Carpenter

Just after I turned twenty I won some decent money in a lottery. The amount was in the millions, just not a lot of them. Still, it was enough to set me up for life if I was careful, or even if I wasn't. My first purchases were a decent house in a nice neighbourhood and a decent vehicle. One of the reasons I purchased that particular house was that it had a very nice workshop. I was, by trade, a carpenter, and a very good one. Now that I didn't have to ply my trade in the pursuit of filthy lucre I decided that I was going to make things.

I started slow. A child's rocking horse, a birdhouse (actually several birdhouses), a nice rocking chair, and things like that. Whatever took my fancy and furthered my skills. I put these items up for sale on EBay, charging enough to cover the manufacturing cost and not much more. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they sold quite well. I was also somewhat unpleasantly surprised to find some choice items being resold with a fifty percent mark-up. I felt ripped off even though I had set the price I wanted and got it. After that I charged a reasonable mark-up on my better items and actually got it.

I started experimenting, making things with contrasting timber so that they became pieces of art as well having a practical purpose. The better pieces had a bigger mark-up and still sold.

After a couple of years of doing this I was approached by a high-end furniture store and offered a deal. They would take everything I made and sell it through the store, retaining what they called a small commission. I told them that the commission they wanted was exorbitant and we went back and forth a little until we were both satisfied. I also agreed to create custom pieces on an irregular basis. My little hobby was starting to turn a nice profit.

I was visiting my parents one fine day when my father mentioned that he'd picked up a couple of Mallee roots that he was going to use to make charcoal for his barbecue. I'd glanced at the two ugly roots and my first thought that burning them was a good idea. Turning away I found myself viewing one root from a different angle and inspiration hit me. I'd be damned if that root was going to be burned. I could just see an eagle in the wood. I grabbed that root and took it home. The other one my father could burn to his heart's content.

I have a dog. A real mongrel. Part German Shepherd, part Doberman, parts of several other animals, not necessarily dogs. He was highly intelligent and eminently trainable. I trained him in a dozen tricks that he seemed to enjoy doing. The worst trick was fetch. He'd go chasing his ball for hours if he could persuade me to throw it. I finished up making a miniature catapult that would throw his ball far and wide. I'd trundle it down to the park on weekends and there was always a few kids around who were eager to work the catapult. Good exercise for Brutus and fun for the kids.

I was down at the park one afternoon when Brutus walked away from the kids and the catapult and came over to me, growling quietly. I looked where he was looking and I saw the twins. Two girls about eight, living a few houses up from me with their sister. I'd never seen any parents and I had the impression that the sister, about eighteen, was their primary caregiver. Right now the girls were backed up against a tree with a man towering over them. The man seemed nice enough but the girls were obviously nervous.

"Guard," I told Brutus, flicking my hand towards the girls.

Brutus didn't hesitate. He charged across the park, settled in front of the girls, and snarled at the stranger. I sauntered over to see what was going on.

"Hi, girls," I said upon reaching them. "Who's the jerk?"

"Don't know and don't want to know," said Tina, sounding scared but resolute.

I looked at him and smiled. "The girls don't like you. My dog doesn't like you. I don't like you. Go away."

He was spluttering and protesting, accusing me of having a vicious animal, and threatening to report me to the police.

"Have you any idea who I am?" he demanded.

"No, but you can always ask your mother. She might know."

I snapped a quick picture of him and smiled. "Or I can always ask the police if you're a known paedophile or just one new to the area."

He swore and tried to grab my phone and I snapped, "Brutus, testicles." Brutus lunged and snapped and his teeth were very close to the man's groin. (He didn't actually bite, just snapped very close to the target. One of his little tricks.) He didn't need to snap a second time as the man was beating feet.

I set Brutus on guard again and went and fetched my catapult and his ball. Returning to the girls I found them very indignant.

"He wouldn't let us leave," Tina protested. "We wanted to go home and he stopped us."

"Good boy," I murmured, stroking his head. "Lead the way." I took out his leash and attached it, giving the other end to Michelle. "Here, you walk him," I told her. She gave the leash a small tug and looked delighted (and relieved) when Brutus obediently moved along.

"Why do you have to walk with us," demanded Tina. "We can go home by ourselves."

"No choice," I said with a shrug. "You've got my dog."

Michelle seemed to think that was reasonable. Tina just looked mutinous.

