Lesley's alarm went off at stupid o'clock on the Monday morning. She had a quick shower, got dressed then made us both a quick cup of tea and sat on the bed next to me while she drank hers.
"I'll see you on Friday then?" she said, as if looking for some kind of reassurance that I wanted to see her again.
"Make sure you bring a pair of jeans and a jacket if we're going to go out on the bike."
"I will." Then she followed it with, "Are we ok?"
"Yes, we're ok."
"I'm sorry about Saturday."
"I know you are."
She kissed me, then picked up her bags and left.
I decided that since I was awake I might as well get up and go for a run. I waited to hear the sound of her car leaving before getting up but it never came. Instead, I could make out the sound of Ruth and Lesley in conversation. A door closed but still no car and I figured that they must have gone into the house. Half an hour later Lesley's car drove away and so I got up and put on my running gear and ran my now regular route. When I got back an hour later Ruth was waiting for me.
"Good morning," I said.
"Why don't you come and have breakfast with us each morning?" Ruth said. "Then afterwards I can show you what needs doing to the house."
"Ok. I'll just get a shower then come over. Give me half an hour?"
I showered and put on my work gear, an ensemble which basically consisted of my most expendable clothes, then went over to the house for breakfast.
"Morning gaffer," I said as I walked into the kitchen.
Ruth laughed and pointed to a place laid out on the table, then served up scrambled eggs and bacon.
"How was your weekend?" she asked, then added, "and before you say anything Lesley's already told me that things didn't go to plan."
"Oh I don't know. I fixed the Mini and got the bike working. I'd say that was a result."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know it isn't." I replied.
"I got up early to speak to her before she left. She's very upset."
"What did she say to you?"
"She told me how she'd been keen to meet new people and that you had come up with a plan to pick up a guy in a hotel bar. The plan worked and the guy invited you both up to his hotel room then she basically ignored you while she fucked him. Oh and he had an enormous cock."
"Stark, but honest I guess. And his cock was enormous," I said, trying to make a joke of it. "What did you say to her?"
"I told her that she was a stupid little tart and that I was disappointed in her. I said that if she wanted to spend the rest of her days picking up guys in bars then fine, but if she wanted to keep you then she was going to have to grow up, otherwise there were plenty of other women who'd be happy to take you off her hands."
"Thanks for the endorsement, how did she take it?"
"She burst into tears I'm afraid. She said that she desperately wants you. She knows she's let you down but she doesn't know how to make it right. I think she wanted me to tell her that it was all going to be ok. But I told her instead that she'd better get her thinking cap on and fast, because if she thought she could keep her man satisfied by lying on her back and taking someone else's cock in her, then she was going to be very sorry, very quickly."
"That was a bit harsh, wasn't it? She admires you Ruth. Your opinion of her probably matters more than anyone else's."
"I know. I was harsh because I think that she can be so much better. She's not entirely to blame though. She's been used to David making all the decisions for her. She brings the body and the rest is up to him. Left to her own devices she'll make mistakes. She needs to learn the rules Steven and most importantly she needs to learn how to keep her own man satisfied. It's as simple as that."
"I guess."
"How have you left it with her?" Ruth asked.
"I don't know, we just said that we'll see each other on Friday."
"I might be able to help. In the meantime keep this between us. I've told Lesley not to say anything to David."
"No problem."
We finished breakfast and then talked about what I needed doing to the house. The first of my summer jobs was to paint its exterior. The walls of the house were rendered and the windows were those old fashioned metal framed ones with hundreds of individual panes. Everything needed painting and a few of the panes were cracked and needed replacing. It was going to be a big job.
"You'll need to get the paint from the hardware store," Ruth said.
"Have you got any tools or brushes, things like that?" I asked.
"There are some good ladders in the garage but other than that you'll have to get everything from the hardware store."
"Ok, I'll go there this morning. Erm I will need some money I'm afraid."
"Ah yes of course, I got some cash ready for you." She pulled an envelope out of a drawer and handed it to me. "Now, there's two hundred pounds in there for paint and tools. I don't know how much you will need but it should be enough to get you started. I have also put two hundred and fifty pounds in there for your first week's wages. I figured you could do with it in advance."
"Ruth, that's way too much. That's more than the most people earn in a week."
"Steven," she said rather formally, "you have to understand a few things here. Firstly, David is a millionaire, he can afford it. Secondly, Lesley and you make us happy. We both enjoyed our time with you at Lesley's apartment last week and we hope there will be other times like that. Thirdly, I may have other, non-decorating, tasks I need you to perform. If David can lavish his money on Lesley then I can spend a bit on you."
"I've always fancied being a kept man," I said.
"I wouldn't go that far," Ruth replied. "Now get out there and earn your keep!"
I drove to the hardware store and got what I needed. The guy behind the counter was incredibly helpful. I told him what I was doing and confessed to being a complete novice. Not only did he tell me what I needed to get but he also told me how to go about the job. I could have spent ages talking to him about it and it seemed like he had all day to educate me but I was keen to get back and make a start, so with the Mini laden with paint and tools I headed off.
As any decorator will tell you the key to a good job is in the preparation. The walls needed to be washed and sealed; the windows needed to be sanded down; and the cracked panes removed and replaced. I decided to do one wall at a time and started with the back of the house, simply because it had the sun shining on it in the afternoon. In order to try and get a suntan I put on a pair of old running shorts, stripped off to my waist and got to work.
At around three in the afternoon I heard a car come up the drive and then a knocking on the door. I realised that nobody was answering and so rushed down the ladder and ran to the front of the house to see if I could help. I don't think that the middle aged lady at the front door was expecting a semi naked guy to come running towards her and I startled her. Once I explained who I was however that seemed to put her at ease. She told me that her husband was the local butcher and that she was delivering some meat for the freezer, except all the while she was speaking she didn't once look at my face, she just kept staring at my torso and my tight running shorts. I gave her a hand into the kitchen with the packages of meat and asked her what I should do with them. She approached me put her fingers on my chest and told me that she knew Ruth very well and that she would deal with it. I thanked her and got back to my decorating. A little while later I heard the car trundle back down the drive.
Ruth and David came back at about 5.00 p.m. and shortly after I could smell the aroma of food being cooked. I worked on until 7.00 p.m. and decided to call it a day. I was pretty pleased with my progress but it was going to take another day of preparation before I was ready to paint. As I was packing away Ruth came out to see me.
"What did you do to Mrs. Arbuthnot?" she said.
"I'm sorry?"
"The butcher's wife who called this afternoon. She phoned me all flustered to say that she had delivered our order to the house and that this bare chested young muscleman had let her in."
"Yes, that was a bit weird. She touched my chest while she was talking to me."