Chapter 10 - Vents
I have to give Zar credit, when and where its due. Once we had both taken care of things so to speak, I did feel better. With some inner battery discharged, stress went down. When we were par boiled from pulling on the vape pens, it was much easier to laugh and fall all over each other. With sex removed, it was actual closeness. Closing my eyes and being told when to open for bits of warm danish to get shoved into my mouth was possible. She laughed when I gave a start discovering her fingertip needed cleaned. I told her it was cheating to put the finger in without a morsel of danish. She countered in childish logic back. She had cheese residue, that counted as danish for me to eat. And it was on her finger. I allowed it, on the technicality.
The newfound ability we now had. To lay and laze about on one another. There's some powerful sorcery, too. The easy closeness got even easier. We played hide and seek all baked, which in the basement didn't come with a lot of options. It was more fun to run upstairs and hide somewhere in the upstairs closed store, more fun to search for them there as well. Zar squealed and kicked when I found her and laid hands on her. She squeaked in surprise when I jumped out at her. We sometimes bolted from out of our hiding place if we were just about to be caught.
I found out about the attic, and how to access it. It was declared cheating, but as a break in our child's play we both went up the old timber ladder and looked around. Two adult children in winter pajamas. There was lots of old junk up there to paw through. Zar likes old stuff, whether you call it antiques or junk. She found an old box of documents she liked. Some could be framed and would be decoration pretty, she thought. She'd seen the effect in pictures before.
But Zar just looked around. Then, she stated the obvious.
"I'm boiling. I never thought I'd say this, but if we stay up here? I swear, its not my fault when my insulated dork outfit comes off. Followed close, by these long johns."
"Keep your panties on for a minute, dear. Why is it so hot up here, is the question."
I heard her giggle.
"Even I know that one, Panic. Heat rises. Right?"
"It does, but... here we are."
I hammered with the heel of my hand to move a big register and its flap's closed. I also know what wall the heat came up on. The blast furnace effect slowed down and leveled out.
"Its nice up here now, Panic."
"You can say that again."
She unzipped her thermal outer winter suit. I can catch sight now of her soft little sports bra and a pair of cheap women's panties Merry tossed in with her amusement care package. She grinned like something cute was coming out of her mouth.
"Its nice up here now, Panic."
Well, I did tell her she can say that again.
Sitting up, she had no issues shrugging out of the thermal top portion. It dropped back to form a sort of sleeping pad she could lean down on. She put her palms firm beside her hips and slid up some. She now drew her legs up and out and could lay on the insulated layer like a blanket at a picnic. Instead of enjoying me staring at her baked and dumbfounded sitting right next to me, the next thing I know? She's smoothly stripped down to her underwear. Twinkling her eyes and grin at me.
"Stare all you want. I'm not shy. But you already knew this."
I took my time formulating my response.
"Can I ask a question?"
"Sure, Panic. On one condition."
"What's that."
"You got it down to only ninety nine degrees up here. Good job, by the way. But unzip yourself. Do what I'm doing. I want you to lay next to me. Like, when we were kids. You lay back and look at the clouds. I want that."
How could I say no. So I'm sitting there staring at her wearing her underwear and socks. Laying back, fingers laced behind her head. Grinning sideways at me. Like Merry would, I guess. The edge of one lip curled up. Where do I go next. I'm nervous.
"Zar. You're flirting with me right now."
"Do you think? Duh."
She chuckled before getting the giggles.
"For future reference, genius. When a girl gets half naked, yeah. We call it flirting. Got any other questions I can handle for you? Anything else that's been puzzling you."
"Um..."
"Panic? And, I don't mean anything by it. Not bad, anyways."
"Go ahead, Z."
"You know the whole, forest for the trees thing."
"Zar, I know that story. You could say, off by heart. You could say I knew that phrase, as if I lived it myself. Come on. I make the joke myself, sometimes."
Zar grinned at me. Nudged me with her stocking foot.
"Normally, when me and Merry know you're not getting something? Its usually Merry's the one, that draws you a picture in crayon. Keeps you from eating the crayons, she's not using. I'm not making fun of you, you know I'm just stating a fact, am I right."
"No, no. You're right. Go on."
