As he figured, Susan ate the donuts for breakfast and managed to have chocolate all over her face and hands. Ben offered to clean her up and ran the tub for her. Susan had taken to calling him daddy all of the time now and he savored her words each time she said it. He gave her a bath and got drenched himself in the process. He pulled her out of the tub and dried her and took her in next to the wood stove and dressed her. Emma watched him as he dressed Susan, smiling all the while.
"You did that like you've been a father all of your life."
He smiled and poured them both a cup of coffee. As they sipped their coffee Emma picked up the paper and started to read the classified ads. She didn't see a house that interested them and she started to read the for sale ads.
Suddenly she gasped, "My God. The Strangs must have died. I see that their son is having an estate sale tomorrow. It says everything must go. That house was three doors down from us. I was in that house. Everything that they had was the best. I wonder if their son would consider selling everything to me?"
"Why not call them if you think that you could be happy with the house?'
"Where is the closest phone? We have to call. I used to go to school with their son. He was always over weight and he had a crush on me."
Ben told her that he sometimes used the landlord's cordless phone the few times that he needed a phone. He had a key to the house if the landlord wasn't home. She motioned for him to get moving and he went to the main house. No one answered so he used his key to get the phone.
Emma dialed the number and Bruce Strang answered the phone. After a few pleasentires she asked if the house was for sale also. She looked at Ben and gleefully nodded her head. She told the man that they would be over in an hour and hung up.
She started to rush Ben and Susan to get ready. Ben used the landlord's phone to call a taxi and the three of them left to look at the house and things that were to be sold.
Bruce Strang was raking leaves when they pulled up in front of the house. It was in an older neighborhood but the houses in this area were modern and well built.
Emma introduced Ben as her fiancé and they went into the house. As she had said, everything was first class. She pointed out all of the features to him and gave him a kiss in every room.
Bruce met them as they walked out of the house, "Well did you see anything you like?'
Emma grabbed Ben's arm, "Would you consider selling it all to me?"
Bruce hesitated, "Ah, I heard that you lost everything after your husband died. Can you afford to buy it?"
Emma showed him the cashier's check, "The estate was finally settled yesterday and we are desperate to find a place to live. We've been living in one room and if we can agree on a price I'd like to move in right away. I'll pay cash. I just have to deposit this check in my bank. I can get you a cashier's check if you don't want to take a personal check."
Bruce broke out into a grin, "Let's talk money. I live in Europe because of my job. This is costing me a fortune, having to fly over here to settle the estate. As far as I'm concerned you can stay here right now if we can agree on a price."
They discussed the price for a few minutes and Emma accepted. She was squeezing Ben's arm so much she was hurting him.
Bruce turned to them; "I have a bunch of linens and some other stuff in the house. I can't take the time to get all of the stuff to the dump that needs to go. I'll make you a deal. If you'll clean out all of the junk in the basement and the garage, I'll just walk away from the house this minute. Dishes, kitchen utensils, linens and everything else stays."
Emma grinned and agreed. She wrote a check to Bruce and hugged him. She warned him not to cash the check until later in the day and he told her that he wouldn't deposit the check until he got back to his home in Europe. He wrote down the name of the lawyer working on the estate and told them that the lawyer had the power of attorney to sign any documents needed for the transfer of property.
After Bruce left, they walked back into the house. Thy walked through every room again and she held his arm like she was afraid he would run away. She checked to make sure that every item that they would need was there. Susan ran through the house checking the acoustics.
Emma reached up and pulled his head to her and kissed him, "See how good you are for us? I love you."
He held her tight, "I love you too, Emma. I don't think you know what you mean to me. I've never loved a woman in my life. That's why the curse was put on me. I didn't know how to love. I hope that we can find a way to get rid of the curse."
She pulled him outside and called to Susan. Susan came bounding out of the house and ran to Ben and put her arms around his legs. She told him that this was a better house than the old one.
Ben told Emma that he would walk down the street and find a phone to call a taxi.
"Ben what do we need from your house. We have everything that we need here. Let's just walk away from our old life and start new."
He smiled and held her, "I don't think I can do that. There's something in the old place I have to get."
They talked all of the way back to Ben's house. When they got to the house they instructed the driver to return in two hours to pick them up.
The landlord still was not home so Ben put the phone back and locked the door. When he went back to his house, Emma was still grinning like a schoolgirl and making plans for the future. Susan had crawled on the bed and had fallen asleep.
"I have a lot of money now, but I have to find a job. That money won't last me forever. I think I might be able to wait until Susan starts school."
Ben put his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. He pulled out the counter that served as his kitchen. He went behind the counter and opened the access panel to the plumbing for the tub. He started to pull money out of the wall and stacking it on the counter top. Emma sat staring at the growing pile of money, her eyes getting large each time he dropped more money on the counter.
