by Holly Ardent
“Oh hell yeah I know it. I make sure she knows I think that way too. By the way, what happened with that chick I pointed out last time?”
Allan blushed.
“Oh, I... um... hired her for the night, but wasn't too impressed.”
“Not to your taste?”
“She had this attitude that brought me down hard. So, I got my rocks off and sent her away.”
“You really need to find a woman Allan. I bet if you actually looked, you'd have no problem finding one. You're not ugly, you're well off, what more could a woman want?”
He mumbled something.
“What?” I said.
“Maybe a guy who can actually talk to her without tripping over his tongue?”
“You're just fine once you get to know them. All you need to do is start talking to them like they're one of your vendors, or a customer or something.”
“Yeah, but that's business. It's different.”
I shook my head.
“Well, I don't know what to tell you. I think you'd do fine if you just tried.”
“I can't, you know that.”
“Don't be surprised if I try to send some appropriate women your way. Assuming I meet some and get the chance of course.”
Allan shook his head.
“Thanks a lot,” he muttered, then turned and left.
The guards opened the door when Allan got over near them. One of them moved outside with Molly following him. As customers trickled into the market, I watched the guard move the job seekers aside. Then Molly slipped him the orange and spoke to him. He nodded in agreement, but gestured in a way that suggested he wanted to wait a few minutes first.
After that I couldn't watch any more. I had customers coming by and had to keep my attention on them.
An hour or so later, Molly came back to the table. She was grinning, so I thought that she'd probably been successful.
“So, how'd it go?” I asked.
“Assuming she doesn't just take off, I've got one lined up. I gave her a silver dime to seal the deal and she's supposed to meet up with us when we leave.”
I gestured for her to go on.
“What else do you want to know?” she asked.
“What's she look like? What's her name? That kind of thing.”
“Her name is Rita. The rest of it will be a surprise later on. Although I think you'll want to wait until she gets cleaned up and into some fresh clothes before you make any sort of judgment call. She's not exactly at her best and she knows it. She feels pretty bad about it too. Hell, we probably could've gotten her for the first month just by offering food, shelter, a shower, and one new set of clothes.”
I knew Molly would do something to get back at me for this morning, I thought. I'm glad it's more of a tease this time than anything else. At least she gets to feel like she's in control now.
The day passed very slowly. I eyed all the women who came past my stall, wondering if any of them were this Rita. When it came time for the market to close, I packed up quickly. Molly was near the front of the store again, looking outside. When I was finished, I pushed the cart over to her.
“She split, did she?” I asked.
Molly's tone was defensive when she replied. I knew that meant she was worried that I might be right.
“I don't see her out front, but that doesn't mean anything,” she said.
“Well, let's head out. We'll see if she's there.”
The guards unlocked the door and let us out. Molly looked around the immediate area, then sighed. I didn't say a word.
We started walking out of the parking lot, but before we'd made it to the road, I heard footsteps behind us. I snatched up the shotgun and spun around, flicking the safety off.
A woman stood there, wide-eyed. The color drained out of her face as she stared down the barrel of the shotgun. Molly reached over and pushed the barrel down.
“Rita, where were you?”
“I thought you said you were going out the other way. Since I'd bought some food, and didn't want anyone to steal it, I was around that side of the building.”
I looked Rita over while they talked. Her clothing was literally rags, layers and layers of them. I saw where they'd been stitched together or fastened with safety pins. From what I could see, she was fairly pale with a touch of freckles. Her hair was dark brown. A lanky, oily dark brown that might be much lighter after it was clean. She looked to be in her early forties, but I knew that I might be guessing wrong. I never was good at guessing ages. She was dirty, clad in rags, and constantly looking down after that first moment when she'd met my eyes.
I put the safety back on and let the bungee cord pull the shotgun back to its rest on the handle of the cart.
“Sorry, about that,” I said. “I wasn't expecting anyone behind us.”
“See, I told you he could keep you safe,” Molly said. “If you're with us, he'll do the same to defend you.”
“Like I told you, that hasn't been a problem,” Rita said. “When you look like you've got nothing and no-one can really see what you look like, they tend to leave you alone.”
“Yes, but you said you hated doing that.”
“I do, but I can keep it up if necessary.”
“It isn't necessary dear,” Molly said. “If you want to take us up on the offer, then you won't have to do that any more.”
“I'd like to hear that from Tim,” Rita said. “For what you offered, his opinion's going to matter as much as yours.”
“I know what Molly and I talked about,” I said. “If that's the case, then I trust her judgment. At the very least we'll get you cleaned up and fed, give you a roof overhead for the night. But I want to reserve anything else for after you've cleaned up.”
Rita looked at me for a moment before dropping her gaze. She glanced at her rags before her eyes shifted to the pavement again.
“That sounds reasonable,” she said. “I suppose you want to see what you'll get before saying anything else.”
“To be honest? Yes,” I said. “Although the fact that you felt the need to make yourself unattractive suggests that it won't be a problem. That you figured out a way to do it tells me you're not dumb either. That's a big plus in my book.”
