Charlie IV

Chapter 21

It has been one month

"Hi! What are you eating?" Kate walked up behind Rick as he sat at the breakfast table. "Cereal?" She may not be a chef but she could have made something hot for him.

"I'm not really hungry and I got up too late for your mother to make something. And I need to take Charlie to the hospital today. We have an appointment." Rick ate another spoonful.

"Oh." She knew what Charlie did at the hospital was important.

"If you have plans that involve me, you didn't tell me, Kate."

"Yeah." Her plan was kind of sudden so she hadn't planned ahead. "Since Mom and Dad are gone for the day I was thinking of making love but I can wait. What you and Charlie do at the hospital is important."

"I'd offer to let you come but you've said that you don't have the leg strength for long walks yet."

"No, I don't. I still have to take the stairs slowly." She was better but she wasn't that much better.

"But you're walking." Rick turned to look at her and reached up to pull her head down so he could kiss her. "You remember when you couldn't even stand? You've come a long ways. Just give it some time and you'll be running marathons soon." He kissed her again.

Kate smiled at him since she wasn't sure if that would ever happen. "Maybe." She didn't see it happening but something close to that maybe. "Go take Charlie to the hospital. I'll be here when you get back. ...Naked in my bed waiting for you." She kissed him.

Kate made her way to the stairs since she had to take them slowly.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick and Charlie were home and he stopped to get the mail and saw one for him from Black Pawn. However, Charlie came first. So he sent him to find a tennis ball and took him out back to get some exercise.

Per usual for Charlie he had three different ways to play and he did all three at the time. Play keep away to get Rick to chase him. Squeeze the ball hard and force Rick to take it out of his mouth. Or just drop it and take off running in anticipation of him throwing it.

It was a very tired Charlie that finally came back inside and headed for his water bowl in the kitchen and tried to drink it dry while Rick opened his mail.

Inside he found a letter and a check. "HOLY SHIT!" He looked at the check first and then read the letter. "WOW!" Rick read it again and decided he needed to share this news. Kate should be in her bedroom, he thought, since he didn't see her downstairs.

"There you are." Kate had heard him come home and had been spending some of that time touching herself to make sure she was wet and incredibly horny. "You need to take those clothes off. I need you badly."

Instead she watched as he sat down fully clothed on the side of her bed and showed her a piece of paper. She was hot, horny, and soaking wet but she took the paper and began reading. "Your book has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for the last two weeks!" Kate beamed and forgot just how horny she was. This was almost better than sex.

Kate was busy rereading it when he held something else in front of her. She wasn't done reading it again yet but she looked at it. "HOLY SHIT! That's a check!" Kate dropped the letter, took the check, and looked at it closer. "You're rich!" Kate was shocked, impressed, and a little more proud of him.

"We need to celebrate. Got any ideas what we should do to celebrate?" Rick took his check back and looked it over. It would take him months working at UPS to match this much money.

"I have one idea," Kate purred at him. "You could make love to me." She still needed him badly.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Kate was humming while lying naked next to him. What he could do to her body was amazing. She had thought she could have just one orgasm and that was it. What Rick was doing to her had her up to five easily. She was even starting to wonder if she was capable of even more.

Though she wasn't just lying there letting Rick give her orgasms. She had given Rick three orgasms this time. She was even learning to like his taste.

"Rick?" She was willing to say that she loved him and find out if he loved her in return.

Suddenly Charlie took off barking and raced flat out down the stairs. "OH CRAP! Mom and Dad are home!" Kate yelped. There were only two people and one reason for Charlie to act like that.

Rick leapt out of bed and grabbed his clothes off the floor. All of Kate's were neatly piled up on a chair.

Rick was dressed first, snatched up his letter and check, and ran down the stairs to greet Jim and Johanna. His intention was to give Kate time to get dressed and downstairs.

"You're home early," Rick said as Charlie got petted since he was clearly happy to see them.

"We have a new client and she wants us to meet her at her house instead of our office. So we came home to wash up a little first," Jim explained while Jo hugged and kissed Charlie who was eating it up as always.

"What's this?" Jim watched as Rick held up his letter for him to read.

"Your book has been on the Times bestseller list for two weeks!?" Jim was shocked. No, he hadn't read it or bought it but his wife had and she had loved his book.

That had Johanna abandoning Charlie and snatching the letter out of her husband's hand so she could read it for herself.