"So I can't tell you exactly why this is all going on, because I just happened to have said the words. Merry, I promise I'll let you explain why. But. You could guess. Or, ask questions other than exactly why. I didn't promise anything else. I mean, a smart investigator like you, you'd think you could work that one for all it was worth, and deduce the big mystery. Hint, hint."
"I know, you swear to god Merry's on board. I can't accuse you of lying. Plus? I'll find out anyways. But, what about Junior."
"Actually? He's on board."
"What?!"
She laughed.
"I know, how that sounds. Its true. It was, actually his idea. Believe it or not."
"For you to flirt with me. Not, for a practical joke."
"Yes, flirt. No, joke."
"But, why."
"Can't answer that one."
What else could I ask.
"If you think Merry already had the talk with me, that means you could tell me when you thought she was going to tell me something like this."
When she went for timing, it was now clear. Merry had been planning our little cabin in the snow with privacy time. That, would likely have included all this, or what I needed to know to prepare me for it. The trip to pick Zar up, the sudden emergency. That, had preempted my information dissemination time. Rushing to pack well for the trip, it had slipped through the cracks. Or, it was scheduled for when I got back. Hell, when we got back. Zar made little jokes that she said weren't. She wanted to go back and stay with me and Merry, if everything was closed anyways. Her video editing and production business, she shrugged her shoulders. Why risk employee's lives. They were already staying at home. This trip had just been rescheduled a couple times, and everyone wanted it in the bag.
"Z. While I'm investigating..."
"Yeah, go on."
"This. All, this. It doesn't end, with flirting. Does it."
"What do you think. Genius."
"Where does this all end, then."
She just lolled her head over.
"Seriously."
"Another, what do I think, huh Z."
"Add a great big giant...duh, on the end."
"I still can't guess why."
"But you could guess what, maybe."
"I got the what, down pat. You think this is funny. I'm all nervous, as a cat on a hot tin roof. Nobody, tells me a damn thing. And, you're just going to keep this up."
She just nodded her head a few times. Yep.
"See, when Merry draws me a picture? As you say, in crayon. After a certain point, she just explains it."
"Well, Panic. Where do you think this ends. You tell me."
"You want me to cheat with you. You claim Merry wants me to cheat with you. According to you? Your husband wants me to do it."
"Well, basically. Yeah."
"So, I don't get a choice."
I got what I think of as, the look.
"Seriously. Once it was clearly okay, I thought... that part, would take care of itself."
"Zar? Let me explain. I don't mind it. Well, not that part of it, anyways. But I'm nervous, here. Merry knows. Zar knows. Junior knows. Apparently, everyone knows but me. Does everyone get to watch? Merry and JR standing around, waiting. I didn't even ask yet, is Junior going to be fucking Merry. Not sure that's going to work, but if I'm banging you, I might not have a choice. Yeah. What do I have to be nervous about."
Szarabjorna's strong delicate back took an ever so slight arch, an almost elegant though near imperceptible convulsion that preceded the issuance of a stream of staccato bell-like and almost musical titters. It was followed by a big breath in, and only a slight hitch of giggle when she controlled its slow release.
"Honey, its... wow. Its not like that, at all."
"Tell me what it is like, then."
"Its on a schedule, but no other pressure of any kind. Say, three days every month. We'll get together early, spend all our time together. A little extra. No rush, no stress."
"No, spectators."
"Nope. Just... us."
"And everyone is happy about this."
"I'm sure some people are happier than others, but no one is unhappy. And yes, I'm sure of that."
"Except me. No one, consulted me on this."
"Are you not consulted, right now."
"I don't feel consulted. I feel, what. Ambushed, I guess. Like the journalist suddenly jumps them, with the real questions."
More elegant giggles and her little body spasms of humor. The magical part of physical love. The real life bodily manifestation of the internal emotions and feelings of love.
"Me and Merry, we... anticipated, your response. Which would be the little, exercises to go about this, that you're noticing. If it seems like some kind of plan? Well, it was. So, you can just calm down."
"I got one bar, it looks like."
"Really?"
Phone service around here, was no laughing matter. You find a small signal? Its news.
"Yeah. We're up in the attic, remember. I'm texting Merry."