Rita glanced sideways at Molly.
“I told you he might surprise you,” Molly said.
“Shall we get going? The sooner we're home, the sooner we can finalize the deal,” I said.
I'd already decided that even if she was average looking, she'd get to stay. Like I said, I trusted Molly to know what I'd find attractive. I'd rather have a smart, average-looking woman than a dumb, bombshell any day of the week and Rita appeared as though she had the intelligence to make up for a lot.
Molly was smart and attractive. I wasn't counting on finding that combination a second time in Rita, but with Molly as involved in the sex as I was sure she intended, brains and average looks would work out just fine.
We got home with no difficulty and Molly immediately took over.
“Tim, go put the overstock away. Don't get the girls yet though. Let's let Rita get cleaned up before she has to deal with them. You know they'll be all over her.”
I nodded and looked at Rita.
“They probably need to get out more, meet more people. They don't see lots of new people, so when they do they're very excited about it.”
I pushed the cart up the driveway, following Molly and Rita. They headed for the house, while I went into the garage to store the cart and my remaining merchandise.
By the time I got into the house Rita was already in the shower. Molly was rummaging through a box of clothes we kept that were either close to worn out, or just didn't fit anyone in the house any more.
“I found her an old skirt I used to wear that should fit her, but all the shirts in here are almost rags,” she said. “Do you mind if I give her one of your t-shirts? I'll pick one you've almost worn out.”
“Go ahead,” I said.
I wasn't too worried about the s
hirt. Buying t-shirts in bulk was one of the preparations I'd made before things fell apart so I could replace it without a problem. Even if I couldn't Molly was a good enough seamstress that she could make a replacement if we had the cloth. Since we tried not to throw any clothing away until it had been completely worn out, there was plenty there to work with.
Rita was in the shower for about twenty minutes. As soon as Molly heard the shower turn off she bustled into the bathroom, carrying the clothes she'd picked out. A few minutes later the door opened again. Molly came out first, followed by Rita.
The fact that I'd never been very good at estimating ages lessened my surprise. All cleaned up, Rita looked to be in her mid-thirties. The dirt and her posture had completely fooled me, which was probably the intent of the condition she'd been in. Her hair was still dark brown. Soaking wet, it looked almost black. But what caught my eye was her breasts.
Molly had given her one of my white t-shirts, and apparently someone had been none to careful about drying Rita's torso. The shirt clung to her torso, emphasizing her breasts and the fact that they weren't covered by a bra. They were larger than I thought she would have been able to hide under the rags she'd been wearing, and her nipples were magnificent. The latter was aided by the fact that we normally kept the house fairly cool.
Whether from the cold or something else, they stood tall and hard, tenting the t-shirt out from the tips of her breasts. If looks were any indication, they were at least as large as Molly's, maybe bigger if they weren't all the way hard at the moment. I caught myself staring, but what was more embarrassing was that Rita caught me staring.
The motion as Molly bumped Rita with her hip drew my attention. Molly stage whispered to her.
“Told ya.”
And I knew that it'd been intentional. Molly knows what I like and she was evidently coaching Rita.
Since I'd managed to tear my eyes away from her tits, I studied Rita's face. She wasn't ugly, far from it, but she wasn't classically beautiful either. She had the 'girl next door' attractiveness going for her, especially with the freckles. The freckles were much more numerous than I'd thought at first, the ones I hadn't seen must have been hiding under the dirt she wore as a disguise.
I nodded my approval. Molly noticed and caught my eye. She looked down at Rita's legs, which were completely exposed beneath the skirt. I followed and saw that her legs were muscular and well shaped. If the rest of her matched her legs, I'd have no problem with her staying on, even if Molly didn't want to be involved in our sex (fat chance there).
Molly nudged Rita again.
“So, do I pass inspection?” Rita asked.
I stood up, adjusting the erection that had sprung up while I stared at her nipples.
“With flying colors,” I said. “At least the visual one.”
“The visual one? What other inspections will I have to pass?” she asked.
“Well, definitely a tactile one. Probably an attitude or enthusiasm one as well. You already passed the intelligence one.”
“He's picky, isn't he?” Rita asked Molly.
“I told you that dear. I also told you that I didn't think he'd have any problems with you. If what you told me earlier is true, I'm pretty sure that attitude and enthusiasm won't be a problem either. I'm sure his tactile test is just an excuse to feel you up as soon as he can.”
Rita blushed at Molly's bluntness. I chuckled.
“You caught me,” I said. “It's all a ploy to see if her nipples are all the way hard right now or if they'll get bigger and harder when I play with them.”
Molly laughed out loud. Rita looked from one of us to the other, then back again.
“You two are crazy, but it seems like a good crazy, at least good for me,” she said.
“Hopefully good for all of us,” Molly replied.
Rita glanced between the two of us again and shook her head.
“Well, since there's only one test in question, I think I'd better get it out of the way, no?”