"What," she stuttered, "where did you get all of that money?"
"It just accumulated. As you can see, I lived very simply and I never had to spend much. It just seemed to accumulate. You must remember that I've lived a very long life. I had to change the money into big bills so that I could carry it when I moved."
"How," she stopped, "how much is there?'
He smiled, "I don't know. I've never tried to count it. Why don't you count it now while I find something to carry it in."
She started to count the money. When she finished she sat down as if her legs had stopped supporting her. It was several minutes before she could speak.
"You have over a million dollars there. You really didn't know how much was there?'
He shook his head; "There's also a box of gold in a cave in California. I guess it's still there."
She continued staring at him, "How big a box?'
When he showed her with his hands she almost fainted.
The taxi arrived and they took a few things and went back to the house Emma had just bought. Emma told the driver to wait, as they needed to go to the grocery store. After they had deposited what little they brought from Ben's house they took the taxi to the grocery store. While the taxi waited, Emma stocked up on groceries. She made Ben pay since she hadn't cashed the check yet. The bill came to over four hundred dollars.
Emma prepared a meal fit for a king and he told her so. He also reminded her that he had seen the meals that kings ate, so he would know.
After they ate she cleaned the kitchen and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Susan fell asleep in front of the TV. Ben offered to put her to bed in the room she had picked out earlier in the day. She didn't wake up when he dressed her in her pajamas. She was exhausted by the events of the day.
When he walked out of her room, Emma was waiting for him. She took his hand without a word and led him into the bathroom. While he had been putting Susan to bed she had drawn a bath for the two of them. She undressed him and then stood as he undressed her.
They luxuriated in the tub for a long time, occasionally adding hot water when the water cooled. She would often lean back and kiss him and she pulled his hands to her breasts and held his hands as if afraid that he would stop holding her. They finally got out of the tub after she noticed that their fingers were getting wrinkled. They dried each other off and she took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom.
He picked her up at the door and walked to the bed with her in his arms. She held him and kissed him until they reached the bed. He gently put her on the bed and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck and held him for a minute.
"Oh Ben, I want you so much. I love you. Please make love to me."
He lay down next to her and pulled her to him. Her kissed grew in passion until he felt that her kisses would set him on fire. He kissed her neck and moved to her breast. As he took her nipple between his lips she moaned softly. His tongue started to duel with her nipple and she moved to offer him more of her sensitive breast. He let the nipple slid out between his teeth and she gasped and tried to hold him to her breast. He pulled away and pulled the other nipple into his mouth. He repeated the actions he had performed on the first breast and she started to move on the bed, trying to offer her entire body to him.
He left her breasts and his kisses traveled over her stomach to her mound. She instinctively spread her legs apart to give him better access. He traced the length of her slit with his tongue. He made sure that his tongue did not touch her clit. She grabbed his head and pulled him roughly to her clit. He sucked the tender bud into his mouth and she rose off of the bed to push herself into his mouth. She held him to her tightly as her orgasm started and built until she almost passed out. He continued to trace her slit with his tongue ending at her sensitive bud. She started to moan and she clutched him to her again as a second orgasm shook her body. She pulled him up to her and guided him to her entrance.
As he started to enter her she rose to meet him and he matched her thrust with his retreat. Maddened, she held his hips and tried to pull him into her. He teased her for another minute and then started to enter her. When his full length was inside of her he paused to allow her to get used to his size. He held still until she started a rhythm of her own. He pulled out of her and pushed back into her. She found his rhythm and they continued the dance of love. She matched his every thrust with a thrust of her own. He felt her tense and she grabbed him and held him to her as another, far greater orgasm took hold of her body. He emptied himself into her and fell on her trying to catch his breath.
She held him tightly until he started to soften. He pulled out of her and rolled to her side. It was several minutes before either of them could speak.
She took his hand, "My god. I can honestly say that I've never made love before tonight. That was the most tender and loving thing I've ever experienced. You have to be the world's greatest lover. If you ever think of leaving me I'll castrate you."
He leaned over her and kissed her. He put his chin against her neck and she jumped.
"What's wrong?"
She smiled at him, "You need a shave. Your beard is rough."
He stared at her in shocked. He threw the covers off and ran into the bathroom. His beard had grown and he did need a shave.
Emma walked into the bathroom, "What's wrong. Did I say something wrong?"
He grabbed her and held her, "No, you said everything right. I haven't had a beard for over five hundred years. My beard is starting to grow. It just dawned on me. I didn't have a nightmare last night. I slept right through the night. I haven't done that since the curse was put on me."
She looked into his eyes, afraid to ask the question.
He kissed her, "You and Susan have broken the curse. Don't you see, I have never loved anyone in my life until you and Susan? That is what broke the curse, your love."
She held his head and shook her head, "No, you broke the curse. You
finally found out how to love. I just so glad that I am the one you
love."