Coppernicous Pt. 04

If you are looking for a quick jerk, please continue looking. This is a longer story with development of characters. I debated between first time and romance, for there are elements of both here, and decided first time was the better choice. This can be a stand-alone story, but it will be more enjoyable if you read parts 1-3 first. I hope you enjoy. Comments and emails are welcomed. I strive to respond to all emails that have a return address.

Special thanks to Grand Teton for editing and making this tale readable.

With school back in full swing and volleyball practice and the upcoming sand volleyball season at hand a lot of the teasing settled down. Saturdays were still "no bra" days around the house, and the "no knot" rule on the bikinis still held, but the girls didn't have the time or energy to tease as much.

Because Katharina had signed a contract to coach next year she was ineligible for the sand volleyball season, much to Coach Thorson's disappointment. For the first time in her life, Kat was not upset about being out of competition. Sand volleyball, while fun, was not her forte. Coach Thorson had been able to keep her scholarship for the spring semester for her though and made her an assistant coach. Coach Jan Wembley, one of her assistants, had taken maternity leave, since her baby was due the first week of the sand volleyball season, and Kat was an excellent replacement.

I became something of an unofficial trainer slash manager slash gofer for the team. It was an unpaid position, of course, but when Darlene asked for my help, how could I say no?"

The girls whispered about Darlene and me for a while, because of the way Darlene's eyes followed me around, and the look she got whenever my name was mentioned. Diedra thought it funny, and she gave me all kinds of grief. "You're nothing but a cradle robber, Toomas, going after someone as young as Coach Thorson. Why, she's the same age as your oldest daughter." She would giggle and grin at me, even when I countered about spending the week with her. "Oh, but I'm mature," she would say. All I could do was shake my head. The rest of the girls may have slowed down the teasing a little bit, but Deidra did not in the least.

Katharina had met a young man during the Thanksgiving break when she volunteered at a food pantry. I was impressed when she brought Jimmy Newnan around to meet me. He was completing work for a Masters in Business Administration, focusing on non-profit functionality with a view toward consulting with small to mid-sized non-profits to develop cost-effective methods of attracting volunteers, raising and managing funds, and most of all protecting themselves from litigation. Two more opposite people cannot be imagined, but there was an obvious spark between them, and I was most happy for her. It had gotten to the point that though they had not moved in together it seemed any time Kat was not on the volleyball court or working with the team in some capacity she and Jimmy were together. I started asking her for a date to have dinner with her every week or two, or else I wouldn't even see her except at practice.

It was funny, but it seemed the rest of the team hardly dated. There was no prohibition of dating from Coach Thorson by any means, but her drive for a winning team was contagious, and the girls all seemed to have volleyball and school first and foremost in their thoughts. I spent most evenings tutoring one girl or another in physics, math, or chemistry, and often more than one. I didn't mind in the least. In fact, I enjoyed it very much.

Since my week with Deidra and dealing with my grief issue, followed by the night with Darlene, I found I was able to remember my Marja with pleasure instead of pain. Oh, I missed her desperately, but I recognized she was gone, never to return, so I returned to living my life. I did not pursue any of the girls, but I was now mentally able to more freely enjoy the teases, the hugs, and the kisses I received from nearly all of them.

Breasts were nearly always unfettered whenever I tutored the girls, and I no longer hid, or tried to hide, my enjoyment. Darlene felt her position required a bit more decorum though, which was a bit of a disappointment, but she did participate in "no bra Saturdays" to my delight and her semi-embarrassment.

After the first year the team moved to the house, Coach Thorson instituted a policy of no guys in the girls' rooms. They were welcome in the living room and den, dining room, and even in the game room/arcade I set up in the basement, but Coach was adamant about no boys going beyond that point other than for special functions, such as a bonfire and party at the swimming pond. Those functions had strict time limits, though, were alcohol free, and always ended at a reasonable hour.

Of course, the girls would occasionally stay off-site with a boyfriend, and Coach had no problem with it as long as it wasn't a time that conflicted with something with the team. Her driving force was winning volleyball games. She didn't want anything going on at the house that would distract from the main purpose.

