Miraculously Harden was down at the town wharf at 6:00 and a 6:15 a fast boat called a runabout with a 75hp Mercury outboard sped down from the marina and he saw someone wave and waved back. The only occupant was freckle-face Ian.
"Climb down," Ian called cheerfully. "I arranged to pick you up here because getting in and out of the marina with its security systems is a pain in the arse. Harden thought arse was the English word for ass, confirming the Kiwis were more English than Americans.
"Roger is a no-show. I guess Judith wanted a fuck when they got home last night. They have an infant who wakes up every couple of hours and Roger would be expected to be on bottle duty. I saw him wander off with Wendy Mitchell last night both appearing to be innocently heading for the loos and next minute I saw them outside hand-in-hand presumably heading for Wendy and husband's room for you know what."
As they pulled away from the wharf and slowing as they hit the 15 mph speed limit in restricted waters, Harden was struggling to come to the Kiwi's forthrightness, swearing and a more relaxed attitude towards promiscuous people so laughed and that only encouraged Ian to ask, "Sink a length last night buddy?"
"Ah no. We'd had so much liquor we would have not completed."
"Yeah, same with us. There are few things worse that going to sleep on the job and being berated in the morning. Women don't enjoy being with guys who don't perform, even if it's their husband."
Although Harden hadn't known that he now thought that would be the case.
They fished for only ninety minutes and then returned with five big snapper and two other fish Ian called blue cod. At the wharf Ian handed up a bag containing the fish, asking could he drop them off to Mrs Williams on the way home and gave the address, which was on the main road Harden used.
"She's the bride's mother and this is a contribution to food for tonight guests who drop in. The girl's will process and prepare the fish for her. Her home has been the main hangout for the girl's since they were at high school."
"What does Mrs Williams do?"
"Nothing now. She was formerly a national breaststroke champion and won five gold medals at Commonwealth Games and a silver at the Olympics and then went on to be our country's most successful female swimming coach. All the girls in our group you saw last night liked swimming almost as much as they like fucking."
"Including Loretta?"
"I did say all of them."
"Yeah right."
"Loretta was the strongest swimmer of them all but switched to surf lifesaving and won several titles in competition between New Zealand, Australia and South Africa."
"Wow."
"She's bored mate, sitting in that office all day. You look the guy who could give her the action she needs."
"You mean, um..."
"Yeah mate, fucking and also something to occupy her brain in the form of a challenge. Want a beer?"
"No thanks."
"Me neither. Well I'm off."
* * *
Jennifer Williams answered the door in shorts showing half her belly and a top obviously without a bra under it. Harden clearly saw the obviously remnants of powerful swimmer's shoulders.
"Christ, you would catch me like this, plus without make-up."
"You look cuddly."
"Gawd, a silver tongued America. Give me the fish and come in for coffee but don't stay too long and I'll have to prepare for the arrival of guests. Thank God I had the sense last night to tell everyone if they wanted breakfast they could forget about coming here."
"It was a beautiful wedding."
"Thank you. My daughter Tessa told me she thought you were gorgeous. How did you come to meet Loretta so quickly? She said you'd only arrived in the country a few days ago."
"I've acquired the Armstrong's house just opposite where Loretta is holed up and met her for the first time yesterday morning."
"And obviously made an impression on her?"
"I went in attempting to make progress, if you know what I mean. And succeeded well enough to be invited to accompany her to your daughter's beautiful wedding."
Jennifer said she was so happy seeing Loretta with a guy again. "She's only just come out of mourning. She was out at one of the West Coast beaches eight months ago on a day of boisterous surf. A rip snaked across the bay. She told her fiance to swim ashore while she helped get swimmers back on to the beach. She swam out about four hundred yards to the center of the rip where people had been swept out and were screaming. She calmed them, well most of them, and assured them help was on the way."
"That sounds scary stuff," Harden said
"The jet-skiers and lifesavers in four-man surf canoes and others on paddle boards with rescue rings began arriving. She went across the bay and brought back two kids, unconscious but both were revived without apparent ill effects. An old guy who and two younger guys didn't make it. When they were taken ashore Loretta was dismayed her fiance was not around. She looked out to the southwest and saw one guy floating face down. She jumped on to a water-ski and raced over. It was her fiance Stephen, not a good swimmer. A rescue helicopter dropped her an oxygen bottle but it was too late. It's left her with a sad streak that she hides Harden."
"I sensed there was something."
"Good boy, I pleased to hear that. Just go easy with her, huh? Her father half-blames her for her mother's death saying because she was a female and closest to her mother she should have read the signs earlier than the doctor that she had cancer, invasive cancer. That's bullshit of course. But you know how some men can't cope with grief... no I suppose you don't.
"Thank you for briefing me Mrs Williams. It is most useful. I'll go now."
"Thanks for bringing the fish. I guess you caught some of them?"
"Yeah, I went out with Ian. It was the incoming tide he said."
"Ian is a lovely guy. Call me Jennifer in future Harden. Again I'm sorry you caught me all floppy like this."
"I saw nothing but a woman in her prime."
