Chapter 2

Melanie Chambers sat there in her landlord’s basement apartment, nursing the first cup of coffee she’d had in over three months. She had come down to his apartment to give him an answer to a very unusual and quite salacious opportunity he had presented to her.

Melanie was three months late on her rent and he had given her a way to pay it back and help her with her future rent as well...

“Mr. Thomas, I wanted to talk with you about your ... offer. I have given it a lot of thought – believe me, a LOT of thought! And I don’t see as I have much choice other than to accept your proposal.

“But before I agree completely, I need to know what your plans for me are. I need to know what you intend to do to me, and what kinds of things I will be involved in. There are certain things I simply cannot and will not do even if it means sleeping in the streets, Sir!” she said.

“That is quite understandable, Melanie and I want you to know that I am not a sexual freak or anything. I don’t go in for those wild and weird kinks, either.

“I am really a very normal guy who just hasn’t got the time to go out bar-hopping and who doesn’t want to go through the hassles of meeting, that first fumbling date, and all the other trappings of relationships.

“I just need someone to help me out with the housework – I am usually too busy cleaning and repairing other apartments to do my own, to keep me company, and yes, to sleep with and wake up next to.

“As far as ‘what I intend to do to you’, I am not too crazy. I like the regular things; oral sex – both giving and receiving, anal sex, some light bondage games, things like that. Nothing too bizarre.

“I’m not into farm animals or severe pain if that’s what you are thinking! And I want you to know one more thing; we will discuss things fully before anything is done.

“If at any time, you feel uncomfortable or scared or anything, you just tell me and we will stop whatever we are doing and talk about it or do something else.

“I am not going to force you to do anything, Melanie, I am not an abuser. I am simply a lonely man looking for some female companionship and a bit of comfort in the arms of a woman. Understand?” he said.

“That makes me feel a lot better. I thought maybe you were looking for something that you haven’t been able to find with other girls ... some sort of weird fetish or something!” she said.

“No, not at all. I am looking for something I haven’t been able to find, but it’s companionship, not some weird perverted fetish. And the fact that I can help out a good tenant in the process is an unexpected added benefit!” he said.

“Well then, Mr. Thomas ... I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but I don’t have much choice. At least with you, I have some control over what happens to me. Okay, I will agree to your offer then,” Melanie said.

“I am so glad to hear that. It’s too late to call the court building tonight, but I will call first thing tomorrow morning and put a stop on the eviction. And you can forget about the past due rent and this month’s rent as well.

“I will take care of the electric company too, as we agreed. Now, what about your cable TV? What will it take to get that back up and running for you?” he asked.

“I’m a bit behind there too, I’m afraid. I wasn’t able to pay last month’s bill and I didn’t think I could pay this month’s either, so I had them it shut off,” she said sadly.

“I see. Well, we can’t have that. I will call the cable company and have them turn it back on. It’s a simple matter of catching you up on the bill and them flipping a switch. You’ll have your TV back by the time you get home from work tomorrow.

“I will get your phone reconnected too; I can’t have you without a telephone – how will we set up our dates!” he said, smiling.

“Really Mr. Thomas? You would do all that for me?” Melanie said amazed.

“Of course. But please call me Carl. After all, we are friends. Now I will get you back up and running with the cable TV and the phone, but you will be responsible for keeping them going.

“However, please let me know if, sometime, work isn’t going well and you need a bit of help ... I don’t want you to go back to living like this again. I am here to help you not just be the landlord, all right?” he said.

“Thank you, Carl. You have been very sweet about this. I’m sorry I have been such a bother – I hope work picks up soon so I won’t have to worry so much about the bills,” she said.

“Well, this will help you out a lot. You now have a lot fewer bills and I hope you can sleep a little better. I am glad I could help,” he said.

“So when do you want to start ... you know?” she asked.

“I don’t know, what is your work schedule like at the restaurant?” he asked.

“I usually get my schedule a month at a time. The restaurant is open seven days a week and I normally work Wednesday through Sunday with Monday and Tuesday off. Unless one of the girls goes on vacation then I might cover one of their shifts once in a while.

“But I am one of the most senior waitresses there so if I have to change my hours, I can. It just depends on when you will want me to be here. Weekends are our busiest time with families coming in and such.

“During the week it’s usually businessmen on lunch, or maybe a family after work when the wife is too tired to cook or something,” she said.

“I see. Well, we can work with your schedule for now and see how things go. I am pretty flexible here. Except for emergencies, I can set my own hours and days.

“Today is Thursday. Tomorrow I will make the phone calls and take care of things for you. So let’s plan on getting together Monday shall we?” he said.

