Aversion

**OOC*** I\'ll give better chapter titles when I get back to it. However, the story *is* just two parts, so we\'ll see what I do with it. I\'m quite curious myself.[/OOC]

* * *
Ashley struck the piano’s black and white keys with her small hands, each key releasing a specific note, and each note ringing in harmony with its partner.

Mary Franklin, the music instructor, leaned into the young girl, observing her hands on the piano. She told Ashley to hit the middle pedal of the piano, and Ashley tried as hard as she could to reach it. “I’m too short.”

Mary smiled, “in good time you will be able to reach, young lady.”

Ashley’s hands continued to play the melody, her eyes never leaving the book of sheet music in front of her.

Mary watched the young girl with admiration. She said, “I see you are reading both the Bass and Treble Cleft. Simultaneously, Ashley that is very impressive considering that we have only been doing this for several weeks.”

Ashley responded with a simple, yet humble, “thank you, Miss Franklin.”

Mary reached her foot down and pressed the pedals below the piano with perfect timing, so each time a dramatic shift would come in the piece of music, the sound echoed and hummed throughout the piano’s expansive housing.

“Wow, that is neat!” Ashley tapped at the keys, the melody singing in unison with the deep bellows flowing with the movement of the pedals.

Mary spoke, “Just think, soon enough, you will be able to reach the pedals and do this all by yourself.”

Ashley stopped playing. She turned to her piano instructor and asked, “When I grow up, I will be taller. Once I am taller, my feet will reach low enough and I should be able to do this.” She leaned in and played with the pedals with her feet, nearly falling out of her piano chair as she did so. “And when I’m able to do this, do you think my daddy will come and hear me play?”

Mary did not have a response. Indeed, she knew that Ashley’s father was a busy man, and she doubted if he would ever take the time to listen to his daughter play the family’s piano. It was already a depressing thought that the man was rarely home to even see his daughter. Instead of answering questions, Mary replied, “Hey, I think Elena baked some cookies while we were practicing. Would you like to take a break?”

Ashley’s face hardened and she answered. “No. No thank you. I would like to commit this etude to memory, if you are alright with that.”

Mary smiled. “I am perfectly comfortable with that. Now, let’s open to etude sixty-four on page ninety one.”

Ashley protested, “But I want to finish this one.”

The instructor turned the pages of the book, so now etude sixty-four was exposed. “I know that, dear. However, there is a simple bridge in this one, a bridge that involves an ‘all or nothing’ pattern on the keys. I think once you master that portion, you can return to the etude on page fifty-six and commit it to memory much easier. See,” Mary brought her hands to the keys on the piano, “it goes like this.” She played the bridge in perfection. Ashley tapped her foot as her piano instructor played the music, the glorious sound filling the house and bringing a smile to everyone’s face, whoever could hear it.

“Wow.” Ashley’s foot stopped tapping to the beat, and she admired her instructor. “Alright, I have to put my hands here,” She narrowed her eyes on the music, then placed her fingers on the corresponding keys, “and it will go like this.” She played the first measure of the music, her fingers searching for the correct key to tap as the notes clashed in resonation. “Well, not like that.”

Mary placed Ashley’s fingers on the correct keys, answering, “Watch the key. See, this piece is in E minor, thus the strange sound. At times, you will have to watch the flats and sharps of the piece. At other times, the music will chime in a melodic, harmonious balance, much like the etude we were previously working on. See, the interesting thing about melodies in minor keys is that, at times, they have this beautiful dramatic sound. You know those stories you hear?”

Ashley nodded.

“You know how they all have a beginning, and all the characters are introduced?”

The young girl nodded again, her attentive eyes never leaving her music teacher’s gaze as she spoke.

“Well, in all stories, there is what is called a ‘conflict’. The good guys and the bad guys all interact, then there is usually a scene where everything comes together, and that scene has all these details, and sometimes things do not go well for the good guys. It is those parts that add depth to the story, and in the end, the victory for the good guys is… well, it is bittersweet.”

Ashley gazed at her teacher, her face expressing a bit of confusion.

“The reason I told you that is because in the more complicated pieces of music, such as this etude, there are parts that do not seem right, like they do not fit. However, once the entire story is told, or once those parts of the music are brought back, this time in major keys and harmonious, the resonation of those repetitive ensembles make more sense. You follow?”

“Oh, okay. Now I understand. But, um, what does this have to do with the previous etude?”

“Once you master this section, and eventually this etude, the other piece will seem ridiculously easy. And it will help you memorize it, because the stroke patterns on the keys are much less complicated. Now, let us begin on this more complicated piece, and watch how simple it will be to pick up on that other etude.”

The young girl nodded, and then she attentively studied the music in front of her. She placed her fingers on the correct keys, and tapped out the music in front of her, each note corresponding to the given pattern on the paper, and then note after note, measure after measure, the minor scale struck through the piano, and a strange, melodic sound was the result. Before long, Ashley had learned the minor scale and the etude was a breeze. She practiced it again, returning to the difficult parts, and eventually it became second nature to reach her small hand higher on the keys, hitting the black keys, which were the flat and sharp notes, and correlating them with the smooth notes of the natural tones given by the white keys. She tapped out the proper notes, and the etude, difficult to play and equally difficult to h was was eventually turned into a difficult piece. Once she eventually blended the tune in the minor key with the pleasant conclusion in a major scale, the piece began to make more sense.

