Lakeside Cougars - The Complete Trilogy, page 35
After lingering there for a few seconds more, he kept going. Much like Colleen, he wanted to get back home. Even if they couldn’t have that threesome tonight, he very much wanted to do other things with both of them.
Atticus gathered up the rest of his clothing and a book he’d forgotten that he’d brought. He looked around for his spare suitcase before eventually remembering that he’d only come down here with one suitcase and one laptop case, both of which were over at Colleen’s already. Sighing softly, he finished gathering everything up in his arms.
He headed out the door and began heading downstairs, then hesitated and looked around. He wanted to linger, but he didn’t know why. He looked around, wondering if he was missing something, then drifted to the second bedroom and looked inside. Looked at the beds, the closet with the ladder, out the window.
What was this feeling?
He lingered for a bit, then walked to the window. He could see the rise in land, the road, beyond the rise would be the town, several miles off. He could just see the side of a building, what he was pretty sure was the pet shelter. It had been there since he used to come here, but he knew it hadn’t been a pet shelter back then.
If it had, he would’ve gone up there at least a few times and hung out with the cats and dogs and anything else they might have up there.
“You okay up there?” Colleen called.
“Yeah,” he called back.
Well, whatever it was, he wasn’t going to find it up here. Atticus walked back downstairs and found Colleen drying her hands. She turned to look at him, a smile on her face. When she saw him, her smile faltered.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so,” he replied.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Edith asked from somewhere nearby.
“No, nothing happened,” he replied. “I’m just feeling...weird. I don’t know. Being here is kind of messing with me, but I don’t know why. I’m not even sure if it’s a bad thing.”
“Hmm.” Colleen put a single finger to her pursed lips. She looked around for a moment. “Well...this is your halcyon place. It embodies your childhood, the best parts of it. That can’t mean nothing.”
Atticus considered it, looked around as well. “There are a lot of memories here. And this is the place I yearned for. I wanted to come back to. I guess...this kind of feels like...saying goodbye to my childhood? Or more than that, maybe. Saying goodbye to this fantasy I’d had of returning to this place on my own terms.”
“Didn’t it all go well, though?” Edith asked, joining them in the kitchen.
“Yeah, it did. Far, far better than I ever could have realistically dreamed. I’m not upset, exactly, but I am a little sad.”
“You’re losing something,” Colleen replied. “That’s often a sad experience, regardless of the circumstances.”
“I guess so.” He looked around again, then down at the bundle in his arms. “I’m done.”
“I thought you said you had a suitcase,” Edith said.
“I forgot that I just have the one, and it’s already back over there. But this is an easy load to handle.”
“Can we go back to the house now? Because I would like to handle your load,” Colleen replied.
He looked at her with something like surprise, but that was quickly swept away by lust when he looked into her eyes.
“Very yes,” he replied, making Colleen laugh.
Edith sighed. “I somehow regret and also don’t regret all the fucking we did.”
“Let Past Edith have her happiness and bask in the knowledge that Future Edith will absolutely be getting laid, very intensely, by both of us,” Atticus replied.
Edith laughed. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”
They took one more quick look around, then left the lakehouse. Atticus locked up and they started walking back to Colleen’s place.
Also known as his new, if temporary, home.
Holy God, he was actually shacking up with a legitimate cougar. An absurdly attractive one at that. And so much more. She was fun and smart and horny. He had admittedly been a little worried about that last one, unsure if the legends of lust that awoke in middle-aged women were true or not. Obviously it couldn’t be all of them, but he wasn’t sure if it had been an actual thing that most women had a decent chance of experiencing or wishful thinking on the part of guys like him.
Those who appreciated the wonder of finely aged women.
They had made it nearly to the front door when his phone started ringing.
“Who’s this now?” Edith muttered, sounding vaguely irritated.
“It’s…” He shifted his bundle until he managed to free a hand and get his phone out. “Kate. I gotta take that.”
“Yeah,” Colleen agreed.
Edith took his bundle and Colleen unlocked the door. They headed inside, leaving him to answer the phone.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Immediately he could tell she was not happy. “Atticus...I need a favor.”
“I’m listening.”
“I need you to pry yourself out from between your sugar cougars and help me clean up a house. I’m at the middle lakehouse across the lake and...I can actually see you right now. Um, sorry. The family that was just here fucking wrecked the place. Like, bad. And I will deal with them later, but for right now, I have to get this place cleaned up and ready, because the family who’s coming in will be here in about twelve hours.”
“Twelve hours? But that’s like three in the morning.”
“I know. It’s how they roll. What matters is that I have other things I need to do today, but I also need to get this house cleaned up. They’re basically my best clients. They rent for a whole month, which is more expensive than it sounds, and some people have also let me know that they’re big spenders in town and that’s more important than ever now...I’m sorry, I know I’m dumping a cold bucket of responsibility in your lap but I’m fucking begging you here. I will do…” Her tone suddenly changed to something more provocative. “Whatever your heart desires.”
