M/f, f/f, M/ff , MF ==================================================== Castle In The Sand By Deana Johns. Copyright 1997 All rights reserved. Limited permission to post is granted providing this header remains intact. May not be posted to any pay sites. May be offered as part of a collection, also provided this header remains intact. Permission to archive is also granted. --------------------------------------------------------- This is an adult story, if you shouldn't be reading it, don't. I trust this is sufficient warning, given that I am posting this to a predominantly adult area to begin with. My most sincere thanks go to Jean Walker for the outstanding -and massive- task of editing this story. If there is something wrong, then it is my fault as I did some of my own editing afterward, adding back in sections I had once removed to make it tamer in hopes of publishing it. As always, comments are desired, welcome, and helpful. I especially like to hear from women. Please reply to: deanajohns at softcom dot net ------------------------------------------------------------ Castle In the Sand Chapter 1 Copyright 1996 by D. J. Pedersen John Stevens pulled off the highway into the lot of the combination gas station and miniature market. He drove forward to the pumps and turned off the aging van. The silence roared loudly in his ears. He had been on the road since just after dawn, it was now late afternoon. He stretched and then eased his tired, cramped body down out of the drivers seat. Setting the gasoline pump nozzle to fill his tank, he headed towards the store. A sign pointing to rest rooms diverted him to the side and he cured a large portion of his discomfort. Some time later he squoze the last few drops of gas into his tank and replaced the nozzle into the pump. Heading back to the market he noticed how each of them had begun to resemble one another all across the country. With only minor variations, such as in places that allowed gambling or lottery's. This one sported a large lottery printer next to the cash register. He picked through this stores version of pre-made tasteless- sandwiches, grabbed a bag of generic potato chips and refilled his travel mug from the coffee pot. Gathering up his selections he moved to the counter. A cute blonde girl in her early twenties looked up from her book. She seemed to shrink back into herself at the sight of John. Another portion of John's discomfort stabbed at him momentarily. "Is that all?" asked the blonde, looking at the gas counter instead of at John. "No, give me a lottery *quick pick* too." mumbled John. The girl poked a button on the lotto machine and it spit a ticket out the top. The girl pulled it out and handed it to John. "That will be $24.56 with the Gas." said the girl. John fished a twenty and a five out of his wallet and handed them to the girl. "Oh, can I get a receipt for the gas?" he asked. The girl frowned but nodded. She grabbed a gas voucher pad and scribbled out the receipt by hand. Making certain to exactly fill in the price of the fuel. She handed it to John along with the coins from his change and instantly went back to her book. John fumbled with his change and selections and managed to make it back out to the Van. The girl hadn't offered him a sack to make the task easier. He got the door open and leaned in to set his load on the center console. He spilled some of his coffee in the process and cussed as he set about wiping it up. He finally hauled himself into the drivers seat and started the van. He pulled off to the side of the lot to eat his lunch where he would be out of the way. He thoughtfully watched the girl in the store as he ate. "One of these days, you'll get yours!" he mused to himself. He didn't mean it. John had never gotten along with women very well. The few he had had dealings with had only taken advantage of him and then left. He had an ex-wife and a child who didn't know him, or care to. He pushed the thought out of his head, finished his lunch and hit the road once more. Days later John was reclining on a motel bed several states away. He was browsing through a publication that offered surplus government property and real estate for *re-sale*. He'd picked it up from a free dispenser from yet another market. You could probably get any of the property it listed cheaper, but you'd have to know how. Some of it was quite amusing: {One 50 acre plot of land with obsolete missile silo dead center, $562,000} The ad included a general location and contact numbers. "That would be kind of neat." thought John to himself. "Complete with *High Speed* Sunroof!" He chuckled at his own joke and reached over to turn out the light. He had another long day of driving to do the next day. John fell asleep wondering what someone would want with a used Missile Silo. At 4:26 A.M. his eyes slammed open and he knew. He fumbled for his pack of smokes as he thought about the concept flooding into his psyche. A missile silo... good god it must be over a hundred fifty feet deep and forty to fifty feet in diameter. Talk about room! The majority of it resided in earth that remained at a constant 56 degrees year round, talk about energy efficient! It was bound to be out in the middle of nowhere, talk about privacy! If there were only some way for him to pull it off. John's credit wasn't the best on the planet. Several corporate downsizes and a marriage downsize had left him flat ass busted. He owed people in six different states, not to mention the IRS and several State tax commission's. His ex-wife was threatening him with hard time for his arrears. "But what a neat place to live!" he mumbled to himself as he stabbed out his smoke and looked at the clock..... He moaned a bit at the thought of an early wake-up call. He flicked off the light and tried to force himself to sleep as his mind raced along full of budding construction plans and ideas about solar heat and power. The morning found him groggy as he stumbled to the shower. His mind already back working on the idea of the silo as a house. Two days and several more states later, John was listening to the only thing a radio will pick up in the wide open spaces of the West; staticy AM. The stations format was that of a right wing talk show. On a news break there was a story about a State lottery worth fourteen million dollars that some idiot hadn't claimed at yet. They only had three more days before they lost it. John punched in a well worn oldies tape to kill the static. Five miles down the road he suddenly swerved to the side and slammed on the brakes. His hands were shaking and his breath came in gasps as he searched through his wallet for the ticket he had purchased almost a week previous. He found it rumpled and sandwiched between gas receipts and business cards. He was shaking so hard he could barely read the numbers. He checked them off one by one as he could remember them from the news broadcast; "14, 23, 33, 31, 45 and 27 as the bonus". John let out a holler like a kid on his first drunk; he was a millionaire! After he screamed himself hoarse and then smoked himself relatively calm once more, he suddenly sobered. He had a piece of paper that was worth fourteen million dollars in his wallet. He was a day and a half's drive away from the state he had purchased it in, and had about forty- three dollars and change to his name. He reached under the seat and pulled out the old .357 python he traveled with. He had mostly forgotten about it. He felt a pang of fear over the serious trouble it could have caused him all the times he had gotten speeding tickets and had forgotten that it was even there. He cracked it open and checked it. Live bullets in five of the six cambers. Just as it should have been. He carefully lowered the hammer onto the empty cylinder and stashed it back, but within easy reach. He looked in back of the van at the selection of electronics equipment from his sales route. "Fuck that shit!" he chuckled to himself. He managed to pull back out on the highway. His mind was racing much faster than the odd car that came careening around him as he toodled along at a slower speed, safer for the old van. John hated lawyers with a passion. He had never had what could be termed "*a pleasurable experience*" with any of them. Still, he was no fool. He knew he needed a good tax lawyer... and right now! As he drove along he formulated plans on what to do, and how to do it best. He had calmed down considerably, but his driving still wasn't the best. When he pulled into the first 100,000 plus population city on the way he stopped at the first phone booth. He found what he was looking for in the yellow pages under "Banks". He selected a bank that was a well known chain in the West, but hadn't pissed him off *too* much in the past. He looked up the address of the main branch in town and scribbled it down. It never occurred to him how he looked.... or smelled. The previous night -to save money and make up time on his route- he had slept in his van at a rest stop rather than a motel. When he walked in and asked to see the manager the teller turned kind of white and half reached for the alarm button. John's clothes were rumpled, dirty and food stained. His hair greasy and straggly. He had several days growth beard on his face and a wild look in his eye. When the manager came out he reacted much the same as the teller. "Could we talk privately about a serious banking problem?" John asked, almost casually. The Manager motioned the teller with his eyes to keep a close watch as he led John to a glassed office enclosure. "What can I do for you then, Uh.. Mr....." "Stevens" John replied, sinking uninvited into a seat. "So what's this problem you need so urgently to talk about, Mr. Stevens?" the manager persisted. (The sooner he got this guy out of his office the better, the smell of old sweat and unwashed clothes was beginning to make him ill.) John bided his time as he looked about the office. He was savoring the thought of the change he knew he was about to see in this asshole. "Well... I just suddenly came into a bit of money and I kind of need some investment help and tax advice, I think that maybe your bank is *big* enough to handle it." "I see" said the manager putting his hands together, "Perhaps you could be better served by one of our investment counselors. Shall I see when I can book you an appointment with one? Just how much money did you ... uh come by?" "Uh... fourteen million dollars.. but if you're too busy, perhaps I'll just pick another bank." John said softly. "Perhaps that would be..." The manager abruptly stopped talking. He turned half white and cleared his throat. Out at the counter the teller poised her finger over the alarm button. Finally he said: "Excuse me, but I thought I heard you say fourteen *million* dollars." "You heard right" said John, chuckling. "Now, do you have the time to talk to me, or should I pick another bank?" "Well, no. Of course I have the time to talk to you. I try to make time for *all* our customers...... Forgive me, but if you don't mind my asking: Just how did you come by this sum of money?" he managed to croak out. He was still dubious, but the sum in question demanded he treat the matter seriously. "I won the lottery..." John replied, grinning like a saber toothed tiger. "The lottery... We don't have a lottery in this state." replied the manager curtly. He started to turn a bit red, thinking he had been led on. "Didn't say I'd won it here." replied John looking at his fingernails. He happened to notice how dirty they were and it reminded him of his overall condition. He sat up straight and reached for his wallet. The manager leaned back suddenly like John was reaching for a gun. The teller's finger descended on the button and all hell broke loose. "What the hell's that?" asked John swiveling around in his chair. "You'd be well advised to give it up now." the manager gasped out. He didn't realize that his own action had spooked the teller. He thought that maybe the teller had seen John reaching for a gun or something that he couldn't see. "What the hell are you talking about?" demanded John, puzzled, looking around anxiously. "The police are already on their way. You'd be well advised to give up quietly?" stuttered the manager, rolling his chair back away from his desk and John. "What the fuck are you talking about? I was just reaching for my lottery ticket to show you." stammered John. Just then the police descended on the bank. The teller pointed to the managers office and within seconds, John found himself thrown roughly face down on the carpet. The carpet burned his cheek and he hit his head on the door jam as the two burly cops slapped the cuffs on his wrists. "What the fuck is going on?" shouted John. "You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney......." one cop recited from long weary memory. "What happened here?" the other cop demanded of the Bank Manager. The manager was pale and speechless. His gaze rested on a lottery ticket strewn with the other papers from Johns wallet when the cops had ripped him out of his seat. "I think that maybe there has been a *very* big mistake made here." he finally croaked out. "Yeah! and you made it, fuckhead!" John spat into the carpet. "Shut the fuck up, you!" said the cop on top of John, putting his knee on his head and driving his nose further into the carpet. "No! No! Please let him up! He's done nothing! I think one of my tellers just misinterpreted the situation!" the manager cried. "What?" asked both cops at once. "MR. STEVENS is *valued* customer at this bank! Please let him up!" the manager said, authority returning to his voice... for perhaps the last time. "FUCK YOU! If you think I'd do business with this bank now!" John mumbled into the carpet. "I told you to shut up!" said the cop on top of him. Kneeling harder on his head. "So this guy didn't try to rob your bank?" asked the other cop. "No, he didn't. It was all a big mistake. NOW PLEASE, LET HIM UP!" "O-kay... " said the cop on John's head, slowly getting up but putting more pressure on it as he did so. He reached down and began to undo the handcuffs, straining John's aching arms up higher on his back as he did so. John slowly lifted his head. Six more cops now waited just outside the office, guns drawn, waiting for the slightest good reason to shoot him. John didn't give them one as he slowly got to his knees. Blood ran out of his nose and into his mustache. His head throbbed where he had hit the door jam. He slowly gathered up his papers and wallet, gripping the lottery ticket tightly when he found it. He stuffed the rest into his pockets. "I'm so sorry about all this MR. STEVENS!" moaned the bank manager, "I hope this won't influence your decision to do business with our institution." John slowly looked at him as he pulled out a handkerchief and applied it to his nose. "Fuck You!" he said simply. "Hey, watch your mouth!" said the cop who had been on John's head. John looked at him and then looked around at the other cops who were putting their guns away, slowly, with a disappointed look on their faces. "Who's in charge here?" John demanded. "I am! It's my case." said the cop who had been talking. "There is no case, so you aren't. Who's your watch commander?" John demanded. "I am." said one of the disappointed ones. "You'll have to make any complaints through the Attorney Generals office though." "I've got no complaints... *yet*. I just want your protection while I walk across the street to another bank." John said. "Why would you need protection to do that?" asked the commander. "Because this here Lottery ticket is worth *fourteen million dollars*!" said John, holding it up. There was a gasp and then a sudden silence in the crowd of police and on-lookers. Finally the watch commander recovered himself and said: "I'd be glad to accompany you SIR." "Yeah, I thought you would." John. mumbled. "But Mr. Stevens, this was all just a big mistake. You don't have to go elsewhere." stammered the Bank Manager. Everyone ignored him as they followed John out the door. Suddenly John was a celebrity who needed protection. The cops fanned out and stopped traffic for him like he was the President. Scanning the rooftops for unsuspected lotto terrorists. John didn't care that this particular bank had once pissed him off with an outrageous overdraft charge. He walked straight up to the managers desk with the watch commander at his side and giving the manager no time to utter a word, stated: "This is the winning lottery ticket for a fourteen million dollar State lottery. I'd like your assistance in collecting it." "Certainly Sir!" stammered the Manager jumping up. "If you'll just have a seat!". Back in the first bank the other manager looked after the parade of police spread out around the doors and then down at the blood stains on his carpet. He could sense the upward motion of his career had come to a screeching halt. "Shut off that god damned alarm!" he yelled to the teller. Chapter 2 Two days latter a much cleaner looking John posed for television camera's as he received a check that was physically the size of the fish that got away. The check was only a token for the camera's. He wasn't about to really get the whole amount in one lump sum. If he had, the IRS would have gotten most of it anyway. The bank had actually set him up with a *very* good tax attorney *team*. He had spent most that day with them and expected to spend several more. The first action of the second bank manager was to phone the State lottery commission in question and let them know he had a prospective winner. He faxed a copy of the ticket to them for preliminary evaluation. Once the ticket was verified as *probably* legitimate, the bank had advanced him five thousand dollars in travelers checks and flash processed a gold credit card with a fifteen thousand dollar limit. After locking up the ticket for the night in a safety deposit box, the bank manager had personally escorted him to the nicest hotel in town. A few of the cops rode along side, *just in case*......two actually escorted him onto the plane (courtesy of the bank). The bottom line worked out to a lump sum -after taxes- of $287,353.42, with a like amount to be paid each year, for basically the rest of his life. The lawyers set up a trust account for his long lost child that suddenly "missed him dearly" and a $28,000 lump cash settlement for his ex-wife (who fired *her* lawyer because he had convinced her that John would "never amount to much" and that it wasn't worth haggling over the dollar-a- year alimony that John was opposed to when they got divorced.) Johns ex-wife was *suddenly* in love with him all over again. He told her *and* her fickle fledgling to fuck off, that he never wanted to see either of them again. He bought the requisite sports car and new clothes. At what had been his local watering hole he bought the house a round... most all night long. Several of the women who wouldn't have given him a second glance before, became seriously infatuated with him. He alternated nights at his old rental between the two cutest of them for about a week before they started hinting that he ought to move up in the world (and take them with him). This reminded John of the missile silo. Two days later he was looking at it -*without* the gold diggers-. A week later it was his. John was pretty well ready for a break from the world when he purchased the Silo. From the time he entered the work force, he had quickly worked his way up through the ranks in the electronics world. Starting off repairing amplifiers and receivers. As a technician he worked his way up through various jobs until he topped out as a prototype technician in a microwave lab. He was hired contingent against a large government contract for a NATO base, which the company wasn't granted. Fifteen minutes after this was known, he was on the street unemployed. There was no place else for him to go in his home town. Refusing to take a down in his career, and the emotional crisis of his divorce still fresh within him, he headed for the mythical Mecca of Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley; The land of the Pro's. A magical feeling in the very air of the place, millionaires springing up like weeds around garage companies. . John spent months parked in his uncle's driveway, sleeping in his old V.W. buss. Living off his last unemployment checks from his home state while he went from company to company leaving résumés. Nobody wanted to hire him, as he had no *local* experience. Finally he accepted a position as an entry level technician in a calibration lab of a defense contractor, as his funds were virtually exhausted. John had expected his climb in Silicon Valley to be a hard one. This *was* the *land of the Pro's*. Much to his surprise and delight, his previous broad experience made him one of the best technicians in the valley. Within six months he was promoted to Sr. Technician. Eighteen months later he was in an engineering aide slot. A year later he held the title of acting engineer. He wasn't just good at his job, he was the best. As an engineer he quickly took on and acquired new talents that the then burgeoning Defense electronics industry was hungry for. Within half a decade, he was a full systems engineer specializing in automated instrumentation. His seemingly lofty title: Metrology Engineer. (Metrology being the science of measurement.) A shift to another growing company netted him the title of Sr. Metrologist. Then in the late '80's Détente arrived. Defense spending plummeted and the market was flooded with unemployed engineers. Non-degreed engineers were among the first to go. Especially if they took their positions seriously enough that they talked about recalling product because an out-of- tolerance was discovered in a company standard. John was a very *ethical* man. Which made him a natural target. Starting his own, one man consulting firm, John subsisted on meager earnings from consulting contracts which were quickly diminishing. He skinned his nose real good pulling up from the resultant dive in his finances. John finally had to give up his company and accept a position as a field sales engineer. Which barely paid him enough to survive, not in Silicon Valley, with its inflated real estate, but back in his home town. He spent almost eleven months of the year on the road. His vast experience in automated instrumentation making sale after sale possible. But he didn't get the commissions. He designed the systems based upon the customers needs, then the real sales force would waltz in and present the companies with a completed solution to their needs. They got the commissions. It wasn't what you really were, but rather what you appeared to be that mattered the most. Despite twenty years of experience, John had no degree, so he couldn't possibly be qualified for the positions he actually held. John's dissolution with the world continued to grow. What he wanted most, was a comfortable hole to crawl into and pull the cover over it. The lottery provided him with the means to fulfill this wish. The silo was the perfect vehicle for his desire. Working on it supplied him with the solitude he desired. He threw himself into the work for the sake of it, building his retreat from the world. The firm John purchased the Silo from, had also been taken by the size of it. They had picked it up at auction for a mere $17,000. They had visions of building a retreat hotel in it, until the cost of conversion and the realization that few people wanted to "get away from it all" into a hole in the dessert sobered them to the fact that they were out $17,000. One of the more sobering facts, was that the concrete used on the silo walls was among the hardest man made