Authors note: This one takes place overlapping with the story in part 10 but from Calliope's point of view and covers her visit to Virgina to check out her house. Just a chance there is some sex with Mike, well a 100% chance actually.
I'm not sure I'm getting used to all this flying but it does make sense, driving back here would take too much time. I pick up my bag and make my way outside, my ride is here.
"Mike, I missed you!" He takes my luggage and puts it in the van, once his hands are empty, I make sure I'm in them.
"I missed you too Poppy, how long are you staying this time?"
We get in the van for the drive back to home, well Mike's home although the Cards have told me it is like home for me.
"A few days, I want to see how construction is going. I brought some pictures from vacation and last time Sandy talked me through setting up a monitor, I'd like to paint a few of them. The gallery wants to do something in June, they are hoping I can make 15 pictures."
"Do you have enough material for it?"
"I have enough for 150 easy, it was so beautiful there. I have a picture of your sister running along the beach at dawn, that's my next one. I already have 15, a good chance I will have in the 40s to choose the best for the show."
The rest of the trip we talk about college, he is getting excited, he wants to be a lawyer just like his Dad.
We pull up to the house, and always the gentleman, Mike takes my bags up to my room. I gave up shipping supplies and, after checking with Lily, I'm just getting things shipped here. We get in the house and Lily gives me a big hug.
"Betsy is at field hockey practice, she suggested she could bring you over to the house when she gets home. That is unless you have talked Michael into it." Oh, she sooo knows about Mike and me, I don't have Sandy's ninja senses and I picked that up.
"I would love that; she is a sweetie." I'm sure I'll make it up to Mike after everyone goes to bed.
We have a snack, thanks to Dora, and relax for a bit. Lily asked about vacation, I think Sandy's family was a little surprised we went there especially since it wasn't exactly a straight flight. I tell them how we spent the days sightseeing, swimming in the pool and ocean and tanning. One of the things Sandy had me do was take a picture to prove her tan, wearing a modest one-piece suit. Of course, even a simple one-piece suit looks amazing when Sandy is wearing it. I showed them the picture on my phone, I'm not going to tell them there are no tan lines under that.
"I think the best thing about this was she figured out the formula for tanning."
"Yes, the poor dear tried over the years and often was redder than her hair."
Betsy explodes into the house, "POPPY!!!" I can't help but smile, my adopted littlest sister.
"Hey Bets, want to take me over to the house? I'm told it is coming along well."
"The car is already warmed up; you can tell me about vacation while we drive."
I am in awe; my dream is becoming reality. This is going to be an expensive house but it is going to be all mine. I can see the massive studio is built, still need some exterior work but I can see myself spending many hours there. The frame of the house is there but alas they are working on it so I can't explore. I flag down the foreman.
"Hi there, I'm the owner, got a sec?"
"Hello Miss Bard, we met once at the beginning of the project."
"I'm sorry, this has been overwhelming, I must have forgot. How is the project going?"
"Pretty complex plans, I love you have secret rooms and such, if you ever sell it, I bet it will be snapped up, people love that stuff."
"One of my best friends is very security conscious, she is planning the security stuff and is concerned I'm going to be living here alone. 'I want it so secure even I couldn't break in' she said." I turn to Betsy, "Your sister the ninja."
"I grew up with her, she's the sort of weird you can't help but love."
I nod at that.
"We haven't had any setbacks, maybe 3 weeks and we can get to working on the interior. Probably you will be moving in around end of June. We have a big crew on it, guess you wanted it done soon."
"I'm excited and I couldn't resist speeding it along."
"You are coming in from out of town, right?"
"Yes, I still live in Raliegh."
He hands me his card, "Call or text me when you are coming in next, I'll set it up for you to walk through. The guys are working now and I'd rather not derail them, plus it's not really ready, holes in the floor, no drywall, dust, you get it."
"That's fine, I was just happy to look at it from the road, I shouldn't have called you over."
"No, no Miss Bard, this is your project. You want to talk to me; I will find time. I just keep the youngsters working."
"Mind if I take some shots of the progress."
"Miss Bard, this is your house, don't be silly."
He makes a point; I pull out my phone and snap some pictures. I can't help myself; I'm looking at the light and trying to figure how I would paint this. I'm tempted to paint it under the title "Work in progress" but selling a picture of my home, even in this state, would probably get me a lecture from the security ninja.
"Thank you, I'll contact you in a few weeks."
Betsy and I make it back to the car. I just realize how excited I am, I need to track down Mike when we get back.
