You had to be living under a rock this past year not to know the economy is in the pooper. But even in these economic hard times, people continue to buy houses. So it was when the old two-story cottage beside me went up for sale in the last quarter of 2007. It sat empty for nearly a year until a middle-aged woman purchased the property.

That middle-aged woman turned out to be Annette. She worked as an ICU nurse at the local hospital. Standing all of about five foot five, she wore a tight curly perm in her light brown hair, which just reached down to her shoulders. With smallish tits and small frame, Annette was a petite girl. I doubt she weighed in at more than a hundred pounds soaking wet.

There's no way anyone could have considered Annette a Playboy centerfold. She certainly wasn't drop dead gorgeous by anyone's measure, and you could tell she had a few miles on her. She had a nice figure, but she always seemed to hide it under blue jeans and sweaters. You could pass her in a Wall-mart, and you'd never turn around to watch her go by. Yet, she was cute and had and outgoing personally that seemed to draw you to her.

Over the course of several months she would stop and make small talk with me when I would be outside working on the landscape. I would go out of my way to catch her attention. I got to know her more as she opened up with her life. I knew she was forty-eight, divorced with no children. She lived alone and did not have a steady boy friend.

Sometimes she would stop over and bring me something special she had cooked, as she knew I lived alone. We would talk for hours when she and I felt chatty.

So, one Friday evening I was sitting out on my deck, just staring out into space when Annette came over and set down beside me.

"What up Frank? You look like you're kind of out there."

I looked up. "Well Annette, today's the third anniversary of my wife's death."

"Damn Frank, I didn't know. You never mentioned this before. Want to talk about it?"

"There's not much left to talk about Annette. I was busy here in the house. She said she needed a few things at Wall-mart and asked if I wanted to go with her. I told her to just go herself as I was busy."

"Frank..."

"I never got to tell her I loved her."

"Oh Frank, I am so sorry," Annette whispered.

"She was stopped at a light. A drunk driver came up the exit ramp the wrong way and hit her head on. She never knew what hit her."

Annette leaned over and in a soft voice said, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, I know it wasn't, but you know how those thoughts stay in your head."

"Frank, have you ever thought about getting a girlfriend?"

"I have a nice girlfriend, Joyce, but I don't know if we will ever click."

"Bad in bed?" Annette chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh no, she's okay in bed, but there's something lacking."

"What's that?" Annette inquired as she brought us both some coffee from my kitchen.

"Well don't think me a pervert or anything, but Joyce won't wear pantyhose for me."

"You're kidding? Right?"

"Nope, not in the least. I really enjoy seeing a classy lady wearing pantyhose and high heels. Really puts the steam into these old pipes of mine, if you know what I mean."

Annette's face turned pink as she blushed with embarrassment.

"Well I can't blame her. I don't like wearing pantyhose either. They're hot and they scratch and they're basically uncomfortable as hell."

"Ah, you're wearing those cheap brands from the value stores and the drug mart. Get good name brand pantyhose and you will see and feel that the difference is night and day."

"Speaking of hose, I will have to wear some tomorrow when I go to the bank for my appointment. Might wear something a bit more businesslike instead of jeans and sneakers. I want to look my best, you know!"

"I'd like to see that! You in a skirt, I mean!"

Annette pushed for more information as the subject matter became more intimate and asked, "Well what do you do then if your girlfriend won't wear pantyhose for you?

"Well, again, don't make me out as a sicko, but once, maybe twice a month, I'll go down to the local titty bar. For fifty bucks a girl will give me a private show wearing pantyhose and high heels. I get to touch her and feel her up from head to toe. Of course there's no sex there and Christ, some of those girls are young enough to be my daughter. I just get to feel, touch and watch for an hour. Hell, for twenty bucks more she'll masturbate for me wearing hose while I watch."

"She does what?"

"She pleasures herself while I watch. I know it's an act and she's faking it, and she knows she's faking it."

"Frank, that's..."

"I know what you're thinking. It's been a subject of great tension between Joyce and me. Sometimes she'll give in and wear pantyhose for me, but I know deep down inside she's not into it and more than likely never will be. We don't see each other very much anymore."