Zar just kind of shrugged and watched me, her head propped up on her elbow and hand, on her side. As soon as I started asking Merry and easing into this, I just got a couple of big messages in. No one can type that fast. Prepared responses. After I read them through, I typed OK. She wanted me to hand the phone to Zar. Who tapped her thumbs a few times back and forth with Merry, before handing me the phone back. Smirking. What was that face, triumphant maybe. She started in sweet.
"Well. You tell me what's going on, Panic."
"You read it too, Zar. Go on."
"Hmm. If I learned one thing off Merry, when we were all three still together. Its this. You are kind of brilliant. And yeah, its a little scary at first. Getting used to it. You notice everything. But you really do miss the forest for the trees, just every once in a while."
"I admit that, Zar."
"Well, when Merry draws you a picture in crayon. She said she makes you say it back. Just to make sure, cause otherwise you sometimes still get some cute weird idea out of it. So don't be surprised when that happens."
"Its fine."
"So, what's going to go on. Its perfectly fine. Its all, legal as you put it. You see that now."
"Yes."
"So, that just leaves the why part. Now, before I get into why. Lets just talk about the what. Do you have any problems with it. Do you not think it would be fun. You don't miss me that way. At all. You don't think your dick is perfectly happy about this."
I turned my head, moving my face away. Artful on my part. I'm blushing. Bad.
"Zar. Trust me here, that ain't the problem."
"I'm just making sure. Now. What are any of the other problems, anyways. You want to. You know you'll enjoy it. Its just a matter of being allowed, right? You're allowed. Just, have fun."
"That still leaves why."
"I'll do why, last. But as of right now, you'll go through with it. Won't you. Because if you don't think you'll enjoy yourself, just tell me."
"Its not that. Trust me, I want to."
"And since you're allowed, you will."
"Yeah."
"You want to."
"Mm, hmm."
"So? Say it. Tell me, you want me."
"I do want you, Zar."
"You want me, how."
"I want you, you know. That way."
"What way, is that. Tell me."
I know what she wants. Explicit talk.
"I wanna fuck you, Zar. I can't wait. I'm just, nervous. This is all, kind of sudden."
I got shushed. She took my hand in hers. Laced her long soft fingers through mine. Gentle squeezes that pumped pure affection through the contact point. Chemistry, isn't an issue. The sudden touch does raise my heartbeat a little.
"Before I tell you why, thanks. If me and Merry didn't know any better, you could give us both a complex. Most guys don't ask so many questions, you know. But, you're very honest. Very, loyal. And that's very sweet. There's various reasons me and Merry both love you, and that's one of them."
"Now I get, why?"
"No. Not yet. Got a problem with that?"
"No."
"Okay, then. You saw how I broke the ice. Was it that bad?"
"It was better than a strip club for me. Trust me."
"Yeah. My idea was for us to watch, but. You went and took care of things in secret, so."
"Sorry I screwed your game plan up."
"Hmm. You didn't, screw it up. I know you were just thinking you got what needed done, as safely as possible. Right?"
"Yeah."
"I know. Its, kind of sweet. Now. The next game, if you were wondering what that was going to be."
"Sure. You tell me, so I don't screw it up."
"Well. The next time we, take care of things? We could just do it at the same time. Laying next to each other, for example. No harm in that, am I right."
"I guess not."
"I mean, we can touch ourselves. We can lay next to each other. What harm can come, from us doing both things at the same time."
I caught the giggles.
"Zar, you're way too good at this."
"Mm. I'll take that, as a compliment. So, humor me. Lay next to me."
I moved my insulated zip up to touch hers. I laced my fingers behind my head, and matched her staring into the clouds pose.
"So. You could easily imagine it. We're laying here. Taking care of things. No harm, no foul. And I mean, what's really going on. Your hand, is on you. My hand? Its on me. Am I right?"
"Well, yeah."
"I know. Now just imagine this. If we switched hands, just supposing. What would happen. Nothing different. There's still two hands, doing the same thing. The same thing happens, in the end. How is one different from the other. You tell me."
Honest, that hit me from left field. I didn't have an automatic response for it. No way I could have been prepared. It did have a certain kind of childish black and white logic, dressed up in adult rhetoric. That was packaged to work on me, no doubts I harbor on that count.
"Merry came up with that one. She said its the kind of thing that will shut you up just long enough that I can get my hands on your dick."
"Uh, that would have worked. Switching hands? That, is so sneaky. I mean it. You really are way too good at this, Zar."