She walked over beside the chair I was in and dropped to her knees. When she thrust her chest out at me I wasn't about to resist. My fingers went to her nipples and started squeezing and tugging. A minute later I knew that her nipples would get larger than Molly's. I also knew that I'd spend a lot of time playing with them. She reacted very well to my stimulation of them. As I played with her nipples, her breath quickened and her face flushed.
“Oh good,” Molly said, “I think you passed that test as well.”
Rita's head snapped around as though she'd forgotten that Molly was even there. I reluctantly let go of her nipples and stood up.
“Well, I certainly can't wait to go to bed tonight,” I said, glancing down at Rita lecherously. “So Molly, do you want to start dinner or go get the girls?”
“I'll go over and get the girls. You two can chat while I do.”
Molly slipped out the front door. I headed for the kitchen, waving for Rita to follow.
“So, what did you tell Molly that makes her think that attitude and enthusiasm won't be a problem?”
Rita, whose face had almost regained its normal color, flushed again.
“Um...”
“Come on, I'm sure to find out soon enough.”
“I told her that I was very sensitive, sexually.”
“That's all?” I asked.
“Well, I also told her that I didn't think the bed warmer part of the job was actually work, that it seemed more like a fringe benefit to me.”
I turned to look at her and she'd ducked her head, hiding her face behind her hair.
“A woman after my own taste,” I replied. “Do me a favor, fill that pot with water and put it on the stove, would you?”
I rummaged through the cupboard, pulling out a pre-mixed package of dehydrated soup fixings. Anytime we had a few surplus vegetables, I'd dry some out and make more of the mix. It made for easy dinners and also filled out my market stock when I was a little light on the fresh produce. It also, when dried all the way, stayed good for years.
“Vegetable-beef soup sound okay to you?” I asked.
Rita looked at me oddly.
“Why would you care what I think?” she asked. “I'm just the help.”
“Nah, with what Molly was talking about, I'll probably end up thinking of you as family. Kind of like a junior wife.”
Once again, she ducked her head to hide behind her hair. Her voice was slightly muffled when she answered.
“Vegetable-beef is fine, great even.”
I poured the mix into the water and turned it up to a boil. When I looked around again, she wasn't hiding her face any more, but I'd swear her eyes were slightly red and there was moisture on her cheeks just below them.
Huh, there's something there, I thought. I don't think I'll push to find the answer though. If she cried over a little statement like that, I don't want to think about how she'd react to probing questions.
The silence stretched out, broken only by the sound of the boiling water, until it was nearly uncomfortable. Then the front door opened and I heard the sound of my daughters racing through the house.
“Hi!” Kate said, “Mom says you're going to live with us?”
Becky, the more clingy of the two, examined Rita for a moment. She nodded her head once, then walked over, without saying a word, and wrapped her arms around Rita's waist.
Rita had been watching Kate and was completely taken off guard by Becky's actions. Her mouth was open to answer Kate when she felt Becky's arms. She glanced down and saw my youngest daughter enfold her in a hug and lean her head against Rita's stomach.
A look of shock flashed across her face. She glanced back up at Kate, down at Becky again, then gently broke out of Becky's hug and vanished in a flash, headed for the bathroom she'd showered in earlier on.
Molly and I stared at one another. She shook her head, shrugged, and raised one hand with its palm facing up.
“I have no idea,” she said, answering my unspoken question as to what tha
t was all about.
“Don't look at me. Although I think she teared up a bit earlier on while we were talking. It was after I said something about thinking of her as more like family than the help.”
“Mom, dad, is she okay?” Kate asked. “That was more than a little weird.”
“You know how some people act funny sometimes now? How some people have problems related to how their life fell apart? The problems that they can't or haven't dealt with?” I asked her in return. “I think we might have stumbled onto a sore spot for her. From the looks of things it has something to do with family.”
And that could be a problem, I thought. Maybe I won't be able to avoid those probing questions.
“You mean like those crazy people we've seen at the market? The ones who are living in the past and refuse to understand that thing have changed?” Kate said.
I love the fact that my daughters are both smart. It leads me to believe that if anything happens to me they'll be okay afterward. It doesn't hurt that both of them have learned a lot about self-sufficiency by helping out with everything Molly and I do.
“Exactly honey,” I said. “Some people have mostly gotten over things, but still have land mines that get tripped up from time to time. I think we just found one of Rita's.”
“So the squirt tripped one of her land mines?” Kate said.
“Don't call your sister that. You know she hates it, and if you'd looked first you'd see that she's almost crying already.”
“I didn't mean to scare her daddy,” Becky said, fighting back tears. “I was just trying to be friendly. She looked like she needed a hug so I gave her one.”
“Don't worry. It isn't your fault. She cried a little earlier when I mentioned family. I think you might have reminded her about family ties even more than my comment did.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Becky asked.
That's a good question and I wish I knew the answer. At least we know she's not emotionally devoid like some people are now. I'd even bet that if we can help her with whatever is bothering her that she'll bond even more strongly with us.
“I think so,” I said. “But we might have to help her with that, okay?”
Becky nodded and Kate looked at me.
“How?” Kate asked.
