"Just a moment," the woman at the rent-a-car desk said, looking at
Alexander's license with suspicion. "I need to speak to my manager for a
moment."
Alexander shook his head. 'Great. Just great. Here we go again,' he
thought. It was almost two in the morning and after nearly a day and a
half on airplanes flying from Hong Kong to Japan to Dallas/Fort Worth to
Chicago, then , finally to Bradley International Airport in Hartford. He
was exhausted and wanted to get on his way to his fianc?'s newly
inherited home in The Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts.
The manager, an older man with a half-tied tie and a look of someone who
had been awake for about three years, looked in Alexander's direction,
then looked at his license, again.
When you travelled by yourself, everything was a hassle, but when your
were a twenty-two year old, renting a car was a huge falderal. Most
automobile rental companies wouldn't rent to someone under twenty five,
but Alexander was registered with this company. The computer had just
told the clerk that he was a steady client, but that wasn't the problem.
The problem was that he didn't look twenty-two and he knew it and he
hated it.
The manager came over and cleared his throat. "Mr Claremont, I am sorry
to keep you waiting, it's just that my assistant, Lorraine, wasn't aware
of your..." he cleared his throat again. "Your car will be ready in just
a few moments, Mr Claremont. The adaptations you requested only take a
few minutes, but... well, it should have been ready and waiting for you,
but... I've had a very busy shift, sir and I am sorry. Christmas week
and all... I hope you can understand."
"It's fine," Alexander said with a wave of his hand. "If that's the only
issue, that's fine."
The manager nodded, but continued to look at Alexander in an odd way.
"Umm, Mr Claremont... may I just say..." he seemed to be stuck, as he
looked at Alexander very closely. Alex just waited and eventually the
man continued. "Sir... I am an armature pianist myself, and I have to
say, I just downloaded your recording of Chopin Waltzes and... I found
it truly astounding, sir."
Alexander blinked. That recording was released before his tour of
smaller concert venues in Asia and the only sales he was really aware of
were the CDs that he signed and sold in the theater lobbies. Was this
man an actual fan!? Wow! That was a first. "Well, thank you, very much,"
Alex smiled. "That's very kind of you."
The man smiled, tiredly. "My pleasure, sir, but... if I may say as
well... Having meet you... well... your key span..." Again he paused.
Alex prodded. "My... 'key span?' You mean how many notes I can span with
my hand?"
The man cleared his throat, yet again, "Yes, sir. It's just that...
well... after seeing how... petite... you are... Your key span is quite
impressive."
Petite. Seriously? This guy working at a car rental desk in the middle
of the night just called him, petite? Alexander just shook his head. He
had two choices - 1) Tell this guy that he was being rude and write a
complaint to the corporate offices, or 2) Get his car and get the hell
out of here. He chose the second. "Thank you," Alex said. "How long will
it be until my car is ready?"
Just then, the man's phone buzzed and he glanced at it. Then he looked
up and half smiled. "It's ready now, sir. Just out that door. Here is
you paperwork, license, passport and credit card. Thank you, sir and
safe travels."
Alex grabbed the items and headed to the exit. "Thank you," he said as
he left the counter.
When Alex reached the rental car, he tossed his small carry-on into the
trunk and checked the driver's seat. The seat was as far forward as
possible, the pedal extenders had been installed and there was a sticky
note on the steering wheel indicating that the air bag had been disabled
due to Alexander's size and weight.
He got in and adjusted the mirrors and took a moment to pair his phone
with the car's Bluetooth system. He always got the same model, a Toyota
Yaris. Most people complained about the cramped interior of the small
car, but it suited Alexander perfectly.
He took a moment to enter his fianc?'s new address in Lenox,
Massachusetts and saw that his travel time was going to be one hour and
ten minutes. Not too bad. He sent Veronica a text, 'LEAVING BRADLEY NOW.
BE THERE IN ONE HOUR AND TEN MINUTES. LOVE YOU.'
Ready to go, he pulled out of the parking space and headed for the exit.
Just as he hit the Highway, his phone rang. "Hello."
Through the radio's speaker's Veronica's voice spoke. "Hey there, big
guy. You're back on terra firma, huh?"
He laughed. "I am. I'll be there before three thirty. Don't wait up.
Just let me know what door is unlocked."
Ronnie's laugh filled his car. "I didn't really have the opportunity to
fill you in on this place, babe, but... well... not only is it huge, I
have a staff. My Head of Household knows that you're on the way. Pull
into the driveway, follow it around back and June, that's my Head of
Household's name... June... will meet you at the garage. She'll guide
you from there to the master bedroom, ok?"
"Wow!" Alex laughed. "Aren't you a big shot!?"
Ronnie tsked. "Oh, stop it. My grandmother's will left The Haven to me,
but also left a ton of money in trust to maintain the house and staff.
I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Just drive safely and I'll see you when
you get here. Love you."
"Love you, too," Alex said and the call ended.
'Big guy.' That was Veronica's playful, pet name for him. He knew that
it was a miracle that he and Veronica were a couple at all, let alone
preparing for marriage. They'd met when Donnie was a twenty one year old
junior at Julliard and Alex was a lowly sixteen year old freshman.
Younger and smaller than his classmates, Alex should have been the very
last person to have responded to Veronica's bulletin board post looking
for an accompanist, but Alex knew his abilities well and decided to
audition for her, anyway.
Everyone at Julliard knew about Veronica Harrington, of course.
Granddaughter of the great opera star, Sophia LoContore, and already a
rising opera star in her own right. Veronica was tall, gorgeous and had
a demeanor about her that told the whole world that she was going to be
a star, one way or another. And now, at twenty seven, she had starred in
productions in the US, France, Spain, Russia, Italy and Australia. Alex
was still her recital accompanist and worked with her for rehearsals,
too. He only toured on his own when Ronnie had a prolonged performance
commitment, such as the recent ten week run of 'La Traviotta' in which
she received rave reviews as Violeta.
The large estate and household staff were probably inevitable, given
Veronica's talent and drive, but to have it handed to her so young was a
big surprise to everyone - especially Veronica's mother, Sophia's
daughter. She'd expected everything to pass to her, of course, so there
was a bit of friction between mother and daughter over this situation.
Veronica and Alexander had a plan to settle things, though. Christmas
was just a few days away and both Veronica and Alexander's mothers were
coming to The Haven, as the estate had been named when it was
commissioned by Florence Adele Vanderbilt at the height of the
Vanderbilt family's wealth and power during 'The Gilded Age' in the late
nineteenth century, and they would announce their engagement. Veronica
hoped that the possibility of a wedding might defuse her mother's
jealousy. She also planned to offer her mother a wing of the estate to
have as her own home.
As Alex passed through the town of Lenox and followed the directions his
phone was presenting on his media screen, a moderately heavy snow
started falling. This concerned Alex a bit, but he had less than three
miles to go, so he persevered. It did slow him down, though, and he was
nearly a half hour late as he pulled onto the long drive that lead from
the main road to the estate, proper.
"Holy mother of Pearl," he whispered as he caught his first glimpse of
the building. It was enormous! It looked as if a small village had been
smooshed together into one mammoth building. It was dark and snowing, of
course, but Alex could still make out the outline of the structure and
he was shocked by its stature. Were they really going to live in this
place? God, they could fit a thousand people in there and still have
plenty of room!
As the driveway rounded the east side of the house, Alex saw a large
flashlight being waved at him near the north corner, so he headed in
that direction. When he reached the person signaling him, he found a
formidable looking woman in her fifties who smiled as she knocked on the
passenger window and asked him to roll it down. "Alexander?" The woman
asked. When he confirmed that he was, indeed, Alexander, she said, "My
name is June. I am the Head of Household here at The Haven. Please pull
into the open garage bay and I will show you to your room."
Alex thanked her and pulled his little rental in beside some very
impressive looking automobiles. He didn't know enough about cars to
guess at the manufacturers, but there were cars that looked fairly new
and some that looked very, very old. This was certainly going to be an
interesting new life.
June opened his door for him and he slipped out of the car. He
immediately noticed that June was surprised by his appearance.
"Is there a problem?" Alex asked, slightly annoyed, but probably due
more to fatigue than anything else. He certainly was used to the shock
on the faces of people who met him.
June shook her head. "I am very sorry, sir. No, of course not. Umm...
Welcome to The Haven. Ms Harrington suggested that we we deal with your
luggage tomorrow and just get you to bed right now."
