The Tenant

Chapter 4

I forgot to close the blinds. My apartment is on the dark side of the building but Carly's is not, and so I wake up to the sun shining in the next morning. I stretch luxuriously and then roll off the mattress and go to the toilet. My phone says it is 7:30 and there is a text from Brad... well, multiple texts. 'When do I meet this girl?!'

I text back, 'Probably not today. Probably the next day. What is your schedule like?'

'1:00 p?'

'If it works out, that will be fine.'

I look at Carly. She is wide awake and watching me.

'How did you sleep?'

'It took me a while, but fine once I got to sleep.'

I go over and press on her just above her pubic bone. She yelps. 'Have to pee?'

'Yes, Sir.'

'How are the shoulders?'

'A little sore, Sir.'

'How's the cunt?'

'A little needy, Sir.'

I pull the blanket and sheet off and whistle. 'You are beautiful!' She blushes. I take a picture and the sunlight is perfect. There are dark hickeys everywhere! I take video too, of course. She can't object, can she? I catch the crusty come and everything. I unhook her right leg and right arm and have her roll over on her side so I can get her back and bottom. They are covered too, of course. 'A work of art! I am so proud of myself!'

'And I am your canvas.'

'That you are!'

I move her over and slide next to her holding my phone over her shoulder to show her the results. Then I tug on a tit again and she shivers. I pull her onto her back and pin her free arm and kiss her until she is arching her back and pressing her breasts into me. I look down and roll her tit between my fingers and she groans.

'Let's get up! We have lots to do today.' I follow her to the bathroom and watch her pee. She admits I probably shouldn't trust her. She says I am much better at bringing her to the edge than she had been. She washes her face and takes out the braid and brushes her hair out quickly. It is wavy from the braid. I had admired it many times before. It hangs almost to her bottom and she has the most striking blue eyes. She dresses in jeans and a t-shirt that covers most of her hickeys and we eat cereal before I bring her to my apartment. It is a wreck. She just looks around and shakes her head. I pull on a clean pair of boxers and jeans and a t-shirt and then we head to the office by way of the other buildings. There are clipboards in a clear bin on the first floor of each apartment building by the elevator. People can fill out work orders and I collect them daily. That is where the organization ends... I can prioritize the problems that need attention, but the office is a wreck. I keep most of the important stuff in my head.

She has the same expression on her face when she sees the office.

There are tunnels under the quad from each apartment building to the elevator in the parking garage so people don't have to go out in inclement weather. She knows about those of course. I show her where the trash goes when she dumps it in the shoot in the laundry room. It is a small room off the HVAC rooms in the basements of the buildings, and I show her the room in our basement where I have shop tools set up to do whatever I need to do.

I show her where the storage is for janitorial supplies and other cleaning equipment in A building.

I show her the other rooms in the parking garage. The professional kitchen and community room that tenants can rent for family occasions or other meetings. It hardly ever gets used. I show her the small exercise room with a treadmill, elliptical, bench, cables and free weights. I show her the cleaning supplies for the pool and the landscaping equipment and the storage cages.

'The office phone rings straight to my cell when no one is in the office. My security gig at the construction site is forty hours a week however I want to take it. The boss thinks that being unpredictable will deter thieves.'

'You work a lot.'

'Work hard, play hard. You can sleep when you die.'

She nodded thoughtfully.

'So where do we start?'

'Urgent work orders.' I give them all to her and she puts them in priority order. It is the same order I had them in so we go to the first one. Hassie Clark in B201 has a leaky toilet.

Hassie is seventy-two she told me proudly. She has pictures of her children and their children. 'Richard lives in California with his wife Julie and their two children. Dan and Don are twins...' I got to know them all and found out that she has a heart condition and can't get around like she used to, but she still checks on all of her friends by phone.