"You can go now," Tina said as soon as we arrived at their place. Unfortunately Michelle just waltzed right in, taking Brutus with her so I followed along. Some loud shouting for Vicky resulted in the older girl opening the door and stepping out.

"What is going on?" she demanded.

"He followed us home," snapped Tina. "I couldn't stop him."

A pair of cold grey eyes fastened on me.

"Don't blame me," I said quickly. "Michelle has my dog."

"That's a dog?"

"Don't be mean. Brutus, this is Vicky. Vicky, Brutus. Take a bow, Brutus."

To the delighted surprise of Michelle Brutus bowed. Vicky raised her eyebrows. Tina feigned unconcern.

"So why do my sisters have your dog?"

"My name is Carl, by the way. I thought they were your sisters. I figured you were far too young to be their mother. Um, do you know this man? He was annoying your sisters and they didn't want a bar of him."

"Jimmy. An ex. He's an ex because he's a lowlife and a potential abuser."

"So he has no right to approach the girls?"

"None whatsoever."

"In that case I can feel free to lodge a complaint about a possible paedophile at the local cop-shop and give them this photo. I assume that you don't want to be named in the report?"

"You assume correctly but feel free to heap as much crap on Jimmy as you can."

"Brutus tried to bite him. He screamed and ran away," Tina said triumphantly.

"He has good taste," observed Vicky.

"He was guarding the girls," I explained. "One of his little tricks is to snap the air just in front of a man's groin. Works wonders and no-one is hurt, except to their peace of mind."

Vicky laughed and looked approvingly at Brutus.

"I see you have one of my bird-houses," I observed, nodding towards it.

"It's not yours. Vicky bought it on EBay." Tina again, aggression rearing its head.

"Understandable," I agreed. "That's where I used to sell them. I didn't say I owned it. I just happened to make it."

Tina blushed and glared at me. I simply smiled and took my leave.

Subsequent to that visit I dropped by the local cop-shop. I gave then the photo of Jimmy and reported his as having hassled a couple of young girls at the park. The girls had been scared and denied knowing him. My dog and I suggested that he move along.

"Your dog? Is that what that thing is?" the police constable asked.

"He's really quite friendly," I assured her. "All he did was snap the air in the man's general direction and he fled. He's a highly trained animal. Want to see one of his tricks? If so, summon a brave young man to join us. By all means film us while he does his trick. You'll kick yourself if you don't."

She gave me an odd look and called for someone to join us. He was a big, beefy, officer in full uniform.

I pointed to him and gave the command. "Brutus, testicles."

There was a snap of teeth, a yell of alarm, and a shout of laughter.

"He snaps the air near a man's groin and they tend to, ah, back-pedal," I explained.

"And I have it all on camera," the police-woman said happily.

The victim was swearing. "You get rid of that video or so help me..."

"Not until I've shown everyone," gloated the police-woman. "They'll love it."

I departed, leaving the victim swearing at the woman while she laughed.

A few days later I was working on my Mallee root. In the background I could hear the chattering and laughter of children. School must have recently got out I mused, and kept on working. It didn't occur to me to wonder why the noise of the children should be so loud when normally it was softer, as if from a distance.

I started wondering what was going on when something large crashed against the side of the workshop. Deciding this needed investigation I crossed to the door and stepped out. Three heads turned to look at me. Tina, Michelle, and Brutus. I looked at the three of them and the three of them looked back.

"We were playing fetch with Brutus," Tina announced belligerently. "He likes playing with us."

"Fair enough. Just make sure you close the gates when you leave so that Brutus can't leave the yard."

Michelle nodded eagerly, willing to please. Tina just glowered. Something wrong with that kid, I decided, but I also decided that it wasn't my business.

"If you're going to come and see him often I'll give you a list of commands to use to have him do his tricks. He likes showing off but you have to praise him and reward him. I'll show you where his reward biscuits are."

Michelle was excited. Tina was studiously indifferent. I returned to my work and let the girls play.

That evening I wrote out a number of the key words I used for Brutus with an explanation of what each one was for. I specifically excluded the key word for the more dangerous tricks. (Dangerous to people, not Brutus. He was a guard and defender and had the appropriate commands.)

The next day the girls were back and I gave them the list and showed them where his treats were stored. Only one reward per trick, I warned them, knowing greedy guts would take the whole damn lot if he could get away with it.