Alex reached in and grabbed his his small carry on bag. "No worries," he
smiled. "Most of my luggage was shipped and won't be here for a day or
two. This is all I have with me."
June nodded, took the carry on by its side handle, rather than the
roller handle, saying, "Allow me, sir. Please follow me."
He followed June through what appeared to be a few large pantries, then
the kitchen and down a long hallway until they reached a massive foyer
with a grand staircase. Just before going up the stairs, June asked,
"Are there any articles in you bag that need laundering, sir?"
Alex laughed. "Yes... I suppose it all needs to be laundered at some
point."
June placed the bag to the side of the staircase and said, "I shall have
it taken care of tomorrow, sir."
As she continued up the stairs, Alex said, "Umm... I do have a few
things I may need that are still in the carry on."
"I think you will find that everything you need is waiting for you in
your room. Toiletries, toothbrush, even a pair of pajamas that Ms
Harrington chose for you are all waiting for you in your room."
Alex shrugged. What difference did it make? If he needed something, he'd
just go get it out of the bag. Besides, he really just wanted to crawl
into bed next to Veronica and sleep for at least a day or two. He
followed June up the stairs and down a long hall.
"This is your room, sir," June opened a door and indicated that he
should enter.
He did, but stopped when he saw that the bed was empty. "Where is
Veronica?"
June smiled. "Just across the hall, sir. Ms Harrington felt that, with
both of your mothers joining you later in the week, it might be
appropriate for you to have your own room.
Alex laughed. "I suppose so." He figured that he would just brush his
teeth, put on the pajamas that he saw on the end of the bed, then cross
the hall and join Ronnie in her bed. Later in the week, when the
mother's were there... well... then he would resign himself to sleeping
in his own bed.
June entered behind him and showed him where his en-suite lavatory was
and offered to help him change.
Alex snickered. "No thank you, June. I can handle that just fine."
She nodded. "I will just wait in the hall until you're all set, sir."
Alex was about to argue, but June held up his hand and said, "It is my
job, sir. When you are ready, please just say my name and I will come
back in to see if you need anything else."
"Ok, fine," Alex shook his head.
He washed his face and brushed his teeth, took off his travel clothes
and dropped them into the hamper, then returned to his bed.
The pajamas were a bit odd. Light blue, cotton, big and a bit loose
fitting, different than he was used to. Much more expensive looking and
just... nicer.
Alex pulled the bottoms on. They were a bit loose, but the elastic waist
would hold them up. Oddly, they did not have a button fly, but he could
certainly drop them if he needed to pee. The top was the same color and
material as the bottoms. He pulled it on and buttoned the small button
at the top. It wasn't as comfortable as the bottoms were. The neck line
chocked him a bit.
He was about to cross the hall when he remembered that June was still
waiting. He sighed and said, "June. I'm ready."
The Head of Household walked into the room with her consistently
officious manner and nodded. "Everything fits, then, sir?"
"Yes," Alex said, "I guess. The collar is a chocking me a bit, but..."
June hurried to inspect him. "I see the problem, sir. If I may..." she
held one sleeve, then the other, having him retract his arms from the
sleeves. Then she spun the shirt one hundred and eighty degrees on his
body and helped him to get his arms back into the sleeves. "How's that,
sir?"
Alex moved his neck a bit and felt how well the top fit now. "Much
better. Thank you."
"My pleasure, sir," she nodded. "Is there anything else you need...?"
When Alex didn't respond, she continued, "... then I shall be getting
back to bed myself."
She turned to leave, but Alex stopped her. "June... look... I think we
may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I am... a bit sensitive about my
height... well, my lack there of, I guess. Anyway..."
"Sir," June held up her hand, "none of this is my business."
"Five foot, ten and one half inches," Alex said, stopping June's words.
"And eighty two pounds. I'm small, but mighty - at least when I'm at a
piano."
June smiled. "I'm sure you are, sir. For your information, there is a
Steinway in the old ballroom and a Chickering in the salon. Both have
been well maintained and are tuned once a month. I'm sure you will enjoy
them, sir."
Wow! That was impressive! "Thank you, June. Good night."
She smiled. "Good night, sir."
She exited the room, closing the door behind her. Alex listened as the
clack of her heels on the hardwood floors disappeared down the hall.
When the sound was gone entirely, he opened the door, crossed the hall
and opened the door to the master bedroom.
It was dark, but he could sense that the room was large and he could
hear Veronica breathing softly in the huge bed to his left. He closed
the door and walked over to the bed. He literally had to climb up into
the bed, pulling back the covers and pulling them back on top of him.
He felt the body next to him roll towards him and lay an arm across his
torso. "Hi," Veronica whispered, sleepily. "You found me."
I kissed her cheek. "I did. You were well hidden, though."
Donnie moved herself closer and gently turned Alex away from her so that
she could snuggle more closely and spoon against him. "I missed you. I'm
glad you're home."
"Me too," Mitch whispered. "I love you."
She kissed his neck. "You didn't cut your hair, did you?"
He laughed. He'd always had longer hair, but Veronica liked it longer
than he had worn it before. "No. It's in a bun."
"Good," she giggled. "Good night, big guy."
"Good night, little lady," Alex smiled, feeling her pull his small body
tightly to her larger form. He was truly happy to be back home. Even if
the behemoth of a building wasn't exactly 'home,' anywhere that Veronica
was was home to him.
Alex slept like a bear in winter. He didn't stir at all when Veronica
got out of bed and only finally started regaining consciousness when he
heard a conversation taking place in the room. He may have even slept
through that if it were not for the fact that the conversation was in
Russian, a language in which he only knew about twenty words. The
strangeness of the chatter made him open his eyes.
He squinted and saw Veronica sitting across the room in a chair that
looked similar to a styling chair in a woman's salon with a much older
woman standing behind her. The older woman spoke Russian in a fluent and
fluid manner while Veronica replied more slowly, searching for words as
she spoke.
Veronica noticed that Alex was stirring and she put her hand up to
indicate to the woman that she wanted to speak to the person in the bed.
"I'm sorry, babe," Veronica said. "I wasn't supposed to see Natasha
until later, but the snow is coming down hard, so she came early and
this where Sophia put her mini-salon. I was trying not to wake you. "
she sat back in the chair and let the woman continue her work.
Alex sat up. "What time is it?"
"Just after noon," Veronica apologized. "I really wanted to let you
sleep longer."
He sat up and adjusted his pillows so he could sit up. He looked around
the huge room, which was probably bigger than the house he grew up in.
"Nice little place you have here," he joked. "Intimate. Cozy."
Veronica laughed as the hairdresser leaned her back into an actual
hairdresser's sink. "I know. It's pretty massive, but we can make it our
own, any way we want to. Wait till you see the recital hall and the
rehearsal room, though, babe! You're going to flip!"
The hairdresser said something in Russian and Veronica responded with,
"Da."
He nodded. "Your aide-de-camp told me that there were a couple of
impressive pianos. I'm looking forward to seeing them. I've been working
on a few pieces by Liszt and I'm hoping to put together an entire
'Evening with The Hungarian Phenomenon.'" He held up is fingers to
indicate that the last part would appear on a marquee.
"Wow!" Veronica said from her reclined position. "That's ambitious! If
any one can do it, though..."
The hairdresser spoke to Veronica again, who replied in a manner that
indicated that she was confused by what had been said. A few more
clarifications and Veronica said, "If you'd like, Veronica could give
you a shampoo and trim your split ends."
Alex considered the feeling of a profession shampoo, the massaging
nature of it and that sounded like a great idea.
"Ok, sure," he nodded. "That sounds nice. I can shower tonight."
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door, more to get attention
then to request entrance, and June came into the room followed by a
young lady carrying a tray with tea, toast and jam on it.
"What's this?" Alex asked.
"Your breakfast," June smiled. "I heard you speaking, so I called down
and had Melissa bring this up."
The young lady smiled and said, "Here you go, sweetheart. Eat up so you
grow up nice and pretty like your auntie."
Alex was about to correct the girl when he realized that she was a
bit... simple. Instead, he smiled and just said, "Thank you."
"Thank you Melissa, that will be all." June said, dismissively. When the
young woman had left, June looked at Alex. "My niece," she smiled.
"She's a good girl. She can learn to do anything if you're patient."
Alex thanked June and said he understood. Then she nodded and left the
room.
