Edited by Red Martha.
In "Joanne's Metamorphosis" my male protagonist was a successful writer of country music; I've only borrowed a sliver or two from that story theme. My musical tastes are eclectic; I enjoy classical, jazz, blues, classic rock, alternative rock and country---pretty much anything other than gangsta' rap. My son reintroduced me to country several years ago; from Patsy and Hank to Toby and Brad; I love the stories and the tunes.
Those who follow modern country will note that I've slipped a country lyric or song title in here and there just for fun. George's foray into the small audience, intimate, jazz-blues-rock genre was inspired by the John Mayer trio. I grew up in an era in which good live music was widely available and inexpensive; no matter how much you spend on audio equipment, it impossible to reproduce that live sound and feeling.
I will never forget the first time my ex-wife and I took our then six year old daughter to a honky-tonk with a decent steak and a fine house band for her first exposure to live music. When she felt rather than simply heard that opening draw of the fiddler's bow at the beginning of the Alabama classic, "Mountain Music", she looked at me with huge eyes as her shock quickly turned into a grin from ear to ear and she was hooked for life on live music regardless of the genre.
As Bonnie soaked up the sun's rays next to her parents' pool she knew she had to decide quickly what to do with her summer vacation. She despised this nouveau riche town and everything it stood for. Her parents were totally caught up in all of the social bullshit that was the hallmark of this little strip of land a bridge away from Florida's southeastern coast. Her parents had money...lots of money. They hadn't earned any of it; her grandfather had handled that nasty deed. She had money in her own right, again thanks to her recently departed grandparents. She would never have to work nor worry about marrying a man to take care of her.
She had been a debutante a few years earlier and had endured the traditional coming-out party. She was a strikingly beautiful young woman; she was fashionably tall and thin but with bumps and curves in all of the right places. She owed it all to good genes, not medical enhancement. Men wanted to fuck her and more than few had. She liked to fuck; most of the boys she had grown up with would rather drink and play backgammon or golf. By the time they got naked they were often pitiful as sexual partners. The boys and men she had fucked at college were different.
She could afford to be very picky; she eschewed the preppie assholes who dominated the campus. She liked her men decidedly more macho and manly, at least when it came to a fuck. She'd date and fuck them for a few weeks until the poor jerks believed there was a future; then she'd dump them and move on. Men had cocks and she liked cocks. Past that, they weren't of much value. She couldn't imagine herself ever being married; it would certainly not be to one of the poor little rich boys in this town who would end up working for their fathers and go to their graves still living off the family money.
She had to be honest with herself; she had once enjoyed this world. College had changed her. She had not been turned into some sort of left wing Moonbat at the exclusive New England university at which she matriculated but her view of the world had changed dramatically. There was more to life than this pseudo-crap; she was determined to find it.
She could just see the neighbor's expansive yard from the raised pool deck. The house in question actually fronted on the Atlantic. She knew it had been vacant for a number of years. She remembered that more than a decade earlier it had been a high end seasonal rental. She had played with the children who lived there until her parents found out they were just the caretaker's children and forbade her to have future contact with them. She'd even had a minor crush on the older boy but could no longer remember his name. He had been the first boy she had ever kissed. It had been quick and furtive but she remembered it fondly even if she could remember little else.
She had been told that the house had been tied up in an estate conflict for many years. Evidently it had deteriorated without regular occupancy. Her mother, who knew something about real estate values in this area, had said the structure and grounds were priced way above what was reasonable even for this town.
She had noted when she had arrived home from college that numerous workmen were coming and going next door. Someone had bought the rambling old Spanish villa and was fixing it up. She remembered the exquisite hand laid stone wall which surrounded the yard. It had fallen into disrepair over the years. The object of her interest was less the stone wall itself than the muscular young laborer painstakingly repairing it. As she watched him work she was astounded at how carefully he was fitting and placing each stone. He was certainly an artisan more than a common laborer but at the pace he was working his task would take months.
She moved to the edge of the pool deck to watch him. He was tall, certainly over six feet. His well-defined chest, strong shoulders and powerful arms were alluringly displayed as he worked shirtless in the hot south Florida sun. He was a blond with strong, rugged features. He looked up and met her gaze; he smiled and waved. She waved back as the moisture began to build under the thin material of her thong bathing suit. She was horny; she hadn't gotten laid since she had come home two weeks previously. It might just be time to change that.
It was late in the day and the other contractor's trucks had departed. Her parent's pool deck was the only vantage point from which one could see into the yard next door. The house staff had gone home for the day and her parents were at the club and wouldn't be home for hours. She loved fucking outside during daylight. She poured a large glass of fresh lemonade. Opening the gate she made her way toward the worker next door, entering the yard through a break in the once elegant stone wall.
"Hi! You look like you could use a cold drink!" Bonnie said, ratcheting up into full blown seduction mode. She didn't really have to try that hard; she was a very pretty and well-appointed women and she had yet to meet a straight man that didn't want---need---to fuck her.
As Bonnie came close to the muscular young worker she realized that the view was even better up close. He was hot and unquestionably very masculine. He was exactly the kind of man she liked to fuck. He had beautiful eyes and a winning smile. Maybe she might hang around home for a couple of weeks after all---certainly no longer than that.
"I'm Bonnie! I---or rather my parents---live next door."
"Bonnie? Bonnie. Well, well. I'm George. George Mason. 'Pleased to meet you Bonnie." He said taking in her scenery with no attempt to hide his interest.
"You do beautiful stone work but it's going to take months to finish as carefully as you are working."
"Maybe even years but I have the time."
"Do you happen to know who finally bought this place?"
"Well, actually I do. Ah, in reality, it was bought by a corporation whose founder has an idea of possibly using it as a second home. I'm looking after the renovations for the next few weeks; I'm trying to ensure that it's restored to its original state. Are you familiar with the house? Maybe you wouldn't mind taking a look inside and giving me some advice on a couple of things."
"I used to play over here when I was a kid---when I was twelve or thirteen years old. I don't remember much about the architecture; kids don't really remember those things, but I'd love to see inside; it would bring back fond memories."
"So you knew the original owners—the people who built this magnificent structure?"
"No, I never met them. I knew the caretakers who lived in the garage apartment and looked after the place, or more accurately, I used to play with their kids until my parents decided that it wasn't appropriate. My parents were, are, very hung up on little Bonnie having only the 'right' playmates."
Bonnie made no attempt to hide her contempt for the snobbishness that dominated this beach community. She hoped it would make him more comfortable with her but he didn't seem remotely intimidated. On the other hand, her disdain for her parent's social climbing style was real.
