Loving Claire

Loving Claire - Part 3 - Elliot Acquires Horse Skills

Chapter 9 - Separation Doesn't Work

I was all by myself in the Fairfax condo, with two big drafting tables filling the living room. Various lettered and numbered architecture sheets were taped to the walls. Sipping a second cup of coffee, I realized there was several million dollar's worth of construction staring back at me from those walls, and life had gotten very serious. This was not a school project. Not only was it going to be expensive, but also controversial when the Marin anti-growth people jumped on me at the Planning Commission.

I was morosely depressed and building a case for self-pity when the phone chimed. I could see that it was Claire's phone calling and answered, "How are the cowgirls this morning?"

"Just checking up on you. We are lonely. This great idea of yours isn't working like we thought."

"I don't think so either. I am staring at the detailed house drawings and feeling depressed."

Elise's voice came on. "When I went out to feed Annie this morning, she licked me and asked where you were. Even your favorite horse is depressed!"

I perked up, realizing misery loves company. "We must attack this head on!" I declared.

The other end broke up in giggles. "You better come up here where there is somebody to attack. Two somebodies, in fact."

I had a sudden flash of genius. "Wait a minute, why don't we take a break from architecture and bring you and the horses down here?"

There was a distant cheer, followed by, "Elliot, we aren't ready!"

"Stop making excuses. Annie is ready."

The talk got serious and ended with the women saying they needed to hire transportation for the horses and would call back. I was to pull a temporary horse corral permit from the county and find a source for feed and a trough for water.

A day later and two hours at the Building Department had me most of the way through my action list. I grabbed the phone and a beer on my way to the balcony of the condo.

"Hello, this is Architecture North, how may I help you?"

"I have a 90 day horse permit in my hand. The feed store is delivering a 150 gallon water trough tomorrow, along with 300 yards of that horrible plastic fencing. The feed guy said owners like you are picky and should come in to order the horse feed you prefer. He also gave me the name of a fence guy with a good reputation to do the permanent work."

I swigged beer while voices talked in the background.

"Your reward for hard work is to jump in the car and drive to Berkeley to collect Joyce. The Dean has important end of year meetings and will come as soon as he can."

"No flirting?"

"She is more than enough of a flirt for both of you. Keep your hands to yourself!"

After stuffing the car with all sorts of odds and ends, I headed over the bridge to Berkeley. Joyce was dancing on the curb, several bags at her feet. As I found places in the car for her luggage, she hugged and smacked me, doing her best imitation of a coed cowgirl. The jeans were tight and it looked as though the proper wife of the Dean was not wearing a bra.

"Get in the car, woman. You are a serious temptation."

I made it back to the freeway, headed north, with verbal assistance from my sexy passenger.

"Elliot, I'm tingling all over. This is such a thrill for little 'ole me!"

"I can see the three of you are going to be nothing but trouble. I will have to get my flogger out of the closet." I gave her my best alpha male growl.

"I shouldn't tell you this, Elliot, but when George and I were newly married, there was a lot of rough sex. Both of us had been varsity athletes and there were muscles to bounce off. In grad school, he needed a lot of stress relief!"

I grabbed her hand and gave it a rough kiss. "Glad to hear that. Claire and Elise like to knock me around. I took Claire against the wall and said her architect needed stress relief."

She held my free hand and licked the fingers. "George told me that show you put on with the women was one of the best architecture project presentations he had ever seen."

I smiled at her. "There is something about those two that torched me off. And what about the sex appeal standing at the easel?"

"After you were gone, I told George he was getting special relief!"

I laughed, "Close your eyes and take a nap. We are going to be busy in Colusa."

* * *

The three coeds jumped around, kissing and hugging. I carried stuff in, enjoying their reunion.

Elise's house looked like the shack it was. She grabbed me from the back and kissed my neck. "You devil, I am dying for my new house to replace this wreck!"

Joyce was fixing sandwiches and laughed, "Elliot, you seem to have a happy client!"

Elise pinched her friend, "Very happy client. I've got a talented architect and a terrific stud in the same person!"

"Stud? What stud?" Claire was frowning and stowing groceries. I pulled her close. "This one is a major problem. Hires me for a mansion and a body remodel. It's been nothing but grief."