“Okay Carl,” she said. “Thank you again for helping me. I know most landlords wouldn’t be so understanding,” she said.

“Well most tenants aren’t as good as you, Ms. Chambers,” he said, smiling as he walked her to the door.

The next few days went by pretty much as usual. True to his word, Carl called the court building and put a stop to the eviction, then called the cable company and the phone company and found out what would be needed to restart Melanie’s service.

Melanie came home that next day and found a small card that had been slipped under her door.

The note inside read “It’s all been taken care of. You have TV and telephone service now. Enjoy!” and it was signed with a big C. Melanie smiled as she read the note. She went right over and turned on the television happy now that she had something to watch.

Then came Saturday. It was still six days before payday the following Friday and the cupboards were looking a little bare. Mother Hubbard had more food in her house than Melanie did.

She was able to eat at the restaurant; one of the perks she got for working there. But that was only one meal a day and even then it wasn’t much – only a burger, fries and a soda. But she ate it gratefully.

Coming home to her apartment that evening, she found a large cardboard box sitting in front of her door. She looked it over ... it had no name or address on it except for her name written in black marker.

The box was so big and so heavy, she couldn’t lift it so she pushed it into the house and shut the door behind her. She put her coat away and then she opened the box.

Inside was a note that read: I hope this helps. She opened the box the rest of the way and was floored – inside the box was all sorts of food! There were canned goods, boxes of food like pasta and cereal, flour and sugar, and several other things.

Melanie was totally overwhelmed. She collapsed on the living room floor sobbing into her hands at this most thoughtful gift. She knew who was responsible for this and she cried for several minutes because of Carl’s generosity.

Not only had he made it possible for her to stay in her apartment, but he had also fixed her utilities, her cable TV and her phone. Now he had supplied her with enough groceries to get through till payday and more. This was way above and beyond!

After a good cry, Melanie got herself together and started putting her groceries away. However, there were more surprises in store for her. As she went into the kitchen there was a note taped to her refrigerator door.

It was just a smiley face, but she opened the door to find milk, eggs, and juice inside. She opened the freezer above and found it full of frozen meat. Melanie couldn’t believe it. There must have been two hundred dollars worth of food altogether!

She cried all over again. This was too much! Again she regained her composure and continued putting away the groceries from the box. She had just about finished when she came across a small can of coffee. She smiled broadly and she knew just what she needed to do.

The next day after work she hurried home. She had been planning how to thank her most generous beneficiary all day and she had an idea. She came home and took a quick shower and then put on her best dress.

She went into the bathroom and put her makeup on (she didn’t wear much makeup at work because it was often hot and it would be a mess in just a short time!) Then she slipped on her strappy high heels and she went downstairs to see the man who had done so much for her.

On the way down she thought about just what she would say and do when she got there. Carl Thompson wasn’t an altogether unattractive man – well built and well-groomed, he wasn’t a bad catch for any woman.

While he was no hunky movie star, he had a kindness in his eyes and a gentle manner about him that made a girl feel warm and safe. Carl was the kind of a man that a girl could really fall for and be comfortable knowing that she was his and his alone.

She got to his apartment and after adjusting her dress a bit to make sure she looked her best, she knocked softly on his door.

“Oh, hello Ms. Chambers. Can I help you?” he asked.

“Actually, kind sir, I was hoping I could help you!” she said. Her head was down slightly and she looked up at him, biting her bottom lips kittenishly.

“Won’t you come in?” he said with a grin. She came in and he shut the door behind her. “Would you like something to drink? A glass of wine perhaps?” he asked.

“Mmm, a glass of wine sounds lovely,” she said. He poured them both a glass of wine and they sat on the sofa. This time, however, she sat closer to him. She crossed her legs subtly raising her dress a bit and showing him more of her shapely legs.

“I found the box you left for me, Carl, and the note on the fridge. That was so thoughtful. I actually cried when I opened the box and saw what you had done. And then again when I saw the note on the fridge and freezer.

“You even put a can of coffee in the box – knowing that the coffee I had the last time I was here was the first coffee I’d had in months. I’d almost forgot what it tasted like!” she said.

“You don’t get coffee at the restaurant?” he asked.

“Oh no! The coffee there is for the customers! If we are caught drinking coffee there the boss will can us! We get a regular hamburger, small fries, and a small soda to eat on our break if we want. But that’s about it. Most of the girls just bring their own food,” Melanie explained.

“Well, I’m glad I could help, Melanie. It makes me happy to know that you will be staying here and not leaving Meadow Lands,” he said. As he spoke, he put his hand on her thigh – lightly at first, but once Melanie put her hand on top of his, he knew it was time.