Later that afternoon...

Chapter Two

John stepped up to the door, a small box under one hand and a key in the other, wondering if he had the right address. The house loomed above him and looked more like a Villa than the townhouse which had been described to him. It was two storeys high, wider than any other house on the street, and ringed by two metre high stone walls which dulled the noise of cars passing the street. It was serene. It reminded him of the photos he’d seen of Mediterranean Villas. Lovingly crafted gardens did little to hide the flowing white walls, large windows, and Greek décor, with busts scattered about the lawns. He swore he could smell the ocean. Outside the walls of the place trees lined the streets forming a canopy over the road, creating a magical forest feel for the area.

‘Are you sure this is the right place, John?’ Adriana asked behind him.

John glanced back at her and saw the same awestruck look on his face mirrored on her. ‘I was just thinking the same thing. Maybe it’s a large share-house and I’ve got nine housemates?’

‘Maybe…’ Adriana agreed reluctantly, ‘the busts are a little odd, but not a dealbreaker.’

John agreed and turned back to open the front door. His housemate, Diana Prince, had given him the key when she interviewed him two days. He still couldn’t believe his luck. His old apartment burnt down when his old housemate left the Iron on and face down on the ironing board. His job hunt hadn’t been going well and with little savings left and no family to turn to, he was almost about to ask his girlfriend, Adriana, if he should ask her mum for a loan, when the call came that Diana and her sisters were looking for a housemate and he came recommended from a mutual friend.

God bless you, Barbara! John thought to himself when he first met Diana. She asked to meet him in a cafe in the area he now lived in Gateway city. He wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but when he met Diana, he was floored she was offering him a spot. Diana was a tall, bespectacled, statuesque raven-haired woman with a firmer handshake than most men John had ever met. John tried not to gawk at how beautiful she was and focused on presenting a good image to gain a place to stay. Even if it was short term.

Diana was warm, kind and offered to pay for their meals as they spoke. She understood his position. When he asked how, she smiled her disarming smile, gently slid her glasses back into position and said Barbara had explained what had happened and what he was looking for. How Barbara knew, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to second guess this opportunity in front. Diana asked him a couple of questions, his school background, family, and what he was hoping for. It was simple and bland and he was honest. University educated from a scholarship, orphan, and a place to get back on his feet after the fire had destroyed everything he had previously owned.

Diana smiled, thanked him for meeting so quickly and offered him his own room, fully furnished at no extra cost for three months so he could get back on his feet. He was floored and asked why.

‘We’re all about helping people when we can. And to be honest, we’re looking forward to having the housemate experience. We’ve always lived together as a family and it’s about time we opened ourselves up to a new experience.’ Diana said with an award-winning and disarming smile.

John accepted readily and sent Barbara a thank you email. As he approached the front door, house keys in hand and a box of recovered, if slightly singed, items in the other, he was a little unsure what he was getting himself in for.

The door unlocked easily and swung open. John hesitated a moment before stepping through the threshold and into what would hopefully be a better household than the last. As he held the door open for Adriana to step through, he heard footsteps approaching and stood a little straighter to present himself to a housemate.

A literal goddess in short shorts and tank top stepped out from behind a door and greeted them. She was tall, taller than him easily. She was barefoot, with long smooth legs, toned arms, raven locks and blue eyes greeted him. John almost tripped on the door mat as he stared in disbelief at how gorgeous this woman. She smiled at him and Adriana and introduced herself as Donna, Diana’s sister.

Her sister? Do all their family look like them?!

John stammered a hello and tried to not gawk at her. She had to be the single most beautiful person he had ever seen. He was awestruck, and he hoped Adriana wasn’t looking at him.

Adriana is gonna kill me!

‘Careful there, sailor, you might get burned if you look too closely at the sun,’ the woman said playfully.

He blushed and looked away, chagrined for staring so blatantly.

‘Oh… ah… sorry about that.’ He recovered. He held out his free hand to introduce himself. ‘I'm John and this is my girlfriend Adriana.’ He indicated Adriana next to him, who, to John’s relief, looked just as awestruck as him. ‘I guess we’re housemates…?’

‘We sure are!’ Donna said, shaking his hand. Her handshake was just as firm as her sister Diana. ‘The name’s Donna. My sisters Diana and Artemis live here as well. We’re your housemates for the next three months!’ She said cheerfully.

‘John…’ Adriana warned.

John shivered at the tone in her voice. He had heard that before and did not want to get into a fight in front of his housemates straight away.

Best to plough on ahead and hope for the best!

He asked Donna to show him to his room and scurried after her, feeling Adriana's eyes bore into the back of him all the way. Donna, for her part, seemed oblivious to the heated daggers Adriana was sending him and cheerfully rattled off whose room was whom, the basic layout of the place and the plans her sister was making for tonight. Diana was intent on ordering pizza for everyone for their first night together as housemates apparently.

‘And these are your two rooms.’ Donna finished indicating the last two rooms of the first storey corridor.

‘Two!?’ John exclaimed.

