Emily was stiff with tension. All of her worst nightmares were coming true. She had come to trust Mike, and to find out that he was involved in this somehow, frightened her. Who could she trust? "I thought that something had happened to you," her lips quivered giving the impression that she was about to cry.
He took a seat on the bed beside her bound body. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips in reassurance, and gave her one of those smiles that had always made her heart flip. "Mike, what do you have to do with all this?" she asked barely above a whisper. "Please tell me that this is some terrible mistake," she pleaded. This time the tears ran unheeded down her cheeks.
"Shh. Angel don't cry. I don't want to hurt you. I will explain everything," he stroked her hair as if she were something very precious. He leaned over once more, this time to run his tongue along the wetness on her face where the tears had fallen. Emily turned her head away. She felt so torn. How was it possible that this man who had brought her so much fear and anxiety, bring her the pleasure that she felt? He sighed heavily and got to his feet. "Okay, I guess I should start at the beginning, and be patient, this is a long story, but I'm sure you'll realize how you come into all of this soon." He raked his hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration, as if to gather his thoughts. Emily waited silently for him to begin his story. Mike paced the floor up and down before taking a seat next to her once more.
"Well, as I told you, my father died when I was nine. We had always had a comfortable existence. Dad earned the living and Mom stayed at home and kept house. Mom was one of those women, who let the man do everything. Dad controlled the finances, and ruled the household. Mom was content to let him, so when he died, it was a bit of a shock to discover that my dad had kept a mistress. He had set this woman up in her own house and had apparently bought her expensive gifts. It had drained his resources. Our house was heavily mortgaged, and dad had been in debt. Mom's only option was to sell the house but with all the bills that were owed there was barely anything left for us to live on. For the first few months, we lived like nomads, moving from relative to relative. When we out stayed out welcome in one place we would move on to the next place," he paused for a moment as if in reflection. His mouth twisted in an ironic smile.
Reluctantly Emily's heart went out to him. She could not imagine growing up in those circumstances. Sensing her pity, his jaw tightened rigidly and he continued with his story. "Anyway, Mom did what she could, taking a job here and there, mostly cleaning people's homes and working in a grocery store as a cashier. We were able to move into an apartment of our when Mom was able to say up enough money, but of course the neighborhood was a pretty shabby affair as was the apartment we lived in. It was pretty trashy, homeless people sleeping openly on the pavement, hookers on the street corners, the blare of constant police sirens. Mom busted her ass trying to make ends meet by taking on yet another job. Steve and I helped out all we could too. Steve got a paper route, and he didn't have a bike so he would get up around three in the morning, to get the papers delivered a but risky for a twelve year old especially in that neighborhood. I would run little errands for a local shop keeper and he gave me twenty dollars a week. It wasn't much most of it went towards groceries and she let me keep five so I could get a school lunch. Sometimes that school lunch was my only meal that day.
"Mom was proud that she was able to keep us off welfare although we didn't have much. Steve and I both hated it, but we never let Mom know because sometimes when she didn't think either one of us was looking, she would cry. It tore me and my brother to see her like that but there really wasn't a lot that we could do. Things went on like this for about a year and then Mom met Robin. I don't know how they met but meeting her, had changed our circumstances for the better. It was Robin, that had made the suggestion that Mom could be making more money for doing less work, if you catch my drift," Emily could only stare back at him blankly.
"Oh, yes, I forgot that you were such a babe in the woods. Well, to make the picture a bit clear, Robin, ran a house of ill repute. A whore house. Of course I didn't discover this until much later on, but anyway Mom started working in that house. And just as Robin had said, Mom was making more money. We were soon able to move into a bigger apartment in a nicer neighborhood, and Steve and I didn't have to work anymore because Mom was making good money. Very good money. She said that she cleaned offices buildings, and in our ignorance we believed her. Mom worked nights but we saw her in the day time, and I had a pretty good life. Steve and I didn't want for anything. Robin would come and visit us often and I believe that she was my first real crush. She was a goddess, a long mane of chestnut hair, and beautiful green eyes....kind of like you actually. She was stunning. She was a big flirt and she'd make me blush all the time. I offered to marry her, but of course she told me that she would wait for me until I was a proper age. Steve was a little in love with her too," he laughed.
Emily wished that he would get to the point and soon, because her muscles were beginning to ache from being tied up and she couldn't see what any of this had to do with her. As if reading her mind he began to need her limbs, "Patience little one. It's all part of the story. It wasn't until I was about fifteen and Steve was eighteen when we found out the truth about Mom. Everything was cool, I was a sophomore, in high school, Steve was taking classes at a community college and was assistant manager at a gym. Life was pretty good. One night when all three of us were home, which was a rare thing, there was a loud banging on the door. I was the first one to the door, and when I opened it, Robin, collapsed in my arms.
"Mom was screaming and Steve was talking about calling the police. Robin, as weak as she was, was very firm about not calling the police. She was a messed both of her eyes had been blacked and blood was running out of her mouth, she was missing some teeth, and she had bruises all over her face and body from what we could tell. Mom said that we would put her up for as long as she needed to stay. Steve and I didn't know what to make of it, but neither of us said anything about it. Robin stayed with us for a couple of weeks. It was on that last night that she stayed with us that we learned the truth. I had come home that day from school, and Robin and Mom were waiting on the couch for me. They told me to take a seat so we could wait for Steve. He came home, not long after, and it was Robin, who began to tell us, about the type of business she ran.
"Like mom, she had a family to support and her husband had left her in a financial bind when he had died. That was one of the bonds she had with Mom apparently, anyway she told us how she had started out turning tricks to feed her children, and how one of her johns suggested the idea of her opening up her own service. She ran with that idea, with the help of the john who financed for her. Well, business was good but unfortunately she lost her children. She didn't say how, and we didn't ask because it seemed a raw subject to her. Anyway, she had gone on to say how she had met Mom and had gotten her involved in the business and how they became good friends. It was then she explained that a john had gotten a little rough with one of the girls, and she had gotten involved which was how she had gotten beaten up. There was no way she could go to the police with it in her line of business. Steve and I sat there stunned wondering how Mom could have done this.
