Being Neighborly

I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter done. Unfortunately, I broke two fingers and sprained my wrist on my left hand, the good one. It's taken quite some time to recover. Hunting and pecking on this story proved to be hard labor given all the errors. But here it is at last with one last chapter to complete. Hope you enjoy the journey.

Please feel free to drop me a line.

"What does it say?"

"It's from the Undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security asking me to call him immediately. Which I am about to do."

I went up to my loft where the computer was on and humming. I wanted to privately record the call for further reference so I set up my wifi to my phone and turned on the speakers. To be honest, I was nervous having never called the DHS before. I made the call. A Mr. Wales answered.

"Hello. Is this Ray ____, of ______, _____, _____?" (Redacted)

"Yes, however, I have a new address. How can I help you?"

"I'd like to ask you some questions about malware that you found and reported to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security division."

"Sure, what would you like to know?"

He then proceeded to follow a script of detailed questions, which I answered as fully as possible. I told him of the methods I used to contain and secure the malware from the host server, how I took it offline, copied the root directory to a sandbox, how I ran checksums on the server and on the sandbox and there I detected an anomaly. Without going into technical stuff, I explained each step and what remedies I designed. After nearly ninety minutes, he thanked me and said that he would be getting back to me but did not say when.

"What was that all about?"

"I don't really know. We went over some malware that I found on a client's server and how I isolated it and sent it to the government for identification. It turned out to be a piece of Russian malware. This happened several weeks ago. This Mr. Wales, the Undersectretary of the Department of Homeland Security wanted to interview me about it. Like I said, I don't know why. Things like this eventually come out eventually. Time will tell."

"I bet they want to give you the Medal of Freedom or something like that. I would, you know. You are my hero."

The next few days were busy between going back and forth to the storage units and shopping for supplies for the new house. Fortunately, it rained for a few of those days so we spent them indoors putting things away and moving furniture. My man-loft was shaping up. I had a second identical Eames Lounge that we brought over enabling me to put one in the loft. It's my favorite "creative" chair.

Sam asked Jane to set up a simple rental agreement for Ella and Lou, who gleefully signed it and proceeded to move in. We helped break in their bed.

Yes, things were busy around the houses. Several times, the doorbell rang. It was neighbors welcoming us and inviting us over. One neighbor was a well-known sculptor, now retired, who had several permanent installations in big cities around the world. She lived with a famous architect. Another neighbor was a member of a rock band big in the seventies and eighties. I asked him to come by some time and jam with me. Everyone seemed pleasant, relaxed and welcoming. Already, I liked this neighborhood.

Elaine flew in on Monday and took an Uber over to our house. Sam had prepared lunch and we anticipated a lively week.

"Wow, this place is great. You have some beautiful view. The landscaping in this neighborhood is gorgeous; it's like a tropical jungle! I like. The pool is private. I love this. Now show me around the house, please." Sam gave her the grand tour while I settled in my chair and looked out the window.

As they came out of the bedroom, Elaine asked, "What are you going to do with the atrium?"

"I don't know. We haven't thought about it yet."

"I have ideas I'll share with you." As they moved into the living room, she said. "And there is Ray in his favorite chair. Some things never change. And what's up there?"

"Oh, that's Ray's domain. I haven't been up there yet."

"Go look," I said.

They went upstairs. I heard them murmuring quietly, or perhaps, it was conspiratorially. When they came back downstairs, I quickly cut them off. "I promised myself I would try to get my mojo back. I'm just waiting for some inspiration."

"We didn't say a word"

"I'm going to see the property tomorrow. Will you guys come with me?"

"Sure, E. Maybe we'll take our friends and neighbors and tenants who also have a house under construction on the island."

"Sounds like a plan. And now, I'm making dinner!" In the kitchen, I pulled out the red beans that I bought in Trader Joe's that had been sitting in water over night. I threw them into a pan and let them sauté a few minutes. Then I threw in rice, water, my secret spices and covered the pan. Then came the andouille sausage I had shipped from Louisiana. That I sautéed at high heat until I turned them brown. By then, the rice was done. I put the red beans and rice in a serving bowl, mixed in the sausage and set it on the table. I pulled a cornbread from the oven. I made three Bloody Marys. "Ladies," I called, "Dinner is served."

