by Gerald Lopez
“Damn,” Rory said. “You really did save his life, Mrs. Carson.”
WE’D MOVED into the kitchen and were gathered around the center island where everyone was discussing the vibrations from earlier and whether it really was the ghosts or not. I was too focused on the cookie I was eating while feeding bits of a second cookie to an appreciative Lucky who was by my bare feet.
“Layton, are you serious about wanting this to be our home?” Alex said, “because we can make it happen?”
His comment caused me to choke on a bit of cookie. I spit it out onto a napkin, while Rory patted me hard on the back.
“We’re not poor,” Alex said. “And we may even have one or two more options depending on how Mrs. Carson and the involved parties feel.”
“I’m listening,” Mrs. Carson said.
“I don’t have enough to pay for this place or even keep it up,” I said, then wiped my mouth with a napkin and grabbed another cookie from the plate in the center of the island.
“It’s called being in a partnership, Layton,” Mrs. Carson said. “Even the general knew the meaning of that. When it comes to the running of the household, that’s a duty better left to a soldier’s spouse or intended. I don’t see a ring on your finger yet, Alex.”
“Soon,” I said. “I’ve been busy. But have no doubt of it… he’s mine and I’m his.”
“Understood,” Mrs. Carson said.
“I guess fighting the supernatural and zombies does keep you busy,” Rory said.
“Say what?” I said.
“Grandpa was the one who brought you to the attention of the organization, Layton,” Elise said. “He knew people who knew people who asked him if he knew a good soldier that might be willing to work for them. Apparently a Miss Lucy took more than a passing interest in you, especially when she heard you were a Marine.”
“The general never stopped looking out for all of us, did he?” I said.
“You don’t know the half of it when it comes to how he looked out for his boys,” Mrs. Carson said. “Who do you think set up Spangler with Elaine or got Tweetle that college scholarship or Liebowitz that university position.”
“I miss him,” I said, then chewed on a cookie.
“We all miss him,” Mrs. Carson said. “But I know he’s still looking out for us from Heaven.”
“Praise Jesus!” Miss Maribelle said. “I know that’s true. As sure as I know that a certain Marine is ruining his appetite chowing down on cookies.”
“They’re little,” I said, then turned to Alex. “If I said I wanted to move here and make this our home, how would we do it?”
“Layton, it seems to me you don’t know much about your handsome partner,” Shannon said. “Not to be vulgar talking about money, but do you have any idea what one of his photographs sells for?”
“I’m sorry to say that I don’t,” I said.
“The one in the kitchen was twenty-five thousand,” Mrs. Carson said. “And his work is in high demand.”
“Damn!” I said. “Maybe we can afford this place. At least the upkeep.”
“I may have a better to deal to put on the table,” Alex said. “It’s not unheard of to do a property exchange. An even swap of house and furnishings for house and furnishings. My godfather left me a four bedroom lodge right on the mountainside in Telluride with a heated pool and some fairly prestigious neighbors.”
“Oh my God,” Elise said. “My mother showed me pictures of that home in one of her magazines. It was stunning and Momma was drooling over it.”
“Will she do the trade?” Mrs. Carson said.
“The neighboring houses are owned by Hollywood royalty, what do you think, Grandma?”
“She’d at least consider it, then” Miss Maribelle said. “Just for the chance to show it off and bragging rights.”
“I have all the specs for the home on my laptop and can send it out to her with your help, Elise,” Alex said.
“She really might go for this,” Elise said. “As long as it’s OK with you, Grandma. Technically the house would be yours even although you’ve given Momma a lot of control of your holdings.”
“It’s fine with me, we just gotta make that little bitch sign the dotted lines,” Mrs. Carson said. “I know the general would give it his blessing. He’d love for one of his boys to take over Carson Court.”
“Make the deal happen within the hour, and I’ll throw in a three bedroom condo on the beach in Hawaii,” Alex said.
Elise gasped. “Grandma, that’s the condo we liked that was also in the magazine.”
