by Teagan Amici
I sat with Jess a few days later, having met up for lunch and to collect my letter. I had told her of my plans for the house, and that had led to me explaining about Lesley. I hoped that if Lesley and Jess ever met, Lesley didn’t get offended that I had told her story to Jess, but I thought she might understand.
“So, are you going to call him now? Go on, while I listen”, Jess urged.
“No, I’m going to set up an appointment with his solicitor, I won’t be talking to John today”, I said as I took my phone out of my bag. Jess made a face and took a sip of wine as I placed the call. I told the solicitor when I was available, and that I would be bringing two “support persons” with me. Jess snorted into her glass as I said that. After I terminated the call, Jess toasted me with her glass, waiting for me to clink my glass of juice against her wine.
“So this is a double celebration then”, she began, “or even more than that. I’ll tell you my news too. Just now, we are celebrating your new status as a divorced – although not exactly single – woman, and your potential new status as a landlord. My news is that I want to join you, as a landlord that is. I’ve been earning good money at work, and it’s time to put a foot on the property investment ladder. I’ve found a unit that I think will be a good buy, I just need someone to do the legal work for me. Was your conveyancer any good?”
“Yes, he was pretty efficient, or at least everything seemed to go smoothly, so that’s good. I might need him again myself, but I’ve got his number here in my phone, let me see, are you ready to save this on your phone? Here, look for yourself, Gerald Du Pont, there’s his number there”.
“Mmm, French is he? Sexy accent?”
“No silly, maybe his ancestry is French, but he isn’t. He sounds just like you and me, only his voice is a lot deeper. I don’t know what he looks like though, I’ve only dealt with him over the phone. He could be old and grey for all I know, or married with a whole heap of kids, I wouldn’t know. I thought you wanted to meet Cole’s brother?”
“No, I thought about that. I’m just horny, it’s been a while since I got down and dirty with anyone. I think it would be weird if I bonked your friend and then tossed him aside, it’s probably best if I stay away from him until I get to scratch my itch. Unless he’s into that of course”.
“Jess, you’re incorrigible. Aren’t you going to be late back to work though?”
“Oh crap, I will if I don’t get a move on. Let me know how it goes when John sees your men, won’t you? That might tide me over for a while”.
I thought of Jess’s request when I finally sat down at a conference table facing John. We had driven to the solicitor’s office in Bram’s truck, my mouth turning down when I saw the Mercedes in the car park. The vanity plates “BIGJON” left me in no doubt whose car it was. I snorted derisively. As Cole reached out a hand to help me down, he raised an eyebrow. I gestured with my head to the car, and held up my hand, my thumb and forefinger making the universal gesture of something tiny.
“Big John indeed. In his dreams!” I snorted as I swept past Bram and headed towards the office door. I heard Bram chuckle behind me as Cole explained what I was miffed about. I sat in the waiting room, fidgeting anxiously, and looking over at both men, who seemed completely at ease. Deciding that I should be projecting the same confidence, I took a couple of deep breaths and stilled myself, closing my eyes and snapping them open only when my name was called. I stood up, crossing over to the man who stood to the side of the reception desk, holding out my hand and shaking his firmly.
“Diane Fleming. May I introduce Bram Charleston and Cole Easton”.
The man seemed to wait for me to explain the men’s roles, but I stayed silent, and finally he seemed to understand that I wasn’t prepared to say anything further.
“Diane, Bram, Cole, I’m Mark Jacobs and I’m acting for your ex-husband in this matter Diane. He’s waiting in the conference room, if you will come this way?”
John’s face was priceless as I walked into the room, followed closely by Cole and Bram, and then by Mark who walked around to sit next to John. Cole held out a chair for me and I sat, not breaking eye contact with John, who kept flickering his gaze between me, and the men who sat one on each side of me. I kept a straight face, but was smiling inside at the intimidating figures that John was seeing. Both Cole and Bram had enough physical size to draw the eye, and their handsome features were set grimly. I noticed that they sat glowering at John, and that he had to look away from them. I even imagined that I could hear tiny growls coming from either side, but I wasn’t sure about that. I turned to Mark and took charge of the meeting.