Subsequently I continued my work to a background noise of a lot of yelling and laughing and an occasional bark. I wasn't really surprised that Brutus wore the girls out before they wore him out. The girls came barging into my workroom to see what I was doing. I quickly explained a few safety rules to them. They could look, but not touch. They could especially not touch any of my sharp tools as they were dangerous.

They wandered around, admiring some of the finished pieces that were on the shelves on one side of the room. They also seemed to be trying to puzzle out what I was building from the bits and pieces on the workbench. They were confused by the Mallee root. I explained I was carving it and the finished product would be an eagle. They both expressed doubts, Michelle politely, Tina rudely. (Okay. I had some doubts myself. I'd never tried a carving this elaborate before.)

This state of affairs continued for a week. The girls would visit, play with Brutus and then visit my workshop. I stopped worrying about them. Michelle was bright and sparkling. Tina was a little black thundercloud. Both of them were well behaved. I should have known better to let my guard down around children.

I was working on that damned root and the girls were looking over some wooden toys. They'd already made a few suggestions regarding wooden toys and I was considering them. Why not? Children know what children like. Then I heard a giggle from Michelle and a sharp protest from Tina. I glanced over and nobly refrained from swearing.

Michelle had picked up one of my chisels and was waving it at Tina who was waving her hands about defensively and backing away. I moved quickly up behind Michelle and caught her by the elbow. I extracted the chisel from her grip, sat on a work chair, and hauled her across my knee. The spanking then took place and I did not go easy.

After swinging her back to her feet I glared at her, thunder on my face.

"What did I say about touching my tools?" I asked. "What did I especially say about touching my sharp tools?"

I held up my left hand and pointed to the scar that ran across the width of it.

"When I was ten my older brother did exactly what you were just doing. He misjudged the distance and sliced right across my hand. Off to hospital and twenty three stitches, with my mother lambasting me the whole time, even though I was the victim. How would you feel if you'd accidentally cut off one or two of Tina's fingers. I am totally disappointed in you."

Michelle was crying and Tina came to her aid.

"She didn't really intend to hurt me," she protested.

"Who asked for your opinion?" I demanded. "She screwed up and she takes the consequences."

I glared at the pair of them and then whistled for Brutus. Pointing at the girls I gave Brutus the command. "Brutus, home."

It was a new trick for him and he was delighted to show off. He came up to the girls and started herding them towards the door. Once they started moving he followed along, keeping them heading towards home. Once the girls had entered their yard he came bounding back to me, eager for his treat for a job well done.

I went back to work, wondering how long it would take for Vicky to arrive. I was willing to bet that while Michelle wouldn't say anything Tina wouldn't be able to wait to spill everything. It only took five minutes before Vicky came storming over, blood in her eyes.

"Did you beat my sister?" she demanded.

"Which one?" I asked.

"What?"

"You have two sisters. Tina and Michelle. Which one are you referring to?"

"Michelle of course. Tina said you spanked her."

"I thought she might. I suspect that Michelle would much rather that she hadn't."

"So you did spank her?"

"I did. For cause. You might want to give her a pillow to sit on at dinner time."

"What was the cause?"

"The girls didn't tell you?"

She shook her head.

"Then I won't either." I gave her a charming smile. "I'd lay odds that Michelle won't mention the reason and I very much doubt that Tina will."

"I'm going to ban the girls from coming here anymore."

"Your choice," I admitted. "Only two problems with that. They'll be furious with you and they'll probably come anyway. If you try and tell them that I ordered it I'll flatly deny it, letting them know that they are welcome anytime as long as they obey the rules."

Vicky was glaring daggers but there wasn't much she could do. She left in a huff.

The girls didn't turn up the next day but that didn't really surprise me. They were still adjusting to the idea that easy-going me wasn't quite the simple touch they'd assumed.

They were back the day after, playing with Brutus but not entering the workshop. That continued for a few days and then everything was back to normal. First Brutus, and then badger me in my workshop. They were very careful not to touch any of my tools. Another thing that hadn't changed was Tina's attitude. To say she was rude and insolent was looking on the bright side. I decided to have a talk with her.

"A word with you before you go, Tina," I requested the next day. Michelle also paused but I waved her on. "You go ahead. I'll only delay Tina by a minute."

Michelle happily headed off while Tina stood there, giving me the evil eye.

"What?" she demanded.