"Did you explain things to her?"

"Yeah, but we always end up with an argument about it. It's easier to just pay the fifty bucks or so and be done with it."

As the night grew longer, Annette had to make tracks herself as she had that important appointment with the bank next morning. She gave me a quick peck on the forehead and said she hoped I felt better after talking things out.

The next morning brought plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures. A great day for some yard work. I saw Annette's car pull into her drive. She got out and headed toward her house. She looked well dressed in a navy blue skirt that went to her mid calves, along with a white ruffled blouse and what looked like maybe a pair of short heels. Her bright brown eyes were framed with a stylish rectangular shaped pair of glasses. See looked like a CEO for a larger banking firm.

That was the first time I've ever saw Annette dressed in a skirt and it made quite an impression. As she got out of her car, her skirt slid up just a bit and I got a glimpse of her legs at last. I could feel my cock stiffen up and had to hide behind my shovel as she got closer.

"Hey sweetie, you look very nice today! Guess you really do own a pair of legs. How did it go with the bank this morning?"

Annette walked over and just kind of dropped her shoulders down.

"Mind if we talk a few seconds, Frank?"

"Sure, no problem. What's wrong?"

"Ah, that damn bank won't give me a loan. They say the house's value is not high enough to cover a home equity loan now."

"Yeah, the banks got caught giving out some bad loans last year. It's going to be hard to get a loan these days."

"I really need the upstairs re-wired. The wiring is old and needs replaced."

"Doesn't surprise me. Most of these homes were wired back in the 20's. Many still have the old tube -and-knob wiring inside. I've probably re-wired a dozen on this block myself."

"Frank! You never told me you did electrical work?"

"Oh, hell, I've been an industrial electrician for nearly thirty years now."

"Would you mind coming over and giving me a price? I had a few companies out already to give me some estimates for the work. I needed the loan to get the wiring done."

"Sure, let me get some tools."

After I grabbed a few hand tools, I followed Annette over to her home. I've never been inside it before and I was surprised how warm and inviting it was. It was nicely decorated downstairs, but the upstairs needed a lot of work.

Once upstairs, I looked around and made some mental notes of some of the work that needed to be done.

"How much did they quote you?"

"One guy said $2400 and the other was $2600."

"That's just about what I was thinking. Neither one is really too far out of line. I'll tell you what. I may have most of the material in the garage, leftovers from other jobs, you pay me my labor and I'll do the rewire for $600."

"I got turned down at the bank, remember."

"Yeah, that's rough."

"Would you be interested in a barter? Annette asked.

Laughing I said, "What do you have to barter with, Annette? I really don't plan on going into an ICU unit anytime soon!"

"Me. I want to barter me."

"What?"

"What you told me last night out on your deck. I will wear pantyhose for you and you can feel me up. You can strip me naked if you want. You can do to me what you did with those other girls in exchange for rewiring my upstairs rooms."

"Get serious Annette! Those were young girls looking for a quick buck. What did you tell me the other day, you just turned forty-eight. Christ Annette, I just turned fifty last month."

"Frank, I am serious. I ... I will ... I will masturbate for you wearing nothing but pantyhose and high heels."

I started to unscrew a switch plate then stopped and looked over to Annette. "Annette, you don't get it. I paid those girls to strip naked, put on pantyhose and high heels, and let me feel them up between their legs. My hands were everywhere. I mean everywhere. I did everything you can think of to them just short of having sex. You don't understand!"

"I understand."

"No, I really don't think you do."

I bent back down and started working on the switch plate once again.

"Yes Frank. I understand completely."

"Annette, you have no idea."

"Frank. Look at me. I understand the price of the barter."

I turned around and Annette walked closer toward me. She unbuttoned her blouse and took it off, and placed it over a chair. She un-fastened her bra and it dropped to the floor. Her breasts were on the small size, but they seemed to defy gravity, and appeared both perky and upright on her chest. The room was cool in the early morning, which caused her nipples to harden and stick out nearly a quarter of an inch. She gave each one a quick pinch to swell them up even more. She removed her glasses and ran her hands through her hair, then she shook her head about allowing her hair to fall down to meet her shoulder blades.