rock substance on earth. The cost of drilling the walls to hang umpteen floors was way out of their budget. They didn't bother to mention this to John, but he noticed anyway before the deal was closed. The $562,000 the owners were asking diminished fast. The land *was* in the middle of the desert, surrounded by BLM land. The only access was across 32 miles of bad dirt road. He made the purchase outright for $47,000 *cash*. Three concrete cutting firms made estimates he quickly rejected. He purchased several diamond drill bits and the equipment to run them himself. Next he called around the country till he found the cheapest load of steel I -beams that he could find. More calls located a used winch motor used for *Jig Pole* radio tower installations. The first project was mounting the winch motor to the concrete pad on the surface. The Silo was one hundred seventy feet deep by forty-five feet in diameter. It was located roughly dead center of a fifty acre plot, which was fully enclosed with a razor wire topped fence with impressive looking signs about the use of deadly force on intruders. John left the signs up. The gate got a digital controlled garage door mechanism. There was another shaft descending parallel to the Silo, but off to the side for the main elevator. This descended to the a group of rooms that were probably the launch facility. Between the elevator and silo, a set of cement stairs zigzagged downwards. A small cement boxed stairway ran down from the surface to a heavy single door hatchway which opened into a large hallway staging area. This hallway led some thirty five feet away from the silo and then doubled back. to a smaller staging area. A communications room with a small bathroom, an environmental control room and an elevator shaft led off this area. Then a small hatchway led to a narrow hallway which circumnavigated the top of the silo. There was a main transformer room off the environmental control room. Here the three phase power lines terminated in a bank of three large transformers. These fed a series of main panels that fed out to sub panels throughout the silo. There was also a switch over panel to interface with a diesel standby generator. John found maintenance stops on the main elevator which opened into small box rooms at half a dozen points on the way down. Each room had hatchways opening into inspection tunnels like the one on the top level and a small terminal and utility room which each contained a sub-main power panel. A large heavy, tapered hatch opened into the silo from each of these stops. From these one could access the four small service elevators which hugged the walls. Each little more than cages on a track. John fancied these up a bit to make them safer and more convenient. There were also hatchways at mid-points between the maintenance stops, accessible from the stairs. The Silo came complete with an ISDN phone *trunk line* 132 pairs of high quality phone lines- and an underground power feed which was source metered, as it was the only customer on the line. He negotiated activation of power and a portion of the trunk line for phone service and Internet access. The power company was particularly thrilled as the line was just wasting away. A small satellite dish supplied him with entertainment when he got bored. A standby diesel generator purchased from a used construction equipment firm rounded out his basic necessities. One of the first problems John encountered, was that the original construction plans were "CLASSIFIED, SECRET, NOT AVAILABLE". After repair and activation of the elevators John spent most of a whole month just surveying exactly what was, and wasn't there. The firm he had purchased from had done considerable damage to wiring and environmental equipment by ripping it out for salvage. He replaced what he needed to, to get power and heat into a small apartment which had probably been the launch control facility (based upon the amount of wiring and the size of the door.). He bought every appliance known to man for his apartment in the meantime. His computer would have spun circles around many of the main frame models of just a generation earlier. He used it to design his hideaway and track the burn rate on his money. After a few months he realized the burn rate was way too fast. A final purchase of a Hot tub, washer, dryer, freezer, refrigerator and range finished up his major expenses for a while, with the exception of an old flatbed truck he had refurbished to safe running condition. John mostly spent his days drilling walls. It was slow and dirty work. Each hole had to be lubricated with water as it was drilled. Gray dust filled most the silo. Gray streaks lined the walls. John worked hard all day guiding the bit and breathing the dust, which was abundant, despite the lubricating water. He finally realized that particle masks had been invented years before. A cement chip zinging past an eyebrow brought safety goggles and finally a face shield into usage. The hardest part, was the lack of help. He could have easily hired labor to help him, but he didn't feel like it. He spent hour after hour planing how he would move each steel girder and plate. How he would align heavy connections and manipulate beams while he fastened them together. He purchased the necessary gear and converted his winch to a radio controlled unit. He could drop a beam a quarter inch at a time if need be, while sitting on it. Finally he got the I-beams in place for the first floor. This actually gave him two as there was a concrete floor already in place at the bottom. He welded corrugated iron sheets on top of the I- beams and then topped that off with heavy particle board. When he started drilling holes on the second floor, he realized his error. Water from the drilling process started down the walls toward his new floor. He pulled the particle board back up and moved the whole operation up to the top floor drilling location. This way he could move *down* as each floor was completed. This lasted all of a day before he realized he would lose positioning ability on his crane when he sealed off the top. He spent a whole week replanning the whole thing. In the end he went back down to the bottom to drill. As each layer of Ibeam frames was set, they were left uncovered. Towards the end of the year the Silo resembled a big inside set of *monkey bars*. However any one of the frames would have easily supported a D-9 Caterpillar tractor. Next step was to run plumbing and wiring to each stage. He pulled the corrugated iron back off the first level to plumb and wire it as well. Next came heating systems. The most logical for this set up was a hot water system. Almost by accident John discovered several ducts running up and down the entire length of the silo, but deep in the walls. They had probably been used to cool the concrete when it was being poured. On a hunch he searched the walls with a metal detector. He found the water pipes he'd suspected running through the walls. They had probably cooled the inner surface of the concrete while it set. He grinned ear to ear thinking of their usage for solar heat. He had a major hunk of land on the surface that was basically worthless for anything except making solar heat. Using the metal detector he carefully marked the position of every pipe within the walls. In the process he found several unidentified metal traces. One group of these seemed to line up almost exactly with the positions of each level he had chosen for a floor anchor. A small perfect 1/2" hole marked each one. Careful drilling around one of these revealed them as some sort of pressure gauge, probably used to evaluate thrust on a missile if it was launched. Each one however was on it's own large conduit. He searched out the other ends and found them terminated in the mass of wiring which led into the launch room (his apartment.) Each conduit contained a multi-cable capable of a dozen full bandwidth video channels. He discovered how lucky he had been with the anchors; almost any of them could easily have pierced either a water of wiring conduit. Many of them passed within bare inches, but luckily, all missed. He tried plotting the exact location of the air ducts using a laser site, but he wasn't certain that they ran exactly vertical. He solved the dilemma by lowering a coil of wire down each duct. He pulsed a signal into the coil and detected it from the other side of the wall. This allowed him to mark the path close enough to miss any pipes or conduits. He drilled multiple one inch diameter holes into each of the ducts on each level. This alone took an additional two weeks time. However when he was finished he used multiple blower fans at ground level to removed much of the dust which had been building up. He ran all of them at full speed while he descended to each level with an air hose and thoroughly cleaned each one. Next he washed the whole silo down from top to bottom. The water and cement mud gathered in the cement bottom of the silo. When it didn't drain anywhere he pumped it into 55 gallon barrels and hoisted it by crane to the top. Then it struck him. Drain anywhere? The bottom of the silo was a good 170 feet deep! Where would it drain to? In fact, *how* did his toilet in the apartment drain? A two day survey tracing pipes located a grinding pump on the lowest level which pumped effluent up to ground level into a septic tank. A booster pump was located halfway up in one of the maintenance closets. Another day with a metal detector traced pipes from a leach field running into two corners of the property. There were *two* fresh water wells located in the opposite corners of the property. One was seemingly just a capped pipe. He opened it and dropped weighted line down till it hit water. Water level was a good 15 feet *above* the floor of the silo. This meant one thing; the cement in the silo was *totally* waterproof. This had to be so, or the lower part of the silo would have been flooded from seepage from the outside. No seepage from the outside meant no seepage from the inside. He drilled more holes to anchor a platform and equipment, cleaned up the whole thing spotless. Several layers of swimming pool paint were applied and allowed to dry Then he pumped fresh water in and he had a swimming pool. One *damn cold* swimming pool! This he solved this by separating the wall cooling pipe system below the first level. A separate pipe led from this section led up to the solar collectors. He installed automatic controls which regulated his pool at a much more comfortable temperature. Perhaps it wouldn't stay that warm come winter, which was fast approaching, but he seldom used more than around 18% of the potential from the array of solar heat panels he had installed. He pumped most of the heat around the system and had to defocus the panels most of the time. With all the natural insulation around the silo, it just didn't take that much heat to make it comfortable. This was a good thing, as John didn't think about the expansion of the concrete as it warmed. Had he warmed it too quickly, it would have cracked, allowing the water table outside to seep in, inundating the lower portion of the silo. It was blind luck that it didn't. He had a few ideas about how to improve things topside, but he was running out of money. He realized the closeness to winter just in time to finish up the top floor and move most the equipment down to it. He ran snorkels out for his winch and generators to keep the fumes out and noise down. A final trip into town on a mad buying spree for provisions and equipment made a good number of the local merchants very happy. They knew nothing about his retreat out in the desert. John had no intention of telling anyone. On a whim, he bought a case of .357 and a case of 38 special ammo. He could fire the 38's out of his python, according to the man at the gun shop, and they were cheaper. He was intending to find out how well he could live in total seclusion. During the summer he gave it no thought, he could always go to town if he wanted to. But winter would be a different thing entirely; the road which led to the silo wasn't exactly on the snow plow routes. The snow could get up to three feet deep in this area, and drift over six. Just in case John bought a used snowmobile. He made one trip to deliver a full load and stow it, then went back for a load of carpentry power tools and lumber so he could work uninterrupted through the winter. Finally he used the flatbed truck to roll the launch roof back into place. (It spent most the time open, or hastily tarped against any approaching storm.) Last step was having a truck deliver enough fuel to run his generator for the winter. It was the first time anybody had gotten near the silo since he had the steel delivered. For some reason it made him uncomfortable to have anybody know about the existence of his retreat. He stretched a large tarp over the launch roof to disguise the true nature of the place. All the driver would see would be a tarp covering a platform like lump and the sturdy out buildings John had built to house his car & snowmobile and keep a large supply of lumber dry. The tank was buried to one side of the road coming in, intended for the original standby generator that had been scrapped out. When the driver showed, John was waiting in his car, like he had just driven out to meet him. He ushered the driver to the fill point. "Kind of a strange place for a fuel tank." said the driver looking around. "Gonna be a Solar Research facility" John said. "What's the fuel for?" asked the driver. "Gotta run a generator to drive the solar panels." John replied. "Huh" the driver grunted, "That's progress for ya." "Well... Gonna mount a steam generator on the cells after they figure out how much heat they will generate... I just go where they tell me." John said. He walked away to effectively cut off communication. The driver shrugged and went on with his filling. John busied himself tarping over the snowmobile & trailer. The driver waved to John when he had topped off the tank. John walked over and signed for the fuel. "Seems like a lot of fuel to power solar cells." commented the driver. "Long term project... you know the government." said John. "Yeah, don't forget to add stabilizers to that fuel if it's gonna sit very long." the driver said, climbing back into his truck. John watched the fuel truck pass into the distance. It seemed odd, but the driver was probably the last human being that John would see until sometime in spring, yet he had felt relieved when he was gone. John locked the gate and made a further check of the topside assembly's and equipment. He hitched his car to the snowmobile trailer and pulled it into one of the sheds. He held off winterizing the car for now. He did pour some diesel fuel in the truck and ran it till it died, then he took out the battery, drained the radiator and tarped over the cab. Finally he was satisfied that all would survive the winter. He took one last look at the setting sun and then descended through the heavy hatch -under the edge of the tarp- down into his refuge. He latched it from the inside. He was alone and alive with a curious feeling of freedom. Chapter 3 John spent most of his time laying corrugated iron on the framework and welding it in place. He prepared meals at his leisure, but seldom took more than an hour or so away from the work of building the silo to his satisfaction. One of the tasks he placed priority on, was building a workshop on the second level down. Once the floor was in place he moved the woodworking tools he had purchased onto the level. Once the shop was set up, the job of cutting and fitting fixtures for the other levels was streamlined greatly. Four bales of hay purchased from a farm on main road leading by the silo road provided him with a rudimentary firing range. Once a day he'd practice his shooting. Wearing an old set of headphones because he'd forgotten to purchase hearing protection. He got pretty good with the old python. He'd practice swinging to the side and hitting a bulls eye, just for fun. He didn't ever expect to have to use the gun. He just did it to give him a break from the monotony of work. It became a daily exercise. After a solid month of this he could hit the bulls eye seven out of ten shots. He gave it up when a slug passed through a bail and ricocheted. It zinged past his head on one side, ricocheted off the curved wall and zinged past his head on the other. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he'd been shooting the higher velocity .357's, instead of the 38's. "That's about enough of that shit." he told himself. He re-applied himself to the problems of the silo. He solved the problem of lowering heavy objects to lower levels through the use of trap doors on each level. It was weeks before John cracked the hatch again. One day he got a hankering for a drink of scotch, but discovered that he was out. It seemed like as good an excuse as any to go to town. John cracked the hatch and emerged from his refuge to find a light skiff of snow coating the world. He squinted at the bright sun reflected off the white landscape and shivered a bit from the cold. A quick trip back inside brought him out again wearing a parka and sunglasses. He had to jockey the snowmobile trailer around and unhitch it to free the car, but he should have done that in the first place. Finally he was fishtailing down the road into town. It occurred to him that he needed a better winter driving vehicle, but his dollar supply was getting low. He was down to a paltry $38,000, and the next years allotment wouldn't come in for months. The absurdity of the thought struck him like a rock. $38,000 was more than he had earned the entire year before. When he got to town he bought a whole case of *good* scotch, and searched around for a good -used- four wheel drive. He located a fairly nice mid-seventies Toyota Land Cruiser that had a Chevy 350 CID V-8 engine shoe horned into it. He test drove it, but didn't like the gear ratio. He bought it anyway and arranged for a shop in town to install a Chevy 5- speed tranny to match the engine. He lined up several other modifications with several shops and negotiated with each to deliver it to the next one. When he came back into town he would have a deluxe four wheel drive waiting for him. It was evening by the time he was through in town. He sought out a good steak dinner and then headed home with his case of scotch and a few bags of groceries. John's mind was on his new vehicle as he headed out of town. He was almost to the turn marked only by the lonely single set of tracks leading to the silo when it happened. Entirely without warning, there was suddenly somebody waving their arms in front of the car. John slammed on the brakes. The anti-lock kicked in, but even that wasn't enough. He was still traveling faster than a walk when he thumped the body off his fender onto the side of the road. John just sat there for a moment and shook. Had he killed the hitchhiker? There was only one way he could find out. He forced himself out of the car and walked over to the ditch, fearing the worst. To his surprise he found it was a girl. The tight jeans told him that much. She was lying face down in the snow, unmoving. He gently rolled her over and found a pretty young face, about 15, eyes closed and unresponsive. A scuff on her forehead from the rock her head had hit. His heart sank. A quick check of her pulse sent a wave of relief over him. She was probably okay, but might have a concussion from the way she had landed. He checked all her limbs and found no broken bones. Her hip would probably be bruised real good from where the car had bumped her. Why the hell had she done it? He would have stopped for *anybody* this far out.... What the hell was she doing out here in the middle of nowhere? All these questions would have to wait. She may have needed attention right then. If she was worse than he was equipped for at the silo, the drive back into town would be too far anyway. Getting her warm was probably the best way to stabilize her until *real* help could arrive if needed. His silo was the best answer, if for no other reason than to get her out of the elements and get to communications. He mentally vowed to get himself a Cellular phone, even if he never needed it again. He carefully picked her up and carried her to the car. He noticed that her clothing and body stank like she had been *on the road* for a long time. He didn't care. He wasn't about to leave her out in the cold to die. John pushed it to the limit all that way back to the silo. He hit the brakes as he triggered the gate closer remote. He climbed out and opened up the hatch. He did his best to carry her inside. From the way the entrance was configured, he ended up using a fireman's carry to get her inside. His hand on her legs to balance her. Once inside the elevator he set her down. A quick check of her pulse and a once over in the light told him that she was in no *immediate* danger. He left her propped in the corner of the elevator, then went back out and retrieved his scotch and grocery's and put away the car. He sealed the hatch and then sent the elevator on it's decent to the apartment. On the way down he studied her. Under a dirty face she seemed to have the vestige of a black eye. It seemed more like a fresh wound rather than an older one. This girl had had a hard time of it. The elevator arrived at the apartment level. He picked her up again and was going to put her on the bed when his nose reminded him how much she stank. Instead he carried her to the bathroom and set her down on the toilet. She was wearing tennis shoes, tight, worn jeans, an oversized T-shirt and a light jacket. John wished the hell she were awake to wash herself, but he wasn't about to put her in his bed while she smelled that bad. Feeling guilty, he began stripping off her clothes. Bruises on her arms looked like they probably came from a strong grip holding her. He had a hell of a time removing her tight jeans. When she was dressed in only her sports bra and panties, he drug a resin patio chair into the shower and set her in it. Her skin was cold from exposure. Just to be on the safe side he went and dug into his medical kit for a blood pressure cuff. She was okay, but shivered slightly. He adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature and then a bit warm. She needed to get warm fast. He stripped down to his shorts and turned the stream on her. She didn't respond consciously to the water, but seemed to stop shivering a bit. John began to soap up her body. She seemed to be quite dirty, probably hadn't bathed for days. He shampooed her hair and finally decided that what she really needed was the hot tub. To keep soap out of the hot tub, he stripped off his shorts, then her bra and panties. She had medium-large breasts for her age, but they had bruises on them too. He felt a pang of guilt as he stripped off her panties and saw the small, blonde tuft of pubic hair. His growing member reminded him of how long it had been since he had seen female flesh exposed, let alone flesh as young and firm as this. His erection grew as he felt her tender body against him while he carried her to the tub. The hot tub had several seats built into it, which solved the problem of what to do with her. He propped her up in one, and then sat back himself to soak. He couldn't help himself as his eyes returned to her nude young body again and again. He half expected her to wake up screaming, but she showed no signs of movement. His erection screamed at him to take advantage of the situation, but he didn't. He just watched her as he let her soak a good twenty minutes. When her face showed a flush from the