Frank said we needed a new gasket for the toilet. He said that was an easy fix and he kept a few gaskets on hand. We told Hassie we would be back in a few minutes. Frank said I would be his wingman. He kept the important plumbing tools in a bucket with Clorox, a glove and a rag. He left the bucket of tools and we went back to our building to his shop. That could use a little organization too, but he said he knew where everything was. He found the gasket and a small tarp and we returned to her apartment. Frank lined the tools up and showed me how to turn the water off and drain the tank and then flush the toilet before unscrewing the bottom. He was very methodical and had me help him carry the tank to set aside on the tarp and then removed the bottom. The old gasket was a mess. He showed me how to use a putty knife to clean up all the debris and old caulk and then he cleaned the area with the bucket of bleach and water. When it was ready he laid the new gasket and we replaced the toilet and tank. Good as new when we finished. Frank picked up all the tools while I did a little final cleanup and then we said our goodbyes.

'I think we should have two buckets.'

'What for?'

'One inside the other... Then we could use one for the trash... We need newspapers too. To lay things on and wrap up the trash.'

He nodded. 'I like the way you think... Do it!'

'Yes boss.'

He grinned.

'When you finish a work order you can turn it upside down and put it on the bottom of the stack on the clipboard and write down the man hours and any items used that need to be replaced in the inventory, like the gasket, so that when you go to the building supply center you will know what you need.'

'We'll do that too!' He handed me the clipboard.

Ferris Sharp's toilet was running non-stop in the tank. Frank figured we needed to replace the flange and chain or something like that. We added a package with those items to the bucket and put it in another bucket he found, along with some old newspapers.

Ferris wasn't home. We left him a note when we finished.

Third on the list was the Grayson's garbage disposal that needed to be replaced. That was a bigger job. I love watching Frank work. His brain is going all the time and he knows how to do so many things. He is really organized about the individual jobs and he is interested in my suggestions. He talks his way through things and tells me what he is doing. I am learning about the tools and I help clean up. The garbage disposal was a little more complex, but it only took a couple hours.

After that we did lunch at the apartment and then we started in on the office.

There was lots of old paperwork that we just didn't need anymore. We cleaned out a couple file cabinets and called an organization that shreds old documents to come pick the stuff up. There were a lot of things in the office that belonged in other places, so we made piles and then loaded them in totes and put them where they went. By the end of the day it looked like an office. He showed me his system for tracking rent payments and we wrote my hours down.

There was still more to do, but he said he had to go to his other job after dinner. I told him I might start on his apartment if that was okay with him. He gave me his key to the apartment when he left and kept his master. His mattress was still on the floor in my apartment.

'Can I trust you not to play with yourself?

I blushed, 'I promise I will be good.' Working had helped me get rid of a lot of the frustration and I had been thinking a lot about meeting Brad. Frank didn't seem to mind about the porn, but I wanted to talk to him some more about that. I really liked him and I didn't want that to come between us down the road. I loved the way he sucked my tongue out of my mouth one minute and then kissed me on the hair the next. I loved how he buggered my ass and drove me insane and then bound me and tucked me in for the night. I realized that I had been really lonely... really lonely for the last couple years and maybe before that... I didn't want to mess it up.

I didn't have a storage cage. I didn't need one. I only have exactly what I need. I have a couple black outfits and black shoes for waitressing. I have three pair of jeans and half a dozen t-shirts. I have three pair of leggings and some tunics. A couple dresses. Dress and hiking boots, nice flip flops, beat around flip flops and a pair of tennis shoes. I never wear makeup. My hair is long, but practical. I never go to the beauty shop or the nail salon. I keep my nails clean and trimmed and painted with clear nail polish. Tips at a restaurant are better when you are well groomed. I have a heavy coat and a light weight one. A scarf and gloves. That is about it in the clothes department. Other than that I have half a dozen books and a bunch of bills, and a drawstring bag filled with toys.

