Author's note: The following is a work of fiction that contains descriptions of explicit sexual acts and is intended for adults only. All people, places, and events are a product of my imagination and any characters described as engaging in sexual acts are over the age of eighteen. Thank you for reading. All feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for popping back for the next instalment. This episode has a roleplay involving witchcraft and reluctant participants.
Previously on Langley Circle... Bella had arrived early for the mystery tour and "circle" meeting, and with Beth's permission enjoyed some alone time with Dean, as the others gathered to learn of his big surprise.
=== === ===
Season Two, Episode Fifteen
Dean checked the junction, before pulling out and turning right onto the tree-lined lane that led to a set of grand gates in the distance. He glanced down at the hand trembling lightly on his knee and grinned. Beth sat beside him, attentive and still, her ponytail hanging over the back of the blindfold that covered her eyes.
"Almost there," he said softly, the platitude meant only for her ears. She twitched a small smile as she squeezed his knee.
Dean shifted his gaze to the rear-view mirror and rolled his eyes. "Settle down you lot, and make sure those blindfolds stay in place; I won't tolerate anyone peeking." Four heads swivelled in his direction, their owners curtailing the tickling and blind explorations that had been a constant companion on the short drive thus far.
"Yes dad, sorry dad," Megan droned in a childish voice. This set Bella, Nicky and Josh to giggling again.
"Are we there yet?" Josh whined with a smirk.
"I need a wee!" Nicky picked up the game.
Dean focussed back on the road, trying not to laugh. The similarity between having a bunch of unruly kids in the back of the 7-seater wasn't lost on him. Maybe not wearing blindfolds, that would be weird. There was a squeal from one of the women and he checked the mirror again to see Bella scowling and clutching at her boob.
"Megan pinched my nipple, bloody cow."
"I didn't," Megan protested, elbowing Bella.
When Dean had first glanced in the mirror, he'd noticed the retreating hand of his daughter, identifying her as the culprit, having sneakily reached over from the seat behind to commit the crime. Sure enough, Nicky was now sitting quietly in her seat, grinning like a buffoon.
"Well it must have been Josh from behind then," Bella said sulkily.
"Settle down kids," Beth warned, but Dean noticed the grin on her face that betrayed her harsh tone.
"It wasn't me Bella," Josh said. "Anyway, I thought you liked it from behind."
This set them off again. "Don't make me come back there," Dean said in his best dad voice.
"You can come back here anytime you like," Megan and Bella chorused together, collapsing against one another in fits of giggles.
Dean glanced in the mirror at the back row again; Nicky and Josh had gone very quiet. They were both staring sightlessly out of their respective windows. In truth, Dean was astonished that everyone had kept the blindfolds on at all. Josh had been reluctant at first, but the women seemed positively delighted at the idea of being driven around blindfolded. God only knew what passers-by must have thought.
Dean had tried not to think about it on the short drive, which he had deliberately extended by a couple of miles to throw his passengers off the scent of their actual destination. In reality, the journey would have taken only a few minutes if he'd driven straight here, but where was the fun in that?
He looked closer at the back row. Josh was sporting a gormless expression, and Nicky was far too straight-faced; the angle of her arm seemed a little weird too. Dean's eyes widened as he realised what was going on. He shook his head with a chuckle and returned his attention to the road, their destination now visible in the distance.
"Ok, that's enough. We'll be there any minute, and I want you lot quiet, and Nicky honey, stop tossing your boyfriend off; there's a good girl." Suddenly you could hear a pin drop in the car; that was until Megan giggled, which set Bella off again, as behind them the two teens shifted uncomfortably. Dean grinned, feeling the devil rise within him. "I'd be surprised if your little exhibition hasn't been noticed by more than one fellow motorist during our journey."
"Ha, busted!" Bella said as Nicky tried to sink lower into her seat.
Dean glanced over at Beth, who was looking oddly excited, and maybe even a little proud of her daughter. His wife really did have some hidden depths that he was still only beginning to discover. He filed that nugget of information away and slowed the car as they approached the large wrought iron gates of the Langley estate. Before the imposing edifice, a familiar figure stood leaning on an ancient but seemingly well cared for Land Rover.
Dean coasted the car to a stop and shut the engine off. He flicked the radio on and turned the volume up. "Stay here, I need to talk to someone. No peaking, no moving, no earwigging."
"Yes dad!" all his passengers chorused together, including his wife who was struggling to hold back her laughter.
Dean rolled his eyes and got out of the car, heading for the gates.
"Mr. Parker?" The old gent walked towards him, hand outstretched, a stern look on his face.
"Yep," Dean said as he clasped hands. "Nice to see you again Walter."