heat, he finally lifted her out. He set her in the resin chair as he carefully toweled her and then himself dry. His erection was as hard as he ever remembered it as he carried her to the bed. He pulled back the blankets and set her in it. Then he sat for a while examining her nude body. She appeared to be about fifteen, but could have been anywhere between thirteen and seventeen. Her hair was blonde, cut short. She had blue eyes, which were responsive to light, but with slightly uneven pupils. Her breasts were probably a firm C-cup. Her waist narrow and her hips just starting to reach their full spread. Her small tuft of pubic hair was soft and blonde as well. Her legs were long and sleek. She was lovely, *too* damn lovely. John dug out an oversized T-shirt and pulled it over her, then pulled a pair of his jockey shorts onto her. They were *way* too large, but the elastic would keep them up. At least she was covered. John put her under the covers and softly kissed her forehead. A little seepage of blood from her forehead prompted him to the first aid kit for some antibiotic ointment and a gauze patch. Once she was doctored he went in search of his scotch. He sat back in a terry cloth robe with a Scotch on the rocks and looked at her for a long time. Why the hell had she been out there? Why had she jumped in front of the car? Where did her black eye and bruises come from? They would probably explain why she was out there. Some asshole had hurt this tender child. What she needed now was help. John decided he would do his best. He finished his Scotch and pulled on a pair of Jockey shorts himself before he climbed into bed beside her. He usually slept in the nude, but she might come to in the night and freak out. He was painfully aware of her tender body in the bed next to him. His erection didn't subside at all before he slipped into sleep. Chapter 4 John awoke with an arm draped over him and a young body against him. This was a *good* sign, if a bit uncomfortable for him. She appeared to be just asleep, but didn't wake as John extracted himself from the bed and headed into the bathroom. His hard-on seemed like it hadn't diminished a bit during the night. Emptying his bladder in a ski jumpers pose helped some. John put on his robe and a pair of slippers, then went off to the kitchen to make some coffee. He decided on breakfast and on a hunch, made double. About the time John was finishing up the last batch of French toast a soft female voice tentatively called out: "Hello? Is anybody here? Where Am I?" John loaded up a tray with coffee and food and headed into the bedroom. The girl was sitting up surveying her outfit when he walked in. She seemed to shrink into the bed when she saw John. "Hello, My name is John. You're in my uh.. *house*. You jumped in front of my car last night and bumped your head. Are you feeling up to breakfast?" John talked as he crossed the room. The girl seemed a little relieved, but not much. "Who undressed me?" she asked. "I did, You stunk!" John replied simply. "Well, I guess I probably did. Haven't had a chance to shower for a long time." She was studying John hard as she fingered the T-shirt and felt under the covers at the Jockey shorts she wore. "Don't worry, I washed you, but that's all. Your virtue is intact." John said. "Not unless you operated too." she kind of chuckled, "What have you got to eat?" "Whatever you want, but I've made French toast, bacon and scrambled eggs. First off, how are you feeling?" "Okay I guess, kind of dizzy really, but starving!" she said. "You got a bad bump on the head. Let me look at your eyes." "What for?" said the girl, pulling the covers up and shrinking back. "To check how bad your concussion is. I don't want you choking on a piece of French toast and convulsing in my bed." "Okay... I guess." John picked up a small pen light from the dresser and bent over her as he checked each of her eyes. A small difference in pupils, but not too bad. He smiled at her and nodded to the food. She jumped at the bacon and wrapped it in a piece of French toast. It was in her mouth before John could blink. "Take your time, lots of food here and take it easy. Your well enough to eat, not to do gymnastics." John chuckled. The girl eyed John suspiciously and forced herself to chew a little slower. She noticed that the T-shirt had become twisted around her, clinging to her breasts. She pulled on it to hide her form. John noticed her discomfort and dug into the closet for another robe. He handed it to her and she pulled it around her shoulders and kept on eating. "Coffee?" "Yuk! Got any milk?" "Sorry, long way to the store. Soda pop or Water?" "Pepsi if you got it...Just how far to the store? Where are we?" "In the middle of nowhere, about thirty miles from where you jumped in front of me." John said as he headed into the kitchen for her soda. "Where was that?" the girl called after him. "You don't know where you were?" asked John, returning with her Pepsi. "Not really. Some jerk kicked me out cause I wouldn't suck him." said the girl. She took her Pepsi and drank a swig to wash down the three pieces of French toast and five pieces of bacon she had wolfed down. She eyed John for a minute then said: "So what do you have in mind for me?" "Nothing, actually. You jumped in front of my car last night, I tried to stop, but you didn't give me enough time to avoid you. You bounced off my fender and into the ditch. You bumped your head on a rock and knocked yourself out. I picked you up, brought you here, bathed you, doctored you and put you to bed. I have no plans for you. You're welcome to stay until you feel better and can leave anytime you want. I'll give you a ride back to the nearest town, which is about eighty miles away. Besides that I don't even know your name yet." "Theresa. Eighty miles? You live eighty miles from town?" "Yes, glad to meet you Theresa." "Glad to meet you, I think. Why do you live so far out?" "Because I like to." "Who else lives here?" "Nobody, just me." Theresa chewed on another bacon French toast roll up (she shoveled some egg into this one.) as she studied John from the corner of her eye. "You say I can stay a while, what's it gonna cost me? I don't have any money." "Nothing. Stay as long as you want. I don't need money." "What do you need?" she asked suspiciously. "Not a thing in the world. You can stop worrying. You're *far* too young for me. How old are you anyway?" "Uh.. Seventeen" "How old?" "Sixteen....Okay.... Fifteen, but I'll be Sixteen next month..... What do you mean I'm too young for you? How old are *you*?" "Probably old enough to be your mother's father. I'm forty- three" "Forty-three? I guess that's not too old.... Say, how come you got no windows in here?" "Cause you're about one hundred and sixty feet below the surface." Theresa stopped chewing and looked around kind of scared like. She swallowed hard and asked: "What *is* this place?" "I told you, My home! It just happens to be underground." "Why?" "Cause I like it that way. I don't pay a dime in heating bills. The whole place is solar heated. I got the whole place plus fifty acres of land for less than the price of a half acre plot in the city." "Whole place, these three rooms?" "No, this is just the temporary living quarters I first set up while I'm working on the rest." "So how big is it?" "One hundred seventy feet deep by forty-five feet in diameter. I've divided that into fifteen stories." "Fifteen stories, forty-five feet in diameter, that's damn big! What was it, and old mine?" "No, it was a missile silo" "A missile silo, like Atomic?" "Yup. Like Atomic. But don't worry, they took that part out before they sold it." "Huh... kind of neat. But why?" "I told you. I like it." "All alone, by yourself? What are you some kind of hermit?" "I hadn't thought about it much, but I guess I am. I don't care much for the cities." "But how do you live? What do you do?" "Just work on my home." "No, I mean for a living. Don't you have to work?" "Nope." "Why not, you rich?" "Yup, guess I am." "Really? How much you got?" "More than enough. I won the lottery." "Really?" "Yup, really. Fourteen million dollars." Theresa stopped chewing. Her mouth hung open, food and all. "Close your mouth. It looks awful." She snapped her mouth shut and swallowed hard. Then jumped up on the bed and said: "You've got fourteen million dollars?" The robe fell off her shoulders. The Jockey shorts almost fell off as she bounced. "Yup, not all at once, but enough to get by on. Now, come on. Lets find you some clothes before you fall out of those." Theresa snatched at the sagging Jockey shorts and pulled them up. This just outlined her attributes better and made John *very* uncomfortable. He started digging in drawers and closets. Theresa watched him wondering what he was doing. He came up with a pair of stretch warm up pants that had a string closure. He handed them to her and turned away. She giggled but pulled them on. By rolling up the legs, they fit her okay. John found another pair for himself and pulled them on. Theresa watched him without looking away. John looked at her in annoyance. "I figure that *you* got to see a whole lot more of me." she chuckled. "I guess that's true, but that was different. You didn't have much choice about it, but I assure you I was strictly business about it." "So you said.. You still got to see the whole thing. It's only fair that you show me too." John was suspicious of her motives. Her sudden interest in him had arisen *after* he disclosed his financial position. Even so he said: "I guess by rights you're welcome to see anything you want. I got nothing to hide... at least not much." "Show me then!" she said defiantly, daring John to reveal himself. It seemed wrong, but John shrugged and dropped the warm ups. He pulled off his robe and pushed down his Jockey shorts. His penis was at half mast. He stood naked before her. She looked without shame. "Not bad for an *old coot*." She chuckled. "And you don't look bad for a *little girl*. Now can I get dressed?" "If you want. I don't care.", but her eyes still surveyed his body. The months of hard work and irregular meals had left John trimmer and firmer than he thought of himself. "I do. I'm kind of chilly." "I could warm you up." "No doubt, but you were terrified at the thought before you found out I was rich." John said as he pulled up his shorts and warm-ups. He dug out an old favorite sweatshirt to match. "That's not true... I liked you before that. I just didn't know you." "You still don't." John said, digging out some socks and tennis shoes. "Oh... you're okay." Theresa said. "You know the difference between a weirdo and an eccentric?" John asked. "No, what" "About a million dollars...or fourteen million in my case." replied John. John carted the food tray back into the kitchen. He sat down and finished off what remained of the meal (one strip of bacon, some eggs and half slice French toast with Coffee.) He told Theresa where her clothes were and where the washing machine was. She went off to do a batch and find her shoes. She came back a while later, barefoot. She seemed kind of distracted, like she was deep in thought. John pointed to her feet and raised an eyebrow. "Decided my shoes stunk too much. They're in the washer too." "No argument from me. See if you can fit any of my shoes." "I don't need any, really. My feet aren't cold." "Not the cold, I was gonna show you around if you feel up to it." "Okay... maybe a little." Theresa dug into the closet and came up with a pair of tennis shoes she could lace up *real* tight to keep them from falling off. They got about a third of the way into the tour when John noticed Theresa leaning shakily against a beam, with a large fall beneath her. He gently guided her back to bed. "Not coming in?" Theresa asked, groggily. "Nope. Got work to do." "Suit yourself." Theresa said sleepily. "I do." John said on his way out. In fact John did very little work at first. He was upset with himself by how tempted he was to accept the offers of the little darling in his bed. The memory of her nude body from the night before was driving him crazy. Eventually the task at hand distracted him long enough to forget her. Soon afterwards he was virtually absorbed in his work. About two in the afternoon he got hungry. He made himself a sandwich and a cup of coffee. A check on Theresa found her sleeping soundly. John sipped at his coffee as he surveyed her form in the bed. She was breathing regular. She rolled over and emitted a soft whimpering cry in her sleep. At the same time her body sort of flinched back. "What happened to you, girl?" John asked himself, softly. He finished his coffee in a gulp and went back to work. About Seven o-clock that evening, he smelled food cooking. He finished up what he was doing, then washed up. Theresa was in the kitchen. To John's discomfort, she wore her sports bra as a halter top. Thankfully, the baggy warm-ups still covered her lower body. "How was the nap, What's cookin?" John inquired, averting his eyes. "Pretty good. Don't know why I'm so tired. I just woke up hungry. I heard you banging around out there so I started digging. Sit down and rest, It's almost done." "You're tired because of your concussion. It's the bodies natural reaction to getting thumped around." "I got thumped around lots before, it never made me feel like sleeping." "Want to talk about it... The black eye and bruises." "What's to talk about? My stepfather alternated between beating and pumping me." "That why you were out on the road? You ran away?" "Pretty much." "How long has that been going on?" "Since I got my tits, when I was twelve." "He's been abusing you since you were twelve? Why didn't you call the cops?" "Thirteen actually. He forced me to suck him before that.... Cops didn't seem like a good idea. My mother loved the guy.... I guess more than me. She sort of helped him." "Ouch!.... So where are you headed? Do you have friends somewhere?" Theresa was quiet for a while before answering: "I don't know where I'm going. I just, had to get out... " "I can understand that." "Can you?" Theresa asked sharply. "Maybe not." John replied softly. "Sorry, You didn't deserve that." Theresa said. "No problem. I didn't take it personal." "Good..... You're about the only friend I've got right now." "No others?" John asked. "Oh, I guess my friend Cindy, but she's in a situation as bad as I was, maybe worse." "So what's eats?" John asked to change the subject. "Parmesan Chicken with Broccoli, I couldn't find any *fresh* vegetables." "You can cook! Sorry but it's a bit far to the market." "Yes, I'm a good cook. My mother wasn't much good at it so I had to learn." "Seems your mother wasn't good at much." "Oh, at some things...." Theresa trailed off. She busied herself setting the table. "What to drink?" She asked. "Well, I don't suppose it would hurt you to have a little wine. You're pretty much grown up already." "That would be nice. I saw a bottle in the fridge." John chuckled: "No, for this meal I'll pull out a special one. I use the one in the fridge for cooking. It's not a very good one." "I wouldn't know the difference." "I do. Learned that before I ever got rich." John went in search of a bottle from the unheated area where he kept it. He returned with a light Chablis. Theresa watched in fascination as he uncorked it. He examined the cork, but didn't sniff it. He poured barely a mouthful in two wine glasses. He swirled his glass around and then lifted it to his nose. He sniffed it and smiled, then sipped a bit. He sloshed it around in his mouth and finally swallowed. He smiled once more and nodded to Theresa. She did her best to follow his example. When her own smile spread, John poured a larger amount into both of their glasses. The meal proceeded nicely. Theresa had a tendency to gulp her wine, but that would change with time. John found himself thinking he would like her to stay around. Theresa was thinking along the same lines. Neither said anything about it at the time. The food was excellent. Theresa was a *good* cook. After dinner John bussed the dishes, loaded the dishwasher and started it. Theresa found containers and stored a few leftovers. She was a little bit tipsy. John was too. "So what's to do around here for entertainment?" Theresa asked, slurring a bit. "TV in the communications room up by the first floor. Haven't found a path to string all the lines down here for the satellite control yet." "You've got *satellite* TV?" "Yup" chuckled John, "And high speed Internet access too." "I heard something about that, but I don't know what it is." "Come on, I'll show you." "Any wine left?" "Another bottle of the same... I guess that it would be alright." John snatched the other bottle and opened it. Then they rode the elevator up to the communications room. John had put a large comfortable sofa in it where he could lay and watch TV. Instead of cranking up the TV, he fired up the computer. He showed Theresa how to get access to anything she wanted. "But I don't know what's out there, so I don't know where I want to go." Theresa said. "Oh, there is that. Most the time it's just fun to pick a subject and do a search on it. Like this.... Pick a subject" "Sex!" "Too big, you need to be more specific." "Uh... I'll have to think about it. How about Sex & Wine." "That should narrow it down a bunch. Lets see..... 287 hits, narrow it some more." "Sex, Wine and older men." Theresa said, her hand on John's collar. "Behave yourself.... That brought 23 responses." "Lets see." John clicked on each and every entry. They read a history of Wine making and the use of sex in advertisement. There were graphic postings in the news groups about erotic encounters between older men and younger women under the influence of wine. There was a site that was devoted to the evils of wine and sex. They stumbled over a support group for victims of incest. John set a marker on that and showed Theresa how to recall it. She changed the subject by jumping to a different location. They bounced all over the world, chasing any tangent. Theresa was having a ball. "Doesn't this cost you a bunch?" she asked. "Not really. You can get slower service for as little as $15 a month." "Really?" "Yeah, There just happened to be a high speed line already run to here when I bought the place. Otherwise it would have cost me a fortune to get the same service." "Neat... Show me how to work the satellite." "Okay... What do you want to watch?" "Lets find a nice sappy movie." John fired up the satellite and poked around a bunch of channels he knew of. He stumbled on a romantic comedy he had seen before. Theresa stopped him there. They both sat on the sofa. Theresa leaned back against John like he was her boyfriend. He didn't *seem* to notice, but he was *very* aware of her young body leaning against his. They downed the rest of the wine over the course of the movie. John became more reclined and Theresa more snugly as time passed. Finally they were both laying flat out, side by side on the Sofa. Theresa's head tucked into John's arm. They both couldn't help but be aware of the bulge in John's pants. The movie ended with the couples heading off to bed. John started to get up to do the same. Theresa pushed him back down. "Talk to me." Theresa said. "What about?" "Well... *Us*." "Us?" "Yah... Look, I know you don't really like me." "What on earth gave you that idea?" John interrupted. "Cause I've virtually thrown myself at you since I woke up here. I can tell by your pants you're not dead, so you must not like me!" "I can assure you, that's not the case. You're just 15 years old." "But I'm really good in bed." "You may well be, but I'm almost three times your age." "Shut up and let me talk." "Okay." "Like I said; I think I'm really good in bed and... you said yourself at dinner that I was pretty much grown up. .... Well what I'm trying to say is that I'd like to stay around here for a while, but I don't have any money to pay you with. So how about I *do* you whenever you want, and you let me stay here awhile." Theresa finished her speech bravely, but dropped her eyes at the end. "Can I talk now?" "Yes......." she said meekly. "Okay, Item One. I think you're gorgeous, just too young. Two. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I don't need any money." "But I don't want to owe you." "Shut up, you said I could talk. You wouldn't owe me. And you don't have to *do me* as you say. You're welcome to stay with no strings attached." "Really?" "Really!" "I knew you didn't like me.... Okay, I'll leave tomorrow." Theresa said, starting to sob. "What the hell are you talking about? If I didn't like you, would I have asked you to stay?" "You won't sleep with me!" "You're *fifteen!*" "And you're forty-three. So what? In ten years you'll be fifty-three and I'll be twenty-five, nobody would bat an eye over us." "That's in ten years! I'm talking about now." "Look, what's worse; me freely giving myself to you, or my stepfather taking me at his leisure and beating me for it?" "Uh... " "See." "I'll tell you what. You want to stay, I want you to stay. You don't want to owe me, I need a cook. You can cook. You're hired. As of this evenings meal." "Okay... but I still want to sleep with you." "You don't have much choice, I've only got one bed." "You know what I mean!" "Yes I do, No! Do you want the job or not?" Theresa looked at him a moment and nodded. "Good. Welcome aboard. I can afford to pay you... lets see, a private cook in a remote location. How about twenty-five thousand a year for starters." "Twenty five thousand!!?, That's too much." "That's what the job pays, take it or move on." "Well since you put it that way. I'll take it." "Good lets go to bed." "You mean you've changed your mind?" "No, I'm tired." "Damn!" They stumbled to the elevator in each others arms. When they reached the bedroom Theresa unceremoniously stripped nude and hopped in bed. John sighed. Finally he shrugged and did the same. Theresa snuggled to his side. John felt himself growing again but tried to ignore it. The wine helped him slip away before he had to deal with it. He woke once during the night. Theresa was shivering and whimpering in her sleep. John pulled her gently to him and held her till she was breathing easier. Then fell asleep that way. Chapter 5 John awoke horny as hell in an empty bed. The light was on in the kitchen. He could hear Theresa humming to herself. John made a quick trip to the bathroom and relieved himself. Then jumped back into bed. Theresa rounded the corner with his breakfast. "Breakfast in bed? I hired a cook, not a slave. I'll come to the table." "No you won't. This is just to pay you back, for bringing it to me yesterday." Theresa was wearing her skimpy bikini panties, her sports bra and her tennis shoes. She had a small apron on in front that hardly hid much. "Nice outfit." "Nobody here but us chickens. You did a good job with the heating. This feels comfortable. Even got my shoes on so we can finish the tour after breakfast... If you *want* to that is." "Fine with me. If you want to run around half naked, who am I to complain." "No, I'd like to run around *all* naked. But if you're not going to take advantage of it, what's the use?" "Suit yourself." "*I do!