Chapter Six: 
Taking Care of Business

	Monday morning at last, Stormy thought as she pulled the covers back. The room was an odd mixture of warm and cool. Warm from the sun that was stretching out across the dirty floor, but cool from the breeze that rushed passed. The red numbers on her alarm clock alerted her to the fact that she'd slept in by an hour. Not that she really cared much. Regretfully she got up from the bed.
	All the work that she's been doing on the house was starting to take it's toll on her body. The backs of her legs were sore and giving under her weight. She fumbled around to pull her jeans on. The cool denim felt good against her bare ass. Thanks to her lack of coordination, it took a long time to get her tail through the hole in the back of the jeans.
	There were soft aches in the backs of her hands. She'd noticed them when she pulled a cigarette from the pack that sat on top of the dresser. She lit it and inhaled deeply, trying to gather herself for another day. At least today, she could get a break from working on the house and start giving guitar lessons. 
	Stormy tucked the cigarette between her lips and started on her morning. She walked down the stairs, through the living room and into the cluttered kitchen. It was a beautiful dance to watch. Stormy moved, scooted, and shimmied around the boxes, so she could make coffee. It was like second nature to her now. Even after everything was finished in her house, she would still feel inclined to do the dance anyway.
	Today was the day that she started painting her bedroom and get it put together. It was one of the few rooms that didn't need that much work done. A little paint on the walls and the ceiling. The floor needed swept, mopped, and polished. Then she could work on the decorating. At least she'd had the forethought to buy the decorations when she had the money. The whole thing shouldn't take that long, she thought.
	Now that coffee was working, it was time to start gathering the supplies she was going to need for the bedroom. Three cans of paint, two lavender for the walls, and one white for the ceiling, doors, and windows. Rollers, brushes, stir sticks, and tray. Stormy's brain was slow to wake up as she continued to work through the things she needed.
	The broom, dust pan, mop, bucket. The rest was lost in the aroma of coffee as she came back down the stairs to get a cup. At that point, she was starting to wish she had taken the coffee pot upstairs first. Running up and down the stairs every time she wanted a cup of coffee seemed like too much of a hassle. Too late now, chided her inner voice as she sipped her coffee on the way back up the stairs.
	As the morning wore on, Stormy was starting to realize just how long everything was going to take. It had been two hours and she had only gotten the walls done and was debating starting on the ceiling. Everything was already covered in plastic, so it would be a pain in the ass to stop now and have to start again the next day. Maybe after Steven left, she could finish up the bedroom and just sleep on the couch until the fumes cleaned out.
	There was knock at the door. Stormy craned her head around to look at the clock. It was only eleven ten. Her first student was early by almost fifty minutes. I guess now is as good a stopping point as any, she thought as she pulled on the shirt she wore the day before. Then headed down the stairs to welcome her guest.

	The afternoon went rather briskly. Stormy found teaching music to be very relaxing. Unfortunately it was only four hours out of her day. Since she didn't want to overburden herself, she'd only lined up four lessons a day, five days a week. Not including Steven's lessons. All in all, it was a good way to make money. At the end of the week she would have over a thousand dollars. Ruby had a great idea about charging fifty dollars a lesson.
	Each of her students had been about the same age as Steven- their skills with the guitar ranging from novice, to average. One of her students admitted that she had no drive to learn guitar, but just wanted to meet Stormy. That hour had been awkward to say the least. The girl just wanted to ask questions, and hear Stormy sing and play guitar. Still, her money was as green as the others.
	Steven had arrived about the same time Stormy was wrapping up her final lesson. A young otter who wanted to impress his boyfriend with some romantic music. Stormy had thought it was a cute gesture, and was more that happy to give him a few slider bar tricks that would make the guitar sing. It hadn't taken him long to master it. When they were finished, he excitedly said he would be back the same time next week and headed off to show his boyfriend his new tricks.
	Stormy leaned back in her rocking chair and sighed. She'd been sitting in the chair for far too long. Her legs were cramping, and her butt was numb. Steven just offered her a smile and moved to stand near her.
	“So do you want to do the lesson first and then I help around the house?” Steven hefted his heavy backpack from his shoulder and set it on the porch.
	“I have to be honest with you, I've been sitting here all day and I certainly could use a moment to stretch and move around. Do you wanna work on the house for a bit?” Stormy slowly got up from her seat, her joints popping, her muscles creaking.
	“Yeah that sounds pretty good, I want to make a few note so I know what to bring with me tomorrow.” Steven politely opened the screen door for Stormy, watching as she walked by.