Her knee between my legs, she said, "I'll give you grief. When is it my turn?"

Looking at the others, I rolled my eyes and mouthed, "You see?"

One arm around her waist, I gulped some of the beer she offered and asked, "What about horse transportation?"

Lunch was served on the sunny porch. Women took their shirts off but left the bras on. Elise and Claire stared at their braless roommate.

I said, "Joyce has the right idea. No tan lines."

I was liking this. Joyce had fully joined the team. J'oi de vivre and all that.

When the laughing stopped, my first client said, "We have a real pro helping us with the horses. His name is Joe Higgins and he says he will move the first four horses by themselves the day after tomorrow. Elliot will go with him, but the women will stay here to help with the second and possibly third groups."

She made serious business sound easy and I admired her once again. Strong, direct gaze and forceful voice.

"You are giving me a lot of responsibility, boss lady. After Joe heads back here, that first group is all mine?"

Her eyes were laughing at me, "You betcha, wrangler. About time you showed your stuff. If those horses get out on the road, your job is toast!"

She was only half kidding. This was a dare. The not-yet-graduated architect required to prove his mettle.

I laughed, "The stud has to earn his keep, is that it?"

All three gave me the frown. I pulled my hat over my face. After a while, I mumbled, "Sounds good, boss lady."

The next thing I knew, the hat was gone, her bare tits were pressing into my chest, and long wet kisses were being applied. My fingers roamed up and down the muscled back.

"Elliot, let's you and I go see Joe this afternoon. Maybe you can pick up some hints."

I stood us up and paddled her rear. "You going to stop pestering me long enough for that to go away?"

We walked into the house with laughter behind us. Her hand gripped the bulge in my shorts.

"Lady, there may be a delay in seeing Joe."

She decided to behave and relaxed the fingers. "I'm sorry for being such a tramp. I missed you!"

I pulled her tight. "Between architecting, horsing, and loving, you have me pretty confused."

She got decent with jeans and gingham shirt and drove the ten miles to Joe Higgins' farm, which had a large, fenced yard full of horse trailers in front. Behind them was a good looking barn and generous sized corral.

The guy hosing out a trailer and wearing a very crumpled Stetson turned out to be Joe. Not tall, but wiry with an iron grip. "Hello there. You must be Elliot. Claire says you are designing a new home for her and the animals. Going to be my number 2 on the trip?"

"Yes, sir. Claire has me doing some of everything. Don't know where she got that idea, but it's been fun so far. That Annie horse of hers is real nice to me."

"Good. Claire and I figured we would take her and some tack, and three others. That way, when they get loose, you will have one to ride so you can collect the wild ones."

I felt like road kill. These two friends had my number and then some. All I could do was nod dumbly.

After half an hour or so, I had the basics of horse trailering down and figured I would not be a total embarrassment on the trip.

"Joe, I'll deliver Elliot at six day after tomorrow, like you asked."

Driving back, I poked her in the ribs and asked, "How long did you say it was going to take to make a horseman out of me?"

Ignoring the road, her hand pulled me over the console for a kiss. "You are a quick study, Elliot. Elise and I are impressed by your skills. By some other skills, too."

She tried to pinch my ear, but I got to the tip of the nearest boob first.

"Ouch! Don't get fresh with the client!"

Horse training with flirting was keeping me hard. "Claire, you are rewriting the book about close contact between architects and their clients."

"I am needy and you are not paying enough attention. My roomies will demand to watch."

"When you were in school, what happened when a date came back to the dorm with you?"

"Each of us was into sports in one way or another, so communal showers were standard. After a week or two, we were always bare and attacking tender parts. I think it was Joyce who first came back full of beer with a football player in tow. Elise and I got a great show of erect prick going into slippery cunt. The next day, she was pink with embarrassment. We climbed into bed with her and everyone got off."

"So after that, it was casual? What about the time the same stud got all of you?"

She looked sharply at me. "How did you guess that? You better not bring it up. Afterwards, we actually decided not to be the sluttiest girls in the dorm." She reached across the console for my hand. "You are certainly getting a readout of the client's history."

I kissed the back of her hand. "You are more than a client, Claire."