Frank on the other hand... He had lots of stuff. It was going to take a while to get him organized. I was going to need to get some totes for things he didn't need in his apartment. He was going to have to go through it all. I didn't even know if it all fit him anymore. I decided to bring the bulk of the food to my kitchen. If I was going to do the cooking I would just keep it there for inventory purposes. We could use his fridge for drinks he liked, or snacks. I started in the kitchen and got all the dishes washed and put away. It didn't take long because it was small. Cleaned out the fridge and wiped it down. Cleaned out the cupboards and wiped them down and reorganized. Mopped the floor.

The bathroom didn't take long either. Well, it took a while to clean the shower. He wouldn't recognize it when he returned! I reorganized the mop closet and under the bathroom sink. I reorganized the linen closet and then did a load of towels. He had a jar on his kitchen counter full of tokens from the machine in the laundry room for the washer and dryer.

I emptied the built in armoire that all of the units had and put back what I thought should be there. A dark suit in a cleaning bag, another couple pair of dress slacks and shirts, some polos and khakis.

I made a list of organizers for him to buy and then I called it quits.

I wish I could call her to wish her sweet dreams but she has no phone. I planned on working until 2 AM. I always park a ways from the site and walk the last few blocks so any potential thieves won't be able to watch my vehicle. I watch carefully to make sure no one is watching my comings and goings, and I come in from different directions.

This time as I walk through the site I have a new eye. I am looking for places to play. Construction sites offer all kinds of places. My shop too... and the HVAC rooms in the basement... Entering her apartment just changed my whole way of thinking! I still have the new videos and pictures on my phone. I will give her the same offer as before and she will take it. In the meantime, I watch them a couple times on my breaks.

I set up security cameras as soon as the building is framed in. They are programmed to notify my phone with a low ping and then I can watch the video feed of the particular camera. That way I can monitor it remotely, but the boss wants me on the ground there as well, and I don't blame him. Deterrence is the goal. The cameras are live all the time and the video is recorded so we picked up a couple people who worked on the site that were pilfering tools. I move the cameras around from time to time just to keep them guessing.

Carly told me she always worked hard. It isn't the work she minds, it is looking for work that is hard for her, and I can see that, because she comes across as shy or submissive. She doesn't necessarily make a good first impression, but I really like what I found underneath. She is quick to learn and adventurous. She is common sense and organized, and she knows what is important. She works at least as hard as me and also has a sense of fun. That evil laugh! I am looking forward to getting to know her better.

And I am planning our next adventure. Lots of fodder for a boring night. I call Brad before it gets too late. 'You can't call me vanilla anymore.'

'I guess not.' He laughed. 'So how did you find her?'

'She placed a work order for me to fix her sink. I walked in on her like that...'

He swore. 'Well describe what she did... how she got herself in that position.'

I did and he was impressed. 'She is about to get evicted. She might be interested in what you do.'

'We are always looking for new girls. Has she agreed to meet with me?'

'Not yet. I will talk to her some more about it tomorrow. She is thinking about it. If she does, I would like it to be a short term thing. Just enough to dig her out of the hole she's in.'

'How did she get into the hole? She's not into drugs is she?'

'No. She just lost her job a couple months ago and hasn't been able to find a good one. She's helping me out at the apartments.'

'Good - I hate the ones on drugs. They are so unreliable and we always have to stop in the middle of a shoot because they get the shakes or whatever. Well - send me a pic. A head shot. Didn't exactly get to see what she looks like now, did I?'

'I think you will be pleased. She looks... wholesome.'

'Wholesome... well, there's a market for that.'

'Brad?'

'Yeah, buddy.'

'If she does do this, I really mean it. I don't want her to fall down the rabbit hole.'

'More than sex?'

'I think so... a good friend anyway.'

'Okay - so let me email you some stuff. Educational for you. There are these long questionnaires about stuff the subs like to do. They call them hard limits and soft limits. Things they like, things they hadn't considered, but might be willing to try, things they definitely don't want to try. Also, I could send you a couple short videos for her to watch to get her feedback on whether she thinks she can do what we would ask.'

'Sounds good.' I give him my email address. 'I appreciate it, buddy. I'll be in touch.'

