Chapter 6: A Cleansing Experience

Mira woke easily when her alarm went off at six a.m. Even the late night and the amount of alcohol she drank last night couldn't dispel the good mood she woke up in.

Hunter thought he'd beaten her. He'd thought she would trot her little ass over to his house and scrub his floors and clean out his refrigerator while his briefs were drying in the dryer. He had a lot of thinks coming if he thought she'd be the dutiful little maid service and fluff and fold. A giggle escaped her as she thought of the look on his face when she did show up there this morning.

Her cell phone, sitting in its charger on the dressed across the room picked that moment to ring and she threw back the covers to go get it. The sun shone on her naked body, the rays casting her in a golden glow, highlighting the white blonde of her hair and making her eyes sparkle. She was a glorious sight, one that no man had been allowed to cast eyes upon since Lineal's death.

She checked the caller id. on the phone and shook her head. "Yeah, I'm awake, Hunter. I thought you didn't want me over too early."

"I was just calling to make sure that you weren't planning on back out on me. I've got the buckets and cleaners all ready for you. I've even separated the laundry for you. Oh, and I hate starch in my shorts, okay?"

Mira chuckled, her eyes sparkling with devious delight. Starch in his shorts would be the last thing he'd be thinking about when she finished up with him. "I got it, Hunter. Now quit being such a nag and let me get done what I need to finish up." She hit the off button, not waiting for his reply and then tossed the phone on her bed.

"Prick," she said, though there was no heat in her voice. "Today you get your comeuppance, buddy. I'm just glad that I get to be the one to give it to you." With another grin, she headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready for her part in the morning's entertainment.

Thirty minutes later, she was dressed and heading down the stairs, hearing the buzz of the front gate. Checking in the small video monitor she had, she smiled at her visitors. "I'll be right out," she called through the intercom and then snatched up her keys and headed out the front door.

She led the small procession through the streets of the city, heading to the other side of town where Hunter lived. His apartment building wasn't too bad, the area around it becoming one of the better areas in town. Hunter owned a condo on the sixth floor of a controlled building. She parked in the visitor's parking, waving the truck and the other car into the spots next to hers.

"Okay, ladies, I need you to stay back when I call up there to get him to let us in. I don't want him to have any idea of what's coming until it's too late for him to hide. Okay?"

"You're paying the bill, Miss Mirage."

Mira nodded and then strolled nonchalantly up to the intercom to press her finger on the button marked Hunter. She heard it buzz loudly and then a few seconds later, heard his voice come through the speaker. "I wasn't expecting you for a few hours yet, Mira. Everything okay?"

"Everything's just great, Hunt. You going to buzz me up?"

"Okay, I'll leave the front door cracked. I'm just getting out of the shower so come in and pour yourself some coffee."

Mira barely managed to hide the snicker that wanted to escape her constraint. This was going to be better than she'd thought. Knowing Hunt and his attempt at seducing her last night, she had no doubt that there was going to be some kind of show this morning, and Mira was going for a front row seat. She heard the buzz of the door and grabbed for it, pushing it open as she waved her co-conspirators into the building.

There was the clink of buckets and the squeak of plastic as well as the rustle of leather as they passed her by, every one of them being cautious about not touching her. The wait for the elevator was a short one and they filed on in, Mirage the last to board. She slapped her hand on the number six button and then felt the quick lurch of the car as it began to move.

"I have to thank you, Miss Melody, for changing your schedule around to fit me in. I really appreciate this. My co-worker has a problem with practical jokes but this time I think I've managed to one up him."

"Oh and I have no doubt that he'll enjoy our services," Miss Melody said, her voice soft but certain. "I've yet to meet a man who doesn't have a smile on his face when we finish with his house."

Mira smirked. "I have no doubt." Miss Melody was a tall blonde who wore her thick hair down to her waist. She had a small black cap on top of her head that denoted her profession but the rest of her body was pretty much hidden by a shapeless knee length coat. The rest of her crew was dressed about the same, the only difference in the color and length of their hair.

Miss Melody's service had a sterling reputation and cost a pretty penny, but for their particular services, she was willing to foot the bill. At least this time. If Hunter wanted them back, he could hire them himself.

The doors pinged, announcing their arrival at the designated floor and then they slid open. Mira led the way down the hall to the last door on the left, seeing it cracked open as Hunt had said it would be. She pushed it the rest of the way, waving in the crew. "The living room is through that opening," she said to Melody. "Why don't you start in there while I go and find my friend."

"Excellent." Melody nodded to her three girl crew and then watched as they slipped off their coats, handing them to Mira. Her smile widened when she saw four sets of perky tits and bare little pussies. Two of the girls wore thigh high nylons under their four inch heels. The other two had small white bobby socks with a fringe of lace around the top. Mira quickly hung up their coats in the hall closet and then headed toward the kitchen as the sound of a vacuum cleaner started in the living room.

When she saw Hunter, she realized this was going to work out even better than she'd hoped. His eyes were wide as he saw her sitting at his small breakfast table, the paper folded in front of her and a cup of coffee in her hand. "If you're in here, whose making all the racket with the vacuum?"