“Make it happen, girl,” Mrs. Carson said. “We could be spending our winters on the beach in Hawaii.”
“Alex, are you sure about this?” I said, putting my hand on his arm.
“Yeah, Layton. We need to be settled. Those other houses don’t matter compared to how happy our living here would make you… and me.”
“Alex, you and Elise get moving,” Mrs. Carson said. “Grab your laptop and go to my office upstairs. Don’t let your mother mess this up playing stupid games, Elise. Remember you’d stand to inherit at least one of those places after your parents. Tell your Momma that your brother can inherit the mountain home. You take the condo in Hawaii.”
“I will, Grandma,” Elise said. “And I won’t let Momma mess this up. C’mon, Alex let’s get your laptop and go to the office.”
The two of them left and Mrs. Carson slapped my arm in a friendly fashion.
“I can’t believe how skinny you were in London and look at you now,” Mrs. Carson said. “You’ve filled out like a real man.”
“That’s because he is a real man,” Rory said. “Not as pretty as Alex, but he’s got that manly Marine vibe that’s hot.”
“Thank you,” I said. “And Alex is a real beauty, I’ll agree with you there. I still can’t believe you all have known about what I do and that the general’s the one who got me the job.”
“You’re the one that got yourself the job,” Mrs. Carson said. “The organization doesn’t decide on their agents from just recommendations. They watched how you worked for a couple of years to see if you were up to the position.”
“And he is,” Rory said. “He didn’t really need my help with those zombies.”
“We made Rory go help you with his shotgun when you had that big shootout with the zombies,” Miss Maribelle said. “The shootout outside the ice cream parlor, not the one in the gay nudist camp—we didn’t hear about that one till it was over.”
“Thanks, Rory,” I said. “Sorry I didn’t know I had you for backup at the time.”
“That’s alright,” Rory said. “You didn’t really need the help. But you’ve got me here if ya need me in dealing with those damned ghosts.”
“The organization’s work doesn’t seem as secretive as I would’ve thought,” I said.
“It’s pretty secretive,” Mrs Carson said. “But it’s hard to keep things like zombies on the rampage in a downtown area secret. And the organization likes to have people in various locations who can be called on to help in a pinch, such as Rory here.”
“Isabel, let me help you chisel off some of that makeup,” Miss Maribelle said. “Layton can also probably use some time to freshen up before dinner.”
“Shannon, you are joining us for dinner, aren’t you?” Mrs. Carson said.
“I’d love to, thank you,” Shannon said. “I suppose I’d better go freshen up too.”
“I’ll walk you back to the guesthouse,” Rory said.
THEY ALL left the kitchen, I grabbed two more of the bite-sized cookies, and walked across the hall to the general’s office followed by Lucky. Sitting on the edge of his desk I looked up at his portrait and saluted him once more.
“Thank you, General Keene… for everything.”
I walked to the sofa and lay down on it with my feet hanging off the end of it. Breaking off a piece of cookie I reached down and handed it to Lucky who gobbled it up before lying down. Before closing my eyes, I thought about my
Alex.
“I love you, Alex, more than you can know.” Then I was off to slumber land. Thoughts of ghosts and murders seemed far away… for the moment.
Chapter 11
Getting Settled
“LOOK AT those dirty feet!”
I opened my eyes and saw Miss Maribelle in the doorway pointing to my feet.
“You’ve been asleep for over an hour,” Miss Maribelle said. “It was those cookies that did it to you. Mrs. Carson always puts too much sugar in them when she makes them. The sugar gives you a quick jolt of energy that wears off fast and leaves you in need of a nap.”
“Now I know who to thank and who made the cookies with less sugar that we got on the field,” I said, then slowly sat up. “I love you, Miss Maribelle. Thanks for making me and the boys cookies.”
“Don’t forget the deodorant, and flip-flops we sent, although I’d hate to think we contributed to how you men like going barefoot so much. Alex took the sandals you left on the porch up to your room.”
