Marie raised her finger and went to the fridge. She brought out a plate with a large kaiser bun filled with chicken, tomato, lettuce and mustard. There was a side salad with a vinaigrette dressing and pickles. He had a glass of lemonade to go with it.
Ben thanked Marie and tucked into his meal. He made happy noises which made Marie smile as she turned back to preparing the evening meal.
“So you have everything you need?” Béatrice asked and he nodded. “Do you still think you’ll be able to finish all of the work by tomorrow night?”
“Not a problem,” he said between bites.
Béatrice’s face lit up with a smile and she giggled with glee which made Ben smile. She said something about a website and rushed off after kissing Ben’s cheek.
As soon as he was finished he swooped over to Marie and gave her a kiss on the cheek which made her squeak. He thanked her for the meal with a smile and she blushed furiously but she was smiling when he left to go upstairs.
Stephanie was waiting for him by the Private door. When she heard him she called out to him.
“Yes?” he answered.
“It’s time.”
He looked upstairs where the renovation work waited for him and sighed. He’d promised.
“How long will the posing take?”
“No more than fifteen to twenty minutes tops. I pose you. I map you in my mind. Then you are free. I may call on you for a few refreshers which would only take a minute.”
“Ok, let’s go.”
Ben followed Stephanie back to her room. He entered and noticed her window blinds were drawn. She closed the door behind him.
“Ok, please take off your clothes,” she said.
He grimaced and once more got naked in front of her. This time he knew what to do. “I’m ready,” he said.
“Do you see the two boxes on the desk? Place one on the floor before your left foot. I know the pose I am going to sculpt you in but I need to figure out how high your left foot should be,” she explained.
Ben moved the larger of the two boxes to the floor and put his left foot up on it. “Ok, my foot is on the higher one.”
“I’d like you to stand comfortably. Hands at your sides relaxed. Look straight out and raise your right hand like you are going to shake someone’s hand in a relaxed way.”
“Done.”
She moved forward and quickly ran her fingertips over his body then stood back. “Your leg is too high.”
Ben switched the two boxes and put his foot on the shorter one. The position was more comfortable. He moved back into the pose. “Ready.”
Once more Stephanie ran her fingers down his body but this time she smiled. “Yes. This feels right. I’m going to do the mapping now. Relax into the pose and hold it. Keep your eyes open this time. I promise not to poke you in the eye.”
Ben took some deep breaths and allowed his muscles to relax. “Ready.”
Stephanie reached up and ran her fingers over his forehead and he watched her fingers moved closer to his eyes. True to her word, her fingers passed around his eyes but did not enter them. He was fascinated by her process so this time he didn’t get stimulated and remained relaxed. She reached his neck and he saw her intense concentration. Her fingertips played over his shoulders and she moved to the side to map out his right arm then she did his left. She moved to his back and ran her hands over his shoulders and down his back to just above his ass. She moved back to his front and felt his chest and paid especially close attention to each scar which made him wonder at the level of detail she needed for this sculpture.
He looked again at the shelf of dancers and took comfort in their grace and faceless anonymity.
Stephanie reached his pelvis but again, he wasn’t thinking sexually so he remained relaxed. Once more her expression intensified and she spent considerable time mapping this area. She moved around to his back once more and began at his ass. She ran her fingers down over his right leg to his heel. She then did his left leg and moved around to do the fronts and map his feet. She sat back on her heels and remained quiet for a couple of minutes while he watched. She nodded.
“I’m ready. Please put the box back and dress. Close the door on your way out,” she said, the intense look on her face never diminishing.
For some reason Ben felt an urgency to leave. He put the box back, tugged on his shorts and carried his other clothes out with him as he closed the door. He finished dressing in the hall then rushed upstairs.
He began the renovations with the largest room at the end of the hall and Alexis came to watch and help. He started with the plumbing and showed her how to install the sink and taps. While they worked he could see she wanted to ask something but seemed uncomfortable.
“You know if you want to ask me something you should just come out and say it. I promise not to let my sensitive male pride be offended,” he grinned to take the bite out of his words.
“This morning at the breakfast table you kissed each of the women and aside from the two youngest those kisses were… intimate. From speaking with Gabriella I know she is more than just fond of you. But then Catherine behaves the same way and now Sophia and Rachel are kissing you like… lovers.” She saw Ben was looking a little uncomfortable. “I’m sorry to pry.”
“No it’s ok. I’m in love with both Gabriella and Catherine as well as Tina and Trish back home. I love them all with every fiber of my being. It’s only been since we arrived in Paris that Sophia and Rachel started to insist on being kissed on the lips. I was used to kissing them on the cheek like Megan. She, thankfully, is keeping our relationship simple. I love all of Catherine’s girls but I think Sophia and Rachel might be after something more… physical.”
“Would that be bad?”
Ben frowned. “I used to see them as the little girls I watched grow up but I can’t see them like that anymore. They’re adults now capable of making those decisions for themselves. What I just can’t understand is why they’d want to be intimate with someone so much older. They have so much potential and so much time ahead of them. They should be out there finding someone their own age. Someone with so much more to offer than me!”
Alexis looked at Ben with surprise at his outburst. She hadn’t realized he had such a low opinion of himself. “But Gabriella and Catherine and these other women love you. Doesn’t that say you are worthy of love?”
Ben looked away for a minute. “Yes. You’re right… it should.” He gave himself a shake. “We’d better pick up the pace or we may not be done in time for my departure.”
Alexis heard the request to change the subject quite clearly. She’d have to bring this up with Gabriella when they got back.
They turned their attention to the task at hand and quickly completed the plumbing work. They tested the water tightness of the system and moved on to the next room. Within a couple of hours they stood in the last room feeling a sense of accomplishment. The plumbing in every washroom on the second floor was operational. Sinks, toilets, showers, and tubs all functional and dry where they needed to be dry. The drains all drained quickly indicating good airflow which was a relief to Ben as fixing that could be costly and time consuming.
The electrical work had thankfully been completed and inspected and the wall insulation installed before Arsene scared off all the tradespeople. All Ben needed to do now was put up the drywall, tape it, mud it, install the ceramic tiles in each bathroom, and prep the walls for painting. Lastly some trim work to finish it off. So much for his sense of accomplishment.
He pulled Alexis with him to show her the magic of installing drywall. One room had sheets and sheets of the stuff stacked against the wall. He showed her how to measure, mark, score, and break the sheets as required. She caught on pretty quickly and they worked well as a team. They powered through the work, room after room, until hours later they plopped down on the floor of the last room looking up at the last wall they did, exhausted but happy.
“Taping and mudding is easy. We can finish that quickly once we get into a rhythm. Once we catch our wind,” Ben breathed.
Alexis had a huge grin on her face. She leaned over and bumped shoulders with Ben who smiled back.