"What smells so good?" and "Wow!" rang out as they entered the dining room.

"Et les bontemps roulez!"

I think that the Bloody Marys with horseradish and a celery stick was the winner. I had to keep pouring.

The rest of it wasn't too bad either, if I do say so myself. Now that dinner was over and the kitchen was cleaned up, I excused myself to go for a stroll.

"Wait," said Sam, "we'll all go and fart together."

"An Ass Trumpet Trio!"

We walked through the complex. We met several neighbors along the way. We checked out the clubhouse and the pool. The bar in the clubhouse was open so we got some drinks and sat looking at the water. It was a very tranquil time with the sun setting and few birds chirping.

As we walked back, we saw Ella and Lou having a drink on their patio. We introduced Elaine to our friends as Lou got more drinks. I lit up a joint that Elaine politely lifted, thanking me. I never saw the joint again.

Ella quickly agreed to join the women in a jaunt over to the island. Lou mentioned preparing a list of things to ask their builder and to take lots of pictures. He was going into town to do some work. It was very casual talk. Elaine was mostly quiet.

"So, are you folks going to join us for a festive five-way tomorrow night?" Elaine likes to get to the point."

"Why not tonight?" asked Ella.

"Darlin', there is nothing I'd like more but I'm beat. I just want to go to sleep. I don't want to be a party pooper, but also, I have gas."

"Aha! One of Ray's delicious meals, I'll bet!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Ella ushered us out.

"Come with me." Sam took Elaine into the guest bedroom. I followed with her bags but left to hit the john in my bedroom. Eventually, I found my way to the bed and picked up my iPad. In a few minutes, Sam had joined me and we quietly went to sleep.

I awakened in the night by a rustling of the bed. Elaine had joined us and I was the meat in the sandwich. Elaine spooned me and we went back to sleep.

The morning was another story altogether. I woke first and went to the bathroom. When I returned to the bedroom, the two women were spooning each other and making little sounds of satisfaction. They were oblivious to me and it was nice to watch. I eased out of the bedroom and went into the kitchen to put up a pot of coffee. When I returned with a large tray that I set on the dresser, the women were still in the same positions. They seemed to be relishing their sensuality, the caressing and the stroking. I sat down enjoying the scene and sipping my brew. They both seemed so languid, almost in slow motion. I was enthralled. I ran out of the bedroom, up to my loft where I got a canvas and some Vine and Willow charcoal sticks and ran back to the room. I was glad that they hadn't noticed me gone. Or even that I was ever there, for that matter.

I started to draw the images that I felt running through my body. I drew feeding off their low level of energy as if I were a vampire. I drew with more detail than I ever had before. I seemed to notice everything and yet saw the entire image as a continuum. I entered another state, another realm, another galaxy and some way beyond.

I was sweating. I put the charcoal down. I focused. Elaine and Sam were sitting up in the bed staring at me.

"Come on. Let's see." I turned the canvas toward them and they both gasped. "Oh, wow!", "Holy..." and "Gee Whiz!"

"Does that mean you like it?"

"Oh, yeah. Incredible," said Sam.

Elaine laughed. It figures that you had to watch us make love in order to get your mojo back! I want it."

"Sorry," I said, "This one is mine. I will call it "Jamaican Memories." They giggled.

"Look at you, Ray. You're soaking wet. Take a shower and then come back." Sam cajoled.

"One second." I got up and took my drawing to the loft where I quickly sprayed some fixative on the canvas. A few minutes later, I walked out of the shower into the arms of two beautiful women.

"After that beautiful picture, we're going to rock your world."

"Well alright. Do it."

Sam grabbed one arm and Elaine the other. They pulled me on to the bed and mashed my face under their breasts. I was smothered in flesh and loving it. Their hands were caressing, stroking and just playing with my dick like a stick shift. They shifted around on the bed, devouring my shaft and my balls. Their legs intertwined over my head pushing the two vulvas together inches from my mouth. I lined up at the center but stopped at their clits, which were rubbing against each other. So I did what any good lover would do, I licked the base of their clits. They went nuts over that and started to spread their legs and bounce on my face. Their combined juices lubricated me. I was prepared.