"I am rather tired of your attitude," I said bluntly. "You are rude, you are insolent, and you don't seem to have any understanding of common courtesy. If you continue with this attitude there will be repercussions and you won't like them. Try to exercise some common sense and be polite."

She looked me dead in the eye, smiled, and said, "Fuck you."

She shouldn't have said that while standing in front of a closed door. She turned to bolt, stared at the closed door for a second, and grabbed for the handle. Way too late.

I had hold of her arm and sat down, putting her across my knee at the same time. Then the spanking I'd been itching to give her took place.

She didn't say a word. Just took the spanking in total silence. When I released her it was a case of the evil eye and then she was gone. I wondered how soon it would be before Vicky came over.

She didn't arrive. It seemed that Tina said nothing about what took place which gave me furiously to think. Tina had a definite problem and I decided to talk to Vicky.

Seeing the next day was a Saturday I waited until the morning and then wandered over to see Vicky.

"Hi. Could I have a chat with you about Tina?"

She sighed. "What's she done now? You'd better come in."

We went into the lounge room and I suggested that she call Tina in to join our discussion. Tina came in, saw me, and a look of defiance crossed her face.

Looking at her closely it seemed to me that there was also a tear in the corner of each eye. I mentally sighed and beckoned her closer. As soon as she was within reach I reached, picked her up and sat her on my lap, my arms going around her to hug her. She stiffened and tried to struggle but a child versus a man? Wasn't going to happen.

Vicky looked startled and was about to leap to Tina's aid but I looked at her and shook my head. She sat back and watched.

Seeing she couldn't get loose Tina stopped struggling and just sat there with my arms around her. After a few moments the threatened tears appeared, those solitary tears now little streams. At the same time she went completely limp, burying her head against my chest, hands gripping hold of me as tightly as she could. I simply held her, giving her somewhere safe to be.

I estimated that she cried for a good ten minutes before calming down to a few quiet sobs. Even when the tears stopped she stayed snuggled against me, apparently welcoming the comfort of the hug I was giving her.

"If you want to talk, I'm listening," I said softly. Not demanding, just laying the offer out there where she could look at it and consider it.

"It wasn't my fault that Michelle got spanked," she finally said.

"I know. I was the spanker, remember."

"But why'd you spank her and not me?" It sounded like an honest question even though it surprised me somewhat.

"Because she screwed up, not you. Why would I spank you for something she did?"

"But I'm the responsible one. If anything goes wrong it's my fault for not preventing it. I have to look after Michelle and Vicky but I failed and Michelle got spanked. It should have been me."

What sort of logic was that? I gave Vicky a look and she just shrugged helplessly.

"Why," I said carefully, "should you be held responsible for what Michelle does? That doesn't seem to make sense to me."

"Aunty Felicity said that's the way things should be. I'm older than Michelle so I have to be the responsible one. She says if anything goes wrong it's my fault and I get punished. She says it doesn't matter who does something wrong, I have to be the goat."

"Did she say goat or scapegoat?" I asked.

"Yes. That word," agreed Tina.

"What a load of codswallop," I said, hugging her a little tighter and stroking her hair with one hand. "When did she say that?"

"When we lived with her before Vicky could take us. What's codswallop?"

"It means a stupid lie told by people too stupid or too lazy to invent a decent one. Your Aunt Felicity was simply blaming you for everything because it was an easy thing to do. You are not responsible for anything other than what you actually do. In future just ignore anything your Aunt Felicity says. Just refer her to Vicky if she has any complaints."

Tina seemed to consider this and then she gave me a small frown. "But you spanked me."

"Indeed I did. I seem to remember you telling me to F off."

"Oh, yeah. I did, didn't I?"

"There's no reason to look proud of that," I gently reprimanded and she giggled.

"I'm sorry but I just didn't want to be responsible anymore and when you started to tell me off it just came out."

"Well don't do it again, okay?"

She hastily nodded but still looked pleased with herself.

"Alright. We've discussed what I wanted to talk about. You can go and play or just stay right where you are for a bit longer. Your choice."

Her choice was to stay right where she was, snuggling up to me. I wondered how long I'd be stuck there. I also wondered how long she'd been waiting for someone to just hug her.

"Vicky, you might like to visit your Aunt Felicity and explain a few things to her. You'll find taking a nice broom with you might help. You'll probably have to work on a certain child to help deprogram your Aunt's propaganda. Sympathy, empathy, and kindness should do the trick but you can always get professional help."