“I think you’ve got it.” Mary Franklin turned the pages back to the original etude, and Ashley studied the notes on the typed measures, and then returned her hands to her lap.

Ashley flipped the page back and forth, studying the melody, committing it to memory, and every now and then she would bring her hands to the piano, letting her hands glance over the keys until the pattern became a part of her. It became second nature to envision the movements her hands would eventually play, and Mary smiled as she imagined the eventual success that young Ashley was aspiring to.

Mary watched Ashley intently. She enjoyed how dedicated her student was, but she realized that Ashley’s motivation was driven to please her father. Mary silently sighed as she let the thought hit her harder; Ashley’s father had no idea how much dedication that his daughter had put into her lessons. The small trace of dust was a fact that it the piano was not even a priority to the man of the house, for he probably did not even inform the staff to keep the piano clean. Come to think of it, Bridgett probably did not even notice as well. Mary became a bit frustrated with Ashley’s parents and instead, she gave Ashley her undivided attention.

“Okay, ink ink I’ve got it.” Ashley closed the book.

Mary asked, “Do you want to try it from memory already?”

Ashley kept her hand on the book, her pointer finger still inserted on the page where the etude began. “Um, okay I’ll try it once with the book. But I am only using it as a simple reference.”

Mary helped Ashley open the book. “That sound like a good plan to me, Ashley.”

Ashley studied the page once again, and she very silently and quietly ran her fingers over the keys, her hands acting as a future ghost of the actions she was about to take. She sat up in her chair, cleared her throat and propped her hand on the keys, her eyes never leaving the sheet music. Once she was ready, Miss Franklin nodded her head as Ashley struck the keys with grace and confidence, until the etude was playing with perfection across the keys of black and white.

Ashley eventually dropped her eyes from the music and struck the keys with a newfound energy, the resulting sound filling the house as if it were her own concert hall, and even Elena stopped cleaning the office and joined Mary and Ashley at the piano.

As the etude played on, Ashley played faster and faster as the melody got complicated, and then she closed her eyes as the difficult parts came in. The complication of the minor keys struck the room with a triumphant sound, and Ashley gracefully segued the major scale back in, and eventually finished the etude in perfection.

The maid and the music instructor clapped their hands in appreciation as the young girl left her fingers on they keys, letting the last notes blend and gracefully transcend into a slow pianissimo and eventually fade from the housing of the piano and resonance of the large house.

Ashley’s expression seemed doubtful, and she turned to her music teacher. “I want to try it once more. This time, I want to do it faster and without looking at the music.”

Mary removed the book from the surface of the piano and nodded her head to her student, who returned her gaze with a look of defiance. “Okay, but remember, this is the first time you will be playing this piece from memory. Do not forget the hand motions – the minor keys are a huge part of this piece, so remember their role. Again, this is like a story, and sometimes the bad guys have their parts, and the good guys struggle a bit. But in the end, the good guys should win. It is like this in music, the major scales play in the end, leaving a profound impact on both musician and audience. Pretend as if this house is your own private concert hall. Elena and I are your audience, but pretend that this music hall of yours is filled with people who want to hear you play.”

Ashley hugged her teacher, smiled at Elena and called the dog over to join them. Immediately on her command, Luke darted down the stairs and sat beside Elena, who gave him an affectionate pat on his head.

The young girl tapped her foot as it barely reached the floor from her seat on the piano stool. She let the rhythm course through her mind, and she envisioned the hand motions over the keys as she heard the melody in her head. Major keys, followed in the middle by a small minor scale, then major and minor scales joined in recap as the piece was completed. Eager and steady, her fingers placed themselves on the correct keys and she played the first of many notes, and her pace was faster and more dedicated than ever before.

She played the melody at one and a half times the rate she had practiced, and the combination of nerve and dedication hit high gear as she furiously found each key to make each note count, both sharps, flats, and natural tones combining in a mix of melodic fury as she played the etude, both pleasant and conflicting sounds combining to produce a final compilation of music. As Miss Franklin had informed her, the overall sound was complete, the recap adding another dimension of harmony to the song as she aggressively pushed herself to the end of the song.

When Ashley tapped the final note, the resulting sound and emotion came to surface, and she leaned her head and body into the piano as the etude completed, and Elena and Mary could not suppress their appreciation as they stood and clapped upon Ashley’s completion of the song.

The girl hopped off the bench and hugged the dog, the maid and the music instructor. She gleefully laughed as she recapped her recent success of memorizing the entire piece, and then pet the dog as she walked to the family’s office.

She turned back to Mary and said, “Thank you so much for that lesson, it really helped. The minor scales were hard, but I think we’ve got it.”

Mary nodded.

“Now, according to mother, I need to work on my script letters. Come on, Luke.” The dog followed in suit.

“Before you do, take a break Ashley.” Elena pointed the young girl to the kitchen where she poured Ashley a tall glass of milk and had a plate of warm cookies prepared.

Ashley looked at the plate in admiration, and asked the maid and piano teacher to join her at the table.

They willingly joined her.

Mary spoke first, “You are progressing very well, Ashley. Much faster than my other students, I might add.”

Elena poured Miss Flin lin a cup of tea and a glass of milk for herself as she reached for the platter of freshly baked cookies.

Ashley gave a genuine thank-you to the instructor for the compliment, and another to the maid for the delicious cookies.

Ashley sat at the edge of her seat, her body facing the office, and she her face displayed her utter reluctance with her current situation. She certainly did not want to sit there and enjoy cookies with the ominous inevitability of needing to work on her cursive letters – at her mother’s request and instruction.

