Four hours and fifteen minutes. That's how much sleep I got last night. It was going to be a long hard day and I felt like crap. My head was pounding and my arms were like lead. As I parked I tried to remember the name of the woman whose home I was walking into. My boss J.W. had called me the day before and told me she had the perfect assignment for me. I was supposed to photograph this house for an article about living 'green'. That probably meant some rich lady had discovered recycling or bought a reusable shopping bag so she wanted her friends to know. J.W. sent me a text the night before with directions and told me to show up first thing this morning. At least I was there on time.
J.W. Miller was a good boss. She gave me work that I liked. It wasn't very demanding or time consuming and most of it was a no-brainer. My schedule was flexible as long as I made deadline, and that worked for me. Shooting 'human interest' stories like this paid my bills so I could focus on what I really wanted to do. The problem was I didn't know what I wanted to do. If I knew that, doing this would be cool. The way things were...it was just going to be a long day.
The sun was sneaking over the peak of the roof when I saw a Red Bull in the back of my trunk but it was empty. I needed caffeine and food bad. My camera was handy so I shot off a few frames of the exterior to get a head start on the work. The light lit the house perfectly. The shadows and light brought out details that you wouldn't see in the harsh midday sun. I added a quick flash as a fill light and got some incredible stuff. The sunlight's effect commanded so much of my attention I didn't see the faces looking down at me from the upstairs windows. If I'd been awake I might have noticed.
I took my gear and headed around back to meet the housekeeper. My boss had given me pretty specific instructions on what to do. What J.W. didn't tell me was what a babe this housekeeper was. She was a cutie from somewhere in the Southern hemisphere. Her smile was welcoming and her eyes sparkled even at this ungodly hour. I set my bag down by the pool and turned to find her offering me a huge cup of coffee. The aroma was enough to make me propose marriage on the spot. I closed my eyes and sipped slowly to let it wash the cobwebs out of my brain before I tried to do anything more. "Oh, yeah. That's just what I needed. Thank you."
"You're welcome. My name is Leda. I take care of the house with Mrs. Westin and the girls."
"It's nice to meet you, Leda. I'm Nick Todd, but you can call me Banger."
Giggling she said, "Banger? How did you get a name like that?"
"It's a long story."
"You're here to get our story, right? Why don't you tell me yours and I'll tell you mine." She giggled again as she asked, "Isn't that how it's done?"
Coffee, a pretty girl and a laugh, my day was looking up. "Okay. I'll play along. I got it for a couple of reasons but it started when I was a kid. My full name's Thomas Nicholas Todd the III. The first day of school the other kids heard that and started calling me TNT, dynamite, Boomer, and Banger. I hated the last one the most so that's what stuck."
"Why do they call you Nick instead of Thomas?"
"They called my grandfather Thomas and my dad Tommy, so I wanted to be called Nick. But please call me Banger. All my friends do."
The last of the coffee was dancing over my tongue when she said, "I think I'd like to be your friend, Banger. I like you. You look like you could use some breakfast. Would you like a little something to nibble on?"
Evidently my brain hadn't fully started to function because I said, "I'll enjoy nibbling on anything you let me." She giggled but the woman behind me was not so sweet.
"Excuse me. What did you say?"
I turned so quickly that I lost my balance and fell into the pool. Flailing about I sputtered and chased the coffee with the cold chlorinated water. "Please, give me a hand," I said desperately hoping for help.
"Stand up. The water's only chest deep."
Putting my feet on the pool bottom I stood up slowly on my 6'2" frame the water was about chest deep. My coat was soaked and felt like it weighed 300 pounds. I looked up to see Leda trying her best not to laugh and the lady of the house glaring at me. "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't realize, Mrs..."
"Westin. It's Mrs. Westin. And it's a lap pool. It's the same depth for the full length of the pool. But what were you saying about nibbling on something?"
By this point the caffeine and adrenalin had me fully awake and I was quick to answer. "I said, 'I'm sure I'd enjoy a nibble of anything she has for me' Ma'am."
A quick knowing grin flashed across her face as she folded her arms and walked away. "You'd better get him something dry to wear, Leda. We don't want him tracking water all over the place."
Leda nodded and said, "Yes, Ma'am. Right away. Maybe some of Mr. Westin's old clothes that I packed up for Goodwill."
My shirt and pants both clung to me like a second skin but the way she looked me up and down left me feeling naked. "I don't think Mr. Westin was anywhere near as big as he is, but he can try them."
I dragged myself over the side and the pool and lay down on the warm stone sidewalk as Mrs. Westin walked away. When I opened my eyes all I could see were smooth brown legs going up and up and up under a crisp black skirt. They were gorgeous. Leda stuck her hand in front of my face to pull me up. "Come on. I'll help you change."
"That's sounds like a good start," I said, trying not to sound too lecherous.
The giggle I was starting to fall for came out of her again. "Mr. Westin's clothes are in the pool house. I was getting them ready to donate."
"What happened to Mr. Westin?"
Leda voice softened as she said, "He died a while ago in an accident at the chemical factory. Mrs. Westin had a hard time letting go and has never gotten rid of his clothes. She hated him going into the business, but he was ambitious. He wanted to make his own money."