The man blinked in surprise, then narrowed his eyes for a brief moment before they widened in recognition. "The jogger with the double dilemma." His expression shifting to one of surprise.
"The very same, it's--"
"Nope, don't tell me; I have a good memory for names." Walter studied him for a few seconds and then smiled broadly. "Dean, that's it isn't it?"
Dean chuckled and nodded as their handshake became more familiar, the old man's demeanour relaxing.
"Well bugger me! I didn't think I'd be seeing you. I was expecting some high flying executive type, wanting to view the estate."
Dean held up his hands," Guilty as charged I'm afraid."
The man frowned. "What's this all about Dean? I'm a couple of weeks from shipping out, and then I get the call to show you around. I didn't think anything would happen with the old girl till long after I was gone." He gestured behind him as he affectionately referred to the estate.
"It's a long complicated story, and I've got some passengers I'd like to let explore the estate for a bit. If we can set them off on their way, I'd be happy to fill you in."
Walter leaned around Dean to look at the car, his eyes widening at the sight of its occupants. "Er Dean, I'm not sure--"
"No cause for concern Walter; I wanted the old girl to be a wonderful surprise for them."
Walter brightened up at Dean's deliberate and respectful use of the term of endearment. "Right oh, not for me to question," he said chuckling and lifting a hand. "I'll get the gate, then lock up and join you at the house in a few minutes."
"Perfect," Dean said with a smile, extending his hand for another shake, before returning to the car.
As he settled back behind the wheel, he noticed the air of anticipation was almost tangible; Beth's hand was back on his knee as he started the engine. "OK, only a minute or so longer. When we stop, please keep the blindfolds on. I'll bring you out one at a time, that way you can enjoy the reveal all together."
There was some excited chattering and giggling from the back as Dean pulled through the opened gate; he tossed a wave to Walter, who twitched a lazy salute in return.
The impressive facade of the large stately house expanded, quickly filling Dean's field of vision with its architectural grandeur. The driveway had to be more than a kilometre long, and the transition from the approach road to the house transported you to a different world, isolated and disconnected from the surrounding sprawl of modern-day suburbia. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as Dean pulled up by the fountain in front of the grand entrance.
"OK, belts off and wait for me to collect you."
It took a few minutes, working slowly and carefully for Dean to bring each of the occupants out of the car. He positioned each person next to the previous one and touched their hands together to let them know. Beth was first, then Megan, Bella, and Josh. As he brought out Nicky, he was surprised to see the line of people all still holding hands. After closing up the car, he took a moment to snap a picture of them standing before the great mansion, five people blindfolded and linking hands; it was quite artistic.
Crunching gravel heralded the arrival of Walter, the Land Rover drawing up a short distance away. Dean lifted one finger, requesting a minute, and the old gent nodded and stayed in his vehicle.
"OK everyone, I want you to think about all the ideas we talked about, and keep an open mind. You can now remove your blindfolds, and behold what could possibly be the home for The Circle."
Predictably, the teens were the first to rip their blindfolds off, eager to find out what all the fuss was about. For a moment, there was utter silence as Megan and Beth slowly removed theirs too, and gazed up in confusion at the enormous building that stood before them.
The silence was broken by an explosive squeal from Bella, who began bouncing on the spot and spinning around, trying to take in everything there was to see in a single second. Excited chatter commenced amongst the five, and for a while, the air was filled with noise. Dean grinned and watched in smug satisfaction at their shock and disbelief.
"Dad, are you serious?"
"Hey, this is the Langley estate," Josh said.
"Don't be a berk," Bella said with a scoffing laugh. "Of course it's not, we drove too far."
"He's right Bel, it is Langley," Nicky said as she stepped away from the group, spinning in a circle to take in the grounds at the front of the property.
"Holy shit Dean, this is massive," Megan said, probably the only one who hadn't seen the estate before.
"Dean?" Beth turned to him with a confused expression, while the others continued to point and gawp.
Dean held up his hands. "You have a million questions, I get that. Hold on to them for a bit." He addressed the whole group. "We have an hour or so to explore; feel free to go anywhere you want. Kids, you might want to check out the grounds at the rear, there's stables, log cabins in the woods, a lake and even a folly."
"What's a folly?" Bella asked.
Josh turned to her. "It's--"
"Never mind, let's go see." Bella excitedly grabbed Nicky's hand and dragged her away towards the left side of the house; Josh trotted after them, their shouts and laughter slowly fading away as they disappeared out of sight.
"This place is gorgeous; the stonework up there is amazing," Megan said, staring up wide eyed at the ornate building, "But Dean, it's massive... and the cost?"