"Umm, Ronnie...," Alex asked, coyly, "can you really afford to live this
way? I mean the house is massive and how many people actually work
here?"
Veronica shrugged. I really don't know if I can, yet. My accountant says
that the trust to maintain the house is pretty big, but Sophia's estate
is pretty complicated. There's only four people on the staff right now -
June and Melissa, then there's the woman who cooks and the woman who
takes care of the grounds. My accountant is still figuring things out.
For now, though, I intend to enjoy it."
"What about Natasha?" Alex asked, prompting the hairdresser to glance in
his direction.
"Not an employee," Veronica laughed. "She has a salon in town and she
was Sophia's hairdresser for over a decade. I thought I'd give her a
try, too. She did my hair last week for a meeting in New York and I
loved it. I asked her back to get me ready for meeting 'The Mothers'
tomorrow. I'm having her redo my color. It was getting a bit dull."
Alex nodded and nibbled on the toast. "She doesn't speak English at
all?"
"Nope," Veronica replied. "There's actually a pretty big Russian
community out here, so she's never needed to learn. Sophia was fluent in
like a dozen languages. I'm struggling with the Russian, but it's
forcing me to learn."
Natasha interrupted, saying something to Veronica and indicating Alex.
Again, Veronica had to ask for clarification, but then she laughed.
"Natasha says that when you finish your tea, you should brush out your
bun. She says it's not healthy for hair to be wound up in an elastic
like that.
Suddenly, Natasha reached for something, then brought a very large, very
ornate, very old fashioned brush to Alex in the bed. She held it out to
him and said something that sounded angry, although all Russian sounded
a little angry and dropped the brush on the bed and then said in a harsh
voice. "Brrrrush.... Forrr.... Hairrrr..." Her 'R's rolling as she
spoke.
"Da," Alex replied and nodded. Natasha smiled and returned the nod. When
he was finished with his tea, he set his tray aside, pulled out the
elastic that held his bun in place and began brushing. The brush he'd
been given though was so ornate and heavy that he eventually gave up and
waited his turn in the shampooing seat.
Eventually, Natasha sat Veronica back up, saying something Alex couldn't
catch. Natasha nodded and looked at him. "I have to let my color set.
She says that you should come over and get into the chair."
Alex stood, but held up one finger. "Just a second. I have to use the
little cossack's room." He heard Veronica explaining this to Natasha as
he scurried into the lavatory to relieve himself.
When he returned, he heard Veronica finishing saying something in her
broken Russian.
"Da. Da. Da." Natasha said, indicating the front of her face.
Veronica stood as Alex approached the chair. All five foot ten of her
was perfect to Alex, even with her hair wrapped turban-like in a towel.
"I asked her is she could try combing your bangs over to the side for a
different look."
Alex blinked as he sat. "I've always parted my hair in the middle, then
just pulled it up into a bun."
"Hence my use of the word 'new,'" Veronica laughed. "We've both been in
a rut, babe. Let's use this new house and everything as a chance to
break out of the rut and start over, brand new. What till I show you all
the recital gowns I've found in a storage room. Steamer trunk after
steamer trunk full of amazing performance gowns and since Sophia and I
were the same size, they all fit! I'll never have to wear the same dress
twice! Isn't that cool!"
Alex smiled as Natasha brushed his hair a bit more forcefully than he
would have liked. "That's great, Ronnie. Hey, speaking of clothes, where
did you find these pjs?"
Veronica gave him a coy smile. "Do you like them?"
He shrugged. "Sure. They're very comfortable. Where did they come from."
"One of the trunks," she giggled. "I figured they'd fit you nicely.
Sometimes, when Sophia was going on tour for an extended time, she'd
take her kids along. Most of the trunks are Sophia's clothes, but some
are smaller. It's so cool, babe! Every trunk is filled with clothes from
the tours. They were all laundered and ironed then hung or laid neatly
in the trunks in case they had to go back out on the road again."
Alex nodded. "Well, if the gowns look as crisp and new these pjs do,
then you'll have a good selection to choose from."
"They are," Veronica said, excitedly. "Wait till you see them. Some of
them even have noted pinned to them - 'Ed Sullivan Show' and the date.
'Carol Burnette Show' and the date. It's really cool."
"Very cool," Alex agreed. "So, did these pjs, like, belong to one of
your uncles or something?"
"Nope," Veronica picked up a bound opera score that sat on the table and
began thumbing through it. "Sophia only had two kids. My mom and my Aunt
Kitty. Aunt Kitty died in a car accident when she was like six or seven.
It was the same accident that killed Sophia's second husband - my
grandfather."
"Sooo..." Alex was getting impatient. "Who's pjs am I wearing?"
"My mom's I assume," Veronica smiled.
Alex shot Natasha an embarrassed look, but it was obvious that she was
not understanding the conversation. "Are you telling me that I am
wearing a set of women's pajamas?"
"No, don't be silly," Veronica laughed, keeping her face directed at the
score, but making sure she could see her fianc? before she dropped her
big joke. "According to the date on the trunk, my mother hasn't worn
those since she was eleven. You're wearing a set of girls' pajamas and
you look adorable in them."
Alex had a thing about masculinity. He found most forms of it toxic and
unappealing, but being as small and thin as he was, he hated being
mistaken for a girl. He glanced, again, at Natasha and then back at
Veronica. "I can't believe you did this," he hissed.
"I can't believe you didn't know," she laughed. "I mean, the bottoms
don't have a fly and the top has a keyhole opening that buttons in the
back. You must have noticed!" She was laughing, but the laughter was
playful, not mean spirited.
Alex thought back to the wee hours of that morning when June had helped
him spin his shirt around so it would fit better. Damnit, why hadn't he
realized that the button he'd assumed was meant to be at his throat, had
spun around the back as well?
"Yeah, ok, very funny," he said as Natasha said something and lowered
his head towards the basin. Veronica responded in her halting Russian,
then Natasha said something further and held up a curling iron.
"Da," Veronica nodded.
"'Da' what!?" Alex asked, feeling a bit out of the loop.
"Nothing, babe," Veronica said calmly. "She's just going to use the
curling iron on you a bit. I think she wants to straighten out the
permanent line in your hair that you created with the elastic you use
for the bun."
By now, Natasha was wetting his head with warm water.
"No," Alex called to Ronnie. "No burning my hair! Just a shampoo and the
split ends."
Veronica sighed. "Come on, babe, just roll with it, please. She's not
going to make you look like Shirley Temple or anything. She's just going
to do some repair work with it. Ok? Besides, I don't have the energy to
try to try to speak Russian much more today. It is exhausting."
"I beg your pardon, mIss," June was suddenly at the door, "but Rebecca,
the grounds keeper, would like a word with you about where you'd like
her to put the snow when she's plowing. Do you have a moment?"
Veronica touched her turban and said, "I have about forty five minutes."
Then she looked at Alex and said, "I'll be right back."
Alex laid in the chair with his head in the sink. "No English at all,
huh?" He asked the hairdresser, who didn't respond. "I can say 'piano,'
'welcome,' 'thank you,' and 'you're too kind,' in Russian, but that's
about it." Still no response. "Oh, and 'vodka,' of course."
Suddenly the woman stopped her work and looked at Alex, ranting about
something in Russian. She pointed at his chest and his belly and then
his groin, all the while shaking her head and continuing her nonstop
flow of angry sounding words. Finally, she wrapped up with, "Wodka -
Nyet! Nyet! Nyet!"
Alex gave his head a small shake. Whatever she thought he had said about
vodka had obviously upset her. So much for international relationships.
He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the massage-like motions of her
shampooing.
In the kitchen, Veronica met the grounds keeper. Rebecca was a big woman
in her fifties. She'd worked in landscaping her whole life and enjoyed
the work. She was broad, had short cropped hair and her skin was ruddy
and wind blown.
Rebecca's concern was with the amount of snow that was falling. "I
always keep up with it, Miss, plowing regularly. We never want to risk
getting stranded up her, but when we get this much all at once, the
question becomes where do you want the snow to be put. I have small pond
over in the north west corner of the estate and when it gets this bad, I
usually push the snow towards the road, then use the front end loader on
the tractor to put it into the dump bed of the plow, then drive it up
and dump it in the pond. How does that sound to you, Miss?"
Veronica stood and stared at Rebecca for a moment and tried to process
what she'd said. "I'm sorry," she laughed, a bit nervously, "but I
honestly cannot think of a response to that question. I mean, I
appreciate you wanting to keep the driveways all cleared, but isn't it
awfully cold to be operating a tractor? And isn't it possible to just
build up snow bankings rather than haul the snow all over creation?"