“Kate, come on, are we seriously going to trade sexual favors?” he asked.
“Yeah. Why not?”
Atticus began to reply, but nothing came to mind. He thought about it for a moment.
“You can’t think of a reason, can you?” she asked.
“I guess I just feel weird about it, but if you’re down, I’m down. What’ll I get out of this?”
“Why don’t you come over here and start helping me and we’ll negotiate?”
“Oh, sure. Sounds completely legit.”
Her voice became shockingly seductive. “Come on, Atticus. You know I’m good for it.”
He actually felt his pulse speed up. “I’ll be right over.”
She laughed. “Holy shit, it actually does work. Okay, I’ll be here cleaning. Also, like, thank you. Seriously, fucking life saver.”
“You’re welcome, Kate. Be right over. I gotta go break the news.”
“Good luck.”
They hung up and he headed back inside. He heard the women talking and followed their voices to Colleen’s bedroom. She was holding up some fishnet stockings and Edith was studying them. They both fell silent and looked over as he came in.
“Everything okay? You look...nervous,” Colleen asked.
He chuckled. “Kate needs my help. Not an emergency, well, not exactly, but she needs help cleaning the lakehouse across the way.”
“That’s actually kind of perfect,” Colleen replied. “You can be alone with her, talk to her about whatever you need to.”
“Yeah, seems like a good idea,” Edith agreed.
“Thank you for understanding.” He walked in and gave both of them quick kisses, then looked down at the stockings. “You gonna wear those?”
“I thought Edith could,” she replied.
“I’m...considering it. Would you like that, Atticus?” she asked, smiling a small smile.
“Uh fuck yes I’d like that,” he replied immediately.
“I think that’s settled then.” He looked at the stockings again, then sighed and shook his head. “I have to get out of here or I’m going to break my promise.”
“Well now, we can’t have that, young man,” Colleen murmured. “Off with you then.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, and she smirked, just a little.
Atticus hurried for the door.
CHAPTER TWO
Atticus slipped behind the wheel of his car and began making his way around the curve of the lake.
He found himself thinking of what Colleen had said about that weird feeling, thinking that she had been pretty spot on. Because the feeling was already fading, vanishing like smoke on the wind, and when he glanced at his own lakehouse while driving by, he felt something like comfort with the knowledge that he was finished with it.
Which made it easier to focus on the here and now, at least.
Everything felt a little chaotic right now, like he’d been thrown into the air and had to figure out how and where he was going to make it back down. Which itself felt odd. From an unbiased perspective, he should be pretty happy about how all this was playing out. Everything here in Lakeside was amazing.
So why would he feel any hesitation at all walking away from his current life?
He supposed the uncertainty of the future. Sure everything looked amazing now, but what about later? This might be a terrible idea but that might not manifest for six months, or longer. While that was true, it was also extremely possible that it was just his anxiety talking. That he was anxious about this because it was his default setting.
Atticus parked beside Kate’s car and got out. Heading up onto the simple front porch, he knocked twice on the door, then let himself in.
“Atticus?” he heard Kate call from somewhere deeper in the house.
“Yeah! Holy fuck!” he called back, looking around the living room.
It looked like a disaster area, like a miniature tornado had ripped through. There was shredded paper everywhere. Empty plates crusted over with food, discarded plastic cups and takeout containers and candy wrappers and bags of chips and soda cans, all it scattered across the living room.
“I know!” Kate called, but she was closer now.
She came down the stairs hefting a bulging trash bag. She walked to the front door and dropped it by another with an angry grunt. She turned to face him, beginning to say something, but then stopped. A small smile came onto her face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
“You just, uh...you look really good right now,” he replied.
And she did, to him at least. Her hair was pulled into a rough, functional ponytail, she wore a pair of loose jogging shorts and a t-shirt and hiking boots. God, he could see her nipples through her t-shirt. She’d obviously been at it a bit, sweating just a little.
“What?” she replied, looking down at herself briefly. “No, I look awful.”
“No, uh...whew, this is a good look for you,” he replied.
She laughed. “Holy shit, you’re seriously into this. Okay, well, I appreciate it but we have work to do. Um…” She looked around. “What are you best at?”
“I can probably handle anything that needs doing. I’m a cleaning tool, wield me,” he replied.
She snorted. “Fine, with me, you tool.” She let out a small shout of surprise when he swatted her ass in passing. She twisted to look at him with wide eyes and her lips pressed firmly together. “How are you like this?” she asked finally, resuming her walk into the kitchen.
“Like what?” he replied, following.
She pointed at a sink absolutely overflowing with dirty dishes. “Get a load going.”
She grabbed a chair, dragged it over to the fridge, opened it up, then grabbed some cleaning supplies and got to work dealing with the disaster area the refrigerator had become. He turned on the water and tracked down a sponge and got to work.
“Now, what I mean by ‘this’ is how the fuck are you so cavalier now without being a douchebag!? You were kinda wild and crazy when we were kids, but it took a while to pull you out of your shell. And each time, too. I mean, you’d be somewhat better on return visits, but each time we met up again it was like I had to teach you yet again that I wasn’t going to make fun of you.”