"Why the broom?"

"The cops might object if you drive your points home with a baseball bat."

Vicky laughed and asked if I wanted some coffee. Not knowing how long I'd be stuck where I was I agreed.

We had our coffee and talked, ambiguously enough that Tina wouldn't know we were talking about her. I was finally given a reprieve when Michelle turned up, demanding that Tina join her. After that Vicky talked a little more plainly.

"I'll continue to let the girls visit Brutus and you," she said. "However I must ask you to refrain from beating them."

"Really, Vicky. I'd never beat small children unless it was really necessary."

"Tina telling you to F off is insufficient reason for a spanking.'

"Granted, but I didn't spank her for that and Tina knows it. I'm sure she'll take steps to correct her behaviour."

Vicky glared at me. "No spanking for any reason."

"Fine. If they screw up in a monumental way I'll deliver the spanking to you. You can pass it on to the twins as you see fit."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Funny. I got the impression that that was what Tina was trying to say when she told me to F off. You can see how effective it was. How about I promise to only spank then if they do something really stupid or dangerous?"

Vicky rolled her eyes and didn't say anything. I continued talking.

"Do you have a reliable baby-sitter for those times you want to run away into the night shouting I'm free?"

"Why?"

"I want to take you out on Saturday night. I'll cover the cost of the babysitter."

Agreement reached I rolled up about 7:00 to pick Vicky up.

"Just waiting for Wendy, my sitter. She's running late. She should be here anytime."

I nodded agreeably and settled down to talk with the girls. After five minutes Vicky's phone rang and she answered it. She started looking depressed as she talked. Hanging up she sighed and turned to me.

"Change of plans. Wendy tripped leaving the house and has a badly sprained ankle. She won't be coming."

I nodded and gave a small shrug.

"Change of plans," I told the girls. "Get in the car."

"What are you doing?" demanded Vicky.

"Keeping our date. I'm just changing the place from an adult venue to a child friendly one. No need to change. You'll fit in quite nicely as you are."

We drove for about fifteen minutes and then Vicky gave a start.

"A circus? You're taking us to a circus?"

"Why not? It's here for another week. The girls will love it and it will give me a chance to show off my amazing skills in the sideshows."

It was an old fashioned circus. They even had some live animal shows. The kids were totally enthralled and even Vicky seemed to enjoy it. After the main show we strolled down sideshow alley, the girls taking turns at some of the games. I failed dismally to demonstrate any skills on the games. To make matters worse Vicky stepped up to the balloon pop berth and popped five balloons in five throws, winning a large bear. What was really insulting was that the balloons she popped weren't the ones she was aiming at, not one of them. They still counted though, hence the bear.

The girls fell asleep in the car on the way home with happy smiles on their faces and yours truly had to carry them into the house and lay them on their beds. Vicky chased me off so she could put the girls in their pyjamas, but she did give me a kiss goodnight. (Several, actually.)

We had a number of more successful dates over the next few weeks. I enjoyed them and Vicky seemed to. There was additional kissing and a certain amount of petting, although I did restrain myself so I didn't get too carried away. I suspected that Vicky was also putting on personal restraints a time or too. The way she seemed to be struggling to breathe evenly suggested that.

During this time the girls visited quite regularly to play with Brutus and check up on me. Tina always insisted on giving me a quick hug, with Michelle finally deciding that that was a good idea and joining in. They still criticized my eagle. I grumbled about that to Vicky and she said she agreed with the twins.

"How can you say that?" I demanded.

"I've seen the eagle, remember."

"It's not finished," I pointed out.

"Um, currently it looks finished and ready for burial," was the rather rude observation.

As far as I was concerned things were moving along nicely. My intention was to get Vicky into bed but there was no rush. We were both developing feelings for each other and I was interested in seeing just where this would go.

One day I received a call from Vicky. It was short and succinct.

"Get over here now," she commanded. End of call.

I went. Vicky was waiting outside when I got them.

"Problem?" I asked.

"The girls got into a fight. A real scratching, biting, hair-pulling, punching, kicking, fight."

My mood darkened instantly. Who dared to fight my little angels?

"Who with?" I demanded, ready to seek out the culprit and admonish them.

"Each other," came the smiling reply. Suddenly I did not trust the expression on her face. She continued.