“Going barefoot’s not such a bad thing, is it?”
“Naw, you’re alright. Hell, the general never met a pair of shoes or sandals he liked. And he was still the finest man I ever knew.”
“He was the finest man we’ll all ever know,” I said. “Maribelle’s an interesting name.”
“My grandmother on my mother’s side was named Marie and the one on my daddy’s side was named Belle. It was clever of my parents to combine the two names like that.”
I shuffled my body in the sofa and Lucky jumped up alert and looked at me. “Sorry, pal,” I said looking down at Lucky, “no cookies. I need to replenish supplies.”
“Oh no, you don’t,” Miss Maribelle said. “You and Lucky have had enough before dinner. And don’t forget there’s cake for dessert. No food for you till you clean those feet, though.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” I stood and saluted Miss Maribelle who just looked at me and laughed.
“It’s good to have you here, Layton. And you really did sleep like a baby for more than an hour.”
“An hour… an hour,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “An hour! That means Alex has heard something concerning the house by now. I hurried toward the doorway then turned back around. “You don’t happen to know where Alex is, Miss Maribelle?”
“In your room resting. And I think you’ll like what he has to tell you.”
I ran down the hall with Lucky chasing me—that little dog was fast. I picked him up and raced upstairs. Throwing open the door I rushed into the room Alex and I shared and jumped on top of Alex who was in bed sleeping. Lucky wasn’t impressed with my move and started barking.
“Hi,” Alex said as he struggled to open his eyes. “The house is ours as soon as we sign the paperwork.
I responded by kissing him hard on the lips and wrapping my arms around him. We rolled around a bit while Lucky barked at us. Finally I stopped what I was doing, picked lucky up again, put him outside our door in the hall, patted his head, and closed the door. Looking at Alex, I pulled off my shirt and threw it on the floor.
“Miss Maribelle sent me upstairs to wash my feet before dinner,” I said, lifting my foot toward Alex.
“I’d offer to lick them clean, but you were walking barefoot outside,” Alex said, sitting up in bed.
“If I remember correctly, Rory did say I could join him in the shower earlier. I’m sure he’d get my feet clean for me now.” I slipped out of my shorts and underwear in one move pushed them away with my foot, and with my hands on my hips I swung my half hard cock toward Alex. “He’d probably help me with other things too, if you’re not up to it, Alex, love of my life.”
“He probably would at that,” Alex said, then got out of bed and stripped out of his clothes.
Alex walked toward me, knelt down in front of me, engulfed my cock with his mouth and as I let out a low moan he stopped and stood. Wrapping his hand around my now fully erect cock he led me into the bathroom.
“This is nice,” I said, looking around the bathroom. “There’s a decent stall shower with room for two… and a real sink and cabinet, instead of one of those useless pedestal sinks that have no room for storage.”
“I like it,” Alex said. “Elise’s mom is faxing over paperwork for us to look at and sign.”
The sheen of the wallpaper in the room caught my eye and I ran my palm along it. The pattern was modern with a beige marble look and a small floral border, all of which had gold accents. “Nicely done and just right,” I said.
“I agree,” Alex said, then slid open the glass shower door and turned on the water.
His bent over ass was too much for me to resist and I kissed, then gently nibbled on it.
“I am the luckiest man in the universe to have you,” I said, then hugged him from behind. I kissed the side of his neck, then his ear. “You taste so damn good to me.”
“Let’s get washed up, soldier, then you can have your way with me.”
“Yes, Sir,” I said, raising my hand and my cock in salute.
After a playful hot shower where our hands explored each other’s every nook and cranny, we dried off.
“Layton, we got the mirror above the sink fogged up and there’s a message on it.”
I walked to the sink and looked at the message on the gold framed mirror then read it out loud. “Help me”. It was signed , but I couldn’t make out the first letter…only the second one which was an “M”. “Alex, can you make out that first letter and is that a spot in the corner of the mirror?”