She instead chose to live in the moment and enjoy the cookies as she sat there and enjoyed her warm cookies in the company of her piano instruction Mary, the Russian maid Elena and her beloved dog.

Mary Franklin asked, “So what else is on your busy schedule today, Ashley?”

Ashley frowned, lowered her eyes and answered, “I have those horrible script worksheets that mother has assigned for me in the office. I just wish she could come home and spend time with me while I worked on the work with me. They don’t even ask us to do this in school yet – we will not even start cursive script until next year.” She sighed as she took an aggressive bite into her cookie. “I hate penmanship. Mother does not even write, so I do not understand why she makes me do it.”

Elena leaned into Mary and whispered, “that is exactly why she makes the child do it – more work for Ashley and less work for Bridgett.”

Mary leaned in the direction of Elena, and then watched as Ashley bit at her cookie furiously, and then dipping it in the milk and pulling it out again, lightly letting the residual milk splash on the table as she took another violent bite into the cookie. It appeared Ashley was not really eating the cookie; instead it seemed as if she were brutally attacking it, letting it die a slow pace in the confines of her mouth, then meeting an inevitable death, slowly being digested until exiting her body. Mary spoke, “Elena, I must use the bathroom, will you direct me to it?”

Elena nodded, and then the women rose from their chairs at the kitchen table and walked to the larger living room. They spoke in hushed whispers.

“Honestly, the woman is never here, her father cannot even come home and appreciate the child. Really, why do they push her so much?” Elena’s face constricted, her emotions showing clear on her face, exposing her feelings like the pages of an opened book.

Mary sighed and answered, “They push her to keep her busy. All these rich-types do it – they bombard their children’s schedule with activities so they do not have to spend time with them. Take the lady of the house for example – she is out shopping on Rodeo Drive, and Ashley is sitting here with us. She is busying Wade on a Saturday for crying out loud.”

Elena answered, “You know, Pedro tells me she is off on these excursions whenever the master is away from thtatetate. I would imagine that she is off taking advantage of the staff, but if that were true, she would need to practice a bit of caution. The master, being as wealthy as he is, is probably monitoring her actions day and night, just as he does us.” She pointed to a hidden surveillance camera above the piano, slightly misdirected from the very point they were standing. “I imagine he would go to any length to secure the well-being of his family, even if it is at the cost of mistrusting his very well-paid staff.”

Mary shook her head in protest. “Honestly, why would he go through such extensive measures?”

“Because he can. It is his trade; his passion. It is his work, his very being. It does not surprise me in the slightest bit that he takes his work home with him, if you follow me.”

Mary nodded. “I see. Very well, can you show me the bathroom? In all honesty, I do need to relieve myself.”

Elena walked with Mary to the bathroom, and left her as she headed back to the kitchen to accompany Ashley as she still sat and enjoyed her cookies… rather, ate them in a violent manner.

Mary sympathized with Ashley. She felt for the child; imagining how sad it must be to work hard and aspire to be something that will never be appreciated, no matter how hard she worked, no matter how many lessons she practiced on the piano, and no matter how many hours she labored on her cursive penmanship work.

Ashley threw down the last cookie and smiled at Mary, and then she called Luke to her side as she took a long, dramatic, and reluctant walk toward the office.

She opened up her workbook, extracted a pen from the cup, removed several sheets of paper from the desk drawer and began working on her letters. Slowly and laboriously, she drew the simple lines, transcending the lines of the paper for the more complicated letters. Her ‘s’ letters flowed continually, and then she lifted the pen as the curves stopped and the ink left its mark on the surface. She smiled in satisfaction as she continued to practice the script writing, incorporating the single letters, combining them with more letters until they formed words. She then stepped away from the paper and stretched for a bit, and then returned to the paper and formed additional words until the pretty letters combined to create nonsense phrases. Ashley just wanted to practice the letters after all, and when she observed the marks on the surface, it reminded her greatly of the sheet music she had just studied several moments ago.

She sighed, dropped the pen from her hand and placed her arms on the desk. She then tucked her head into her arms and sighed wistfully as she closed her eyes and drifted off into a world of dreams, dreams that were not filled with script letters, but rather a sun-filled, pond-laden landscape, complete with countless stepping-stones and expansive surfaces to bounce them on. It was a dream place, somewhere she could never go, or ever possibly escape to, minus the boundless, unconstrained fantasies of her young mind.
* * *

Wade pulled the car into the expansive complex that was his employer’s home, and immediately drove to the main entrance of the mansion, and then stopped the car and opened his door for his employer. He hesitated as he watched her exit the automobile, and watched for any signs that she might give for his further action. He did not know if she required him to follow or if he should leave, so he resolved to park the car into the main garage, and then follow the path that lead to the front door. He figured he could at least catch a quick chat with Ashley before heading off for the long drive back home.

He pulled into the main parking garage, turned the engine off and walked back up to the house. When he entered, Elena was waiting at the door, her face showing slight confusion.

Elena opened the door and said, “I did not know if you would be joining us for dinner, but I did set a place for you.”

Wade asked, “Do you, meaning the staff, usually join Bridgett for dinner?”

Elena nodded, and answered, “No, only the ones she spends a lot of time with.”

Wade glance over his shoulder. He added, “Does that include you?”

