Bucking for a New Position
Lee Stetson pulled his long form from the small confines of the corvette and stretched his tired muscles carefully as he looked around the yard of 4247 Maplewood Drive. Glancing quickly at the watch adhered to his right wrist he smiled slightly. 'I'm actually early, imagine that.'
After the long night he'd spent going over those stupid reports Dr. Smyth had demanded he finalize before leaving, he hadn't expected to make the early morning call Amanda had requested. Her last words to him before sauntering out the door of the Q-Bureau had been, "Don't forget about tomorrow, sweetheart. Eight o'clock, I'll be expecting you." Leaving him with a kiss that had lingered on his lips late into the night, she had given him a small smile and wink then left him alone.
'I should have known Smyth would've come up with something to hold me at the office,' he thought absently rubbing his chest as he moved around the front of the car. 'He knew we were both scheduled for a three day weekend, God forbid he'd let me start it a few hours early.'
Stepping into the backyard he sighed, observing the assortment of equipment scattered about. A large ladder lay on its side near the house along with several buckets and sponges, multicolored rags that resembled pieces and parts of old towels, several cans of paint and brushes, a large pile of treated lumber, what looked like a bucket of nails, and the coiled up water hose pulled out of its resting place. 'Not exactly my idea of how I wanted to spend my days off with my wife but I guess I can't complain.'
The backdoor opened and Amanda came out attired in a white halter-top and jean shorts that accented her small butt perfectly, drawing his eyes to her. 'Nope, I have nothing to complain about,' he thought happily. "Hey is that outfit legal in the state of Virginia?" he asked stepping through the fence.
Hearing his voice she turned and smiled, depositing her armload of items onto the picnic table beside her. "I was going to give you a wake up call shortly," she said as he moved to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I figured you could use it after seeing that pile Dr. Smyth left you with."
"Hmmm… nope," he responded, looking around quickly for unwanted eyes then dropping his face to her neck. With her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail he had unrestricted access to the small area of her neck, just below her ear that he loved to nibble on. "I knew I had you to look forward to this morning. I was up a full hour before my alarm sounded. I'm officially yours until Tuesday my love."
"Good," she breathed feeling his lips caressing her skin. "It's probably going to take us that long just to give this place a facelift."
Slumping his shoulders he pulled back and regarded her with a look even though she couldn't see it from her position. "The whole weekend?" he asked in defeat. "Good lord Amanda how much do you have scheduled for us to do?"
Turning in his arms she smiled that sweet smile he knew all too well and it melted his heart as it always did. 'She doesn't play fair.' Her hand came up and caressed his jaw, tracing the outline of his lower lip slowly. "You're the one that suggested we buy a new house after our marriage," she reminded him patiently. "You know if we want to get a good market price for this place we need to fix it up. If we don't start the outside now, it's going to get too cold then we'll have to wait until next spring. Do you really want to wait that long?" she asked.
"No," he pouted sounding like one of the boys. "I was hoping we could find something and move in immediately after the wedding. I really don't feel comfortable living in the house you shared with Joe, you know that."
"Then we need to do all this now, while we have the time. We can work on the inside regardless of the weather."
He sighed, shaking his head knowingly as he looked around at the items. "I don't think we're going to be able to do all this hon," he admitted skeptically. "I don't know why you don't let me hire someone instead of having me and the boys…"
"About that," she interrupted lowering her eyes.
He frowned realizing that he hadn't seen Jamie or Phillip yet, much less heard them inside. "Where are the boys?" he questioned with a look, starting to feel uneasy. Why hadn't he heard that hip-hop music they so liked to blare for all to enjoy?
"Joe picked them up first thing this morning, you missed them by a half hour. It seems Carrie's grandparents had an anniversary that had slipped his mind and he wanted the boys to go with them…"
"Amanda I can not do all this by myself," He protested shaking his head. "I don't even…"
"I am planning on helping you," she retorted with a laugh as she heard him grunt. "Besides they'll be back tomorrow."
