A Stranger to Guide Us

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story owes a great debt to "Six Times a Day" and its author, spacer_x, along with many others.

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Josh's first semester came to an end eventually, and he had a long winter break to look forward to. He'd made more friends and found himself invited to more parties, but had no more luck with the ladies.

He made his way down to the kitchen to find him Allie, his mom, just about to leave for work. Her job as an architect's assistant had kept her gainfully employed for many years, even before Josh's father had died. Afterwards, her boss gave her what she only partly-jokingly referred to as a "sympathy promotion." They'd managed to remain fairly comfortable ever since.

"You're dressed up fancy," Josh said.

"What, this old thing?" Allie put a hand to her hip like a model and gave a quarter turn. She wore a crisp white shirt and knee-length black shirt, along with some tall black heels. She laughed. "Big meeting today with some new clients. Part of selling the company is selling yourself."

"Selling yourself?" Josh raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Ah, the idealism of youth," Allie retorted. She starting packing up her purse and Josh noticed a large gap between the buttons on her shirt where they drew tight over her boobs. She was wearing a lacy white bra with intricate little patterns creating a myriad of tiny gaps that exposed her soft flesh. She took a deep breath and her shirt constricted even tighter. He gritted his teeth and tried to look away, though his eyes darted back at least once.

"Yes, we all sell ourselves a little. It's what paying the bills is all about." She turned to face him. "Speaking of... what are you going to do with yourself during winter break."

"Uhhhhh..." His jaw hung open. What was he going to do?

"Might I suggest... a job?" Allie said coyly.

"A job..."

"Yes, Josh, a job. You go there and work. They give you money in exchange."

"Right."

She rolled her eyes and kissed him on the forehead. "Find a job by the end of the day." Then she turned and strutted out the door, her high heels clapping on the wooden floor boards.

A job. Yeah, he supposed now that he should get a job. He'd been looking forward to lounging about the house, probably masturbating more than was healthy. But his mother worked so hard to keep a roof over their heads. He could at least earn his keep.

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When Allie returned at six o'clock that evening, Josh surprised her with a business card on the kitchen table.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Read it."

"O'Donnell Brothers. House Painting, Repairs, Moving Services. Call for a Quote." She set the card down and looked at his squarely. "Are you moving out or getting the house painted?" she asked.

"No, it's my new job!" he said laughing.

"Yeah," she retorted. "I kind of guessed that. Come here." She took him in her open arms and squeezed him tight. "Thank you. I really appreciate it." He tried to extract himself, which put about a foot of distance between them. He was just raising an arm between them when she pulled in him for second hug and, to his horror, found his hand mashed into her tit. She let go suddenly. Josh went red in the face.

"Sorry. Sorry sorry sorry," he said, backing away. He dashed out the room and up the steps, shouting "let me know when dinner's ready!"

I have got to get laid! he thought as he clambered up the steps.

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After a tough week of painting and hauling moving boxes back and forth, Josh was exhausted and grateful to get his first paycheck.

"You did good, kid," said the Mr. O'Donnell. Josh had assumed that the grizzled old man had hated him, given the verbal abuse he'd been dishing out all week, but apparently not. "Most college boys your age quit after the first day. I added a little something extra in there." He smiled and handed him the check.

"Wow, thank you," was all Josh could muster.

"Don't let it go to your head." Mr. O'Donnell hopped in the cab of his truck and slammed the door. He was just about to hit the gas when he leaned out the window and said, "Do me a favor and get yourself laid this weekend. I don't wanna watch another week of you eye-fucking the female customers." The motor revved and he sped away, cackling like a madman.

Eye-fucking the customers, he thought. He hadn't even realized he was doing so. Sure, the lady they'd just moved into a new house was moderately attractive and, sure, he'd snuck a peek down her blouse. Apparently he was more desperate than he even knew.

Get yourself laid. Good advice. Josh thought to himself as he drove away. Now I just need to figure out how.

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Over dinner that night, Josh came up with a plan. He couldn't possibly go another semester without having sex. Ogling the customers, these impure thoughts about his own mother, they couldn't go on. Something had to be done.

"Penny for your thoughts," Allie said as stared across the dinner table. She had changed from her work clothes into an old tee shirt and jeans, but she still looked great, he thought. "You've been quiet since you got home, up in your room, typing away."

"Oh, nothing," Josh said. "Just seeing if anyone was around to hang out later. What are you doing tonight?"

She swept her hands down her body to indicate her apparel. "What's it look like to you? I've got my do-nuthin' outfit on, and that's exactly what I'm doing. Nuthin'."

"You should go out," he said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Ha!" she laughed. "You figure out where I should go and I'll be there."

"Doesn't anyone from your office go out?" he asked.

"The younger ones, sure, but I'm getting a little long in the tooth for that. My club days are over and I'm not exactly in shape for the dance floor." She sighed and poked at the remaining food on her plate.

"What are you talking about? You're in great shape."

She raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"It's true. You saw all the other moms at the PTA events in high school. Most of them couldn't even fit on a dance floor."

She laughed again, and this time is wasn't sarcastic or self-pitying. She threw her head back and gave a throaty laugh. When she laughs like that, he found himself thinking, the years seem to melt off her and you could see the young woman she must have once been.