* Now eat before it gets cold." John knew when he was beaten. He dove into his breakfast. Afterwards he gave her the grand tour, taking special care to take her topside in the skimpy outfit. It was in the low 40's outside. John took his time showing her each of the unheated outbuildings and the solar array. Her nipples looked like small marbles under her sports bra when they finally went inside, but she never uttered a peep of complaint. John explained his plans as he went along; A *complete* workshop where you could make *anything*. A deluxe communications center. Food storage area, farming equipment storage. Huge Bedrooms, semi-huge bedrooms. Library, game room. Railed Shafts would bring sunlight down to any room from a tracking mirror on the surface. Theresa went nuts over the pool. She peeled off her shoes and jumped in. She shrieked from the temperature. John kept it cool to keep the algae down until he finished the filter system. John fought himself every night for the next three days. Theresa turned out to be a pretty good cook. Otherwise he tried to stay away from her. She slept a lot, which made this easier to do. When not asleep or cooking Theresa amused herself at the computer or watched the television. It took Theresa just those three days to get her wish. That night they lay snuggled together. They were both nude. John over half drifted into sleep. Theresa was fully aware of his male body snuggled to her. Theresa wiggled her behind a bit against his manhood and John began to grow. She continued her motions until he was fully erect. She gently pushed him onto his back and moved over him. She guided his now larger member into herself. She was a full dozen strokes into it, when John finally awoke to find himself erect and Theresa riding his hips. Her warmth around his member and firm young body were too much for him to resist. He pulled her down into a deep kiss. She really wasn't too bad for her age. After that John didn't fight it. He didn't play the puppy love games during the day, but he also didn't resist her during the night. After the first time, he did insist that they use prophylactics until he could get to town and have his tubes snicked. This would have to be soon, as he only had a couple of dozen. Purchased just after he'd won the lottery. Actually they were going to have to head to town earlier to fulfill her feminine product needs. About the time Theresa started getting bloaty and ornery John realized the trip was mandatory. Luckily it was between storms so they could get the sports car down the road. "If anybody gets curious, call me daddy." John said. "Oh please don't spank me daddy! Can't you hurt me that other way instead?" Theresa snickered. "Behave yourself, or I'll leave you in town!" John said. "Yes Sir!" Theresa snapped to attention. "Oh god, just don't get me hanged..... and please don't mention anything to anybody about the silo. I *like* not being known." "Okay, you got it." Theresa fell asleep before they made it off the dirt road. The mud was getting thick enough that John planned on picking up the Landcruiser. He woke Theresa when he got into town. They made a stop at the store for her needs first, then stopped in a restaurant for lunch. Theresa headed for the bathroom and John for the phone booth just after they ordered. John made an appointment for later in the day with a local doctor, and checked on the Landcruiser. It was ready. They ate a leisurely lunch and then went to pick up the 'Cruiser. She was a beauty! Even Theresa thought so. She had her fun moment when she jumped up and down and shouted: "Oh thank you Daddy!", threw her arms around John and kissed him hard on the lips. The guys in the shop raised their eyebrows. John smacked her butt with an audible slap. She yelped and behaved from then on out. Next stop was to pick up the license tags. The shops had done all they could in this direction, but they couldn't sign the papers for John. He wasted a full hour in the DMV. It was time for John's appointment when he got out. Theresa couldn't drive yet so she had to wait while the procedure was being done. He was in the office a long time. The doctor told John "The more you use it, the quicker it will feel better." "Don't think that will be a problem." said John paying the bill. As John walked *slowly* out, the doctor looked past him to the girl in the passenger seat of the Landcruiser. He muttered to himself: "I'll bet. Damn good thing he got them cut." Next stop was to the Mall for a shopping spree for Theresa. John walking slowly along as Theresa flitted back and forth between the stores. He had given her an advance on her wages, mostly cause she hadn't been there very long and an advance was the only condition Theresa would accept it under. Even so they somehow ended up with several -of each- of the things that Theresa liked. She didn't seem to notice. They couldn't think of any way to pull off a joint trip into Victoria's Secret, so she wrote down her sizes and they walked in separately. She selected a few things. He selected a lot. The sales lady eyed him with dissatisfaction. He ignored her. It was none of her damned business what he bought with his money. Whether she approved or not. He hung to the side counting his change while Theresa made her purchases. Then he said to her: "How'd you like to come over to my place and try some of these on for me?" Theresa smiled at him and said: "I think I'd like that!" as she picked up her package from the speechless saleswoman. They walked out arm in arm. Busting out laughing as soon as they rounded the corner. John directed her into a top quality dress shop and bought her one that she looked nothing less than dynamite in. Next he took her by a well known chain store and stocked up on shorts, jeans and basic wardrobe items that every girl her age needed in quantity. Their purchases amounted to well over a thousand dollars. They carted them out to the 'Cruiser and headed for the grocery store. They bought every canned, frozen and fresh vegetable known to man. Plus a great deal of beef, chicken, turkey, pork and lamb. Next came massive quantities of every type pasta, rice, beans and grains and finally basic stocks of flour and other baking goods. Just for the hell of it John purchased one each of every type spice. Theresa took a basket and raided the soup section. The cruiser was loaded to the roof by the time they finished. Just for safety, John bought an entire case of the tampons Theresa had purchased earlier, and four dozen rubbers he intended to use until he was certain he was shooting blanks. Lastly John rented a car tow trailer. The kind the front wheels ride in. Then it was back to the shop to pick up the sports car. It was almost dark, they got a to-go meal as they had to get the frozen foods into the freezer. They headed out of town with a *full load* test of the new engine modifications. John was very pleased with the new gear ratio. Theresa fell asleep once again on the way out of town. She woke up in time for the last five miles of dirt road. The old four wheel drive never faltered, even towing the sports car. John had locked in the hubs when they hit the dirt road. Theresa unloaded while John stowed and winterized the Sports car. He tarped it over and moved the Landcruiser into the garage. He added a dip-stick heater and then joined Theresa inside. She was all over him the second the door opened on the apartment. "What the Hell?" gasped John. "The doctor told you the more you used it, the better!" "Later, we've got things to put away." "Done." "Okay, all that stuff to pack into the freezer." "Done" "But what about your period?" "Light flow. We'll do it in the shower if we need to!" "We've got to..." "Done! No excuses. I want you bad! Strip off now!" Theresa commanded. "Oh shit..." John muttered as he resigned himself to the situation. Theresa hardly let him out of the bed for the next week. Chapter 6 One of the first projects that Theresa asked John to work on -when she finally let him get back to work- was the swimming pool. John wanted to work on the woodworking for the kitchen, but he postponed it long enough to explain to Theresa what needed to be done. She jumped in with both feet and was soon fitting pipes and drilling mounts. John stopped by often enough to keep her out of trouble, but pretty much let her do it for herself. He worked on the filter unit himself. He didn't want to treat the water as he intended it to be an emergency water source. Instead he filtered it through charcoal filters and then passed it through a strong ultra violet light to kill any bacteria. Theresa smiled from ear to ear when the pool showed signs of warming up. John didn't bother to tell her about the instant jump in humidity inside the Silo, nor about his efforts to deal with it. He had to totally redirect the airflow pattern for the whole silo to get rid of it, while still maintaining fresh air and heat to the rest of the place. Finally he got back to the kitchen project. Theresa dealt another blow to progress when she stopped by to model one of the outfits John had selected from Victoria's Secret. He took her on the floor of the kitchen, amid sawdust and wood chips. She didn't seem to notice. She had all the symptoms of really being in love for the first time. He met her with breakfast in bed for her sixteenth birthday. He produced a bunch of trinkets she hadn't *seemed to* notice him buying on their buying spree. She kept him in bed the whole day. The first chink in their happiness came when Theresa made a call to her girlfriend Cindy. She came back shaken and mopey. "Okay, what's wrong." "Uh, John. Can I hire an assistant?" she said absently. "What? Am I working you too hard?" John asked, chuckling. "No silly. It's my friend Cindy. She *really* needs to get out of there. I thought that maybe I could hire her and pay her out of my salary." "You want to bring her *here?*" "Uh-huh. She doesn't really have any place else to go either." John was quiet for a moment before he answered: "Theresa, this isn't a home for wayward girls you know. I could get into serious trouble just for having you here." "I know, but I'm just so worried about her." "She doesn't have any relatives who would take her in?" "No, not really. Not that wouldn't be worse." "What's the problem with her folks?" "They're abusing her!" "Sexually?" "Sexually, physically, mentally. And they're her *real* folks. At least with me it was *mostly* my stepfather." John said: "Well, let me think about it, Okay?" ".. *Please!*" "I told you, I'd think about it." John did think about it. For two whole days. He could see that Theresa wasn't going to like it too much if he told her no. He wasn't likely to like it if he said yes. Finally he gave her an answer. "If you let me finish the kitchen, then the two of us can work on a room for her.... and you can't let her know exactly where this place is till she gets here." "I still don't exactly know myself." "Fine, she will meet us in a different city and take a long twisting ride all the way back here." "What for?" "Because I said so. But mostly because I'm not about to leave my future in the hands of a sixteen-year old girl I never met. She's going to have to run away to get here. We can send her money to do it, but she'll have to run away none the less. It's against the law for me to harbor a run away." "But you *harbor* me!" "Not the point. I know you, *now!* It was a total fluke that you're here at all. If she comes it will be deliberate. Not the same thing at all." "But.." "Those are my terms, take them or leave them." "Okay... I guess. When can she come." "Not for at least a month." "A MONTH! But... " "That's life! I didn't create her situation. I'm going out of my way to solve it for her." "She didn't create her situation either." "I don't have the emotional energy or resources to be responsible for everybody in a bad situation. Do you accept the terms?" "I guess I have to." Theresa glared at him and stomped away. That night she was cold to his advances. "This is bullshit!" John told her, "I'm not the bad guy here. I've gone out of my way to make things right for you. Now you're asking me to do the same for another. I'm going to do it. But I don't like it. I'm not a charity organization." "I told you I'd pay her." "To do what? What's she skilled at?" "To help me!" "Fine. I told you I'd let her come. Either stop mopping or forget the whole thing." It took a few days for Theresa to come around. She found him working in the kitchen. "I'm sorry." she said. "That's okay." "No it's not. I thought about what you said. You're not a charity. This is your dream house. I'm just here cause I happened to jump in front of you." "That's why you were here to start with. That's not why you're here now." "Why am I here now?" "I guess because you want to be." "And what do you want?" "I want to finish my house and live in it in peace. But if you're asking why I let you be here, I guess..... it's because I love you." "You do." "Yes." Theresa broke out into tears. John took off his work apron and carried her down stairs. They made love for the rest of the afternoon and well into the night. Theresa rested her head on John's shoulder and traced her fingernails in small circles upon his chest. His one hand rested on her back, the other lay around one of her breasts. He breathed the slow regular breath of sleep. Something had changed in their relationship. Something serious. She was somewhat surprised to find herself in love with the man. She hadn't intended to be. She hadn't given it all that much thought really. She had told herself that it wasn't really the money -which it wasthat had led her attraction to him. But each day her fondness for him grew stronger. Now it held her like a chain. John had changed himself during this time. His lovemaking had changed with him. He was more aggressive. That night he had been in total control. He lifted her to a higher level of passion than she had even guessed could have existed. Then he kept her there for hours. Each climax built upon the last. Each time he held her on the edge until every nerve ending in her body screamed for release. When his actions began to border on cruelty he would trigger one massive orgasm after another. Then he was there on the other side to catch her fall with his soft caresses and kisses. His tongue knew every inch of her now, and he could use it mercilessly. He controlled her body and soul. Theresa felt afraid; she didn't have a clue where to begin to return that sort of passion. She had never had to -or even wanted to- before. Certainly not with most others she's had sex with. With them it had been a release; for them usually. Before John she had only known an orgasm as a form of torture from...... She shivered. John pulled her close to him and she wept against his shoulder. The next day, after she cooked breakfast, John went to work in the kitchen. Theresa went directly to the communications room and logged onto the Internet. She began searching for information on how to please a man. There really was surprisingly little. Among the best she found, was an old translation of the Karma Sutra. She also found a few articles in the news groups about eastern sexual techniques. some made reference to some exercises that women can do to develop better control their vagina's. "Control of their vagina's?" Theresa pondered. The most exotic things she knew how to do, was to climb on top and ride a man till he popped off. Or give him fellatio .... - she had thought before her reading. Some of the articles talked about oral sex techniques she had no clue about. She got so enthralled she forgot about time and missed making John's lunch. "Hey Cutie. Do I have to hire me another cook?" John said when he located her. Theresa near jumped right out of her skin. She hastily closed the files she was reading and jumped up to make his lunch. He caught her as she tried to rush past and kissed her as passionately as she had ever been kissed. After the things she had been reading she was more than receptive. John's lunch had to wait even longer. Progress on the kitchen went well considering that John's sexual *appetite* seemed to be getting stronger every day. Theresa thrived on it. She also studied the new information that she had downloaded *real hard.* Their lovemaking became more intense with each session. John seemed thrilled with Theresa's *sudden* new talents. Finally the kitchen was completed and the two of them descended to the second story above the pool. The first would be *their* bedroom; the *whole* floor (with a trap door into the pool). A portion of the second would be Cindy's, shared with a new laundry room and a large bathroom. The two of them worked shoulder to shoulder to complete the floor. Theresa definitely understood the need for a separate bathroom. It didn't take too long to lay the floor and partition the level. Then the whole silo reeked for days as after they painted Cindy's room. John had made a trip to town to return the car trailer and picked out a queen-sized water bed and some furniture. He had to re-commission the flatbed to pick it up. Once the silo was aired out and their headaches went away, John told Theresa to make the arrangements with Cindy. Theresa showed her appreciation by treating him to two days worth of her new studies in one session. Chapter 7 John softly cupped a breast and gently kissed the nipple. Theresa stirred in her afterglow. It was actually a week later. Her and John seemed to sense their coming reduction of privacy, and thus had each tried to murder the other with sex. They had just finished a marathon bout, consisting of twelve hours of mixed sleep and sex, and were both *bombed* on natural endorphins. Neither one of them could speak very well. "Huey Yu, tim tu wag up." John mumbled. His tongue sore to it's roots. (He had a tendency to get a little over zealous in it's use, trying to extend it farther than it wanted to go. The result was a ripping of the skin membrane on the underside. This wasn't extremely painful, but it did make it harder to talk.) This statement elicited only a soft moan from Theresa. John responded by softly sucking at the nipple he had been kissing. He repeated his message between sucks. "Huey Yu, tim tu wag up." Theresa smiled in her sleep. John forced his sore tongue to lick around the nipple and then shift sides so the other one *wouldn't get lonely*. Fat chance, as both of their nipples and their genitals were getting quite raw from the past week's usage. Theresa half giggled in a light sleep. John sighed. He finally mustered up the energy and began to lick his way down. He made a left turn at her navel and then followed along her left hip bone into the natural turnpike straight down to happy valley. He wasted no time with the scenic route as he zeroed in on her love button. Normally he would have taken his time approaching the area. Now he delved in without mercy and thrashed it from side to side with the tip of his tongue, diverting from this attack just long enough to take several long, slow, full lengthwise swipes at it. Theresa sat halfway up in an involuntary gasp of pleasure. "Hey you, it's time to wake up!" John repeated. (The calisthenics seemed to have loosened his tongue a bit.) Theresa grabbed him by the hair and held him there as her gasp subsided. John responded by providing her with another? then another?, continuing on mercilessly till her gasps turned into pleading screams. John tripped her over the edge with a final flurry of flicks from his ferocious tongue then sat back and slipped into a redneck vernacular and said: "*Yo! You awake yet bitch?*" Between sobbing gasps for air Theresa managed to say; "Yes... dear,... I... guess....so...... {gasp, sob}." John kind of chuckled to himself and said: "I was just kind of wondering... Just to give you some kind of warning that we *have* to leave sometime in the next couple of hours. If we don't, Cindy's gonna land in a strange city with nobody to meet her." It took about two more gasps for it to register on Theresa. Suddenly she gasped hard one last time and sat up saying "TWO HOURS! I've got to get ready!" She attempted to jump out of bed, but she couldn't stand very well, let alone walk. John grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms. She fought a bit, but realized finally that she was in no condition to rush. She settled back into his arms and pulled his head into a kiss. Her own aroma filled her nostrils. She quivered a bit involuntarily from the memory it triggered. He kissed her tenderly as he caressed her body back into a state that was capable of hurrying. The man was phenomenal! Theresa thought to herself. She felt the love rushes charging through her body. She was hooked solid. John held her long enough to reach the best compromise between sleep and excited once more. Then he guided her into the shower. He would have lots of time for his while she decided what she would wear. He walked nude into the kitchen and poured a mug of coffee, savoring the aroma from his mustache between sips. He poured and doctored one for Theresa -who had acquired a taste for it- and slipped it onto the counter in the bathroom. He sipped his own and again savored the aroma from his mustache as he admired the slim, firm body behind the glass. He set his down and went to join her. Two hours and *fifteen minutes* later they were scooting down the muddy road towards the main highway. The drive to Salt Lake City where they had booked Cindy to fly into, was far enough away that John easily made up the fifteen minutes once they made the highway. He opened up the Landcruiser and let it sail, not flat out as the engine modifications were still breaking in, but fast enough to make Theresa a little nervous. She rode with her fingers in the back of his hair. Her eyes mostly on him. Her thoughts were of him, as well as what her life was like before him. Every so often her thoughts would drift to Cindy. Would John change Cindy's life as much as he had hers? Did she *want* him to? Should she tell John about her and Cindy? An hour or so before John *roused* Theresa to consciousness, Cindy had silently slipped out of her house. Her few prized keepsakes and some clothes stuffed into a backpack. She had made her way as directed to the Western Union office where she received some traveling cash. She then caught a cab -her first ride- to the airport. She gave her name at the counter and received a pre-paid ticket. Half an hour later the plane boarded. Twenty minutes later she was in the air, leaving the city of her birth, bound for a destination she didn't know. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked out the window, but she trusted her friend. They had *too much* in common not to. The tears didn't last. A stewardess inquired over her needs, but Cindy just shook her head and looked out the window. John and Theresa pulled into the airport just about the time Cindy's plane set down. They parked in short term parking and the two of them walked up to the gate, passing easily through the metal detectors. John's knowledge of this particular airport saved them the hassle of a missed connection. They were standing by the side as Cindy walked off the plane, carrying her only bag. She spotted Theresa and rushed into her arms. The two just hugged each other for a long time. Tears streamed down both their cheeks. Finally Cindy pulled back to look at Theresa. "I didn't really believe it was true, until the moment I saw you. And Damn you're looking fine girl!" Cindy said. "Yeah, love does that." Theresa mused. "Love?" inquired Cindy, looking over at John. John stood to one side, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, love. Cindy I'd like you to meet my very good friend and mentor John." "Nice to meet you Cindy." John said, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you too." Cindy replied, but looking dubious. (Who the hell is this OLD MAN? she was thinking. Theresa had said he was *older*, but this old?) "Any luggage?" John inquired. "Just this." Cindy replied, proffering her backpack. John offered her his hand and Cindy reluctantly handed her backpack into his keeping. She kept an eye on him though, as she walked arm in arm with Theresa through the airport. John was doing his best *not* to keep an eye on Cindy. She was *too* cute. She was just sixteen, but had full firm breasts and a slim body accentuated with a very sexy widening of her hips. This didn't seem to affect the size of her backside, which seemed to be nigh on perfect. Her long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and breasts. She shook it back as she walked. Her face was adorable. John wondered how he was going to be able to live with her and Theresa wandering around the Silo. When they got to the car, John turned to Cindy and addressed her: "Originally I'd intended that you should be blindfolded. I don't really want to do that, and I doubt that you want it either. In exchange I will accept your word, that you will never reveal to another person the location of our home to which we are taking you." Cindy studied him for a minute. She still didn't trust him, even though he had made possible her escape from her own private hell. She distrusted his motives in doing so. Now he was offering to *trust her*. She looked to Theresa for guidance. She however was strangely distant, but she nodded to her. "OK" Cindy said. "I have your word?" John persisted. Cindy looked once more to Theresa. She could tell that they were both serious. She wondered what the outcome would be if she refused. She shivered a bit at the thought of being sent back. She took a deep breath and said: "You have my word, that I shall never reveal the location or existence of your home to another person." John looked at her a moment. He wasn't so sure that she understood how serious he thought the situation was. He explained: "Consider my point of view; you are a minor. No matter what bad situation you were in, I've just conspired for you to run away. Because of my age, and yours, the law would probably consider this an abduction. "My home is my dream. I value both my freedom and my happiness. I don't mind helping you out of a bad situation, but I do not wish to give up my home or my freedom as a result of that. Theresa has chosen to stay with me of her own free will. "You have absolute freedom to do as you please as well. Instead of accompanying us, if you wish I will give you some money and you are free to go your own way, without obligation to either myself or Theresa. Should you choose to accompany us however, all I ask is that you keep the location and existence of where we take you a secret. A *permanent* secret. Now do I have your word?" Cindy was quiet for a moment. His offer of money and freedom had changed her image of him considerably. Also the mention of Theresa's freely staying with him. She nodded her head and said solemnly: "Yes, you have my word." "Fine. Let's go." was all John said. Theresa climbed into the back with Cindy as there wasn't room for three up front. "Feel like something to eat? I do." John said. The other two nodded. They were already chatting away like the two teenagers that they were. The chatter made John feel decidedly old and wondering just how the hell he'd gotten into all this. As it would be a while before they got back to town, John made a stop at the grocery store for a supply of Cindy's preferred female products and a few extra items for the kitchen. This was different, thought Cindy. Nobody had ever *asked* her what brand of toilet paper or vegetables she preferred before. Chinese to go was a bit hard to eat on the road, so they got burgers & fries to stave off their immediate hunger and a large order of Chinese to go for when they got home. Cindy and Theresa hardly stopped their chatter the whole way. When John finally pulled onto the dirt road in the middle of nowhere, Cindy was a bit regretful she hadn't paid more attention to the landscape. Theresa now had a general idea where the silo was, but Cindy didn't have a clue where they were. Even with her promise, John had taken a long twisting path back that was more monotonous. By the time they had passed through the nearest city, it was well after dark. When John pulled into the razor wire fenced compound and drove up to the small structures Cindy wondered just what she had gotten herself into. When they descended into the silo however, she was amazed and lost in wonderment. The kitchen was the nicest she had ever seen, with every luxury device known to man. A trip down to her room further changed her feelings. It was lovely... but somehow lonely. It was roomier than her bedroom at home and much nicer furnished. There was a large supply of very nice clothing in the closets and drawers. Still, it seemed somehow more like a cell than a room. She finally put her finger on it when she realized there were no windows. Of course not, it was underground. She wondered idly if she would ever get to see the sun again. Theresa distracted her by dragging her on a tour of the rest of the Silo. John retired to the kitchen to re-heat the Chinese food. He knew that the girls needed time alone to talk. He *intended* to give them all the privacy they needed. Almost as soon as they were out of earshot Cindy blurted out: "So what the hell's the deal with John?" "What about him?" Theresa replied. "What about him?! Well first off, he's *OLD*!" Cindy exclaimed. "Not that old, he's forty three." "Forty three! You're only sixteen" "So? I love him." "Why?" "Why not?" "Well... I don't know. He's just so... *old*." Cindy replied. Theresa just chuckled, then said: "I thought so too, at the first. But he was such a dear gentleman I just fell for him head over heels. I guess it didn't hurt that he's rich, though." "How rich?" "Fourteen Million." Theresa replied absently. "Fourt.... did you say *MILLION*?" Theresa chuckled. "Yup." "Well... but he's still old." Theresa kept chuckling but said: "Look, I love the man. I'd love him even if he didn't have any money. He's an incredible lover too, and so gentle. He'd never hurt a soul. He's also the reason that you are here. You knew that before you came. So cut him some slack, will ya." "I'm sorry.... I guess I just didn't expect this." Cindy said. "What did you expect?" Theresa asked. "I don't know.. anything. As long as it was different." "This is about as different as it gets!" Theresa chuckled. "I can't argue with that." They both had a good laugh over that. Theresa showed Cindy the pool. She went nuts over it. "Can we go for a swim?" "Anytime, but lets eat dinner first. Come on, I'll show you our apartment. We stay there while we work on the rest of the place." "We?" "Yes, we. John is showing me how to do carpentry. I'm helping him, but I think I'm mostly in the way. He's a patient dear though." "You really *do* love him, don't you?" Cindy asked. "Yes. This is our bedroom, over there is the old kitchen and in there is the bath." Theresa said the last with a little smirk of a smile. She was remembering just before they'd left to retrieve Cindy. She turned to her friend, pulled her into her arms and said: "Now my sweet. Do you think that you'll like staying here?" "That depends..." Cindy said, reaching down to cup Theresa's ass cheeks. "And what would that depend on?" Theresa said as she descended to lightly kiss her friend. As she pulled back Cindy replied: "Why on this of course." and pulled Theresa back into a deeper kiss. This one lasted a long time. Finally Theresa pulled back and said: "Well?" "Yes, I think I'm gonna like it here. I might even develop a taste for *old men* myself." Cindy teased. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Theresa said, half joking. She hadn't really thought about Cindy and John. The concept was new to her. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. "Just teasing *lover*." Cindy said, but she wasn't really. She pulled Theresa back into another deep kiss to cover her thoughts. When they finally parted, Theresa said: "Come on, we'll have lots of time for this. Lets go eat." John had set the table and had all the food set out when they entered the kitchen. "Not so sure about this assistant deal. Two cooks and I end up doing the preparation." he teased. "Huh?" said Cindy, looking between them. Theresa explained: "Officially, I'm the cook. You are my assistant. I pay you out of my salary." "Pay me? What for?" "Cause your gonna help me keep this *old man* fed." Theresa chuckled, but her eyes were filled with love for John as she said it. "Lets eat." John said, ignoring the dig. Over dinner Cindy and John got better aquatinted. She found that he had a fast wit and a disarming manner. John was talking about his plans for the Silo. Theresa's hand strayed to John's on occasion, as if to establish her territory. This wasn't lost on Cindy. She didn't mind. She'd bide her time. "*Fourteen million*... and not *too* old" she thought to herself. After dinner Theresa jumped up to clean up. John stopped her saying that he'd finish as it only entailed loading the dishwasher and throwing the rest away. Theresa gave him a giant kiss for a thank you and said: "Cindy and I are gonna take a swim, Okay?" her eyes told him she meant *alone*. John chuckled, but took the hint. "Sure, I'm gonna go Net surfing. Come on up to the Com room when your done. And be careful, you just ate." Theresa kissed him again -again as thanks- and tugged Cindy by the hand towards the pool. As soon as they were out of sight her hand dropped to Cindy's ass. Cindy's hand found hers. They reached the pool and Theresa started to strip off her clothes. "No suits?" Cindy inquired. "What for? John won't bother us. He knows we're gonna swim in the nude. That's why he wouldn't bother us, because you're here." "All the more reason why he *would* bother us." Cindy said, sarcastically. "You don't know John." "No, I don't." Cindy said, stripping off her own clothes. "You will." Theresa replied, and dove in. Cindy looked after her and mumbled "That's for sure and the both of you together too." She watched Theresa's lithe body in the water and dove in after her. She came up under her and the giggling started. It hardly stopped for quite some time. Chapter 8 John was being considerably less honorable than Theresa gave him credit for. He was a little suspicious of Cindy. He didn't log onto the Internet. He fired up some circuitry that Theresa didn't know about. When John bought the silo he discovered that the government was far more paranoid than any individual. The entire silo was wired for both sound, and vision. There were camera's hidden in the walls, between pipes, under overhangs and anywhere else somebody could think of to put one. The road into the silo had sensors buried in it almost all the way back the thirty miles to the main road and there were personnel sensors surrounding the silo for three miles in all directions. John had reactivated some of the circuits before Theresa ever came along. He could tell if a car got within ten miles of the silo. He wasn't paranoid enough to bother with the personnel sensors that were buried in a perimeter around the place. If anybody wanted to walk across the desert to sneak up on him, then let them. John activated the internal surveillance cameras and scanned through the channels until he found the lower silo segments. He made a note of correct channels whenever he stumbled on one. Some of the camera's had actually been covered over by his construction. Others showed useless views. Several of the Camera's were actually below the water level of the pool. The cameras themselves were buried deep in the wall, with a fiber optic bundle leading to the surface of the Silo. A tiny dot was all that showed of them. The system must have cost a bloody fortune. The cost of repairing a bad camera was the only possible reason for the vast number of them. John had actually dug one out. It was a miniaturized miracle. Totally solid state with top quality CCD technology. They must have been updated and replaced just before the government sold the silo. Each unit could resolve well into the infrared region. John supposed that some of the mass of wiring he didn't know the use for led to infrared emitters mounted in the walls for illumination. He didn't need any of this as visible light illuminated every area he wished to view. He reached out and punched in a tape to the VCR, which recorded whatever he was looking at. John had the right channels picked out long before Theresa and Cindy arrived at the pool. He casually watched as Theresa stripped off her clothes. He noted with curiosity how Cindy watched Theresa as she disrobed. Feeling a little guilty, he watched *very* closely as Cindy stripped off her own clothes. He barely listened to their conversation. His gaze fixed on Cindy's sleek nude body. She was as lovelier than he'd imagined. Her breasts large and firm. Her nipples dark and erect. A dark triangle between the apex of her legs. Uncovered, her ass was easily as cute as he'd imagined it. When Theresa dove in. Cindy watched her a moment and dove in herself. She came up underneath Theresa. John flipped to an underwater camera and was greeted with the shock of his life as Cindy's head moved between Theresa's shapely legs. He watched in shocked amazement for the next hour. He had no idea that Theresa had those sort of leanings. He sat in rapt fascination as the two girls writhed together like mating snakes. Reversing now and then to please the other one. By the end of the hour he was drenched with sweat. He was fuming with anger and jealousy and fascinated beyond his control. He wanted to dominate Cindy, to make her beg for him. His desire for Theresa was somewhat diminished, but he would need her as a tool to control Cindy. The girls languished on the deck, their hair plastered to their heads like they were bald. They kissed and caressed each other playfully. When Theresa got on her knees before Cindy John switched off the monitor, but left the VCR running. He had seen enough. He was burning with *desire*, as well as anger. He shut down the lights in the Com room and headed for the apartment. He hardly noticed his erection as he walked. He poured himself a large Scotch and carried it into the shower with him. No temperature of water seemed to relieve him. He toweled off and climbed into bed. Theresa and Cindy didn't bother with clothes as Theresa walked her to her room. She tucked her in and kissed her tenderly. She was tempted to spend the night. Cindy didn't want to let her leave. Finally Theresa pulled herself away. She went up to the Com room to find John, but found it dark. While her session with Cindy had satisfied many hidden desires, it had only kindled others. She needed John bad! Theresa located him in their bed. She climbed in. John was seemingly asleep, but erect. She climbed aboard as she had the first time. John stirred in his sleep. The session became at once rough and passionate, just like Theresa wanted it to be. Both their orgasms came fast and hard. John hardly breathed an extra breath before he was asleep once more. Theresa barely noticed as she played her nails over his chest. She felt *completely* satisfied for the first time in her life. Cindy lay in her bed and thought about the day. Her session with Theresa had left her languid with endorphins. Her bed was soft and comfortable. She knew that the winter winds raged on the surface above the silo, but her room was warm and comfortable. She realized with a start that she felt safe for the first time in years. Nobody would be coming to her bed this night. She could sleep alone and safe. Tears rolled from her eyes. They were still flowing when she slipped away into sleep. Chapter 9 Theresa was the first person awake in the morning. She softly kissed John on the cheek and then slipped out of bed. She found a light satin robe and made her way to the bathroom. Seeing herself in the mirror, she smiled. She seemed to be glowing from within. Making her way to the apartment kitchen, she put on some coffee, knowing the aroma would rouse John. Then she made her way to Cindy's room to awaken her to make breakfast. Cindy felt a set of soft lips on her own and opened her eyes to Theresa's face pulling back. She smiled and pulled her friend into a hug. Theresa only put up a token fight until Cindy's advances became more *advanced*, then she jumped up and out of range. "Oh no you don't! Come on; *Assistant!* We've got breakfast to make." Theresa said. Cindy sat up and rubbed the sand from her eye's. The sheet slipped from her body and Theresa felt a desire to return and caress what she saw. Instead she told her she would be in the kitchen and to come up as fast as possible. Cindy watched Theresa exit, she shrugged and made her way to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and then started digging through the clothes in her room. She settled on an outfit that would turn the Pope's head. She had on white spandex shorts -with nothing under them- and a white knit tube top that hugged her topside as tight as the spandex hugged her buns. She finished off her outfit with a set of white jogging shoes. She dried her hair and brushed it out. When she showed up in the kitchen Theresa just stared at her for a minute. She didn't know who Cindy had dressed to tease, but it didn't matter; the effect would be universal. "Damn girl, you're dressed for bear! No need for that kind of ammo out here in the middle of nowhere." Theresa said, mockingly. "You must like it. You bought it for me." Cindy chuckled. "I didn't picture your wearing both those things together." Theresa chuckled. "Should I change?" "Not on my account and John may as well get used to you from the start.... Make some wheat toast and whatever kind you like. " Cindy jumped into the swing of making breakfast. Theresa did her best to *not* watch her. John awoke in an empty bed. He barely had his eye's open before the previous evening flashed through his memory. Oddly, he no longer felt much anger. The desire for Cindy had remained though. He remembered his session with Theresa when she had climbed in bed. He had rolled onto her the instant he became aware of her presence. He dominated her in a way that felt strangely satisfying. He was looking forward to doing the same thing with Cindy. He smelled coffee and this roused him out. He poured a cup and took it with him to the bathroom. John wandered into the kitchen with his coffee mug in his hand. His eyes popped out of his head when he saw Cindy. Theresa was just finishing up his eggs. He kissed her on the cheek, but his eyes followed Cindy around. Theresa didn't miss this fact. John commented to Theresa as she served him: "So, seems you're the last one dressed." "That's debatable" replied Theresa sarcastically, glaring at Cindy. She kissed him on his forehead and excused herself to go dress. There was an uncomfortable silence between John and Cindy. His eyes hardly left her body. "So, what are you going to do today?" John inquired, diving into his breakfast. "Don't know. What is there to do out here?" Cindy replied. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with him. "Oh, more than you would imagine. Theresa can give you the grand tour while I check my e-mail." "e-mail? What's that?" Cindy inquired. "Electronic Mail" John said and launched into an explanation. Cindy had no interest in what he was telling her, but she seemed to be rapt in fascination. Theresa started to pull on some panties, but was struck with an idea and pulled them back off. She routed around and found an identical outfit to Cindy's. If Cindy wanted to flaunt her wares, then Theresa was going to fight fire with fire. She found Cindy and John laughing like old friends at the table. Both John and Cindy noticed her outfit. "Damn, Theresa. *Twins*?" John said. "It just looked comfortable to me." Theresa replied. "Depends on for whom." John muttered to himself. He excused himself to check his e-mail and made his way to the Com room. He stalled at the door on the way out to drink in the sight as Cindy and Theresa started to clean up the dishes. When he got to the Com room he punched out the tape and replaced it. He punched up the kitchen channel in time to catch Cindy come up behind Theresa. She kissed her on the back of the neck as her hands moved around her and began to explore her front. Theresa moved back into Cindy's advance. She didn't fight it when Cindy's fingers traced over the spandex and between her legs. John watched, again in fascination. He got an idea. He ran a line from the Video to the frame grabber input on his computer. Then started programming. He needed to build a control interface to make it work, but that wasn't too tough with his previous design experience.. In the meantime he manually controlled the input. Theresa turned to Cindy and they kissed. Her own hands explored in return. Finally she pulled away. "Cindy, John might catch us!" she said. "So?" Cindy questioned. "So, I haven't told him anything about our relationship. I don't know how he's going to take it." "Maybe it's time he found out. You don't really expect to hide it too long do you?" "I don't know... Not yet. Let me break it to him in my own way." "It's not something you can break to somebody slowly. Either they can handle it, or they can't. But you're the *boss*. It's up to you. We'll do it your way. So what shall we do boss? John said you'd give me the grand tour." Cindy said, once more taking Theresa into her arms. Theresa giggled but fought away. "Not a bad idea. Lets do the Silo from the top down." "Okay" said Cindy, causally flipping her top down. She again approached Theresa, who chuckled and did the same. They merged their breasts as they kissed. John paused in his programming as he watched the girls. Then he returned to the task with renewed passion. He dug out some data books and then headed for the workshop, pausing long enough to kill the active monitor. John spent most the day running between the workshop and back to the Com room to punch up whichever channel the girls were on. Finally he had a functioning breadboard and he ran back to connect it. Together with his software it kept whichever channel the girls were on selected up for the video recorder. The frame grabber sampled each channel, did a coarse check sum on it and then stored the value. Whenever the girls moved into a new area their presence would shift the averaged value of the picture. The program simply selected whichever channels were different from their previous average within a certain tolerance. He set this to run in the background and then actually got around to checking his e-mail. He was about to trash the whole lot, mostly electronic junk mail, when one item caught his attention. A message from his brokers. It seemed that the next years allocation of funds had been deposited in his account. They were requesting instructions -if any- on what to do with it. John sat back and shivered. Damn, a whole year had passed. He reflected idly on how his life had changed in that little time. His Silo dream was now a reality and was well on it's way to completion. He glanced at the monitor and thought about how he had *two*, scantily clad, nubile females at his beck and call.... almost. He shook off the thought and dialed up some graphs of some stocks he had been following. He selected a couple and then composed a message to his brokers to split the sum up between the stocks and some mutual funds. No one price failure could seriously hurt him. He had paid close attention to his advisors; diversity was the answer. The thought took a different meaning when he glanced at the monitor. The girls were on the way into the Com room. John killed the monitor and checked for any tell- tails of his actions. There were none, except the bulge in his pants. The girls walked in and John feigned surprise. He did his best to watch Theresa most, but his eyes kept wandering back to Cindy. When the two of them bent over the satellite