Author's note: This chapter starts with background information that helps us learn more about Dave, such as the community he lives in, his financial status, and a description of his house, which Dave & Lisa will be living in when they get married. As I continue to uncover the personalities of the characters that keep running around in my head, these details help me in trying to understand how they might think or react. However, if none of that is important to you, and you just want the sexy parts, I understand; just skip down to the paragraph that begins "Her first words..."
This is the paragraph where Lisa begins to tell Dave about Alexa. If you have no idea who and what I'm talking about, then you didn't read the first chapter, you naughty boy or girl! Go ahead; read it now. I'll wait.
Chapter 3
Lisa tells Dave what happened with Alexa
The Saturday morning after the photo shoot found Lisa driving back to Dave's house. She felt herself getting nervous, even though she loved it there.
Once they were engaged, they spent more time at Dave's house than at hers and that was fine with her. Her house was nice, but she had to admit, there was nothing special about it. It was where she had raised her kids and it was home, but it was a bit small, and how was it the real estate agent put it when she listed it at a lower price than Lisa expected? "It lacked character."
Dave's house on the other hand, was everything she had always wanted. He brought her there on their second date and in truth, she may have fallen in love with his house before she fell in love with Dave. When he proposed, there was never any doubt about where they would live when they were married.
Dave lived out in the country about fifteen miles from the city, close to a small town. His children, Melissa and Chris, had gone to school there. It was the kind of small community where everyone seemed to know everyone else. The population was around 2500 which was enough to support four churches and several small businesses including a grocery, a pizza place, a car dealership and of course Prestige Printing & Photography, the business Dave ran with Chris.
Dave's house was on 40 acres a couple of miles outside of town. His parents were farmers and Dave and his brother Chuck had inherited 800 acres when their parents died in an auto accident about 20 years ago. Even though he wasn't a farmer like his brother, Dave kept his share of the land and Chuck farmed it for him. When Nancy got sick, he decided to sell the land, thinking they might need money for medical care for Nancy and because his business might suffer from him being off work a lot. Chuck had asked him the year before if he would be willing to sell his acres to him and his son, who was just getting started in farming.
The value of the farm land had risen significantly since he inherited it and Dave was surprised when after having it appraised, Chuck offered him $3,500,000 for 360 acres. They agreed to a down payment of $700,000 with the balance to be paid over 25 years at 5% interest. This provided Dave with a little over $150,000 per year after taxes. Dave kept 40 acres; 5 acres where the house and buildings were located, 15 acres of pasture where he kept a small herd of cattle as a hobby and 20 acres that was wooded.
Sadly, Nancy's cancer was aggressive and she died just a few months after her diagnosis. Insurance paid most of her bills so Dave didn't have to use the money from the sale of the farm.
The year after Nancy died was tough on Dave. He kept busy at work but the kids were away at college and since he hated to go home to an empty house, he stayed at his office long after closing time. Needing something to occupy his time, he began to study the stock market and got good at "paper trading." After a few months, he began investing for real, starting with $250,000. Before long, he had invested all $700,000. Since he didn't need the farm income to live on, each year he used the contract payment to add to his investment account. He got good at researching and buying undervalued stocks then selling them for a significant profit when they reached their full value. His success had doubled his total investment and the account was currently worth around $2,000,000.
Including the remaining balance of the land contract, the value of his business and his home & 40 acres, his net worth was over $5,000,000. Meanwhile, his printing business was better than ever because of Chris' marketing efforts and the addition of internet sales. With after tax disposable income of between $200,000 and $250,000, Dave had told Lisa that she could retire from teaching anytime she wanted to, money would not be an issue. He expected to work until he was 60 and then turn over the business to Chris but he also planned to start taking more time off after they were married.
Lisa remembered her shock when Dave told her all of this after they were engaged. She knew he lived a comfortable lifestyle but it wasn't extravagant, so she had no idea he was what many would consider wealthy. She immediately offered to sign a pre-nuptial agreement before they married but he had refused explaining, "I know your heart is in the right place in offering, but a marriage has to be built on trust. I trust you with everything I have and everything I am. I've experienced how fragile life is and know that neither of us are guaranteed a long life. Making sure you are financially secure if I die before you is important to me. There should be plenty left for the kids when we're both gone."
This was just one of the many times Dave's kindness, consideration and love for her had brought tears to her eyes.
