Jilted American Revives Ch. 01-04

Chapter 1

Farmer's wife Annie Blake took a call from a neighbour Liz Adams, who sounded somewhat rattled.

"Hi Liz, what's the problem? You sound upset."

"I need to ask a huge favour; I can't think of any other solid solution. Tom and I have just been advised that our niece is on her way here from Boston and will arrive in Auckland at daylight on Thursday morning.

"We can't collect her because as you know, that's the day of our Angus bull sale where we have 28 bulls age 18 to 24 months old up for sale by auction. Tom and I must be there. I'm hoping that you could kindly pick up Nicole from the airport and bring her to us. I know that's a big ask and would mean..."

Annie cleared her throat and cut in.

"I regret to remind you darling, that Phil and I will be in Christchurch on Thursday where I'm to receive a national book award for my children's book of poetry as well as the award for the top children's illustrator award of the past year for my work in Lady Alum's book on Swimming with Mermaids.

"Oh damn, of course, I knew that. But in the panic, I've become almost empty-headed. I'll have to think of an alternative."

"Annie, if you wish I could rope in Lucas to perform the service. He works in Auckland, as you know, and hasn't been home in months, and is always promising to visit soon. Well, his mother says soon is this weekend and he must pick up your niece from the airport. I'll call him now and confirm with you shortly."

"Um there's a problem. The reason why Nicole is coming to us is because she's just been jilted a month out from the wedding and is an emotional mess."

Annie sighed and said how tragic and added, "Think carefully darling, Lucas could be the best solution you have and we don't even know yet if he's available."

"Oh god, what should I do?"

"Go for the Lucas option. We know he's sensitive enough to treat your wounded niece kindly once he knows the circumstances surrounding this emergency. You can't cruelly inform your niece to look after herself upon arrival, find a bus and travel more than 150 miles through a foreign country in her delicate state."

"I agree. Call Lucas please Annie, and thanks for your level-headed support. You're a great friend."

Twenty minutes later, Annie called Liz and said, "Lucas said yes, he'll gladly help out and said the Adams' are good neighbours and this mission will get me off his back. Here's his email address for you to send flight details and a description of your niece."

"I can do better than that; I'll send him a recent photo of her. This is so amazing and Annie, you've made me so happy."

* * *

Unruly-looking Lucas Blake entered the airport arrival hall late and began looking for a long-haired green-eyed brunette to match the emailed photo print-out he had in the hip pocket of his jeans.

But there was no sign of her.

He was relieved, as that suggested she was held up in the congestion occurring in the 5.30 to 7.00 a.m. peak of flights arriving from abroad on over-night flights. He grabbed a coffee and scanned the stream of people entering from the restricted arriving passenger processing area.

He had the advantage of knowing what she looked like whereas this 26-year-old if looking for him would only have the vague description she received when her aunt called during her stay-over in Los Angeles. He had been warned to expect her to be a little touchy because right now she was probably off men for life.

Lucas spotted her and pounced.

"Nicole."

"Yes? Omigod."

He rubbed his mouth with his sleeve, thinking his mouth must have a beard of coffee froth around it.

"Aunt Liz described you as rugged and tanned. Oh yes, and you're gorgeous."

Huh?

He gathered himself.

"I'm pleased to meet you Nicole and am happy to be taking you to your aunt and uncle."

Nicole stopped walking and, looking earnest said, "Lucas I apologize for upsetting the plans but I don't wish to be with Aunt Liz right now as I need freedom in my own space. She'll burrow to get all the facts of my fiancé dumping me, how I feel and press to find out what I plan now. I-I can't stomach that happening at the moment, and truly that would happen because she has the same busy-body character of my mother."

"Christ."

"Don't worry, it won't impact on you. I'll call Aunt Liz this evening and explain."

Lucas grinned and said it wasn't a problem for him. He'd been caught by surprise, hence his unintentional expletive.

He smiled, "You have balls."

"Excuse me," Nicole said, sounding rather taken aback.

"Oops, I apologize and again that was unintentional... I slipped into male-speak. What I was attempting to say was I was surprised to find that you were not a... not a..."

"Not a pussy?"

"Ah, I was attempting to say I'd found you were don't appear to be a spineless casualty of a romance that imploded on you."

"Omigod, is that what you were told when being briefed on my upset?"