Jennifer laughed and said, "Off you go your flatterer."
Harden went home and unpacked some of the furniture he'd purchased a couple of days earlier. He had a long way to go before the empty house would be furnished. The outgoing family had taken everything, including their refuse, and that was fine by him.
He'd just finished placing the table and six chairs in the family room extension of the kitchen, wondering why he'd bought six chairs. He didn't know six people in this country. Oh, after yesterday he did. Well, he didn't have to invite everyone around at once. He decided after what Jennie had said he wouldn't call or visit Loretta until next Saturday morning. That would give her plenty of time to decide if she liked him and check with the FBI or whatever women did before taking on a man. His phone went.
"Hi, it's Harden Domboise."
"I hope it's hard tonight."
Jesus. "Loretta?"
She laughed. "And who else were your expecting to call?"
"No one, not even you because you indicated you were going to an all-day party."
"Well, we're bored and can't face the evening just with women. Jennifer said we must invite the men so I'd like you to come over as my man. "I've had only two wines and drank them slowly and now am drinking water. I don't want you telling me I'm not in the right condition to be fucked."
"Loretta!"
"What?"
"Er...yes, I accept your invitation."
"What to come here or come hugely tonight?"
"Loretta!"
"What?"
"Er... nothing."
"I admire your diplomacy. Jennie said my lovely man dropped the fish off so you know the address. I await your first kiss so please don't loiter."
Harden drove home with Loretta's hand on his thigh. She didn't talk about sex or move her hand. It appeared she was indicating he'd not be allowed off the hook this time. Well, she was relatively sober so if she wanted it she could have it. As they neared the ferry he said, "My house?"
"Do you have a bed and a table?"
/> "Yes."
"Hot water, soap and towels and drinking water and coffee?"
"Yes, but not food or other creature comforts."
"Well, it sounds like you have everything we need. I don't want to make a pig of myself tonight because I start work at 7:00. Let's mess around for a couple of hours and then go somewhere for late supper."
As they entered through the kitchen she lifted up her arms and he pulled off her top. The bra was rather full and he licked his lips, making her purr, "Good boy." She was perfectly relaxed so he worked out a tit, she helping, and he left her to finish undressing while he playing around and soon had the nipple rock hard. By then she was pushing down her panties with a foot.
"Lay me across the table. That's why I was interested to learn you had a table."
Harden frog-marched her backwards and they kissed and when her butt hit the table he dropped to his knees and went pussy exploring and oh boy, did she like that. She though people lined up nearby waiting for the ferry after being to beaches or in the FWD vehicle after driving dirt tracks upriver through forestland and hearing her noise must be thinking a cat was being desexed.
In less than three minutes she convulsed into his mouth. She dropped to her knees after he dropped his pants and she murmured between long licks, 'Oh God, is this all for me. Oh God."
After Loretta swallowed some of Harden's load and he ran off to grab a towel for her they had round two on the bed. She was in great need so they were into it full on. She banging back at him, setting such a fast pace they soon soared over the top and fell back and chatted.
"A woman's cunt is amazing," she said, appearing amazed. "I wondered if I was capable of taking all of you, but not a problem."
"You obviously haven't had one for quite some time. Perhaps you have lost perspective of size?"
"You are big Harden, make no mistake about that. No way it that thing going up my arse."
He was pleased about that because he wasn't really interested in that alternative passage.
They jawed until she said, "It's 7:30 so we should go. Come over for a quick pizza and coffee and then I'll go to bed, alone. I've had an energetic weekend, all in all including my first fuck in months. I'll go out like a light as soon as my head hits the pillow."
As soon as Loretta put the pizza in the oven she called someone.
"Hi Megan. You know my big guy Harden you met at the wedding yesterday?"
Harden of course couldn't hear the response. The Loretta said, "Yeah, well we are a number. I've been over to his place and there's nowhere to fuck apart from his bed."
"Yes, I'm glad you agree it's restrictive. Look, you are marketing manager for Tony's parents furniture and furnishings store..."
"Yes, practically the entire house. There's only a bed and table and chairs there."
"Discount? Well I gave you 30% when you and Tony built your house. Fine. See you during the week lovely lady."
Harden looked at Loretta expectantly.
"Megan's in-laws run a furniture store. It's expensive but justified because everything they have is quality. What they don't stock they'll order in for you. But they have most stuff including white ware. The deal is everything delivered to you will be at cost plus 30% markup. You'll save heaps because I know some of their items are cost plus 250% mark-up."
"That's wonderful, you are a darling."
"Thank you."
He smiled and scratched his nuts boldly. " I'll call in tomorrow to kiss you and to order my decking timber after I measure up and then I'd like to see your father."
"My father? I'm a big girl, you don't have to ask permission to fuck me."
Harden laughed. "No, I wanted to talk to him about that timber piling in the marina and how business works in this town."
"Well we supplied the treated piles for that marina and all the hardwood decking imported from Australia but cannot do that any more if the council extends the marina because dad in now on the council and is deputy chairman and those occasions preclude him from doing business with the council. But talk to him anyway as he has a good mind for business. Do you know why our buildings at the mill look crappy?"