Next, she reached behind her midi length skirt, and pulled the zipper down. The skirt drooped as the waist band grew loose. The garment dropped to the floor and she stepped out of it, leaving it where it laid. She was wearing some cheap beige pantyhose, along with a pair of white cotton panties. In less than thirty seconds, Annette stripped down to nothing but her pantyhose and her low-heeled shoes.

Seeing her standing in front of me like that, I dropped my screwdriver on the floor.

"Jesus Christ Annette! What the hell are you doing?"

"A free sample to check the merchandise!"

She extended her hand out to me and I took it. As our fingers locked together, she took my hand and gently placed my fingertips on top of her thigh. She rubbed my hand up and down her pantyhosed leg. She placed her thumbs into the waistband of her hose and pulled them down, stopping at her knees. She spread her legs apart slightly and little by little pulled her panties down to meet her hose. She moved my hand up her thigh, and she placed my fingers on her pussy.

"Go ahead, Frank."

Without saying another word, I knew what she was thinking. I used my fingers to slightly open her pussy lips. They were tight and up against her. As I explored her pussy, my fingers began to sense her moisture as she started to lubricate with her own juice.

I moved my fingers from her snatch and worked my way up. I could feel that her clit had popped out and was filling with blood, growing thicker as I massaged it.

Annette reached down and removed my hand from her honey pot but instead of pushing it away, she placed it on her breast. She took my other hand and guided it to her other breast, too. They were warm and oh-so smooth to the touch. I run my fingertips around both her nipples as I watched them grow before my eyes. After a few minutes she moved my hands down to her ass. It was as smooth as a newborn baby. She let go of my hands and pulled her panties and pantyhose back up.

"Do we have a barter Frank? You can have me in exchange for your electrical repair work."

"I don't know Annette. What you just did was awesome, and for a woman my age, you have an unbelievable body."

"You can have more of what you just did to me. If asked, I will masturbate for you while you watch and I won't fake it like the girls you pay. You'll get the real deal. If you're not happy, you can call the barter off."

"Are you sure Annette? I can get rather kinky and it's been a while."

"Yes. I will do whatever you ask as long as there's no sex. That's not part of the barter. Other than that, whatever you desire I will do for you. You paid seventy bucks for one hour at the titty bar. Would ten hours with me pay for your work?"

" I ... I don't know ... An hour at a time?"

"You can combine as many hours as you like. Deal?"

"Ok. Done deal."

"Great! I'll draw up a simple barter contract if you don't mind."

"Sounds good. When do you want to start?"

"Humm, it's a bit past noon. How about coming over here about seven tonight for your first payment. When can you start with the rewire?"

"Tomorrow morning would be fine."

"Great! See you at seven tonight then."

With that, Annette picked up her blouse and put it back on. She left her skirt on the upstairs floor as we started down the stairwell, with Annette leading the way.

"Annette, you really do have a fine looking ass!"

"Thanks!"

Just as I was about to leave, she stopped me and said, "What would you like me to wear tonight? I almost forget to ask."

My head was still spinning from what happened upstairs a brief fifteen minutes ago. I stumbled to gather my thoughts.

"Ah, well Jesus, Annette. I guess ... First off, don't wear any of those cheap pantyhose brands you have. Go get some good hose. Better get more than one pair too. Different shades would be nice as well.

"With what I just saw upstairs, you have a fine little figure. You should show it off. So, how about wearing a short summer dress. Have on some nice lacy panties to show off that tight little butt you have. I think suntan pantyhose would look great on you. Complete your look with some black high heels. Oh. Yeah. Have some extra clothes ready and a few different pairs of high heels out. You do own some high heels don't you?"

"Yes! What girl doesn't?"

Giving her a last chance to back out, I asked her, "Are you sure you want to go through with this Annette? You don't have to, you know. You could try for another loan from another bank."

"A deal is a deal." And with that she extended her hand out and we shook to confirm the barter was on.