	Steven followed her into the house carrying his backpack. It clanked and rattled when he set it down on the floor. He looked over when he heard the stairs creaking. Stormy was standing on the stairs looking back at him.
	“Sounds like you have a lot of tools in there.” Stormy leaned against the banister, feeling it shift, before she stood straight again.
	“Yeah, like a dummy I didn't ask what we were going to be doing today. Without knowing what to expect, I just brought everything. Better safe than sorry.” Steven bent down and opened his backpack, pulling out a small notebook with a pen shoved into the wire binding.
	“That's a good idea. I'm going to go take some Ibuprofen, when I get back we can discuss what we're going to do.” Stormy offered him a lazy smile, before starting back up the stairs.
	Once she was certain she was out of sight. She dashed into her room, trying to move as quietly as she could. Not wanting him to suspect anything was up. She grabbed her bra from under her bed, and the white tank top hanging from her bedpost. She took a second to smell them as she was on her way to the bathroom. They didn't smell fresh, but they didn't smell terrible either.
	 Stormy had spent a good part of the day sweating in the sun out on the porch, she was almost too afraid to be in close proximity with the young man. Quickly she pulled her shirt up and over her head. There was no way she was going to go downstairs without freshening up first. Thanks to the cool baby wipe, she was able to give her upper body a quick wipe down. The soft baby powder scent could easily be explained away. The lavender scented deodorant would help her smell good too.
	One of the most important lessons she ever learned from watching romantic comedies was to always be prepared. Armed with that knowledge, she undid her pants and gave herself a good wipe down with another baby wipe. You can never be too sure of how things will play out, she thought to herself before popping two Ibuprofen into her mouth. Finally she brushed her teeth, the lingering coffee smell might come across as offensive.
	Now that she felt a little more revived, she squeezed herself into her bra and pulled her tank top on. After one final check in the mirror, Stormy deemed that she didn't look as terrible as she had and could go down and join Steven.
	When she came down the stairs, Steven was standing in the door way to the guest bathroom. The look on his face was grim. When Stormy moved in, the first thing she'd bought was a new stall shower, a toilet, and a counter sink for the guest bathroom. Whoever lived here before her had torn them all out when they left.
	The guest bathroom was in a terrible state. She watched as Steven flipped the light switch a few times. Nothing happened. The electrical wires weren't hooked up, or the fuse was burned out. It was hard to tell.
	“Sorry it took me so long, I wanted to change my shirt.” Stormy's voice was soft, in the midst of his disappointed look. “Sorry the bathroom is in terrible shape.”
	“Nah, this is actually good. It's much easier to put this stuff in when there's nothing to take out. At least I'll have full access to the pipe work. Another good thing is the drop panel ceiling, I'll be able to get to the wiring easier.” Steven explained, although he might as well be speaking Greek.
	Stormy just smiled and nodded. “Well, thank God for small favors, I guess.”
	“True that. So I was thinking that we could just start in this bathroom here. I know it would be less of a pain in the ass to have a working bathroom on the main floor, so you don't have run up and down the stairs.” Steven stepped into the room, hearing the dirt crunching under his hooves.
	Stormy watched as he forced open the only window in the room. Golden light from the summer evening filtered in, the musty smell falling away to the fresh summer breeze that was being pulled through the room. Stormy had been trying to open that window since she moved it, but it had be painted shut.
	Stormy stepped into the room and gave a look around. Steven was picking up the shower stall and shifting it against the wall where it would be set up. The bare pipes were poking through the proper hole in the stall. Steven nodded and knelt down to adjust the draining pipe in the floor. With the way his brown eyes were shifting, Stormy could tell he was working it all out.
	“On my way here tomorrow, I'll pick up an extension pipe for the drain. New faucet handles and a shower head. Until I have those things, I really can't do anything with your shower.” Steven shifted away to get a broader view of the shower.
	“Well, that will be good, I think.” Stormy thought that she knew what he was talking about, but couldn't be sure.
	“Your toilet, on the other hand, I can put that in and get it sealed up for you. I might even be able to get that counter sink set up today and sealed. You won't be able to use them for twenty-four hours, but at least you would have them installed.” Steven looked around the room for something.
	“Listen, I have to be honest with you. I am very dumb, I know nothing about this stuff. You tell me what to do and I'll do it, other than that... I trust you to do the right thing.” Stormy was painfully honest with him, she could see it in his face that he was taken aback by her upfront behavior.
	She waited for him to give her an order, but what he said was a surprise. “You're not dumb, don't call yourself that. Not knowing how to do something is only natural. That's what makes us want to learn how to do stuff.”