Little Elvis had different ideas. I said, "Somebody fuck me." That stopped the action. The women conferred for a moment and then got off me. They stood on either side of me and slipped down, trying the jam my cock between them. This felt really nice but it was difficult to maintain so Sam slipped my cock in and began to rise up and down. Elaine was rolling both my nuts around in her mouth. Then Sam got off and Elaine got on. When she squeezed her cunt around my shaft, I groaned. "I'm gonna cum!" Elaine got off me and they both stroked me until I spewed hitting both in the face. The second wave decorated their necks and breasts. The last burst hit my chest. We all looked at each other and laughed. Then we collapsed together.

We rested for a few minutes until Elaine said, "Come on. Let's get dressed and go over to the island. If we don't get up now, we'll be here forever."

"Good thinking," said Sam as they left for the shower. I was left to wallow in my cum and my reveries.

After they left with Ella, I showered and dressed. It was warmer today, in the mid-seventies. I put on a tee shirt and loose shorts and took a stroll. I met several neighbors and had interesting discussions including a few provocative allusions. I smiled and went on my way. I heard someone playing the guitar and I strolled that way. I sat down on a bench and listened to him from behind a hedge. He was a good fingerpicker and he had a distinct style. He played songs by songwriters. I heard Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bob Dylan...and then I heard a couple of songs by Davy Harper. My heart filled with pleasure. I even heard him reproduce my licks! I didn't want to disturb him now so I took note of the number of his house with the intention of thanking him.

I walked back to my house with a little strut. I did a few jobs like installing a video doorbell/lock and setting up wireless software. Besides my phone, I set the signal on my smart TVs. Then I went up my mancave.

I looked at my drawing. I liked it. I looked at my guitars, still in their cases. I wasn't ready for them. Instead, I sat down at the computer to check my mail. The first one I looked at was from the ex-client who wanted me to create an app the day before I went on vacation. He said he was sorry and wanted me to create the app - and here's the kicker - at the same price I'd quoted originally. I closed the email and archived it into his file. I wouldn't respond. I just wouldn't do it. Period. There were no other emails of consequence.

I looked at the drawing again. I set up a canvas, opened my paints and sat down staring at the original. I began to paint black curls, then I filled in Sam's features. Then I started on Elaine and did the same. I didn't like it so I turned the canvas over and began again. This time I concentrated on their bodies, forming breasts, hands, thighs and tushes. I began to fall into a sort of dream state, letting my paints speak their colors. Faces formed in a whirlwind of strokes and impasto. Then, as quickly as it entered me, it departed and I sat staring at the canvas feeling empty. This was good but unfinished. I put my things away and headed back downstairs. As usual, when I was done, I was wiped out. I sat down on my Eames Lounge and nodded off, drained of energy.

I awoke a half hour later. I immediately started emptying boxes and putting things away. Most of the empty boxes I took to the dumpster. I putzed around for several hours until the women returned. They were all in a pissy mood.

"What the hell happened to make all of you so pissed off?"

Ella said, "Oh, we met a couple of arrogant men working, if you could call it that, on my house. And, we met an arrogant real estate woman. What else, girls?"

"Yes, the word for today is 'arrogance'. Why do arrogant types think they're are normal -"

"- Or better than normal - Superior?"

"But we showed 'em. We had a secret weapon named Elaine. She sautéed and fried them. You are a pisser, girl. Did I tell you that already?"

"Alright. Enough!" laughed Elaine. "Let's get wasted. What do you have to drink? And why am I dressed? I should be in the pool!" As soon as she finished her last sentence, she was running toward the pool and stripping off her clothes.

"I'm going home now. I'll see when Lou is coming home. We'll be over after dinner for fun and games."

"Well, I have to make!" Sam was gone. I walked out to Elaine. Her tits were floating in the pool. "Lady, I always said you had great tits."

"And you were right. Where's my drink?"

"What do you want? I have wine, cognac and I can make a Bloody Mary, a Martini and maybe a New Orleans Sazerac. What do you want?"

"How about a big pitcher of Bloody Marys? With Horseradish."

"That's the only way to make 'em." I returned a few minutes later with the pitcher and a bunch of tumblers. Sam came out as I was pouring.

"Oh, great idea." She stripped and jumped into the pool.

"When in Rome..." It was nice out there in the pool. The sun warmed up the afternoon to about eighty. The Bloody Marys warmed us up another ten degrees. It was a perfect combination.

Elaine said, "I'm so calmed down. You don't mind if I take a nap for a while, do you?"

"No, no, no. I was just thinking the same thing," said Sam. "Come with me, Ray and I'll tell you all about the day."

Sam got under the covers while I stayed above. "We went to Ella's house first because it was closer. When we got there, Ella said it was in the same condition as the week before, just framed out. We heard some noise in the back. We found three men swimming in the bay. Their clothes lay where the deck will go. We thought this odd and walked into the house. One of the men started to yell that we had to get out, that it was private property. Ella asked who he was and he replied that he was the construction manager. That's when things got hot. Ella yelled that she owned the house and that she was going to talk to the builder immediately and why weren't they working on the house. He started to yell back when Elaine stepped in. She explained that she had called the police, that she was Ella's lawyer and that he had a whole world of trouble coming down. Meanwhile, Ella called the builder and reamed him a new asshole. The upshot of it was he was sorry and would double the construction schedule. Ella explained that she lived on the other side of the intracoastal and would check in regularly. Elaine, whose tone had cowed the manager, now dealt with the police. All this happened while Ella was on the phone. I thought that dropping the charges of trespassing would save a lot of people time helped to ease the situation."

"That's pretty exciting stuff."

"Yeah, but that ain't all. Next, we went to meet the agent and look at the property Elaine in which was interested. The agent was about an hour late. The owner was there and he would not let us in until the agent got there. When she finally arrived, she was pissed at us. Can you believe that? She, and the owner, gave us nothing but attitude. Real nervy bastards. And the house was a big nothing, too. As we were leaving, Elaine told the owner that the house was old, wasn't nearly worth what he was asking for and that the Gulf view might be nice if he'd ever done any maintenance and repair. When we got outside, the agent told Elaine that she had a lot of nerve. Elaine was very calm. She took out a business card, handed it to the agent and explained that she really wasn't here to see the house and that there was another she was interested. She explained that she was really there to see her in action because she and Jane were considering offering her a job as an exclusive regional sales manager. However, that was now off the table. Ellen really dressed her down and then we left as the girl proceeded to throw up. We went over to the address Elaine was really interested in and wow, what a fabulous place! She meets with the family's Estate Lawyer tomorrow. And now, good night." Sam closed her eyes. I rubbed her back for a while and then slipped out of the room.

It was now close to sunset. I stared at the horizon for a while until it occurred to me that I was hungry. I looked over the take-out menus for a few minutes until I called the local barbeque pit and order four bacon-brisket cheeseburgers with mushroom and sautéed onions. While I was at it, I ordered a rack of ribs and four sides. I left to pick it up. When I returned the girls had awoken and set the table.

"So where did you go and what did you get?" I laid the food out on the table and we summarily pigged out. "Decadence" was the comment I heard. Paired with a pinot noir, it was. We left for our fart-propelled evening constitutional in the warm humid air and picked up Ella and Lou on the way back.

"Anyone interested in a tub?" I went and turned it on. We sat around and shot the shit for a while and finished another bottle of pinot noir. I seemed to turn my attention back to the glowing horizon when Sam's voice shook me.

"Ray, Ray...I think he's drifting off again. Ray, are you there?

"Yes. I'm sorry, it's just that the last moments of sundown were spectacular. Yes, you were saying...?"

"Will you get the drawing you did of us, please?"

I dutifully went upstairs and got the drawing. The other canvas was nearly dry and i carefully brought that downstairs, too. I set the canvas down behind my chair.

"Oh, Ray, that's beautiful," said Ella. Sam and Elaine were beaming.

"Wow, Ray. That's incredible." Lou was agog.

"Today, I went back to the drawing and I painted this." I took the canvas from behind my chair. "Careful, it's not dry yet."

All four gasped or caught their breath. Sam's eyes welled up. "I don't know what to say."

"Say you like it."

"I love it! Now, where can I hang it? Let's see."

"You have some eye, Ray. It's beautiful." Ella and Lou agreed.

"I'll give you twenty-five thousand dollars right now for it." Elaine offered.