"Hey. Merry was the nun at college. I was the bad girl. We rubbed off on each other. But, thanks. I'll take that as another compliment."
"I didn't mean it as a cut."
"I know. So. Since we both already know that we're going to switch hands. You have to admit it. What's the big deal then, if we just switched hands up front, you know. Tell me, its not logical."
Christ, this is all Merry's doing. She hatched and perjured these talking points with Zar. Damn her. Playing me like a fiddle. It is just logical enough that its effective enough at stupefying me, though just long enough to render me temporarily helpless. Vulnerable for that short space of time. I can feel Zar reaching over. Playing with the edge of my boxers. I can hear her bedroom voice now. Hoarse whispers. Hot moist lust you can feel and hear.
"You. Just keep your mouth shut, and get those boxers off. Now. You say a single word?"
She squeezed just above my testicles. Like keeping a firm hold on a sack of coins in the old days. I jumped and froze in place. Her warm wet lips found my ear.
"Get my panties off. One, single, word? It'll be your last, as a baritone, mister. You'll finish your life out... falsetto."
She tightened up just that smidgen that shuts off all debate. Yeah, her panties disappeared like smoke. She bicycled her legs a little, to help. One more little scare squeeze that seemed just intended for pure punctuation purposes. It worked.
"Put your hand where it needs to be, honey."
I breathed a sigh of relief when her hand went and did something different. Quite different, from what had been threatened. She arrived before I did, but shushed me and whispered to keep going. It gave her a chance to inspect the effect her work was having. I'm warm putty now. She got what she wanted a second helping of, after teasing me about my own capitulation. In afterglow, she started in on me. While I'm still helpless. Her hot moist lips, to my neck.
"Not, a, word... mister."
She was panting into my neck, but it was already slowing down.
"Because. If my hand is allowed on there, well... no reason other things can't go on there, you know. Am I right."
Attacked while still helpless, now attacked in afterglow. That's like stabbing an unconscious victim, its not even fair. I heard her spit. Its somehow so crass and so low brow, so dirty as to be smoking hot. She likes to draw out that shock value, spitting loud several times. Its a soaking wet second hand-job until, there. She's playing with the top half. Lips mouth tongue, slobbering wet hand job in bursts. The two action meld quick. Now its one hand-job blowjob. Both serious and tease at once. This is who taught Merry the finer points of things, and Merry reduces me to melted wax at will. Zar can make me pull her hair out of her head, and she knows it. Hard suction into almost painful teeth scraping, dissolving into those slow luxuriant horizontal tongue swirls. The little fast twitching at the very end of a tongue pass, before the hand work. A loud spit anytime things aren't hot and wet enough to suit her. Back and forth among these things at random, until I'm pulling her hair too hard and begging. When its done, I'm left a hot mess. Sweating. Shaking. Panting. Head dizzy and swirling. Eyes watering. Just helpless.
"I think I got your attention now. Don't I."
I just nodded.
"Now be serious. Like you can even tell me no. Go on try to sell me that one."
I shook my head, no.
"No, not going to be any kind of a problem, is it. To get you to fuck me now. No trouble at all. Is it, little boy."
I pulled her into me and wrapped myself around her. I buried my face in her neck. I made sure she knew it wouldn't be any trouble at all, on my end. To the untrained eye, it would seem as if I was squealing and whispering, begging into her neck. That would be because I was.
In time, she patted my hand she had fingers twined with. A sweet little kiss to finish it off. She just stood up on her insulated blanket, studied how it was laid out. Then, she sat and wiggled into it and zipped up.
"Come down when you got your shit together, honey."
I was in a happy daze.
"You gonna tell me why, now."
"Nope. When I feel like it. Don't be a pest about it."
I just nodded, to agree.
"Take your time. I got what I needed, for now."
I heard her go down the timbered ladder. Couldn't tell you how long I laid there, before I got dressed slow and went down to join her. A victim of her shock and awe tactics. She's got that little shit eating grin now. That smug face. She's satisfied, and she likes it.
"Well. Look who's up and around."
I'm blushing and trying to hide it. Not well enough, either.
"Mm. And all the fight gone out of you, huh."
More sheepish nodding. Yes, of course.
"Smart boy. Now play with your cameras. I'm gonna watch."
