Neighborhood Dad

Someone suggested that I should change categories if I were changing subject matter, but I think doing that with Chapter 17 might have caused some readers to miss it. People got used to seeing the series in Mature, so I'm going back to that setting now.

*****

A few days later, five of us piled into Richard's SUV and headed off for the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Ricky volunteered to drive, but I was the adult and felt I should be in charge. Ricky sat across from me for the first segment so that the girls could gossip in the back seat.

After a bathroom break, Randi said she would ride up front with me so that Ricky could sit beside Paige.

The rest of the trip seemed to take no time at all.

With GPS on my phone, we found the school with no problem and worked our way around to the basketball stadium.

The assistant coach, Amanda, must have been watching from a window as she stepped outside to welcome us to UNC-Asheville.

"Hello again, Miss Fuller," I said, extending a hand.

"Hi, Mr. Donaldson," she said with a broad smile. "And this is Paige."

The assistant shook hands with Paige, who introduced Ricky and Carrie.

"You might remember Carrie from our basketball team. She was the starting center," Paige said.

"Of course," said Amanda.

"You don't have to say that to be nice," Carrie said shyly. "You couldn't remember me. I picked up a couple of fouls and sat on the bench half the game."

"Yes, but you had some good plays in the third quarter and seemed to wear down Miss Doyle," said Amanda. "Speaking of, that might be her now."

We all turned to see another car pulling into the parking lot.

Miss Doyle was tall, but graceful as she stepped out of the passenger seat of the car. An even taller person exited the driver's side. While they had some similarities, the young woman had a darker complexion and hair than the man who could only be her father.

"Anna! Oh my god, I can't believe it," exclaimed Paige. "What are you doing here?"

"Following you, I guess," said Anna, as the two girls shared a quick hug.

"I was on the phone with Miss Fuller a few days ago, and she said she had just gotten off the phone with you about making a visit. I thought I'd check out the school and maybe get to know a potential teammate, too."

Amanda gave the girls a quick sketch of what they would see inside, then a young woman in sweats came outside to join us.

"Hey, everybody, this is Kara. She plays point guard on the team," said Amanda. "She and I will show you around the facilities here, then she'll show you the rest of the campus."

Hearing all the plans the group had for the day, it was obvious I would have plenty of free time to burn, which was exactly what I was hoping would happen.

I explained to Amanda that Randi and I would be checking out the city and would come back later.

"Give me a call or text and let me know when you are wrapping things up," I reminded Paige.

And soon I was driving Randi toward her surprise.

"So, what's first on the agenda?" Randi asked pleasantly.

"You'll see," I replied, following the new directions on GPS.

Soon we turned off the main road and a sign gave away the secret.

"Are you serious?" Randi said, turning away from the window to beam at me. "This is where we are going?"

"Yep."

We slowly made our way up the private drive toward the beautiful Biltmore Estate.

"Oh god, I heard about this, but we lived a long way off then and I never thought I'd get to see it."

The massive mansion was close to the city, but felt like it was in another kingdom, seated on 8,000 acres of land.

George Vanderbilt was only 27 years old when ground first broke on the estate in 1889. The grandson of industrialist Cornelius Vanderbilt, George fell in love with the area when he visited with his mother the year before.

The grounds were so massive that a temporary railroad had to be established to bring raw materials out to the build site. Six years later, the Vanderbilts opened the home.

We drew closer to the front gates, but couldn't yet see the 250-room French Renaissance chateau.

The house itself covers four acres and has 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces to provide heat throughout the structure.

I parked the SUV and took Randi's hand as we started toward the ticket counters. Long lines of people waited to purchase admission, but I swung around them all and headed for another window instead.

"Hi, I'm Henry Donaldson. I called on Tuesday." I slid my driver's license forward so the young woman could see.

As the woman was looking, I snuck a peek at Randi, who was looking at me as if it was taking all her strength to keep her mouth from hanging agape.

"Ah, here we are," the woman said, pulling out a manila envelop. She opened it and checked inside, then her demeanor shifted. She stood a little straighter and took on a more professional tone.