'Look forward to it.'

Carly sent me some links too.

So I spend the evening walking from floor to floor and checking the area and then pausing to watch a video or read a link. It is very informative... and arousing.

I woke up in a bear hug. Half of one anyway. I was on my left side and Frank was spooning me with his right arm over my waist and his hand on my chest. I rolled onto my back and stretched. He was sound asleep. He didn't wake me when he came in. The sun was streaming through the window. I padded over and closed the blinds. They were black out blinds like a hotel. Potty... then breakfast. There was a note...

'We need to talk. I'll be up around nine. You can probably keep yourself busy in the office until then. My agenda items:

I set out the forms for employment on the desk (both of which I can now find, thanks to you)

We need to go on a date to the health department (I am told STD tests and birth control are free) (I am also told you don't need an appointment)

I talked to Brad last night. He wants to know if you are interested. I told him you hadn't decided yet, but we set up a tentative appointment for tomorrow at 1 P. He wants another picture - a head shot.

A phone for you - at least a burner for now... I was lonely last night.

Your agenda items?

I added mine

Downloading and deleting... and watching? Also, it occurred to me that you need to delete the text to Brad with the photo... please, Sir?

You going through your clothing with me so I can know for sure what you want most available and either store or get rid of any you don't want anymore, etc.

Home improvement center for cubbies, storage totes, etc - you have a storage cage I am assuming? I made a list.

I might have a few more work orders. I plan on visiting anyone who is home and taking a look at what they are talking about.

How much I like watching you sleep. You shaved.

How grateful I am for everything you have done for me.

I spent the morning in the office setting up excel spreadsheets for the rent and other expenses as far as I could figure them out. Frank would have to flesh them out until I got a handle on it. I inventoried the office supplies and what we needed to round them out. I created an email address for the complex and looked at the tenant information we had. I googled the property owner and printed out a small picture and bio. There is a cork bulletin board on the wall above the desk. I put it on that and straightened it out and organized it.

The postman came by with a blue box full of mail. Putting it in the mailboxes was Frank's responsibility as well. The wall facing into the garage was the wall with the mailboxes, which were keyed on the tenant's side and open on the back side. There was a small room off the office with access to the back side of the mailboxes and where larger mail was kept on shelves until the tenant could claim it. The boxes could take up to a 5x7 envelope and anything larger got a claim slip. That was when I figured out how Frank was intimately aware of my financial situation. He was sorting my mail.

At 10:12 I looked up to find Frank leaning on the office door. It was one of those that had an upper and lower part. When someone was in the office the lower part with a small ledge was closed and the upper part was open. His hair was wet and he still looked a little sleepy. I blushed. He reached over the door and turned the knob to let himself in and then closed both parts of the door and kissed me thoroughly while exploring with his hands. He pulled away reluctantly and heaved a sigh, 'You like me better shaved?' I reached up and stroked his jaw with my knuckles.

'I like you both ways.'

'Well, I usually let it go for a few days and then I whack it off.'

'That is perfectly acceptable for me.'

'Well,' mockingly relieved, 'I am glad we got that item taken care of!'

'Not quite, boss. I seem to recall that was a two-part item.'

He looked perplexed and then he remembered, 'Ah, watching me sleep.'

'Do you have a problem with that?' I raised an eyebrow.

'Not if you enjoy it. Then I heartily approve... It is a little weird though...'

'Not as weird as some of the other things we've done.'

'Touché.' He pulled his phone out of his pocket and let me watch him delete the text to Brad. 'The rest of the downloading and deleting will have to be done this afternoon if we can get to it. I don't want to rush that particular activity.'

I nodded. 'I hope you don't lose your phone.'

'That could be bad, but it is fingerprint protected.' He put his phone back in his pocket, 'Let's see... clothing. I will try to knock that out quickly today or tomorrow. I will make piles. One for storage, one for things to stay in the apartment, one for tossing or giving to Goodwill. You can take it from there. Do you have any work orders?'