"Right, so until then I'm just suppose to muddle through this as best I can? You know how home repairs and I clash. I'm not a handy man."
"You'll be just fine," she assured him with a pat on his chest. "You're already dressed for it," she teased, running a finger along the jagged edge of his sleeveless sweatshirt.
"You told me to dress in old clothes," he responded with a smile.
"And you look very appetizing in them as well." He grinned feeling her hand snake down and squeeze his butt through the material. "Tight faded jeans shouldn't look so good on a body."
He bent down, kissing her lightly on the lips as he removed her hand from his posterior. "Thank you for the compliment but if you keep that up we're going to get very little done. Now what do you want me to do first?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
"Well I thought maybe we could…" she stopped and smiled shyly back at him. "Oh, you mean about the house."
"Yes I mean about the house," he said laughing as he cupped both of her hands between his.
"I was hoping you could fix the fence while I clean the windows and start on painting the shutters. I've got everything you're going to need piled over by the bushes."
Glancing over to where the fence between houses was starting to sag inward he nodded. The bad storm last week that crossed through the area had knocked down several tree branches, some fairly large. Those branches in turn had done a number on the fence. He had been thankful that they had taken out their anger on the wood of the fence instead of that of the walls and windows of the house. They had been lucky.
"Okay the fence. I think I can handle that. I just take the broken ones off and replace them with the new right?" he asked looking toward her.
"And then paint them," she reminded him. "They're going to need two coats."
"Paint them," he repeated. "Okay, I'll give it my best shot, but truthfully I don't see how I'm going to get a complete coat over them with all those cracks."
"You'll be fine," she encouraged, patting his chest again. "If you need help, just give me a call."
"I think I can handle a few boards Amanda," he retorted with a look.
"Okay," she said laughing.
* * *
By mid-afternoon Lee had two-thirds of the fence between their house and the neighbors tore down leaving an unusually large gap in their privacy. What had started out, or so he thought, with just removing half a dozen slats had turned into a major job. The majority of the wood had several long splintering cracks running vertically down them and a few had been chipped and busted in small areas. So instead of doing a partial job he had just ripped all of them down knowing it would have to be done sooner or later.
Surrounded by piles of lumber, most of it haphazardly discarded without thought as he pried them loose, he had started the tedious process of hanging the new planks. It was slow going and though he'd thought the task was pretty straightforward, post the board, and drive a couple of nails, he couldn't seem to get the wood to cooperate. More times than not the gaps were either too large or the board was crooked by the time he stepped back to eye it. He realized he was spending more energy pulling the stupid things off and reattaching them than anything else.
It was during one such frustrating attempt that he became aware of someone watching him. He'd just bent to pick up another of the many nails he seemed to be going through when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw a man about his age, standing near the back porch of the house beside Amanda's, looking in his direction.
He discarded the look and went back to work, only to glance over a few minutes later to see the man still staring in his direction. 'What's up with him?' he wondered absently, looking over his shoulder as he searched for his wife to ask her who the noisy neighbor was. He hadn't seen him around, at least he didn't remember it, but Amanda was nowhere to been found and the ladder was gone as well.
'Must have moved to the other side of the house.' Giving the man a hard look Lee sighed and went back to work knowing the fence wasn't going to hang itself. At least if he could get it back up he could get rid of eagle eye over there, that was enough incentive for the time being.
It wasn't long after that when Amanda drew his attention by calling his name. He looked up, wiping his hands on his jeans to see her standing at the back door motioning him inside. "Come on in and let's take a break. I've got a couple of sandwiches waiting for us."
As he stepped over, making his way carefully around the debris littered yard he smiled seeing several streaks of white paint adhered to his wife's forearms and face. "Looks like you started painting," he said reaching out to trace a smear down her jaw and onto her neck. "That's very becoming."
"And it looks like you're still tackling that fence," she returned in a teasing tone as she eyed the few piece he'd actually managed to keep upright.
He grunted looking toward the results of his handy work. "It's going to take me all day, you do realize that don't you? I don't even have a third of it hung yet. Is there some magical trick your withholding from me that makes those stupid things stand straight? I'm spending more time ripping them off after I put them up then anything else."