I tried spending the rest of the day taking inventory of the materials I had stored in the garage. It was hard keeping focused, knowing the minutes and hours were counting down toward seven. As much as I tried to keep my mind off of the coming evening I seemed to be carrying around a massive hard-on under my jeans. Hell, I bet the neighbors must have thought I really liked to clean out the garage.

I kept busy the rest of the day. I took a shower before putting on some nice casual clothes. I watched the clock and around ten till the hour, I headed over to Annette's house. I was just about to knock on the front door when Annette opened the door.

"Hi Frank! Come on in."

As I had instructed earlier in the day, Annette was wearing a short floral dress having a hemline that reached an inch or so above her knees. She had on the black high heels I requested, too. I could see the outline of a red bra hiding just underneath her dress. The dress had some buttons that went down to about her waist, the first few remained unfastened which exposed whatever cleavage her small breasts could generate. A gold necklace finished out the outfit. She had applied makeup and her lips were red with lipstick.

"Annette, you sure look great!" I proclaimed as I ran my eyes up and down her petite frame.

"You clean up nicely, too!" she replied.

Although it was hard taking my eyes off of Annette, I finally noticed the room was aglow with various candles. Soft music filled the living room. Clearly Annette set the stage for her end of the barter to begin.

"This is quite a departure from what I am used to at the titty bar. They have that head-banging music up so loud you can't hear yourself think. The girls chew gum like cattle grazing, too."

"No gum here!" Annette laughed while she led me to the living room.

We sat down on the living room couch and made some small talk. She showed me the barter contract she had drawn up. Basically it read exactly like what we had discussed earlier that day. However, I noticed the "no sex" clause was not there, perhaps just an oversight by Annette. She had her name signed on one line at the bottom of the contract with a blank line for me to sign next to it. She handed me a pen and I put my name to the paper.

Annette looked up at the clock on the wall. "Well?"

"Well what?" I asked.

"It's been a while since I've been with a man in a setting like this. That's all."

"Annette, if you're having second thoughts, say so and I'll go back home."

"NO! It's fine. It's just been a while, that's all. My long time boyfriend dumped me for a younger women a few years ago."

"What a fool!" I looked over at her and said, "One or two hours?"

"Let's make it two. Just to get things moving along."

"Well hell then, let's see some leg!"

Annette stood and moved in front of the coffee table. She dropped her arms by her side.

"You're very attractive you know."

I could see her blush a bit even in the dim candle lit room. She looked down at the floor and said, "Thanks Frank."

With that Annette placed one of her heels onto the top of the coffee table and pulled the hemline of her dress up past her thigh. She ran her hands up and down her hosed legs several times, then looked up to me and said, "You like this Frank? Do you like this? Want to see more?"

I just nodded as I could not seem to find the words. She stepped back and then moved in between the coffee table and the couch I was setting on. As she bent down to grab her dress's hemline, I got a peek of her breasts hiding under her bra.

Annette then lifted her dress up to the point the hemline was across her chest. She spread her legs, giving me a fantastic view. I was delighted to see Annette had chosen sheer-to-the waist pantyhose. I saw her red bikini panties just covering a freshly trimmed bush hiding under her sheer hose.

"What would you like to do to me in my pantyhose, Frank? Does it turn you on? Do you want to see my ass covered in pantyhose just for you, Frank?"

She turned around, lifted the rear of her dress and then bent over, tightening her pantyhose against her ass cheeks in the process. She rubbed her ass with her hands and fingered and stoked her crack as she stood there exposed.

She turned toward me again and raised her dress up with both hands. As I sat on the couch, I reached down to her shoes, playing with the leather straps that wrapped around her ankles. Running my fingers back and forth, and over the top of her feet, I pulled at her hose just above her toes, still hiding inside her high heels.

Running my hands up the back of her calves, I could feel the muscles in her legs tighten and relax as she maintained her balance. Up and down, up and down, my hands continued to feel her legs. I reached up higher till at last I had her ass in my grip. Her panties were pushed up into the crack of her ass and I teased her by pulling at their elastic straps. With my firm hands, I grabbed and pulled her ass cheeks, held prisoner by the pantyhose that had encased them. I squeezed them hard.