Rebecca nodded. "Yes, Miss, but Miss Sophia never wanted to see snow
piled up in an unnatural way, so I would haul it to the pond."
Veronica folded her arms and thought before asking, "Given your own
prerogative, how would you handle the snow?"
Rebecca was surprised by the question. "Well... I guess I'd just build
up the snow bankings and let it all melt in the spring."
Veronica nodded. "Ok, then let's do that."
"Oh, ok," The groundskeeper nodded. "Thank you, Miss. That makes things
much easier." Then she walked back towards the servants' entrance.
After dealing with a few questions about the menu for Christmas Eve,
signing some forms that her lawyer had dropped off while she was with
Natasha, and dealing with some other questions about how she would like
this piece of minutia or that piece handled, Veronica turned to walk
back to the master bedroom with June walking with her. She glanced at
her watch and realized that she'd been down stairs nearly forty five
minutes. She was hoping that she hadn't messed up her hair color.
As they headed to the stairway, Veronica asked, "Was my grandmother a
tyrant of some kind?" She asked it only half jokingly. "Rebecca seemed
very concerned that I'd yell at her."
June smiled. "Not at all, Miss, but she did want things to always be
just so." They walked up the stairs. "She was of a different generation,
of course, and she didn't always consider how difficult her requests may
be. She just wanted them done."
Veronica nodded. "I see. There is one thing I'd really like to see
happen, though."
"Yes, Miss?"
"Could you, maybe, call me Veronica? Or Ronnie? This 'Miss' stuff is
getting on my nerves."
June was surprised by the request. "Well, yes, Miss, if that's what
you'd prefer."
Veronica just shook her head and rolled her eyes. It was going to take
some doing to get everyone comfortable with a new owner around here.
Just as they reached the top of the stairs, they heard a commotion
coming from the master bedroom. People were shouting and there was the
sound of feet shuffling on the floor. Veronica picked up her pace until
she was moving at a quick jog and June was jogging right behind her.
"Are you out of your tiny Russian mind? What the hell were you
thinking." Alex was screaming.
Then there was a burst of shouting in Russian followed by Alex
screaming, "What the hell? Let me go! Stop it!"
There was the sound of a hand slapping flesh followed by Alex shouting
and that repeated itself several times before Veronica and June arrived
in the doorway of the master suite to find Alex sprawled across
Natasha's lap, his pajama bottoms lowered enough to expose his rear end
and Natasha winding up for yet another spank on his hind-side.
"What is going on in here?" Veronica screamed.
Natasha began spewing angry words in Russian but it was coming at
Veronica so quickly that she couldn't understand a word of it. She asked
Natasha to slow down, but the woman kept ranting.
"She says that she is not going to put up with that kind of behavior
from a child and you shouldn't either," June said.
"You speak Russian?" Veronica asked, surprised.
"Yes, Miss. She says that the girl was very rude and started screaming
at her. She says that she will not tolerate being treated that way by a
little girl."
Veronica shook her head trying to make sense of this. "Wait. Wait. What
little girl?"
June barked back the question in Russian. Natasha responded and June
translated. "She seems to think that your fianc? is a little girl."
It was at that point that Veronica realized that Alex was still laying
across Natasha's lap, being held down by her left arm, her right arm
still cocked and ready to spank again.
"Well, for God's sake, tell her to let him up," Veronica said as she
crossed the vast room to help him to get free and stand.
June barked out an order in Russian and Natasha released the little man
she was holding.
He turned and faced Veronica who covered her mouth as she half laughed,
half screamed, "Oh, shit!"
"You think this is funny!?" Alex yelled. "Look what she did to me!"
Veronica couldn't help but look at what Natasha had done. Alexander's
shaggy, long, dirty blonde hair was still its same just-shy-of-mousy-
brown color, but it had been shaped - to say the least. He had bangs,
now. Beautifully curled, evenly trimmed bangs that separated straight
strands of hair falling beside both sides of his face, softening and
youthening it a great deal. The rest of his hair seemed to have acquired
a great deal of body and, even though it still hung to just below his
shoulders, the bottom of his hair was flipped under to make it look even
more full bodied.
There was something else about him, but she couldn't figure it out at
the moment.
"Ask her why she did this?," Veronica said to June.
June said something in Russian, then spoke over Natasha's response. "She
says that she thought that he was a girl. She says that she asked you if
you wanted bangs and you said yes."
"I said," Veronica insisted, "that I wanted her to comb bangs across his
forehead, not give him little girl bangs, for crying out loud."
June related that to Natasha, who stood and looked upset. "She says that
she's sorry, but she thought she'd explained what she planned on doing.
She also says that she thought that he was a girl. She points out that
he is, after all, wearing girl's clothing."
Veronica shook her head and looked at Alexander. "Why on earth didn't
you stop her?"
"W..." Alex found the question absurd. "Why didn't I stop her? I haven't
slept more than a few hours in three days, Ronnie! I fell asleep when
she was massaging my scalp and I woke up when she used those little
pieces of cotton to pull my eyebrows out by the roots!"
That was it! That's what was different! His eyebrows! They weren't
pencil thin or overly arched, but they were clean and thinner, in much
the manner of a middle school girl who was just starting to take on
womanly appearances. She'd done a lovely job, but... it was unfortunate
that she'd done a lovely job on Alexander's face.
Natasha spoke again. June continued, "She says that she can give him a
real boy's haircut if he'd like."
That was out of the question. A four foot eleven pianist in a perfectly
tailored tuxedo with his hair flailing as he played was an exciting
sight. A four foot eleven pianist with a boys' haircut looked like an
awkward thing that was stuck somewhere between boyhood and manhood. His
hair was part of his marketing, but now he had bangs - like a child -
like a little girl - cut into his trademark locks. It was a disaster!
"No!" Alex shouted. "Under no circumstances is she touching my hair
again. Look what she did to me, Ronnie! What little bit of manhood I
could project is gone now! She stole that from me!"
Natasha said something else and June explained, "She also says that she
needs to take care of your hair, Miss, or your scalp is going to start
burning from the dye."
"Oh, yes, of course," Veronica nodded and headed to the salon seat.
"What? That's it?" Alex was irate. "She does this to me AND THEN SHE
SPANKS ME and that's it?"
"Honey," Veronica said with a shake of her head and a shrug, "I don't
quite know what to do about this. There was a miscommunication. She
thought that we were on the same page, but... and then she thought that
you were a misbehaving adolescent and, in her culture, she treated you
as she would a child. I mean, I am upset, too, love, but I don't know
what the solution is beyond letting it all grow out and if I don't get
this dye out of my hair, then my hair is going to be falling out. Let me
deal with my hair for now and we'll figure out what to do from there.
Ok?"
"No!" Alex looked around for support, but no one offered any. What could
they have done, anyway? "Oh, fine," he fumed and stormed across the
room. "I'll be in my room." Seconds later, the door to his room slammed
shut.
Veronica sat and June shut the door to the master bedroom. Throughout
the rest of Veronica's hair procedure, Natasha continued to apologize
and June translated. Veronica did her best to speak directly to the
hairdresser, but it had become apparent to her that her Russian was no
where near as good as she'd thought it was.
When she was done, Natasha insisted that she could drive home in her
four wheel drive vehicle, so she walked downstairs, leaving June and
Veronica alone in the master suite.
"What a mess," Veronica muttered.
"She didn't mean to embarrass him," June said.
"I know," Veronica nodded, "and he is awfully small. I probably
shouldn't have put him in the pjs, but I just knew he'd look adorable in
them. And he certainly did." She chuckled, but she was still
sympathetic.
June smiled and nodded. "Yes, Miss, he did."
"You know what the worst part of all this is?" Veronica asked with a
sigh. "I kind of liked the way he looked with his hair done. I'm not
sure what that says about me, but I think he looks adorable as he is."
June just smiled and nodded.
About an hour later, Alex heard the door to his room open, but he didn't
look up or in any way acknowledge that someone had entered his room. He
just laid on his side, facing away from the door, his blankets pulled up
to his chin.
Whoever it was, presumably Veronica, sat down on the edge of the bed and
rubbed his hip for a good few moments before she spoke. "I'm sorry about
what happened, babe. I didn't expect her to do that to your hair... or
your eyebrows. You know, that, right?"