I spent no small amount of time, sorting them out. One I loved, two more similar I liked. The rest were no or not so much.
"Panic. Is it just me, or did it get a little warmer down here."
"Yeah. I shut the heat to the attic off. More for down here now. Oh, and that reminds me."
She followed me around, as I remembered the wall the register could be closed was on. Here it was. I used the heel of my hand again, to hammer another set of flaps shut. Once back into the basement, it became clear. Things were warming up. In both the literal and figurative sense.
Late at night, after another longer round of fun and games. We got all suited up, and braved the arctic middle of the night. The thick ice cap I crunched through to make progress, actually made steering more stable. I had my own daddy's little helper now, Zar wore a silly half grin and was prone to run into me if I stopped too quick. I got the litany of ongoing just because squeezes. Smiling and rubbing her head on my shoulder. The works. We positioned three cameras. One for each direction of the road. The third? What the hell. What goes one around here, anyways. I let the superfluous third game cam point out at what lived up to its name. The long abandoned logging trails turned into strip mining then back into logging trails once more. All now long grown in. Some drilling went on, and now nothing but wellhead services.
It didn't take much at all, for me to feel the tug of wanting to get back to if not home, then what was for now home base. It was late, but not for us. With more sexual energy done away with, the closeness became pure. Snacks and a movie. Games. It was easy to sit up close on one another, or to lay back on the covers and our bodies sought that natural contact. I can't do anything further, and the only thing that will put any good fruit up on the game cameras is time itself. I have no choice but to kill time with Zar. Which isn't in any way a sentence in the salt mines, and far from it.
When she wanted a last bath, it was morning at any other time of the year. She took me by the hand, and we undressed each other. We showered together, too. We soaped each other up, then lathered and rinsed. Its intimate and sensual. Its what Merry taught me to do from day one when I first met her. Showering, is fun. Enjoy it. Care for your lover's body without sex in the equation on a regular basis.
We ended up finishing the mutual drying off, losing our towels on what we essentially called the bed now. She started quizzing me.
"Well. You finally scrubbed the love stink off me. You taking me out for breakfast, huh."
"If you want, sure."
I got her twinkling eyes and face.
"If you got your little boy heart set on it, yeah. I'll go. But if its just for me? Don't bother. I'd be happier here. We can fall asleep, whenever. Right? Or do you have some kind of schedule, that I can't guess."
"The best thing I can do right now. is nothing. Don't disturb the cameras for nothing. Don't disturb the site."
"How long."
I thought about it.
"Twenty-four hours, minimum."
"Interesting."
"Why's that, Z."
"You've been fed twice. Me? Not like I ain't been plucked at least twice as many times. We can sleep soon. And about twenty-four hours, and it'll be in the early morning. About how long I had in mind for your equipment to, you know... recharge. We'll talk about it then."
"Sounds like a plan."
I managed to get my fingers around the vape pens without disturbing Z. I'm tired, overtired even. Its a surreal little zone for me. Physically, I'm like a wrung out dirty dishrag. But mentally, I have a slow profound rhythm until I pass out. Two big blasts of one each, does me justice. The giant draw off of the jet fuel. Followed up by the chaser of the more sedate but by no means weak second offering. My mind swirls.
All that comes naturally, is my forest for the trees streak. Okay, control that flashing image. Superimpose that flashing pot fueled advertisement, and strap it down over my case. I'm prone to miss the forest for the trees. Am I doing that here. I could be, how would I even know. Its the nature of that beast. Anyways I'm testing that with primitive surveillance.
I'm looking forwards to a nice long well deserved nap. A glance at Szarabjorna from peeling back the covers for a lurid brief peep show. I have an athletic naked angel curled up next to me. Life couldn't be any more perfect right now. When people sleep, they tend to take positions. You can argue what those positions might mean, but they do prefer them. Zar's position is almost fetal.
She starts out like Merry would. Sprawled up and over me. Arm over my chest, leg up over me and down my own leg. Face buried into my neck or shoulder. Merry stays like that throughout the night. Zar goes fetal. She's a lithe human female cat, really. The dancing and all the university big ten sports. Her shins come up, and will press into my core. Feet and knees on autopilot, scrunching around for perfect plant.
I'll hug her shins when I feel it, and drift back off to sleep.