When we get home the Cards are getting ready for dinner, I show the pictures of the house's progress. I tell them I'm going to be painting vacation pictures in the spare room if they want to see some. I am not the tech wizard Sandy is, she could have streamed it to the big TV easy. I bet I could still provision servers in the IBM cloud or login to their systems if my access was still there but I am nowhere the hotshot that Sandy has become. Just thinking this I miss her and Jen, they have become so much of my life. I was not in a good place when Sandy found me, only painting helped and if we hadn't met, I'll probably be somewhere drawing caricatures for people as they walked by. No, that kooky ninja turned my life around, since she isn't here, I give Lily and Betsy a hug out of the blue.
"Goodness, what is that for Poppy?"
"I was just thinking about how amazing you all are, taking me in."
"Oh dear, you are family."
I can't help it, I start crying. More hugging.
It took maybe 10 minutes to get back under control, the guys wandered off, go figure. We go back to the spare room which is my mini-studio while I am here. "I'm sorry about that, I'm just so happy, I know it doesn't sound like it."
"It's okay dear, we're here for you."
"I know you heard some of the story last Christmas, it has been a lonely the last few years." I'm on the verge of crying again, my hands setting up to paint automatically. "My dad died in 2019, and mom when I was just a kid, we never had any close relatives so when you brought me into your home like you have, it-" Yep, I lose it again. Lily and Betsy again enclose me with their arms. "I'm sorry, I'll be fine when I start painting, really."
"You just let it out dear, you are here with people who love and care for you." I'm never going to stop crying if they keep saying stuff like that. I take a deep breath, if I can get painting, I will be able to get under control.
"I love you too, all of you." I reach over and turn on the monitor, the pictures from the island fill the oversized screen, I feel a calm wash over me.
"Just wait till you see the one I'm going to paint tonight, we went out in the morning and setup along the beach and I took pictures of Sandy running by as the sun rose, I think it will be a good one." We scroll through the pictures pausing at a few of them. "Sandy has an idea to sell some of the ones I don't paint to the Greek government to promote tourism, she's always thinking of something."
"Has she asked you to paint her as a ninja?"
"Betsy, she actually did around Halloween. I told her I can paint a canvas all black with a few threads of red matching her hair. Got all excited till I told her I was kidding. I love her dearly but Sandy is kind of weird."
"We could tell you stories, it isn't a new thing."
I find the picture; it was better than I remembered. "Here it is, I have another one further on at sunset with Jen but I didn't make her run."
With my paints in hand, I enter the zone, I try to capture the picture on the canvas. Lily and Betsy are watching in silence, Mike came in too at some point, I guess he figured the crying was done so it was safe for guys. As I finish up, I realize I've gotten worked up in a different way, Mike knows painting sometimes does this to me and I hope he gets the hint that it is not a night to play call of duty.
"There, that one should be good for the show in June."
"Poppy dear, it is mesmerizing to watch you paint."
"Well, it takes a lot out of me, I'm going to turn in early. I want to get a few more tomorrow and apparently before I go home the builder wants to go over things with me. We had a nice talk with the foreman today but I got a text earlier, they have questions about some inside stuff."
I climb into bed in the spare room, same room I stayed in previous visits. I think I'm going to make a few paintings for this room to spruce it up. It took maybe 30 minutes; I was afraid Mike didn't get the hint and I'd have to track him down.
"Sorry, was waiting for everyone to go to bed."
"I hope you got some rest earlier." I sit up in bed, I am not wearing anything. "Come here darling."
He slides in next to me and I'm all over him, I need this so bad. I can tell right away he's ready for me and I am certainly ready for him, I have been looking forward to this all day. I reach down and position him, he doesn't need any more encouraging and pushes forward, filling me up. He builds up a nice rhythm and I am well on my way but I realize I need more. I speak to him in gasps, "Mike... can you fuck me... in the ass?"
"I thought you didn't like that?"
"Please"
He slows down, bless him for that, and pulls out. I feel him lining up to push into my ass, I resist the urge to grab him and pull him forward. He enters me and I am amazed I didn't climax at that; I'm not going to last long. He starts out slow, the only lubrication was from me and I suspect he is worried he will hurt me; the entire room seems to blur out, all I can see is his handsome face. I have maybe 3 seconds warning before my climax, just long enough to reach back and grab a pillow and bury my face in it. Even with the pillow I really, really hope these rooms are soundproofed. Sandy teases me that I'm a screamer, but I can usually keep it down, this time I didn't stand a chance.
Mike pulls out and settles on his side next to me, I turn to look at him and he is brushing the side of my face with his hand, looking into my eyes in the near darkness. "I love you Cali"