"I have a level in the garage," she suggested lightly.
He frowned. "What's that?"
"You don't know what a level is?" she asked incredulously.
"I've never needed one," he stated defensively as he crossed his arms about his chest. "What does it do?"
She laughed then, shaking her head as she leaned in and kissed him along the jaw. "That's right, I keep forgetting you're the one that remodels a room by hiring an interior decorator and going skiing for the weekend."
"And it worked perfectly until you came along and decided to domesticate me," he retorted with a smile. "Now tell me what this elusive level is and how is it going to help me?"
She motioned him inside as she tried to explain the tool. "It has a bubble in it," she said as he moved to the sink and began washing his hands. "What you do is hold it up to whatever you're doing and when the bubble gets between the two lines in the middle of the bar then the item is straight."
He looked toward her a frown on his face. "That's it? You just line the bubble up and the board's straight?"
She nodded. "Pretty simple huh?"
"Why didn't you give that to me to begin with?" he questioned reaching for the towel as she handed it over. "It would have saved me a lot of time."
"I didn't think about it," she admitted with a shrug. "I haven't used it since Mother and I hung those shelves in the hallway."
"I want this level thing."
She laughed at the tone of his voice. "We'll get it out of the garage after we eat. I need you to pull down another can of paint for me as well. I've nearly used all the one I have."
As they sat down and began eating the roast beef sandwiches she had prepared, Lee dove into his with a hunger he hadn't realized. "Hmmm… this is delicious," he complimented happily.
"It's only leftovers from supper but it does hit the spot."
Lee groaned, "That's just another thing I can lay on Smyth's shoulders. He made me miss an incredible roast beef dinner with my family. I swear Amanda, one of these days he's going to push me too far and I'm just going to snap," he muttered taking another bite.
She gave him a look. "Define snap. Is it going to require me bailing you out?" she teased.
"I hope not, but I can guarantee it's not going to be pleasant."
"Well perhaps with having the next three days Dr. Smyth free it will quench your desire to do the poor man bodily harm," she commented taking a drink.
"Hmm… maybe, but don't hold your breath. Speaking of the weekend. How long is Dotty going to be gone to Aunt Lillian's? Is she feeling any better?" He asked in concern.
Two weeks ago Amanda had informed him that her Aunt had fallen down the back stairs of her house and twisted her ankle so bad that the doctor said it would have been better off if she'd have broken it. Since she couldn't stand to put weight on it, Dotty had volunteered to go and stay with her until she could get around comfortably. She had hoped to be back by now, but apparently things weren't working out.
"She's feeling better but still having problems walking. Mother called me last night and brought me up to date. She's taking Aunt Lillian back to the doctors on Monday and said she'd let me know what they find out. As it stands she's liable to be there another week at least."
"Hmm… tough break," he admitted finishing the last of his sandwich. "I hope she gets to feeling better. I know a twisted ankle is a pain. It hurts no matter what you do."
"Had a few in your time, have you?"
"A few," he agreed rising from the stool. "I'm making another sandwich, you want one?" he asked stepping to the plate of roast beef she had left on the counter.
"No, this one will do me just fine thank you."
He nodded setting to work as he pulled out two slices of bread. "Hey I have a question for you," he muttered piling his sandwich high. "Who's the next door neighbor?"
"Hmm?" she asked chewing as she looked toward him.
"The next door neighbor," he repeated licking his fingers as he stepped back to the island where they were sitting. "He was giving me the evil eye or something most of the day."
"I'm not sure who you're referring too. Margaret O'Connell's been living there the last two years, you know that," she responded. "She's not married."
"Well I'm telling you a man was standing on that back porch watching me all morning," he retorted shaking his head as he took a big bite. "Gave me the creeps," he muttered around a mouth full.
"What did he look like?" she asked sitting her glass down. "I don't remember her saying anything about a boyfriend."