controls he felt the bulge in his pants growing. The spandex did nothing to hide which quarter inch of flesh was connected to which other one. Finally Theresa turned to him and came and sat in his lap. She noted the state of his pants and raised an eyebrow in question. "You two walk around dressed like that and this surprises you?" John whispered in her ear. She chuckled and kissed him deeply. She didn't miss that he had said: "*Two*". "Perhaps Cindy could rustle us up some lunch?" Theresa said, half commanding. Cindy chuckled and saluted smartly. Causing her breasts to jiggle. John noticed her headlights were on *High beam*. Almost the instant Cindy was out of the room Theresa dropped her top as before. "Lets do something about this problem of yours." she said, sinking to her knees. John closed his eyes in ecstasy, but his mind was on Cindy. Cindy purposefully took her time with lunch. She knew very well what Theresa was up to. That was fine with her. She was willing to bide her time. She'd noticed what John was looking at whenever she was around. John and Theresa joined her in the kitchen after a rather longer time than Cindy expected. After lunch John said he was going to take a swim. "Mind if we join you?" Cindy asked. "No, not at all." John replied. "You two go ahead, I'm gonna take a nap." Theresa said. She gave John a quick deep kiss. His eyes questioned her. She glanced at Cindy and nodded her OK. John raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. Theresa wandered off. "I'll join you later" Cindy said, and followed Theresa. John shrugged again and headed for the pool. "So what gives?" Cindy asked Theresa when she found her in the bedroom.. "About what?" she asked innocently. "You know, about you taking a nap and I swimming with John." Theresa sighed heavily before answering: "Look, I know what you had in mind. I'm not stupid. I also saw what John was looking at whenever you were around." "I don't know what you mean." Cindy said. "The fuck you don't!" Theresa snapped. "So if you're worried about it, why would you want to leave us alone?" "To get it over with. May as well be now, as later." Theresa said, somewhat angrily.. "Your choice, babe. You don't want me to, I won't." Theresa looked at her friend for a while, then stared at the floor. Glancing back to her friend every now and then. Finally she said: "You really would hold off?" "If you really want me to. He's your man, not mine." Theresa pulled her friend into her lap and kissed her softly. "No, you go ahead. Maybe it is best to get it over with." "I don't want it to be this way!" Cindy cried. "Just how do you want it?" Theresa asked, tentatively. Now Cindy was quiet. She buried her head in Theresa's hair. Finally she replied; "I want... both of you." Theresa studied her friend while she thought about it. "I guess I want that too. It just didn't occur to me that that meant you and him together as well." She pulled Cindy back into a great hug. Then she kissed her and said: "Well, you better get on with it. Come wake me later." Cindy said: "Look babe, I want both of you. But not at the cost of our friendship." Theresa found tears welling up in her eyes. She hugged her friend fiercely. "That's not in danger, I guess. NO, you go ahead. I'll be fine." "I don't think you will. I'm gonna go swimming with him, but that's all." Theresa hugged her friend some more. "Whatever you think is best." she said. "I think you're the best! Without you my life would be shit." "You would have found a way out." Theresa said. "Maybe, but not as quick. Now are you going to come with me, or do I have to drag you?" Cindy asked. "No, you go ahead." Cindy looked at her friend and then bent over. She grabbed Theresa and threw her over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. She could barely walk. Theresa was giggling and fighting her, which didn't make it any easier. "Okay, okay. Just put me down!" Theresa giggled. Cindy gratefully complied. They shared a hug and kiss and then headed off hand in hand towards the pool. John was floating on his back, nude when the two girls entered. They looked at him and then each other. Then both stripped off their clothes without comment. "Change your mind?" John inquired of Theresa. "Cindy changed it for me." Theresa said. John shrugged and watched the two nude girls. Both jumped in. Cindy swam to the other end of the pool and Theresa swam up to John. He raised an eyebrow in concern. She shook her head and moved against his body. She kissed him deep enough to start the arousal process. John inclined his head towards Cindy as he pushed her back. Theresa giggled and shrugged her shoulders. John looked back and forth between the two, wondering what to do. Theresa solved his dilemma by dunking her head beneath the water. She stayed down for a long time. John looked longingly at Cindy before he closed his eyes to the inevitable. Cindy watched. John was better hung than she'd expected. He responded like a much younger man as well. She swam to the ladder and climbed out slowly, knowing his eyes were on her. She turned and matched his gaze frankly. He smiled and then turned his attention to Theresa. Cindy sat on the edge of the platform and watched the whole thing. Afterwards the three of them lounged around the pool in chaise chairs. "So, what do you think of my lover?" Theresa asked Cindy. "Pretty impressive performance, especially with an audience." Cindy remarked. "Figured you better get used to it. We usually run around here wearing just the minimum." "So how do I fit into this?" Cindy asked. Theresa looked at John with concern and said: "I guess that's up to you." John could tell he was cornered. He pulled Theresa into an embrace and kissed her tenderly. "No" he said, "it's up to YOU. You have squatters rights if nothing else." "Are you telling me you don't have a preference?" Theresa demanded. "Of course I have a preference. That preference is to exist in peace. I didn't choose any of this........ I love you. That's my main interest. I also think Cindy is cute. I think *you do too*. How you* two* work out the dilemma you* two* have created is up to *you*. Just let *me* know what you decide." With that said, John stood up and walked out. Cindy and Theresa were silent for a long time. "Look, I don't want to come between you.... but it seems that John already has an inkling about us two." "It would seem so." "He seems to have dumped it into your lap." "*Our* lap." Theresa said. "No, *Yours*. Squatters rights, remember." Theresa studied her friend for a little while. Tears formed in her eyes. "Damnit! I love you both!" she cried. "So... what's the problem then?" Cindy asked, moving to her friend. Theresa was quiet and yielding in her friends arms. "So what is the problem?" she was asking herself. She felt Cindy's body next to hers and sighed. "No problem, I guess." "So how do you want to go about letting him know?" "Let me think about it for a few days." "You're the boss." Cindy said. She slipped her hand into a place where most employees were very unlikely to touch their boss. Theresa yielded to her friend without comment. Later in bed Theresa discovered John's attitude about the days events. "Just what the hell was all that about today?" John asked. "All what?" Theresa replied as innocently as possible. "You know damn well what. Cornering me into making love to you in front of Cindy, that's what!" "Cornering you? I just thought you didn't mind she was there." "Bullshit, you did it on purpose." "Why would I do that?" John sighed..... "To establish your territory." "My what?" "Look Theresa, You downright begged me to have Cindy here. But now you're panicked because you're afraid I'll like her more than you. You want me to show my gallant side and say I'm not interested in her at all... "But I've never lied to you before and I won't start now. I *am* interested in Cindy. "Men have always been a bit polygamist in nature. Every time man gets a chance to, he's always ended up with more than one mate. In nature this is more standard than monogamy. The alpha male rules the roost. The big buck guides the herd. "You've got a compound dilemma; *you* also want Cindy. Add to this that you don't exactly know whom you're jealous of. You want me all to yourself and Cindy *too*. Yet, you don't want Cindy and I together. Why? "Both of you are here temporarily. You knew this. Having Cindy here hasn't changed that one day either way. Perhaps it lengthened it, as the length of your stay depends on your happiness. *I* made certain that wouldn't last when I had my tubes snicked. No baby is going to play a part in that decision..... "Actually it probably will; by insuring that I couldn't father a child I also insured that you'd probably move on eventually. "You are young and so is Cindy. I fully expect both of you to get tired of living in the middle of nowhere with a grumpy old man. "In the mean time whichever way we can all get along best is what *I* want. If you don't want Cindy and I involved with each other, then maybe her being here is a bad idea. But now we're sort of responsible for her. I can give her a start, money wise, that's not the problem. No emotional support would be the problem if you ousted her." John said. Tears had begun to well up in Theresa's eyes almost from the instant John started talking. "You don't love me!" she cried. "Yes I do, but you're confusing love with physical attraction. Somehow you got the impression that one precluded the other. That's just not so. Do you love me? Of course. Don't you also feel an attraction to Cindy?" "What do you mean?" Theresa cried. (Had John been spying?) "You can drop the innocent act, babe. I've been eating pussy since I was your age. It has a very distinctive aroma. When you have a little love fest with Cindy and then come plant a big sloppy kiss on me, I may as well have been there myself. You and Cindy made it the first night she was here. I have no doubt of it." Theresa was crying hard. She half shivered with fear. "So what are you going to do?" "That's the question I asked you?" "But what about Cindy and I?' "What about it?" "You don't mind?" "At first I was furious. But not because of your relationship, rather because you didn't tell me about it. You and Cindy didn't *just* get together when she arrived here. Your relationship has been ongoing. You never mentioned a word about that to me. But it could affect *our* relationship seriously. That pissed me off. "I don't really care about the relationship itself. It's society's rules that are opposed to that. I don't care much for society's rules. That's one reason why I chose to live in the middle of nowhere when I could have lived almost anywhere I wanted. Besides that is the fact that it's none of my business." "What do you mean, not your business?" "Why would it be? You knew her before you met me. You've shared things I will never understand. You have lots in common; your ages, your family situations. Why would I have anything to say about what your relationship is with her?" "I don't understand you! You say you love me, but say it doesn't matter if I love another. You say you love me and say you're attracted to Cindy." "No, You don't understand me. You also don't understand yourself at this point. You haven't figured out that there can be more than one love in your life; *at the same time!* "You've been programmed with this *one true love, white house with picket fence, 2.3 kids and a dog* image since you were old enough to understand pictures on the television. Everyday in your life you were surrounded by people telling you that was the way it had to be. That was the way it was best. "But if you'd look, the fact is that you were really surrounded by examples of how this *wasn't* always the best; your divorced parents; your abuse at your stepfather's hands; Cindy's similar situation. It doesn't surprise me a bit that you and Cindy got together. It may have surprised me more if you hadn't. You both sought a comfortable place where you were understood. You found it in each other. "You are fighting your own feelings because of some bullshit set of rules you didn't sign up for. You didn't create them, not even your parents created them. They are just held over by social momentum, the product of century's of people bending their actions to conform with an image of how *other* people thought *they* should live. "I don't buy those rules. I didn't sign up for them either. Whatever relationship I choose to have with anybody else is none of society's business. Whatever relationship you choose to have with anybody else is none of my damn business. However, you placing me in the middle of your conflicting feelings and expecting me to decide for you, is my business. The dilemma is yours, not mine. The decision is yours, not mine. I will not make the decision for you. You're going to have to figure out for yourself what *You* want to do." Theresa was too confused to respond. She snuggled to John without talking, sobbing occasionally. Eventually she drifted off to sleep. John let her simmer, Cindy too. Hardly a word was spoken by either to John about the question of relationships. Each acted like the question had never come up. They went about their cooking tasks with cool efficiency. Over this time John let the automatics he had developed track and record the girls. He noted from the computer log that they paired about once or twice a day, but he didn't listen to any of their conversations or watch the tapes. The girls did however continue their competition in the clothing department. The spandex shorts and tube tops became almost the most modest thing they wore. Sometimes they even appeared topless, acting like it was perfectly natural, which it was. John neither paid undo attention nor ignored this -as if he could have-. He looked openly at either of them whenever they were around. Theresa didn't seem to be doing anything to hide her relationship with Cindy. If anything she sort of started to flaunt it. She seemed to seek out John wherever he was and kiss him after a session with Cindy. John accepted this without comment, but never failed to recognize the aroma. Theresa did however stop initiating sex at night. This was okay with John. He held her gently when she snuggled to him. Basically he just bided his time. When they weren't cooking -or pairing- the girls watched TV or swam. They even investigated the library and read some. Chapter 10 One day several weeks later a soft gong sounded throughout the silo. The girls were alarmed, not knowing what it was. They met John heading for the elevator, wrapping a robe around himself from the shower. He was grinning from ear to ear. "What the hell's that?" cried Theresa in alarm. "That means it's time to make some money!" John exclaimed. He didn't explain any further as the three of them rode the elevator to the Com room. John turned on the computer monitor and called up his stock market screen. The NASDAQ had taken a sudden liking to some Internet stocks John had selected. The gong was an alarm he had set to notify him in case of a certain change. He grinned from ear to ear at the change in the graph. He called up some comparison graphs and then typed out a message to his broker. *Sell this now, re-buy it after the other profit takers drove the price down. Sell this other and buy this other instead.* When he finished he sat back grinning. The girls looked at him expectantly. He said nothing. "So what the hell was that all about?" Theresa demanded. "I told you. I was making money." "I thought you had money." "I do. The best way to keep it is to make more." "So how much did you just make?" John picked up a hand calculator and poked in a bunch of numbers. When he finished he looked up and announced: "about another hundred thousand." Both girls stood there with their mouths open. "A hundred thousand dollars?" Theresa exclaimed. John nodded. "What for? In how much time?" "In a couple of weeks. Just after Cindy arrived. I got my next years allocation and invested it. The stocks went up a lot and I sold some off. I'll buy them back when they're cheaper." "So.. for just letting your money sit, you made a hundred thousand dollars?" Cindy remarked sarcastically. John looked at her a moment before replying: "No. I *risked* over a quarter of a million dollars of *my* money in an investment of my choice. I chose wisely and was rewarded with a larger return than I expected. Had the market gone the other way the last two weeks by just the same amount, I would have *lost* one hundred thousand dollars." Cindy seemed to think about this a bit. Then asked: "Could you teach me to do that?" "And me!" Theresa jumped in. "I can teach you the basics. You'll have to do the work after that. You'll also have to risk your *own* money. But you can play with imaginary money till you feel confident enough to risk it." "Will you teach us?" Cindy asked more solemnly. "Be glad to." John smiled. For the next month John spent an hour a day with the two of them in the Com room going over each business days stock trends. Otherwise John spent his time working on the Silo. Theresa had initiated sex once since his lecture. She was like a hungry animal. John returned measure for measure. Theresa took to bringing him snacks and cups of coffee at the oddest times. By now neither girl bothered wearing a top -except when cooking bacon-. The shorts alternated between spandex and terry cloth, but always tight. John stayed with warm-ups or shorts, T-shirts and sandals or tennis shoes. When he swam, it was nude. He slept the same way. The girls seemed to be getting restless. They swam more and made several short trips outside, short, as winter storms had left a covering of several feet of snow on the landscape. John knew this from his sensors and cameras, but he let the girls find out for themselves. He could tell that they were getting *Cabin fever*. But there didn't seem to be much John could do about it. The road had just too much snow on it to chance the 'Cruiser. He only had one snowmobile, which would have carried two of them to the main road, but then the problem of getting to town still existed. A note from his brokers to spend more or give it to the government spurned John into action. He contacted his brokers, some contractors and a bunch of retailers. He spent several days surfing the Internet in search of what he wanted. Then proceeded to spend a large chunk of change. Not he least of it was the logistics of shipping. He arraigned with a helicopter service to have his purchases delivered to them. After all the crates arrived, they loaded up and called him. John told the girls he was going to do some work outside. They offered to help, but he declined, saying he would need their help later. He met the helicopter on the ready made pad of the Silo roof. (He had to shovel the snow off it first.) It took several trips for the copter to complete the delivery. The pilot wondered about the equipment delivery to the middle of nowhere and John's safety. But the existing structures looked sturdy and warm enough. After the copter pulled away for the last time John summoned the girls to help him. The girls were excited over the crates, but John wouldn't tell them anything until they had lowered the ones John designated down to the utility level. Then he made them leave him and the crates alone. They persisted, so did he. Uncharacteristically he locked the utility level and the exit door. The girls couldn't get at any of the crates even when he was asleep (they tried and got angry he didn't trust them.) Each morning after breakfast John went off by himself, locking the doors behind him. Theresa and Cindy responded by keeping to themselves. Theresa even took to sleeping in Cindy's room. John didn't *seem* to notice. "What the hell is he up to?" Theresa wondered aloud one afternoon. Cindy reclined on the bed, nude, reading a book. "You know about boys and their toys." She replied without looking up. Theresa looked down at her and continued looking for a long time. Cindy looked up, raising a questioning eyebrow over Theresa's gaze. Theresa met her gaze and then dropped her own. "What's wrong?" Cindy asked. Theresa was quiet a moment before she answered. "I've been thinking." "Oh, oh." giggled Cindy, "About what?" "About us." "What about us?" "No, not us, you and I. About *Us*; You and I and John." Cindy put her book down and said: "Oh.. and what have you been thinking about *Us*?" "What both of you said." "We both said something?" "Yes, almost the same thing." "What was that?" "That neither of you could see a problem." Cindy shook her head as if to clear it. "Will you make sense! What the hell are you talking about?" "About you and John being together!" Theresa shouted. "We haven't been!" Cindy replied softly. "I know.. but you both *want* to be." "I won't deny it." Cindy said. "He doesn't either... I love you both, I want to be with you both. Why does it bother me that you two also want to be with each other?" "So why does it?" "I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to lose him to you. But if I don't, I might lose you both." Theresa cried. "You're not making much sense. Why would you lose either of us, no matter what happened between John and I?" "I don't know. I guess I was just raised to think that way. Like John said; I'm programmed to it." "Oh.. I don't know if that's the case. I was subject to the same *programming* you were. I don't feel that way. I think you just want it all for yourself." Theresa looked sharply at her. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm grateful to you. I don't mean you're being stingy with... anything. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I know that. But you invited me here. You should have realized that I would feel something for John and he for me. It's natural for any two people who spend time close to each other." "That's what John said too... Maybe you're both right. But it still bothers me." Cindy reached out a hand and pulled Theresa to her. Theresa was receptive but distant. "Okay, love. What is it about it that bothers you?" "I don't know." "Oh, come on. Think about it. Would you care if we kissed?" Theresa thought about it for a moment and replied: "Well, no. I guess not." "So would it bother you if he touched these?" Cindy said as she drew Theresa's hands to her breasts. Theresa felt the soft skin under her fingers and the firmness beneath and replied. "Well, no. I guess not." Cindy got a mischievous look in her eye. Theresa wasn't quite fast enough to stop her. "How 'bout if he did this?" she said as she tickled Theresa sides. "NO!" Theresa giggled, pushing her hands away. "In fact I'd rather he did that to you than me!" "So, has his *thing* got a warranty on it. It wears out if he uses it too much." Theresa giggled. "No. Of course not. In fact it seems to work better the more he uses it." she concluded absently. "So you're afraid that *mine* will wear out then?" Again Theresa giggled, but added softly "No... no more than mine." "So what's the problem then?" Cindy asked softly. "I.... I don't know... maybe there isn't one. It just takes some getting used to the idea." "Take your time love. I'm in no hurry." Cindy said, pulling her friend into a soft kiss. Theresa melted into it and abandoned herself. The next morning John awoke them early. He was wearing a white beard. "Merry Christmas!" he hollered. "What, What?" Cindy asked groggily. "Christmas?" Theresa asked confused. "Don't you two even know what day it is?" John laughed. The two girls pulled on their shorts and John tugged them by the hands. "Just a minute, I've *got* to go!" Theresa protested. "Me too!" Cindy said, breaking away. "Well, 'maker snappy!" John barked, laughing. The two girls ran to the bathroom. Theresa beat Cindy who danced around till she was done. Both relieved they headed up the elevator with John. John had things all laid out all around a small tree. There was way too much to fit under it. Each girl got her own top of the line computer. There were clothes for everybody. There were aerobics machines and a tread mill and a complete weight machine. The girls abandoned themselves to trying on clothes. Stripping off their shorts and pulling on outfit after outfit. Oblivious to John's presence. There was sexy lingerie for each of them, and dresses and pants suits. There were complete spandex jump suits. The girls went nuts over them. When they opened the packages with the snowmobile suits in them though they looked up confused. John giggled. He had them put on skirts and sweaters over their jumpsuits and then put on the snowmobile suits. Next he pulled out boxes with cold weather boots, stockings, gloves and goggles. The girls protested but John was insistent. He donned his own clothes and cold wear. Then led them outside. Squinting in the bright sun reflected off the pearl snow the girls noticed that there were *three* snowmobiles lined up in a row. The girls jumped up and down and kissed John on the cheek. John climbed on each and started it. He showed the girls how to work the controls. After a few practice turns around close to the Silo, John led them out the gate and down the snow covered road. They each wore a helmet. The girls discovered the purpose of the wire leading from them when John's voice sounded in their ears. He made the error of telling them how to work the controls to talk. He hardly had a silent moment all the way down the road. As they approached the paved road there were some short dirt berms through which the silo road switch backed. Just out of sight from the main road there was a small shed structure that was new. No snow clung to it. A combination lock on the door opened to John's first attempt. "What the hell is this? This wasn't here?" "Had it built?" "When?" "Last week." "How?" "By phone." "But how? I thought you just owned the land around the silo." "Bought the land. Found out there was a small lot here that some guy owned. Made him an offer he didn't refuse." "But why?" John grinned as he opened the door. Inside was a twin Landcruiser to the one back at the Silo." "So we can go to town... for lunch." "But it's Christmas! Everything will be closed." "Not everything. Come on. After I pull out, pull in your snowmobiles." The girls complied. Theresa jumped off hers and onto John's and pulled it in as well. They left their helmets and snowmobile outfits in the shed in a wardrobe. The girls found fancy winter coats inside. There was one for John as well as dress boots for each of them. "How the hell did you get our sizes?" Cindy mumbled, pulling on her boots. "That was the tough part. Had to measure your footprints after you got out of the pool before they dried." "You sneaky, lovable jerk!" Theresa exclaimed. She threw her arms around him and gave him a giant kiss. She didn't bat an eye when Cindy did the same. John locked up and they headed into town. Along the way they listened to a multi disc CD player loaded with the latest music. John tolerated it, the girls loved it. He explained just before they got to town: "Now behave yourselves. These people think that I'm showing up with my *daughters*." "*Daughters*?" Cindy asked. "Oh thank you Daddy, will you spank me later? I've been *so bad*!" Theresa mocked. "Yes you have, not a bad idea! But no joking around these folks. Unless you want to get sent back home." Both girls sobered and nodded. They drove up to a deserted restaurant. John knocked on the door and a moment later it opened. "You John?" "Yup." "Come on in. Nice looking kids." the older man said. "Yeah, they keep me busy." "I can imagine." the man said knowingly. "Well, your lunch is just about ready, glad you're prompt. I've got a family of my own to get back to." "Well, we won't keep you long." "Oh, stay as long as you want. You paid me well enough... can't figure out why though." "We don't get to town very often." John concluded. The man seated them at the only table that was set up. Warm bread, breadsticks and dip waited them. Shortly afterwards steaming coffee and hot chocolate were brought to the table. Afterwards Salads, spaghetti and linguine showed up at just the right moment. The food was outstanding. Everybody ate their fill and then some. The girls laughed and joked with each other and John as they ate. Finally John ordered a Frangelico coffee. The girls sipped Pepsi's while they waited for him. As they were about to leave the owner carried out a large cooler unit. "This should keep things as well as possible for you till dinner. You watch them claws!" the man said. "Thanks" John said. "No, thank you Sir. You've made my Christmas for me." "Thank you anyway. Merry Christmas to you." The girls wished the man Merry Christmas as well. John carried the cooler out and put it in the back of the second 'Cruiser. The girls regretfully climbed back in. The man came running out and handed them a big bag full of hot French bread and breadsticks. They thanked him again. John took a drive around town just to show the girls that it really was closed down for the day. It wasn't that big of a town anyway. The girls noted a few shops they would have liked to investigate. Finally they headed back out of town. On the way back Theresa sat up front and Cindy in back just behind John. Theresa's hand rested on his collar like their first trip to town. She reached back and intertwined her fingers with Cindy's. She smiled at her and nodded. Cindy grinned fiercely and nodded back. John never had a clue as to what had just transpired. When they got back to the dirt road John opened up the shed and started the machines. With the girls help he backed them out of the shed and then parked the second 'Cruiser. They changed back into their winter togs and John loaded the cooler on the back of his machine and tied it down. Theresa found a cargo net and insisted on taking the sack the man had brought out to them. John lowered the temperature controls in the shack so that the 'Cruiser. wouldn't freeze, but that was all the heat that would be needed. A dipstick heater supplemented it as well as a trickle charger for the battery. They started back to the silo. John kept to the outgoing trail, as he had the cooler on his machine, but Cindy and Theresa began to test their new skills and jumped hillocks and drifts of snow. John cautioned them against getting to rowdy, as it was still a long way back, but they mostly ignored him and he let them have their fun. Cindy did a flip over the windscreen and buried herself and her machine in a deep snowdrift, it brought them to their senses. John and Theresa dug her and her machine out and they traveled the rest of the way back without incident. They unloaded and put the snowmobiles away. John hauled the cooler to the kitchen. He wouldn't let the girls in, telling them to go take a swim. They shivered and instead hauled their clothes to their respective rooms. John called them for dinner in a half hour. The girls discovered the contents of the cooler. Prime rib roast, now heated to perfection and lobsters just coming out of the pot. Theresa sliced and heated some fresh bread and John pulled out several bottles of Wine. Dinner was outstanding. Both girls had stripped down to their jumpsuits. The zippers were low, leaving their assets half covered. Theresa and John showed Cindy how to drink wine. They all got a little tipsy. John insisted on cleaning up, chasing the girls off to the hot tub. Theresa gave him a big hug and deep kiss before backing off. Cindy followed suit. Theresa watched with *apparent* detachment. They went off hand in hand as John cleaned up. He found them in the hot tub, kissing. "Mind if I join you?" he asked. Theresa looked exasperated and said: "I'll be pissed off if you don't!" John shrugged and stripped off his clothes. He climbed into the tub and Theresa moved into his arms. She kissed him deeply and then reached out her arm to Cindy. Cindy asked: "You sure?" Theresa nodded and got *that* exasperated look once more. Cindy shrugged and moved into the circle of her and John's arms. Theresa kissed her deeply and then John once more. Then she pulled back and kind of pushed the two of them together. She only trembled a bit as they kissed deeply, but briefly. Afterwards things seemed to loosen up a bit. Theresa moved behind Cindy and rubbed her body against her backside as she reached around to cup her breasts. John moved in on the front side. His growing erection slid between Cindy's legs as they kissed. Theresa lowered herself and moved between them. She moved back and forth between the two of them administering well placed licks. When John (and Cindy) were well prepared she guided him into her. Their union seemed to melt away any lingering trepidation Theresa felt. She was suddenly all over both of them. John moved up out of the tub and the two girls jointly licked him back to readiness. Theresa moved to impale herself as John guided Cindy over his head. The two girls were breast to breast and eye to eye when their mutual orgasm sealed John's future fate. It was the first of many that night. The three of them moved off to John's bed arm in arm, kissing all the way. They didn't bother with towels, leaving tracks the whole way. They fell arm in arm into the bed. "What a fool I've been" Theresa cried. John and Cindy didn't let her get another word out as they moved to reassure her. They hardly got out of bed except to eat over the next week. The girls dressed to the nines for New Years Eve. The clothing didn't last long. Chapter 11 Cindy basically moved in with them. John insisted on keeping the bedroom available should one of them including him- wish privacy. He set up their computers for them in the Com room. He brought out another one of his own and set it up. Four top of the line units now crowded onto the long counter. The girls remained persistent in their stock tracing. When they thought they were ready John set up an actual account for them with his broker. He didn't tell them he had made a fairly large deposit to cover them if the need should arise. It wasn't needed. John kept the video recorders running for some reason he couldn't define, but now any activity they recorded would likely include himself. He had purchased extra equipment so that the girls never knew what was going on back in the closet when one machine ran out of tape and the computer automatically switched to another machine. John modified the program to recognize sleep activity and to do reduced sampling to save tape. Still, he was using a minimum of two tapes a day and usually three. These he coded and stored in a locked closet off the Com room. The girls took to wearing random outfits. It wasn't unusual for one to walk around at lunch in lingerie, or at dinner wearing only tennis shoes. Some times they would dress up fancy with make up and all, only to seduce each other and peel it all off again. John did his best to keep a normal diurnal schedule. He spent the majority of his *free* time working on the master bedroom. The girls cabin fever seemed to have faded with the change in relationships. John asked about another trip to town but the girls both shrugged and said: "Maybe later". They kept John well fed and exercised. One day Cindy said to Theresa : "I'm kind of worried one of us is going to get pregnant!" Theresa started giggling. "What's so funny?" "If you were planning on it, you better change your plans. John got his tubes cut before you ever got here." "A vasectomy?" "Yup!" Theresa giggled. "Shit!" Cindy said. Theresa looked at her startled.... and then busted out laughing. A moment later Cindy did the same. John did his best to stay out of the middle of any intrigues. Which wasn't an easy thing to do with two teenage girls hatching various plots almost daily. If anything the clothes parade would have seemed almost comical if they hadn't been so damn seductive. Despite the girls *help* he managed to finish the master bedroom. The girls actually did help when it came time to move in. From the time the relationships changed, he had changed the design so that there were *three* large closets. It cut down a bit on space, but the bedroom was really huge to start with; occupying a whole floor with the exception of the master bath. The hardest part had been routing the plumbing in a manner that would remain trouble free, yet efficient. The bedroom was *still* huge. Even so it barely seemed large enough to John with Theresa and Cindy sleeping there. The bed was the biggest Water bed John could find; a California King. The first night in residence the girls tested the limits of the seams, not to mention John's limits. John solved the problem of where to put the exercise equipment by moving the new equipment into the old apartment. It was perfect for it really, with it's own shower and hot tub. The kitchen was a bit much, but was nice to have there to keep orange juice and such cold. John turned the girls loose to finish a floor of their own. He had other projects in mind. "I'm not ready!" Theresa protested. "Then ask about what you don't understand how to do." John replied simply. The girls jumped in with both feet. They spent a great deal of time examining other floors and deciding how to do things, but that was okay with John. He stopped by from time to time just in case. After the structural materials were in place, the worse they could do, would be cosmetic damage, or damage to themselves. John had patiently instructed both of them how to safely use power tools. (Emphasising the distance to a hospital and the hassles a trip to one would involve.) In the meantime John took to converting half the top floor to a solarium observatory. The stars were really quite stunning out there in the desert, away from city lights. But it was cold and windy as well. John built a rotatable frame which held clear Lexan panes. The roof could be retracted half way to let in the sunlight or stars, yet still retain the heat inside. John had purchased a pair of heavy duty winches which now served the purpose of moving the roof. He had figured out one of the secrets of happiness; stay busy! He applied this to both himself, and the girls. Each time they would complete one project, John always had another waiting for them to do. The girls put up token resistance to this, branding John as a slave driver. Even so, within an hour or two they would be hard at work on the new task laughing and joking with each other as they worked. John completed the tracking mirror assembly which brought sunlight onto any level. This contributed a lot to the girls having a more jovial nature. John couldn't have been happier himself; Theresa seemed to have taken to the broader relationships very well. She didn't even make jesting protests. It was as if it had always been so. John didn't push his luck though, he made certain that he paid just a bit more attention to Theresa than he did to Cindy. His influence on the girls was probably good as their vocabularies picked up a bit, but he was getting concerned over their long term education. Neither had graduated High School. He approached them on the subject. "School? What the hell for?" was their mutual reaction. "So you won't be considered ignorant and unemployable when you decide to leave me." "We're not leaving are we?" "Someday. I have no doubt of it. As it stands now neither of you has even a high school diploma. You won't be able to get a job at a Burger King without one." "I don't want to work at Burger King anyway." chuckled Cindy. "Not the point. Lets say that somehow the feds got wind of my little underage harem in the desert. They send me away to a hole darker and deeper than this and seize my assets. You two either go back to your families, such as they are, or hit the streets on your own. Now do you want to go home or starve?" "Neither, but I get your point." Theresa muttered. "I do too... but how would they find out about us?" "They probably won't, but what if the helicopter pilot sits down in that restaurant where we had dinner, with the mechanics who did the 'cruisers and the lady from Victoria's secret. They get talking about weird deliveries, expensive toys and perverts, then I could become a love toy for two weight lifters with self applied tattoos." "That's not going to happen." Theresa said. "Probably not, but it could. The information is out there. If the right people ever start to compare notes, I'm toast!" "Can we butter you?" giggled Cindy. "Maybe later.... In the mean time I'm serious." "I was just joking." moped Cindy. "So how do you plan to send us to school. You can't very well walk up to the school registrar and say; I found this girl on the road and abducted the other one. I'd like to register them for school. Besides it's a bit far to walk." said Theresa. "He didn't abduct me, I ran away!" quipped Cindy. "In the eye's of the law; I'm Godzilla and you're Bambi's mother. But you don't have to go to *the* school, just to *a* school." John said. "I don't follow." "Me neither." John smiled six yards wide. "Simple. I obtain the material you need to learn from the Internet. You study it and take your GED tests. By the time you're ready to take the test, you will be eighteen and legal to do whatever or live anywhere you want." "I was sorta glad to be away from school work." Theresa moped. "Me too." Cindy said, "But it won't be as bad as going to regular school. We can study here." "As an extra incentive, I intend to present each of you with a little graduation present when you get your GED certificates." Both girls interest was peaked. "What?" they queried. "Matching Land Cruisers." "But neither of us can drive!" "A situation I intend to remedy this coming summer when the road dries out. We've got thirty miles of safe road to practice on." "You're going to teach us to drive?" Theresa gasped. "Sure." "And if we get our GED's you'll give us our own Landcruiser?" "You got it!" "OK!" Cindy said, jumping up and hugging John. "Count me in too!" Theresa said, moving into the huddle. They didn't let up after a quick hug. John mused that it was getting so any little event of excitement led to an orgy. He was smart enough not to complain. Chapter 12 John was nowhere to be found. Theresa searched everywhere for him. Starting in the exercise room, and moving to the pool and the Com room. Cindy looked up from her studies in the library "Haven't seen him in quite a while." He wasn't in the workshop. She considered checking each maintenance stop on the outside elevator when she heard muffled music coming from above. She finally located him reclining in the dark in the solarium listening to classical music while he looked up at the incredible star field visible from the middle of the desert. It had never occurred to the girls that the solarium was useful at any time other than daytime, when they peeled off what little they normally wore and soaked up some rays. (John was mildly worried a pilot would fly over and get a coronary from the two nude nymphs under glass in the apparent shallow pit in the desert.) "What are you doing in the dark?" Theresa asked, flipping on the light. John suddenly squinted and covered his eyes. "I WAS looking at the stars, but now you've ruined my night vision." "Oops, Sorry." Theresa said, turning the light back off. "Too late now. What do you need?" "Nothing, I was just curious where you were. But diner's about ready." "I'll be down in a bit." "Sorry I spoiled your star gazing." "It's okay." John said. Theresa looked at him a moment and then moved off. She knew it *wasn't* okay, that John was just being nice. She didn't understand though why anybody would *want* to be alone. Solitude was exactly what John was thinking of. He had bought the Silo with solitude in mind. Lately he got little of it. Once over their initial shyness, the two girls had taken to sex with the passion of an Amway salesman at a mud slide. It seemed like one or the other of them would corner him several times a day with carnal intent. He had a hell of a time convincing them of the concept that he wasn't always interested. No, nothing was wrong. He just wasn't interested in sex at the moment. Finally they accepted the idea that nothing was wrong (telling themselves it was because of his age). Sometimes they would go find the other one to console themselves with. (From the camera's John knew they didn't even need the other to console themselves.) Outside the wind was picking up, blowing in a winter storm. The wind in front of it had cleared some of the dust out of the upper atmosphere and the *seeing* had been good. Now it pushed high clouds in to obscure the stars. John sighed and pushed himself to his feet. He tripped the control to roll the roof completely shut against the coming storm and made his way down to the kitchen. For all the problems they created, it was still very nice to have the girls around. With a little instruction concerning his tastes, Theresa had turned into an excellent cook. Cindy was coming right along. In the short time since John had talked to them about it, they had both taken to their studies with a vengeance. They would be ready for the test long before they were eighteen, but John just couldn't figure out a way for them to safely take it with the exception of going home long enough to take their exams. Both girls had vetoed that idea. The Silo was fast becoming the underground mansion that he had envisioned. There were only six out of the fifteen floors left to complete. John didn't presently have any clue what to use them for. He already had all the space he needed. He decided to at least finish off the structure of the floors and the utilities for each level. Space was something that always ended up being used in the long run. One of the problems he applied himself to were the hatchway openings into the silo from the main elevator. It was a real pain to climb through the service ports and the main elevator was much nicer than the small service elevators running up and down the walls. John made arrangements for a concrete saw with a diamond dust blade. Between drilling, cutting, air chiseling and grinding he managed to enlarge the ports to real doorway size. They wouldn't have the same blast integrity as the originals, but that was okay with John. He didn't intend to be launching any missiles from within his silo. He started with the kitchen level and did the most commonly used ones next, moving on eventually to all the floors. He had figured out early on that he would need vertical access to each floor. As such each floor had a trap door which could be opened. When all were opened he had a straight shot with the winch cable from the utility floor all the way down to the pool. He had ended up moving most the heavier furniture items that way. Most of them wouldn't have fit through the service ports even if he could have gotten them into the main elevator. When he was finished with the concrete cutting the main elevator became so much more useful, he sealed off three sub elevator accesses except between adjoining floors. This meant the main elevator serviced major floors with the sub elevators serving between stops. One sub elevator served the whole silo. Hatchways opening and closing behind it. It *could* be used as a dumb waiter. Mostly, they used the stairs between the main elevator stops. The girls investments slowly grew. Their studies proceeded better than John had ever intended. The winter snow was the only thing holding up their driving lessons. Chapter 13 John reclined nude in the solarium. It was warm and sunny under the clear