Chapter 3

"I'm Jimmy. Jimmy Martinez," he smiled as the waitress brought their order.

"I am Maria Montoya," she replied timidly.

"Where you from?" he asked, amused as she wolfed down the burger and fries, obviously not having eaten in some time.

"Fajardo, a small town on the eastern end of Puerto Rico."

Jimmy's family had migrated four generations ago so he had never been to the island, but he still felt a close affinity to his heritage.

"What brings a beautiful girl like you to the States?"

Her eyes cast downward and he read pain in her expression.

"I... I was married, but several months ago, there was a flood and my husband was killed trying to help rescue a small child."

"What about family?"

"All dead except the cousin I was coming to live with." Again there was fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "With no money and no job, I can't even return to the island."

"What made you want to work for Pedro?"

"On the boat, when my money was stolen, I asked one of the crewmen for help. He gave me Pedro's address and said he would give me a job."

"Do you have any idea what kind of job Pedro would offer you?"

"I... yes," she answered, her voice dropping to near inaudibility. "Please, I have never done anything like that before, but I was desperate."

"Look, why don't you stay at my place, at least until you can find a job and afford a place of your own."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to..."

"Hey, you're not asking, I'm offering. Tell you what, let me make one quick stop and then I'll take you on a tour of the city. Ever been to New York before?"

She nodded negatively. "This is the first time I have ever left Puerto Rico."

"Well, Maria, welcome to America," he smiled picking up the check. "Since it's close by, why don't we start with the Statue of Liberty?"

The day was wondrous for Maria. Having barely been out of her village before coming to New York, the sights were spectacular and she was overwhelmed by Jimmy's generosity even though the attractions they visited were all free.

"Why do you do this for me?" she asked.

"Because you seem like a very sweet person," answered the ever more self confident young man. "Everybody needs some help now and then. Besides, it doesn't hurt that you're also about the prettiest girl I've ever seen.

She blushed. "How old are you Jimmy?"

"Twenty."

"Compared to you, I am an old woman."

"Come on. You can't be more than..."

"I am thirty-six. Old enough to be..."

"One very foxy lady," he finished for her, smiling.

"You are kind, but..."

"But nothing. Any guy would be proud to walk down the street with you on his arm -- proud to call you his woman."

Again she reddened. "I am just a simple woman from a small village."

"You, Maria, are a beautiful woman no matter where you're from. Now eat up. We've got some more sights to see."

She smiled and he nearly melted. It was a damned good thing Pedro hadn't got hold of her. She'd have been ruined in no time. As it was, Pedro's bad luck was his own good fortune. When she excused herself to visit the ladies room, he watched her body move lithely across the floor of the diner, felt the sudden jerk between his legs as he ogled her swaying hips.

The next few hours were even more exhilarating as Jimmy provided a running narration, compete with fabricated embellishments, about the tourist sights in the Big Apple. His funds, as always, were a bit low, but he had enough to spring for a ferry ride and then topped off the evening with a carriage ride through Central Park.

"I need to stop in here for just a moment," he said as they neared the entrance to a small bar where he often booked his bets. He had bet fifty on the Bulls despite not getting the odds he liked, but decided to check on his bet now that the game would be over. Spotting the overweight bookie, "Sprits", at a back table, he made his way through the narrow aisle, Maria in hand.

The obese, greasy haired man looked up with disgust. "So, here to collect I guess."

"You mean... ?" started Jimmy smiling.

"Yeah, the Bulls lost in overtime, but you made the spread."

The young man was elated. His luck lately had been bad, but despite owing rent, he had placed the wager against his own best judgment. The spread had been only two points, but down by four, a reserve Chicago guard had thrown in a hail Mary from mid court at the buzzer. Jimmy was all smiles as Sprits took the envelope from his pocket and laid it inconspicuously on the table. Picking it up Jimmy turned to his companion.

"See, you're my good luck charm!"

They both shared broad smiles.

"Who's the cunt?" asked Sprits.

Embarrassed and not exactly sure how to answer, Jimmy looked to Maria then back to Sprits, his mouth open but nothing issuing forth.

"I am... his woman!" answered Maria defiantly, taking JImmy's arm and pulling it around her waist.

"You farming her out? I might like a little piece of that," said the bookie reaching to grope her. But Maria stepped back and Jimmy intervened.

"No man, it isn't like that," he replied, backing away to leave.

"Well, if you change your mind..." said Sprits as the couple made their way from the bar.

"What an ugly man," she commented as they began walking.

"Oh, Sprits? That was really just his way of paying you a compliment."

"I am sorry," she said quietly.

"Sorry? For what?"

"For what I said back there. I had no right..."

"You mean about being my woman? Hey, it's okay." He glanced at her attractive figure then caught her eye. "Far as I'm concerned it wouldn't be a bad idea at all. How about it Maria?"

"But... but I hardly even know you. How... ?"

