Chapter 3: Why I love Delores

Friday afternoon, like the week before, Uncle Bob turned up at the west shop to collect the cash, checks, and receipts. I tactfully left the office and went next door to the locker room where the guys were getting ready to go home.

After a couple of minutes, the office door smashed open and Bob stormed out screaming.

“You’re all fired!” He bellowed, “This place hasn’t made a profit in years, I’m through payin the losses!”

He pulled all the van keys from the locker. “These all belong to the main shop. Everyone go home.” He said over his shoulder and he stormed out, then came back. “You guys come to the main shop Monday morning, you can work for me directly from now on. You too, Tommy!”

He turned and stomped out to his truck.

Delores stumbled out of the office. She had a bruise on her face and her dress was torn; but she stood straight and defiant. The guys were angry; they wanted to go after Bob and beat the shit out of him.

“No one’s fired!” Delores said. “I don’t think so anyway. Who wants to work for Bob?”

Silence.

“Who wants to work for me and Tommy?”

Everyone did.

“Keep your ears near your phones boys, and don’t leave town this weekend.”

As soon as we were alone, I took her into a big hug. She was trembling.

“What was that about?” I asked her.

“It will be alright.” She said, “I told him ‘No’, Bob doesn’t like to be defied but he’ll come around.”

“What did he mean this shop runs a loss?” I asked. “We have six guys and they’re always busy.”

“Oh, that’s just Diane’s creative accounting.” Delores said, “We run a loss on paper because we buy all our supplies through the main shop, sublet the building, even the vans through them. It’s some tax thing.”

Suddenly, I knew.

Cheating, lying, hypocrite Diane!

She was fucking me in more ways than one. Her deception was so obvious, so poorly concealed; she must have known as soon as I turned up at their house that her days of sainthood were numbered.

I’d have to see the books one day. If Delores had kept the status quo with Bob, Diane might have kept seducing me every Saturday instead of showing me the accounting. I think she enjoyed the sex we had, but her motive wasn’t pleasure. It was to keep me bamboozled.

My hands tightened on Delores’ back, still holding her curvy body against me, her breasts squeezed against my chest, as I realized what my aunt had done.

If she’d embezzled a quarter, even half the profits from Haas West, she might have gotten away with it. That wasn’t enough for her; she was taking practically all of it.

“It’s why they never sent more than a pittance to my mother and me for all these years. Grandad left the west shop to my mother. Bob runs the business but we were supposed to get the profit from Haas West.”

Delores broke away from me.

“Oh Tommy! I didn’t know that.” She said. “Bob always goes on about the low returns from the west shop, and I never really contradicted him.”

“Why not?”

She looked incredibly sad. “Bob is Bob.” She said, “No one argues with him, it’s just easier to let him have his way. It’s obvious that we’re as busy as the East shop; until today, I assumed he knew that it was just accounting, and it was his way of being, well, Bob.”

“And you never talked to Diane about it?” I asked.

“We haven’t spoken in years.” She said. “She could never bear it that I was with Bob first.”

“She stole him from you?”

“No; but I had him before she did. And afterwards too. Look Tommy, I have a lot to be ashamed of but I never stole anyone’s money.”

I thought of the big expensive house they lived in; the big expensive cars they drove. The big expensive university my cousin Chris was going to. The tiny little house in Mexico where I’d lived with my mother and step father Miguel.

All Diane had to do was let her husband bang Delores and no one would question her. Somewhere inside his thick skull, Bob had to know his wife was cooking the books; he was in denial or he wouldn’t have fired everyone, but he had to know. What she was doing was ridiculously obvious.

“I’m all shook up, I need a hot bath.” Delores said, “Drive me home and I’ll tell you the whole sordid story of your family, and me.”

We took her car, and she told her story as we drove. It continued as we went into her place. She filled the tub and undressed behind a half closed door, and descended into the water as the tale continued.

I stood outside the bathroom as we talked, so I could see her face. Delores told me of her affair with my grandfather, my father, my uncle, and she’d even banged my cousin Chris.

Her story wasn’t about sex, but emotion. Following her impulses instead of her reason. Just like I had.

