(part 26 by Doorsgrl)

Blair swatted at Todd's hand. "I don't need your help. I don't think I can walk."

Todd rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you are fine, Blair." He reached down again to help her.

"Maybe you should just leave her there until we can get a doctor to look at her ankle," suggested Viki.

Todd groaned to himself. He doubted Blair was really injured. Maybe if he just went along with it, she'd leave and he could get back to work on the house.

"Alright. Viki, why don't you go call a doctor, and I will carry Blair inside?" Todd replied.

Viki headed back to Llanfair.

"Be careful," Blair cautioned.

Todd carried her into the house. The doctor had better get here quick and get Blair out of the way. He sat down on the floor with her.

"Todd..." Blair began.

"What?"

"Is this really what you want? This house by Viki? I can't imagine you living so close to your sister."

Todd was silent.

(part 27 by RogerLuvr)

Todd sat in silence for a minute, then he looked at Blair and said, "Blair, I feel I need to be here."

"But you could get your own place; you could live anywhere you want, Todd," she said with concern.

"I know. I need to be close to my family now," he said.

"Well, what the hell are me and Starr? I know we aren't married anymore, Todd, but we are connected to each other, forever if you like it or not!" Blair said, rubbing her ankle.

"Blair, you don't have to remind me of that. As long as there is a Shorty, we are family."

Todd got up and walked to the window, looking for Viki to come back. He looked over at his ex-wife, still rubbing her ankle.

"So tell me, Blair, what were you really doing out there?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"I already told you!" she snapped back. "Todd, I am concerned about you. Is that a crime?”

"No offense, Blair, but when you are this concerned about me, you usually want something. How's the ankle? Think you can walk now?"

"You trying to get rid of me?" she asked.

"No, I just have a lot to do here, that's all. As you can see, this place is far from done, and I want to be able to bring Shorty here soon."

He once again looked the other way and was silent for a minute. He turned to Blair and said, "I miss her. I miss the smell of her hair and the way she smiles at me. Like I’m a hero or something. In her eyes, Daddy can do no wrong. And let's face it, Daddy has done plenty wrong."

He sat down next to Blair, and she reached over and took his hand in hers.

Tears began to swell in her eyes, as she was starting to understand the inner torment Todd was going through.

They sat there, quietly, waiting for Viki to come back. No words needed to be spoken. She just wanted to let him know, really know, that she was there for him.

to be continued

(part 28 by VTW)

Blair continued to rub her ankle; she bit her lip in pain. Her ankle was slightly swollen.

Todd slouched next to her and tried not to notice her in such obvious discomfort. He sighed deeply. “C’mon.”

He gently lifted her leg and placed it across his lap. “Lay back and let me rub it.”

He began to lightly and expertly massage her ankle. His face was serious and absorbed in his task.

Blair leaned into the cushion. She let out her breath carefully and evenly. How could she have forgotten how potent his charm could be? And he wasn’t even trying!

Blair took the opportunity to stare. She’d have to be blind not to notice how broad and muscular he had become. He looked healthy, fit, and damn fine to her eyes. She smiled slyly and adjusted her hips more comfortably on the sofa. In doing so, her already short skirt hiked up another couple of inches.

Todd bit his tongue and held back a knowing smirk. Well now…Blair’s feeling a little frisky, huh?

He changed the massage ever so subtly; it was intimate now. He looked up through his lashes and made eye contact with her. He fixed her with a penetrating stare, and lightly moved his hand up her leg until it came to rest just where the hem of her tight skirt ended. Blair was breathing shallowly.

“Uh…Todd,” she mumbled incoherently. Jesus, his thumb was making little circles on the inside of her thigh and she was ready to explode.

“I…think…um, that my ankle’s just fine now,” she whispered.

Todd grinned like a smartass. “Are you sure, Blair?” he asked in a soft, silky voice.

He bent his head and kissed the side of her knee. He kept up the scorching eye contact. “Because all you’d have to say is yes…”

Blair bit her lip. She was on fire and thinking at the same time. She was getting sick and tired of Max. Todd was the only one who had ever understood her. Maybe it was time for a change.

She sat up and straddled his lap. She captured his face between her hands and pressed her forehead against his. “What happens if I say yes, Todd?” She whispered in a sultry voice.

Todd bit the inside of his lip. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold his laughter in. His eyes danced with amusement and his shoulders began to shake. He burst out laughing and couldn’t stop to save his life.

She sat back on his lap and glared at him. “You lousy bastard,” she spat. “This was all an act?”

She gritted her teeth and punched him in his solid shoulder. He laughed all the harder. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She might have been playing him a little, but her reaction to his touch was no act. It was real…and disturbing.

Todd gradually stopped laughing and then felt bad. He only meant to tease her a little, and he went too far with it.

“I don’t find your sense of humor funny at all, Todd. It was mean.” Blair had herself under control. She wasn’t about to cry in front of him.