"I got this with it." Rick held up his check for Jim to see.

"WOW! That's serious money, Rick." Jim was impressed. Now Johanna was holding the check as well and looking it over.

"We need to celebrate somehow. But first we need to get washed and leave again." They could think of something when they were back.

"Hi, Mom, Dad." Kate was finally down the stairs.

"Did you see this, Katie?" Jo waved the letter she was still holding.

"Isn't it great!" Kate was so proud of him. He was on his way to being a famous writer. Maybe even a rich one.

"We need to celebrate but it's going to have to wait since we have to leave again." Jo gave Rick his letter back.

Kate blushed. She had already celebrated with Rick. The sex had been the best yet.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"We'll be back. You two decide where you want to eat to celebrate. Rick's buying," Jo teased him as she and Jim left a lot happier than when they had arrived.

"So what do we do to celebrate?" Kate wrapped herself around him now that her parents were gone again.

"I'm thinking sleep so I can recharge my batteries," Rick told her while teasing her.

"Aww, you're not thinking of making love to me again?" Kate squeezed him a little tighter.

"Nope, sleep, definitely sleep."

"Fine!" Kate wasn't happy but she couldn't do it alone. Well she could but why would she want to especially when she had a boyfriend to make love to? "But we sleep naked in my bed."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

They were both awake, dressed, and sitting in the breakfast room talking about what Rick was going to do with his money.

"I could get my own place. Get Jim and Emily to find me something smaller I can afford with cash," Rick mused.

"No, don't do that. I don't want you to move out. You need to stay." Kate reached across and took his hand in hers.

"I'm living in your parents' house," Rick said again since he really did want his own place.

"I know, but it's nice and big and if you move you'll have to cook for yourself." Kate tried to find anything that would get him to stay.

"You have a point there." He had discovered that Johanna was pretty good cook. If he moved out he would definitely miss her wonderful meals. "I could get a new truck." Rick changed ideas since he wanted to keep Kate happy, not to mention keeping Charlie happy. Charlie would adapt but he knew Charlie would miss them all if he moved.

"A new truck would be good. What kind of truck do you want? What do you need it to do?" Kate asked him. She had a sudden idea. "OH, you could get a really big one so you could tow a Fifth Wheel. Go camping anywhere you want with it."

"I could do that. I don't know where I would park a Fifth Wheel though. There's no space here for it." Rick thought that over.

"You're off work tomorrow. We could go truck shopping tomorrow after you put that check in the bank." Kate was more than willing to help him look.

Suddenly Charlie took off barking. "Mom and Dad are home." Thankfully Kate and Rick had woken up in plenty of time to get dressed and back downstairs before her parents got back.

"Are you two ready to go?" Jo asked them. "We had to stay a little longer than we thought."

"Ready!" Kate got up and pulled Rick up out of his chair. "So where are we going?"

"We're going to Pearl's," Jo said. "We hear good things about her place. Something about amazing fried chicken."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Pearls turned out to be an order at the counter, get a number, and sit down and wait. Get your own drink and enjoy.

"Fried chicken, Catfish Fillets, Hamburger steak, or Rib Dinner for 2 dollars extra," Rick said to himself. So far Kate and Johanna had gotten chicken. "Rib dinner, rice and gravy, and rolls," Rick told the woman at the counter. He took his number and cup and went to get himself a drink.

"Any plans for your windfall?" Jim inquired.

"We're going shopping for a new truck tomorrow," Kate told them so he didn't have a chance to suggest moving out because she wasn't having that.

"A new truck sounds good," Jim agreed. "You might have to drive to New Orleans to get it, though. I'm not sure Laurel will have what you want. The downside of living in a small town."

"I hadn't thought about that. Charlie will have to stay behind." Rick hated leaving Charlie behind but it was best for him.

"We'll take him into work with us. We can put down a bowl of water for him and take some doggie treats with us," Jo offered. "He can greet anyone that comes into the office. You can put his Therapy Dog vest on him so people won't get scared of him."

"I can do that," Rick said, just as plates of food started showing up one by one till everyone had one.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Kate was dressed to impress and was finally downstairs, one step at a time, and saw everyone in the kitchen eating already. "Something light, please. Maybe toast and fruit," Kate asked her mom and sat down to wait. She was very grateful her mom was still watching over her. "Are you ready?" Kate placed a hand on Rick's arm. She was most definitely going with him.