“The first letter only has a straight vertical line, maybe it’s an I or L—or J. It looks smudged, so it’s hard to say. The spot you mentioned looks like a heart, but it’s black… and it’s getting bigger!”
He was right, the black heart was expanding and there was some sort of image in the center of it. “That’s a silhouette in the center of the heart and it looks like two men… dancing.”
Alex looked at me, and I reached out and touched the mirror with my index finger. Instantly the entire mirror cracked, but stayed intact—the message and heart disappeared, and I instinctly backed away. “Let’s go to bed, Alex.”
We left our wet towels on the bar on the shower door, walked naked to our bed, and sat down on it.
“Was that a haunted house sort of thing that happened with the mirror, Layton?”
“Could’ve been,” I said. “Or an elaborate hoax… but the general’s note didn’t make it sound like he thought these things were part of some hoax.”
“The general’s message didn’t say much,” Alex said.
“It said enough. I want to know what that black heart was all about and who the men silhouetted in the center of it were.”
“And don’t forget the message for help from ‘something M’. That person could be in trouble.”
“That person was in trouble, and it’s far too late for us to help him or her now,” I said. “This all has to do with things that happened long before we got here. Speaking of things long before we got here—weren’t you supposed to be thinking about what you were gonna do to me once we were alone.”
Alex smiled, put his arms around my neck then wound his way around me and lowered himself into my lap with his ass in the air right above my cock which got instantly hard again.
“You looked so hot saluting your general downstairs,” Alex said, then leaned over and chewed my ear before he whispered in it. “Fuck me, soldier. Fuck me hard.”
He slowly lowered his ass onto my cock until I was inside… and it felt good.
Yes, Sir,” I said, then turned him around, so his back was on the bed, lifted his legs in the air and over my shoulder, and proceeded to follow orders.
THE SMELLS coming from the dining room filled the downstairs area of the house. Between the session of incredibly hot sex I’d just had with Alex and the fantastic smells of food, I felt like I could float to the dining room. Alex and I had dressed casually in shorts, flip-flops, and T-shirts. There was no one around so I quickl
y kissed Alex and heard a familiar noise. I bent down and rubbed Lucky’s ears.
“I’m sorry for kicking you out of our room, baby dog, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. And I had a deep need to do my Alex.”
Alex bent down, rubbed Lucky’s ears, then whispered to him. “And Alex, had a ‘deep need’ to get done. And might I add, it was good.”
“Hell yeah it was,” I said, and was about to kiss him again when I heard footsteps.
“You two better go wash your hands after petting that dog, Lord knows where he’s been,” Miss Maribelle said.
“Were you ever in the military, Miss Maribelle?” I said. “You have the way of a drill sergeant about you.”
“Don’t go getting sassy with me now,” Miss Maribelle said. “I’ve got a wooden spoon in the kitchen and I’m not afraid to use it.”
“She really isn’t afraid to use it,” Mrs. Carson said as she walked our way.
“Now that face I would’ve recognized,” I said. Her face was free of the heavy makeup and her blue eyes were more noticeable without the heavy eyeliner and eyeshadow. It was still clear she’d had a stroke, but traces of the elegant beauty she’d once been were there. She’d also changed into a pale pastel pink pantsuit which suited her more than the gray outfit she had on earlier. “Hello, beautiful.” I gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Oh pishposh,” Mrs. Carson said, waving her hand at me. “Don’t be holding up dinner.”
“We’re going to wash our hands right now,” Alex said. “Before we get attacked with the spoon.” He laughed and so did I.
As soon as Elise, Shannon, and Rory arrived we sat at the dining table. Mrs. Carson insisted I sit at the head and Alex at the other end. She sat beside me on one side and Miss Maribelle sat at my other side. The two other ladies sat by Alex, and Rory sat next to Mrs. Carson. The food was set up down the middle of the table on platters. There was pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Corn muffins and white rice finished off the offerings.