Todd sighed. “Look…I apologize, Blair. Truly I do. I was only teasing you, and if I thought you couldn’t take it, I never would have done it. But let’ s be real here, you did try and play me. What were you trying to accomplish? You lift that amazing skirt up, and what am I supposed to do, huh? You wanna know if seeing up your skirt makes me hard? Hell yes, it makes me hard! You wanna know if I’m still hard? The answer is yes, again. You know how good-looking you are, Blair. And I’m only human. Were you really prepared for things to get out of hand like that?”

Blair ran her fingers through her hair. She hated it when he was right. “I guess you’re right,” she conceded. “A teensy bit right,” she added with a smirk of her own.

Todd smiled back. “Well all right then. Besides…” He scooped his hands under her butt and jerked her up to his chest. She landed with a soft thump against him. “If and when it does happen, I’ll be the one who’s in control of the situation. For instance, if I wanted to kiss you right now, it wouldn’t be because you tricked me into doing it, Blair.”

He ran his hand under her neck and leaned in. He brushed his mouth over her lips once. He lightly touched her tongue and deepened the kiss.

Blair shyly slid her hands up his chest and ran her fingers through his hair. Todd continued the gentle exploration of her mouth, until he began to tremble. He pulled back and licked his lips.

“Do we understand each other?” he breathed.

Blair was shaking herself. “Yeah, we understand each other.”

She eased of off him and glanced down. Yep, he was hard. The tight 505’s had a large bulge in front of them. She smiled a tiny, knowing smile. Todd, when he had sex, was the real deal. He was big and he knew how to use it. A rush of feminine power surged through her.

She stood up and smoothed down her skirt. Todd rose as well, adjusting himself with a slight groan. Damn Blair!

Viki walked through the door and stopped short. She raised an eyebrow and shrewdly stared at her brother and Blair. “Did I interrupt something?” she asked coolly. She drilled Todd with a look.

Todd guiltily stuffed his hands into his pockets. He shrugged his shoulders and stared at his feet. He looked back up and tried to look innocent, and failed miserably. “Not a thing, Sis.” He was unable to look her in the eye, and instead concentrated at a far off spot in the distance.

Blair was fumbling for her shoe and almost toppled over. “Nothing, Viki! Honestly, you’re acting like a mother hen.”

Her face was flushed and her lips were swollen. Viki squinted slightly. Were those whisker burns? The both of them were as guilty as sin. She hid a smile and let the subject drop.

“I wanted to see if I could help Blair back to her car.”

Blair picked up her purse. “Yes, I’d appreciate it if you don’t mind.”

Viki shook her head. “No, it’s no bother at all.” She gave Todd one final sister glance and walked out the door. “I’ll be outside waiting. We’ll talk later Todd,” she quipped.

Todd grinned and said nothing. He looked at Blair. “Pick a time and I’ll take you and Starr out for dinner. Not in town though, I’ll pick someplace nice. Okay?”

Blair nodded. “Okay,” she said softly. “Starr will be so excited when she finds out. “I’ll call you.” She nervously looped a strand of hair behind her ear. “Bye, Todd.”

On impulse she leaned up and kissed him on the side of the mouth. Todd briefly shut his eyes. He smiled and ran his finger across her bottom lip. “Bye, Blair.”

He stood on his porch with his arms crossed and silently watched his sister and his ex-wife leave.

Blair…he sighed deeply. That woman was a hellcat and he was not at all sure he wanted to start up with her. She’d no doubt cause a bunch of trouble, and in the process screw him over royally.

Still, she was an incredible woman. Feisty, smart, beautiful, and the mother of his kid. He smiled remembering how she felt when he was deep inside her. Hot, tight, and satiny wet. “Shit,” he whispered. He rubbed the sockets of his eyes with his fingers. He was not going to get burned again. His heart couldn’t take it. He pushed himself away from the pillar and walked back into his house.

Arabella walked out from behind a tree and watched the tall man enter his house. She wanted to meet him, but the timing wasn’t right. “Tonight,” she whispered.

(to be continued)

(part 29 by Em)

Todd paced back and forth like a caged animal while his therapist, Gary, waited patiently for him to speak. After several non-productive minutes, he finally posed a question.

“Todd, do you want to tell me what has you so upset?”

He stopped pacing, scrubbed his hands across his face and through his long hair, and mumbled.

“I didn’t understand you. What did you say?” Gary asked.

“I said it’s my ex-wife,” he barked back.

“Which one?”

Todd sneered, growled and resumed wearing a path in the carpet.

“You have two ex-wives, Todd. I need a little clarification,” his therapist explained.

“Blair! Okay?” It was obvious he was not in a very talkative mood.

“What has Blair done that has you so upset?” Gary questioned.

Todd sighed deeply before falling heavily into the chair opposite the other man.

“She came over to my house yesterday,” he began. “She followed Viki, like the nosy woman she always was, and she found me. One thing led to another, and before we knew it…”

“Go on,” Gary encouraged.

“She made me, you know,” he said shyly.

“Aroused?” the therapist guessed.

“Well, I was thinking of another word, but aroused will do.”

“Todd, you and Blair didn’t…”

“Hell, no,” he interrupted. “No, it didn’t get that far. But I sure needed a cold shower after she left.”

“Well, that’s good. It shows you’ve gotten some control over your actions. I’m proud of you.”

