Langley Circle Formation Ch 15

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.

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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?"

"Like I said, hold those questions for now." He waved to Walter.

The rugged old man climbed out of the Land Rover and walked briskly over. "I'll unlock the house, then you can explore inside," he said, smiling broadly.

"Walter, this is my wife Beth,"

"Pleased to meet you ma'am," Walter said with a respectful nod.

"Hi," Beth replied, looking dazed.

"And this is Megan, a very close friend of ours." Dean lifted his eyebrows pointedly, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Walter. The old man's eyes bulged as he twitched a surprised look back and forth between Beth and Megan. Dean nodded in response to Walter's silent question.

"Delighted to meet you ma'am," Walter said, shaking her hand.

"Hello Walter, do you work here?"

"Been groundskeeper and bastion of the old girl these past fifteen years. She's my work and my home."

"Wow, you must know all its secrets; it seems a place like this would be packed with interesting history and oddities."

"Indeed yes ma'am."

Dean looked to Beth, who was studying him quietly, occasionally flicking her gaze between Walter and the house. He could tell her brain was working overtime, trying to process everything. He moved to her side, placed an arm around her shoulders, and kissed her cheek.

"You ok?" he whispered.

"I'll unlock," Walter said, nodding to Dean before making his way to the door.

Dean turned Beth to face him. "You're very quiet."

"I'm trying to work out if this is real, or an elaborate prank."

"Come on Beth," Megan said, grabbing one of her hands. "Let's go explore."

Dean smiled. "Not a prank; there's a real chance that this could be ours, if we want it, and at a price that is so ridiculous that I'd be a fool to pass it up, even if I just flipped it in a year or so."

Beth frowned at him.

"I'll explain everything later. Make the most of the time we have and go explore."

Beth studied him for a long moment, then shrugged as her lips quirked into a smirk. "I trust you, but you better explain the crap out of this later." She kissed him on the cheek. "I have to admit, whilst I am stunned and confused on the outside, inside I am squealing like Bella and practically wetting myself with excitement."

Dean chuckled as Megan dragged Beth away. They passed Walter, who threw them a backward glance as he came to stand before Dean. He said nothing, but simply raised his eyebrows.

Dean chuckled. "Yes, I am that lucky bastard. Everything you are imagining is correct, and probably much more besides."

"Well blow me down. Hats off to you Dean, you've landed on your feet there."

"You have no idea," Dean said, smiling as he shook his head.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are the young ones?"

"Our daughter and her boyfriend, and er... her girlfriend." Dean frowned, not finding a better way to explain it.

"Fuck me; Scuse my language."

"Excused!" Dean said with a chuckle. "OK Walter, down to business. I'll try to be brief. I do work for the company that owns the estate, but I might end up owning it privately soon if things go my way. I and my family, and a few friends have a business idea that I think might fit Langley very well."

"What sort of business?"

"Complicated, but basically event management. The details aren't important right now. My question to you is, are you committed to moving on?"

Walter frowned. He pondered the question for a moment then shrugged. "Honestly, if I had the choice, I'd stay and live out my days here. The move is only a temporary rental while I figure out what I want to do next."

"If I asked you to stay and help me keep the old girl alive, would you be interested. You'd have the free run of the place of course. Not sure I could pay you much, but--"

"Dean, I don't know what you have in mind, but if you're saying I can carry on living here at no cost to myself, then it's a no brainer. House and feed me, and I'll happily stay on."

Dean beamed as he patted Walter on the shoulder. "Fantastic. That's exactly what I was hoping."

"The timing might be tricky though; I've got commitments on the rental."

"Don't sweat that. Keep the rental; get the shortest lease you can negotiate. If things go according to plan, I'll buy you out of the lease, and if not then you have lost nothing."

"That's very generous, but --"

"I can probably let you have a strong feeling in the next day or so, and a final decision within a couple of weeks, if that helps?"

Walter considered this, then stuck his hand out. "I've got a good feeling about you Dean. You and your family seem a bit... different, and this feels like an episode of tales of the unexpected, but my boxes are ticked enough to want to know what you have up your sleeve."

Dean shook his hand vigorously. "Good man. I have a feeling you are going to be invaluable. We need someone who knows this place inside out."

"I'm your man for that."

"Tell you what, I'm gonna take a wander round and find my ladies, but I'd be happy to chat again soon to fill in some of the blanks. I'll be honest, I'm flying by the seat of my pants on this one, but everyone involved is excited. I can tell you there are no money men in this; everyone is personally invested."

"Sounds good," Walter said. "I have to warn you though; the old girl is far from perfect. I've kept her alive as best I can and generally she's sound, but there's a lot that needs doing, and much more that could be done to bring her back to her former glory."

"Good to know, and I'm keen to hear all about that and more. We'll hook up later."

Walter nodded, firing off another relaxed salute, as Dean spun and strode towards the front doors. He'd barely got inside when Megan came bursting through a door opposite.

"Dean, there you are. You have to see this. Come." She beckoned him urgently. He followed her through two sets of double doors into a large room, where Beth was staring around in awe.

The room was large enough that Dean could barely see the far end in the dim light that filtered down from above. There was something extraordinary about the room, but it took him a few seconds to work out what it was.

"It's circular," he said, staring around the curved room. There were doors leading off at various points around the walls, but the room itself seemed to be a perfect circle.

"It's stunning," said Beth staring up.

Dean followed her gaze and gaped at the terraced balcony that ran around the entire circumference on the floor above. Doors could be seen exiting the terrace, and in the far corners, he could just make out sweeping staircases that rose into the darkness.

"Wow, that's impressive," Dean murmured. Training his gaze Higher still, the ceiling appeared to be a glass dome, which looked like it could do with a really good clean, but was still letting in a considerable amount of light.

Dean frowned. "Do you get the feeling the universe is trying to tell us something?"

Beth peered over and raised an eyebrow.

"'The circle'? It has to be said that it's a stunning centrepiece for the property. I'm assuming it is the centrepiece; I'd be surprised if anything could top this."

Beth smiled broadly. "You could be right."

Megan danced around the room, twirling on her toes and grinning like a child. "Imagine having fancy receptions in here, with waiters in tails carrying silver trays of drinks, and special guests hob-nobbing as we extol the virtues of 'The Circle'."

Dean chuckled. "All sounds a bit Downton abbey."

"Fabulous, and we could have dance parties, with a proper orchestra."

Beth smiled affectionately at the blonde's child-like enthusiasm. "Come on, let's carry on. So many doors, I wonder where they all lead?"

"You two go ahead, I'm going to take a look up on the balcony; a part of me hopes there is a room with some good views of the grounds."

Megan skipped after Beth, who randomly picked a door to the left as Dean strolled through the circular room towards the stairs.

The wood panelling lining the walls looked solid and old, filling the room with the smell of polished oak reminding Dean of a library. The left hand staircase curved inwards and upwards to a mid-point on the balcony at the far end of the room, where it met the other staircase that led back down to the right-hand side. A totally unnecessary indulgence, but Dean loved it. It was wonderfully decadent.

At the top of the stairs, a short narrow corridor extended further back towards the rear of the house, where another set of aged wooden stairs rose to a small circular antechamber with three doors. He opened the door directly ahead of him and the late afternoon sun streamed in, bathing him in warm light. He stepped through and regarded the curving room that had an extraordinary panoramic view of the rear grounds. Huge windows filled the room with light, the frames casting long shadows over the magnificent desk that stood at the centre of the room. Dean immediately claimed the room as his office, vowing that he would fight to the death anyone who dared challenge him.