Lee shrugged swallowing then preceded to tell her about the man he'd witnessed. After he finished her eyes widened slightly as a smile spread across her face. "I bet that was her brother. She's been staying in his house since he was relocated a couple of years back."
"I guess he could be, but why the hell is he giving me those looks?" he asked, drinking down his glass of soda in a deep swallow. "What did I ever do to him? Hell, I've never met the man."
"Yes you have. It's Buck, don't you remember Buck?" At his confused look she elaborated. "He moved in next door shortly after we met. I told you about him, he was always popping up wanting to talk, offering to fix every little thing that went wrong." She smiled as she remembered the man they were discussing. "Mother said she thought he had a crush on me."
"Not sure I remember him," Lee admitted.
"He was the one that instigated that block party a few years back. You took his mask Lee, the W.C. Fields…"
"Oh yeah… I remember now. He had his face shoved in a barrel of apples at the time." He chuckled at her and winked. "I nearly kissed you that night but your mother stepped out as usual and interrupted us. That was Buck?"
"That was Buck," she agreed as her face lit up at the memory. "And we did come pretty close that night didn't we?"
"I did try." He took another bite chewing thoughtfully before he spoke again. "I wonder why he was giving me those looks though," he wondered aloud.
"He's always been a bit on the noisy side," Amanda admitted rising to place her plate in the sink. "I suppose he's just wondering what you're doing over here."
"It's none of his business," Lee grunted defensively.
"He's harmless Lee don't worry about him. I'd imagine he came back into town to visit with his sister. I'm surprised Margaret hasn't said anything to me. She was just over here two nights ago borrowing some coffee."
"Well the sooner I get that fence back in place the better off I'll feel. I don't like people gawking at me like that. It's uncomfortable."
She smiled reaching for the plate of roast beef. "Are you going to want another sandwich?" she asked before covering it.
"No, I'm nearly full. Let me finish this then we'll get that level thing and I'll get back to work. I'd like to get at least one good coat of paint on there before nightfall."
* * *
Moving out to the garage after eating, Lee had Amanda pull the Wagooner back so he could motivate around the vehicle without having to worry about anything falling upon it from the high shelves spanning the walls.
Due to the lack of work clearance available apparently Joe had the shelves installed shortly after they had purchased the house. Those along with a small workbench in the back corner were the only thing the garage housed other than the vehicle, there just wasn't space.
Lee had been out here several times in the past after their relationship had moved beyond friends and even before, looking for specific things Amanda had assured him were stored inside. Unfortunately long ago, he had learned if he expected to find anything he needed his wife along as a tour guide.
Now was no different. Had she not been with him he knew this elusive level she had described would have been forever a mystery. Amid what tools and boxes Joe had left behind and Amanda had since purchased after the divorce, Lee had no working knowledge of even where to begin. The paint wasn't a problem he'd been the one to shelve that after they had purchased it.
Without hesitation he stepped to the wall, stretching up and carefully pulled the designated can Amanda had requested before she had returned inside. "Here you go dear," he said sitting it down on the workbench. "Now exactly where is this level and what does it look like?" he questioned scanning the wall of tools again.
"It's about two and a half feet long and silver," she explained stepping to the bench and picking up a screwdriver and began prying at the can lid. "And it has three small inch long tubes with yellow fluid inside."
"Okay…" he said slowly still looking at the wall. "You have any hint on where you might have last seen it?"
She laughed softly turning her attention back to him and his search. "Well, truthfully, the last time I saw it was when I sent Phillip to put it back up," she admitted, looking along the wall. "But it can't be that hard to find."
"Uh-huh…"
After several minutes of searching and moving boxes around Amanda drew his attention with a victorious exclamation. "Bingo! I found it." Moving to her side Lee took the long thin tool eyeing it skeptically. "See, here's the bubbles I was telling you about, watch." Demonstrating how it worked she took it back and slowly tilted the device, then righted it again until the bubbles were lined up between the marks. "This is level. It works the same way horizontally as vertically."
"Excellent, I wish I would have had this three hours ago," he said as he moved the level back and forth watching in awe as the air bubble ran from one side of the small tube to the other. "Man, the things they come up with."
