Erin had been backpacking around southern Texas for nearly 3 months now. And, if she was honest, getting totally sick of the hostels she was staying in.
Sharing kitchens, bathrooms and even bedrooms; guys - and girls - hitting on her, and no time to reflect on her travels and adventures.
What she needed most was a comfy bed and yes, maybe a back rub.
So when she saw the ad for a home stay in Houston, her heart skipped a beat.
The ad showed pictures of the house: a lovely 2 story villa, a backyard, and most of all, a self contained flat, with its own bedroom and ensuite!
The photos of the hosts showed them to be lovely, respectable people. The only alarm bell was, "open minded hosts". But, well, Erin was open minded too, as she thought about some of her favorite web sites!
Without hesitation, she emailed the hosts and was now awaiting a reply.
Now, several days later with still no word, she resigned herself to staying at yet another hostel!
But that night, sitting in a crowded kitchen her phone beeped, announcing the arrival of a new message:
"Hi Erin.
Sorry we didn't get back to you, our internet was down. Yes, come and stay with us. The address is SilverBirch, Houston. John and Sarah. This weekend is available, and it's 50% off for females."
Nice, she thought! Now, to find her way to her new, temporary home.
But, why on earth did they have a 50% discount for females? Erin wondered about the true meaning of "open minded". Oh my gosh!
Without really thinking, she took a quick flirtatious selfie and fired it off to John.
The accompanying message just said: "Do I qualify for the discount?"
After much help from Google maps finally Erin finally arrived in Birch Road and a little nervously tapped on the door.
A nice looking 40ish woman opened the door. A VERY nice looking woman, thought Erin. Long straight hair, not too skinny, a lovely smile and full breasts. So lucky, she thought, mine are too small!
"Are you Erin?" said the woman. "I'm Sarah if you hadn't guessed. Come in, and make yourself at home."
Sarah gave Erin a quick hug, and for a moment Erin wished the hug had lasted a little longer; she missed the hugs from her mom.
Erin walked into the house, which was definitely a home to nice people, just like in the photos.
"John will be back later, but let's get to know each other. I'm making coffee."
Erin sat down on the large comfortable sofa, thinking she could get to like this. Nice sofas, a huge TV and a bunch of videos she could see poking out of the cabinet.
She looked at some of the titles and inwardly blushed.
"Look but don't touch"
"Watch and enjoy"
"I fucked the babysitter"
What the...?
Sarah brought the coffee and sat down beside the young backpacker.