	“That's very sweet of you to say,” Stormy said, the air in the room must have been stale, she was having a hard time breathing.
	“Anytime. Could you give the floor a good sweep, while I open the box with the new toilet in it?” Steven knelt down next to the squat box in the corner, pulling his pocket knife out of his back pocket.
	“Can do.” Stormy backed out of the room and started up the stairs again.

	Stormy was amazed at how smoothly everything was going. It hadn't taken Steven long at all to get the new toilet installed. The hardest part of installing it, was getting it positioned properly. Stormy had to help him get it centered and set down. After that, she watched him put sealant around the base and tighten the large bolts on either side. It amazed her to watch him work. Steven was really good with his hands.
	When the time came for him to install the counter sink, Stormy had slipped away so that she could order a pizza for them to eat. When she came back, Steven had his head in the cabinet while he worked to get the pipes hooked up. Stormy stood behind him, looking straight down the back of his jeans. Interestingly enough Steven didn't wear underwear, and if he did, he just chose not to do so today. A warm blush pushed it's way to her cheeks. The heat from her face was moving through her body. If she kept allowing herself to get distracted, nothing was going to get done. Stormy decided it would be best to go do something other then sneaking a peek at Steven's privacy.
	Stormy worked to empty a few of the boxes in the kitchen. Most of them were full of dishware and small appliances. It was a good feeling to finally be working to get the kitchen in order. Time must have flown, because Stormy had been startled by the knock on the door. When she opened the door a warm smell of pizza washed over her.
	Stormy set the pizza on the counter and dug two plate out of the box she had been working through. It made the house smell so good. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the promise of food was at hand. Her stomach was growling and eating itself the moment she pulled the first piece free. Long strings of mozzarella stretched out between the piece and the pie, as if the pizza were clinging to their fallen brethren, attempting to save if from it's fate. 
	“Alright, I got those both installed. Remember, you can't use that bathroom for at least twenty-four hours,” Steven went on. “I hope you don't mind that I...”
	 When Stormy turned around, Steven was standing in the doorway to the kitchen wiping his hands off on a rag. “That's wonderful, I ordered pi...” It had taken a few seconds for her to realize that Steven had taken his shirt off. 
	Stormy's green eyes went wide. The young man's body was far more athletically toned that she had imagined in the beginning. The black stripes were painted perfectly against the white canvas of his velvety fur. He was thinner than she had guess, but muscular. Instead of a six pack, he just had a faint two pack, which was fine with her. His jeans hung loosely at his hips, showing off some of the more delicate muscles.
	A heavy throb rushed through her. Before she could stop herself, the plate in her hand tipped forward, dropping her piece of pizza top side down on the dirty floor. Her eyes stayed locked on him, Steven's eyes however followed the suicidal piece of pizza.
	“Oh...my pizza.” Stormy said remorsefully, her heart fluttered and she was sent into another blush, this time because of her embarrassment.
	Steven pursed his lips and shook his head. His eyes not leaving the fallen soldier. He clicked his tongue shamefully and bent down to pick it up. Stormy reached out to take it from him, so she could throw it away. She was trying to avoid eye contact with him. Steven remained quiet as he picked up the piece of pizza and threw it into an empty box on the floor. Gracefully he took Stormy's plate from her and got himself a piece of pizza, letting her have his plate instead.
	It had all happened so fast that Stormy wasn't even aware of it at first. “You don't have to do that, I was the klutz who dropped.” Stormy was trying to keep the embarrassed tremble out of her voice. 
	Nothing worse than trying to be cool in front of a guy, only to biff it, she thought, chewing her bottom lip softly.
	“Don't worry about it. I feel bad that you're in here working while your hands are hurting.” Steven leaned against the counter and devoured his pizza.
	Stormy picked up on the 'out' that he'd given her. “Yeah, my damn hands are hurting pretty badly. I'd feel bad if you were the only one working.” Stormy picked up the plate that had been Steven's and started eating the pizza.
	“I don't mind. Often times when I help my dad out, I'm the only one working.” Steven gave her a smile, a glob of pizza sauce was gathered at the corner of his mouth.
	Stormy leaned close wiping it away with her thumb. She'd gotten close enough to smell him again. Old Spice, mixed with his natural scent. A pleasing mixture that threatened to drive her wild. It was taking so much control not to say or do something stupid. Too Late, said the voice inside. Without thinking she sucked the sauce off of her thumb. In a childish way, it had been like she kissed him.
	Steven leaned close and touched his lips to hers, she could taste the pizza on his lips. The heat of the pepperonis tingled on her tongue as it caressed his. The kiss was heated and passionate. Stormy could feel his muscles of his pecks, clenching and relaxing under her fingers.
