Chapter 1

I put my hands under the top of the heavy oak hutch and lifted. My muscles contracted. Immediately I felt a painful twinge in my back and I had to relax. This happened all the time. I mentally kicked myself for never learning my lesson. My back was going to be a mess when I got old. Before I could get the hutch shifted, I heard, "Hugh, where are you?"

My spirits picked up and perhaps I could have a break for a few moments. "The dining room, Lauren." I shifted the hutch to one side but used my legs instead of my back. The thick cardboard was kicked under the legs so it could slide across the hardwood floor better. Quite a few hours had been devoted to moving furniture that was all too heavy for one person.

Lauren came into the room looking fresh as a daisy and good enough to eat. She had on her work clothes but she never did much work in them. Lauren disliked getting dirty and sweaty. The woman was average in size for an eighteen year-old and looked small when we hugged but this was not going to happen now. Her face was pretty but not the kind you would see in a magazine. Lauren wore little makeup but tried to go the extra distance to enter the model category. I liked her efforts.

Lauren greeted me a smile but stayed a metre away. Max, the German Shepard I inherited, made his own greetings. Lauren avoided him and said, "I thought you were going to go out with me? Today's Saturday."

"I would, Lauren, but as you can see I'm busy. I was hoping you could help me get some of this stuff moved."

"Hugh, I wanted to go shopping. I have a present to buy for Roberta today."

Lauren was being a pain in the ass. She knew I was busy and not only was she not going to help but she wanted to drag me away from what I had to do. "Well, go then. I have more plaster to rip out." I didn't know why I was explaining. She would not help doing this especially if she got dirty or worse yet, had to sweat.

"Let the contractor do that. You can come with me and help me find the perfect gift."

"All I do is carry what you want me to. You find a problem with everything I pick out."

She gave me the eye, the one that said that I was in trouble. "You can dress yourself but you can't pick out gifts. You carry what we buy because you're big and strong. I could use your help but I see I'm going to have to do this myself."

This got me pissed off. "You said you were going to come over and help me today."

"When?"

"Wednesday, when we were resting."

A faraway look soon came to her face as the memories must be coming back. She said, "I can never think straight when you make love to me. If I said it then, I wasn't myself."

"I asked you again just before you drove off."

Her face changed again and she replied, "I don't remember that."

There was nothing I could do. We were not married. Soon Lauren gave me a chaste kiss from as faraway from me as she could get. She didn't like to get dirt or my sweat on her. In a moment she was gone. Lauren was a responsive woman in bed. She was the latest girlfriend but not the best. The best though did not want the life as the wife of a farmer.

I went for some water and watched the car go down the long drive that lead from my new home. My hormones wanted her to stay but my mind was telling me I had to get back to work.

Grandma Audrey had owned a stately home on a hundred and thirty acre farm just outside London, Ontario. The land was worth a lot to developers. During family gatherings, I always sided with Grandma Audrey where there was talk of severing a portion.

The house was large, beautiful, and well taken care of, though I thought it needed some updating. This is what I was currently working on. Now that it was mine, I had to pay for everything myself. The upgrades would cost a lot so I was doing some of the work.

Grandma Audrey, my father's mother, had died three months ago. There weren't that many people that would want to carry on the farm and business. Some of the family had wanted to sell the store and try to break up the farm to start a subdivision. Audrey had seen this and made her will as tight as she and her lawyer could do it. You see, I was the only one that wanted to keep the land as a working farm.

I had worked in the family store since I was seven or eight. We sold local produce and other products not grown in Ontario. Dad enlarged bakery was behind the store. We made pies with our own fruit and sold them at a premium price all over Ontario. The business was good and it was difficult to keep up with orders.

Our farm grew chestnuts, hazelnuts, three kinds of apples and a wide range of the more expensive vegetable crops. Another business sold bedding plants and flowers from our greenhouses. I worked mainly on the farm. Not long ago, I completed a course at the University of Western Ontario to learn how to be a better farmer.

I had just received my degree in Agriculture/Biological Sciences when Grandma Audrey got sick. We visited her a lot and I think she died happy, knowing that I was going to continue with the farm and the family business.

I went back to moving the furniture to the middle of the room. I was replacing the galvanised pipes with copper. The wiring had to be upgraded too and I wanted to add telephone lines, networking cable and even speakers to some rooms.

It was not long after that when Ken, Pete and Frankie came over. When they came in I said, "Hi, guys." Max greeted them enthusiastically. His tail wagged until the guys gave him some attention.

