Chapter 1 – Inheritance
The inheritance was a complete surprise. I knew he had family in Croatia but all contact with them had been lost during the Communist era when Croatia was a part of Yugoslavia. That’s why the registered letter from an attorney in Zagreb was met with considerable suspicion. Was this another Nigerian Prince scam? But it was a registered letter. And it wasn’t asking me for my bank account number or anything. And it had believable details, like a copy of the deed that I could verify online.
The letter said that I, Heath Zagaroff, was the most direct living relative of a second cousin. After months of searching, the attorney had found me. My inheritance consisted of an abandoned chateau on a nice piece of land on the Adriatic sea and a few thousand Euros. It seems my cousin had never been wealthy but had hung on to the family “estate” by selling off plots of land slowly over the years. When his health started failing late in life, he moved to the city and abandoned the chateau. I tried to negotiate a remote settlement, I tried to simply hire an agent to sell the property.
No, it seems I had to appear in person to probate the will according to Croatian law, and that probate could take months because of court backups.
At least the attorney helped me obtain an emergency visa and even arranged an inexpensive rental near the chateau. When I asked why he couldn’t just stay at the chateau, the attorney just laughed. “Trust me, let me arrange a rental for you.” My only request was that the accommodations have fast Wi-Fi so I could continue my electronic sex toy business from Croatia.
And so, on a bright and sunny Tuesday, I drove up to ‘my’ chateau in a rental Land Rover.
As I drove through the open gates and up the long, olive tree lined drive I was initially impressed with the main building. The attorney had told me it had seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library/ office, dining room, kitchen, pantry, and a large living room. It also had a full cellar. It was over 200 years old and still standing because it had been made of stone and refurbished several times.
But as I got closer, the run-down condition of the chateau became apparent. Shingles were missing from the roof; shutters were hanging askew. Several windows had been boarded up. The yard had not been maintained. And then I noticed the bicycles on the porch. The attorney hadn’t said anything about renting the place. Not sure what was going on but also realizing that communications with the attorney had also not been the best, I approached cautiously.
But as I neared the steps up to the chateau, a smiling young man in a t-shirt and blue jean shorts spoke in what I assumed was broken Croatian.
“Um, do you speak English?” I Replied
“You bet Mate!” the now clearly English or Australian man replied.
Several other faces now appeared, I counted seven, which matched the number of bikes on the porch. They all appeared to be in their 20’s, four girls and three guys. They all appeared fit and most sported long hair, considerable tattoos, and piercings. They were all wearing very casual clothing and it was obvious that only one of the women was wearing a bra, and a sports bra was all that woman was wearing above her shorts. But nothing about the encounter made me nervous so he played it cool.
“Welcome! Did you come for the weed man? We’ve got the best in Croatia! We brought some along on our travels ‘cause it’s illegal to grow it here. It’s also illegal to sell it, as you probably know, but we can give you some. Then if you happen to leave some money lying around on your way out – you know man, it’s cool.”
I wasn’t sure how he felt about people selling marijuana on my property, I wasn’t sure if it was legal in Croatia or not, but I decided to continue to play it cool. “No, don’t need any weed, I just wanted to check out this house.” Which was true, or half true.
“That’s cool man, it’s just that we’re outta cash so we’re trying to sell some of our weed. I put the word out in town but no takers so far. So come in, look around, it is an awesome house!”
I had some questions I wanted to ask, but first I wanted to see the house.
By now, the entire group was following along to see what was going on.
“I’m Carl, man. This is Heather (pointing to the girl in the bra), Maggie, Reese, and Paula. This here’s Mal, Cradic, and Tim.” Pointing to the guys in turn.
“Are you folks bikers?” I asked?
Laughing out loud Mal said, “Bikers are leather dudes with noisy, polluting hogs, we’re cyclists, the purest form of transportation other than walking.”
The chateau was as bad inside as out. Plaster was crumbling, doors missing, floors buckled from leaks. I didn’t think anybody would ever live here again and that was sad because you could tell it had once been a grand house. Of course, the cyclists were all camped out in the living room, which appeared to be the best-preserved part of the house. There were sleeping bags everywhere, so it appeared they all lived together. They had organized the kitchen into enough functionality to serve their needs and the two bathrooms on the ground floor worked.
“Water?” I asked.
