Maria counted out the stack of twenties and small bills and put them back into her Bible on the kitchen table for safekeeping. Once again, she didn't have enough for the rent, and her landlord would not be pleased. She worked hard at her job, but it didn't pay enough, and there were also the daycare expenses for her two year old daughter.
Maria was barely into her twenties. She was a nice looking young woman with a pretty face and long wavy black hair. When she became pregnant, her boyfriend melted away and left town. She was on her own now... and it was lonely.
Her landlord, Mr. Gillespie, always came by on the third of each month to collect the rent. She would give him what she had, then make up an excuse, and make more promises that she couldn't keep. She was tired of the game, but it had worked the last two times and she had run out of options.
"Maria, you already owe me two hundred dollars from the last two months, and now you're short another hundred this month," Mr. Gillespie drawled. Maria hated his accent, but smiled and told him she was going to get more hours at work next week and would pay him back.
She looked at him from across the kitchen table. He wasn't much older than she—almost thirty, maybe, and sort of cute. But he was very conservative and tightfisted about money. He would probably throw her and her baby out on the street.
He was looking at her in a curious sort of way and she felt uneasy when he spoke.
"Maria, you are a nice looking young woman. Your boyfriend was a jerk to run off on you like that. You look really nice tonight. I like the way you are wearing your hair now," he said. He leaned back and smiled at her. She had been letting her curls grow out and her hair now fell to the middle of her back. Tonight it was tied with a red ribbon.
"Thank you, Mr. Gillespie; I appreciate your compliment. And I promise that I will repay you when I get my next check," she said.
"I have someone who wants this place, but I have been putting them off. Perhaps we need to make another arrangement," he suggested. "This is what I can do for you." He took out his receipt pad, "I will add another hundred dollars to your receipt today and come over and spend some time with you one night later this week. I will be back next week with another hundred dollar receipt and so forth until you are caught up."
Maria did not like the sound of his suggestion and the not-too-subtle threat that lay behind it. She did not have any other options, though, so she acquiesced. "OK, I will do it for you, but I don't want to."
Mr. Gillespie smiled. "There, that's being a good girl. I have to leave right now, but I will be back at nine tomorrow night. Be ready."
The next day, Maria finished work and picked her daughter up at the day care center. A quick supper, some play time, a bath, and a story, and the little one was sound asleep in her room. It was almost nine, and Maria was still a mess when she heard the knock on the door.
"Hello, Maria. You look like you have had a long day," Mr. Gillespie said as he walked over to the kitchen table and placed a shopping bag on it. "I picked up some things at the market," he said, taking out some pricy cuts of meat and groceries. Maria quickly put them in her almost-empty refrigerator and turned to face him.
"And this is for us," he announced, holding up a bottle of wine, "Get a couple of glasses, OK, Maria?"
After opening the bottle and pouring the wine, they sat at the table making small talk. He asked about her day and told her about a building he wanted to buy the next block over. Draining his wine, he refilled both glasses and said, "This is for you, Maria. Easter is coming up and I hope you will like it." He reached into his bag and slid a wrapped present across the table to her.
Maria eyed the package and took a long slow drink of her wine. She was feeling the warm pleasant feeling that wine always gave her. The package was beautifully wrapped in pink paper with a white bow. Putting down her glass, she picked up the package and slowly removed the paper so she could save it and use it again. When she opened it and lifted up the white paper, she saw a very feminine white Easter dress. She blushed, lifting the satin dress out of the box and holding it against herself in the mirror. She decided she would wear it next week to the Easter service. She turned and thanked Mr. Gillespie.
"Put the dress on with the other stuff in the box, but don't wear anything beneath it, OK?" he instructed.
"Yes, I understand," Maria meekly replied.
"Maria, the gold crucifix that you wore yesterday would really look nice with your dress; could you put that on, too?"
"Yes, I will," she replied in a quiet voice. "I'll be right back."
She went to her bathroom, took her clothes off, and lifted the dress from the box. It was beautiful. No one had ever given her anything this beautiful before. It was white, silky, and femininely styled, modestly falling just above her knees when she tried it on. In the box were more things; a pair of white silk stockings, lipstick, and red nail polish. Maria carefully applied the polish to her toes and fingernails, then admired the results. When it was dried, she pulled on the stockings and carefully applied her lipstick and some other make up. The stockings were sheer white and her polished toenails were almost visible. Checking herself in the mirror, she decided that she was ready.
Maria walked into the kitchen in her shoeless feet and Mr. Gillespie's jaw dropped. "You are beautiful, Maria," he mumbled, "Turn around. Let me see you." She complied, slowly pirouetting.
The dress looked just the way he envisioned when he picked it out at the store. Without undergarments, it clung to the curves of her body nicely. As she walked he could see her breasts swaying and her nipples protruding against the fabric. The pink sash in the back danced as she turned. It gave him a thrill to know that under the dress and stockings she was nude.
He handed Maria her glass and they sat on the couch sipping and making small talk. Leaning over, he turned off the lamp on the end table and the room became dark and quiet. Taking her wine glass and placing it on the coffee table, he leaned towards her and kissed her tentatively on the lips. Her lips were luscious and red, like the wine, and full of flavor, so he kissed her again, exploring her mouth with his tongue and holding this kiss longer.
Maria was lonely. She was not seeing anyone, and with a young child in the house she was just too tired to date. There were some men at work and church that she would want to go out with, but when they found out she was a single mom, they weren't interested in a ready-made family. She wanted a Christian husband, a godly man who would be a father for her baby.
Mr. Gillespie had his arm around her, sitting closely, kissing her. She could feel the silky fabric of the dress caressing her skin, which was hungry for his touch. Her nipples were hardened and tingling. She wanted him to touch them. She wanted to forget all her unhappiness and loneliness in his arms and let him do what he wanted with her.
