Preparing to go to a formal dinner, Lucille checked her hair in the mirror and touched the black comb.
That comb, thought Lucille remains the first truly significant present she was ever given and still possessed. She received it when she'd just turned nineteen, a going away present from the eternally soulful Maria, a virtual orphan who was raised in a family of nine and being, as she'd described, "the most unpopular child of the brood".
That's why her compassion was triggered when finding Lucille on the street. She saw the street waif had the good physical looks that as a child she'd prayed to be bestowed with, believing perhaps that would release her from being the ugly duckling of her family.
That symbolic presentation of a gift costing perhaps 60c or less unleashed an emotion within Lucille, revealing to her the art of giving with love as Maria had cherished that trinket. In comparison, Mrs Graham gave Lucille free use of a car but the act wasn't the same as that vehicle had been handed across as a business decision as she preferred to be driven by Lucille in the limousine instead of a hired driver.
Lucille deeply acknowledged he gift Mrs Graham had bestowed on her was declaring Lucille was her protégé and adhering to that commitment devotedly. Mrs Graham changed her from being 'a nobody' into somebody capable of making some impact on the world around her.
Lucille sighed, thinking even today she found it incredible that just one person could do all that for her. She really hoped she could work Chrissie out of her constraints to set herself free.
Not everything had been removed from her early life, thought Lucille. At times when feeling low and hearing footsteps she would tense as if expecting one of more of the older girls were approaching to whack her or to interfere with her body. She quickly dropped that recollection to relive other brighter chapters in her life.
She thought it would be difficult for family-raised people to completely comprehend the loneliness of an emotionally deprived orphan. It's easy to say everyone has emotions and know what they are and how to respond and to use them. Yes, very easy indeed.
Who does a young orphan run to when hurt, especially in earlier times before social reforms provided true orphans with an improved environment, a better deal - that is, in more progressive countries? Yet probably some children grew up within dysfunctional families virtually as orphans.
Regular-life people could not comprehend the bewilderment of Lucille to learn, aged five, she no longer had parents and would live in a 'home' for other children who were like her. She'd received that news incomprehensibly.
"Like her." What did that mean? Such a concept had been foreign to her. She was like other children, wasn't she? All kids were the same!
Well had she managed at five to work that out she was about to commence a steep learning curve how would she have coped with that emotionally.
Who loves you at the orphanage: indeed what is love?"
It was inevitable that some children would become orphans and life made provision for that; it's called the reality and lucky ones like her would escape its grip although never quite completely.
She sighed and thought that was enough of that.
Lucille switched to recalling shifting into her 'loft' apartment as the building team called it. She still lived there and these days the décor, fittings and furnishings were far more luxurious.
As her businesses prospered she received more money to progressively upgrade all of MagWorld including her loft, er her apartment.
She recalled shifting in on a Saturday morning, assisted by Mo and Chrissie who'd called in Digger who called Andrew to help and Andrew arrived with his family.
Ashleigh brought her husband Martin with a teenager babysitter to look after their two children.
Before all the greetings/introductions were completed the first of four vehicles with new furniture and Lucille's personal possessions from her former apartment that was now Chrissie's arrived. Then editor Sue West and her husband and Geneva and Angus McKeon and Lucille's managing director Lance Edison and wife Brigit all arrived together.
Lucille couldn't believe it - for someone who had no one she certainly had numerous people who thought she was worth pitching in to help. None of them had been asked to help out.
Almost overcome to tears she said to Angus McKeon, "How am I going to feed all of these people."
"Easy," Angus grinned. "I'll fix it."
Minutes later he found Lucille and said he'd called a Chinese family who did his outside catering at home and at equestrian events.
"They'll be here within the hour and will be ready to serve lunch at 2:00. I've asked my liquor supplier to deliver the booze at 12.30 to allow us to get warmed up for lunch."
"That's lovely of you Angus - just send me the..."
"Push off Lucille; it's my treat. No wait - that friend of yours, Ashleigh. I was wondering..."
"You'd like her private line phone number?"
"Er yes, good guess."
"Give me your little black book."
Angus handed her a little blue book, looking sheepish.
Lucille wrote in the name Ash and the number and Angus appeared grateful. She whispered that her lips were sealed.
"You know, Lucille - you and I ought to be doing business together. Also there's a cute little place I know of up in the hills..."
Lucille blushed knowing she'd soon be at the 'cute little place' in the hill with Angus' daughter,
"I'm too busy for dirty business at weekends right now Angus. But thanks for almost asking. Why don't you ask Geneva - she'd get a great kick out of being invited to relive old dirty weekends. She might even become so excited she'll be more than you can handle."
Lucille walked away and turned, expecting Angus to be staring at her butt. Instead he was rubbing his chin, looking at his wife's butt; Geneva was bending down to lift up a box of crockery.
Being in jodhpurs and boots, the rear of Geneva looked mouth-watering even to another woman, thought Lucille. She didn't think twice before giving that phone number to that compulsive seducer. However she thought it would be miraculous for Angus if Ashleigh did go to him; Ashleigh would know she deserved better than him because being wealthy in her own right. Opening her legs for a man who radiated power and acted as he could seduce any woman he eyed would not impress Ashleigh.
The man who'd designed and supervised the fitting out of the loft apartment Tony Modotti called and was invited to have a drink and stay for lunch. Later Lucille took him on an inspection and as they entered the bedroom she heard the door close and the key turn. Without looking back she closed the drapes and s recalled that Tony could have caused her pregnancy; she still was not showing.
"Something wrong - second thoughts?" Tony asked, coming up behind her, cupping her breasts and burying his mouth into her hair, turning and licking her neck.
"No not really but use a condom."
"Okay and it will have to be a quickie I suppose as your guests will wonder where we are."
Tony was a good fuck, sighed Lucille, which was why she hadn't resisted. His penis was fairly large, he was fit enough to sustain a powerful drive and accelerating when it counted. She also liked his snarling grunts as he approached ejaculation.
She heard the sound of a zip being pulled.
"Here sweetheart, roll it on for daddy," requested the adulterer and father of three.
"Yes daddy - your little girl will do that for you."
"Legs apart, hands for support firmly on the dresser."
"B-but the bed?"
"This is quicker."
Lucille followed instructions, felt her skirt being flipped over her butt and then he pulled her panties aside and pushed in, almost in a continuous movement. There was not a great deal of resistance because she was already so wet in anticipation.
