Georgina had planned to return to work today. Thanks to Roger, the trauma of Richard's death was no longer debilitating. She was able to remember Rick without the clumsy rape fueled by the, probably fictitious, stories of his fellow pilots. Roger had given her the priceless gift of being able to think of him without rancor.
There was a loud knock on her door, someone had obviously by-passed the security of the main entrance, she slipped on a robe and answered the door.
She saw Roger, "Come in," her voice displaying her pleasure. "You look like you could do with bed."
She covered her mouth and blushed, "Sorry, I mean sleep."
He stepped in and was followed by a bedraggled robed figure. Georgina stepped around Roger and embraced her.
"Are you OK?" she said.
Reggie nodded, but she would not let Georgina go, she felt safe, a feeling she had forgotten.
"Could you make a cup of tea, Roger, please."
He nodded, his task was quickly completed, slowed only by the time for the water to boil. Even though he had only been in her kitchen once before, it was familiar. Georgina seemed to apply the same logic to her kitchen as he did his. He puzzled at Georgina's reaction, it was almost as if she'd immediately known that Reggie was in pain, he also pondered why women always seemed to hug. His pondering had obviously taken longer than he thought when he returned to the living room the tableau was entirely different. Reggie was wrapped in a pretty robe that would have fitted perfectly had she not been starved but more surprising she was wearing a smile, it was almost as beguiling as Georgina's.
"You two seem to be getting on, Chars up."
Georgina poured, quiet reined until their first sip, it was as if all had been waiting in anticipation of the tea.
"Why did you abduct Reggie?" Georgina asked.
Roger smiled, the statement was accusatory but it was delivered with no barbs as if Georgina knew that if it was true it would only be for the best reasons.
"I was searching for girls and was on my way home, I tripped over her this side of St James Park she was hiding in an alcove. She asked if my place was warm. So I took her there."
"You stripped her naked and took her to bed?" This was delivered with a wicked grin.
"She had hypothermia, I thought it was the only way to warm her up slowly. Her appendages were frozen, I was afraid that if that blood reached her core she would die."
"How many orgasms did you give her?" Now a raised eyebrow.
"Fucking hell... oops sorry, how quickly did you two talk?"
"Fast enough... well?"
"Three."
"It looks like I have much to look forward to -"
Reggie interrupted, Roger would have preferred Georgina had completed her thoughts.
"I'm sorry I was mean, Roger. I didn't understand how I ended up naked in your bed... thank you for saving my life."
Reggie pulled herself out of the chair and kissed Roger's cheek.
"I agree with you, most men are poisonous."
Roger held her hand and kissed it, it wasn't much of an apology, but it would do.
The tea took their tongues again, Roger chuckled to himself. He had been concerned about sharing the evening's work with Georgina but she had made sharing very easy. For someone so sexually naive she was very broad-minded.
"Roger, can you arrange for a ration book for Reggie?"
Reggie interrupted, "No, you can't have my details, I killed my husband!"
Reggie had shrunk, she had drawn into herself. Roger knew from experience that there was no information coming from that source. Georgina pulled her out of her chair and into a hug.
"I'll call you Roger."
Roger was summarily dismissed. Feeling a bit miffed, he said, "Don't open your door like that again, you could have been in danger."
"Oh... I didn't realize you were dangerous," her eyes directed him to go.
—<~>—
Georgina was pleased that she still had Fiona's clothes, it was a rare case where sloth had been rewarded. Reggie was slowly drawn from her introspection by Georgina's impromptu fashion show.
"... but they're too big."
Were the first welcome words uttered by Reggie since Roger had departed.
Georgina just grabbed her hand and pulled her into the third bedroom, it looked like a couturiers inner sanctum, well almost. The space was certainly busy, there were two mannequins with part completed gowns. The back wall had two machines and clothes in various states of repair or disrepair were spread around a central worktable. Reggie picked at her gown.
"Did you make this?"
"What is a girl to do, there is no way you can dress properly with rationing.
"Are you a seamstress?"
"No, I work at Scotland Yard."