"You laughed at me," he grunted. "I needed your support and you laughed
at me."
"I didn't laugh at you, babe. I laughed at the absurdity of the
situation. You know I love you. I don't care how you look, babe, I'm
still going to love you. Come on, honey. Forgive me and let's move on.
It's just hair. It'll grow back. Six months from now, you can comb those
bangs across your forehead and it'll look great."
Alex sighed. "What about our mothers? They'll be here today or tomorrow.
What will they think?"
"Not to worry," Veronica moved her rubbing to his shoulder, pulling down
the covers just a bit, revealing the soft blue material of the pajamas
she'd left out for him the previous night. "According to the news, the
roads are impassable and probably will be through Christmas. They won't
be coming. In fact, most of the areas around here have no power and
people are trapped in their houses. No power, no heat, cell phones
towers are down... We have generators here, and a large underground fuel
tank. We could live off of the generators until spring if we needed to,
but the priorities in the towns are to get the wires repaired and the
power back up. There's no way that we'll be seeing our mothers this
holiday season, I'm afraid."
That did take a good deal of the pressure off, thank goodness.
Alex rolled to face Veronica, but halfway through the turn, he stopped
and gaped at his fianc?. "What are you wearing? And your hair and make
up... you look like your on your way to a concert."
Veronica's long, thick, dark red hair had been curled and styled so that
it was off her face, moderately high on the crown of her head and then
flowing in gorgeous ringlets down her back. She was also wearing an
astounding, bright red, velvet gown with rows and rows and rows of
pearls hanging from her neck, to her ample and well displayed cleavage.
She stood so that Alex could see the entire look. She struck a pose as
if she was in a portrait and asked. "What do you think? Nice, huh? It's
one of Sophia's from her trunks. It's not even the nicest one, but I
really like it, don't you?"
The dress, the gown, really, started as two, somewhat wide straps of
elegant red velvet on her shoulder, then dove down into a very daring
neckline that covered her ample breasts, but seemed to make them look
even more... ample. Below her breasts, the bodice clung tightly to her
fit abdomen before flowing across her hips and rear end before bursting
into a wide skirt with an amazingly long train that followed along
behind her.
"Yeah," Alex mumbled. "Yeah, I like it a lot, but... what's the
occasion?"
"The occasion," Veronica smiled, teasingly, as she slowly pulled the
blankets off of the tiny man in the bed, "is that I wanted to apologize
to my fianc? and the best way for me to do that is to make myself
beautiful and let him know just how manly I find him."
Alex smelled a new fragrance on her slender neck. He didn't recognize
the scent, but it smelled amazing and expensive.
Veronica gently pushed Alex onto his back, then slowly lowered his
pajama bottoms, revealing his manhood, which was already half erect and
quickly rising. "Ohh," she smiled. "No underwear."
Alex shook his head.
She bent low and kissed his lips. "Me neither," she whispered.
Taking great care to gather her skirts, she climbed onto the bed and
straddled him, lowering herself onto him with a shiver and a sigh. "See?
That feels nice, doesn't it?"
Alex was trying to concentrate on the warm, tight grip her vagina had on
his penis, just whispered, "Yes."
Veronica relaxed her grip on her skirts, letting them spread across both
the bed and its occupant. Then she picked up his little hands and placed
them on the soft, plush velvet that enshrined her breasts. "It's soft,
isn't it?" She asked, but she knew that he was already lost in the
feelings at his core. So, she began her soft, slow, steady process of
rocking him towards ecstasy.
She looked down at the beautiful little man below her. A man who,
despite all reasoning, she loved deeply and passionately. He'd always
been somewhat dainty, but as she looked down at him now, with the nicely
trimmed eyebrows, the bangs forming a cute, youthful fringe above his
brows and the under-flipped hair spread on his pillow below him... it
was different, that was for sure and with the baby blue pajama top
peaking out in the space between the base of his neck and billows of her
red velvet skirts, he looked... soft. Pretty, even. And little in a way
she'd never considered him before. Like a child.
She tightened her vaginal muscles and increased her movement, feeling
pride in the way that she was able to reduce this talented man to a
puddle of desire.
The weight and movement of the copious number of pearls on her chest
felt exciting and unusual. They made her feel almost regal and that
glorious French scent that she'd found in Sophia's bureau made her feel
even more wonderfully, more powerfully feminine.
She increased her pace. Faster, more aggressive and she could tell by
his breathing that she was about to bring him to orgasm. It didn't take
long. She felt him stiffen below and within her. She felt his body,
trapped beneath her own, more powerful form, attempt to rise and press
even more deeply into her and the she felt his spasms and those set off
in her a sense of, not excitement and not quite a orgasm, but shivers of
sheer joy.
"That's good," she purred to him. "That's a good boy." She slowed her
movement but kept him within her until he was, once again, small and
soft. She reached for a box of tissues on the night table, lifted it and
placed it on the bed, drawing several tissues from it. She lifted her
skits and knelt taller, raising herself off of Alex, then wiped herself
dry. Alex blinked at her. She smiled down at him and giggled, "No
panties does cause some issues."
She stood and adjusted her skirts, then extended her hand to her fianc?.
"Come on. Let's go see your pianos."
That sounded good to Alex. He pulled up his pj bottoms and stood up. He
felt not only underdressed, but a bit silly, standing next to his
elegantly bedecked fianc?. He looked around the room. "Where are my
clothes from last night?"
"I don't know," Veronica shrugged. "Hang on." She opened a small door in
the wall by the door and pulled out an old fashioned phone. She waited a
moment, then said, "Yes, June. Have you seen Alexander's clothes from
last night?" Another pause. "I see. Alright. Thank you."
She hung up the phone, closed the door and shrugged. "Sorry, babe. June
gathered them off the floor and now all of your clothes were in the
washing machine. When the power went out and we switched to generators
they were still wet. I guess the dryer is so old and draws so much power
that it can blow the breaker on the generator. Your clothes need to air
dry. It'll be a day or so before they're wearable."
"Wonderful," Alex shook his head. "What do I wear for now?"
"Ok, my little friend," Veronica shook her head as she walked quickly to
the closet and pulled out a robe that matched his pajamas, "things
aren't as bad as you pretend. You've got those pjs for now and here. Put
this on. There are scuffs next to your bed. Yes, they were my mother's
when she was a girl, but they are no different than the scuffs that men
wear everyday."
Alex huffed and shook his head. "Except that they're baby blue."
"Lord, almighty, it must be hard to be you," Veronica teased. "You have
this incredible home to live in, a fianc? who loves you to death and two
beautiful pianos to get to know more intimately. Your life really
sucks."
"And," Alex pointed out, "I am dressed in a little girl's pajamas, about
to put on a little girl's robe and slippers AND I was given a little
girl's hair cut."
"None of which should be keeping you away from a beautiful Chickering
and an incredible Steinway just a few hundred feet away from you."
Alex thought for just a second. "Ok." He slipped his feet into the
scuffs, then allowed Veronica to slide the robe onto his shoulders. She
had not noticed before that the sleeved were slightly puffed at the top,
but since he hadn't noticed, she wasn't going to mention it. Instead,
she freed his hair from the collar of the robe and straightened his hair
so it fell nicely off of his head and shoulders. Lord, he just looked
adorable this way.
Veronica led him through the hallway, down the stairs and into a fairly
large room with a beautiful, dark brown Chickering grand piano in the
middle of it. He sat on the edge of the bench, thinking that he would
need to order a custom stool for each of these instruments. He thought
for a moment, then touched the ivory covered keys and played the opening
strains of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody Number Two. The slow,
rhythmic opening echoing the through the room, the deep resonance of the
old, well used wood was solid and powerful beneath his fingers. He
played only a few bars, then stopped and smiled.
"What do you think?" Veronica asked.
"It's a beautiful instrument," he smiled. "I've always liked
Chickerings, but this is one of the best I've ever played."
Veronica smiled. "What till you try the Steinway."
She took his hand and led him to the concert hall, which had been the
ballroom back when the Vanderbilt Family had lived there. It could
easily seat several hundred people and, according to June, when Sophia
was alive and performing, it frequently had been a place where standing-
room-only was a real thing.
"Wow!" Alex said, as he took a slow spin in a circle, taking in all the
grandeur of the room. "This is amazing. And look!" He pointed to a huge
portrait of Veronica's world renown grandmother on the wall. "You look
just like her! Even the dress and all the pearls!"