"Because of the risk of fire destroying investment or perhaps to save money?"
"No, dad figures more people do business with you when you don't look flashy and overly successful. You wait until you go inside his house or inside his keelboat to see real money talking but not indicated on the exterior. He even replaces sails with second-hand sails. Skinflint Oblinger knows what he's doing."
Taking the ferry home after exploring some of the eastern beaches on Sunday Harden made the crossing with a family in a big vehicle towing a fishing boat. The woman climbed out of the vehicle and said she thought he was the American people were talking about.
They introduced themselves the other three members of the family joined them and also said hi. The teenage girl offered him the last piece of cake in a tin. He declined but they all said he must have it so he ate it and said yummy. The mother, Shirley Blake, blushed and said he must come to dinner at 7:00 on Tuesday. "We are only a little way down Riverside Street from you and Kim who is sixteen is going to America in a few months on a student exchange scheme. Where do you hail from?"
"Chicago."
"Ohmigod," Kim shrieked, making her younger sister grin. That immediately told Harden she was going on a student exchange scheme somewhere in Chicago.
Kim's father Ross slapped Harden on the back and said, "You couldn't have come from a more convenient place as far as we are concerned mate. We want to know about crime, American kid's Kim's age and how can we ensure she doesn't become a prostitute and do hard drugs."
"Or take any drugs," Harden said firmly.
"Oh Harden, and we glad we've found you," Shirley said, appearing almost ready to kiss him.
Walking into his home, Harden thought the way to be assimilated into a new country was to live locally and to latch on to a date who was popular locally. It was just a matter of finding a common focal point, or several.
After brushing his teeth he thought about Loretta. It really hadn't been a seduction. As she called it they'd fucked. He worried about it until it came to him. He ought to give her time; what had been lacking was passion mixed with tenderness. The whole thing had been far too mechanical. Yes, give her time and lead her into a more passionate relationship. He wanted her to get her to the stage that he was the only guy she wanted to fuck and to be with and to know in her heart that was so. He'd consider involving her in two things to involve their chances of really bonding. He'd get her to choose things for his home, right down to paintings for the walls, and he'd look at setting up a project involving her.
CHAPTER 2
Loretta had four guys in a line waiting to be served so Harden walked to the counter and dropped his order down and as he turned to leave Loretta blew him a kiss. That was a bad move by him. The four guys were now looking at him as if he'd just come out of a hole in the ground.
Harden asked around in the yard and he was pointed in different directions until he found a burly white-headed guy who looked as if he could punch through steel.
Just a casual "Hi, Mr Oblinger" was sufficient. The guy said hi, he was Terry and Harden must be the big American guy people had told him was sniffing around his daughter.
"Sniffing? I went with Loretta to Tessa's wedding on Saturday, met her again at Jennie Williams place yesterday and just delivered her an order for 300 lineal feet of hardwood decking. Is that sniffing?"
"Put it here mate," Terry said, holding out his hand. "Don't bitch with me; that was just my way of opening a conversation and look at the dump of information I got."
"So I don't have to knock your teeth down your throat Terry?"
Terry grinned and said, "You'll all right mate. So why are you keeping me away from my work?"
"A chat about business. I was running a successful pile-driving outfit in Chicago until I had too many jobs going simultaneously and had an asshole foreman who stepped
up the driving rate of concrete piles at twice the agreed rate. Of course a diver examination revealed many of the piles had fractured and I got slugged with a $4.3 million writ that under arbitration was reduced to $2.4 million but that still put me out of business. I sold everything including my house and car and the claimant finally agreed I'd paid the price so I escaped formal bankruptcy. My wife divorced me, walking away with fuck-all and here I am ready to make a new start in New Zealand. I'd like to start up pile driving, wooden piles, in the marine environment. I saw the marina yesterday morning and Loretta said you guys supplied the piles and decking."
"Yeah, but that's a council-owned facility and when it's extended because I'm a councilor I will be automatically disqualified from tendering for the work."
"Hmmm, but is there chance of pile driving contracts around here?"
"Come for a little walk with me young man and I'll show you something."
They stood on the bank looking across the river.
"The big flood two years ago scoured that bank opposite, taking out the trees that protected that bend against scouring and almost an acre of newly prepared prime industrial land went as well. That land is in Newcomb District Council that is mainly rural, and being outside our council's jurisdiction so if you can win the contract to drive in a protective wall along the original river line of 880 feet I'd be free to compete to supply the pressure treated timber piles. Do that well and your reputation would spread through Newcomb and our city council territory. Our council will oppose the five-acre of the industrial block proceeding, going all the way to the Environment Court if necessary, until the land is protected adequately against flooding. We don't want the river setting a new course."
Harden said he could be very interested and Terry said he had the design plans, the engineer's suggested work schedule and specifications in his office.
"The engineer's found two firms interested but one went bust and the other was keen but the land developer had problems with his insurance company over the loss and he and his insurance company are now suing the Newcomb Council for not having the riverbank adequately protected when the council sold the land to the developer."
The Dirtiest Daddy's Taboo Page 6