She pulled into Elise's driveway and parked. The hand I held pulled our lips together for a long, tender kiss.

Two bodies stood on the porch as we approached, hand in hand. "What is this teenage stuff?"

"He is just showing appreciation for a little horsemanship education."

"Ha!" They rushed me for their own kisses. "Come in. It's cocktail hour. Fix drinks and talk to us about the new house here in Colusa. We have questions."

I made a round of margaritas and was handsy, trying to make each one feel appreciated. The responsive bodies were ready for an evening of talk and love.

I sat in a chair with the last of the sunlight. The margarita was excellent, if I did say so. They clustered around the drafting table and took turns bombarding me. Joyce grilled over code details, which she knew something about. Claire asked about kitchen and dining room layouts. The Colusa client was shaking with excitement. "Elliot, should we put an elevator in the tower, or make people earn their keep with stairs?"

I answered, deviously, "You could build a hidden elevator with proximity card access. Disguise it with paneling. Only your closest friends will know!"

Claire pointed to the large sofa. "Over there."

I was smothered in female flesh. "Damn, he is good."

Joyce was on my chest, being overly familiar for a married woman. My hand was almost all the way up a bare thigh. Her tongue was exploring my lips. "If I come up with a project for you to design, do I get the same treatment the other roomies get?"

I moaned. "The three of you are trying to set me up as the architect who provides special benefits?"

"Of course. It's a health measure. Improves the thinking process!"

It was obvious the four bodies enjoyed close contact. I finally relaxed and asked, "Does the architect do the barbeque tonight?"

"Hug us once more and then go do it. The meat is in the marinade pan in the kitchen."

The dynamic of the three women twenty years out of school was marvelous to see. Of course, they were busy accusing me of freeing their libidos to act like horny coeds again. I stood over the hot coals in the twilight, smiling to myself and thinking we needed George in Colusa post haste. His wife was having bad thoughts of straying. Luckily, I had my phone in my pocket and luckily it had his number in it.

He answered on the first ring. "George, it's Elliot. Do you fancy an early weekend up here in horse country? Coping with three babes is killing me. Besides riding, you can advise your aspiring young architect."

"Elliot, I am tired of dealing with end of term problems. Send me directions and I will see you first thing in the morning."

After a silly, relaxed dinner, I had the married one in a scissors grip on the sofa while the others finished kitchen duty. I said very softly to her, "I have a secret to tell you. The roomies are not to know. Promise?"

I couldn't avoid a hot kiss. She whispered back, "Ok, what on earth..."

I tried to sound as conspiratorial as I could. "Early tomorrow morning, a certain prominent Berkeley academic architect is arriving at this location!"

She tensed in my arms, "You called him!"

I scissored tighter and wrapped my hands in her hair. "You are the hottest thing around, but I do not have sex with married women! He is a hunk, and he is your hunk! And incidentally, my Dean."

She completely relaxed in my arms. "Elliot, you are the nicest guy I have ever met. You have put me back on the straight and narrow, where I belong!" The kiss was on the side of my head, where it belonged. Noises in the kitchen were heading our way and I disengaged to help with the dessert tray.

In the morning, we were having a second cup of coffee, clustered around the drafting table again, when a car entered the yard at high speed and skidded to a halt. Everyone looked up and Joyce exclaimed, "My god, it's George. Whatever can be the matter?"

The women dashed outside. I followed, slowly. Joyce was hugging and kissing her husband, who smiled over her at me. Elise and Claire leaned in for a kiss as well. I shook hands and said his arrival was timed perfectly, because horses were available today that would be traveling tomorrow.

There was a terrific fuss getting five horses saddled and five lunches prepared, through all of which Joyce was glued to George's side, thanking him for coming to make their weekend away complete. The other two roomies elbowed me into a corner and said I was their hero for dealing with a sticky situation. I growled and threatened their bodies.

For lunch, we sat under a magnificent spreading oak tree and talked everything except work. Finally, George asked quietly, "Elliot, did you get the idea for the silver concrete exterior from our Maybeck house?"

I was silent for a minute, mentally reviewing my design process. Claire squeezed my hand with a smile.

