Chapter 4: Unravelling Charlenes Suffering

‘As I looked at him feeling awful, he told me, ‘The social services lady pleaded with me to save you from being taken into care. I’ve put myself out for you,’ he said. ‘And on top of that it’s going to cost me a fortune to feed you.’

‘So, I expect you to do all the cooking and cleaning and help out with other things too.’ ‘I’ll do whatever I can,’ I told him, ‘I’m grateful to you for looking after me.’ ‘Just remember,’ he said, ‘When I tell you to do something I expect you to obey. I’ve never hit a woman yet but there’s always a first time.’

As John reached her feet Charlene said, ‘I was beginning to wonder what I’d let myself in for. But at least I wasn’t in care, I consoled myself. It can’t be as bad as that would have been, I thought.’ Then she burst into tears.

As Charlene burst into tears, John opened his arms. She sat up and went into them immediately. As she sobbed on his shoulder, he comforted her by holding her with one arm, stroking her back with his other and occasionally kissing her head.

She sobbed for a while then as she eased off, John said, ‘You’re doing really well telling me all this. Go and wash your face again, then we’ll leave your story there for the moment and carry on getting you more relaxed.’ He kissed her on both eyelids and stood up.

When she returned soon afterwards, she went straight to him for a hug. Running towards him completely unphased that she just had a bra on her top half. After a hug and a kiss Charlene returned to the settee and lay down.

As John sat down again, she smiled at him. He rested his hands on her ankles and smiled back. ‘As I massage up your front,’ he told her, ‘I’ll pause at your waist and take hold of your waistband. What I’d like to do is to undo everything around your waist before I move on upwards.’

‘If I do that, it will release any pressure on your stomach and help you relax. It will also make some more relaxing options possible next time you turn over. But I am not Colin. That will not happen unless when I pause you say ‘Ok.’ Do you understand that?’ ‘Yes,’ she said smiling, ‘I can’t think of anyone less like Colin than you.’

As he massaged up her legs he asked, ‘Do you know what being a virgin means?’ After a brief pause, she answered, ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you feel able to tell me how many years ago it was when you lost yours?’ he asked. ‘How did you know that?’ she asked as he moved on up her thighs.

‘Just a guess based on experience,’ he said, ‘My apologies if I’m wrong.’ She gave him a weak smile as she answered, ‘Six years ago.’ As he massaged all over the front of her trousers he asked. ‘Would I be right in thinking that losing it wasn’t your choice?’ ‘Yes.’ came the quiet answer as John reached the top of her trousers. He took hold of the waistband and waited.

Charlene couldn’t believe she had just told him all that. She looked at his hands and even knowing what he wanted to do she didn’t feel alarmed. ‘Ok.’ she said.

John undid her top button very slowly. She felt the pressure release off her stomach and then felt her zip going down. That bit hadn’t occurred to her, but to her surprise it didn’t bother her either.

As John resumed his massage, she felt his fingers pass briefly over the top portion of her panties uncovered by her open zip before they moved onto the bare skin of her stomach. She shivered. John took his hands off right away. ‘Are you ok?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I would have expected to be terrified when your fingers touched the top bit of my panties. But to my surprise that shiver was a shiver of pleasure.’

John put his hands back on her bare stomach and said, ‘It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.’ As he massaged, he asked, ‘Have you ever chosen to have sex with anyone?’ ‘Never.’ she replied. As his hands moved up onto her bra, Charlene smiled at him. ‘I can’t believe how lovely that feels.’ she told him.

‘Have you ever enjoyed any of the sex you have had?’ John asked as he massaged her shoulders. ‘No.’ came the prompt reply, ‘It’s always felt disgusting, very painful and degrading.’

He took his hands away and told her to sit up. Taking her in his arms he said, ‘One day, you and Vernon will make love. It will be nothing like any of your experiences so far. From that point on you’ll start to forget the past.’

‘He won’t want me,’ she said, ‘When he learns I’m a prostitute he’ll dump me.’ ‘Who says you’re a prostitute?’ John asked startled. ‘Uncle Colin does often.’ she said.

John pushed her back from him slightly, put his hands each side of her face and said, ‘You are NOT a prostitute. I don’t care how many men you’ve been with, because you were forced into it you are the victim of abuse. No more no less. A prostitute is someone who willingly sells their body for money. That does NOT apply to you.’

‘As for Vernon, unless you decide to tell him yourself, he’ll never know. But even if he did know, I very much doubt that he would think any different than I do. You have suffered terribly at the hands of a vile man and now you deserve some happiness.’

Charlene had believed John when he had told her he wouldn’t repeat anything she told him, but to hear him say that Vernon would never know about something as awful as that removed the slightest lingering doubt.

She pushed forward and kissed him on his lips. They put their arms around each other and kissed each other properly for some time. ‘That was lovely,’ she said as they broke apart, ‘Thank you.’

John held her hands and looked at her as he told her, ‘In a moment I want you to lie on your front.’ He explained the three options when he went down her back. ‘Like everything else you do here, for each one it’s your choice,’ he told her. ‘Remain silent or say ‘Ok.’ You’ve made a big leap forward today. So don’t force yourself. If you want to stop now and return next week that’s fine.’ ‘I feel completely at ease with you now,’ she said, ‘I’ll carry on please.’

She gave him a quick kiss on his lips then lay down and turned over. John massaged the back of her head as Charlene told herself what she wanted to do. When John moved down onto her shoulders, he asked, ‘Do you have dreams about Vernon?’

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘Often. In fact, most nights.’ As John massaged down her bare back, she loved the feeling on her bare skin. As his fingers reached her bra strap, he paused. ‘Ok.’ Charlene said firmly sounding very sure.

John kept hold for a moment or two just to be sure. Then hearing nothing, he undid the hook and moved the straps completely aside. Then returning his hands to her shoulders, he massaged all over her back without any questions.

When he reached her waist, he took hold of the now loose back of her trousers with one hand and waited. It took Charlene a few moments to speak, she was still savouring the massage on her back. Then, ‘Ok.’ she said.

John lifted the waistband up. Paused for a moment longer, then slid his other hand down inside her trousers. As his hand slid over the top of her panties and massaged one cheek Charlene cried out, ‘Oh that feels so lovely and so gentle.’

Then he moved over to the other cheek and got the same response. After massaging a bit longer on this one, he moved down on the back of her thigh. He got halfway down on her bare leg before her trouser leg stopped him.

As he started to bring his hand up, Charlene lifted her hips and said, ‘Ok.’ John slid her trousers down to her ankles, then returned to her waist. He massaged on her panties over both cheeks at once which made her give a lovely happy cry of delight. Then he massaged down the back of both bare legs. As he started down her leg’s he asked, ‘Can you tell me the content of your dream about Vernon?’

Charlene didn’t hesitate, ‘I dream we had been going out together for a while,’ she said. ‘Then Vernon proposed to me. We set up home together and lived happily ever after.’

As John reached her feet and started back up, he said, ‘That’s a lovely dream and I see no reason why it can’t come true one day. Can you describe the bedroom in your dream house?’ he asked.