“Comes from a spring up the side of that hill apparently, worked when we got here.” Carl, who was serving as a tour guide answered. “Course there’s no electricity. I mean the house is wired but it’s not turned on at the meter.”
“I heard this place had a cellar?” I asked. I was kind of surprised that Carl didn’t ask how I knew, he just directed me to a door under the main staircase. “Yeah man, I’ve only been down there once. It’s kinda dark. Lots of cobwebs.”
I turned on the light on my iPhone and ventured down the stairs, Carl didn’t follow. He was right, it was dark. The walls were all stone, like the outside of the house. The ceiling was at least 9 feet high. There was some old furniture, long beyond usefulness. I wandered around until I found the wine cellar that the attorney had told me about. It looked to be about six by eight feet with an arched stone roof, stone walls and a heavy ornamental iron door with hinges embedded in the rockwork. There had probably been wine racks inside at some point but those were long gone. There was an old porcelain sink with just cold water on the back wall which was probably used to clean the wine bottles before taking them upstairs.
As I turned around to leave, I jumped half out of my skin. Heather was standing right outside the wine cellar. I hadn’t heard her come down the stairs or across the basement, probably because she was barefoot. She also wasn’t wearing the bra anymore, just shorts.
“Sorry, did I scare you? I just like it down here. I come down here sometimes, lay on the floor in the dark and masturbate.” She said matter-of-factly and without any hint of embarrassment.
“uhh.” Was all I could muster as an intelligent reply.
Heather didn’t seem to notice my clumsiness and continued, “Dark, dungeon places make me wet and I think you’re cute. Wanna fuck? There’s an old cot mattress over there that isn’t too dirty.”
Talk about being completely off guard. A dozen things went through my mind. Did I dare? What if one of the guys upstairs was her boyfriend or husband? Was she high, drunk, or worse, crazy? Was this a test or a trap?
Heather had already fished a condom package out of her pocket and was taking off her shorts when she noticed that I wasn’t moving. “Are you not into girls? It’s OK if you’re not, some of the guys are bi.”
“Heather,” I said slowly, “I think you’re really attractive, but I’m not used to fucking women I just met. Perhaps later.”
“OK,” she responded, obviously disappointed.
“I’m going back upstairs now, “I replied.
“I think I’ll stay down here and use my penis vibrator, I’m still horny. Are you sure you won’t change your mind? I like dicks a whole lot better than my dildos and vibrators!” she smiled. “No matter how hard I try, I have never been able to get off without at least a fake dick in me and I usually need a vibrator and a dildo. But a real dick, well that will get me off every time!”
“Sorry, I’m good.” I said and headed upstairs thinking “This woman has no verbal filters. I was also thinking, am I crazy for turning her down?”
But as I climbed the steps, my mind started going over what Heather said about the cellar turning her on. I did, after all, want to look at that wine cellar to see if it had possibilities. And Heather was definitely a possibility. A plan started to form.
Upstairs I got another surprise. As I went back into the kitchen to find Carl, I found Maggie, laying on the kitchen table, with her legs pulled up and spread; Mal was slurping away at her pussy. Mal didn’t miss a beat when I entered. Carl was still in the kitchen and saw me staring at the couple. “Oh, don’t mind them, this group is very open about sex. When we started this trip last year, we all agreed that there would be no jealousy, possessiveness or pairing up. Everybody does everybody, man. You want some? I think Heather was looking your way!”
“Yea, Heather followed me downstairs and uh, offered. But I wasn’t sure what the rules were or if she was, you know, attached,” I said.
“Rules,” Mal said from between Maggie’s legs, “the only rule is consent, ‘no means no,’ that sort of thing. But if somebody wants to do it with you, go for it man!”
About that time the woman Carl had introduced as Paula came into the kitchen and slapped Mal on the back of the head. “Don’t do that on the kitchen table, you know how juicy Maggie gets, it’s time for lunch.”
Cal leaned into me and whispered, “Paula’s a few years older than the rest of us and thinks she’s our house mother or something, but she’s a good lay!”
As Maggie got up off the table, giving Paula the finger, Paula looked at me and said, “You’re welcome to stay for lunch but we haven’t got much since Carl here hasn’t found many buyers for our stash. Some berries we picked this morning, some bread and half a jar of peanut butter.”
“No, I’m good,” I replied, “But I am curious what the group’s story is?”