When she finished her story, I had a lot to think about. The legal and financial side was a tangled mess that was far beyond me. The emotional side was just as convoluted.

“Come in here and sit with me.” She said, “But no looking.”

“Why not?” I asked, entering and sitting on the toilet lid.

“I told you Tommy; unsuitable. Why do you think I told you everything? Those secrets I’ve never told anyone? You have to understand, you and me ... It was too good. If it was just ordinary sex, we could have some fun together and forget it when we were done. But what we did honey, that was unforgettable. That was addictive. I still can’t walk straight. Have you thought of anything else?”

“No.”

“Look at me then. See the folds at my hips, the lines around my mouth, the way my tits are all stretched and loose? I’m old, Tom. Worn out. Infertile. I’m a cheating old slut Tommy. We can work together, but now you know why we can’t be lovers.”

“I think you’re beautiful.” I interrupted.

“Oh Tom; you’re young and hung, tall and strong. I don’t want to fall in love with you, and I don’t want you to fall in love with me. That’s what will happen if we do it. And it will be bad, because now we both know my history with your family.

“Anyway, we have to figure out the business. What do you want to do?” Delores asked, her breasts floating at the surface of the water with just her tasty nipples sticking out.

I didn’t tell her what I really wanted to do, we talked shop instead.

We talked about possibilities for a while; I was totally out of my depth, but Delores had good ideas. She knew this stuff; she’d been managing small business her whole life. She knew people around town, she was connected.

She rose from the water, and I handed her a towel.

“Stop that mooning!” she admonished me.

She paced up and down her small living room, the towel wrapped around her not quite covering her as she thought out loud; payroll, inventory, leases, bills, accounting, lawyer, banker, customers, orders...

“What are you staring at?” she demanded.

“You’re so hot.” I said.

“Well get your mind off my tushy and stick to business.” She said, “I had sex with every man I ever worked for and that’s over. If you’re going to be my boss, it’s strictly no nookie!”

“The guys don’t work for Bob, they don’t work for me, they work for you.” I said, “The shop is leased, the vans are leased. The customer relations on the west side are all yours too. All I inherited is the old tooling and the name.”

“The tooling would cost sixty grand to replace.” She said. “You’re right though. All you inherited was the tools.”

She started to laugh, and I had to laugh too.

“Delores, let’s be partners.” I proposed.

“Partners?” in what sense?”

“Every sense.”

“You have a hardon don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“So really you just want to fuck me.” She concluded without apparent judgment. “How can you still want me after everything I told you? You’re just horny, you’ve never known anyone else.”

“Yes I have.” I said.

“Who?” She asked skeptically.

I took a deep breath; she’d told me the truth, she deserved the same from me.

“Diane.”

Delores looked genuinely shocked.

“Your AUNT Diane?” she demanded, “Never misses church on Sunday Diane? Holy mother of God, Tommy!”

“And all I could think of was you. I knew you were having an affair with my uncle. I don’t care about who was with who before. I thought the same thing, it’s just sex that made me feel that way, but it’s more than that, Delores; I’m crazy for you. I need you, I want you. If we really can only be friends, I want to be friends. I just love you; sex or not.”

I looked into her eyes with desperate longing.

“I broke it off with Bob.” She reasoned, “I want you too, my heart says yes, but I know it can’t be right.”

“Why not?” I pleaded. “We’re both single adults. Should we ignore our attraction because of what other people might think, and be miserable?”

She looked at me in silence for a long time; I looked back at her, waiting for her decision.

“Tell me about Diane.” She said, so I did. She looked horrified.

“Well I suppose after all I’ve done I’m in no position to judge.” She said, “Ok, the shop next to us has been empty for a couple of months, I bet I can get old Fred to give me the keys. The boys can use their own cars until we get new leases.” Delores said.

“We can do it.” I agreed, “You and me, Delores.”

“Alright, 50-50, but I’m the boss.” She said. “Does that work for you?”

“Totally.” I said, trying to sound calm.

“Take your clothes off and lie flat on the carpet.” She said.

I quickly obeyed, literally trembling with excitement. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted in my life, and it seemed I was going to have her.