Chapter 8: Fixer Upper

POV: Zac

Word Count: 3322

March 7, 2009; Saturday

A new realtor had called us Thursday and Gabby had talked to her for over an hour about the issues we had with the old one and then what we were looking for and our budget. She set up a meeting for today to discuss things with us both in person, so we got up and had breakfast and was at the office at 10. Kelly was a tall blonde and Gabby didn’t seemed phased and honestly, she did nothing for me. Added, she was married. Kelly had us wait a few minutes before we sat down in a small office.

“So, I looked over his notes and they don’t match mine, I think he really ignored the budget aspect and showed you what he wanted to get rid of or what he could get the most money for. He will be talked to by the owner. I have reviewed local listings, there is a slight issue.”

“What is the issue?” I asked.

“You want land and house and your budget doesn’t allow for the house to be turnkey.”

“What do you mean? He never showed us land without a turnkey.”

“He didn’t?”

“No. The houses on the larger lots were mostly newer and expensively done. The houses on the smaller lots were a bit older.”

She appeared thoughtful for a bit. “Are you open to a house that needs to be fixed up? If the budget is right?”

“Define fixed up.” I said.

“I don’t mean like complete remodel, I mean maybe some cosmetic things, paint, floors, nothing extensive. There are a lot of good size properties with houses that need to be just updated.”

I looked at Gabby. “As long as it wouldn’t be some very extensive project, I think we could handle that.”

“Okay, do you have time today to see several different properties? I promise right now they won’t exceed the budget and if a listing does I will inform you up front.”

“I think we can handle that.”

She did have two places that were above budget, but not by much we saw them first and neither of us really liked the area or the house. So, we tried a few more in that area in budget but the houses weren’t big enough, so she moved to something larger. There was one that was top end of the budget but the house was good and the property was good, the house however did need some major upgrading which neither of us wanted to really deal with.

We took a break near lunch because she did have another client to meet with today, she left several fliers with us for various places and as we had lunch we looked at them.

“Cross this out, it actually says it needs extensive work done.”

I flipped it over. “This one looks promising. It’s not too big, has plenty of rooms.”

“Really Zac? Six bedrooms?”

I just smiled. “I’m trying here!”

“Four is big enough. This one isn’t bad, it’s four bedrooms, doesn’t state any major issues.”

We went back and forth and by the time she called we had four houses we definitely wanted to see. She met us at the first one, which the property was huge and expansive but when she said fixer upper, a total overhaul wasn’t what we wanted to do. The layout was awkward, the foundation had cracks and that was never good. The second house was about the same, not as bad but the location was kind of bad.

We went to the north east corner of Tulsa on North 41 st West Avenue, the property was over ten acres and the driveway was long and well protected from the road. There was an attached garage and we parked in front of it.

“The outside looks better.”

“It does, I like the color of the siding.”

The outside had impressed us both but stepping inside was a different story.

“This is a prime example of a fixer upper, we done an inspection and it’s structurally sound but the damage is inside. The previous owners were foreclosed on and they did a lot of damage inside the house.”

“I can tell.” Gabby said.

There were broken windows everywhere, glass all over the floor, the carpet smelled horrible, the counters in the kitchen were destroyed and the rest of the house was no better.

“I do like the layout, one floor and it’s big enough that if we needed, we could expand.”

“I agree but this is a massive undertaking for remodeling. You said the structure was fine? The roof is also fine?” I asked.

“Yes. The roof is fine.”

“You mentioned one more house in this area? One we didn’t get a listing on?”

“Yes, I actually got the listing not long ago. It’s a four bedroom on West Apache, about half a mile from here. I have no idea the condition of the house, we haven’t yet seen it. I do know it’s a fixer.”

“Can we see that one?” Gabby asked.

“Sure.”

She was right, the drive to that house was super quick and I think I fell in love with the outside. There was rock on the bottom followed by dark siding, three car garage which would be perfect for extra storage or if we do get a second vehicle. The outside was very nice, the landscaping was a bit iffy.

“The outside looks like it needs some minor updating.” Gabby said.

“Yeah, not bad.”

The porch was nice the front door opened up to a small foyer with a powder room right by the door.

“That’s a bit weird.” Gabby said.

“Most people would enter through the garage, but this is nice when you really gotta go.” She said.

“I agree. What’s this?”

She opened a door to a small area, nice, bright and airy. We surmised it was a study or something. The open concept we liked presented in the kitchen, dining, and family room. The space was huge and the fireplace was a good focal point for the family room. There was a guest suite on the ground floor with a full bathroom and a private patio.

“That would be nice if we had guests, Sierra or Abby anyone in your family. They would be downstairs away from us and in a private area.”

“I agree, this is nice.”

We headed up-stairs and found two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a large master suite with a nice size closet and our perfect shower and tub combination. There was also a huge bonus room, which could potentially be split into two more very small bedrooms or one larger one.