Lisa turned into the tree lined lane and headed up to the house (Dave had corrected her when she called it a drive, saying if it is long and in the country, it's a lane.) The house sat on a hill, surrounded by mature trees. She thought again about how much she had grown to love it here. It was an old farm house built over 50 years ago by Dave's parents and he had grown up in it. It was two stories, white with black shutters, and had a wraparound, open porch like you see on farmhouses in the movies. The double front door was to the far left of the porch and next to it was a swing facing the road to the north. There was a small table with four chairs in the rounded corner of the porch and four "Cracker Barrel" style rockers on the west side, gently rocking in the breeze that kept the porch cool during the lazy summer afternoons. Ceiling fans were spaced evenly to move the air in the evening when the wind often died down.
While the front of the house had retained the farmhouse charm of Dave's youth, before moving into it after his parents died he had remodeled the inside and added to the back, creating a modern house that fit the needs of an active family of four. Walls were removed to create the open concept his wife desired so that regardless of whether they were cooking, eating or watching TV, they could be together. It was big enough to host friends and family members with ease and as many kids as might follow their children home on any given night. A master bedroom and attached bath had been created on the first floor. The other 3 bedrooms were on the second.
Dave explained that Nancy wanted their house to be the one all the kids hung out at, and it had been. She had insisted on a rec room above the large three car garage they had added to the back of the house. There was plenty of space for a pool table, an air hockey game, a couple of sets of tables & chairs, a couch and comfortable chairs and a large TV with an attached video game console. A couple of years later, Nancy convinced Dave to put in an inground swimming pool protected from the wind by the corner formed by the garage and the back of the house. On the side of the pool opposite the house, Dave had converted an old farm building into a combination pool house/photography studio. The fourth side was bordered by a growth of Thuja Green Giant evergreens, creating a private pool area.
As she pulled up to the house, Lisa dreamed of a few years from now when the house would be filled with their grown children, spouses and lots of grandchildren for Dave and Lisa to spoil. Because it was a beautiful spring day, Lisa stopped the car in front instead of driving around back to the garage even though Dave had "officially" given her a garage bay and door opener for her car. As Dave came out of the house, Lisa's anxiety grew. Today was the day she would tell Dave about her experience with Alexa in the clothing store. She promised herself she would do it when she first arrived so she wouldn't have to worry about it all day. Now she began to wonder if this was the right time. Shaking her head to clear the doubt from her mind, she got out of the car and met Dave. She reached up, touched his face and stood on her toes to give him a kiss.
Her first words caused his blood to run cold, "Dave, we need to talk." Lisa had no way of knowing, but those were the exact words Nancy had spoken the day she came home from the doctor's office with the cancer diagnosis. Seeing his face pale didn't help Lisa's anxiety, but it did strengthen her resolve. "Don't worry. It's nothing terrible, honey, just something I need to tell you.
Dave's sigh of relieve was audible followed by, "Let's go up to the porch. I've got some iced tea waiting for us."
They climbed the porch steps, hand in hand and sat down on the swing. Lisa turned to Dave, took a deep breath and began. "It's about the shopping trip when I bought the lingerie and dress that you seemed to like so much," she said with a brief smile.
"I liked the lingerie and dress," he replied, "but not nearly as much as I
love
the woman who wore them. They
were
pretty sexy though." He punctuated this with a wink and continued, "I really have to meet Alexa someday so I can thank her."
Pushing forward, Lisa said, "Yes, well it's Alexa I wanted to talk to you about. I um, I—I didn't tell you everything that happened that day and I don't want to keep any secrets from you so if you'll just let me talk and don't say anything until I finish, I want to tell you everything."
Honoring her request, Dave nodded with a smile.
Lisa began, avoiding Dave's eyes and rushing her words, "I was really nervous when I got to the store. I had never purchased a bra and panties like the ones you wanted me to wear. I was looking through the racks and couldn't find anything I thought would look good on me and Alexa came up and asked me if she could help. At first, I said no but then I blurted out everything. I told her what I was looking for and why I was looking for it and that I wanted to make you happy and—well I guess I was babbling kind of like I am now.
"Alexa took pity on me and quickly picked out some bras and panties and took me back to the dressing room. I didn't think to bring the dress with me, so she left to get a dress for me to try on to see how the bras looked with a V neck. I made sure the curtain was closed and then took my clothes off, put the panties on and was getting ready to put on the bra when Alexa opened the curtain a little to ask how I was doing. I started to cover myself but she told me to relax, no one was there except her.