Amanda smiled at his innocence and patted him on the arm. "Now be a dear and come open this paint can for me, it's being a bear."
Sitting the level on the workbench Lee made quick work of the lid and stepped aside as Amanda picked up a stick and began stirring the paint carefully in the can. He slid behind her, wrapping his arms about her waist and began his nibbles once more along her neck. "You know… with only us being here you'd think we could come up with something a little more enjoyable than working on the house," he teased seductively.
"You mean you're not enjoying yourself working on that fence?" she asked lightly, relaxing in his embrace.
"Well I don't mind doing it," Lee returned smiling against her neck, "But I can think of a thing or two that would be more entertaining."
"Oh yeah? And what would those be?" she asked in a wicked tone.
Before she realized it, he had grabbed her up, lifting her off her feet and deposited her on the small bench beside the can. She laughed, grabbing his neck as he stepped between her legs. "This," he growled, capturing her lips with strength.
Feeling her responding to him he caressed her back, tickling her lips for a brief moment before she opened to him and allowed him access. As their tongues danced about teasing each other with their tender caress Lee drew his hand around cupping her breast lightly through the fabric of her halter-top.
He was momentarily taken off guard when he felt her fingers slide down his chest then expertly unsnap his jeans and drag his zipper down in one quick movement. He growled into her mouth as he felt her reach inside and extract his pulsing member from its confines, caressing it slowly.
"Oh God… What are you doing?" he asked in a heated tone, staring into her eyes.
"Enjoying myself, isn't that the plan?" she inquired innocently, giving him a hard squeeze that caused his cock to jump and he leaned all the more tightly against her stroking hand.
"Hmmm… I like the way you think," he whispered kissing her jaw. "Let me return the favor…" Sliding his thumb and finger around he eased it up beneath her short top and began lightly exploring the soft flesh of the underside of her breast.
Hearing her contented sigh Lee wasted no time in dipping his head and attaching his mouth to her exposed breast, suckling the nipple hungrily. She arched her back, increasing her grasp on his staff as he voiced his pleasure along her skin. Getting into the act Lee trailed his tongue tenderly over her nipple, feeling it harden beneath his kiss and bit down lightly, producing a tremor throughout her form.
It was at that moment, when both were totally absorbed with the other that Lee and Amanda heard the voice and the quick footsteps crossing the concrete pad in front of the garage. "Amanda, I can't believe I'd see you again…"
Lee jerked his head up, dragging her top back into place with a quick flick of his wrist, his breath catching in his throat at the abrupt halt of pleasures. Her hand stilled on his cock in the same instant and they pulled back for a fraction of a second to stare into each other's wide eyes before Lee focused on the man stepping into the garage.
'I'm going to kill him! I swear to God I'm going to kill him!' he thought frantically, fully aware of the fact he was standing between his wife's legs, his cock completely out of his pants for the world to see.
"Buck!" Amanda squeaked, starting to turn her body on the table. Lee's tight grip on her shoulders quickly stilled her movements and he felt her hastily try to shove his very hard and distended member back into his pants. He grunted roughly as several hairs were pulled and his penis caught on his zipper, nearly bending it in half in her rush.
Releasing her shoulder long enough to reach down and stop her hand, he bit back a cry of pain as she continued to attempt to put something far too big back into the small space of his tight jeans. "Stop it," he growled under his breath. "You're going to break it!"
"It's been ages," Amanda continued, her breath short as she tried to carry on the semblance of normality with Buck despite her husband's predicament. "When did you get back into town?"
Lee grabbed her up, sliding her off the table toward him and turning her against his body to keep his protruding member from making itself known to all present. He forced a weak smile and mumbled, "Hi there," from his lips before trying to readjust himself as quickly as possible back into his pants.
"Last night actually," Buck said giving them a strange look. "I wanted to come over and see you just to catch up on old times but… well I didn't know you were here until I saw you come out of the house a little while ago. All I saw was him working on the fence." He indicated the somewhat pale Lee who had one hand lying as calmly as he could on Amanda's shoulder and the other digging around his waist behind her back. "I thought maybe you might have sold the place."
