Alex checked the address on the slip of crumbled paper. Taking a deep breath, Alex walked up the chipped stone steps and knocked on the door. About five minutes later, a woman peeped through the tiny slit in the blinds.
"Can I help you?" she asked in an quiet, unsure voice.
"Um, I here about the room." Alex called back.
"Oh, one sec." Alex heard the deadbolt opening, the door creaked open.
"Hi, I'm Amanda, Mandy for short." she said, extending her hand.
"Hi, I'm Alex."
"Well, come on in Alex, don't wanna catch a cold out there." Mandy smiled, ushering Alex inside the house. Alex checked out Mandy as she walked in. Alex could tell that beneath the frumpy house dress that Mandy wore, that Mandy had a very voluptuous and flattering figure. Her smooth caramel skin seemed to glow against the warm light from the fireplace. Her thick midnight black hair was wrapped up in a tight bun, with little wisps of hair floating around her beautiful face. Yet, for all her beauty, Mandy appeared to be very shy and nervous.
"I'll show you the room and you can decide if you want it or not. Rent is due the fifteenth of every month. If you have guests over, please be mindful of the noise and respect the house. Oh before I forget, do you have any pets?"
"Um, no pets." Alex mumbled.
"Good. Well there's a separate phone line in the room that you can re-activate if you want. Well, here we are." Mandy said, opening the door. Alex looked in at the sparsely furnished room. A nicely made up bed, a nightstand with a lamp and a small electric heater.
"Oh the room gets a little drafty some nights so I put the heater in here." Mandy mumbled, looking nervously at the door.
"Um, Mandy is there something wrong?" Alex asked. Before she could answer, Alex heard the front door slam shut.
"AMANDA?!" a loud voice bellowed. Mandy jumped as if someone had thrown ice water on her.
"Amanda git yer worthless ass down here!"
"I'll be right back." Mandy whispered, running down the stairs. Alex watched her fleeting form disappear down the staircase.
"What the hell are yer doing upstairs? You knew I was comin home."
"I-I was showing the room to someone." Mandy whispered. Alex leaned next to the door, listening to him talk down to Mandy. At first, Alex couldn't quite figure out why Mandy was so nervous, but now it all made sense. She was terrified of the man downstairs.
"Well, git back upstairs and bring them down so I can get a gander of them. You know you're too stupid to pick out a good boarder on your own."
"Yes, Karl." Mandy said. Alex heard her shuffling up the steps and quickly sat on the bed.
"Um, Alex, can you come down to the living room please? Karl wants to meet you." Mandy said, her eyes glued to the floor. Alex felt sorry for the poor woman.
"So yer interested in the room, eh?" Karl asked, rubbing his beer belly.
"The room is real nice and if you don't have any other prospects, I'd like to rent it."
"Well, I'll be needing the first month rent up front and then you can move in." Karl said, scratching his belly again, burping loudly. Alex looked behind him at Mandy standing there, her hands clasped and head lowered.
"I got the money right now, so can I move in now?" Alex asked, holding the money out. Karl greedily eyed the money. Licking his mustache covered lips, he leaned forward, taking the money. Wetting his thumb, he counted the money out, making sure it was the right amount.
"Well, you got yourself a room. Mandy, get yer lazy ass in gear and fix some supper for me and our new boarder." Karl said, slapping Mandy on the ass. She yelped softly as she scurried off to the kitchen.
Alex laid in the middle of the bed, trying to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, Mandy's shrieked pierced the night silence.
"PLEASE KARL! OH GOD...KARRRLLL!" Mandy cried. The sounds of leather slapping against skin punctuated her cries.
"Shut the hell up, you stupid bitch! I done told you before, yer gonna do what I say when I say! I'll beat yer ass within an inch of your life if I have to!" he screamed at her, walloping her with the heavy belt. Alex crept from the room, sneaking down the hallway. Through the cracked door, Alex saw Mandy cringing in the corner, Karl standing over her, poised to strike. Alex knocked on the door, startling him.
"Um, what you need Alex?" Karl asked nervously. He stood in front of Mandy, blocking Alex's view.
"Heard the noise, wanted to make sure everything was okay."
"Oh everything is just peachy, ain't that right Mandy?" Karl looked menacingly down at her.
"Yes, yes, everything is fine." Mandy quickly called out. Alex turned around and walked back to the room, knowing that he would stop now that he knew Alex heard them.
Alex woke up after a fitful sleep. Donning a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, Alex walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Mandy was on her knees, scrubbing the floor.
"Good morning Mandy." Alex said, making her jump.
"Oh, morning Alex." Mandy said, barely looking over at Alex, "Sorry that I woke you up last night. Karl said that I was making too much noise and I was too stupid to listen. I guess he's right, I should have just did what he told me to do." Mandy said, between sobs. Alex walked over to her and knelt down beside her. Alex's eyes widened in horror. Mandy's beautiful skin was covered with bruises and welts from the belt.
"Mandy where is your husband?" Alex asked, barely concealing the anger and contempt.
"Karl's not my husband." Mandy said, breaking into fresh sobs.
"Why on earth are you letting him do this to you?"
"B-because I deserve it. My mother deserved it, my sisters deserved it, now it's my turn."
Baby, you don't deserve any of this." Alex said, soothing the crying woman.
"Where is Karl?"
"Work. He won't be home until late. It's payday, he goes to the bar after work."
"Come upstairs with me, Mandy, let me take care of you." Alex said, helping her stand. Alex took Mandy to the room, carefully stripping off her clothes.
"Oh Alex, please don't take my clothes off." she cried, her trembling hands holding onto her clothes, "I haven't be naked in front of another man before."
"Well, you're not in front of one now." Alex quietly said, unbuttoning her dress. "Mandy, Alex is short for Alexandra."
Mandy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Alex was woman! She tried to process the information. But Alex didn't look like a woman. Her hair was shaved off, there was nothing feminine about her body build, even her breasts were almost nonexistent. While Mandy was lost in a sea of confusion, Alex had slid her dress to the floor. Alex drank in the vision before her. The way Mandy's wide hips flared out, her jutting breasts capped with large, dark brown nipples, her smooth stomach and legs. Peeking out between her gorgeous thighs, was a triangle of soft black curls, begging for Alex to touch. Alex looked up at Mandy's face, turned shyly away, her nervous hands vainly trying to covering her private parts. Alex led her over to the bed, laying her down. Mandy's body shook with sobs as she laid there under Alex's unwavering gaze. Alex reached into the drawer next to the bed and pulled out a small jar of oil. Pouring a generous amount in her palms, Alex began to massage her battered skin.
"Mandy, this is how you are suppose to be treated." Alex whispered as she rubbed the oil all over her body, paying special attention to the many bruises. "You're suppose to be cherish, not beat on, or abused. See the way my hands are making your feel? That's how you should be touched."
Mandy sobbed softly as Alex's fingers worked magic on her body. Her body was tingling in places that she long had forgotten existed. She couldn't remember the last time, if ever, Karl had made her feel remotely like this. Yet, she was having trouble with the fact that this was another woman touching her this way. Alex could see the confusion on her face.
"Shh..don't try to analyze it, just go with the flow, baby. I'm gonna take good care of you. Turn over baby." Alex whispered, turning her over. Mandy began to cry hysterically. At first Alex couldn't figure out why, but once she was turned over, she knew at once. Her back, as well as her ass and the back of her thighs were covered with welts, old ones and new ones. Alex's eyes immediately welled with tears.
"Please don't look Alex...don't look.." she sobbed, frantically trying to cover herself.