“Oh, no story really,” Carl replied, ignoring Paula’s dig. “We all met in a cycling club in London and decided to take a break year and cycle around Greece and up the Adriatic Sea. We’ve been out for about six months now. We got this far but ran out of money a few weeks ago. Then we found this lovely old, abandoned house. We are hoping to find a way to make some cash and the locals are, for the most part, very nice but just not interested in hiring us to do odd jobs etc. It’s a bummer man because at this point, we don’t even have enough cash to get home. But I guess if we’re going to get stuck, this is a really nice place to be stuck in, nice climate, a roof over our heads, a little rocky beach just down the trail and lots of backroads to ride our bikes.
So what’s your story man?”
I was beginning to like these people, and I was also beginning to develop an idea of how I might entertain myself, and make use of the wine cellar, while I waited for my deceased cousin’s probate to clear. But first I needed to talk to my lawyer and make sure my ass was covered. Time to be honest with the group.
“That’s the thing, I own this chateau, or I will soon.” I explained.
“Well, it was fun while it lasted.” Paula said with disgust.
“Hea, man, we didn’t mean any harm. The place was, like, empty and deserted. We’ll be gone first thing in the morning. No need to call the cops or anything.”
“It’s OK, Carl, Paula. You don’t need to move out right now. I’ve inherited this place from a long-lost cousin and getting the will through probate will take months. Then I’ll have to put it on the market and sell it before I go back to the States. I’ll come back in a few days, and we’ll talk, for now I’ve got to go.”
“That’s super decent of you man!” Carl exclaimed. Paula added with a note of suspicion in her voice, “Yea, nice.”
“And how about if I pay you to clean up the front of the house, rip down all those vines, get the junk off the porch, make the place look a little nicer for when I sell it. Here’s a couple of hundred Euros to start with.” I said, handing Carl a wad of bills. “Go get some real food.”
As I walked out to my rented Land Rover, Paula looked at Carl, looked at the bills in his hand and said, “I’m not sure I trust him, Carl, I think I’d feel better if he had offered that money for me to suck his dick.”
“We both know you would have slapped him and sent him on his way.” Carl answered.
“Yea,” Paula replied, “but nobody tells you to stay in their house and hands you 200 Euros BEFORE a job unless they are up to something.”
“Ahhh, Paula, you’re so suspicious, chill out woman.”
On my next visit with my Attorney, I signed a bunch of papers the Attorney had prepared regarding Probate, then I had a few questions. “So, there are some people squatting out at the chateau. I think they will leave peaceably, but if they don’t leave if I ask them to, where does Croatian law stand on squatters.”
“OH, I’m so sorry Mr. Zagaroff. I didn’t know.” The attorney replied. “One phone call to the local constable and perhaps a 50 Euro ‘tip’ and he’ll knock them around a bit and send them on their way. I’ll make a call.”
“Please don’t do that yet,” I replied. “They are just young people from England cycling across the Baltic and they seem nice. They aren’t hurting anything and even promised to clean the grounds up a bit. I just want to make sure that legally, they don’t become a problem.”
“No, I don’t think that will be a problem, if you’re sure that’s what you want to do. Croatian law is more on the side of the landowner than in some other countries.”
I spent a few days running errands and buying a few things to support my ideas for my new guests. First, I arranged to have the power turned on at the chateau. Then I researched internet providers and found I could get a Mobile Hotspot from T-Mobile that would work in that area with decent speed. I bought a couple of Wi-Fi security cameras with night vision. I also bought a cassette toilet made for camping, a big, beefy high security padlock, a large tin bucket and a plastic, waterproof, single-size mattress cover.
With all the supplies in the back of the Land Rover I headed back to the chateau. On the way I stopped and bought several large Greek pizzas with spinach and feta and a case of local beer.
I was pleased to see, as I rolled up near lunchtime, that a good bit of work had been done in the yard. The old dead vines were completely off the side of the building, dead branches and trash had been collected from around the property and all piled near the gate. I would have to arrange for a roll off trash bin.
Reese was the first to spot me and came bounding out to my car, her ample breast bouncing freely under her t-shirt. “Heath’s here!” she shouted, prompting more faces to appear, some coming around the chateau from the back. I left most of the stuff in the car but handed Reese the pizza and I grabbed the beer, “I brought lunch! Let’s sit around under the tree out here and eat.”