Veronica put her arm around his shoulders and joined him in gazing at
the portrait. "I know. I've been told that my whole life, of course, but
now it's getting a bit freaky. I mean, these portraits actually look
like they could be of me and her clothes fit me perfectly. It's uncanny,
isn't it? I haven't found that exact gown, yet, but when I do, I want to
get dressed up and do my makeup just like Sophia's and have my picture
taken standing in front of that portrait. Won't that be cool?"
Alex agreed.
"Ok, my little prodigy," Veronica laughed as she gave him a noisy, but
playful swat on his bottom, "up on the stage and try out your new toy."
Alex needed no further prodding. He hustled across the parquet floor and
up onto the stage. The thing was, though, between the scuffs and the
long robe, his movements were just a bit limited. Combine that with his
height and his new hairdo and to Veronica, he looked like an excited
child on Christmas morning.
Again he reminded himself of his need for a custom bench as he perched
on the edge of the Steinway seat and prepared. Again, he started playing
the Hungarian Rhapsody Number Two and again, the world faded as he
immersed himself in the beautiful sounds that the instrument allowed him
to play. The rich, heavy wood resonated beautifully and the large, wood
and plaster space was perfect for an instrument of this caliber. This
time, he played all the way through the piece, his breathing
synchronized to the music and his eyes closed in concentration as he
found 'the zone' that he always strived to find.
He stopped and thought for a moment. "Who tuned this and set up the
action?"
Veronica smiled. "Who's your favorite piano tech?"
"George!? Are you kidding me? How on earth did you get George to come
all this way and set up this piano?" Alex was shocked. George could make
a cheap Wurlitzer spinet sound like a beautiful instrument, but when he
set up a real high quality instrument, then he could work miracles. And
when he knew the player as well as he knew Alex, then he could make the
instrument an extension of that person's body.
But George lived in Manhattan, a two hour drive away.
Veronica gathered her copious skirts and crossed to the stage, climbing
the stairs on the far end of the stage, talking all the way. "It may
surprise you, Alex, but George works for a lot of different people - not
just you. He is the piano tech for The Boston Symphony's Center at
Tanglewood, which is only a few miles away. So, he is in the area fairly
frequently. Besides that, The Great Diva Sophia also took advantage of
George's talents. I did call and tell him that these were your Christmas
presents, though, so he spent a couple of hours on each of them last
week. Do you like them?"
Alex smiled. "They're amazing. Thank you, but do you know what would
make it even better?" Without waiting for an answer, he began the quiet,
gentle introduction to the very first piece he'd ever played as
Veronica's accompanist, 'Marietta's Lied' from Erich Wolfgang Korngold's
opera 'Die Tote Stadt.' It was Alex's favorite piece to play as her
accompanist. It wasn't flashy and filled with the usual operatic leaps
and flourishes. It was controlled and introspective and filled with love
- just like Veronica.
Ronnie stood slightly taller as her entrance approached. She smiled at
the man she loved - the man in the baby blue robe with the slightly
puffy sleeves, the curled bangs, the under flipped hair and the sculpted
eyebrows and she let out the first controlled, beautiful notes of the
piece. Her eyes never leaving his and his heart joining hers to create
the sound, the pure, loving sounds that filled the acoustically
wonderful room.
This was it. This was how they fell in love. This symbiotic existence
they had that allowed them to join, to meld, to create this beauty. Each
had played with dozens of other people, but none of them could do what
they could do together. They became one and they became greater than
they were on their own. The song rose and fell, but never really soared.
It wasn't that kind of song. It was a song that allowed Veronica to draw
all who heard her to her and she wrapped them in warm affection.
When the song ended, they heard applause. June and the cook and Melissa,
the girl who assisted them both all stood in different doorways and all
wiped a tear from their eye. Veronica made a big show of taking huge,
theatrical bows - the kind that were almost a combination of a bow and a
curtsy - giving a royal wave, blowing kisses and saying, "Thank you.
Thank you." The she looked to her left and indicated Alex, who stood and
took one deep bow as well.
June walked over to the stage and said to Veronica, "Thank you, Miss. We
have not had music in this room for almost a decade. That was
beautiful."
Ronnie smiled. "Thank you."
June then turned to Alex and held a hand up to him. "And thank you. That
was gorgeous."
"Thank you," Alex smiled. "I'm glad you liked it."
As June spoke to Alex, Melissa spoke to Veronica. "That was amazing,
Miss," she said with a huge smile. "You sing so pretty. I loved it."
"Thank you," Veronica smiled and took a very playful little bow. She was
glad that Melissa was able to appreciate the song.
Melissa then turned to Alex. "And you... oh, I have to give you a hug!"
She ran to the stage left stairs and climbed them in a big rush. Alex
looked at Ronnie, eyes wide in surprise, but not about to insult the
twenty-something girl by saying no.
Melissa hugged him tightly. "You are amazing!" She said. "You know, I
played piano when I was a girl, too, but I never got as good as you! Not
by a long shot."
Alex smiled. He'd been given this same odd compliment many times before,
but coming from Melissa it seemed more sincere than usual. "Thank you,"
he said.
"My God," Melissa continued, "imagine how good you'll be when you're all
grown up! How old are you, now, honey?"
Alex sighed. This had happened before, too. Someone giving him huge
compliments, then being embarrassed when they realized that he was not a
child. So, he gave the answer that he'd found worked the best in this
situation. "Thank you. I'm older than I look, though."
Melissa looked at Veronica and smiled with enthusiasm and admiration.
"Isn't she awesome, Miss. She plays piano so beautifully. Just like a
grown up."
Not wanting to make a big scene out of an honest mistake, so she just
smiled and said, "Thank you."
Melissa gave Alex one more squeeze and hustled away.
Alex looked at Veronica and rolled his eyes.
"Sorry," Veronica said, with a smile.
He shrugged walked around the piano to be beside her. "It's probably
just the haircut."
Veronica gave him a hug. She always loved how, when she hugged Alex, his
head always pushed deeply into her breasts. Right now, feeling as
feminine and strong as she did in this gown, having his cheeks pushed
into the red velvet that covered her breast, left her feeling even more
strong and in charge than she did when she'd engulfed him in bed.
That evening, they had dinner in a small room near the kitchen.
Originally, the room was a coat room for guests coming to balls at the
Vanderbilts' 'cottage.' When Veronica moved from Queens to this house,
she'd brought very little furniture with her, but one of the few items
she brought was a little dinette set from IKEA. When she saw the
vastness of the dining room, she knew that she and Alex would be lost in
there, so she set up the dinette in the coat room and she enjoyed her
meals in there.
She had, of course, changed out of the red velvet gown and now was
wearing a peach colored, casual dress from one of Sophia's trunks. It
was a simple, sleeveless dress with a square neckline, two three quarter
inch wide pieces of white piping running down the bodice and a loose fit
around her breasts. The piping ended in a small, white bow at the
arrival of a wide, tight fitting, waist area. Below that waist, the
dress' skirt burst into a wide circle with lots of pleats near the top,
allowing the dress to be shaped like an inverted blossom. The two rows
of piping began again below the wide waist, with a similar little bow.
As they ate one of the best chicken stews that either of them had ever
eaten, Alex looked at his fianc? and smiled. "So... are we going to be
living sixty years in the past, from now on?"
Veronica dabbed her very red lips and spread her napkin back across her
lap. When she spoke, it was in a pretentiously posh manner. "Well,
whatever do you mean?" She smiled. "I believe this lovely dress is only
fifty three years old." Then she giggled and said, "I'm having so much
fun with all of Sophia's clothes. It's like I can make up a whole new
life for every dress that I put on. I'm sure I'll get tired of it, but
right now," her posh accent returned, "I am so enjoying my little lark."
Alex smiled and returned to his stew.
Veronica looked at the little guy opposite her and smiled. "You know...
you could have some fun with it, too, if you'd like."
Alex smiled and said, "I'm enjoying it quite a lot, Ronnie. You look
amazing in everything you wear. It's much nicer than your usual jeans
and tee shirt. You look sexy as hell in those dresses. I love it!"
She smiled. "Well, thank you, babe, but what I meant was... Alex, there
are at least five trunks of clothes that will fit you. Why don't we have
some fun with them?"
"Because I don't want to look like a little girl," he laughed.
Veronica sighed. "Babe, with your hair cut like that, you all ready look
like a little girl. Melissa already thinks that you ARE a little girl.