She shook her head as she closed the door behind him, and took his driver’s cap as he instinctively removed it and handed it to her. Once Elena hung it on the hook inside of the closet by the door, she followed him into the waiting room, this time she did not need to point him to a seat. He already sat down.

Elena walked back to the kitchen, and she could hear Bridgett calling for her daughter in the next room. Wade casually glance around the waiting room, doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing – portraying the act of ‘employee’, awaiting his next set of instructions from his boss. He started to grin as he realized the implication of the employee, and realized that any definition he had of the word was not thrown significantly out of proportion from what it had meant in the past. Never before had he been paid to have sex with any of his employers, and the experience, while new and exciting, was very, very dangerous. Regret flashed through his mind, and even though he could rationalize it as ‘the right thing to do for the right sum of money’, a tick kept him from truly seeing the situation in an intelligent fashion. He sighed as he crossed his legs, the anticipation for further instruction humming through his mind as he cancelled out any extraneous noise. The only thing that caught his attention was when his cal called his name, a familiar hark in her tone as she chimed. He rose from his chair and joined her.

* * *
She tapped the child in front of her; the child who was fast asleep upon a small, neatly organized pile of paperwork, non-intelligible phrases gracing the papers she was sleeping atop.

“Ashley!”

The girl suddenly awoke from her nap and looking slightly disheveled, she faced her mother. “Oh. I, uh, well, oh hi.”

Her mother’s face was stern and cold, the look behind her eyes an echo of the tone she addressed her mother with. “Well?” Bridgett placed her hands on her hips and eyed her daughter, asking for an answer.

“Sorry mother, but I fell asleep.” Ashley lifted her head from the paperwork, and reached onto the desk and presented the materials to her mother. “I am done. Sorry I fell asleep, but I’m done with the work you assigned to me. OH! And Miss Franklin and I worked on that piece, just as you-”

Bridgett immediately cut the words from her daughter’s mouth. She did not want to hear what her daughter had to say, for she was severely displeased with the lack of dedication that she felt was within her daughter. She had no chance to ask about the piano lesson, for her displeasure with the current lack of motivation toward the penmanship assignment caused her great disappointment. “What is this?” Bridgett held the paperforefore her daughter’s eyes, shoving the work into Ashley’s face.

“That is the work you asked me to do. See the letters?”

Bridgett raised the papers to her own eye levels again, looking upon the beautifully crafted letters that were so diligently added to the paper. She huffed at the inane babble left on the pages; words written, yet coupled with more words that made no sense whatsoever in the same ‘sentence’ together. She was outright disappointed in her daughter for submitting such rubbish. The letters, written in a lovely, cursive, flowing fashion with precision and type-written perfection remained on the page until Bridgett grasped the papers with both hands and effortlessly tore the sheets down the center, watching her daughter’s expression change from triumph to tragedy as several hours’ work of her playtime, converted into work time, were immediately in vain as the paper fell from her mother’s vicious hand.

“I expect better next time, Ashley.” He mother tossed the now ruined papers into the trash. “You need to work harder and not fall asleep while doing your work. I do not want to come home to this shit ever again. If I do, say your goodbyes to Luke right now because he will be the first thing to go. That goddamn dog is a distraction to your work.”

The dog slept peacefully in his spot on the floor, paying no heed to the tension in the room. He did not even bother to get up when Ashley ran out of the room, tears streaming in her eyes as she bawled up the stairs, throwing her door closed and crying heartfelt tears into her pillow, her silent, bitter screams of agony muffled by the soft cotton linen and fluffy feather down.



Bridgett left the office, quite pleased with herself, and informed Elena that she was to prepare an exquisite, intricate meal for the family tonight. Elena bowed her head as polite as possible as she extracted several pots, pans and cooking elements to begin preparation. Bridgett glanced at the clock and informed Elena that dinner was to be served in an hour, and Elena began preparations, fast and furious, such as she had never done in her life.

As Elena was occupied with dinner, Bridgett smiled to herself as she saw the gardeners were busy outside, and the only thing left to take care of was her weeping daughter. She walked up the stairs and entered her daughter’s bedroom.

Ashley did not lift her head from the pillow; rather she stopped sobbing and just hoped, with all her heart, that her mother would leave her alone. She just wanted the silence of her room, and she did not know how much longer she could withstand her mother’s berating.

“Ashley dear, please go back to the office and work on your penmanship lesson a bit more.” She gently shook her daughter, imagining that the child was still asleep.

Ashley just nodded, headed for the door, and walbackback to the office. Her mother walked down the steps and said, “And don’t come out until Elena has announced that dinner has been prepare. And Ashley, just the letters will suffice, do not go in there and write a novel, dear.”

Bridgett then walked into the waiting room, and found Wade softly whispering to himself as she approached him from behind. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I still have to pay you for today. My billfold is,” she looked upstairs, “oh how inconvenient. It is all the way upstairs on the night table. Come, I’ll pay you cash.”

Wade smiled as he followed his boss up the stairs, his smirk slightly suppressed by the constant, nagging feeling that this, all of this, was just plain wrong.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Wade waited patiently by the door that lead into the expansive bedroom. He had never been in there before (there was no need for him to be anywhere near that room, seeing as he was the driver after all), and he let the reality of it hit him. The room was enormous – there was no way two people would need that much room. From what he could tell, Bridgett selected the furniture and patters on the walls. Even the carpet appeared to reek of feminine selection; he imagined that her husband had no say whatsoever. Wade then wondered if Bridgett’s husband even slept in that room with her, if and when he ever did get back from work.