"Maybe you should go see yourself?" she said, laughing as he turned, the towel he was wearing around his naked body floating up like a skirt. She got up herself, hurrying to follow him. She grabbed his arm as he stopped suddenly in front of her to keep herself from being knocked over. Hunt's blue eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"What the..." he began, staring at the naked women who were cleaning his living room with vigor. "Who are..."

"Having problems with words this morning, Hunt?" she asked innocently enough, but when he turned to look at her, she couldn't hold back the laughter any longer. The look on his face was precious, stunned and slightly horrified. Mirage grabbed her stomach as the laughter rolled out of her and she leaned weakly against him.

Hunter reached out and grabbed her, dragging her back through his condo and into his bedroom. He pushed her onto the bed, glaring at her. "You think this is funny? You bring naked women in to clean my apartment, which is the job that you should have been doing and you think this is funny?"

"You would too if you could see your face," Mira managed to gasp. "Come on, Hunt. You don't care if it's clean or not. It was just your way of getting me over here this morning. Admit it."

She got up and off his wide bed, holding up her hands as he moved closer again. "Besides, what do you have against there being naked women in your apartment? I've heard it's a regular occurrence."

Hunt swore and then spun, pacing back and forth in front of her with angry strides. He stopped after a moment and stared down at her. "You don't understand, do you?" he asked, his dark brows furrowing above his eyes. "You have no clue why I'm upset."

"No, actually, I don't. I really didn't think you'd care who cleaned your house as long as it got done. And you have to admit, that those four are much more fun to watch then some guy with a hairnet."

"How long have you been alive?" he asked, frustrated. "If I wanted a naked woman to clean my place, I'd have made that part of the deal between us. If you want to get naked and clean my place, I'll be very happy to stand and watch. But that's you, not four Playboy Playmates that do this for tips and to get their jollies. Dammit, Mira," he threw up his hands, turning to face the wall and push his fingers through his still damp hair as frustration raged through him.

"You really are upset?" Mira walked closer to him, her hand coming out to touch his arm. She didn't even realize what she'd done until she felt his skin under her palm.

"Yes, I'm really upset." He growled the words at her, turning to face her. The feel of her hand on his arm sent a thrill through him, especially when he saw the realization dawn on her face that she hadn't even thought about touching him until she was. Her eyes were huge and she suddenly seemed to realize how he was dressed and the fact that she was alone with him in his bedroom.

"Now you're getting it," he whispered, his hand coming up to touch her face, holding her still as he stepped even closer. "Now you know why I'm upset. I wanted to spend this time with you, to get to know you better, Mira. I wanted you to get to know me. There's a reason that I can touch you, and we both know what it is." His hands went to her arms and he held her still even though she'd made no move to get away from him.

The look in her eyes was almost one of terror and she felt him move closer, his head dipping. She watched his eyes as his face came closer and then closed her own, feeling the heat of his breath against her lips. Then their breath mingled and she felt the softness of his kiss, a tentative touch that seemed so at odds with the heated strength of his body pressed against hers.

"What are you doing?" she gasped when he lifted his head. "I thought we'd decided this was a bad idea?"

"Wrong pronoun," he whispered, him mouth moving gently over her lips. "You decided. I was the one all for discovering what emotions and connections we could find." His hands went to her hair and he tugged her gently closer, groaning as she pressed intimately against his scantily clad form. "I'm the one that told you I wanted you, Mira. I'm not the one hiding behind a dead husband."

He felt her stiffen, her hands coming up to push at his chest. "I'm not hiding," she growled. "Besides, what do you know about commitment, about something other than desire and the passion of the moment? How would you have any idea of the feelings I had for Lineal or the feelings he had for me? What gives you the right to decide what is between us?"

Hunter easily fended off her hands, holding her against him with one arm wrapped tightly around her waist. "You think I don't understand love? Or commitment? Who the fuck made you the genius on feelings and emotion? Who gave you the right to tell me I don't know what the hell I'm saying or thinking or even feeling? You think that feeling the way I do about you is easy? Dammit, Mira, you're one of the most prickly people I know. You're never fucking happy no matter how things go."

"How the hell would you know? Dammit, Hunter, you're little more than a walking penis and you pull this on me now?"

Hunter's next words were lost in the sudden screaming that came from inside the rest of the apartment. "What the..." Mirage began, only to watch, stunned, as four masked men dressed all in black came into the room. Two of them grabbed Hunter, one using his gun to slam him in the head, leaving him to slump between them. The others held up gloved hands.

"Okay, cunt, get your ass out and into the living room or Romeo is going to end up singing soprano."

"I'm going," she growled, glaring at him. From his body shape and the sound of his voice, she knew who was behind this. "You know, after last night, you might have been smarter to let someone else do the talking for you."

"After last night, you might be smarter to just shut the fuck up." He growled the words but then reached up, tugging the mask from off his face. "Move, bitch."

He followed her out, his eyes on her every step. She walked into the living room, glancing back once to see a now naked Hunt being dragged into the room. His eyes were partially opened but she could tell he'd been hurt by that blow and that he wasn't thinking straight yet.

"What the hell do you want?" she snarled, spotting Myler standing and staring at the four beautiful women who huddled together, terrified. "I should have known you'd be the cowardly bastard to pull something like this." She stood resolute as Myler walked toward her, his gloved hand coming up to slap her face, hard.