"When I was a lot younger and living at home with my parents my mother's biggest threat when I got into trouble was wait until your father gets home. I'd then spend the rest of the day worrying about what my father would do when he got home. And when he got home I had to face whatever punishment he'd come up with. It was always a worrying experience."

"And?" I said cautiously.

"The girls don't have a father but I considered that you'd be an acceptable substitute. I informed them that I was going to tell you and that they could just wait until you got here. They're currently sitting in their room, looking rather nervous."

"I'm not going to spank them," I said quickly.

"I wouldn't expect you to. That would show a lack of imagination. Please, after you."

She opened the front door and ushered me in, me swearing mentally as I went. I would so get her for this.

When I walked into the girls' room they were both sitting on a bed looking rather nervous. Okay -- very nervous. I pointed at the nearest and simply said, "speak".

Michelle simply said, "She stole Wendy."

I put up a hand to prevent Tina from speaking.

"Who is Wendy?"

"My doll. She stole it."

Again I lifted a hand to shut-up a clearly offended Tina.

"I see. Reprehensible. Proof?"

Michelle looked puzzled. I expanded.

"You say Tina stole Wendy. When, where, and why? Just saying it doesn't make it so."

"If she didn't take it then who did?"

"That is not evidence. So far Tina has no case to answer. As to who stole Wendy maybe Vicky took her. Or me. Or Brutus. Maybe even Peter Pan."

Silence.

"Is that was what the fight was about? You fighting because you thought Tina stole your doll and Tina fighting because she thought she didn't?"

Neither girl had a word to say. I then waxed eloquent, saying precisely what I thought of little girls who turn a simple argument into a physical altercation. I was displeased and let them know it. They were both crying quietly by the time I finished. I finished up with their punishment.

"You will each write a letter apologising to your sister and one apologising to Vicky for upsetting her. You are both grounded for a week. You go to school and then you come home. No going to the park and no going to my place to play with Brutus. Understood?"

They nodded dolefully.

"When the week is up you can visit Brutus again and also pick up the doll someone left sitting on my workbench."

Michelle gave a start and started blushing. Tina looked triumphant. I gave her a nasty look.

"The punishment is for the fighting. Not the doll." She tried hard to lose her triumphant look but it was still there, hovering in the background.

I gave them one final look before I left. "Arguing is fine and expected. Physical retaliation is not fine and won't be tolerated. If it happens again I will be disappointed and extremely cross. Understood?"

Two heads nodded energetically. They definitely didn't want me cross.

I left and found Vicky and told her what the punishments were. I also mentioned that she could decide how onerous the grounding could be. Limiting television and computer time probably wouldn't hurt I suggested.

"I won't come around for a couple of days just as a hint that I'm displeased. You can invite me to dinner on Saturday and that will give them a chance to talk to me if they want to. Oh, and just because I didn't spank them doesn't mean I won't spank you sooner or later."

This was greeted by a contemptuous snort and I was ushered off the premises.

I arrived on Saturday and as soon as I entered the twins pushed me over to the couch, sat me down, and climbed on me. Tina wanted her cuddle while Michelle was happy to just snuggle up next to me. I looked over at Vicky who was looking at the three of us with amusement.

"You could learn something from these girls," I informed her.

"Maybe," she said with a giggle.

"Something that's been puzzling me. Why does Tina refer to herself as the older one?"

"First born. Twenty minutes older that Michelle."

"Ah. Definitely older," I agreed. Tina looked up at that with a smug smile.

We had dinner and afterwards we all watched a movie. (A treat for the girls as their grounding included no TV. My being there made an exception.) I finally got to watch Frozen and found out that both girls knew the words to the main song.

After the movie the girls went to bed and Vicky demonstrated that she could cuddle just as well as the twins. Better even, as she provided extra benefits. I went home very reluctantly that evening.

The day that the grounding ended Vicky came over with the girls.

"They're all yours for the next couple of hours," she announced. "I'm taking a couple of hours free time and since you're the reason I haven't had much of it recently you score the babysitting."

I sighed, locked Brutus in the workshop for a few minutes, gave the girls two small objects and told them to hide them in the yard. They did so and when they'd finished I told Brutus to find. They watched as Brutus charged off, finding the two toys in a very short time. I handed the toys to the girls.

