Chapter 38

After lunch we went to the bus station and retrieved her overnight bag. We drove to our hotel and I arranged for a room for her. She was uncomfortable with the idea of accepting charity. But she’s desperate and I insisted. And anyway, this way we can keep her close. I wouldn’t want to take a chance on losing her to a better job while we’re waiting for our house to be completed.

We got her settled in the hotel and I gave her a five-hundred-dollar retainer so she wouldn’t be broke.

April and Andi sat together and got caught up. I called Jan and asked if I could bring a girl over to let her get an idea of what life will be like if she comes to work for us.

Jan laughed and said, “Here we go again! Sure. Bring her over. Mouse and Kat are here. She can look us over and have a nice long talk with Dani and Kat. It would be a good time to check with Crane to see if there are any problems with the things we ordered for the house. Just come on in when you get here. We’ll be out back.”

I thanked her and the three of us went back down to the car. On the way over there I explained where we were going and why.

April looked nervous. But Andi took her hand and said, “Relax. They’re good people. Strange, but good. You have no reason to be nervous. You’ve seen lots of naked women in the last few years.”

I asked April if she’d mind telling me more about her background. She doesn’t appear to be much older than Andi and that made me curious. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman I imagine working in a titty bar. She struck me as being very vulnerable.

She’s obviously hesitant. After a long pause I said, “That’s alright. I didn’t mean to pry. If you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to.”

She exclaimed, “Oh no! You have every right to know my background. I was just trying to decide where to start and what you might want to know.”

I told her, “You already have the job. You don’t have to tell me squat if you don’t want to. And besides, Andi hired you, not me.”

She ignored me and said, “I graduated from high school three years ago. I was raised by my mother. My dad died when I was young. I come from a small town up by the Canadian border. My mother died of cancer just months after I graduated. I saved up my money and traveled to Burlington when I saw an ad in the paper for a modeling agency. For years my friends have told me I should try to be a model. I guess it went to my head.

“I managed to get a couple of small jobs for local businesses in the beginning. I didn’t make much money. But the fact that I got work made me start to think I could have a career. The problem was that it took most of my money to get the jobs. I paid the photographer they referred me to a lot of money to take a handful of pictures for a portfolio and I paid the agency all kinds of fees and all of a sudden I was broke and homeless.

“I guess that was what they had in mind. They started trying to talk me into posing for nude pictures. I just turned eighteen and I was so shy I couldn’t even watch myself undress! I absolutely refused. I refused right up until I was sleeping in the park and about to get sick from malnutrition. I finally got desperate enough and told them that just once I would do some nude poses.

“It wasn’t anything like I expected. It was worse. I was driven to a small photo studio by the agent. He probably wanted to be there to enjoy the show. Or maybe he went to make sure I didn’t back down. But it’s more likely he was in on what happened and they planned it all along. I doubt I’m the first stupid girl they did it to.

“He took me into the studio and they put a closed sign on the door. We went into the back and the photographer stood me in front of a mock bedroom and ordered me to undress. I think the only reason I could make myself do it was because I was starving. I was still a virgin. No one but my mother and my doctor had ever seen me naked.

“I stood there and thought about a nice, big, greasy cheeseburger to take my mind off of how degrading it all was. The agent stood back and watched while the photographer started taking what must have been hundreds of pictures. He took pictures of me undressing and then posing on the bed.

“After about an hour I asked if they didn’t have enough pictures. I was just about at the end of my rope by then. They told me to take a break. They even let me put a robe on. The photographer gave me a Coke and they each had a beer.

“The next thing I knew it was morning. I was lying in that bed with the photographer. I was a mess. The bed was a mess. And I had a headache I was certain was going to be fatal.

“I got up and got dressed and tried to sneak out. I don’t know why. I should have called 911. But I was so humiliated. There was dried cum all over me.

“The photographer woke up before I could sneak out and told me before I leave he has something for me. He gave me a large envelope with copies of all the pictures he and the agent took that night. It must have lasted for hours. Both of them raped me repeatedly. And all I could do was run out of there as if I were guilty of something.

“That was the end of my modeling career. I started looking for work. I was still broke and homeless. They didn’t even pay me for the disgusting pictures they took!

“Andi can tell you how hard it is to find a job when you don’t have an address. I was sitting on a park bench after another long, cold night of sleeping in a public park when a young girl stopped to talk to me. I kind of unloaded on her. I was about to give up and sit there and starve to death just to end the suffering.”

“She took me to a diner and bought me a meal and told me she knew where I could get a job. That’s how I ended up as a waitress in a strip joint.

“It was unbearable at first. I didn’t have to have sex with the men. But I was as good as naked and the horny bastards were free to grope us at will. The pay wasn’t bad, though. We weren’t getting rich but most weeks we made enough to survive. Never enough to get ahead, but we could eat and put a roof over our heads.