“Proud of me? Proud that I almost had sex with my ex-wife? You’re nuttier than I am, Gary.”

“You know it wouldn’t be very healthy for you to engage in sexual activity this early in your treatment, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Todd admitted. His cheeks were lightly tinged pink; he was still uncomfortable talking about sex.

“I’m glad you thought through the consequences of your actions and made the right choice. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever have a sexual relationship again. It just means that it isn’t right for you now, at this stage of your therapy.”

“I know. You’re right.”

Todd jumped up and began pacing the floor once again. He seemed even more agitated than before. Gary watched him for a moment before engaging him again.

“What else is bothering you, Todd?”

Todd went to the window and looked out, lost in thought. He spoke so quietly that Gary had to lean forward to hear him.

“I think I’ve gone off the deep end.”

“Todd, what makes you say that? You’ve made wonderful progress already. You just need to be a little more patient,” he said gently.

“No, you don’t understand. I’m seeing things.”

“What do you mean? Like hallucinations?” Gary asked cautiously.

“I guess so,” he admitted reluctantly. His back was still to the other man.

“Tell me about them, Todd.”

“It’s this woman. Her name is Arabella. She’s really beautiful. She comes into my house and talks to me. I’m really losing my marbles, aren’t I?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Well, if she’s not a hallucination, then she’s a ghost. Either way, I think I must be nuts.”

Todd continued to stare blankly out the window. Gary furrowed his brow in worry as he made notes on his pad.

(to be continued)

(Part 30 by Dim Witt)

Gary wrote quick notes on his pad. Todd had obvious issues with sex and maybe it was time to tackle them head on.

“Tell me what Arabella looks like,” directed Gary.

Todd’s eyes narrowed. He was suspicious but complied with the request.

“All right. Fine. She’s got soft brown hair. Long hair. And brown eyes. Her complexion is dark. I dunno…I guess this chick is…exotic. Yeah. Exotic. Her voice…it’s smooth…” His voice just kind of faded off as he pictured this woman in his mind.

“She sounds beautiful. Do you know anything…about her personality?” asked Gary.

Todd crossed his arms and looked at his therapist with a hard grin. Was the shrink taking him seriously or just playing with him for his own amusement?

“Personality? Sure – I’ll humor you. She’s tough. A fighter. She’s funny. She’s smart. She can be devious. Like me,” finished Todd.

“Maybe Arabella is your idea of your ideal woman?” suggested Gary. “Maybe she’s everything you want in a woman – a perfect compliment to you…”

“Shut up!” yelled Todd standing up. “Shut up! All I do to women is ‘use’ them – for whatever selfish purpose I crave at the moment! I used Blair. I used Téa. There’s no ideal woman out there for me.”

Gary stood up, surprised at the emotional response of his patient. “Relax Todd. There’s a woman out there for you. Admit it to yourself – you like female companionship. You do. And you are incredibly lonely without it.”

“So what?! According to you I’m so lonely I gotta’ make up the ideal chick out of thin air?!” spat Todd. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable talking about women.

“I do think you are lonely. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I think you miss and want what a woman does for you and to you,” said Gary.

“Whatever,” said Todd. He wasn’t willing to admit the stupid shrink was right. “I don’t get you. First you say don’t have sex, Todd. Now you’re saying I want to have sex?”

“No, Todd, I didn’t say that!!” exclaimed a frustrated Gary. “I didn’t say go out and have sex. What I’m saying is I think you want a woman to keep you company and you’ve been disappointed with Blair…with Téa…and you came up with an ideal and she interests you and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s nothing wrong with a man desiring a woman!”

Todd ran his hand through his hair. He took a deep breath that betrayed his anxiety and began to pace once again.

“Some shrink you are – you screwed me up even more!” hissed Todd.

“No, I’ve given you something to think about. I’ve seen ADA Delgado – you’re ex-wife. She sounds a lot like this Arabella woman,” said Gary.

“Get to the point,” said Todd crossing his arms.

“You never slept with your second wife did you? You never had sex with her?” asked Gary.

Todd’s eyes blazed with fury. “No, I didn’t.”

“Maybe you want to. Maybe you want to know what sex would be like with her. Maybe that’s why you see Arabella,” suggested Gary.

“All right, Mr. Shrink – chew on this – if I wanted to f*** Téa I could leave here right now and seduce her and find out all I need to know about her “forbidden fruits” and then I’d leave her,” said Todd.

“Like you leave all women?” asked Gary.

Todd looked at his watch. “I gotta go.”

“Think about what I said,” said Gary.

Todd waltzed out of the door and down the hospital halls, his mind full of ideas. Arabella and Téa couldn’t be alike. They couldn’t! He didn’t need a woman. He didn’t. But he did…like a woman’s arms around him – comforting him – making him feel good. Alive! Maybe he would seek out Téa and seduce her just so he could know.

He left the hospital and made his way to the docks – he wanted to be alone to think – what was his next move?

It was foggy and the fog was further disorientating him – confusing him. He paused as he spied a woman walking toward him. It spooked him.

“Arabella?” he whispered.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Copyright by DimWitt.