"Ah, I've elaborated a little," he said, steering her to a coffee bar.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

"I need coffee because I'm choking on my bile released by my failed attempt to smother you in charm with a sympathetic tone of understanding. Coffee?"

"Yes please, with milk."

Lucas asked the barista for two flat whites.

As Nicole sat up on the stool, she showed a lot of leg and Lucas failed to turn away. When he looked up, he saw her lips had tightened.

Apologize or pretend it didn't happen?

He decided to wait and let her speak first.

"You are not a bum although your appearance suggests that you are."

"Possibly I'm not. I have a degree, an excellent income and live a relaxed life."

Mouth agape, Nicole said, "You have a university degree. I was told you bummed around?"

"Yes, doesn't almost anyone with well-off parents gain a degree?"

She laughed. Although tightly controlled, it was a laugh which was promising.

"What is your degree?"

"I have a MISDF otherwise known as a Master's in Information Security and Data Forensics."

"Christ."

Lucas smiled and their eyes locked until he said, "What now for you?"

"I'd like to stay in Auckland a few days, to take time to get my breath back. You could recommend a place for me to stay short term. Or do you have a spare bed?"

"I live in a boatshed above my launch. But you wouldn't like it."

"And why not? Do you have young women coming and going during the night or you keep the place like a pigsty?"

"Actually, it's neither of those. The small apartment has only one bed."

"Single or double?"

"King-size."

Nicole smiled and said, "Then if you promise to keep your hands and whatever to yourself, I'm happy to be hosted by you."

"I'll take you to a nearby beautifully appointed bed and breakfast facility run by Mrs Street, a widow,"

"No, I believe I'll appreciate your company and what suggests will be an intriguing environment to get my mind off myself. Let's go, to the boatshed."

Chapter 2

Nicole had looked at the 35ft fibreglass-on-ply launch in the boatshed, at rest hoisted clear of the water.

"Why is it lifted from the water?"

Lucas replied, "Keeping any hull clear of the water whenever practicable lowers hull maintenance costs considerably and lowers time-consumer labour effort."

"Ah good thinking. And two Merc motors, I see."

"Yep, they give a cruising speed of 25 knots. This is my late grandfather's boatshed and I found this practically abandoned launch built in 1992 and bought it for a song from the original owners who'd drifted away from boating after their children left home."

"Dad came up two winters ago and we gutted her, removing the long-neglected stern-drive 200 hp diesel that that had been retrofitted. We took out the four berths, replacing them with a sumptuous owner's cabin and two tied bunks and during the refit replaced practically much over stuff."

"Dad and mum often come up midweek in the warmer boating season and stay out for a night or two fishing. I use her to fish or to cruise the gulf, sometimes with friends."

"Or with your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, when I have one interested in harbour and gulf cruising."

"I enjoy boating."

"Well, perhaps we could go cruising and fish at night or be fishing at sunrise."

"I'd like that."

"Right up we go, use the handrail because the stairs are steep as that is quite some distance to climb."

"Omigod, the views are magnificent," Nicole exclaimed when they reached the dayroom and were viewing over the upper reaches of the harbour.

"Yes, this part of the upper harbour is reasonably wooded."

"What does that mean?"

Lucas glanced at her breasts and said, "Trees are in abundance, often in clumps including in gullies of native bush."

"If you say so. Oh, I find your living accommodation is rather spartan although incredibly tidy."

"Well I'm tidy by upbringing and that widow that I mentioned earlier with the bed and breakfast home-stay, has a key and comes during the day twice a week and does the house-keeping."

"Oh, well managed."

They entered the bedroom and Nicole said, "The bed is big."

"Nervous about bed-sharing?"

"A little, but my sense tells me you're trustworthy."

With a suggestion of a smirk, Lucas said, "I habitually sleep in the nude."

"But you'll wear underpants while I'm in your bed?"

"Sure, and if you wish I'll give you sheets and you could make a separate bed within a bed."

"I feel that won't be necessary, thank you. But I'm tired after long hours in aircraft and broken sleep. I think I'll have a nap now if that's okay."

"Yeah sure and I'll turn away while you prepare for bed."

Nicole snorted and said, "Just be yourself. If you want to look, then look."

Nicole awoke and realized she was looking at the dawning of the new day and recalled getting out of the bed twice during the night to use the toilet and the hunk asleep beside her hadn't stirred.