“They kept after me to dance. But I was too shy to get up on that stage, as dumb as that probably sounds. I told myself that at least as a waitress I got to wear the little G-string.

“I didn’t stop looking for a real job. I got a few day jobs with a cleaning service. But they didn’t pay me enough to support myself and they always found out I was working in a strip joint and let me go. Apparently the company providing their bonding frowned on employing people working in the sex trade.

“It got a little better when Andrea came along. She was so nice. I had a friend at last. She made my life bearable and not just because she split the expenses with me. I had someone I could talk to, someone who was having as hard a time of it as I was.

“And then it all ended. One night she didn’t come home. I got up the next morning and she still wasn’t home. I worried about her all day because she just doesn’t do that. Three weeks went by and I didn’t hear from her. I knew something bad must have happened but I didn’t know what to do. Her clothes were all still there. I knew she didn’t just walk away and leave everything.

“I called missing persons a couple of times. They asked me a few questions. But we were just roommates and she was a topless waitress working in a strip club. They didn’t get real upset about her not coming home. I doubt if they even took a report. I know they never went to the club to ask any questions.

“Then one night I went to work and the club was closed and sealed with police tape. A detective stopped me and asked a few questions. I didn’t mention Andrea ... Andi. I didn’t think there was any connection. She disappeared three weeks earlier. I just told them my name and address and that I was a waitress.

“They asked me what time I left the previous evening and they asked me if I knew of anyone who had it in for Mr. Califaro. I could have told them that everyone hated him and was afraid of him. But I said the same thing everyone else was saying, that I knew nothing.”

She was quiet for a moment. Then she looked at Andi and asked, “You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”

Andi tried to look innocent. She didn’t pull it off very well.

April clapped her hand over her mouth and looked at Andi in shock. Then she gasped, “Oh my god! Andrea! What did you do?!”

Andi glanced at me. I sighed and said, “We’ll tell you about it later. We don’t have time for that now. It’s a long story best told in private.”

Just then I pulled into Jan’s driveway. April looked out and saw the huge, beautiful, obviously very expensive home in front of us and shivered. She looked at Andi and exclaimed, “This is where your friend lives?!”

Andi grinned and said, “Yeah, one of them. You’ll like her. She’s really nice. All these people are. But Jan is special.”

April seemed even more uncomfortable after seeing Jan’s house. She nervously asked, “Does she know you’re bringing me? Does she know where I worked?”

Andi looked at me and I answered, “She knows you’re coming. She doesn’t know where you worked. But she knows Andi worked there. It doesn’t matter where you worked to these people. It only matters who you are. I think they’ll like you. I do.”

April looked surprised. She exclaimed, “You do?!”

I laughed at the look on her face and said, “Get out of the car.”

We went to the door. I think it made her nervous all over again when I just opened the door and stood back to let them in. But the big surprise came when we walked through the house and stepped out onto the back deck.

April gawked at the house as we went through it. Then she saw the beautiful backyard with the large pool. She was so impressed that at first she didn’t notice the four naked women off to our right under the awning.

She didn’t know they were there until Jan got up and came over to greet us.

April was beet red as I made the introductions. Jan tried to hide her amusement, as did the other three ladies still sitting at the table.

Mouse, Kat and Dani all stood up as we approached the table. They all greeted April warmly as I made the introductions. Andi undressed and sat down. April looked like she didn’t know what to do.

Andi laughed and said, “Sit down, April. No one here bites. Well, they only bite affectionately.”

April took a seat, obviously grateful she wasn’t being asked to undress first. Dani stood up and asked what everyone wants to drink. Jan told her to sit down. It’s her and Kat that April needs to talk to.

Jan said, “It looks like she could use a glass of Helen’s tea. I’ll call her.”

Jan went inside to use the phone. Dani smiled warmly at April and said, “Kat is Mouse’s housekeeper and I work for Jan. As you can see we aren’t a very formal group. We work for them. But they’re our friends, too, our very good friends.

“We both love our jobs and the benefits are fantastic. Don’t be nervous. And don’t think you can’t handle it. You can ask Kat. I was the shiest woman she ever knew when I came to work here. These people are so nice they make you want to be a part of the fun. I could never work for anyone else now. I’m spoiled rotten.”

Kat interjected, “But you don’t have to do anything but remain fully clothed, clean house and cook if that’s all you want to do. No one will make you undress or make love to anyone. In fact, if you decide you want to participate in the fun and games you’ll have to convince them you really do want to. Well, except for me of course.”

She tilted her head toward Mouse and said, “That nasty bitch beat me until I took my clothes off and groveled in the dirt.”

Mouse smiled and said, “No, dear. You were on the carpet, remember?”

Jan came back out in time to hear those last two sentences. She said, “I’m sorry. I should have warned you about them. But then, I suppose they’re no more screwed up than the rest of us.”

She went over and stood behind Dani. She draped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Then she said to April, “We have to chain her up every night so she doesn’t run away.”