Pete said, "Hi Hugh. What do you want us to do today?"

We moved furniture into some far rooms to get ready for Monday when the contractor would be back. We worked late and took a break while I ordered pizza.

When the delivery arrived, we got cleaned up and ate. The radio was on and some of us sang if we knew the songs. We were with friends so this was not something to be afraid of. We basically hammed it us. Frankie said, "This house is beautiful. I just wish it were in my family instead."

"I think it will be even better when we take down a few walls to open it up. It's going to cost a fortune to heat this place."

Frankie replied, "You don't have to pay for water or sewer charges."

He did not live on a farm so he did not know. "I have to pay for the electricity for the pump and then all the upkeep over the years. The pipes we're replacing are part of that cost. The upgrade to the septic bed cost $20,000." To get off this subject I asked, "Did you hear any more about that job in Toronto?"

"Not yet. I should have asked Dana to come over to help, too."

I reluctantly said, "I asked Lauren to come over but she only came to get me to go out with her. I don't know why I stay with her."

"You stay with her because she's good looking and she makes all those cute noises when she's having fun."

All the guys were smiling at me now and I had to smile too. "I'll admit that she's good in bed."

Ken said, "She must think you are, too."

With more smiles all around I had to say, "Some guys got it and some only wish they did." They got even for any innuendo I mentioned, acting like fourteen-year-olds instead of men in our early twenties.

Before the guys went home, we moved some of the real old furniture out of the basement. The attic was getting full so a few pieces had to go to the carriage house. The major piece was a large, awkward looking antique floor mirror.

When we were carrying the mirror down the driveway to the old building, Frankie asked, "Is that real silver around the mirror? It weights a tonne and has to be worth some serious money."

I looked at the mirror and said, "Yeah, I guess it has a lot of silver in it. One of my ancestors picked it up in the late 1700s. It's been in the family ever since."

"1700s! So this isn't silver plate, but solid silver?"

"I heard that it is. Eighty years ago the mirror was replaced and we were offered a lot of money for this beauty. Too bad there's a little scratch in the silver coating of the mirror near the top."

Ken asked, "Why was it in the basement if it's worth so much?"

"It has an odd history. The family figure it's haunted or something." The guys didn't stop but they slowed down and I added, "Ever since the mirror was put upstairs, lightning has been striking the house as if it wants to destroy it."

Ken said, "Really? Do you think it's really haunted?"

"No, but lightning hit Grandma's house twice. That's why we have all those lighting rods on the roof and the three metal windmills to draw well water for the greenhouses and the fields. They get hit at least twice a year ever since I can remember."

"No shit! Our cabin got hit once when we were vacationing in the Rockies. I almost pissed myself. Mom was running around for days after and we had already left for home by then."

Frankie said, "There's some discolouring on the metal. Do you think it got hit?"

All of us looked at the area and I said, "I don't know. I don't see any melting."

Ken said, "Do you think it will get hit during the next storm?"

"I don't know. Maybe we have to finish the work in the basement and then bring the mirror back. It won't get hit in the basement especially with all the grounding around the house."

We stood the mirror up and looked at ourselves. I was tall and wide and the guys weren't slouches. We had played lacrosse and been on the wrestling team at university. I did well because of my size. My second and third years were partially paid for by sports scholarships. I had switched over to karate and there it was speed instead of brute strength that won. I was good but not good enough to get a scholarship for the last year.

I stood on my toes while looking at my friends and said, "I want to thank all of you little people for helping me today."

Ken hit me in the stomach and then the other two jumped on me. I was on the ground in seconds. We had all wrestled until I was pinned. I tasted blood but that was nothing new. I struggled with all of my might but couldn't dislodge any of them.

"Uncle, Uncle! You win," I said, laughing. They still held me and I added, "For little people you guys are sure strong."

Ken moved to put me in a head lock and I took the opportunity to try to get away. I didn't get far and it was five minutes before we were walking back to the house. I was happy to see that Frankie was helping Pete because of a charley horse.

We all showered up and ate more of the pizza before we split up. As the guys were driving down the lane I saw Lauren's car coming the other way. There was barely enough room to pass but they managed it. I idly wondered if Lauren had figured the guys would go by this time so she could have me to herself.

There was still a lot of work to do. Some of the equipment in the barn had to be fixed but my testicles needed to be drained too. Lauren did such a good job of that for me.

When the car stopped, I was outside to greet her but I saw that there were others in the car. It looked like Tiffany was in the back seat. She was only fourteen and one hot girl. She had blonde hair and was prettier than her sister Lauren. They both took after their mother who was a good looking woman. There was also a boy who looked to be about the same age as Tiffany, maybe a little older.

When the car stopped, three doors opened. Lauren came to me and gave me one of her famous hugs. The kiss she then gave me was to let me know that she missed me too. Tiffany gave her sister a push then kissed me expeditiously and said, "How come I have to fight for a kiss?" Her hand went down and caressed the bulge she found there. "I see that my sister is going to be a happy woman tonight."

I backed up quickly and said, "I see you brought a friend." I liked Tiffany and would happily take her to bed even if she was jail bait.

"Yeah." Tiffany moved to one side and said, "Hugh, this is Tom. Tom, this hunk is Hugh. I think his parents wanted to call him huge but a mistake was made on the birth certificate."

I reached out with my hand and it took a moment for Tom to come near. When I clasped his hand I said, "It's nice to meet you Tom. I figure you got to have thick skin to be a friend of Tiffany."

He looked at me for a moment then said, "I think you know my oldest brother Frank, Frank Robertson. We live over on Manning."

I thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I guess I do. He and I generally fight when we meat. It's usually all in good clean fun."

"He has his jaw wired shut a year ago because of you."

I tried to remember the fights we had. I was very competitive in sports and didn't mind having a fight or two to relieve the tensions. I didn't pick on anybody but went my own merry way and fights came to me. I was big and people came to me so they could measure themselves. I didn't win all of my fights but I did most of them.

Now that I turned twenty five, the competition seemed to dwindle. Perhaps it was old age on my part or maybe it had to do with growing up. In any case, I could see that little Tom didn't like me and to tell the truth I didn't take to him. His brother was an asshole and a bully. The last time we fought, Frank had brought two friends and I pulled out all the stops so that I was not going to be the one to go to the hospital.

Frank and one of his buddies went instead. The police had been called but this time I was the one being prevailed upon and I was just protecting myself. I was not always so lucky and paid a few fines here and there to prove it.

I said, "Well, come on in. The house is a mess. There's a lot of renovations going on."

Lauren patted Max and then went over to the television. She turned it on then put a DVD in the player. She hurried back to me and pulled me back the way we had come in.

I asked, "What about my guests?"

"Tiffany will do just fine. I turned just in time to see the first part of the movie. I had not seen this one before but I knew it was a triple X movie.

I let Lauren do the pulling and she didn't have to use too much force. When we got into my bedroom, she started to just take off her clothes and dropped them onto the floor. I was even faster and ready before she was.

Lauren's eyes went right to my cock. In seconds she was on the floor and sucking me into her mouth. It took her a few moments to get me in. I doubted if it was my pretty face that attracted the ladies. Most of them knew how I was hung.

Lauren stood and rubbed her jaw though I wasn't that big. She didn't mind sucking me but didn't want the reward she would get for doing it well or long.

She started to pull me towards the bed but I quickened my pace and pushed her the last little bit. She fell onto the bed with a squeak. Her legs went up and I was there to help them go even further. Before Lauren knew what was happening, my tongue was searching for her clit.

Her hands went to my hair and didn't let go. She had her first orgasm quickly and I had to use my fingers to get her worked up for number two. Her scream and chant could be easily heard even though her thighs were crushing my head.

Lauren relaxed and let go of my hair. I was ready for some action myself. I pulled her legs to get her closer to the edge of the bed then elevated her pelvis. My fingers had opened her enough and I slipped in the first bit easily. I then had to go slower. I could hit her cervix so I didn't thrust all the way. I seemed to be doing this right because Lauren's moans of discomfort turned to her demands that I hurry.

I didn't know how long Lauren could stay so I hurried for my own enjoyment. I was not sixteen anymore but I could still please the ladies while pleasing myself two or three times. Tonight it was four.

I carried Lauren to the bathroom and put her in the tub. The shower was turned on and in a moment Lauren came back to me with a big smile. "Mmmmm that was nice. You hit all of the right spots."

In a western accent I said, "I aim to please, Ma'am."

When we were cleaned and dressed we went downstairs. Max thumped his tail at seeing me. The television was off. Tiffany and Tom were fully clothed now but I could see that they had some fun by the way they were dressed and the scent that was still in the room.

I asked, "Would you guys like a pizza?"

Lauren was the one to say, "We were hoping to stay here tonight. Tiffany is at her friends house."

This was ok with me but Lauren should have told me earlier. Tom and Tiffany could have been comfortable in their own room instead of on the couch and floor. Lauren didn't always think about these things though she was not stupid.

"Sure, you guys can stay."

We had a snack and I showed the other couple where they could sleep. Tiffany was pleased but Tom seemed to be pissed off about something. It was not often that a fourteen-year-old guy had a place like this to stay.

We had let Max out for an hour and welcomed him back into the house before we all turned in once more. We slept late and I found that I had a few more rounds in the cylinder to keep Lauren happy.

When we got up, I found my guests had gotten up even earlier.

I asked, "How did you guys sleep last night?"

Tiffany said nothing until Tom said, "Ok, I guess. It was noisy."

Tiffany held Tom and with a smile and said, "It sounded like music to me. There was a lot more soprano than base." Lauren held me and said nothing. I saw a delightful red colour creeping up her neck.

There was some coffee made and a breakfast already eaten. Tiffany said in a sultry voice, "Would you like me to make breakfast?"

Lauren squeezed my arm so I said, "Thanks, but maybe I should." I knew that Lauren was lost in a kitchen.

While I was making breakfast for Lauren and myself, Tom said, "There was an envelope on the table. It said your first name is Shelly."

I didn't stiffen much. I had many years to get used to this. I said, "So?"

"Isn't Shelly a girl's name?"

I put a fake smile on and said, "Many names are used by both genders. I think my father had a joke in a way. One of our ancestors was famous and had that name."

Tom was smiling though as if saying that he got me. The fucken kid was almost half of my age and I could still pick him up and shake him if I wanted to. Instead I said, "I suppose you have heard of Johnny Cash?" When the kid finally nodded I said, "He sang a song in '69 called 'A Boy Named Sue'. The father gave the boy a girl's name on purpose. It talked of how the boy always had to stand up for himself. You see, it made him angry and he beat the crap out of those that annoyed him. Your brother was like one of those guys too. It gave us an excuse to fight and for the most part it was fun. Your brother is a bully, though, and got some friends to help him. It wasn't fun then and I beat all of them. Are you trying to take his place now?"

By the last words I was very close to the asshole. His smile was gone and he had a worried look on his face. When the boy said nothing, I said, "I'm waiting for a reply. You are my guest and have certain rights and privileges. You have obligations, too. That means I will be a good host and you will be a good guest. Is that understood?"

Tom's face was white and after swallowing he said in a squeaky voice, "Yeah. I won't bother you again."

I thought about it for a second then stood and put out my hand. It took a moment for Tom to recover and shake my hand. I wasn't sure how sincere he was in any case. Tom hung his head but both girls for some reason were excited. I guess they wanted to see blood. Some girls are like that.

It was an hour later that they all left. I was sure that Tom was anxious to leave and was whining for a lift.

I went back to work. The manager that had taken care of the farm for Grandma was now working for me. We talked a bit about what had to be done. He then went his way while I hooked up one of the tractors and cut the grass. Later I worked on some of the implements. There was always lots of work for me and I was glad I didn't have to run the store. Mom and Dad did that for me though they'd been doing much the same thing for the last twenty years and before that dad did the other jobs.

I cleaned up and had lunch before going back to my work. The apples had to be sprayed but I had no time for this. The job had to be delegated. It was good that I had others working on the farm that treated the business the way it needed to be treated.

When it was getting dark, I went into the house. I felt the need for a long hot soak in the tub but instead I moved more furniture. There was a long row of built-in bookcases in the library. I took books out and placed them in some large boxes. The boxes were labelled as to where they belonged. Some of the books were very old and I treated them with reverence.

The bookcases themselves had to be moved. We were going to put in a forced air furnace and remove all the radiators. I was very careful with the first bookcase. It looked older than the house and the house was old. The plaster had to be cut away along with many layers of paint. Every squeak I heard worried me because I didn't want to damage anything but the wall and then not too much of that either.

With a final groan, the bookcase moved freely. Once it was far enough from the wall, I slipped a piece of carpet under it. It was when I got behind the bookcase to shift its weight that I felt a small movement under my left foot. I continued with my objective then went back to investigate. One of the boards in the hardwood floor may have to be nailed better.

With a rag, I cleaned the floor to find the offending board. I found something else entirely. It was not a board but a group of boards that stayed together as a group. I tried using my fingernails to pick it up. I knew that this was not natural or unplanned.

Chapter 2 »