Chapter 1

Jennifer lay awake in bed. Her husband was at work as he was most nights. When she had lost her job a year ago he had started working nights to try and make ends meet. It seems that without her paycheck though things were pretty much hopeless. She had watched as her husband Alex had worked harder and harder only to fall farther and farther behind.

She knew they couldn't afford the apartment they were living in currently and when the eviction notice had finally come they young couple had tried to find another, but without her having an income no one would sign a lease with them.

The financial bind they were in was nothing new to Jennifer. The deal that her landlord had proposed to her and her husband this evening before Alex left for work was. He had proposed that if the two of them did exactly as he told them till the debt was paid off and he would let them continue living there. She knew that this deal would involve her having sex with him. She had seen the way that her had looked at her.

She had read about things like this happening. Of course she had always assumed that they were fiction. This however was quite real. Mike, their landlord, had even been bold enough to make this indecent proposal right in front of her husband. He had left the couple the night to think it over.

Even worst she knew when he was proposing this that she would go through with it. The thought of her and her husband living on the street was more terrifying to her then sleeping with her landlord. Mike was sleazy but he wasn't ugly or ill kempt.

She had never dreamed that she would ever be with another man beside Alex. Not that with her thick blond hair and full breasts she had not had the offer. They were high school sweethearts and had gotten married right after graduation. Their parents had not approved of the wedding but they were in love and didn't care. Even when both sets of parents had disowned them everything had seemed all right.

Jennifer had been the reason they had moved to the city. She had gotten what she thought was going to be the perfect job. Alex had followed and taken work where he could find it. That was two years ago now. She had lost that job and Jeff had tried to support them. She knew he was trying his hardest, working both day and night.

Jennifer finally fell into a fitful sleep only to be woken by her husband coming in from work that morning. The couple discussed Mike's deal and finally come to the conclusion that they had to take it. They held each other for a bit, reassuring each other that everything would be ok. Finally Alex fell into an exhausted sleep. Jennifer let him, as she knew he only had a few hours to sleep before going to his next job. She had gotten them into this mess and she would face Mike alone this morning. It somehow would be less degrading without her husband present.

She soon found herself nervously crossing the hall to Mikes door. She knocked timidly on the door and Mike quickly answered it. He was dressed in a maroon terry robe. Quite classy compared to the sweat pants and tee she was wearing.

"Come on in. Can I get you some coffee?" He asked, walking away from the door and leaving her standing there. She didn't know what she had expected this morning but an invite to coffee just seemed so mundane in this situation.

Her heart was racing as she entered his apartment closing the door behind her. His apartment was furnished in a lavish oriental décor. It was quite a contrast to her sparse, second hand furnished apartment across the hall.

She followed him deeper into the apartment finally coming to the dinning area. Everything was so clean and neat. Not at all what she had expected to see from someone that would take advantage of a young couple in hard times.

Mike poured her a cup of coffee and offered her a seat.

"So, did ya think about my deal?" Mike questioned, taking a seat even though she remained standing.

"Well, ok on one condition..." Mike interrupted her in a gentle tone before she could go any further.

"No, you have got to understand. No conditions. I get to make the rules. And if ya don't like them you need to be out by tomorrow night."

Jennifer started visibly shaking and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. Mike looked back at her waiting. She saw no sympathy in his face. He was simply waiting for an answer.

"Please, I've never been with anyone besides Alex. Isn't their some other way we can do this?" She pleaded feeling a tear roll down her cheek.

"No, 'fraid not. It's either this or the gutter dear." At this Jennifer started crying in earnest.

"Ok" was all she could muster finally consenting, the word gutter making her realize the full extent of being homeless.

"Great, Give this to your husband. There are instructions in there for him. You're welcome to stay and finish your coffee. I'll give ya a call sometime this week. Call me if ya have any trouble. I need to go get in the shower though. Got a meeting this morning."

She was shocked. She had expected to be molested and violated. Instead she now sat at the table with a small white box. It was plain and had the words CB-3000 written on it. She took the box and hurried out of the apartment before Mike changed his mind. She didn't know what to think now. Had she read this all wrong? Was this man gay? Was it her husband he was after?