"No, no, not yet. We're planning on it though," she returned. "That's what we've been doing… working on the yard, fixing up the house… we just need something bigger. With the boys growing up so, did you know Philip is nearly fifteen and as tall as you? And Jamie… Jamie is just hitting his growth spurt. You probably wouldn't recognize them if you didn't know who they were. And mother's still living with us, she's going to be so upset that she missed seeing you…"
Finally getting himself somewhat organized, Lee took a deep breath and slid his hand back to meet the other, zipping and fastening his jeans quickly. "Amanda," he said as calmly as he could manage once the task was complete. "Why don't you introduce us huh?" he suggested knowing she was rambling uncontrollably. She had a tendency to do that when she was nervous and right now he couldn't have been more thankful for the short time she allowed him to get things back in line.
"Huh?" she asked looking toward him quickly as Buck just stood there and watched them. Lee met her eyes and assured her all was concealed with a small smile and a nod. "Oh, yes, of course, forgive me. I need to make introductions." Taking his hand, she took a breath and moved around the bench, stepping out into the open toward Buck. "Buck this is my boyfriend, Lee Stetson. Lee, this is Buck he used to live next door to me a few years ago."
"Pleased to meet you," Lee said nodding and forcing a smile. 'Course I'd have been more pleased if you'd have shown up an hour later!'
Buck nodded still watching him strangely. "Yeah, right back at'cha man." Then he looked at Amanda. "Boyfriend huh? Wow, I thought a looker like you would have been married again by now," he teased.
"Well we're working on that," Lee assured him wrapping his arms around Amanda's waist. "The wedding date is January 27. You're welcome to come if you're in town," he added politely.
"You're engaged?" he asked in surprise.
"Since August," she returned happily.
"Wow that is good news. Congratulations you two. I leave for a couple of years and everything changes," Buck commented.
"It's inevitable I suppose," Amanda continued, "What about you? What have you been doing with yourself since you left? Let's go into the house and visit. I'll make us some coffee," she offered stepping out of Lee's arms.
"That sounds great," Buck agreed as he and Lee filed in behind her. "Hey man, I'm sorry about staring at you earlier," he said as they moved up the walk toward the house. "I was just trying to figure out who you were. You look familiar."
"I get that a lot," Lee returned brushing off the comment.
Buck nodded then grinned and nudged him in the arm. "I'm sorry about that back there. I didn't mean to… well, that was just the fastest slip and tuck I've ever seen," he chuckled. Lee's eyes widened as he looked toward their new visitor. "If I'd known the two of you were getting busy… well, I would have announced myself first." He shook his head laughing quietly as Lee's face turned bright red. "The garage, man that's kinky, I never thought of that."
"Oh God," Lee groaned closing his eyes.
"You two coming or what?" Amanda asked from the kitchen door, looking toward where they had stopped.
"Sure," Buck smiled heading inside unfazed by the conversation as he left Lee standing in the middle of the walk. "Come on Lee, let's have some coffee," he called laughing as he waved him forward.
As Lee stepped forward with trepidation Buck grinned back at him. "Don't worry, I won't let on," he assured him. "Your secret's safe with me. Way to go bro," he teased again, popping him in the stomach before entering the house.
* * *
The End
Story Notes:
This was written in response to the challenge set forth on our list back at the end of September. The Challenge roughly stated: Pick a person from the series to interrupt a tender or intimate moment between Lee and Amanda. The moment could range anywhere from an innocent kiss to however far the writer chooses to go with the scene. The timeline of the story was left up to the writer's discretion. The name I chose from the list of many was Buck, Amanda's neighbor from earlier in the series. This is my take on what happened one cool, fall afternoon at the Stetson/King household late in the year 1987. Special thanks goes out to Sarah my beta reading, she's came through many times and has the willpower to put up with me and my quirky ways! Hats off to you Sarah!