"Mr. Cecil's assistant has taken care of all arrangements. Here are your tickets for admission, a voucher for the café and a note from Mr. Cecil himself."

I accepted the note, which said, "Henry, so glad you have finally accepted my invitation. I hope you have a wonderful time. Sorry I will be away this weekend or I'd welcome you in person. Bill."

The young woman, whose nametag said Shannon, slid over the tickets, a voucher good for $50 at the Stable Café and two sets of headphones.

"What are the headphones for?" I asked.

"You can take a guided tour from one of our staff members, or you can walk at your own pace through the house."

Shannon picked up a small box attached to the headphones.

"This is like an mp3 player. When you enter a new room, hit play and it will give you details on that particular room."

"That is so cool," said Randi, finally regaining her voice.

"Yes, and you can repeat it if you miss anything or take a break and have a seat if your feet get too tired. That's the best part about the headphones - you're not on any tour guide's schedule.

"Oh, and if you're not too tired, don't forget the greenhouse. It's still too early in the year for the garden to be in bloom, but a lot of plants are already growing inside just waiting for the chance to be moved outside."

We thanked Shannon and headed through the gates. A long approach led to the house, but even from the long distance the manor was still massive.

Once we were away from others, Randi asked, "What the hell was all that? And who is Mr. Cecil?"

"Bill is one of the Vanderbilt heirs. He is the president of the group that manages the estate."

"And you know him?"

"Well, not like a friend or something. A couple of years ago, I was invited to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the house. The Biltmore group was looking to bring out a new furniture collection based off designs found here. Some of the pieces aren't even on display to the public."

"Not on display?"

"Yeah," I continued. "I heard that Elvis had three completely different sets of furniture for every room in Graceland, and that the furniture would be rotated from time to time. It's sort of the same thing here. The Vanderbilts had some pieces made, but they also collected antiques over the decades and stored them in rooms that the general public never sees."

"But you did get to see them?"

"I did. Spent a whole day up here and then took a private jet back to Greensboro. That's when Bill said that if I ever came back for a visit, he'd take care of the arrangements. So I called his office on Tuesday, and his assistant said she'd handle everything."

We entered the house and when a tour guide said it was time to start our audio players, Randi and I did a 1-2-3 so we hit the play button at the same instant.

We learned that the original estate was the size of a city. Not only is the house on 8,000 acres now, but after George passed away in 1914, his widow sold off 87,000 acres more to the U.S. Forest Service.

Randi and I visited the main areas, the guest rooms, servant quarters and kitchens. We saw an indoor pool and an indoor bowling alley. We learned many interesting facts and tidbits, all the while enjoying each other's company.

The 90-minute tour took us two hours as we frequently stopped to spend more time in a room.

Then we enjoyed resting our feet with lunch in the Stable Café, named so because the seats were placed in the renovated 19th-century horse stables. We enjoyed salads and rotisserie chicken before heading to the greenhouse.

We hadn't even considered a trip to the winery before my phone buzzed. Paige sent me a text that the group was finishing up lunch at an on-campus spot and would be ready for pickup soon.

As we were walking to the SUV, Randi pulled me to a stop and reached up to turn my head toward her.

"I want to say that this day has been fantastic. The house, the flowers, the whole estate. The great company. Thank you for this."

I leaned down for a kiss. "You are most welcomed."

"I kinda feel like I'm with a celebrity, getting treated fancy and all," she said playfully.

"Enjoy it while it lasts. Usually I get a free pen or notepad from a company. Not rotisserie chicken."

I kissed her again, then we turned and swayed hip-to-hip out to the vehicle.

She was right. This was fantastic.

I wasn't sure if I could wipe the smile off my face by the time we picked up the rest of our group, but that didn't seem necessary since those three were already beaming, too.

"Well?" I asked as I stepped out of the car.

"Oh it was great!" exclaimed Paige. "You should see their locker rooms. Wow."

"And you could pack our entire school in the student section alone," said Ricky. "That place is enormous."

"We got to meet the team and run some drills together," said Carrie.

All the voices were hitting me at once, but Carrie's statement hit me hardest.

"Wait, run drills? I thought you were here to be wooed," I said, looking between Carrie and Paige.

