed herself to spend the day with friends. Once again, Jonathan and Juliette sat, eating together, this time up in the tower room. Before they knew it, it was past noon and so they cleared the breakfast dishes this time Jonathan offered to make them lunch, settling on some homemade hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh that he was able to make rather quickly. Of course, it had to include a bottle of wine that Juliette selected from Chas’s rather extensive collection.

After lunch, Juliette showed him around the estate, taking him first to the Japanese bathhouse, complete with a classic wooden ofuru with a little stream running through the structure. Then there was her home, where she had lived for the past seven years, when Chas had first offered her a place to stay, meeting her by chance when she had fled her abusive husband and moved back to the nearby village. She had been struggling, working in her father’s vegetable and fruit store. Jonathan didn’t ask too many questions, letting her share what she was comfortable with. It was a beautiful three-bedroom house, off in the woods, so not very visible to the main house, but very close distance-wise. Once inside, Pierre was waiting and took him into his studio, which Chas had built as an addition to the building. Juliette then excused herself, going into town for some errands and to meet a friend for coffee.

Pierre first showed him pictures of nature, trees, leaves, mushrooms, mostly taken around the estate and along the beaches. He had some pictures of various architectural forms, but said he preferred to shoot people. He then started to show him his collection of portraits and random shots. Some were taken along the beaches of Nice, others in town of just random people doing everyday things. He had an eye for capturing the mundane and turning it into a stunning image. He then started to show some of women modeling. There was one particular, probably his own age, who was very photogenic.

“Who is she?” Jonathan asked.

Pierre was silent for a moment then shared that her name is Teressa, a friend of Chloe. The way Pierre spoke of her, and the nature of the photos, it was clear to Jonathan that Pierre had a crush on Teressa, if they weren’t actually dating, though the way he answered questions about her made it clear that she was his crush, not a girlfriend. What intrigued and enticed Jonathan is that while Pierre remained silent, he kept showing more and more pictures of her, each more and more risqué. Her in a very seductive bikini, her topless on the beach, her nude wrapped in just a satin sheet, her fully nude posing this way and that way. She was certainly a very beautiful young woman.