"Under the right light, the redwood branches have a metallic gray look. My brain put two and two together and something clicked. 'Vertical silver gray' popped into my head, and there it was. I am thinking the main structure should be in colored concrete so that portions of it are exposed to the interior, as in your house."

There was silence until George said, "Excellent thinking. There is a Maybeck coffee table book you should peruse. Not to plagiarize but to stimulate your design instincts."

Joyce interjected, "Rubbish, you architects are stealing from each other every day!"

She found herself in George's lap, being poked, prodded and kissed. I used my hard stare on the other two roomies.

Elise stood and announced a return to the house. "Dinner preparation is required. Perhaps we should abandon these two lovers here, to find their way home later?"

Joyce was having none of that. "Oh, you are so bad! He can have me any old time and you know it!"

George and I lagged behind the giggling, wannabe coeds as the horses ambled back. I said to him, "I am beginning to appreciate the magic of client, site and inspiration. Without Claire pestering me as she has, I doubt my mind would have wrapped itself around the notion of a house picking up the verticality of the redwoods."

I hesitated a moment and continued, tongue in cheek, "Of course, it was your genius that sent an inexperienced student across the Bay!"

"Elliot, there are days when it is hard to be an academic architect. You nurture talent and see it go out and gather all the awards!"

He looked across at me, "Actually, it gives me no end of satisfaction to see you doing fine work so early in your career."

I mumbled thanks and let his praise hang out there the rest of the way to the ranch house.

Chapter 10 - Moving Horses

The sun wasn't up when Claire nudged me out of bed. "Get your rough clothes on and pack your duffel. Coffee in five minutes, a ride to Joe Higgins in fifteen."

I was packed and in the kitchen in ten minutes. Elise required a kiss on the back of her neck and a male growl, "See you in two or three days.."

She turned for more kiss. "Have a good trip. Take good care of the horses, they are precious."

In the car, Claire gave me a look. I stared back, "She is a fine woman, does you all kinds of favors with the horses and has not made a play for me when she easily could have."

A smile tweaked her lips. "If I show one more sign of jealousy, I will be punished?"

I let silence build, and said firmly as we turned into Joe's driveway, "Severely!"

She pounded on my shoulder as we walked to the trailer, which was already half full of its load of four horses for today. Her voice was low, "You better save up. Both clients will be interested in more than horses when we arrive."

Joe laughed, "Elliot, your clients are two of the best horsewomen around, but they do get uppity."

"Joe, the quicker we get out of here, the better!"

Claire's eyes were blazing, but I got a last kiss and a shove anyway.

For ten minutes in the truck headed south with our load of pedigreed horses, I got kidded about whether the young stallion was keeping his mares in line.

"Joe, I wouldn't say this in front of them, but those two women are really fine, in bed and out of it. There are days they show me such a good time, I think I'm back in college again."

After a little more banter, I shifted the conversation to horse care and feeding. "I hope you will overnight with me in Claire's redwood shack. I badly need to pick your brains about arrangement of horse pastures, corrals and barns. Claire keeps telling me money doesn't matter, so I guess you should help with a layout that does justice to the animals and to their owners."

A slow and easy three hours had us easing onto the dirt track that ran along the edge of Claire's property. The temporary fence was up and even had a crude gate. Joe took a walk around and pronounced the setup acceptable for a short time.

"These are strong animals who get frisky now and then. A two or three horse rush at that fence and it's going down!"

Annie was at the rear and anxious to get out of the trailer, nuzzling me and making impatient noises. I unclipped her halter at the gate and let her loose. A few high kicks and she was exploring the small enclosure. Joe laughed and high fived me.

"That's a fine horse."

The others were equally happy to be freed of the trailer and dashed back and forth several times before coming to the gate for water and a snack. The sun had not gone behind the redwoods yet and they looked perfectly at home under the tall trees.

"Joe, the permanent fence guy is supposed to start next week, but maybe I can get him going sooner. I need to see if the county has issued my permit before I call him."

"Elliot, if you don't mind, I'm going to head back. The traffic is light and it will give me time with Elise to decide which animals come down tomorrow. Do you have that slip of paper I gave you about feed? These sacks we brought won't last more than a couple days, especially after the others get here."