The living room looked good, so I took a moment to mess it up a bit. Sarah liked to clean and straighten the place, so I tossed a few pillows and scattered some coasters. She had texted me the previous evening to ask if she could come spend the day and sleep over. At 10:00 I looked out the window and, sure enough, she and Jake were just getting out of the car. They were never late.
I waited for the knock at the door. Opening it, I found Sarah looking down at her tennis shoes as usual. Jake was a step behind with a gym bag hanging from his shoulder. She looked up at me with an embarrassed smile. "Hi."
"Hi Sarah," I said warmly. I nodded at Jake. "How are you? Want to come in?"
"No, that's OK." He never wanted to come in. Handing me the bag, he said, "I'll pick her up tomorrow morning. Thanks."
"You bet." Jake nodded to me and began walking back to the car. This can't be easy for him, but we're both always polite about it. I think that's why the arrangement has continued. Jake is a very nice guy, you see. He loves Sarah and wants to make her happy. He realizes that she needs this and that he can't do it for her. It's just not the way he's wired. So he drops her off with me for a day or two knowing she'll come back reinvigorated.
I gestured for her to enter and dropped the bag on the couch. Sarah stood in the center of the room, head down and wringing her hands gently. She's always a little embarrassed to find herself back here. I take my time looking at her while she waits. A petite little thing, Sarah reminds me of old pictures of Bonnie Parker. Almost waif-life, the kind of girl you want to take care of. And that's her problem - the men in Sarah's life had always been inclined to protect her, treat her gently. But sometimes a girl needs to be handled differently. Jake couldn't bring himself to do it. There was a time I couldn't, until a girlfriend who knew herself and her needs showed me otherwise. But that was a long time ago and I'm now comfortable with what I want and what a girl like Sarah desires.
Jake makes good money, so Sarah doesn't need to work. By the time she realized she was bored it was a bit late to start a new career. She didn't need to worry, but there wasn't much to do except wander around her house and have quiet sex with the lights off once or twice a month.
I met her through a mutual friend. Said friend had mentioned Sarah's issues, and on first sight I recognized her for what she was and had a good idea of what she needed. A few months later we were comfortable enough with each other that I made my suggestion.
Her reaction reminded me of a teenager first learning about sex who appears repulsed, but then asks with poorly disguised eagerness, "Really? Then what?"
My proposal was simple. Sarah would come spend a day with me during which I would give her things to do.
"Like what?" she asked.
I shrugged. "Some chores around the house. I hate doing dishes, so it would be good to assign that to you. Possibly some other things."
"Like what other things?"
"Depends on my mood."
"Could I say no?"
"Sure. But I'm going to guess if you come over at all, you'll want to do what you're told."
Sarah's brow furrowed at that. "And the catch is...?"
"You'll be naked most of the time."
She said nothing, obviously brought up short.
"If you come over to my place to do chores, you'll do all of them naked. Or dressed in what I give you. Don't come if you don't agree to that and what it implies."
She hesitated.
"And don't pretend you don't know what it implies." I looked at her very seriously and touched her hand. Sarah's breath caught and she remained frozen, staring into my eyes. She knew she had been spotted. Found out.
Jumping to her feet, she gathered up her bag, dropped it, picked it up again and fled. She spun around at the door long enough to blurt out, "I'll call you... maybe. Later..."
When I was younger I was more cocky and might have assumed I'd played this perfectly. Being a bit more seasoned now I knew it could go a few ways. I also knew not to bother replaying the encounter to see if I could have phrased things differently, or acted more shrewdly. She'd likely either go for this, or she wouldn't. And if she didn't, it would be better than if she agreed but wasn't fully on board. I figured I'd hear from Sarah within a day or two.
Sure enough, three days later, after just a bit more discussion, Jake dropped his wife off at my house for a day of "work". I asked her some questions and was soon satisfied that she had been truthful with her husband. Indeed, Sarah seemed eager to unload her troubles once we started talking. I suppose that was to be expected.
She was not only bored, but afraid of the future. With nothing on the horizon, and a lot of energy building up within her, she felt something bad was bound to happen. "Eventually, I'll end up seducing the pool boy if I don't do something!" she exclaimed.
We talked some more and Sarah seemed increasingly comforted. She would now have a "relief valve" that would allow her to relax and try to enjoy life. I decided the discussion had gone as far as could be productive at that moment.
"So, are you ready to start your work?"
Sarah nodded gravely. "Yes, I am."
"OK then. I'd like you to go do the dishes, please."
She nodded and slowly stood. I said nothing and she took a few hesitant steps toward the kitchen. "Just a moment..."