"Just as soon as you're done eating."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Be careful, you two. We'll take very good care of Charlie." Jo watched them leave the house.

"New Orleans?" Kate asked him.

"New Orleans. The map from last time is under your seat." Rick watched her bend down to retrieve it. He didn't really need it. It was Interstate the entire way.

"So GMC, Ford, Dodge, Chevy, or something else?" Kate was curious.

He shrugged. "Whatever we find first, really."

"Oh, okay. Mom and Dad have a Ford. I'm not really sure why. They just do."

"Guess we'll see." Rick honestly wasn't that picky.

"Do you really want to move out? I know I fought back and I'm sorry. It's just... It's because I'm falling in love with you and I don't want you to move away." There. She'd told him.

"Say that again." Rick looked at her for a moment before getting his eyes back on the road.

Kate smiled hesitantly. "I'm falling in love with you."

Rick's smile lit up his face. "That's good to know since I fell in love with you weeks ago. I just didn't want to start sex when you couldn't really move well. It wouldn't have been fun for you."

"You love me?" Kate felt her heart race. "It's a pity you have to work tomorrow. We could get a hotel room and make love all night long." She truly wanted to say that she loved him, too. She just wasn't ready yet.

"I'm going to count myself lucky if I can keep up with your sex drive." So far she was insatiable.

"You're doing fine, Babe." Kate was happy with how he made love to her.

"Babe?" Rick was pretty sure he heard her call him babe.

"What?" Was he calling her babe now? She needed to think about that if he was.

"You called me babe."

"Did I?" Kate tried to think about that. "Would you prefer baby to babe?" She grinned at him.

"Definitely not. Being called baby is absolutely out."

"Babe it is then. You know I'm going to screw up and call you Babe in front of my parents eventually. Keeping us a secret isn't going to last much longer." She had already told her mom a little. She didn't think she had told her dad anything yet.

"Trying to keep your dad from killing me? That's very kind of you." Rick grinned at her for a moment.

"Dad wouldn't kill you," Kate assured him. "He likes you. More than any of my other boyfriends."

"Boyfriends as in plural?"

"Just drive, Babe, before I forget that I'm falling in love with you." Kate sat back and waited to see where they would stop first.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Toyota?" Kate asked as Rick turned into the lot.

"It's the first dealer I've seen and it's on this side of the road." Rick parked and they both got out and headed for the trucks. They had only just started to look at the second one when when a salesman showed up and welcomed them to Toyota. "Looking for a truck?" He was willing to sell these two a truck.

"My girlfriend has suggested I get a truck that can handle one of those big Fifth Wheel RVs."

"In that case let's take a look at this truck over here. "A Tundra, I-Force DOHC V8. 4.7 liters, 245 horse power, 315 feet of torque. It's a half-ton truck so will pull just about any Fifth Wheel you might want. Just need to add the hitch in the bed and the electronics.

"Leather seats, the V8 only comes as a 4 speed automatic, 7,200 pound towing capacity, transfer case for 4 wheel drive is electronic switches on the dash. Looks like this one is disk brakes on all four wheels and comes with ABS. Ever heard of ABS?" he queried and watched Rick shake his head.

"ABS stands for automatic breaking system. With the normal breaking system if you slam on the brakes you'll lock up the tires and you'll skid till you finally stop. To counter this you would have to manually remember to pump the brakes to prevent it. With ABS you simply slam on the brakes and the ABS system will take over and pump the brakes for you. ABS will reduce the length it will take for you to stop. It's an option and not yet standard equipment. But you wait, it will be." He could see it coming.

"There's the base model, SR5 model and Limited. This one is the Limited version. Top of the line. Six disk in dash CD-changer. Rack and pinion steering. The rear doors aren't full size doors but they'll allow you to put anything you want in the back.

"Interested in a test drive? I just need your drivers license and I can get a plate and the keys." He was gone to get those two things after getting Rick's drivers license to copy it.

"Black with beige leather seats, woodgrain dash. It's expensive, Rick." Kate pointed at the cost listed. She knew he had the money to buy it outright and not need financing if that was what he wanted to do. "Dad told me once that if you wanted to improve your credit rating you need to want credit. So maybe pay 7/8ths of the cost and make payments for the rest."

The salesman was back and Kate hopped in the back while the salesman drove it off the lot. "Sorry, it's a requirement. It will be yours to drive in a moment," he told them.