"The team was just finishing a practice, and the coach wanted to see how we fit in with their players," Paige said. "I think we did pretty well."

I heard all about the current players, the coaching staff, the facilities and the campus as we headed toward our hotel.

After several minutes, I could sense that Paige and Carrie were already sold on the school.

"What about Doyle?" I asked, jumping into a tight window between rapid-fire comments.

"She joined in on the drills, too," said Paige.

"No, I mean, what about the school? Did she seem impressed?"

"I think we were all pretty impressed," said Ricky.

"But she's probably already visited a few schools, so she's probably more used to it by now," added Carrie.

We arrived at the hotel, and I pulled up to the entrance.

"You guys stay put until I find out where our rooms are," I suggested.

As I was getting out, I heard Paige speak to Randi.

"Okay, so we've told you everything about the university. What did you find out about the city?"

I wanted to hear how Randi described our day, but maybe it was best I wasn't there. What if we were sharing knowing glances and then suddenly one of them could tell that we'd been on a date instead of just cruising around town.

Everything went smoothly on check-in. We had two side-by-side rooms with double beds and an adjoining door.

By the time we lugged our overnight bags to the rooms, I could feel an ache in my feet and legs from all the walking that day. Even though I'd been working out lately, that day was pretty tough on these 38-year-old joints.

I grabbed some pillows and tossed them up against the headboard of the first bed in my room.

Ricky dropped his bag on the other bed and unlocked our side of the adjoining door.

Paige unlocked her side, and the three girls poured into the room.

"You're looking pretty beat there, Daddy," my daughter said with a smile.

"There are 8,000 acres on that estate, and my arches can feel every step of them. I think I'll need a little recuperation."

"We can rest here for a little while and then go out and see the sights," she offered.

"You young folks can check out the city, and I'll just hit the fast food place next door," I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a $20 bill. I handed it to Paige. "That ought to cover your food."

"We can't just leave you here. Don't you want to come with us?" she asked.

"I've got the furniture market coming up soon," I said, mostly telling the truth. "I shouldn't overexert myself and strain something right before my big week."

It sounded like a very plausible excuse, and by mentioning work I felt sure that Paige wouldn't hound me any further.

But the simple truth was that I'd had a great day with Randi, and I didn't want to go back to faking things just yet. I didn't want to be out having dinner or seeing a play or visiting an art museum while pretending that Randi was just another friend of my daughter. I knew that I'd have to return to that lifestyle soon, but I wanted to carry this wonderful feeling inside me a little longer.

"You sure?" asked Ricky. "If you want something better to eat, we could bring you some grub back."

"Your dad's right," Randi said to Paige. "We really did walk for miles all over that mansion. I am feeling really beat, too. I think I'll stay."

I knew what Randi was thinking, and everything from the neck down thought that sounded like a great idea. But my brain had to interrupt.

"That's silly," I said. "You don't have to stay here to keep the old guy company. I do just fine on my own every day. Besides, you're young; you can recover quickly. And I know all of you are curious about the city. Go, have fun - but, you know, not too much fun."

"I'm not doing it out of pity," Randi said to me. Then when the others were looking my way, she opened her eyes wide like she were asking, "What are you doing?"

"Maybe we should all stay in and just order some pizza," suggested Carrie. As the shy one in the bunch, Carrie was probably terrified she'd get taken some place where she'd have to converse with strangers.

"Nonsense," I said. "Jump in the SUV and get going. I'll want to hear all about the city when you get back."

"Forget it, guys. When Dad's made up his mind, there's no changing," said Paige, turning to go back into the girls' room.

A few minutes later, I heard the gang leave through the other door. My crotch was very angry with me for shooing away Randi when we could have been having sex all evening. But it was the right thing to do. She wanted to get to know the area, too, and she wouldn't get that staying in with me.

Maybe Little Henry would be less angry if I found something good on Skin-emax and rubbed one out, I thought. I picked up the remote and flicked through the lineup, pausing when I found a scene with a man and woman in a close embrace. Hmm, maybe this will do.

Just then I heard a noise from the other room; it sounded like someone opening the bathroom door. I quickly changed the channel back down a couple of stations to a nature program.