He heard Bridgett’s voice call out from a slight distance, “Wade, come on it. I just had to powder my nose.” She stepped out from the bathroom, wearing her silk robe again, and this time she lit several candles.

Wade could smell the slight vanilla scent enter his nostrils and trigger his senses. He immediately felt calm, yet very sensual at the same time. He approached his boss as she waived her finger at him in a ‘come hither’ motion, his legs obviously not listening to the little voice him his head that was screaming this is wrong.

Bridgett removed the billfold from the bedside table and counted out the cash amount, exactly three times Wade’s usual pay for the day. She tossed the money on the bed and approached him, waiving an end of the silk belt which fasted her robe.

Wade cleared his throat and as he reached for the money, Bridgett stepped in front of him. He eyed her curiously and asked, “What?”

She responded, “See anything you like?”

He placed his hand on the sloppily arranged bills on the bed and counted them. He replied, “Yea I do. I could get used to this – not saying that I would want to, but the pay. Well, never mind.” He folded the bills and put them in his money clip, along with his drivers license and several other cards. Wade stepped toward the door, but before he pulled the handle he felt her hands on his waist, wrapping around and closing on his chest.

Bridgett stood on her tiptoes and asked, “Everyone is busy. They have no idea what goes on in here – this is the only room which Bill does not monitor, at my request of course.”

Wade grabbed her hands as they rested on his chest. “You bring all your men in here?”

She sighed and pulled her hands away. Bridgett stepped back and waited for Wade to approaer. er. When he did not, she decided to go back to the old approach – the approach that got her what she wanted earlier today. Except she wanted to spice it up a bit. “Hey Wade?”

He answered, his tone full of boredom. “Yes?”

She leaned over, removed a panel from the carpet, and lifted a small-hinged wooden board in the floor. She pulled out several sacks, and proceeded to open them. She started rustling around the contents of the bag and asked, “What is the most expensive, the most luxurious thing you have ever done?”

“The most luxurious and expensive? Hmm…” He scratched his chin. “This one time in Vegas, I brought a hooker back to a hotel room and went down on her in a hot tub.”

Bridgett laughed as she threw the contents of the sacs onto the bed, and then proceeded to remove her robe, tossing it aside.

Wade was caught in a moment of utter confusion. His immediate reaction was to look at Bridgett as she stood in front of him, completely nude, minus the empty sacs as she held them in front of her. He immediately looked at the bed and when he realized what was in front of him, his jaw dropped open.

Money. She had dumped sacs of money on the bed. And now she was standing there, completely nude awaiting his next move.

She lay across the money, letting the paper slips rustle against her fingers, tossing the bills around her and grabbing them, anrowirowing them in the air, letting them shower on her body.

Wade removed his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt. He wanted to desperately make her forget some things; for anceance, forget that he wanted to take all that money and run as fast as he could. He decided to settle for the next best thing. He was going to earn it.

He removed his shirt and then his pants, and he approached her as she continued to play in the bed full of money. He placed his arms down on the bed and straddled his body atop hers.

She took several bills in her hands and ran them along his face, then under his nose, letting him smell the fresh, crisp scent of new money. As he leaned into her, she could feel his erection pressing hard against her body, and the image of what he was about to do with that erection caused her great delight as he began to work on her, his hands reaching for her thighs, then narrowing in to the wet area between them. He broughs mos mouth to her breasts again before sliding down and going to work between her legs. She dropped the cash in her hands as she brought them to his head, pressing him in and forcing him to move faster with his incredibly satisfying strokes of his tongue.

When he was finished there, he brought himself even with Bridgett again, and ground his pelvis with hers. He licked his lips and told her, “You even taste like money.”

She smiled as he placed one hand on her ankles, raising them high as he took his other hand and guided himself inside of her. He let her feet rest on his shoulders as he moved inside of her, his pace slow and less aggressive than before. He liked the way he would grind his body, pushing himself inside of her and moving along the greatest feeling skin as he felt the money slide along his body.

Bridgett rose her hips to meet his as he moved inside of her, and then she motioned him to roll over as she propped her body atop his and let him lay back as she rocked her body on top of his.

When the sensation hit her, she grabbed a pillow and covered her face as she moaned loudly in satisfaction, letting the feeling run through her and finally she fell atop her driver’s body, the slight beading of sweat on her body mingling with his.




Bridgett rolled herself off of Wade and lay on his side, staring up at the ceiling. She looked over at him, and watched as he basked in his afterglow. She lightly laughed as she watched him close his eyes, and finally letting himself submit to the exhaustion as it washed over him. She poked on his side and asked, “Tired already?”

Wade opened his eyes and answered, “You done wore me out today, woman.” He sat upright, yawned and scratched his head. “You ever get tired of this shit?”

Bridgett removed the sheets that were covering her body, and as she stood to dress herself, she answered, “Why do you think I chose you today?”

He shook his head as he stood, dressed and walked to the bathroom to relieve himself.

She lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, letting the chemicals and toxins course through her lungs and with much satisfaction, she exhaled a stream of smoke, watching as the hazy mix spread around the room, and then eventually settle on a given surface.

When Wade returned from the bathroom, he approached Bridgett as she counted out his pay for the day and took it from her hands when she handed it to him. He asked, “Do you always keep several bags of cash lying around for special occasions?”

She smiled as she answered, “Only for the very special occasio I h I have never fucked a black man in this bed, and it was about damn time. I know you enjoyed it.”