Dani turned her head. She and Jan kissed affectionately. Then Dani turned back and said, “You can see how horrible they treat me. In a few minutes, another woman is going to come in and make me drink Long Island iced tea! Working here is pure hell!”

April looks like her head is spinning. I chuckled and said, “Alright, ladies. Poor April doesn’t know whether to call the cops or the loony bin. Give the poor girl a break.”

Andi took April’s hand and said, “These people and the others in our group are my best friends, the best friends I’ve ever had. And yes, they’re all a little bit crazy. But they’re a lot of fun and they’re all very good people.

“Kat was right, though. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You will, however, be subjected to scenes such as this. None of us are very fond of wearing clothing around the house. And as often as not, we do more than undress. It usually gets even more interesting when our husbands and my fiancé are here. But there is a plus side. The living quarters are plush. The food is great. You don’t have to let anyone touch you anywhere if you don’t want them to. And I promise I will almost never beat you.”

April suddenly laughed. She exclaimed, “I can’t believe the change in you! How in the hell did you go from being who you were to being who you are now?!”

Andi looked at her, trying to figure out what she was asking.

April smiled at Andi and I saw the affection in her eyes. She’s obviously impressed by the new Andi. She exclaimed, “Look at you! You’ve blossomed! You’re like a different person. You were just like me and now ... now you’re like them. You’re strong and beautiful and you seem so self-assured. You even look and sound more sophisticated. I almost can’t believe you’re the girl who was once Andrea!”

Andi drew herself up and demanded indignantly, “You take that back! I am not sophisticated!”

Then she smiled and said, “Dean is responsible for who I am now. Dean and these wonderful women and a few others you haven’t met yet. Dean saved my life, literally and figuratively. And then, after he gave me back my life, he and these amazing new friends gave me love and the room to grow. If you give us a chance I know you’ll love them, too.”

Jan said, “Ahhh! Isn’t she sweet! She thinks we like her!”

Andi shot her the bird and said, “She’s the one I told you is special before we came in. I meant that as in special education.”

I think April is starting to catch on. She even seemed to be relaxing a little. Kat, Dani and April talked for several minutes about what the job entails and what it’s really like to be working in a strange situation like this, especially in the beginning. They also talked about what it was like getting comfortable with it. Apparently they both adjusted relatively quickly.

Kat said, “We probably shouldn’t be having this conversation in front of our slave masters. If they find out how easy these jobs are and how much we like working here they might decide to stop paying us.”

Mouse laughed and said, “Surely you don’t think anyone believes you two actually do any work!”

Kat grinned and replied, “I knew it! We screwed up!”

Right about then the patio door opened. Helen came out wearing nothing and carrying a large pitcher of her famous Long Island iced tea. We’re not sure what her secret is but she makes it better than anyone else and everyone relies on her for it.

Helen put the pitcher down on the table and looked at April. She shook her head and said, “This isn’t right! I’ve been trying to find a housekeeper for months!”

She threw up her hands and, still muttering under her breath, she went back inside for glasses before anyone could stop her.

She came back out and poured everyone a glass. Then she sat down. Jan introduced Helen to April and explained that Helen is the traitor who was once her housekeeper, right up until she married the man who employs all of their husbands.

April looked at Helen closely for a moment. Then she asked me, “This is your boss’s wife?!”

I nodded. Then I said, “So it’s important that you only call her a bitch behind her back. She thinks she’s a nice person.”

But April is still smiling. She shook her head and exclaimed, “You people are all crazy!”

We sipped our drinks and talked for a while. Dani and Kat took April around. They showed her what the housekeeper’s suite is like and then they showed her the rest of the house to give her an idea of what will be required of her.

When they returned it looked like April’s eyes were glazed over. She turned to Jan and breathlessly exclaimed, “I love your house! It’s so beautiful!”

Jan adopted a pout and said, “And my house is the smallest one around. It turns out that I live on the poor side of town. Those three all bought bigger homes just to spite me!”

Dani said, “I assure you, Jan, your house is plenty big enough. If there was one more cubic foot I’d ask for a raise.”

Jan suddenly got serious and said, “Actually, you probably deserve one. You’ve been doing a wonderful job. I don’t know how you do it. I never see you do anything. If I didn’t know better I’d swear you were even lazier than Helen. But I have been impressed.”

Dani smiled and said, “I subcontract the cleaning out. An entire crew comes in at night after you go to bed.”

With a straight face, Jan said, “Seriously, I’ll talk to Brad about giving you another dollar a month. That’ll double your pay, right?”

Dani laughed and said, “Don’t do that, Jan. I’m well paid and I love working here. I love living here. I don’t need anything and I already put most of my money in the bank. I never thought I’d say something like this. But I really don’t care about the money.”

Jan hugged her again and said, “Maybe you don’t care about it now. But someday you might. I’ll talk to Brad. Now stop giving me a hard time or you’re fired.”