He turned a corner, stopped, and traded places with Rick. Rick buckled up, checked his mirrors, and started driving. "Notice the minimum tire and road noise? The cab is well insulated to keep the sound out. The automatic shifts smoothly."

Rick hit the brakes a little harder than he intended. "Brand new brakes, a little touchy. Only 11 actual miles recorded so far." They were going to add maybe 2 more so no big deal to the dealer.

"Built in Princeton, Indiana," the salesman told them. "Not in Japan and then shipped over. The box or bed in the back is 6.5 foot instead of the larger 8 foot. It's 6.5 foot because of the increased size of the cab. How's the ride back there?" He turned and looked at Kate who was seriously easy on the eyes. Some men got all the luck.

"Not too bad. I'd rather sit up front but it's nice." Kate didn't have a problem with it. She just wanted Rick to like it. It was his money.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick and Kate were now going through what the truck was going to be sold for. How much cash in the form of a check he was going to put down on the truck so they could try and figure out what his monthly payment was going to be.

Rick was following Kate's dad's advice and not paying it all in cash. "Simply make double payments and you'll pay less in interest. A little trick the banks don't want you to know about."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

With the money from his truck, – which Kate thought was damn little, but it was old – his money, and Rick was paying way under a hundred dollars a month for two whole years. The manufacturer's money back was taken off of the purchase price of the truck.

His plates would be mailed to him for him to install. He now had a bumper to bumper warranty for the first 3 years though the powertrain warranty was for longer than that.

The salesman had shaken Rick's hand and wished him well on his trip home. He was happy to have met Kate. Soon Kate was sliding into the passenger seat of Rick's new truck and she was liking it a lot better than his old one.

"This really is nice, Rick. You can make love to me in the back seat," Kate teased him.

"How did you know that was a dream of mine?" Rick teased her right back and listened to her giggle.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick parked right out front of the Beckett Law Office since that was where Kate wanted to go. Kate climbed out and made her way to the door before Rick could reach it.

Kate took 2 steps inside and was instantly spotted. Charlie charged her, began whimpering, and did all he could to get her to pet him and maybe even hug him. She had been gone FOREVER! Then it got even better. His best friend walked in and now he really went nuts and Rick just had to pet him and hug him.

"Come see Rick's new truck, Mom and Dad. It really is nice." Kate opened the door and watched as Charlie went out the door first though he didn't go far and didn't see a truck he recognized since he was ready to go home. This place was nice but it wasn't home.

"Toyota? Toyota makes trucks?" Jim saw the truck his daughter was pointing at. It was unlocked so he got in behind the wheel. "It's nice." Jim watched Jo get into the passenger seat.

"It's a lot better than his old truck," Jo admitted. Kate showed up next to her mom.

"Rick took your advice, Dad. He financed a tiny amount. You should see the size of his payments. I think even I could pay them." Kate was impressed.

Rick grinned. "Good, you can make the first payment for me."

"Ha ha, very funny." Kate wasn't that amused.

"So why a Toyota?" Jim queried. Yeah, he was more of a Ford guy but it was nice.

"You wouldn't believe it even if he told you." Kate rolled her eyes. "It was the first dealership we saw after getting off the Interstate."

"Two hours to drive there, three hours at the dealership, and another two hours back to here. I didn't have time to go see every truck everyone made," Rick protested.

"The first dealership you saw? And what did we do to get the Explorer, Jim?" Jo glared at her husband knowing that he had done research over everything that came even close to a Ford Explorer. And even if there was something better, her husband was a Ford man through and through.

"We're not talking about that," Jim said flatly.

"We spent days before we bought the Explorer," Jo told Rick and ignored the look her husband was giving her. "Anyway, you can have Charlie back, not that I don't want to keep him, but I think he's bored and we don't close for a few more hours." Jo got out followed by Jim.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Rick drove them home and carried Charlie out from the back seat where he stood the entire time, had his head between the two of them, and watched everywhere they went.

"You're a good boy, Charlie." Kate petted him and scratched his neck since his head was right there.

"We have two hours till your parents shut down. You want in the back seat?" Rick grinned at her and opened the back door on his side.

"Your dream is going to have to wait, babe. But I'll race you to my bedroom. Last one there has to do the other." Kate took off running as fast as her legs would allow her to.

Either way she saw it as a victory. She either gave Rick a blowjob or he went down on her and she screamed out an orgasm or two or maybe even three before her parents got home.