Again, the look of disgust flashed across his features. Wade walked to the door and as he pulled the knob, he answered, “You do not know a goddamn fuckin’ thing about me, bitch.”

She walked with him out of the door, and in a whisper she answered, “I will let your cock speak for you. It does a better job, anyway.”

He wanted to hit her. He wanted to hit her hard and watch the skin around her face swell and turn all kinds of shades of blue and purple. However, he would get caught red-handed. Everyone in the house knew that he was the only one with her, so his chances of getting away unscathed were slim to none. That, and he would lose his job, a job that paid well and was relatively easy work. And now had the additional responsibility to fuck his boss whenever her husband was not around. Even though there were repercussions, Wade rationalized that they both had just as much to lose, and he was not afraid of the consequences, where Bridgett could lose everything.

Elena se ext extra place at the table for Wade. Bridgett had told him that she wanted him to stay with dinner because Ashley enjoyed his company. Judging by the look on Ashley’s face as she at tat the table, Wade very much doubted if there was any validity in that comment Bridgett made.

Wade pulled out Ashley’s chair, and tried to talk to her. After several questions (and her just answering with a ‘fine’), he decided to enjoy his dinner in relative silence, beside the noises made by Elena as she cleaned the house and the commands from Bridgett as she ordered more wine, bread and the like. Wade observed Bridgett again as she ate very little. He wondered if she got all her calories from nicotine and alcohol, and if she burned those very few calories between lines of coke and sessions of rather athletic sex. He ate his dinner, respecting the hard work put forth by Elena. When he was finished (much faster than Bridgett and Ashley), he casually glanced around the house and caught a brief glimpse of Elena as she sat on a large, comfortable chair, her feet raised on the ottoman in front. She had her hand placed on her forehead, and looked entirely exhausted. Wade sighed as he realized that while he was upstairs screwing his boss, Bridgett had worked the shit out of her other employees so that they could not come up and bother her. Not like any of them would, but it removed that liability and gave them a bit more privacy.

Elena rose to her feet and came back to the kitchen, preparing the pots, pans and various cooking things in the sink, and then setting them up in the dishwasher. She clearhe the table when Bridgett and Ashley had finished their dinners, and asked if they would like dessert. When they said they would, she set the dishes in the dishwasher, set up tea and brought out desert plates. The tea was ready, and Elena poured tea for Bridgett and Wade (Wade thanked her kindly, Bridgett just nodded), and gave milk to Ashley.

When they finished dessert, Ashley excused herself from the table and went back to her room, calling the dog after her and running with Luke as he chased her up the stairs. Ashley closed the door to her bedroom and sat with her dog, ignoring her mother and getting angry that Bridgett had not even taken a second glance at her worksheets as they lay, neglected on the desk in the office.

Wade rose from his chair, and took his dessert plate with Bridgett’s as he walked to the kin, fn, following after Elena. He handed the plates to her and she thanked him. He leaned in and whispered, “Is she always such a bitch?”

Elena sighed and answered, “No, not all of the time. She is mad at the master of the estate, and I believe she takes it out on all of us instead of aggravating him. I am fine with that, because in comparison to him, her wrath is like that of a sleeping baby.”

Wade nodded. He had driven Bridgett’s husband around several times, but the man neither spoke nor maintained anything that resembled a personable demeanor. He was a man dedicated to his business, and even though he was rarely home to spend time with his family, he sure did take care of them. There was staff in the manor, around the clock every day, and they maintained both the aesthetics of the mansion, as well as the necessities of cooking, cleaning and the like.

The Russian maid tidied the kitchen as Wade walked to the front door. Bridgett followed after him, handing Wade his driver’s cap as he exited the mansion.

Bridgett said, “We will see you on Monday morning, Wade. Enjoy your day off.” She closed the door with a smile.

As Wade walked to the car, he said to himself, “Damn right you won’t be botherin’ me on my only fuckin’ day off. Fuckin’ bitch, God I can’t stand her. But she fucks like a pro and takes it hard. I’ll fuck that bitch ‘til she break next time.”


Once Wade got home, he changed into a sleeveless shirt and boxer shorts, and he clicked the remote to the television. He watched the news, catching the sports highlights of all the games he missed watching today while spending the entire day with Bridgett. He decided to take a shower to get Bridgett’s smell off of him – even with the change of clothes, he still had her scent on him, and it was a bit nauseating. After the shower, he checked his messages and was unsurprised that Yolanda had left him a message.

Her voice echoed through his small apartment as she spoke to the machine several hours before. “Hey baby, I think I left my ‘hose over there. Call me later and I’ll come on over and pick ‘em up. You know where to reach me.” Click. He erased the message and walked back to his couch, letting the day’s fatigue wash over him. He closed his eyes and began to doze off, and he could not tell if it were real or if it were a dream, but he heard the phone ring again. He shot up and gra the the phone answering, “Hello?”

Yolanda’s voice was heard, just the same as it had sounded on the recording of the message she had left him before. “Hey boo, you get my message?”

“Yea I just got it.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I just got home, girl”

“So? You gotta gimme some respect, nigga. You know my fuckin’ numba.”

“Yea I know it, but damn girl, gimme a fuckin’ break. I just got home, shit girl.”

Her voice became aggravated, a tinge of nastiness cursed her tone. “You been playin’ slave-boy again today, Wade? What she do to you?”