“Do you know what their asking?”

“Hundred and fifty.” She said.

She stepped outside to answer a call and left us upstairs in the little hallway.

“I like the layout here too, the other house has a bit better layout but only because there are no stairs.”

“I kind of don’t mind the stairs, the other house had very small rooms, these are bigger and the owners bathroom is huge.”

“But the tile in the bathrooms are horrible. That black and white combination makes my eyes cross.”

“The price point gives us fifty thousand to make changes.”

We took another tour, slower really looking at the layout and what it could be. We liked the carpet up-stairs, it was clean, a nice tan color that would go well with whatever we chose. The tile was something neither of us liked and the carpet in the master bedroom was another issue with us, but new tile wasn’t that bad. Downstairs the floors were in great condition, hardwood floors and besides some sanding and a new stain they wouldn’t need replacing. We spent an hour talking about both houses before she came back inside.

“What do you think?”

“I think we want to make an offer on this one.” I said.

“Really?”

“Yes. We do like the other house but the renovation costs there would be more and more time. We have tour later this year and it’s going to be a busy summer. Added, our lease is up in June. We can’t really do an extensive renovation. This place would require little changes, mostly paint and tile.”

“Let’s get back to the office and we’ll fill out papers.”

We left the house and headed back to the realtors office where we spent several hours filling out papers, answering questions and doing the boring stuff. Luckily the bank I used was still open so we went there and filled out a bunch of papers also. We wouldn’t know for a few days if the loans were approved and if the offer was accepted, we actually came in a little under the asking. We got home around five, where we fixed dinner and sat down to eat.

“You seemed to be handling the aspect of buying a house very well.”

“Don’t let that fool you, I’m fucking terrified.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“Everything we’ve looked at was big and open. But I like the one we chose, I think it’s the right one.”

“I do too. You’ll be fine Gabby, it’ll be home once we get moved in and settled.”

“Yeah. Can we really accomplish that by June?”

“Sure. Worse case we stay with my parents for a little bit. They won’t mind.”

Since she cooked dinner, I chose to clean up the kitchen. She was doing something in the bedroom, I wasn’t even sure what. I finished up the kitchen and went to the bedroom but the door was locked.

“Gabby?”

“I knew you’d be finish before me. Give me a few more minutes.”

I stood at the door confused and completely unsure of what she was doing. Because whatever she had planned clearly involved the bedroom, not that I minded that at all, I went ahead and turned the lights off and then waited. So when she said close my eyes I did, knowing she’d check first. I let her guide me blindfolded to a chair I hadn’t even noticed was missing.

“What did you do?”

I felt her lips against my cheek. “Well, you love the pictures Newton took, you can’t deny that. But, each time you view them you get this far away look as well. Almost like you’d have rather be the person taking them.”

“I do love them but I wish he hadn’t taken them.”

She put something in my hand and it only took a few moments to realize it was a camera. I swallowed, not having any idea what her plan was. She’d moved behind me.

“You can open your eyes.”

I did and she’d positioned the chair on the side of the bed, sitting back far enough that I could see the entire bed. She’s changed the sheets to white, which had to be new because I didn’t own white sheets.

“New sheets? When did you get this?”

“Wednesday when I went to the store.”

She then came around and stood in front of me. “When I picked this up too.”

“Um…wow?”

She was wearing simple clear top no heels with a black bow over her foot, and a peacock designed corset top with the cleavage I so loved and a black bottom, that was super short. Black gloves and a peacock head clip.

“I thought you hated peacocks?”

“It was the prettiest one I saw, what do you think?”

She did a spin and the back barely covered her ass and the suit zipped up the back. There was even a black choker around her neck, her hair was down and slightly curled. There were little feather pieces extending off the top.

“I love it.”

“So Mr. Photography man, what do you want me to do?”

I stared at her for a moment. “None of these are going to be tweeted are they?”

“Only if you do it, otherwise they’ll be like the others, kept in private little areas.”

“You’ll do whatever I ask?”

“Yes, unless that is you want me to do some pretzel move or hang from the ceiling, within reason.”

“Wait right here.”

I got up and went to the closet coming back with the black box which we kept all of the more adult things in, including the handcuffs and other things, I sat it down by the chair.

“You said to give you a day, but I couldn’t. I can now.”

She smiled. “Sneaky but effective. But, can you photograph and watch at the same time? You clearly couldn’t drive and watch.”

“I can.”

She started with just poses, sometimes I got full body shots other times the facial ones, they were coming out very nicely and if I thought she looked sexy normally, this was a whole new level, she seemed to know the exact poses that were subtle but sexy, the right ways to move and the right facial expressions to execute sex appeal without being nude.

I have to admit that being the person on the other side of the camera was a relief, I didn’t mind any of these pictures and especially not when she started taking things off. The choker was first, followed by the gloves which were great to photograph. The way her hands traveled over her skin, was sensual and perfect. Capturing little moments like the hands traveling or the way she looked.