“So, I believe that Josie left me her house in her will? What do you need me to sign to take possession?” At Mark’s bewildered glance at John, I frowned and continued. “I understood that’s why I was here, to accept my inheritance. Is there a problem I should know about?”
“Diane, you can’t be serious!” said John loudly, and I noticed both Bram and Cole sit forward slightly in their seats. So far neither of them had said anything, having already agreed with me on the journey here that I would take the lead, they would only step in if it was required. John stared at me, seeming shocked at my impassive face, and continued. “She was my grandmother, it’s my house”.
“Well, obviously she didn’t like you. Can’t blame her really”, I started, then looked at Mark as he tried to interrupt. “Excuse me Mark, but is there a problem with the will? Was it valid? The last time I saw Josie, she was of sound mind, so if she chose to leave her house to me, then I don’t see what the problem is. To be honest, I don’t even know why John is here. Surely one of your staff can witness whatever documents you have prepared for me?”
“Ah, well, actually, that’s what I thought we were here to talk about. Your husband, er, ex-husband wanted to negotiate the terms of the settlement to reach a fair agreement and I was hoping we could start that process today”.
“Fair? I can’t imagine how trying to make sure I didn’t have representation is in any way fair. Why did you write to me personally instead of to my solicitor? That seems a bit unethical to me, so let’s start talking about what’s fair”.
“Wait a moment”, said Mark, holding out a hand to stop me speaking “can I confer with my client for a moment? I wasn’t aware that you still had representation, there appears to have been some misunderstanding”.
“Of course”, I said, leaning back in my chair and making myself comfortable. I knew that I was expected to leave the room so that John and his solicitor could talk privately, but I wasn’t going to play that particular psychological game. If they wanted to talk, they could leave, I decided. Eventually, my intention became clear, and John and Mark got up to leave the table, Mark having a tiny little smile on his lips as he glanced my way.
When the door closed behind them, I put my head down into my hands. I felt a hand rub my back.
“You’re doing great, Diane”, said Cole into my ear quietly, “At this rate, neither Bram nor I are going to have to say anything. All we’re going to be doing is sitting here giving that fool death glares. Are you sure I can’t meet him out the back of the office afterwards? Or if not, could I at least hook a claw into his tyres and give him four flats?”
I sat back, trying to hold back a laugh.
“No, both of you have to behave yourselves. You can’t hurt John, and you can’t damage his car either. Please tell me you understand?”
I felt Cole straighten, and thought he was looking over my head at Bram as he spoke.
“Got it. Can’t hurt John, can’t trash his car. You’re no fun, you know”.
I turned my head to look at Bram.
“That means you too, ok?”
“Yeah, alright, but you’ve still got a lot to learn about shifters, beautiful. Once our beasts come close to the surface, it’s really difficult keeping them under control. When someone threatens us, our mate, our family, the beast just wants to get out and it’s tough stopping it. Both of us are havi
ng trouble keeping our beasts leashed right now, but sooner or later, they’ll take over. If that dick pushes too hard, I’ll be pushing back, understand?”
I nodded at Bram, then squirmed as I thought about how I could help Bram and Cole unwind a little. So I would be taking two frustrated shifters home with me tonight? There could be worse things, I thought lustily. I quickly straightened and cleared my throat as Mark re-entered the room, alone. He sat down and looked at me for a moment before speaking.
“I must apologise for any misunderstandings, Diane. It appears John was, um, incorrect, when he informed us that you no longer had legal representation or we never would have written to you directly. Regrettably, this firm is no longer able to represent him, so you may be hearing from another solicitor. Or maybe not, maybe he will decide not to contest the will”.
As it turned out, he was correct. Less than a week later, I was standing outside the door of Josie’s house, steeling myself to walk inside.