"You can put him in the back room while you hide things. If either of you can hide something so well he can't find it you get a dollar."

The girls set to with a will. They and Brutus were pleasantly occupied for the next half hour. The girls were just a trifle disgruntled when they gave up and barged into the workshop.

"It's like he has a magnet for a nose that just draws him directly to wherever we hide them," grumbled Tina.

"No. It's just that he has enough intelligence to follow your scent to track where you returned from and along that line he finds the toys."

"That's not fair," protested Michelle.

"You're complaining because Brutus is smarter than you?" I asked.

That got me a couple of nasty looks but I was willing to bet that the next time they played that game they'd make allowances for that.

"Where?" demanded Tina, "is your demented eagle?"

"And where are all your little statues?" added Michelle.

"I sometimes sell my work through a gallery," I informed them. "They picked up the statues yesterday, including my lovely eagle, which turned out very nicely, thank you."

"People pay for those?" asked Tina, sounding surprised.

"It has been known," I admitted. Truthfully, I was starting to make a name for myself with my carvings, with the gallery I use quite eager to sell them for a nice commission. They price the things as they've a much better idea of how much to charge.

A couple of hours later Vicky returned. I was standing at the door of the workshop watching the girls try to dupe Brutus. They were getting quite good at it. They'd scammed me for three dollars so far. Vicky came walking up to me with an enigmatic look on her face. I gave her a curious glance as she reached me, wondering what the problem was. Whatever it was must have been bad as she promptly kicked me in the shin.

I yelped and hopped away from her, clutching my broken leg. (Okay, maybe just bruised but it felt broken. I'm a sensitive soul.)

"What the hell?"

"I stopped past the Golden Gallery while I was out." Ouch. That was the first boot dropping. "They have a special display by the renowned artist Carl Jenkins." And there was the second boot. "I walked in and had a look at your display." She smiled and I gave her a cautious look. "Your work is very good, especially the eagle. It came out a lot better than I thought it would." I could go along with that. It came out better than I expected.

"I read the dedication that was placed next to it." And there was the third boot and I took a quick step further out of reach. I had no doubt whatsoever that I looked as guilty as sin.

"Uncle Carl said that some people took his work away to sell, including the eagle. What's a dedication?" Tina was always curious.

"A dedication is where you say nice things about the people who helped you do the work. This one read as 'Thanks to Vicky, Tina, and Michelle, for all their encouragement and positive feedback'."

Tina and Michelle seemed to consider this and think back over the encouragement and feedback they gave.

"Did calling it an overgrown, demented, sparrow that got caught in a blender count as positive feedback or encouragement?"

That was Michelle showing what an excellent memory she had.

"I don't think so," replied Tina. "Saying he could always use it as firewood doesn't sound encouraging either."

Vicky face-palmed. Both those comments were hers. The twins hadn't been quite so polite in their observations.

"I'm a bit confused," said Michelle. Tina also looked a little confused. Vicky sighed.

"Uncle Carl was being a little sarcastic when he wrote the dedication. He thought he was being funny."

"You wrong me," I protested. "The twins gave constant comments about how the bird was improving the longer I worked at it. I genuinely appreciated them."

The twins smiled, satisfied. Vicky gave me a very dubious look. I smiled and tried to look innocent, internally laughing my head off.

Vicky suddenly smiled.

"Do you know how much they're asking for the eagle?"

I shook my head. She told me. I damn near swallowed my tongue.

"They've got to be kidding," I protested. "It'll never bring in a price like that."

"Apparently it did. It's marked as sold."

I reached for my phone and called the gallery.

"Um, Mike. It's Carl. I'm told the eagle has been sold."

A short pause while I listened to Mike waxing enthusiastically.

"Oh. That good, uh? Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, it's sold. Apparently my cut has already been transferred to my account. How about we all go out to dinner tonight? I'm paying."

At that price I was going to have to consider doing more large pieces. A successful life can also be a strenuous one. Still, I liked carving.

Life continued. I was dating Vicky on a fairly regular basis with the twins' full approval. We weren't intimate yet but I didn't think that state of affairs would last much longer. I was already getting prepared to bring that desired arrangement to fruition. Then came the long weekend.

Vicky invited me to have dinner on the Friday night. Not an unusual state of affairs. I fronted up and could sense as soon as I entered the house that things were different. For a start, Vicky was dressed in a slightly suggestive manner. Continuing on from there the twins were not in evidence.