The panties sliding down her legs was a very erotic moment, she moved slow intentionally. I found that those few poses without anything covering her was different. She’d even shaved completely which she rarely did. Although, I did have to assist with the zipper part of the suit. Which she made a show of taking off as well.

“You’re doing very well for this.”

“The camera is helping.”

She smiled and positioned herself so that I had the best view in the house. Fully naked wife and I could see everything, yeah not the camera really did much there. I got several shots of her hands just moving, several of her hands as they massaged a breast or rolled a nipple between her fingers. Fuck this was so much different than the car.

I got up close images and she completely ignored that I was even there. When her hands moved down I captured that too, but again she was ignoring that I was there. I moved the chair closer to the bed, to watch her and I understood why she liked watching me. I could pick up on subtle changes that I didn’t normally see. Those new sights weren’t doing anything to help me control my own arousal.

Such as the flushed color of her chest and neck, the way she sounded without my own heavy breathing was nice. The way her breast did swell the more aroused she was. Even changes south that I’d never noticed like the darkening color from the increased blood flow. Her fingers were just circling the clit, occasionally rubbing down. I really wasn’t sure how she’d feel if I got very up close pictures, I hadn’t seen any that Newton had taken but I wasn’t him. She did look at me a little confused but didn’t stop rubbing in circles. This view was causing an erection for sure.

The images I captured were so close up and I captured the picture the first time her finger dipped in and that moan was low and gravely. It was several times before her finger seemed to be glistening and then she was moving to two.

“You are so hot when you do that.”

She responded with a moan and increased her pace some. I wasn’t focused on pictures at the moment, there was just a time to really enjoy what she was doing. It was after she reached three that I got a few more shots but then she moved to her knees which nearly made me faint. I couldn’t quite hide the erection anymore, I was straining against the fabric of my underwear and pants.

“You know you can…join anytime.”

“You’re doing quite well on your own.”

“Don’t make me beg you.”

Well, put that way who was I to deny? It took moments to get rid of my clothes and she was already in a good position. Probably on purpose and it really didn’t occur to me for several minutes that the camera was there. I’m going with that being my best idea ever, because that would be very suitable for private porn. I don’t think she even heard the camera and she surely didn’t notice until I moved her to her back, but she didn’t seem mad in fact she took some herself and I was certain they were of me in many positions.

By the time we were just staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe normally it was well after midnight. She finally sat up.

“I think you do very well with a camera.”

“I had a good subject.”

“I’m going for water, do you want any?”

“Please.”

She got up and I wouldn’t mention the slight difference in her walk there but when she came back she looked concerned.

“What is it?”

“Isaac has called me a dozen times, he’s also called you.”

She tossed me my phone and he had called several times so I called him back, I hadn’t even heard mine or hers.

“It’s about time! Where the hell have you been?”

“Calm down Ike, I’m at home with Gabby. What’s up?”

“I was calling to tell you that your wife might be right.”

“About? Why are you even up this late?”

“I’m at Nicole’s place with the police.”

“Police? What happen?”

“She worked a double today and when she got home she found her apartment door open. She nudged the door some and called the police and then me. Someone broke into her apartment, they destroyed everything in her apartment.”

“Is she okay?”

“She is fine physically, she’s just upset. They destroyed things that can’t be replaced.”

“Why did you think Gabby was right?”

“The 8x10 of her and Nicole from the wedding, it was on the wall, with a knife through Gabby.”

Gabby asked me what happened and her eyes got wide. “Is Nicole there?”

“She is. I can hear her.”

“Have Ike hand her the phone.”

I did and she asked about a wedding dress and then frowned. She hung up the phone though.

“What is it?”

“Her wedding dress was there, it belonged to her Mom and she was wearing it.”

“Did they..?”

“They tore it to shreds, it can’t be saved. She said she would have to buy one now and she doesn’t know if she has time.”

“I’m sure she’ll find one Gabby.”

I pulled her to me and kissed her. “Don’t fret about it, she’ll figure it out and you’ll be okay. He’s talking to the police and he’ll tell them about Simon.”

“Why would he go after her? Why Stella? Assuming he is responsible for that.”

“I don’t know Gabby.”

“I’ll talk with the detectives tomorrow and tell them that I really think it’s him. I can’t be sure, but I really feel like he is responsible.”

“Okay, meantime Isaac is taking care of her and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow when the police release her apartment.”

She handed me the bottle of water and we then settled down for the night. I could easily deny Stella’s bookstore, it had a realistic explanation and it fit. However, Nicole had lived there for a long time and that area had little crime, the fact that someone broke in and destroyed things instead of taking them made me question the motive. Especially the knifed picture, the shredded dress and I hope she could find one she’s happy with. Gabby actually fell asleep pretty quickly but I mulled over her words about him until I fell asleep.