I was counting on the pizza and beer to put everyone in a good mood and relax them. After a bit of small talk, I started, “OK, so I’ve consulted with my Attorney.”
“Oh shit!” Cradic blurted out, “that can’t be good.”
“Actually, it is good.” I replied. “He says that I have no liability if you stay here and that I can have the local law throw you out at any time, no problem. So that makes me completely comfortable with allowing you all to stay a bit longer.”
“That’s cool of you man!” Carl said as there were nods and smiles all around. “We’ve really come to like it here, the climate, the beach, the house.”
“Oh, there will be a price.” I continued. “I know you don’t have financial resources, so there won’t be money involved. But before I explain the price, let me tell you what I’m willing to do.”
Now everyone had stopped eating and was leaning in.
“You can stay here, rent free until you figure out what the group wants to do next, or until I ask you to leave. If I ask you to leave, I’ll give you a minimum of a weeks’ notice, as long as you follow my rules and hold up your end of the bargain, which I’ll explain in a minute. Break the rules or fail to keep your end of the bargain and you leave immediately. I’ve arranged to have the power back on tomorrow and I’ll pay the power bill for as long as you’re here. I’ve bought a Wi-Fi hotspot, so you’ll have internet and I’ll pay the bill. I’m having the roof fixed on Friday, so we won’t get any more water damage in the chateau. I wanted to fix the roof anyway to preserve what resale value there may be. The roofers will bring a big trash dumpster, by the way, that you can put all this yard trash in. I will also open an account at the town grocery store and pay a reasonable amount as long as you don’t buy lobster tails and T-bone steaks. Food, beer, wine, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. are all good.”
The smiles were fading as the group wondered what the price for all this was going to be. Paula took the lead, “And what do you want for this generosity? We aren’t doing anything illegal!”
“Hea, housemother, don’t be so harsh, let’s hear the man out.” Carl cut in.
“Nothing illegal. In fact, that’s one of the rules, nothing illegal. I’ll throw you out if you sell drugs. You can grow and consume yourselves, that’s legal in Croatia, but no selling – or ‘giving away pot if money is accidentally dropped.’ I smiled.
“Hasn’t worked out anyway.” Carl said sadly.
“I’ve observed,” I continued cautiously, “That this group is pretty liberal and non-judgmental, especially where sexual behavior is concerned. So, I’m comfortable telling you that I’m into BDSM and frequently attend play parties back in the States.”
Now Paula was really getting cautious, not because she had anything against BDSM, she’d had some experience obviously, but because she wasn’t ready to trade rent for bondage sex with this stranger. “So, you want to tie me up for rent?” She asked with an acid tone.
Time to drop the hammer, I thought, “No Paula, not you,” and looking directly at Heather he added, “I want to lock Heather in the cellar.”
Time seemed to stand still; I realized I was holding my breath. Everything was quiet as the group let this sink in. Then Heather said: “That’s SO HOT!” and the tension was broken.
I could tell that both Carl and Paula were about to start in on me, so I jumped in quickly, “Before you start with the questions or objections, let me explain my entire idea. Then I’m going to leave and let you all discuss it – especially with Heather.
Here’s what I propose.
If everyone agrees, because I’m all about consent, we lock Heather, naked, in the wine cellar part of the basement.”
“Well of course she’s naked!” said Paula sarcastically.
“Shut up Paula and let him talk!” Heather exclaimed to everyone’s surprise.
“The key to the large padlock I purchased will stay on a nail upstairs in the kitchen so she can be let out by anyone at any time. She can be released if there is an emergency or if anyone in the group just doesn’t like where this is going.” As I said this I was looking directly at Paula.
“BUT, if Heather is let out, for ANY reason, the deal is over, and you all move out the next morning or I call the law. I bought a waterproof clear mattress cover for that old mattress down there that we can put in the cell. I also bought a camping toilet along with the sink that is already down there.
You all will have to be responsible for feeding Heather, emptying the toilet every few days and generally ensuring her health and safety.”
I continued, “Nothing that I don’t pre-authorize can be in the Cellar with her. She can have toilet paper, bar soap and a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste. No silverware, even plastic, no hard plates, only paper, which means you will have to consider what she can eat with her hands. She can drink water from the sink. Absolutely NO entertainment, no phone, no tablet, no books, magazines, music, TV.”