Why don't we have some fun while we can?"
"Because I would rather be a man who," he looked around to be sure they
were alone, "has lots of sex with his fianc?."
She smiled a wolffish smile and leaned forward. "Well, now... even that
could be a lot more fun if you were willing to be a little girl who has
lots of sex with me."
Alex squinted at her. "That's kind of gross, isn't it?"
"It's playful and exciting," Veronica licked her very red lips. "Come
on. After dinner, come with me and let's look through the trunks. I bet
we can find something fun for you to play in."
"I really don't..." Alex began to protest, but Veronica interrupted.
"I'll do oral"
"What?" Alex blinked at her, not just uncertain of what she said, but
not believing what she'd said if she'd actually said it.
"You heard me," Veronica smiled. "I'll even let you be on top tonight."
Alex took his napkin from his lap, dabbed his own lips, placed the
napkin on the table, pushed the remainder of the stew to the side, stood
and walked towards the door. "Are you coming?"
Veronica stood as well. "My, my, aren't you the anxious little girl."
She led him through several long passages. They walked so far that it
didn't seem possible that they were still in the same building. Finally,
Veronica turned into a large room and turned on the lights. The room was
absolutely filled with steamer trunks of various vintages.
"All of these," Veronica motioned to her right, "are filled with
Sophia's concert clothes. All of these," she used two hands to indicate
the middle section, "are filled with her day-clothes. An these five,"
she indicated some smaller trunks to her left, "have my mother's clothes
from tours when she was between nine and twelve years old. A lot of
those will fit you."
"Have you seen more pajamas in there?" Alex asked.
"No such luck, stud," Veronica laughed. "I did see something that I'd
love you to wear to bed tonight, though."
"Such as?" Alex was dubious, but also eager to get back to the room and
get down to business.
"Such as... if you want to have fun in bed with me, then you will follow
me back to the room and try on what I take with me for you to wear." She
smiled and winked.
Each of the items in the trunks were encased in an inexpensive garment
bag, but it was obvious that Veronica was familiar with the contents of
each. She grabbed six bags and turned to Alex and said, "Ok. Let's go."
"Wait, wait," Alex laughed. "Why so so many bags?"
Veronica kept walking, forcing Alex to begin following to catch up.
"Because you'll need something to wear tonight, something to wear in the
morning, something for Christmas Eve tomorrow night, something to wear
tomorrow night, something for Christmas morning, something for Christmas
dinner, something for Christmas evening and something to wear to bed on
Christmas night."
"But..." Alex was taken aback by her determination. "...what if my
clothes dry?"
"I am going to be dressed up, my dear," she said in that silly posh
accent again, "so you will need to dress up, too. I sincerely doubt that
the clothes you shipped home will get here before the twenty sixth. They
say the snow is going to keep coming down at least until Christmas
morning."
"Yeah, but," Alex had a sinking feeling in his stomach, "do at least
some of those outfits include trousers?"
"We shall have to wait and see," Veronica giggled.
When they got back to Alex's room, Veronica went directly into the walk-
in closet and hung up the garment bags. Alex tried to see what she'd
brought with her, but she shooed him away and said, "Strip to your skin,
my little muffin. Then I'll get you dressed.
Alex laughed and shook his head as he untied the belt of the robe, then
tried and failed to pull the baby blue pajama top over his head.
Veronica stepped over to him and unbuttoned the little button on the
back of the pajama top. Once he had that pulled off, he dropped the
bottoms to the floor and stepped out of them.
"What now?" He asked, standing naked and waiting for his fianc? to do
something.
For her part, Veronica smiled and looked at her little guy. Small, un-
muscled, mostly hairless except for a cute tuft of pubic hair... just
adorable. "Ok, cutie. Turn around, raise your arms over your head and
close your eyes."
Alex shook his head as he followed her instructions. Moments later, he
felt soft fabric being dropped over his head.
"Keep your eyes closed, now. Don't open them until I tell you."
She let him lower his arms as she adjusted the garment. "Oh, I like
this, babe. I think we have found your look. Yeah. This is nice."
"Can I open my eyes?" Alex asked.
"Not yet," she giggled as she led him to stand in front of the standing
mirror that stood near the room's dresser.
"Ok. Open them, now," Veronica said cheerfully.
Alex smiled as opened his eyes, but that smile turned to a shocked
dropped jaw.
To call it just a nightgown would have been a gross understatement. This
was... a confection in two layers. The silk underdress of the nightie
was a pink, round necked sheath. On top of that, though, was a pale
white cloud of lace and frills.
Around the neckline, the lace fringe made a feminine statement and also
seemed to make his neck look longer and more slender. Below that was a
bib of sheer lace that hung down about eight inches and completely
encircled his upper-chest, arms and back. The pretty pink bow at the
front and center of the neckline let everyone know that the little
creature wearing this creation was 'mommy's little angel."
The three quarter length sleeved gathered at the cuffs, but came nowhere
close to a tight fit around his tiny arms, and then blossomed into wide,
loose bells of lace that reminded Alex of rich old lady handkerchiefs.
The underdress' hem ended right at Alex's knees, but the lace over dress
hung down an additional four inches in a band of elaborate, delicate
lace.
All of that combined with his hair and eyebrows made it clear to the
world that there was nothing manly about the person wearing this
nightgown.
"Holy shit," Alex whispered. "I look like..."
"A Princess," Veronica giggled. "A beautiful, little princess and I
think that you are the cutest little princess I have ever seen."
"You can't really want to have sex with me, looking like this?" Alex
asked, sure that she couldn't possibly find this attractive.
"Are you kidding!?" Veronica laughed. "Right now, little girl, all I
want to do is go to town on you, and..." she licked her lips and raised
and lowered her eyebrows, "I do believe I owe my little girl a blow job,
don't I?"
Alex, amazed that this was actually exciting her, looked from Veronica
to his virginal reflection in the mirror, then back at Veronica again
and he nodded. "Yes, you do."
Alex was about to cross to the bed, but Veronica stopped him. "No, no. I
want you to stay right here and I don't want you to take your eyes off
the little girl in that mirror for a second while I nibble on that
little wiener of yours."
Things had just gotten even weirder for Alex, but he stopped thinking
about it as his fianc? knelt in front of him and lifted the hem of his
ludicrously girlish nightdress. She took Alex's left hand and had him
hold his skirts for her. He was already a little stiff, but certainly
not hard, so Veronica began by massaging his organ and smiling up at
him. "Feels good, doesn't it?" She teased as she kissed the tip of his
penis.
Alex nodded.
Veronica realized that her fianc? was looking down at her. "Keep your
eyes on the mirror, my pet," she cooed. "Here," she took his right hand
and guided it to his manhood, "help mommy make you harder."
More role playing. Great. Ronnie seemed much more comfortable with this
than he did, but he did as he was told. He stared at the girl in the
mirror and began to masturbate himself to a stiffer erection.
Ronnie leaned in closer and kissed all around the area where Alex was
tugging on himself. He looked so cute, it was giving her the chills.
Yes, when she found her mother's adolescent clothing in the storage
room, she had immediately wanted to incorporate them into some kinky
playtime, but with the change in the weather, their mother's not being
able to come for Christmas, Alex's clothing issues and Natasha's
misguided hairstyling... well, it was almost as if the fates had
conspired to make this all possible.
And the thing that she found most fascinating was how exciting this was
for her. He looked so much smaller this way. So much more innocent.
So... submissive. Yes. Submissive. He hadn't really put up any kind of a
fight at all. Just one temper tantrum, and that was more to do with
being spanked by Natasha. Veronica had always been the bigger, stronger,
more aggressive, more successful member of the relationship, but they
had just taken a massive step in a new direction and, as she watched her
little lover become more and more turgid under his own ministrations, a
thought occurred to her. Yes. Her thought was a good idea. She would do
it and he would like it. She was sure of it.
She gently caressed the back of his legs for a moment, tickling her way
to his tiny, plump rear end. She gently kneaded those fleshy mounds as
she licked his shaft, then took all of him into her mouth, pushing his
hand out of the way with her lips.
She'd never done this before. Not to anyone. The very idea of
'servicing' someone in this way was antithetical to her desire to always
be in control - but this wasn't the same. She wasn't kneeling before
some big, hairy man who looked down at her. No, she was gently caring
for her tiny lover who needed her care. And his organ didn't choke her
or push down her throat. No, it was a small part of her little lover
that fit perfectly into her mouth. She was caring for her little love.