covering. On the surface the winter wind howled and blew clouds of snow crystals around. The girls entered and stripped off their shorts. At first they just laid out and listened to the music. They had learned barely- to tolerate his taste in music. Sly glances between the girls worked into a conspiracy against John. He had his eyes closed as he lay back. The girls approached him from both sides. They squirted oil on their hands and proceeded to rub him down. Down wasn't the direction he went. Afterwards, Theresa managed to move herself to another lounge chair. Cindy remained snuggled atop him. Theresa hadn't noticed the growing intimacy between John and her friend. She was more than satisfied; she was satiated. After a time her regular breathing notified the other two she was asleep. John and Cindy shared each others gaze. John pulled her down into a gentle kiss. This grew in intensity as their hands began to explore each other once more. As their tongues swirled around each other the trend of John's member reversed. Cindy looked at him in joyful surprise. Together they moved towards another incredible orgasm. This one the deepest, most intimate either had ever experienced. Some time afterwards as John caressed Cindy towards sleep she whispered softly in his ear: "I love you." He whispered the same in return and still inside her, he shortly followed her into sleep. John awoke to a slight chill. It was evening and the sun no longer penetrated the solarium. Cindy lay snuggled as a blanket atop him. To his great surprise he discovered he was still inside her. His hands began to explore her firm nubile body. The thought that they had both slept peacefully while he remained within her excited him. So much so he began to grow once more. Cindy moaned softly and then lifted her head to gaze into his eyes. She suddenly became aware of John growing within her. Again she looked at him with both surprise and joy. She bent to kiss him deeply which helped speed the process of his growth. Once the progress was sufficient, they began to move together, their eyes wide open and locked together. This time their orgasm was soft and gentle. Somehow intensely intimate. Once again they whispered an intimate vow of love. A final sensual kiss and Cindy reluctantly moved off him. A glance to the side showed Theresa had pulled a robe around her as a blanket and gone back to sleep. At the sound of movement she stirred and smiled at the two of them. They finished off the day with a leisurely soak in the hot tub. Afterwards John volunteered to make dinner. Chapter 14 The girls spend much of the next few days stark naked. Somehow Cindy rebelled from the intense session with John by showering her attentions upon Theresa. John luxuriated in the brief respite, using the time to work on various projects around the silo. For one thing he refined his video interface breadboard. The new one was smaller and more reliably built. The collection of video tapes had turned into a virtual library, outgrowing the closet. John solved this by carting them off to one of the many inspection tunnels that circumnavigated the silo. He stacked them chronologically along the inside wall around the back side of the silo in tunnel six. He also took to locking the access hatches lest the girls stumble on them by random chance while wandering. He was running low on tape as well as other non-food supplies. He made up a shopping list and notified the girls to plan on a shopping foray. The girls were ecstatic. They jabbered back and forth about what shops they wanted to hit. It was now late January. A semi warm stretch had left the road passable by Cruiser, but muddy. John made sure that he had chains and extra cable in case he got stuck. Just in passing he threw in a folding shovel. He told the girls to pack a change of clothes. They looked at him like he was crazy, but complied. By the time they reached the road they were grateful for them. They changed in the second 'Cruisers shack. Wishing for wash facilities. A visit on the Internet had informed John of a new storm front, a big one, due in just two days. John turned the girls loose with a wad of cash at the Mall with a reminder to be discrete and careful. They were both subject to being picked up by the law. They promised and each stole a long deep kiss in the relative privacy of the parking garage. They scheduled a rendezvous and John drove off on his own shopping spree. The girls would not have been at all interested in the stores John found captivating. He visited surplus and supply houses. A trip to a local wholesaler for multiple cases of video tape. Electronics parts houses. A trip to a large merchandiser netted a small utility trailer. He splurged many thousands of dollars on esoteric gadgets. He was in seventh heaven. He solved the problem of security by renting a storage garage and parking the trailer in it while he went to meet the girls for lunch. He had one more stop to make first. He spent a whole hour searching out just the right person on the local college campus. The person was reluctant to deal with a person of his age, but a wad of cash overcame his fear and John left with a small package tucked away in his pocket. When he met the girls they were laden with packages from almost every store. He cringed inwardly as they were a walking beacon of trouble. John helped them load the packages and then made a trip to the storage unit to stow them while they went out to eat. At lunch the girls were fairly oozing with sexual energy. The shopping spree had left them in a sort of sexual frenzy. John managed to remind them to behave themselves. They almost obeyed. John knew he was in for a hot night anyway. After lunch John made a purposeful stop at the storage unit. With the door pulled down the girls released each other's tensions under the single dull light bulb of the unit. They abandoned themselves in each others bodies, hardly noticing the unheated condition of the storage unit. When they were finally spent the girls donned some of their new purchases. Finally on the road again John made a stop at a large book retailer and the girls collected study material for their GED's. John went about pulling computer and physics books from the shelf. The book store cost almost as much as the girls had spent in the Mall. Last on the agenda were stops at the grocery and liquor stores. Back to the storage unit to get the trailer. Now tarped over and bulging at the seams. A stop at the restaurant where they had eaten on Christmas, parking the 'Cruiser where they could keep an eye on it while they ate. The owner greeted them warmly and they had a veritable feast. Once again the owner presented them with fresh bread as they left. Encouraging John to bring his daughters back soon, as they seemed to be growing up quick. John looked skyward and the owner nodded his supposed understanding. They were barely out of town before the girls were back at each other. John made them keep their clothes on in case he got pulled over. They complied but every fastener was wide open. He made them climb in the back and stack some of the things into the front so he didn't have to watch them. They were distracting him from the driving. At the shack they all changed into scrungier clothes for the return trip over the muddy road. A good thing as the 'Cruiser got stuck three times with it's load of the heavily laden trailer. They were all plastered with gooey cold mud by the time they reached the Silo. John got the girls to help unload the perishables and then they parked the rest in the garage to unload later. Once inside and warm, the girls turned the mud into a sexual game. They went straight into the shower, clothes and all. The hot steamy water slowly ablating the bone chilling mud. In surprisingly short time they were squeaky clean and hotter than ever. They followed the shower with a long soak in the hot tub. John joined them but they seemed to sense his mood and left him unmolested as sat opposite from him and kissed every few minutes. They wore short terry robes to keep the chill from returning as they sat around the kitchen sipping coffee. Now that he was warm and clean, and the worries over logistics and perishables were past, John was in a more receptive mood. He gazed at the line of Cindy's legs as they entered her robe. She was preparing a light snack. Each time she stooped for a dish John got a little more excited. When she bent into the fridge it turned into full blown lust. Theresa caught his gaze and followed it. She smiled and stepped up beside Cindy, bending into the fridge with her. She whispered something in her ear and Cindy giggled. Then they kissed with their heads in the fridge. Theresa's hand sliding up inside Cindy's thigh. John sat there enthralled. The vision of the two tight backsides before him almost too much to bear. He approached them and ran a hand over each shapely mound. The three of them went off arm in arm stripping clothes off as they went. Hours latter they all lay satiated. The girls were sleeping soundly. John was as restless as ever. He arose quietly and dressed. He made his way up to the surface and began hauling boxed items down into his workshop. When he had the last of them carted down he began to open them up. For the next couple of weeks the girls saw very little of John. They amused themselves between their studies and their various carnal activities. Even when their periods started, it hardly deterred them much more than the depth of their probes into each others bodies. As usual, John stayed away from them during their periods. Chapter 15 John was blissfully busy anyway. As he completed assembly of them. he moved various components of his project onto one of the unused floors. The result resembled a mad scientist's lab. There was a padded table with restraining straps and various arms hung about it. Kind of a cross between a barbers chair and a gynecologists table. Bundles of cables ran to a computer set up on a table. This was surrounded with video monitors and recorders. There was a second table with a sort of frame atop it, also fitted with various arms and accessories. Another bundle of cable ran from this to the computer table. Various tanks and containers of chemicals were stacked under the second table and connected to the arms by tubes. All in all, the set up looked intimidating, to say the least. John did his first tests on a Styrofoam head and an inflatable doll. The scanner table faithfully scanned every square millimeter of each. The results echoing on the computer screen. Then John tried phase two, in which he produced an exact duplicate of the head. Lastly he produced a "slip cover" for the head. He didn't bother to reproduce the doll, the chemicals were expensive. But he was satisfied. Now came the hard part; talking the girls into it. He might have to wait a while to catch them in just the right mood. Right after their periods wasn't necessarily the right time. Just before was better. That's when the girls seemed most receptive to new things. They seemed game for anything. They had even initiated anal sex once or twice when they were in that frame of mind. John would bide his time. He locked up the area and started hanging around the girls once more. Over the next couple of weeks John talked a bit about his ideas for some inventions he was working on. Probing the girls about how they would feel about being scanned. Neither seemed really reticent about it, but neither seemed enthusiastic either. When John shifted the concept to custom clothing this changed. The girls had settled into comfortable, but fairly sexy clothing as their normal mode of dress. They alternated between terry skin tight shorts with tank tops and their spandex suits. Both hugged their lithe frames like a glove. Showing off each delicate curve When they started to respond to John and each other several times a day, John knew the time was right. He helped set them up by preparing a special dinner. This of course was accompanied with several bottles of wine. When the girls became a bit tipsy and started caressing John and each other he led them to the scanner floor. When they entered they tensed up a bit. John moved in caressing and teasing them both till they loosened up again. He had had the foresight to add space heaters to the floor so that it was a bit too warm and very comfortable. He talked Cindy into being first. She giggled a bit as Theresa and John stripped off what little she was wearing. Theresa helped a bit, attacking various erogenous zones as they were revealed. Finally John got Cindy strapped down on the table. Then with Theresa on his knee -being caressed to keep her comfortable- John started the scanner. Cindy tensed a bit as the various arms started to move in on her. When the first two didn't touch her at all she settled back. The next one however was more than she bargained for. She yelped and giggled suddenly. "Hey! This things feeling me up!" She giggled. "And not doing too bad a job of it...." she added a moment latter. "Just relax. It'll be over with pretty soon." "It better, it's getting pretty personal... hey careful there! That's sensitive" she giggled. "Okay, first side done." said John as he released her straps. He kissed her deeply and caressed her firm body to encourage her. Theresa looked on suspiciously. John managed to get Cindy strapped down again, face down on the table. Her cute bun cheeks begging one final caress before John moved off to start the scanner once more. Once again the first couple of scans were non-contact, but Cindy moaned with delight as the next few traced over every square centimeter of her body. That is until the probes delved between her ass cheeks. "Hey! Now it's getting VERY personal!" she yelped. "Just hold still, dear. It'll be over soon." John said without looking up. Theresa thought it was mildly amusing. She moved close and watched with fascination when the last arm moved in and tiny fingers carefully probed Cindy's entire pubic area. This part Cindy didn't seem to mind. John had to remind her to keep still as she started writhing around in response to the multiple gentle fingers. She giggled a bit, but managed to keep reasonably still. This didn't last when the fingers started probing the bottoms of her feet. She started jerking and laughing till tears rolled down her cheeks. John decided he had enough and turned the machine off. Cindy's reaction upon being released was to vent her tension upon John. She basically took him to the floor and raped him. Theresa helping. Seldom had John seen Cindy so hot. By the time she cried out in ecstasy for the third time Theresa was eager for *her* scanning. She stripped off her remaining garment and had herself half strapped down by the time John got free of Cindy to complete the task. Even then Cindy was all over him as he tried to run the scanners over Theresa. When she yelped a bit Cindy commented: "You might try warming that group of probes if you really have to probe there!" "I'll say! That's cold!" giggled Theresa. "And damn personal!" "Just lay still dear." John said. "Okay... but were gonna scan you when this is done!" Theresa threatened. Cindy nodded her agreement and John shrugged. "Sure, why not. It's only fair." he said. He got Theresa turned over and Cindy moved in to watch as the fingers probed her backside and between her legs. She seemed a bit contemplative but didn't say anything then. Theresa was as wild as Cindy had been upon her release. When the girls were finally through with John and each other Cindy piped up: "Your turn!" John resigned himself to his fate and showed the girls how to run the scanners. Mostly he just had to remind them of what they had seen him doing while he was scanning them. He prayed for leniency as they strapped him down. If they didn't run it right the probes would not only get personal, but painful. The girls shared the chair as they started the scans. They could still hardly keep their hands off each other. John gritted his teeth and didn't dare say a word when the probes got personal. The girls were right. That set of probes could use a heater. To his surprise he was as hot as the girls when his scanning was done. He was fully excited. He grabbed the first girl that got close to him.. Which turned out to be Cindy. He took her on the floor. Theresa busied herself anywhere he wasn't paying attention to. Between them, Cindy's orgasm came swiftly. John wasn't done himself, he grabbed Theresa and entered her with the same intensity. When Cindy recovered she moved off to study the machine as John and Theresa became fully preoccupied. When the two lay side by side on the floor Cindy came back and guided each to their feet. She led them to the master bedroom and got Theresa bedded down. John came back from the bathroom and Cindy waylaid him, guiding him back to the scanner. "I need to talk to you." she said. "About what?" "Oh, about the other attachments that you didn't use." she said. "Uh..." "Don't play games with me, I'm not stupid! I figured out what they're for!" she said. "Uh... I didn't intend to use them on you." "Why not?" she said. (To John's great surprise.) "Uh... well, I didn't know how you'd feel about them." "You want a complete scanning of me don't you? Isn't that's what they're for? To measure my insides too?" "Uh... yes." "So why didn't you just ask?" "Like I said. I didn't know how you would feel about it. If you thought the other probes were personal you damn sure would think these were." "I figured that out... Look silly. I love you! You're welcome to probe my eyelashes if you feel like it." With that she pulled him into a deep kiss. Her hand traced down his bare abdomen and over his manhood. His responded by moving his over her breasts and backside. When they finally pulled back she said: "So... lets do it!" "Okay, if you say so. I haven't really tested them. Not really something that's easy to test. Really a matter of keeping the pressure low enough to not be uncomfortable while high enough to get a good reading." "Come on..... perverted old man that you are. Lets probe my ass and pussy! If it's not too bad I'll figure out a way to talk Theresa into it too." John was bright red in his embarrassment, but he allowed himself to be led. Cindy was tugging him by his manhood anyway so he wasn't really fighting it. Cindy kissed him deeply once more and then hopped up onto the table. She wore a smirking grin as John strapped her down. To cover his embarrassment he talked about what the machine would do. "I couldn't really figure an easy way to take accurate measurements of the inside. So what I figured to do, was to inflate a condom inside... uh... the subject. with a setting foam agent. My biggest concern is that the foam gets hot when it sets. So I added small cooling tubes which I can run cold water through if it gets too hot. You'll have to let me know if it gets too hot." "Oh, believe me. I will!" Cindy giggled. As the other scans were run, John fitted the vaginal probe right off. He smeared the area with K-Y Jelly and Cindy giggled in response. He got the probe started into her vagina and then kissed her before moving to the computer. When John started the foam Cindy gasped half in surprise and half in pleasure. The foam expanding to fill her every crevice. It was HOT, but not uncomfortably so. John asked her if he should start the cooling and she threatened him with bodily harm if he did. She was enjoying it! Never had she felt so full and so hot! Her body convulsed involuntarily. John worried about the measurement. He hadn't thought about what an orgasm would do to the readings. But finally as the foam began to cool Cindy settled down as the foam began to set up. She was awash with endorphins and content to remain still. John moved over and kissed her. She responded by giving him a tonsillectomy. Finally John judged the foam to be set up and moved to extract the mold from within her. To Cindy it felt huge as it was extracted from her. She experienced another involuntary shudder as a result. Then John had the straps off her and she was all over him once more. John held her off as he deemed now was the time to finish the other side while she was so hot. Cindy didn't bat an eye as he queried her about her last bowel movement. Just a few hours before, she informed him. She was almost in a state of sexual frenzy when he strapped her face down on the table. Her hips moving involuntarily to his touch. Moving back in anticipation of the last probe. John teased her pubic area to keep her receptive as he smeared the lubricant on her and the probe. He carefully worked it in and surprisingly, Cindy moved her hips in rhythm with his movements. She moaned softly in pleasured response until it was fully implanted. John wiped his hand on a towel and moved to the controls. He eased the pressure up slowly. Cindy gasped even so as the hot foam entered her anus. Separated from the delicate tissue by only a thin latex rubber membrane. In spite of Cindy's threats John added some cooling. The effect wasn't lost on Cindy as she felt a mingled HOT and COLD growing within her backside. Her hips started convulsing involuntarily. She strained at the straps on her wrists and ankles. Her breath came in gasps. Goose bumps appeared randomly all over her body and seemingly ran in waves over her soft skin. Then without any warning she convulsed heavily once and was still. John checked the readings just to be sure that the condom hadn't ruptured. He had used quite a bit more volume than he had expected. No, the condom was intact. A quick check of her pulse relieved his concern. She had just passed out. John let the foam set up completely before he backed the probe out of her. He wiped it off with the towel as he extracted it. Then he tenderly wiped her clean. He unstrapped her from the table and cradled her in his arms. Sitting on a chair as he caressed her back to consciousness. Slowly she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Make love to me." she said huskily. "All of me, just like the machine." John moved to carry her downstairs, instead of disturbing Theresa, he entered the guest bedroom. He lay her gently on the bed and she pulled him to her. Her hands in frenzied exploration of his body. Later she lay sprawled unconscious atop him. Her body twitching a bit involuntarily. John had never known such a passioned attack upon his body. Cindy had been like a wild animal, possessed and wild with passion. He rolled Cindy off to the side and lay still while he caught his breath. Their sweat mingled and ran together as they lay side by side. Finally he pulled the blanket over her and moved off to the bathroom. He washed himself and then carried a warm wet washcloth back with him. John completed his cleanup, rinsed the cloth out. Then he crawled in and snuggled to Cindy. She opened her eyes just a slit and pulled him into a great passionate kiss. She pulled herself atop him and hugged him fiercely, like she would never see him again. She acted like she was trying to pull herself right inside of his body. John caressed her back and sides. Goose bumps arose on her skin wherever he touched. Cindy clenched him tight with her whole body and gasped: "*I love you!*" in his ear. John responded in kind and her whole body quivered atop him. He continued to caress her and after a time he felt her teardrops dripping upon his shoulder. Her body quivered atop him. He pulled the blanket over them and caressed her tenderly until they both fell to sleep. In the night John woke several times to find Cindy clutching him with her whole body. Her legs wrapped around him like her arms. Both madly clutching him. Each time he caressed her gently and she snuggled to him as she relaxed under his touch.