My office was open to the girls, too, if they needed to talk. They all liked to think they were mature, grown-up young women who could handle anything, but you would be surprised at the number of times I would have a young lady sitting with me on my couch in the office, crying her eyes out, needing some "Daddy" time.

More than one of them, particularly the younger ones, came to me looking for help with planning their futures. Classes might not be going well for them, or they would find the area of study they pursued to be of less interest than they had at first thought. I never told them what they ought to do, but I would ask questions until they came up with their own answers.

All in all I found life to be fuller and more enjoyable than it ever had been while running my own company, constantly striving for the next dollar.

It was the fourth week of the new semester when Lynn, the senior setter on the regular volleyball team, knocked on my office door on Thursday evening. I knew instantly something was wrong when I looked up from some paperwork I was doing and saw she was wearing a button-up shirt buttoned all the way except for the top button. I could also tell she had on a bra, which ever since the bonfire and the institution of "no-bra Saturdays" she had never worn one around the house.

"Come on in, Lynn. You don't have to knock. What's wrong?"

Lynn sat down on the edge of my couch and wrung her hands in her lap nervously. "Can I ask your advice, Toomas? I can't go to my Dad with this, but I don't know what to do."

I got up from my desk chair and walked around to the couch. I noted the way she was seated up against the far arm of the couch, so I sat against the other arm, leaving as much space between us as I could, and turned toward her to see what I could do for her.

"I . . . I don't, uh, I don't know how to ask this, Toomas, but I don't know where to turn, and you've always been here for us." Tears started to spill over from her eyes, so I stepped over to the desk and picked up a box of tissues I kept ready for such an exigency. I set the whole box down on the cushion next to her.

"Thanks." She sniffed as she pulled out a couple of tissues to blot at her eyes. "I've been seeing this guy, and . . ." She blushed deeply, which I found surprising, for she was not in the least reserved around me normally, and was one of the bigger teases. "Well, anyway, Shawn has been pushing me to do things I don't, I don't want to do with him." Her voice was muffled by the tissues she had buried her face in. "I tried to tell him 'No,' but he wouldn't take 'No' for an answer. He even . . . he, he, . . ." Tears were flowing again and she hiccoughed when she tried to continue.

"You don't have to say, Lynn. It's OK. What can I help you with? I'll do anything for you that I can. You know that."

Sniff, "I know. That's why I'm here. I couldn't . . . I couldn't talk to my own Dad. I tried! I really tried! But he wouldn't listen to me. I'm supposed to go to Shawn's frat mixer tomorrow night. He told me his roommate was going out of town, and I was going to spend the night in his room with him. I said 'No,' but he said I owed him. After . . . after he ripped the buttons off of my shirt last night trying to get to my, to my . . ." Again she broke down in sobs.

I sat there seething in rage, but I kept my voice quiet and calm. "It's OK. You don't have to say what he did. I understand, Lynn." I wanted to reach out to her to comfort her, but I wasn't sure how she would react to being touched by a man at this point, so I kept to my end of the couch.

"I told him, I told him I wasn't going to go with him tomorrow, but he said I had to. That he had told his frat brothers about me, and that I was going to be there. He's coming to get me, and he told me I'd better be here and ready if I knew what was good for me."

For the first time, Lynn looked up at me, with her mascara running down her cheeks and her other makeup smeared on her face from the tissues. "What do I do, Toomas?" It was a wail, and she threw herself from her end of the couch down to mine and into my arms.

All I could do was hold her as she sobbed and sobbed. Gently I rubbed her back with one hand while I cradled her head against my shoulder with the other. "He's got a gun," she half-whispered, "and he said he would shoot me if I didn't go with him." My hand stopped in mid-stroke on her back. This was something else.

"Don't worry, my dear. You are in my home, and no one is going to take you from my home if you don't want to go." I tipped her head back so I could look her in the eyes. I needed to know I was getting through to her. "Do you understand me, Lynn? No one means 'No one.' I don't care if he has a gun or not."

Lynn's arms tightened about me and the sobs started up again, but this time they were more of relief, I think. Who can tell with a girl crying on your shoulder, but they sounded different to me.