She thought he'd not touched her during the night and was somewhat bemused, thinking was that a good thing, or not? Well it showed he was as good as his word, at least for that night, but on the other-hand it he wasn't interested in touching her in bed, that wasn't a flattering result for a nubile woman.

By then fully awake, Nicole realized Lucas was not in bed beside her.

She looked around and couldn't see him and there was no sound of him.

Dressed only in bra and panties, she patted across the floor and opening the ranch-slider peeked out on to the balcony and he wasn't there.

She looked at the breakfast table, Nicole saw it was set for one with a bowl of chopped up fruit and two pieces of wholemeal bread beside the toaster. Only one place had been set and she saw a note and figured it must be for her.

Good morning Nicole. Welcome to your first day in New Zealand. It will be fine, warm with practically no wind in Auckland. Unless there is an emergency, I work an 8-hour day for my employer and have arranged to be on the job from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. while you are staying with me. I must say your breasts look lovely and firm this morning. Be back at the boatshed by 2:15 when I'll arrive home ready to take you exploring and we'll eat out this evening. Lucas.

Nicole thought it odd that he'd mentioned her breasts and then thought, "Wow, it could be a hint that he's interested enough to want to nobble her. She guessed that he wanted her to think about sex with him all day and then when he returned about at 2:00 he'll be expecting her to jump him."

"Bad luck sailor," she said aloud and then wondered why she'd not said that angrily.

"Oh god," she breathed, realizing that meant she was interested in the hunk banging her. But this was too soon... she's expected not to have sex for at least a year after being so cruelly jilted by Sean, that motherfucker who'd jilted her.

Well, the sky was unlikely to fall should sex occur sensationally much sooner than a year of planned possible abstinence. The asshole, he really had triggered her into thinking sex. He was due to be knocked back a peg or two.

Lucas arrived home at 2:15.

She ran to meet him, stopping just short and he calmly pulled her to him and said "Kiss?"

She nodded.

They kissed softly and sweetly and as she anticipated, he pulled away.

"Did you have an interesting morning?"

"Yes, I walked up-harbour and came to a shopping centre in a huge barn."

"It's a former aircraft hangar that was built for flying boats in the 1930s, through WW2 and into the mid-1960s."

Nicole said it was rare to see so many people actually enjoying leisurely shopping.

"Well this is not exactly Boston, USA."

She giggled and said some of the younger woman made her feel somewhat overdressed.

"And oh, three women saw me carrying my coffee to an empty table and one of the women invited me to join them and they appeared excited when hearing my accent. After I said where I was staying and with whom, one of them, Cindy West, said she knew you but not intimately."

Lucas laughed and said he attempted to date her but found she was engaged to be married.

"She was probably with two other young marrieds Jennie Hook and Nicki Chong; I often seen them together."

"Yes, Jennie and Nicki."

"I'll arrange a get-together with them and husbands if you wish."

"I'd love that; we seemed to get on famously."

Nicole's phone went and she said, "Oh, it's Aunt Liz; she'll want me to come to her immediately. I'll switch on to speaker."

"Oh, hi Aunt Liz, was the cattle sale successful?"

"Everything went exceedingly well dear and the results exceeded our expectations. I need to ask, why aren't you on your way down to us?"

"Oh, I'm in heaven here, and am almost back to normal already."

"Oh really? I've never found sleeping in a strange bed in a hotel an uplifting life-changing experience."

"But I'm not at a hotel; I'm staying with Lucas in his boatshed."

There was a brief silence before Aunt Liz responded to that comment, icily.

"Oh really, and may I ask where have you been sleeping? That living accommodation is barely large enough to swing a cat."

Nicole looked at Lucas wide-eyed and his response was to shrug and smile.

She said to her aunt, "Oh we are managing."

"Nicole, I consider that answer is evasive. Exactly what is the sleeping arrangement of you two?"

Her niece sighed and said, "We share the bed and we have honoured our agreement there's to be no touching and we both sleep in undergarments."

"That agreement will be broken, I can vouch for that. I want you out of that place within the hour and you are to move into a hotel and call me with address details. I'll collect you about midday after a 6½ to 7-hour drive and well stop at a country hotel for the night as no one should drive for more than 8 or 9 hours without a sleep break."

Nicole looked at Lucas and he shook his head and she swallowed before resuming the phone conversation.