He walked to put the phone back on the receiver. He said, “Don’t you fuckin’ worry about that shit I do with my time, Yolanda. I worked all day today, and I’m tired. I don’t wanna deal with your SHIT right now. Later.” He hung up the phone.

Wade turned off the television in the living room and walked to his bedroom, where he turned on the television in there. Before falling asleep, he thought about his mother, church, and his plans for Sunday. When he set his alarm, he tucked himself under a thin sheet and fell immediately to sleep.


* * *
Ashley sat quietly at the piano, knowing well that her mother was still fast asleep upstairs. Luke sat beside her, watching her from the floor, his happy tail wagging, anticipating hovemovements upon the keys on which she placed her fingers. Ashley slowly tapped out several notes, making clashing sounds, hitting the sharps that were the black keys and every now and then, she would tap on a white key to get a sense of harmony. She ticked the keys in sequence, and with her hands now far apart, she taught herself the varying scales of sharp, flat and natural scales. Once she felt comfortable with these scales, she reached under the piano chair, where she kept a personal notebook. She took personal notes of her recent findings from learning the varying hand positions during the transcending notes that were combined to make the scales she was playing. Quite pleased with herself, she dismounted the piano chair and returned to her bedroom. She removed her pajamas and dressed in play clothes, and opened the back sliding door, Luke ran after her at once. She picked up several items on the ground and threw them in succession, rotating which item to throw when Luke carried them, one by one in his slobbering mouth. Ashley laughed as the dog drooled on her hand as she patted him, running her hands along his doggy head and rubbing his chest and neck.

The dog’s ears lifted as she ran along the large backyard, tossing various stones and items as she came across them. She eventually tackled the dog, his tail wagging furiously as he rolled over her. She laughed and played, the dog being gentle with the child; a good sign of an intelligent, obedient dog.

Ashley hummed the etude in her head, remembering her lesson with Mary on the previous day, and memorizing the notes and keystrokes in her mind, fully prepared to play the etude from memory as soon as her father came home from his business trip in Los Angeles. She was a bit disappointed that he could not come home, but she knew that he would come home eventually. Ashley then ran a bit more with the dog before Elena opened the back sliding door and joined Ashley and Luke in the backyard. They spent the morning together, until it was time for Elena to begin preparations for breakfast. The gardeners were beginning to mull into the house, one by one, sitting in the backyard, celebrating their Sunday morning ritual of conversing, drinking coffee and eating their breakfasts. Bridgett and her husband had no idea that the staff did this every Sunday, so it was a secret indulgence that they all took part in. Ashley felt that there was no need to alert her parents about this, she enjoyed talking to them and getting to know a bit about the people who maintained their property and kept it looking good. She actually liked them. She liked them a lot. Not only because they were good employees, and not only because they showed respect to Ashley and spoke to her as if she was an adult, but also because they took turns petting Luke and showing the dog affection. The dog loved them for this, and Ashley appreciated it. Luke was a very friendly dog, and some of the reason for his good behavior is that he was surrounded by people who showed him nothing but affection and genuine care.


* * *
Wade knocked on his mother’s door as soon as he approached the entrance to her small house. She answered the door in a pretty purple dress, and she was wearing white gloves on her delicate hands. He held the door open for her as she stepped out, and out of habit, he took his hand in her own, aiding her down the front steps.

He opened the passenger’s side door to his car, helped her in, and went to the driver’s side and headed in the direction of the family church.

When they arrived at the church, he tied his tie and put his suit jacket on after he helped his mother out of the car. They walked to the entrance, several of their long-time church friends smiling and greeting them as they mulled around the entrance to the sermon area. The pastor joined the crowd in front of the church, his face genuinely kind and his soft hand giving warm, very heartfelt handshakes.

The pastor excused himself and went to the back of the altar, asking the altar boys to light the candles on the altar, each of them executing an essential function to the Sunday rituals of the church. Upon the ringing of the bells, high atop the roof of the church, the congregation entered the sermon area, each of them were handed a bible and songbook as they entered the door. Wade held his mother’s arm in the crook of his own, and she pointed to an area for them to sit. His brother and sister-in-law saved an area for them, and after hugs and greetings, the sermon began and the congregation rose to their feet, singing the opening hymn in synchronized notes with the clear sound of the well-tuned organ.

The sermon began as soon as the pastor finished singing the song with the rest of the group, and he took his usual place at the front of the large room, his words and message filled with personal notes and inspiration. The congregation clapped at emotionally charged parts of the sermon, and several shouted ‘amen’ when the pastor would raise his voice, his message filled with purpose and importance, as he would raise his arms to drill in his speech.

When the time came, Wade removed several cash notes as the contribution portion of the Sunday ritual came. His mother moved to open her purse, but Wade told her that he would be happy to give her portion for her. She placed her hands on his, explaining that it did not matter how much money one person gave the church, it mattered that everyone put in, encouraging them each time to do something individually to practice their love and appreciation for God. He decided to still give the same amount (of his and what was going to be her contribution combined), remembering that the church did need more money, but he needed to hang onto a portion.

After the ceremony, the congregation stood and several continued conversing with each other, bringing up highlights of the day’s sermon. Wade, his mother, sister-in-law and brother remained in their seats, making arrangements for the afternoon. They decided to go back to their mother’s house and make an early dinner. When they left the church, Wade drove back to his mother’s house, and on the way, he picked up several items for dinner. He decided that he and his sister-in-law would cook, since they were the relatively culinary gifted people of the group.