"Sometimes you just have a feel for things. Like you being lucky for me. I knew those odds were terrible when I took that bet, yet the moment I met you I knew you were good for me and sure enough, the bet paid off."

"But..." His arm went around her. She still wasn't sure about the wisdom of such a sudden decision, but Jimmy's strong arm felt good and, after all, he was the first person who had treated her kindly at all. She missed a male relationship, the humor, the long talks and the physical intimacy. She didn't really know this man at all, yet he had been good to her and was offering her a place to stay. She might be from a small town, but she knew what he was offering... and the price. She had been with no other man than Ricardo, her husband, and suddenly felt fearful that she wasn't experienced enough for such a man as Jimmy, young though he was, for despite his youth, he projected the aura of a young man very worldly in such matters. She was filled with trepidation, but without money and nowhere else to go, what options did she have? "Are... are you sure I am... ? I mean I've never been with anyone other than Ricardo and..."

He smiled. "With a body like that, you couldn't help but please a man. Besides, I'm a very good teacher." They arrived at his apartment house and climbed the steps. to the front door.

"Jimmy, you have been very kind, but..."

"Come on up and have a drink. Then you can decide whether you want to take me up on the offer."

Reluctantly she agreed and they proceeded to his small and spartanly furnished apartment where he poured drinks and they sat on the well worn couch. For the next hour or so they traded life stories, hers growing up in the small village in Puerto Rico, working at the local market, meeting the handsome Ricardo at a dance and their marrying only two months later. They had wanted children, but none had been forthcoming. A happy, if simple life together and then the flood. She fell silent.

He related growing up in the streets, never knowing his father, his mother working in a sewing factory to make ends meet. He seemed to rather enjoy her unease as he described many of his sexual conquests starting in junior high and progressing from there. She was at first shocked, then awed to hear of his carnal exploits. Ricardo had been very loving, but also very conventional in his lovemaking. They seldom strayed from the missionary position and now here was this admittedly good looking young man describing threesomes, foursomes and more as well as positions she had never even heard of, let alone practiced. Even when she took into account that some of what he was telling her was no doubt just bravado for her benefit, she had to admit, he did seem too self assured and confident for it all to be a fabrication.

And there was an attraction she could not deny. His easy smile was disarming and he was charming, in his own way, kidding and laughing and making her forget her troubles as he kept her spellbound with one of his adventures after another, most of them involving sex.

"If you have so many girlfriends," she smiled coyly, "why would you be attracted to an old married woman from a small village?"

"Ah, but you are no longer married, and some of the best lovers I have ever had were married at the time. Many times a married women has more to offer than a single one."

"How so?"

"Often a married woman has learned a great deal about how to please a man."

"And sometimes they do not know very much about..."

"Ah, ah, but they are eager to learn as well as to teach. And their passions... their passions are more fiery."

"And why would that be?"

"Sometimes because they are desperate for something new, something very different, and often they are looking for more than a tumble in bed."

"But you aren't."

"I offer a woman romance. Can she really expect more?"

"And love?" asked Maria.

"We cannot control who we fall in love with. If it comes, it comes. If not, the romance is enough. After all, that is why most married women stray to begin with. They have their security, but often they pay a price for that security. Their lives become humdrum. The fire is gone, the passion."

"And you... ?"

"I give them what they are seeking. I romance them, make them feel alive again."

"You take them to bed."

"Of course. They want that too. But it's not all about sex. I help them rediscover how attractive, how alluring, how desirable they still are."

"And then you leave them."

"Don't make it sound quite so cold. Every woman I have ever romanced has had no regrets at the end. "

The drink had relaxed her and Jimmy turned on the small stereo and tuned across the dial until he found some romantic latin music.

"Jimmy, I..." she began in protest when he turned out all the lights and lit a single candle.

"One dance," he said, smiling slightly as he offered his hand. Slowly she took his hand and rose to find herself in his arms, their bodies swaying lightly to the music. His arm tightened around her and she almost gasped to feel her breasts rub against his manly chest.

Jimmy was quite pleased with how things were progressing. He had sized her up almost immediately. Although older she was indeed, as she admitted, a naive girl from a small village. Her inexperience in bed was obvious as he had noticed her eyes widen and twice she had gasped when he had described some of his sexual exploits. He, on the other hand, had exaggerated only a bit in describing the women and his carnal conquests of them. Initiated at twelve by a married neighbor, his sexual fires had ignited and done nothing but burn brightly since. He enjoyed women, their company and their bodies. He also enjoyed showing them off to his friends, trophies to verify his irresistible charms and sexual prowess.

Maria was proving easy, just as he had thought she would. Alone, penniless and vulnerable, the thirty-six year old was also largely inexperienced in the ways of carnal knowledge. He would woo her a bit longer and she would be putty in his hands. Then he would see how good she was. He had no illusions. He would have to teach her, but if her body was as pleasing naked as it was veiled behind those clothes and if she were willing to learn, well then...