	Steven made an 'oh' sound, his breath warm on her face...as he grabbed a napkin and wiped his face off. “Thank you for getting that for me.”
	Stormy jolted awake from the lingering fantasy, her cheeks flushing hotly. This time it was for a different reason than embarrassment. “No problem I just didn't want you to stain your shirt...that..uh you're not wearing.” In other instances, she would have been able to catch herself before saying something stupid, but Steven was good at lowering her I.Q.
	Steven just smiled a relaxed grin and grabbed another piece of pizza. If there had been a box in the kitchen big enough, Stormy would have climbed into it to die of embarrassment. Thankfully the rest of the meal was spent in quiet, giving Stormy a chance to recover.
	When they were done eating, Steven reached into his backpack and pulled out a plastic store bag with some fresh clothes in it. “Would you mind if I took a shower before my lesson?”
	What a stroke of good luck, Stormy thought. “Yeah absolutely. It's upstairs, second door on the right. Here, I'll show you.” It would give her a moment take care of things, before she fully melted from inside out.
	Stormy turned the hall light on and started up the stairs, Steven was close behind her. “I appreciate you paying for dinner and letting me use your shower.”
	“No problem at all. You are the one whose really helping me out here.” Stormy stopped at the hall closet and got him a towel. “If this isn't enough for you, there is a blow dryer in the cabinet under the sink.”
	“Thank you, the towel should be fine.” Stormy watched as he stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
	Quickly Stormy rushed into the bedroom, closing the door. Like an excited child she flung herself on the bed, prying the button open on her jeans, getting them pushed down over her hips. Not wasting anytime, her fingers went to work. Petting along the entire length of her heat. The whole area was soaked from her excitement. The thicker tangle of blond pubic hair ruffled wetly against her finger. Her clit vibrating with each soft pet she made.
	In her mind she pictured Steven being the one that was petting her. His coarse carpenter hands were almost too rough against the delicate flesh. Not that she would shy away from the rough treatment in her current state. His fingers dipping in deeply, curving and grinding against her pelvic wall. The shock wave of pleasure making her squeak. Forcing her to press her other hand over her lips, she imagined Steven doing it. Keeping her quiet as he fingered her. His pace quickening, the sounds of his breathing were slow and warm against her ear.
	Then there was a white light behind her eyelids. Every muscle in her body tightening all at once. There was a puddle gathered on the bedsheets between her legs. She panted heavily, keeping her hand firmly pressed to her lips, not wanting to make too much noise. But something deep inside of her wanted him to hear. Wanted him to come investigate what the noises were. But now that the deed was done, all she could do was think about his young face and feel guilty.
	Hastily she wiped herself up with a sock. There was no other choice, she was going to have to change her panties. The others were too wet and sticky to be comfortable. This much maturating had to be unhealthy. If this continued, she was going to have to go to a doctor. She couldn't keep disappearing around her friends so she could masturbate.
	Stormy took a cigarette from her morning pack before heading out of the room and down the stairs. Again she tried to be a quiet as she could, which was impossible because of her quaking legs. Once she was down stairs, she lit her cigarette on the way out to the porch to smoke and clear her head.
	The sky was growing darker. Along the horizon was a beautiful orange sunset. It seemed like it was meant to be that way. It helped ease the chastising voice in the back of her mind. The voice that was telling her that she was a dirty old woman. There was heavy foot fall coming down the stairs. 
	“Stormy!” She could hear Steven calling to her through the screen door.
	“I'm on the porch.” She called into the house.
	Steven stepped out behind her, his eyes following the ribbon of smoke that rose from the cigarette. “Smoking? Naughty, naughty.” There was a playful smile on his face when he said it.
	“Yeah, I know it's a bad habit. I'm going to try and quit once everything in my life calms down.” Stormy sat down in her rocking chair again, it was nice considering how bad her legs were aching from her play session earlier.
	Steven sat across from her in the other rocking chair. “Nah, you don't have give it up. I've always found it sexy when a woman smokes.”
	A puff of smoke caught in her throat, threatening to make her cough. “Yeah, but it's not healthy for me and I know it.”
	“True that!” Was all he said, a glimmer of a street light flashed in his eyes.
	A look of recollection washed over Steven face, but he didn't say anything. He just leaned closer to her taking one of her hands. His calloused fingers massaged along the bones in the back of her hands. At the same time his thumb was working her palm. Stormy watched with heavy eyes, as his fingers work along hers. Steven leaned closer, his lips pecking and kissing along each of her fingertips. There was no way he wouldn't be able to smell her shame on her fingertips. Nervous beads of sweat were building on Stormy's forehead. Her eyes were forced closed by the pleasurable pulse that rolled through her at the feeling of his hot, wet tongue moving along her fingers. There was a soft suction as he closed his mouth around her middle finger as if he were trying to taste her flavor.
	“Gimme your other hand.” Steven whispered hotly.
	“What?” Stormy opened her eyes and could see a confused look in the young man's face.
	“I'll massage your other hand for you. If you want me too that is. I mean unless you think I over stepped my bounds?” Steven's voice was low in the last light of the day.
	It had been another fantasy, leaving her in another desperate state again. “No, you didn't overstep your bounds...er my bounds at all. I was just thinking about something.”
	“Oh may I ask what, or is it private?” Steven cocked his head.
	“No, not that it's private. I was just thinking about song I wanted you to attempt tonight. I take my music very seriously.” Nailed it, she thought, patting herself on the back.
	“Maybe some Springsteen. Perhaps Born to Run?” He suggested, leaning back in the rocking chair.
	“That's a remarkable selection. All day today, all anyone wants to play are groups like Maroon 5, or Imagine Dragon. Just between you and me, I don't know who they are. It's hard to teach someone when you don't know the material.” Stormy leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs tightly, as if she were trying to tame a wild horse that was trying to escape her barn.
	“Maroon 5 is pretty good, I like Imagine Dragon too. Let me think...” Steven picked up Stormy's guitar and laid it across his lap.
	Stormy watched as he lined his fingers up on the threads and started to play. It surprised her to see that his finger work was up to par. A red flash moved to her cheeks at the thought of Steven's finger work. Grow up! Her inner voice yelled at her, frenetically. She was well aware of her current state, but she owed him her undivided attention right now.
	The melody was soft and sweet. Much like something that she would had played back in the day. Hell it sounded like something she would play now. What happened next was an even more pleasant surprise. Steven started humming along with the melody.
	“Well love was kind for a time, but now it aches and makes me blind. The mirror holds my eyes too bright, I can't see the others in my life.” Steven had a beautiful voice, although it was untrained, but that only added to it's appeal.
	Stormy leaned closer to listen to his soft voice. “Were we too young? Our heads too strong? To bear the weight of these lover's eyes. 'Cause I feel numb, beneath your tongue, beneath the curse of these lover's eyes.”
	As she listen to the words, she was starting to feel even more guilty about the fantasies she was having for this fresh faced boy at heart. What type of person was she, to think that she deserved someone so innocent and sweet. A pit was opening in her stomach, but her smile never faded. The music was too beautiful for her to frown.
	“But do not ask the price I paid, I must live with my quiet rage. Tame the ghost in my head, that run wild and wish me dead.” His fingers dipped deeply on the neck of the guitar, hitting a sour note, but he didn't lose stride in his playing. “Should you shake my ash to the wind. Lord, forget all my sins. Oh, let me die where I lie. Neath the curse of my lover's eyes.”
	Much of the lesson was just spent listening to Steven play and sing. Stormy made mental notes on where he needed work. There wasn't much help he needed, that she could give. In a way she was sad that he'd not been born in another time. His heart was peaceful and serene, much like Stormy's parents had been. Much like her's had been, when she were younger. When Steven finished his third or fourth song, Stormy had been so mesmerized, it had been hard to keep track of.
	Instead of offering her teachings, she just gushed at his skills. All four people she'd taught today didn't equal his skill. When she could tell Steven was growing tired of hearing how good he was, at least that's what Stormy was thinking. He got up and stretched, Stormy followed suite.
	“I'm going to leave my tools here, I'm sure I'll need them tomorrow.” Steven said, there was a tired tone in his voice.
	“Same time tomorrow?” Stormy swooned at the look on his sleepy face.
	“Yeah, absolutely. Oh crap, I left my work clothes upstairs.” Steven grumbled and tucked his hands in the pockets of his shorts.
	“Don't worry about them. I'll wash them for you tomorrow morning and give them back to you when you get here.” Stormy fought the urge to lace her arm with his, for some reason she felt impossibly affectionate for him right now.
	“Thank you so much for doing that for me. You have a good night Stormy.” Without warning Steven leaned close giving her a soft peck on her cheek. “...and have sweet dreams.”
	Stormy watched as he climbed down the steps and got on his bike. He gave her a clumsy wave and rode off down the road. Stormy reached up and touched the moist spot on her cheek and sighed deeply. There was no denying, she was getting in over her head.