Everything had not gone completely smoothly however. As we had walked back out to Bram’s truck that day we found that it had been keyed, deep scratches had been gouged out of the paintwork on the passenger side. Bram growled and his eyes glowed as his head turned to look at the empty spot where John’s car had been. Cole took the keys from Bram and drove home that day.
On the way home I took pity on Bram, and once we were on country roads, I undid my seatbelt and slid into the footwell.
“What are you doing, Diane?” gasped Cole, trying to watch the road and me at the same time. I waved him away.
“Bram seems very wound up. I just thought I could help him relax a little before we get home”, I said as I undid Bram’s belt, popped the button on his dress pants and undid his fly. Bram tried to protest, telling me that I should have my seat belt on, but just before I closed my lips around his cock, I said, “Well, Cole had better concentrate on his driving then”.
Even though my aim had been to take the edge off Bram’s aggression, I found the whole situation so hot, that I ended up slipping a hand into my own panties to fondle my clitoris as I went down on Bram. The noises Bram made, and the way he thrust his hips upwards from the seat had me so hot and wet, that I knew I couldn’t wait until we got home, so I brought myself to my climax at the same time as I brought Bram to his. I could hear Cole swearing under his breath as Bram groaned and thrust into my mouth, and then several things happened at once.
“Diane, fuck, I’m coming”, Bram almost shouted, and then I felt him explode into my mouth. I swallowed as much as I could, but Bram just kept coming and coming, and I was climaxing hard myself, so I lost concentration for a moment. I felt the car swerve to the side, then Cole’s hands grabbing at me urgently, lifting me out of the footwell and positioning me so I was kneeling on the seat, my face still in Bram’s groin, but my panty covered arse now in the air. I heard Cole’s zipper, felt my panties being roughly shoved to one side, and then felt his cock nudge at me from behind, and then he thrust into me so hard that my head slammed into Bram’s abdomen.
“Easy dude, I don’t want her to bite my cock off”.
“Can’t help it”, panted Cole between hard thrusts, “Trying to drive while she was giving you head was bad enough, but when she started touching herself, I could barely wait long enough to find somewhere private to pull off the road. I was going to explode if I didn’t get inside her straight away”. Cole ground his hips against the cheeks of my arse, and I turned my head to rest it against Bram’s abdomen, while I looked back at Cole. He was still fully dressed, as we all were, although his dress pants were riding low on his hips as he ground into me. I hoped that we really were somewhere private, as if anyone drove past they would probably get a good view of Cole’s naked buttocks thrusting as he fucked me hard. I moaned as the thought made me even hotter. Who would have known that I could be such an exhibitionist? Bram worked a hand down my body, putting his long fingers where mine had been, and he stroked my clit as Cole approached his own climax, hammering into me hard before grabbing my hips and pulling me back against him, bottoming out as he jerked with his release.
With sighs of contentment, we all fixed our clothing as best as we could, and Cole put the truck into gear again - he hadn’t even turned it off, only shifted it into neutral and put the handbrake on – and we turned towards home again.
“Relaxed now?” I asked of no-one in particular, staring straight ahead.
“Fuck yeah”, came the chorus from both sides of me.
So, a few days later, the executor of Josie’s will handed over the keys to her house, and here we were. Not only Bram and Cole, but Blair had wanted to come along as well. It was a Sunday, and we hadn’t wanted to take any time off during the week, as our house was almost finished. Blair had been at a loose end today, and had brought a ute along in case there was anything to be removed. I didn’t know if Josie’s house had been cleaned out after she died, and so didn’t know what we would be facing in the kitchen, and how much work needed to be done in the garden. I opened the door, and was struck by the musty smell.
“Oh, what a shame, the place hasn’t been aired for a while. Josie was always so houseproud, she would have hated her house to be like this”.
I walked from room to room, noting the dust, and avoiding the kitchen. I was suffering from a queasy stomach worse than ever, and had decided that discretion was the better part of valour when the men had volunteered to clean out the fridge, which had been untouched since Josie had died. I sat in Josie’s favourite chair, closing my eyes and sitting back, putting my feet up on her little footstool. I was still sitting there when I heard Blair’s voice.