When they got back to his mother’s house, his brother turned on the television, just in time for Sunday football. His mother did not mind, rather she told them every week that the sound was good for her crocheting. She was working on a large blanket for Wade’s brother and sister-in-law. They just got a new, king-sized bed and mother said she would make them blankets. She informed them it was better than buying something, and since they already spent enough money on the bed, they should not have to worry about paying for linens.

Wade smiled at his mother as he watched her crochet the blanket, admiring how well she has handled the death of his father. Even though it was several years ago, he had heard from people that when a spouse dies, the living spouse usually went through a very depressing time, and in most cases, the survivor would not live for much longer. His mother did have a difficult time after her husband’s death, but she was involved in activities that kept her busy, easing her mind from the loss and depression associated with the loss of a loved one. She loved her husband very much, but he was very ill and it was a relief that he went peacefully, sound in his s. S. She knew it was bound to happen, sooner or later, and was glad that it was sooner than later. She did not want him to suffer.

The kitchen filled with great smells as Wade and his sister-in-law prepared Sunday dinner. They had a roast in the oven, and made some collard greens, mashed potatoes and several other sides to go with the meal. The last item in the oven was cornbread, since it took the longest to cook. They also defrosted an apple pie for dessert, and baked it when the roast was done.

Wade’s brother set the table during halftime, so when dinner was ready, they prepared platters and bowls along with serving utensils.

The four of them sat at the table, mom at the head and Wade’s brother at the other end. They said grace and passed the bowls and platters to each other, removing scoops of food as they passed.


When dinner was done, Wade untied his tie and unbuttoned several of the top buttons on his dress shirt. He went to his mother’s hall closet and removed several brushes, nail clippers and other items to groom her dogs. He went to the backyard where they waited for him, and he could have sworn that they felt his presence every week, anticipating the care he gave them. He unlocked the gate and let them run around the yard for a while, both of the cocker spaniels chasing the other’s tail, and eventually returning to Wade. He brushes the first one as it ran to him, and clipped the dog’s nails as it quietly sat in front of him, giving Wade one of it’s front paws until it was time to give him the other. The dog obediently lay when Wade told it to, and he clipped the dog’s nails on its hind paws. When Wade was finished with the first dog, the second walked to him and he gave the second dog the same love he had given the first dog.

He bought the dogs for his mother after his father had passed away, hoping they would give her company and help her cope with the loss better. She was very happy with the gift, but informed him that cocker spaniels required a bit of grooming, and she did not want the responsibility. He made a deal with her – he promised that as long as she fed and loved them, he would come over once a week and groom them.

So this was their Sunday ritual – church, a family meal, and he would clip the dogs as his brother and sister-in-law spent time with mother. It was a good day for them, a chance to catch up and forget the stress of the week and enjoy each other’s company.

Wade’s mother turned to him and asked, “So how is the job going?”

He responded, “Things are going well. The boss is not that bad, and her daughter is an absolute darling. She is a kid and all, and has the little ticks that make kids, well, kids, but she is a brilliant child and I’ll tell you what – she is a pleasure to be around.”

His mother smiled and tapped her son’s hand. “I am proud of you, Wade. You are doing quite well for yourself, and I am happy to hear that things are good.” Her softened face turned hard for a moment before she asked, “Have you heard from… well, you know?”

He answered, “No, but I know they are looking for me. I was hoping that once I got out, they would not bother me anymore. However, that is not the case. They will eventually get a hold of me, and when the time comes, I am going to have to talk to them.”

She frowned, “I will admit, I am still a bit worried about it and all.”

He took her hand in his own. “When the time comes, it will come. In the meantime, I will keep a low profile until things even out. I have every intention on getting in their good graces, but for now, I will keep a low profile and see what happens. I did talk to Rickey as soon as I was released, and he said Franco was a bit relieved when I kept sending payments from inside. I know, it was a bad time and a bad business, but I am out and that is a good start, at least I think it is.”

She nodded. “Sometimes Wade, we all have to do things we do not want to in order to survive.”

“Yep, we sure do. I am getting close – in a few weeks, this will all be over. And Franco told me after the verdict that he is giving me time, and I can al buy buy more time if it need be.”

“If you need anything, you know where to go. I still have some of the insurance money left, so if you need some Wade, you can always pay me back later.”

Wade sat at the edge of the couch and spoke, “Thank you mom, but I just want to get out of this. As soon as I get closer to making enough to pay off the debt, I will come out and give it to Franco. He is a good guy, I am sure it will not be an issue. And you know these people, if they need to get a hold of me, they can. Plus, if it comes down to the wire, I know there is a way I can make it all up. I have a plan, a plan that I am very reluctant to execute, but still, I can make up for it. I do not want it to come to that, but if it does, it will have to. Franco vouched for me, so it is not like Mac is looking for me anymore. It is just Franco, and more than the money, I owe him a debt of gratitude to go with it. You know, a part of me wishes I was still behind bars. It was so incredibly easy to make money that way. On the outside, I can get caught. The worst-case scenario inside was if I got caught, I would just have to spend more time there. Thank God I am all done with that. And mamma, I have no intentions on going back.”

She smiled and told her son that she was happy, and that she was going to bed. She put her crocheting things aside, took a final glance at the nearly finished blanket and bid her sons and daughter-in-law a good evening.

They left the house, said their goodbyes and returned to their cars. Wade drove back to his apartment and spent the rest of the evening watching the news and flipped around the television channels until he was tired enough to go to bed.


* * *