"He said nobody could do anything to him, 'cause his father is a big man in the mob in Miami, that he owns the cops."

"That's OK, my dear. We aren't in Miami. He doesn't own the cops here, and he doesn't own me. Would you like me to call campus security so you can press charges for what he already did to you? I don't believe you could do anything about him threatening you, but you could mention it."

She shuddered and shook her head. "I don't dare. You don't know how mean he can be."

I waited until she had settled down somewhat before asking, "Why then are you going out with him?"

"He didn't act like that at first. He drives a really nice car, and he's got money, so when he asked me out the first time I thought it might be fun. He was nice to me the first couple of dates, but then he started being demanding. Then last time he got rough." A shudder ran through her, but by now she was cried out, and having passed her burden along to me she seemed to strengthen. "Thank you, Toomas. I knew you would be here for me." She leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek, then stood and walked unsteadily out the door.

I waited until Lynn had gone through the house toward her room and then I went upstairs and knocked on Coach Thorson's door. I had forgotten she had gone home for the weekend because her father was having bypass surgery on the morrow. The situation was all in my lap, now.

***************

Friday afternoon Lynn got home from her one o'clock class and she came to me crying.

"I told him today I was not going out with him tonight, and not to come by here. He told me he was going to come for me, that I was going, or else. I'm scared, Toomas!"

While we talked her cell phone rang with a text message. "It's from him. He said he's coming at six o'clock, that I'm to be ready or he'll cut me up so that nobody else will ever want me."

"Don't erase that. He's a real piece of work, isn't he? Really knows how to woo a woman." I pulled her into a hug, knowing she needed the support and encouragement. "Come in the office with me. I'm going to call my lawyer and see what we can do." I led a shaking Lynn into the office with me and then pushed the door shut behind us. I normally wouldn't have the door closed with one of the young ladies in there alone with me, but I didn't think in this case we needed anyone else hearing what was going on.

"Johnny? What are you doing answering your own phone? Don't tell me Phyllis went out and got a real job?"

"Very funny, Toomas. Actually, she is off this afternoon seeing her doctor. She's expecting and had to go in for a sonogram."

"That's wonderful news! Tell her I said congratulations. I'll try to drop by and tell her myself in a few days."

"She would appreciate it, I'm sure. Now, I just started the timer. What can I do for you?"

"I'm sure you did, you old pirate. Look, I've got a young lady here who has been threatened by a former boyfriend. What do we have to do to get an order of protection?" I heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone.

"You'd better let me talk with her, and I'll get things started. How serious is this threat?"

"I think it's real. He said he's coming to get her this afternoon. I saw the text."

"Stupid one, isn't he? Toomas, the problem is, even if I had the paperwork filled out right now it would have to go before a judge, which will take at least two weeks. Is she there? I can take a statement from her and get it started, but you'd better do something on your end. We can't even call the cops, most likely, because he hasn't done anything yet. I'll try to pull some favors and see if I can get squeezed in sooner, but you know how that goes."

"Thanks, my friend. Here's Lynn."

I handed the phone to Lynn and told her I would be right back, then I left and went to my room to prepare for what I hoped would not happen.

*************

Fifteen minutes later, I made my way back to the office to find a teary-eyed, and very scared young lady hanging up the phone.

"Thanks, Toomas. He's really nice, and he said some nice things about you, too."

I shook my head. "If he said nice things about me, he must have been hitting the sauce without Phyllis there to make him behave." I grinned to let her know I wasn't serious, and then continued. "I want you to go on out to practice. Don't let on to anyone there is any problem. OK? Under no circumstances do I want you to answer the door if the bell rings tonight. Are we clear on that?"

Lynn nodded her head.

"Good. I want you to stay out of sight. Please tell Kat I need to see her as soon as practice is over, but don't say why. OK? Don't make it sound like there's a problem. Just tell her. Now, you scoot on out of here. Things will be fine. Trust me, OK?"

Lynn got up from my desk chair and walked over to me in the doorway. She hugged me straight on, pressing fully against me. "Why, Toomas? Why do you care about us like you do?"