"The twins?" I casually asked.

"They have a school camp," Vicky informed me. "Departed this morning and won't be back until Monday."

I put this together with the way she was dressed and put two and two together to hopefully add up to a happy time. We had dinner and the atmosphere grew slightly tense. We seemed to be just chatting normally but a number of innuendos were floating around. Nothing you could really put your finger on, but they were there.

By the time dinner was finished and the dishes were done I was having to forcibly restrain myself from jumping her then and there. I managed to keep my cool and suggested we watch a video. Vicky agreed calmly, although I could sense she was quietly snickering at me.

Vicky chose the video and it was a chick-flic which I had expected. What I hadn't expected was to find it was a rather warm chick-flic. Racy even. At the first R rated scene Vicky seemed a trifle restless and was smiling widely. By the time the second R rated scene came around I was already kissing Vicky, finding her amazingly responsive. I'd also confirmed my suspicion that the reasons her breasts were bouncing so happily was because she'd forgotten to wear a bra, not that I was objecting.

I don't remember if there were other R rated scenes and I couldn't tell you anything about the video. What I can tell you is that I discovered that Vicky had also forgotten to wear any panties. After that discovery things got a lot more interesting. I finally called a break. A very short break.

"Shall we move this to your bedroom?" I suggested.

"Really, Carl. Do you have designs on my virtue?"

"Something like that," I admitted, rising to my feet and pulling her up. "Lead the way."

She did, holding my hand and towing me along. Her room was spotless with the bed freshly made and the covers currently turned down. She'd evenly been thoughtful enough to lay a towel on the sheets, eliminating someone having to lie on a wet spot afterwards. I was beginning to think she was deliberately seducing me.

I rather hastily removed the clothing that she was wearing and then I just stood back for a few moments admiring her. She was blushing, her hands wanting to move to cover herself. I knew she wanted to because I could see them twitching. I smiled, picked her up, and laid her on the bed.

I now looked at her while I stripped. It actually took me a couple of moments to realise that she was watching me while I undressed, blushing slightly but excited. I knelt by the bed, leaning over it.

I kissed her feet lightly, then my lips moved along her legs, still mouthing her, my hands also getting into action, stroking both where I'd kissed and where I intended to kiss. By the time I reached her knees I was easing her legs further apart with no noticeable resistance. By the time I reached her treasure trove her legs were nicely parted and I'd hitched myself up onto the bed to make sure I gave her the treatment she deserved.

When I kissed those particular lips it seemed fair and reasonable to me that I should use a little tongue, just to show that I meant business. When my tongue dipped inside her cleft she made a strangulated sound while her hand clutched at me. (At my hair, actually, and I suspected that I probably lost some.)

I continued my exploration of her body, leaving her treasure and dropping little kisses against her tummy, steadily moving higher. For her part her hands were now roaming steadily over me, caressing me, and, once she found what she was seeking, actively fondling me. I could feel myself becoming harder than I'd ever been before and an edge of desperation was creeping into my actions.

I spent a bit of quality time once my mouth reached her breasts, making sure they knew that I treasured them. By the times I reached her lips and started devouring her she was way past ready for a more active engagement. I will admit I was a little shocked by the language she used when she explained what would happen if I didn't get down to business.

I was laughing at her as I settled down on top of her. I didn't need to steer myself into place as Vicky was very helpfully doing that for me. I suspected that she'd been a virgin up until then but only suspected. I couldn't really be sure but one thing I did know. Neither of us gave a damn about that.

Fully inside her I started moving -- slowly. Vicky demonstrated an impressive vocabulary but I didn't hurry things along. Slow and steady was all the go and I was enjoying the feel of her far too much to want it to finish too soon. After a while she climaxed -- quite noisily, too. I hadn't so I continued on my slow careful way.

Vicky was just reaching for her third climax when I lost it. I couldn't stand anymore and just cut loose, driving in just as hard and fast as I could. I exploded and Vicky, lucky Vicky, yowled through her third climax.

We separated and both lay back, breathing hard and not speaking. Eventually Vicky recovered enough to ask me a question.

"Do you know what they call that?" she asked.

I suppose I could think of a lot of things to call it but I raised an eyebrow, suggesting that she should answer her own question.

She gave me a truly evil smile.

"A good start," she said. "What's next? I've got all weekend free."