“Now, that is a lounge suite. That looks a lot more solid and substantial than the one I remember from your house”.
I opened my eyes and stared at him.
“Did you really get time to check out my furniture before abducting me?”
Blair had the grace to look abashed.
“Well, I had to be sure there wasn’t anyone else in the house, so I had a quick look around. Why don’t we take this one home, and you can put yours back in here if you like? You can always get it reupholstered in a more modern material, but I bet the frame is more solid than yours, do you agree Bram?”
Bram came up behind him, drying his hands on a cloth, before moving a chair out from the wall and upending it, checking the woodwork.
“Actually, you’re right, Blair. This is really well built. But it’s up to Diane. I’m not much for decorating, I don’t know if this will suit our house”.
I stood up, to look closely at it. The floral tapestry was dated and also threadbare in places, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the frilled flounce, but it had potential.
“Can we get it reupholstered? We could pick a fabric that suits our house a bit better, but I’d love to have this in our home. I had many happy afternoons here with Josie, sipping tea and eating scones, I’d like to think of it getting a new lease of life at our place”.
After that, we went around the house, doing some preliminary sorting. I decided to parcel up Josie’s clothes and donate them to charity, and we identified several pieces of furniture that we wanted to take to our house. I had to fight back tears when I was standing in front of Josie’s crystal cabinet, looking at her treasured crystal glasses and vases, and dotted around I could see the little crystal figurines, many of which I had given her. Bram rubbed my shoulder as Blair offered to go out to a hardware store for some boxes and bubble wrap. Cole went to the local milk bar for some fresh milk to make drinks, and Bram sat next to me at Josie’s treasured dining table while I dialled Lesley. We had spoken a few times over the last week or so, but I had not said anything about my inheritance. Today I decided to invite her over, to see if she liked it before I made the offer. I wondered if she would be shocked when she discovered that my baby had two fathers.
“Sorry, you’re going to have to give me that address again, Diane. I couldn’t stand being at home any more, so I took myself out for a drive. I’m ac
tually not far from Armadale at the moment, so it shouldn’t take me long to get there, can you tell me again where you are?”
Shortly afterwards, I opened the door to Lesley, and showed her into the house. We headed towards the kitchen, before I explained anything. As we entered the kitchen, I indicated that she should sit. Bram was already seated, while Cole was getting clean cups from the cupboard. Drinks sorted, we sat and looked at each other, while Bram offered Lesley the packet of biscuits that Cole had bought.
“Don’t be shy, Lesley. If you want one, you’d better grab one. These guys have a tremendous appetite and Cole’s brother Blair is due back soon. If you don’t grab one now, you might not get one at all”.
“Thanks, I will. I shouldn’t, but I’ve been really careful not to put on too much weight. Right now I feel like a small elephant”.
“Oh, but a very beautiful elephant, Lesley”, said Bram smoothly as he waggled the packet in Lesley’s direction, “You’re just glowing with new life right now. I can’t wait for Diane to get that glow. Unfortunately the poor thing is feeling wretched every morning, and she doesn’t believe me when I tell her how beautiful she looks these days”.
Lesley smiled at me as she took a biscuit. She quickly took a sip of tea then almost spat it out as Cole drily spoke.
“She doesn’t believe either of us, you know. She believes us when we tell her we love her, but not that we think she’s beautiful. I don’t understand that”.
I leapt up and thumped Lesley on the back as she was coughing, trying to clear the tea from her lungs.
“No tact, that’s your problem, both of you. Are you ok, Lesley?”
“Fine, fine, but I’m not sure what I just heard. Now, don’t get offended if I’m wrong, but Diane, are you with both of these men?”
I sat down and nodded, hoping that Lesley wouldn’t judge me too harshly. I knew she didn’t have many friends, her ex had isolated her and scared off all of her old friends. I wanted the chance to be a friend to her, but if she couldn’t accept the way I lived my life, then it wouldn’t work. I waited.