"Hello?"

"I can't believe you tried to get rid of me," came Randi's voice from the darkened room. "Especially since I brought this little outfit with me."

She stepped into the doorway wearing a red babydoll. It was covered in delicate embroidery, but was otherwise sheer. In the soft light from my bedside lamp, I couldn't make out her nipples upon her firm breasts, but I could see the outline of her matching g-string panties.

"I take it you like it," she said around a knowing smile. "I got it from Victoria's Secret, Dream Angels collection."

"Oh, angel is the perfect word for you, darlin'. You look lovely and sexy."

She gave a slow pirouette so I could get the full effect. Her bare cheeks showed through the sheer material, and I could see the thin string that separated those firm, muscular globes. Who the hell needed Skin-emax?

I turned off the TV and tossed the remote onto the table. As she stalked toward me, I swung my legs around to the side of the bed. I was halfway standing when she shoved me backward.

"Maybe you should stay down since you're so tired."

"I think I'm cured now."

Her fingertips tickled my exposed belly as she slid her hands down to my pants. She quickly had me unbuttoned and pulled the zipper down. With my feet still on the floor, I pushed my pelvis up so she could pull the pants and underwear out from underneath me.

My exposed cock was already halfway hard from seeing her in that outfit and would reach full size in seconds considering how aroused I was.

She didn't bother to wait, dropping her mouth to engulf two-thirds of me right off the bat. She held me inside and swirled her tongue all around the underside. With one hand, she squeezed and tugged on the base while the other hand cupped my balls.

"God that was hot," she whispered as she came up for air. "I could feel you getting bigger and bigger in my mouth. It felt like you were never gonna stop expanding."

I tried to sit up so I could get my hands on those firm tits, but she shoved me back again.

"I'm not done playing."

She bobbed up and down for a full minute as I groaned in pleasure. Then she pulled back and gave me a tongue bath, all up and down the sides and even down to my sack. Her fist slid up and down my wet length as she sucked gently at my balls.

When all that teasing had me really worked up, I reached for her outfit, intent to pull the babydoll over her head. She stood up abruptly and wagged a finger at me.

"No, no. I love my new babydoll - and you do, too, from the looks of things - so I'm not taking it off. You'll just have to work around it."

With that, she pushed back again, and I let her, wondering what she would do next.

She lowered her mouth once again and took me halfway inside. She drooled all over my rod, then rose up slightly and rubbed the head over the tops of her breasts, just at the edge of the fabric. She paused to slide him into the start of her cleavage a couple of times, but the angle of my erection and the angle of her babydoll didn't allow me to go deep.

She had great, perky breasts, but for once I wished they were a little bigger so she could properly titty fuck me.

She returned her mouth to the head and slobbered all over me again. Then she turned around, put her hands on my knees and lowered her ass to my crotch. My cock rose up the inside of her outfit and touched her exposed cheeks. She slid back and forth and up and down so that I touched her all over her ass. Then she pushed back and had me squished against her crack as she ground herself against me.

I just couldn't take anymore. I reached up, grabbed her around the ribs and pulled her backward. When she fell against me, I rolled over and flipped Randi on her stomach. Then I rolled further until I was lying across her back.

Before she could even react, I sank my teeth into the top of her shoulder and thrust my dick up against her ass again. I slid my lips to her neck and kissed, licked and nipped while watching her hands grip the bed cover.

Raising up on my hands and knees, I moved down her body and then off the bed with my hands on the back of her thighs, letting her know I was in control now. She held still.

I flipped the sheer material up onto the small of her back with only her g-string between us. I pulled an arm back and dropped a sharp slap onto her right cheek. The smack echoed off the hotel walls.

"Oww," she chirped reflexively, but I was already massaging the burn away. Then I lowered my face and gave wide, long licks across the flesh. I took a deep breath and blew across the wetness to cool her down.

Rather than spend several minutes licking and stroking her lips and clit to get her ready, I simply pulled the string to the left with one hand, while the other brought my cock up to her slit. I rubbed the dripping juices around my fat, spongy head, then leaned in close. I pushed hard and fast right up inside her as she screamed into the mattress.