Her beautiful, submissive love who needed her care.
Alex's breathing changed, became more shallow and rushed. He was about
to orgasm and she was ready. She felt the first, anticipatory twitch of
his climax and she prepared. As his orgasm began in earnest, Veronica
thrust the middle finger of her right hand as deeply as possible into
Alex's rear opening, causing him to let out a surprised, high pitched
squeal. His little, girly noises continued as she wiggled that finger
and prodded even more deeply.
He seemed to twitch within her mouth for much longer than a usual
orgasm, and when the spasms finally ceased, Veronica gently pulled her
lips from his penis and her finger from his rear, lowered his nightie
back around his little legs, then stood tall, looking down at the
feminine looking creature before her, turned Alex's face to finally look
in her eyes, then leaned down, kissed him on the lips as deeply as she
could and returned all of the fluid she'd taken from his penis to its
owner.
He didn't even fight her. He accepted it without hesitation. "Didn't
that feel good?" she asked. Alex could only nod. "Come on, then, my
little Princess, let's go to bed and have some more fun."
It was around eight the next morning, while Alex was showering and
Veronica was getting his clothes organized for the day, that the Lenox
Police Department car pulled up to the kitchen entrance, surprising June
as she oversaw the breakfast prep.
Melissa became a bit agitated at the sight of a police officer knocking
at the side door. "Aunt June," she said from the hallway. "Why are the
police here? Are we in trouble?"
"I don't know, dear," June said as she approached the entrance, "but the
police rarely bring good news."
She pasted on a smile, though and opened the door that separated the
warm kitchen from the bitter cold outside. "Good morning, officer. What
a terrible morning for you have to drive way out here. How may I help
you?"
"Good morning," the officer smiled. "I have something that belongs to
you."
Upstairs, Veronica was shaking her head at Alex's reticence to
cooperate. "Look, babe, it's Christmas Eve Day, I'm dressing up for the
day, and I'd like to you dress up as well. June is going to be discreet,
Melissa thinks you're a little girl, and even if she knew you weren't a
little girl, she wouldn't say anything, anyway, and you've never met the
cook and the grounds keeper... besides, I made it all worth you while,
did I?"
"Yes, but..." he started.
"Please, babe, please, please, please. Let's just have some fun, ok?
It's Christmas and... to be very honest, seeing you dressed up in these
clothes... it's really exciting to me. Like... REALLY exciting. Come on.
PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!"
"Alright, alright," Alex shook his head at the silliness of all this.
"Yay!" Veronica cheered, handing him a pair of lacy little panties.
A few minutes later, in panties, a training bra (which he did complain
about briefly), and a slip with a subtle petticoat built into it, Alex
was seated as his fianc? used a blow dryer and a curling iron to rebuild
his cute hairdo. This time, though, she flipped the bottom of his hair
outward. It was a bit different, but still adorable and would be more
fitting with the style of the dress she'd chosen for him.
When his hair was curled and well sprayed, Veronica topped off his look
with a head band that had a large, stiff, white bow that sat at the
crown of his head.
Veronica knelt and and ran sheer, ribbed, knee socks up to his knees.
She added a pair of low heeled, black pumps, then had him stand as she
lowered a navy blue and white sailor dress over his head. It had long
sleeves that gathered in a small puff at his wrists and slightly
exaggerated puffs at his shoulders. The classic navy collar that
included the small 'cape' that hung off the shoulder and a foot or so
down the back of the dress, with dual white lines that looked manly on a
navel uniform, but young and feminine in this application, led adorably
to the floppy, white bow at the center of the neckline. The bodice was
not tight fitting and led to a pleated skirt that hung in a lovely
manner with the help of the subtle petticoat.
"Look at me," Veronica instructed before letting him stand. She pulled a
wand from a tube and spread it across his lips. "Just a touch of pink
lip gloss for a girl your age. The boys will love that."
"Ha, ha, ha," Alex scoffed. "Are we ready to go down, now?"
Veronica looked at Alex as if he was crazy. "I need to put on my dress."
"But," Alex looked at how beautiful she looked in her black lace dress,
"you look great in that."
"Well, thank you, my pet, but this is a slip. An elaborate and beautiful
slip, to be sure, but a slip none the less." She laughed as she stepped
into a slender black dress and raised it to her shoulders. "Zip mommy
up, honey," she giggled as she turned her back to Alex who drew the
zipper up her back.
She turned to face Alex. The dress was simple and elegant and clung
sexily to her curvy form. "What do you think?"
"You're beautiful, but I liked the slip better." He said, honestly.
Veronica took his hand, smiling. "Come on. Let's go down stairs."
Veronica noticed Alex was swaying a bit as they walked. "You like the
way that feels, don't you?"
He smiled. "It feels very different to not have the material touching my
legs, but the sway of the skirt is really noticeable, anyway. It's just
interesting."
As they started down the stairs, Veronica said, "Bounce down a few
steps. It's a nice feeling."
Alex tried it and she was right. The word 'flounce' occurred to him as
he watched the material bounce and relax again. Veronica watched him
with rapt fascination. God, he was so cute!
Just as they reached the bottom step, June came hurrying out of a
hallway. "Miss," she was a bit flustered, "I'm sorry but breakfast has
been delayed."
Alex looked to his right where the ballroom with the Steinway was
located. "Hey," he said as he began to hurry towards the ballroom,
"since we have a few minutes, I'm going to work on my Cliburn."
Veronica understood what he meant and just nodded.
As Alex turned into the ballroom, he heard June say, "We've had an
unexpected occurrence. I tried to call your extension in the master
suite, but you didn't answer."
"I was across the hall in Alex's room," Veronica explain, but Alex
didn't hear any more.
Alex sat on the edge of the piano stool and took a deep breath. When
Alex said he wanted to work on his 'Cliburn,' he actually intended to
work Chopin's 'Waltz No. 1 in D-Flat,' also known as 'The Minute Waltz.'
It was a piece he'd played a million times and even played in concert
with some frequency, but one that always frustrated him because,
although he played it very well, he felt that his version was grossly
inferior to his favorite recording of the piece by the pianist Van
Cliburn. Alex felt that his own version lacked the clarity and depth of
phrasing that Van Cliburn brought to the piece. Van Cliburn's dexterity
had become Alex's 'White Whale' and as he sat with his fingers in D-Flat
position and took several deep breaths, he heard the Van Cliburn version
in his head. Then he took a deep, purging breath, released it and began.
Out in the kitchen, Melissa had been pouring coffee for the policeman
and the people who'd accompanied him when she heard the sound of piano
echoing down the hall, she stopped and said, "Oh! The little girl is
playing!" She put the coffee pot down and made excited 'come on' hand
gestures to the three adults. "Come with me! Come hear her!"
The four of them hustled down the hall and entered the ballroom from a
service door.
"Good God," the policeman muttered. "I don't know who that child is, but
she is extraordinary!"
The woman beside him shook her head. "I don't know who she is, either,
but I think she's wearing one of my old dresses."
The other woman folded her arms and shook her head. "I know who she is.
That little girl is my son."
Just as the short piece reached its end, Veronica burst into the
ballroom, ready to call out Alex's name and hustle him back upstairs,
but she noticed that a small audience had assembled. She gasped just
loud enough for the four people in the audience to hear and they turned
to look at her, revealing their faces.
"Oh, shit, shit, shit," Veronica said, a bit louder than intended before
regaining some sense of composure. She glanced at the stage where a
horrified, petrified Alex stared, unspeaking, and Veronica adopted a
sense of her training as an operatic actress. She stood straighter, held
her arms wide and said, "Mother! Mrs Claremont! Thank goodness you made
it! Welcome to 'The Haven.'
I've included links to the music I've mentioned. I hope you may have a
few moments to enjoy some of it.
Here is a beautiful rendition of Liszt's 'Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by
one of his descendants.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LdH1hSWGFGU
If you'd like to hear the piece that Veronica and Alex performed
together, here is a link to a performance by the wonderful American
soprano (I know a lot of my European friends will be horrified by the
phrase 'American Soprano') Renee Fleming singing Marinetta's Lied -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVlyymK8vLI
Again, a reference to an American performer. I don't mean to irritate my
European readers, but Van Cliburn is one of my favorites. Here is his
rendition of The Minute Waltz -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjdXDUFsMYs