Chapter 14: Friday, August 6, 2010

Friday, August 6, 2010

Jake got home just before five p.m. He got caught up in the early rush hour traffic and the going had been slow. He wandered into the kitchen. Annabelle and Brenda were working on dinner. Looking out back, he saw Shannon, Brian, Julie, Carol, and Christine by the pool. Boris was not home. He had said he was going to catch up on paperwork that he had been neglecting in favor of his duties to Jake’s family. Jan, Leanne, and Kara were in Leanne’s room. Leanne was preparing herself for her date with Jake.

Jake sent a quick burst of affection to all the telepaths present to let them know he was there. He sat down by himself at the kitchen table, grateful for a quiet moment.

Leanne, love, how about a bit of shopping first and then dinner. I’ve got us a reservation at 7:30.

That’s fine, Jake, she sent. Shopping where?

Annabelle brought Jake a Coke and a glass of ice. He smiled his thanks. That was sweet. He hadn’t even asked.

Jake let his awareness wander free. Shannon was pondering her afternoon. She was as horny as she could be. Boris had come for his blowjob, towed in by Kara. He had been very polite and apologetic, but Shannon had known that if she didn’t come through for him that he was going to hurt her. Maybe worse. She had come three times while sucking him off. That had scared her at the time because she didn’t want to displease him by losing her focus. That thought had just made orgasms two and three that much stronger. She had done her best to make up for them. She couldn’t figure out how he had held out for nearly 30 minutes before he finally came in her mouth.

Christine was feeling a bit neglected. With Shannon living across the lake, she wasn’t giving Christine as much attention as she had come to expect. She hadn’t been with Jake in weeks either. She was feeling frustrated.

How’s your slave doing? Jake sent to Shannon.

Jake sent her a brief wave of disappointment. You’re letting Ellen and me down.

Jake felt Shannon’s contrition.

Oops. He was in danger of outsmarting himself.

Make him understand Christine’s need. I think you’ll find that Boris won’t hold her to the same standard as he does with you. Don’t forget that Andy and Randy are available. Just don’t use Brian without clearing it with his mother. If you have to go outside the house, then do it. With your mind-reading skills coming on line you can find men who are suitable for her.

Jake scanned Brian. He was looking forward to his date with Nina. He’d been wanting to get in her pants all summer. Jake hoped Nina would be able to manage him as well as she thought she could.

At that moment, Brian was sitting in a lounge chair watching Shannon, Julie, Carol and Christine. Julie and Carol were splashing about in the pool. Shannon and Christine were sunbathing. All were dressed in very immodest bikinis. Julie and Carol were being subtle about it but they were teasing him. Carol was making sure her breasts bounced around. Julie was bending over often, showing him her shapely ass. Brian’s towel was draped over his lap to conceal his arousal.

Carol was horny, too. Alice had told her that morning about her idea of arranging a party for her at Diana’s. Carol had not hesitated for a moment, although she had made Alice aware of the three rules Jake enforced for guys that she had sex with. Alice had assured her that condoms would be required. She also promised that the men would treat her well. None of the men would know her, so she would be assured that her participation would remain a secret. Carol was hoping Alice could get things arranged soon. It had been a month since her last gangbang.

Carol’s horniness was driving other thoughts from her mind. She was so different when she was clearheaded. When she was like this, it was a waste of the sharpest mind he had ever read. He’d spent many hours watching her during sex, trying to understand why she got that way, but that wasn’t a good time to observe the interactions between her sexual response and her intellect.

Jake sent his awareness to Leanne’s room. Kara was applying makeup to Leanne’s eyes. Maybe he could borrow Jan while they were busy.

Can I consult with you for a minute, Dr. Harrison? Jake sent. I’m stymied by a problem.

The eminent brain doctor, Jake Fielding, wants my little old opinion?

Jake chuckled. Next to Carol, Jan had the sharpest mind he’d ever read. He told her what he wanted to do for Carol and brought her up to date on what he already knew.

Female sexual response has some surprising aspects, Jan sent. There was some interesting research on this a few years back. For instance, PET scans show that to achieve orgasm, the parts of a woman’s brain that process fear and maintain inhibitions have to shut down.

That was an intriguing hypothesis, Jake thought. He spent several minutes trickling low levels, and occasionally, not so low levels of energy, into various parts of Carol’s limbic system. He wasn’t seeing anything definitive but there didn’t seem to be any doubt that as Carol’s level of fear climbed, her arousal declined, which corresponded to an improvement in Carol’s reasoning skills. That was promising.

But he found no general-purpose solution to Carol’s problem. Even at low levels, Carol did not appreciate the anxiety, and Jake didn’t want her to endure constant fear, however mild, as the price for having a clear head. He would be able to see more precisely what was going on inside her mind when he could touch her. He would have to continue this project later.

Just then a noise brought Jake back to himself in the kitchen. Ellen rushed in from the garage. She was brought up short when she saw Jake.

“Well, look at you,” she said. “You look good enough to eat. It’s too bad that I already have a date for tonight. Do you have any last-minute instructions about taking control of the president of the United States?”

“No. Just use what I did in France as the basis for what you do tonight.”

“Okay. I’m just going to take a shower, grab my clothes, and rush off. Alice is going to show me what I need to know for tonight.”

She kissed him firmly on the lips and ran off.

I’m ready now, Leanne sent to him from upstairs.

Jake heard her steps coming down the stairs. Jake hurried to the bottom step. He smiled up at her. She was gorgeous. She was wearing the sleeveless, blue dress that Jake had bought her when they first became involved. It fit her snugly around her slender bust, waist and hips.

Her makeup was subtle. It made her eyes look larger and her cheekbones more striking. This was Leanne at her best — sex appeal and elegance blended into one intoxicating package. He projected his impressions to her.

Leanne gave him a big smile and then took a good look at him. Leanne did the same thing he had to her, letting him see himself as she saw him. Jake blushed, disbelieving it even as he knew it was true from Leanne’s perspective. He’d never thought of himself as handsome. To her, he was young and fresh, virile, kind and upright, a paragon of young manhood

Although he was only an inch or so taller than her, she knew it was just a matter of time before he would be taller yet. He was already starting to fill out in his shoulders and chest. She was thrilled that this man-child, who could have any girl he wanted, wanted her.

“What’s happened to you?” Leanne gushed. “You left here a kid and came back a man.”

She fiddled with the lapels of his jacket, brushed at a nonexistent piece of lint, and pushed his hair away from his forehead. She kissed him intimately on the lips.

“You are very handsome, my love,” she said. “And you look so mature. I have arm-candy tonight.”

“Don’t stay out too late, kids,” Kara said. “And don’t get in trouble. I don’t want to have to come bail you out.”

“Butt out,” Leanne said, taking Jake by the arm. “I’ve never gotten in trouble before. Tonight might be the first time.”

Jake and Leanne drove into the city. Shops selling antiques were clustered in an older area near downtown. Leanne led Jake through four stores. Jake could tell that she was just looking.

“It’s been a while since I had a reason to go antiquing,” she said as they left the third store. “I wanted to survey the stock available. I also wanted to read the minds of the salespeople. I’ve always wondered how trustworthy they were.”

“And what did you find out?”

“One of them lied about where he got an item. The second one is just interested in separating me from my money. The third owner isn’t out to just make a buck. She likes finding good homes for nice pieces.”

“But you don’t want to do business with her?”

“No. I’ll go back from time to time, but it’s this next place that I really want to see. They’ve always had the best pieces. Unfortunately, they are also the priciest. Gus and I wanted to buy some of their things, but it just wasn’t practical, not even with Gus’s salary.”

In the store, Leanne led Jake around the floor, taking a quick look at what was available. She returned to a wardrobe.

“There’s a place in my bedroom for this armoire.”

“Then let’s just buy it for you,” Jake said, looking around for the dealer. “I hope they deliver. It won’t fit in my car.”

“Jake! Why would you deny me the best part of shopping for antiques?”

Confused, Jake read her. She was looking forward to negotiating the price. That was a surprise.

“Yes, dear,” Jake said, putting on a meek air. “That was very inconsiderate of me. I should have realized the appeal of haggling.”

“I should say so. I don’t tell you how to run your little whorehouse.” But she said it without heat, knowing that Jake would read that she wasn’t serious. “Now watch and learn. This may help you in future business negotiations.”

After making sure that no one was paying attention to them, Jake pinched her ass.

“Business deals aren’t the ones I’m interested in negotiating with you.”

Leanne squeaked and then looked at him coolly, but Jake knew that she wasn’t displeased with the ribald attention.

“Just be ready to do your part,” she said. “I may feed you a line every once in a while.”

Leanne called the owner over.

“Mr. Wilson, please tell me if this is your best price on this armoire.”

He glanced at the price tag. It read $7500.

“For you, Mrs. DeRizzo, I think we can come down to $7200.”

“I was hoping for something a little better than that,” she said.

“It’s a marvelous piece, Mrs. DeRizzo, nearly flawless. That rich patina on the finish comes from 150 years of loving care.”

“Nearly flawless, Mr. Wilson? What flaws are there that I should know about.”

“Slight scratches on the hardware. It’s in great condition.”

Jake, say something about the dent in the wood low on the right side.

“Leanne, it looks to me like it took a pretty good bump on the side here.”

Leanne stepped over to look at it.

“Oh, dear,” she said. “What a shame. It’s really a nice piece otherwise.”

“Please, Mrs. DeRizzo, the bruise is so slight as to be inconsequential.”

Leanne looked around at the lighting.

“Maybe it looks that way in this gloom, but in a well-lit room, it would certainly be visible.”

When Mr. Wilson failed to respond, Leanne decided to take a different tack.

“How long have you had it in your inventory, Mr. Wilson?”

“I couldn’t say. I don’t think it’s been here very long.”

“It was here when Gus and I bought a chest for our sitting room. That was three years ago. So what’s it been four, six years? I hope you don’t have to borrow to finance your stock. That would add up to a lot of interest that you’ve had to pay.”

Jake saw that Leanne had already learned that Mr. Wilson had indeed financed the armoire and that it had been in his showroom for nearly six years. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, but being as costly as it was, few people wanted to spend that much money on one item.

“I can pay you 48, Mr. Wilson. Of course, if you’ve got someone else interested in it, I would understand that you wouldn’t want to consider my offer.”

Offers and counter-offers were made. Jake knew, as did Leanne, that Mr. Wilson’s minimum price was $5500. It only took a minute before Leanne maneuvered him to offer that figure. She held firm at 54. Wilson finally offered to split the difference. She accepted graciously. Jake had to smile. Inside, Leanne was crowing at having gotten him below his minimum price.

They went to his sales desk to write up the order. Jake made out a check for the final price and gave it to Mr. Wilson before Leanne had a chance to pay herself.

Jake just smiled at her as Wilson returned, having verified Jake’s check. A time was agreed to for delivering the armoire, and Jake and Leanne left. It was almost time for their dinner reservation which was, fortunately, only a 15-minute drive away.

Jake found The Mansion overwhelming. The décor and furnishings were lavish. Business was brisk. The well-heeled were in motion all about. After looking at the cars, clothes, and companions of the other diners, Jake doubted that he was the richest guy in the place. Maybe not even in the top ten. The aroma of conspicuous, even astronomical, wealth wafted throughout.

Leanne guided the overawed Jake to the maître d‘ stand.

You’re sure taking all this in stride, he sent her. It’s all so...

The maître d’ asked about their reservation and then took them immediately to their seat. They were no sooner seated than a handsome, middle-aged woman approached their table.

“Leanne, how wonderful. It’s been too long.”

Leanne smiled at the intruder. Jake could see that it was only for form.

“Jake, let me introduce you to Daphne Siller.”

Jake stood to greet her.

“Daphne is a leading light here in the city. She’s been the impetus behind the West End renovation push for the last decade. Daphne, this is Jake Fielding. He’s a friend of the family.”

“I’m her date, actually, Ms. Siller,” Jake said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He immediately felt a tumult of conflicting feelings from Leanne. She was embarrassed yet pleased at the same time.

“Her date?” Daphne said. She turned to Leanne with a knowing smile. “Competition for Gus?”

“No,” Leanne said. “Gus is out of the race. He and I have separated.”

“I’m pleased to see that you found consolation so quickly.”

“I am, too. Jake has been a very good friend to me.”

“That’s the second time you’ve said he was your friend, Leanne, darling. But I’m not entirely insensitive to appearances. You’re not being completely frank.”

“You are very perceptive, Ms. Siller,” Jake said. “For my part, friendship doesn’t describe my feelings. Perhaps someday, Leanne will accept me as fully into her life as I would like. For now, I have to be content to worship her from a distance.”

Daphne giggled again. “Oh, my, Leanne, he’s handsome and charming, too. If you’re not going to take him up on his offer, please, let me know. Perhaps I can get him to show me some interest.”