“You made fun of me all the time,” he pointed out.
She sighed, setting aside more and more stuff on the floor beside her. “I mean for real. You knew I wasn’t actually trying to bully you...right?”
“Yes, Kate. Don’t worry, we wouldn’t have fucked if I saw you as a bully.”
“Oh really?” she asked.
“Yes. I don’t fuck mean girls.” He paused. “Anymore.”
“Anymore, huh?”
He sighed. “There might’ve been one. But that was...a unique case. I didn’t really know she was a mean girl, but I should’ve picked up on it earlier. Anyway, you’re asking why I suddenly have more confidence?”
“Not quite,” she replied. “Just...how to put it? Guys who go from shy to confident tend to do so by mistaking arrogance for confidence, and they mistake being loud for being brave or cool or funny. Being pushy or rude for being assertive. And you’re not that at all. I mean, you’re still kinda shy, but it really isn’t the same.”
He laughed. “I think a lot of it has to do with the whole ‘became successful at making video games’ thing. Also, it definitely has something to do with the two cougars I’ve been fucking. And also hooking up with you.”
“That makes a lot of sense, actually.”
They fell silent for a moment, both of them working. Him really working, because there was a lot of shit just crusted on.
Kate sniffed cautiously at a jar of mayo, then sighed and threw it away. “So...have you made any kind of decision about, you know, your upcoming deadline?”
“Yes, I have. That was actually what I was hoping to talk to you about. I guess I got caught up in flashbacks doing this,” he replied.
“What kind of flashbacks?” she asked cautiously.
“I mean, nothing terrible. Just that I was more or less the only really responsible person in my house growing up. As soon as we were even kind of old enough, my parents dumped all the chores on us. Which, you know, that isn’t immediately a terrible thing. Kids need to learn responsibility, they need to learn how to take care of themselves, of their future household, but they dumped everything on us. Anything they could offload. And my brother, being older and more confident than myself, then in turned dumped it all onto me.”
“Oh, wow. That...really fucking sucks.”
“Yep. Spent a lot of time doing just so many dishes, and like aggressively dirty dishes, too. Like this. Because they couldn’t be fucking bothered to take five goddamned seconds and rinse that shit off...obviously, I’m still kind of upset about this. Anyway: I’m staying with Colleen for the near future. We moved my stuff out of the lakehouse and straightened it up.”
“Oh my fucking God, I will suck you dry for that alone.”
He laughed. “Wow.”
“Look at this place! This is really bad, but honestly, the lakehouses tend to end up closer to this than clean. And I have to clean it up all on my own. My friends moved away and there’s not really anyone in town I want to ask for help on this. Although I am definitely going to have to hire someone to help with cleaning.”
“You definitely should. It kind of seems like you’re running yourself ragged.”
“Yeah. I am. But not all the time. I can still manage this on my own. Although we haven’t actually hit the true holiday season yet even, so...yeah. I’m definitely going to need some help. Fuck.”
“Well, as long as I’m in town, you can ask me for help. And I’ll probably say yes,” he replied.
She snorted. “Probably, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Thank you. Legitimately. Now, about your reward…”
“What about it?” he asked, looking over at her.
“You need to choose.”
“Hmm. Anything off the table?”
“No bathroom stuff. And I’m still not going full on with another chick. Otherwise…” She shrugged.
“Okay, how do you feel about anal?”
She snorted. “I knew you were going to ask that.”
“You have a really amazing ass.”
Kate laughed and shook her head. “I knew that. But yes, I’m down for that. I do masturbate that way sometimes. So, that’s your ask?”
“Definitely. With you laying down flat on your stomach. And me holding you down.”
“Specific. I will definitely do that for you, and sometime soon.”
“I am really fucking happy about that.”
“You’d better be. I’m surprised one of your cougars hasn’t taken it up the ass yet for you. Unless they have. You just seem really eager.”
“They haven’t, but it’s been mentioned.”
Kate began to respond, then looked back into the fridge, frowned, looked around the kitchen, then sighed heavily and shook her head. “We need to focus, unfortunately.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, and went back to washing dishes.
…
“Holy fuck me,” Kate groaned as she fell heavily against the couch.
“Yep,” Atticus agreed. He popped his back, then sat down beside her.
It was around midnight and they had finally finished. They’d taken a few breaks and Kate had left once to go hastily deal with a few other chores and then at one point had had to drive back to her place to get more cleaning supplies. It would’ve been smarter if just Kate had gone, but she’d invited him and he wanted to go, so he’d gone.
It had been a really nice ride, but it also got him thinking about other things he wanted to talk with her about.
“So we’re done?” he asked.
“Yeah, we’re done. I mean, I need to do one last walkthrough to make sure we didn’t miss anything, but we should be done. Again, thank you. I would have been fucked without your help,” Kate replied.
“You’re welcome. It was kinda fun.”
She looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “Really? I figured you would’ve hated it.”