"Aunt Liz, now listen carefully. I'm not ready to leave Lucas' hospitality in this lovely setting that appears to be suiting me magnificently and if I decide to have sex that will be my decision and I am perfectly capable at the age of 27 of making that decision unaided. Do you understand?"

"Young woman, do not talk to me in that tone. Yes, I understand what you are saying but I don't have to accept it. I will have to consider the situation before deciding what to do about this."

Lucas beckoned for the phone and it was handed to him.

"Hi Liz, it's Lucas. Is anyone with you?"

"No, I'm alone and why are you acting so irresponsibly with my niece?"

"Pull your horns in. I take this opportunity of reminding you when your flight to Hong Kong was delayed leaving for 15 hours for an engine replacement and other work, you stayed with me and slept in my bed. During the night you..."

"Stop, stop right there," Liz screamed. "All right, I withdraw my objection. Please tell Nicole to call me when she wants me to collect her."

"Thanks for being reasonable. When she is ready to leave here, she'll call and arrange for us to meet at Taupo, to allow you and me to make our return trips within reasonable elapsed driving times."

"Very well, make that happen."

Liz cut the call.

Nicole croaked, "Omigod, you and Aunt Liz had sex that night. Who was the instigator?"

"Drop it Nicole, more than enough has been said about that incident but I had to bring it up to avoid of us having a row over you staying on here and risking the possibility of her declaring she disowned you."

"Omigod, yes and that was smart thinking. God, to think I always thought my aunt religiously walked the straight and narrow. Will we have sex?"

Lucas flapped his arms helplessly.

"Omigod, that's the same as saying if I want it, it's all on."

He nodded, attempting to maintain a serious expression and said hurriedly, "Let's freshen up and go to a restaurant with a bar."

"Oh, good option and that avoids the possibility of us going at it like pigs at a trough right now."

Chapter 3

A long night of sex appeared more than likely.

Over dinner, Nicole confessed that being so close Lucas in the short and intense time they'd been together along with her remarkable, indeed almost unthinkable decision to share a bed with him, had swept aside her mantle of self-pity in the wake of her betrothment bust-up.

"Through your pleasant and single-minded effort to make me feel more than welcome, and to refocus on the present and in this completely new environment for me, you have assisted to do the almost impossible. This unexpected experienced has allowed me to reprocess my spirit and my thoughts devoid of much of the baggage that was weighing me down. I'm left feeling I've been reprieved and have emerged from confinement amid gloom."

"Wow, Nicole lucky you. I'm pleased to learn that you feel more or less back to normal."

As they left that restaurant, Nicole pushed Lucas into the darkened recessed entrance of a neighbouring building closed for the day, and kissed him lushly.

She pulled back and said, "Touch me intimately."

"Why?"

"As a test to find if my reaction will be to vomit."

"Oh charming," Lucas laughed and pushed a hand straight into her groin.

"Ooh, lovely and I'm pleased you knew where to find it."

They melted into a deep kiss.

Nicole pulled him from the doorway and said, "Let's hurry back to the boatshed and I hereby announce, with your approval, that our previous agreement that there shall be no touching in bed is hereby rescinded."

"I find myself fully support that declaration, Nicole."

"Do you have condoms."

"Yeah, lots."

"I wish you to penetrate me lovingly within the next few minutes."

"Okay, let's dash to the car."

* * *

They were both shaking and breathing heavily in anticipation, their attire strewn around them.

The side of Lucas's face was wet in saliva where Nicole had been licking it passionately and he could smell her arousal and also had the thought he couldn't believe how thick his erection felt as he moved in to bury it.

He tapped it three times on the pubic mound to send the message that he would about to send the bloated purple-headed ruffian sliding between her juicy lips to send nerve ends into a frenzy.

Alarmingly, that unmistakable message produced a cry of outrage.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nicole cried as the third tap of the message landed.

Slightly distracted, Lucas managed to say informatively, "I-I'm about to sink into your depths to end your weeks of..."

"Stop, don't you dare. Pull away from me. This is so wrong, so outlandish. What on earth were we thinking?"

"I don't know about you Nicole but I was thinking I was at on the brink of losing myself in ecstasy in melting into a great fuck."

"Well, bad luck for you, and I apologize but I can't do such an appalling thing when I'm still grieving."