Chapter 3

As I finished giving Chloe a tour of the house, my son came home. I introduced them. “Jonathan, this is Chloe. She’s going to be our new housekeeper. When your father and I are away, she’s in charge. Do what she says.”

He asked, “Your little sister is Lora, right? She’s pretty, kinda like you. Not as ... um ... grown up, though.” He stared intently, with his gaze glued to the nipples poking against the thin white cotton of her top.

She nodded, “Uh huh. She’s one of my three sisters. She likes you. I think you’re in the same grade?”

“Yeah. She’s in most of the same classes. That reminds me, I need to do my homework.” As he dashed upstairs, the bulge in his jeans told us homework was the last thing on his mind. His bedroom door closed and the bed started squeaking only moments later.

I told her, “Gerald might be offended if you look too sleazy, and I don’t really want my son seeing you like this. It’s too distracting. You should wear more conservative clothes, something that doesn’t show off your boobs or so much of your legs.”

“I don’t really have anything like that, except my winter clothes in the attic at home.”

I sighed. “Let’s go look in my closet. I think I have some things in your size.” I knew I had several dresses that would fit her, but they were from ten years and fifteen pounds ago. She dropped her pants and tried on half a dozen dresses in my bedroom.

She pointed to a cardboard box of random old things on the closet floor. “What’s that? Is that real gold?”

I looked in the box. “Yes, it’s a gold-plated cigarette holder. Gerald gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday, along with that gold-plated lighter. We quit smoking about fifteen years ago, when I got pregnant with Jonathan.”

She stared at them a little while. I told her, “I guess you can have them, since I don’t smoke anymore.”

“Really? Thanks!” She put the holder in the corner of her mouth, then held it and waved it around like a wand. “Does this look sexy?”

I smiled. “That’s why Gerald gave it to me. Let’s get back to finding a dress you like.”

Gerald walked in the bedroom as she dropped her current dress to the floor. Chloe only wore a pink thong. She shrieked, “Eeeeeh!” then grabbed the dress and held it in front of her. I tried to explain, “Gerald, we ... um ... this is our new housekeeper, Chloe.” He turned and walked out quickly.

I followed him and said, “Chloe is from a poor family, and I was giving her some of my old clothes.”

His face was a little red and I saw one of his hands was clenched in a fist until he took a deep breath. He paused a moment then turned around. “It’s nice you’re helping her out. That was quite a surprise.”