Reggie was about to withdraw again but Georgina pulled her to the second mannequin pulled off the part completed dress and threw Reggie a tape measure.
"Come on we'll set this up for you, then you don't have to keep stripping for a fitting and you can get the drape of the fabric right."
Georgina's ploy stopped Reggie from withdrawing. She was excited to be in a women's world,
"What do I do?"
"OK, first your bust measurement."
The girls adjusted the model to emulate the shape they expected Reggie to be when she regained her condition. It was half an hour of fun and giggles. Georgina also took other vital statistics like arm measurements which couldn't be set on the mannequin.
"Tea, and a chat," Georgina said when they had finished.
When they sat with tea in hand Georgina in her typical fashion went straight to the issue.
"How did you kill your husband?"
It looked as if Reggie was going to close up again but a smile played with her frown and won.
"Fuck it... you are the first friend I've had. Do you really want to know?"
Georgina nodded.
"The house was bombed. He was too tough to go to a shelter so we'd stay in the cellar. Him safe under the chimney base and me by the door so I could run and get him a beer or whatever else he demanded. The bomb must have hit the house next door, it blew out the connecting wall he was trapped beneath the rubble. My tenuous position turned out to be the safest, many of these bruises are from the flying masonry..."
Reggie just seemed to wind down, she was staring into the distance clearly re-living the experience.
"Then?" Georgina said, gently.
"I was knocked out by a brick, I woke to him screaming at me. Get here you slut, get me out. He was OK but he was seriously stuck, a water main had broken and the cellar was filling, the doorway was blocked so I couldn't get any help. He'd managed to get a brick under his cheek to hold his head above the water but the water was gaining."
"What did you do?"
"I said, Let's have a bet at who dies first. Then sat and watched him drown."
Georgina was shocked by the callousness of the story but she didn't condemn, she pulled Reggie into her chair, it was generous enough for both of them.
"Why?" she said, encapsulating Reggie in her warmth. She could feel Reggie trembling so she hugged her tighter.
"I can't tell you,"
Reggie managed before she broke down, she was not upset, she was distraught. Georgina just held her close stroked her hair told her it was OK, it was all over and that she needed to move on. The girls hugged for half an hour. Georgina waited patiently for Reggie.
Reggie, it must be awful, if just retribution was watching your husband drown. Please tell me darling, a problem shared is a problem halved."
Reggie was resolved never to share her problem but no one had ever called her darling before.
"Why am I your darling?" she asked.
For the girls at work, everyone was a darling but it was a word Georgina seldom used, even with Richard, she thought before she answered.
"I look into your sad eyes and see a precocious spirit trying to escape. I know I'll like her when you let her out but you have to knock down all the darkness before she'll see the light again."
Georgina kissed her forehead.
"I am a freak, he used my freakishness to make money."
"Darling, you are a sweet girl. That he made you feel like a freak didn't make you so. I don't want to hear you describing yourself that way again. You are unique, which is special."
Reggie who had been leaking tears since they shared the chair wiped her eyes.
"Yes, I'd like to think that, will you help me?"
"Of course, but lets get the words out before they form walls."
Reggie nodded, she was encouraged to share, she was confident that she wouldn't be judged.
"It was OK when we first married, I was very sheltered he was the first to even kiss me. I enjoyed him so much, he gave me so much pleasure. I would come if he just looked at me the right way, I thought that was normal. He enjoyed it too, at first. Then he demanded that he should come first, he said I emasculated him. I couldn't stop coming, even when he hit me. So I tried to disguise my orgasms but my body would shake and undulate, I couldn't control it. So our sex quickly degenerated into him trying to beat me non-orgasmic but whatever he did, I still came. You see I am a freak."
"Reggie, what a joy, could you teach me how to do it?"
"Why would you want to."
"You would be cherished in a loving relationship. How did Roger make you feel?"
She thought about Roger, he gave her pleasure willingly.
"I only let him do it because I wanted some pleasure before he raped me but he didn't he fed me instead."
"I know Dear, but did HE enjoy it?"