‘Yes. We each get two rooms.’

‘I… I’ve never had two rooms before...’

Donna laughed softly and it was music to his ears. ‘You’ll get used to it. Come on, let me introduce you to Artemis. Don’t worry, Diana is here too. They’re downstairs in the gym testing the new equipment.’

John nodded mutely, dropped the box of his only remaining personal belongings on his bed and followed Donna and Adriana out of the room. Adriana, it seemed, had decided to interrogate Donna subtlety about what she did, her sisters, and if they were all seeing anyone.

‘I’m a photographer. Ya know, landscapes, weddings, fashion shoots etc. My second room is a small studio for me to work in. Diana works for Wonder Woman at the embassy here. Artemis does as well, as security not as an assistant to Wonder Woman.’ Donna answered guiding them downstairs, through the kitchen and spacious lounge room, which was the size of his old apartment, John noted when they walked through, to the door with GYM labelled on it.

Donna held the door for them and ushered them inside and John, again, tried not to gawk. There was Diana from the cafe, no longer in the business attire of a buttoned up white shirt and black pencil skirt, which did nothing to hide how attractive she was, in similar attire to Donna. Black short shorts, which curved with the roundness of her behind, and a tank top which showed off her toned frame. She had a slight sweat on her as she dropped the barbell from her deadlift and turned to face him and Adriana.

The other person in the room made for an interesting sight. She too was tall, taller than John and Adriana. A statuesque red headed woman, in a matching outfit to Donna and Diana. She was currently giving the punching bad the beating off a lifetime. Her feet looked as if they barely touched the ground. She had two sweatbands on, one for each arm, and a generous amount of sweat built up on her. John was reminded of the MMA fighters he’d seen online, gorgeous and deadly. A strangely arousing combination he didn’t want to explore. She stopped her routine when she caught sight of him and Adriana gawking at her.

‘John!’ Diana greeted with a small shout. She wiped her hands on a towel nearby and John could have sworn angels were singing when she flashed a smile at him. She quickly moved over, greeted Adriana warmly, telling her she was welcome in their home anytime, one sister to another, and then gave him a long, tight hug.

John would have protested but Diana moved faster, and held him tighter, than he thought she could. She was soft, if a little sweaty, and the feel of her breasts pressed up against him and how safe he suddenly felt, was disarming. He patted her back gently and prayed to whatever God was listening that Adriana could see he wasn’t being overly friendly with them.

‘Welcome to your home for the next few months.’ Diana started, releasing him from their embrace. ‘You’ve met Donna, she’s my younger sister. The surly one by the punching bag is Artemis.’

Artemis didn’t come over to greet him. She eyed him wearily and gave the punching bag a final, deadly punch.

John understood the message loud and clear.

‘She’s not normally so grouchy.’ Diana offered. ‘She’s just a little tired from a busy day at work.’

‘Okay,’ John agreed quickly and didn’t bother to look at Artemis. He knew full well what she would do if he crossed her.

‘Now, you must have something to unpack. We’ll let you go and get comfortable. I’ve ordered some pizzas for later tonight. Should be here in over an hour. It will be our first house dinner together! It’ll be a great chance to get to know each other!’ Diana said.

‘Yeah, no worries. Adriana and I will go do that.’ He glanced at Adriana and she was nodding along and looking at him funnily. ‘I might take a quick nap before I come down. It’s been a stressful week.’

‘I’ll come get you when the pizzas are here.’ Diana offered with a smile.

John thanked her and left the gym, taking Adriana with him.

‘Well that was interesting.’ Adriana said when they entered his room.

‘I swear i didn’t know that they’d look like that!’ He said immediately.

Adriana laughed at him. ‘Don’t worry John I'm not mad. I was at first, even more so when I saw Diana, and the hug she gave you. But when i saw Artemis, i knew it wasn’t going to be a problem. The daggers she was sending you made it loud and clear what would happen if you tried something.’

‘I wouldn’t!’ John protested.

Adriana laughed lightly at him. ‘I know, babe, I know. But it made this easier for us both. Besides, it’s only temporary. And if you’re feeling a little threatened by her, don’t worry I can come over and spend the night to keep you safe…’

‘You’d keep the big bad scary woman away from me?’

Adriana laughed again and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. ‘I’m sure we can think of something that would let her know you’re a one woman kind of guy…’

John blushed and kissed Adriana, enjoying the brief moment of bliss as they explored each other's mouths. He pulled her closer in excitement, sliding one hand up into her hair and the other down to her arse. She pushed him away after a moment and giggled.

‘Not tonight, I have dinner with my mother and you have pizza with your new housemates. Try not to get too scared by the big bad Artemis…’ She said before leaving.

John stood at his window and watched her leave. The front gate, a heavy wooden thing, closed behind her sealing himself inside. He was alone. He sighed in relief and threw himself onto his new bed. A queen, the biggest bed he’d ever had. It was soft and the bedding felt expensive. He rolled over and hoped for a refreshing nap…