"Why not? Don't try to make me out to be some kind of a saint or something, but you all live under my roof, and besides, I kind of like you." I grinned down at her, conscious of stirring. "Now you get on out there and practice. Don't worry yourself about things. OK?"

Lynn pulled my face down and gave me a kiss on the lips. "You know, I think a girl wouldn't have much trouble falling in love with someone like you. Your wife was a lucky woman." Another kiss and she started to break away to go to practice. "Wait a minute. You changed clothes? Why are you all dressed up?" She fingered my sports coat and looked down at my dress slacks.

"Why? Can't a guy look decent once in a while without it being a federal case?" I grinned, but would say no more. I gave her cute little ass a swat and pushed her out the door for practice.

***************

Kat came to see me shortly after practice ended. "What's up, Daddy? Lynn said you needed to see me?"

I nodded. I had been thinking how to approach matters with her about the threat, but I didn't feel I could or should tell her about Lynn's situation. Some things are just better left private.

"I would like you to kind of keep the girls out of the living room area this evening. I can't really say why, but I think it would be best. Would you do that for me?"

Kat looked at me curiously, but she knew I wouldn't say more than that.

"Say, what are you all dressed up for? Going out on a date or something?"

I just smiled. "You never know until you know."

"Well, if you are going on a date, you should have shaved first. Scruffy looks good on some guys, but not when there's more grey than brown."

My hand flew to feel my face, which was not scruffy. Just a little five o'clock shadow. I could hear her giggle from the hallway as she went to take a shower before dinner.

**************

Dinner was even more raucous than usual as the girls all pestered me about who was my date that I was all dressed up for. I grinned and went along with it, not saying anything more, letting them have their fun. Before long they were guessing different teachers and professors, trying to pair me up with someone they knew. I saw Deidra looking at me questioningly, but I didn't respond to her either.

Just before dinner broke up I called for everyone's attention and asked if Kat had said anything about avoiding the living room area. There was a chorus of assent, along with a firestorm of questions. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I should say any more at this time. Just do me a favor for this one evening, OK? Also, I'll answer the door if the doorbell rings."

Someone called out, "If you are wanting to keep her secret from us, you ought to go somewhere else, Toomas. If you have her come here, we'll find out. Maybe we'll sneak in to watch you make out. You know, so we can learn how it's supposed to be done." That got a good laugh. I joined in, though laughing was not the emotion I felt at the moment.

**************

Six-thirty rolled around, and my stomach was tied up in knots. Shawn still had not shown up. I didn't expect anything to really happen, but the uncertainty was getting to me. I sat at my desk, going over the same page of figures again and again, forgetting the numbers I had entered in my computer well before I got to the bottom of the page, so I had to try again. With all of the girls avoiding the living room it was so deathly quiet I could actually hear the clock on the wall, and a fly buzzed around the room irritating me to no end.

I reached for my shirt pocket to pull out a cigarette, but then shook my head in disgust. I had quit smoking fifteen years ago! It's amazing what stress can do to a person.

Six-thirty-five, and the doorbell rang. My heart lurched as I pushed my chair back and walked out of the office to get the door. My hands were sweating, but when I looked at them to check, they weren't shaking. At least that was good.

I looked out the peephole, but didn't see anyone, which wasn't unusual. My house has a double front door, so if someone rings the bell and then steps over in front of the other door they often don't show when one peeps out.

I turned the knob and pulled the door in, to see a tall, thin, black young man in the doorway.

"Hi, Mr. K! I haven't seen you around in a while!" He stuck out a big hand to shake. "I'm here to pick up Tamique. Is she around?"

"Well 'Hi,' yourself, Rudy. It has been some time! Come on in the house, and I'll get Tamique for you." I walked down the hallway with my heart pounding in my throat. I hadn't thought about other guys coming by to pick up one of the girls. I told Tamique that Rudy was there for her and made my way back to the living room. Rudy was sprawled across one of the couches. He lifted a hand as I came back into the room.

"Say, Mr. K., I wanted to say 'thank you, so much,' for the great recommendation you gave me. Mr. Johnson already had the hiring paperwork filled out when I went in for what I thought was an interview."