“That’s harsh,” Cradic said, “You trying to kill her with boredom?”
“Yea, and what do you get out of this?” Paula asked, still sounding very negative.
I didn’t directly answer, instead continued, “She also can’t have ANY sex toys or anything that might be improvised into a sex toy – like a hairbrush. And none of you may provide her sexual stimulation of any kind.”
“OH! Now I get it,” protective Paula spat out, “you want to exclusively fuck her!”
“Actually Paula,” I answered, “I plan to get most of my ‘payment’ from watching. I have two Wi-Fi security cameras in the car that I’ll set up in the basement so I can watch anytime I want. And I can watch recorded videos fast forward to look for infractions of the rules. But if Heather decides that she would like to have sex with me, she can always beg me.”
All eyes turned to Heather who was just sitting cross legged and grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
“OK,” I finished, “If a few of you will help me unload the toilet, cameras, and mattress cover, I’ll be on my way. I’m sure you have a lot to discuss, and I’ll leave you to your group meeting. I’ll be back mid-morning tomorrow to meet the roofers so you can give me your answer then. You can either agree with the terms or you should be packing up to leave. This is take it or leave it, not a negotiation.”
After I left, the group gathered in the chateau’s main living room.
“That bastard, thinking he can just lock Heather up as his personal play toy!” Paula spat.
“Yea, he seemed so nice the other day.” Tim said.
“Well, it is a pretty nice offer – rent, power, Wi-Fi, food until we can get our situation figured out.” Carl said.
“I suppose,” said Reese, “But he’s presuming a lot of Heather – and why her?”
“I think she came on to him that first day when he went to the basement to look around.” Mal added.
“Speaking of Heather,” Paula said looking around, “Where the hell is she?”
“I bet I know,” Maggie said as she got up and headed to the stairs.
The rest of the group followed her down the stairs and across the basement where first they found Heather’s simple sun dress crumpled on the floor, then they found Heather, sitting cross legged and naked, in the near dark, in the middle of the wine cellar.
“What the hell Heather?” Paula said.
“Isn’t it obvious Paula,” Maggie explained, “that Heath guy understands Heather better than we do.”
“Can I have a little privacy please, I hope you all agree to Heath’s deal and if so, this may be the last orgasm I have in a while,” Heather said quietly as she picked her penis vibe off the floor next to her.
The group turned and filed out of the cellar. As they went back upstairs Carl said again, “Well, it is a pretty sweet deal.”
“Yea, Reese said, “and if Heather’s into it… ”
“I’m good with it,” added Tim.
“So, it’s decided then?” asked Maggie.
Carl looked at Paula who didn’t show any emotion or reaction. She walked into the kitchen where all the stuff from Heath’s Land Rover had been deposited and tore open the package with the new padlock. She hung the keys on a nail in the kitchen wall that must have once supported a picture. As she headed back downstairs, she yelled at Carl, “Well, somebody better read the instructions on that Toilet.”
Nobody moved. After a few minutes Paula came back upstairs carrying the penis vibe and Heather’s dress.
Maggie, who was Heather’s closest friend in the group, couldn't help but ask, “Umm, did she finish already?”
“NO,” Paula blurted out, and she’s not going to!”
“What?” Paula asked when she realized everyone was looking at her, “if she wants to do this she might as well start paying our rent right now!”
“Sounds like you’re mad at her,” Carl said quietly.
Paula thought for a while, “I think she should have stayed upstairs and talked it out with us. I think it’s demeaning and misogynistic. But if she wants this so badly then let her have it. But hear me! We are going to take care of her, and we are NOT going to let that bastard hurt her, agreed!”
“Agreed,” the group mumbled.
“AGREED!” Paula screamed!
“Agreed,” said the group more enthusiastically.
“Well, is someone going to get that toilet unpacked and downstairs or what?” Paula said. “I’ll get her toothbrush and some soap for you to take down.”
And so, Heather spent her first night locked in the wine cellar. When Paula had come back downstairs Heather had been really, really close to an orgasm. So close that she didn’t hear Paula coming until the iron bars flew open with a bang and Paula grabbed the vibe right out from between her legs. She then slapped Heather hard, spun around and slammed the bars. It took Heather’s brain a few seconds to realize that clicking sound was a lock. Then the light went out.