"You're probably right about that. But I still thing my clubbing days are over. The music is loud and terrible and... well, I suppose it's exactly the same as when I did go to clubs. But I don't have to pretend to like it anymore. So," she said." Are you going out tonight?"

"Yes," he said, conveying more conviction than he'd meant to. "Yes. I am going out tonight."

Thirty minutes later, he was gone.

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The directions on the website said to pull up around back and use the green door entrance. It had taken him nearly an hour to get here because he'd gotten lost on some back roads and had to stop for directions at a gas station. When he arrived at the parking lot, he saw about fifteen or twenty cars already parked. The building itself seemed pretty small, a something like a cross between a motel and a nightclub, but with few distinguishing features on the exterior.

As he looked closer, he saw there were no marks of any kind. Not even an address, no signs, no text of any kind. He walked around to the front of the building to double-check, then circled back again. Was this the right place? It would be awfully embarrassing to knock on the door and inquire if he had the wrong address.

Another car pulled up and a single man in a business suit got out. As soon as he spied Josh in the parking lot, he ducked his head and hurried up to the green door. The man gave a knock, then Josh heard a scraping sound, and a moment later the door opened. The man slipped inside, then Josh was alone again.

This is stupid, he thought. If I have it wrong, I'll just go home and try again tomorrow. His heart thumping, he headed to the door and gave a knock. A few seconds later, he heard that same scraping sound and a peep hole slide into view.

"Kk-kk-Kit Kat Club?" Josh stammered. He hated his nervous stutter. It only appeared every so often when he was extremely nervous, and this was the last place he wanted to look like a man unprepared. The eyeballs on the other side of the peephole looked him up and down, then gave a chuckle.

""Mawn in," said a deep voice. The door opened into a pitch black interior. Josh steeled himself and pushed through the door.

It took about a minute for his eyes to adjust. In the meantime, a strong hand gripped his shoulder and steered him to the left.

"Just follow this hallway down to the end, then go through the door. I already know you're not a cop just looking at you, so I ain't even gonna ask," said the deep voice.

Josh nodded mutely, not even sure if he could be seen in the dark. He just walked in the direction he'd been pointed. Up ahead, he could see a sliver of light. There was music, too -- a slow, thumping beat. Nearer to the light, he could see a door handle. He pulled it and the world re-appeared, but a totally different world from one Josh had ever seen.

It was a long room with a bar running the length on one side. The lights were soft and warm. It was balmy in here and Josh wanted to take off his jacket, but was frozen in his spot. A few men were scattered around the room, but the only thing Josh had eyes for were the women. Women of every kind -- young women, older woman, skinny women with almost flat chests, chubby women, white women, asian women, blondes, brunettes, and redheads. There must have been almost forty. He felt a lump in his throat as he noticed that most of them were wearing precious little clothing. A few were in ballroom-type gowns with deep cleavage, but others were in bikinis or lingerie with transparent, colorful robes.

The bartender, a lithe brunette with short hair and a white halter top, looked up from the drink she was making and gave him a wink. Grateful for someone to have at least acknowledged his presence, he made a move towards the bar.

Suddenly, he felt a hand push firmly, but not unkindly, into his waist. Unusually close, he thought, to his crotch. He looked down to see the outstretched arm of a steely, maternal-looking woman seated at a small table. Josh clocked her in her 50s, maybe early sixties. She wore a lot of makeup, and would be considered "past her prime" but still had a powerful allure. She was curvy in all the right places and Josh had a hard time dragging his eyes away from her plunging neckline.

"Evening, hon," she said in a slow drawl. "I believe this is your first time here, am I right?"

Josh nodded.

"Welcome, then. I'm Miss Annie" Her smile was wide and sexy. Josh could tell this was a practiced charm that was nonetheless very effective. For the first time this evening, he loosened up a little.

"Josh," he replied.

She drew out a long, bare leg from under the table and pushed out a chair. "Have a seat with me here, Josh."

Once he was seated, she leaned forward so her large bust seemed to double in size.

"You've never been here before." It was not a question. He nodded mutely. "Now, you look like a nice kid, but I'm gonna give you a run-down of the rules anyways."

"Of course," he said, secretly relieved that someone was going to tell him how to conduct himself. If the directions on the website had been a bit vague, they were nothing compared to the explanation of what, exactly, the Kit Kat Club was or what services they offered. Just a lot of innuendo. Desperate as he was, though, he thought it worth a gamble.

"The here is a brothel, sugar," she continued in her drawl, "But you probably guessed that already. "

Josh said nothing.

"Any girl you see not already occupied with a customer is available. You can talk with anyone and you can say 'no' to anyone. No hard feelings. If you like a girl, tell her you want to go back to a room. Flat fee is $150 for an hour in the room. Anything else," she said with a wink, "can be negotiated between the two of you. If you like, you can head to the bar and get yourself a drink. First one's on the house."

"I'm not 21," Josh blurted out before he could stop himself, then turned beet red.

Miss Annie gave a great, heaving laugh. "That really don't matter much, here. all things considered."

She continued laughing as he made his way to the bar, feeling like a bit of a fool. He sat on a stool and the slim brunette bartender made her way down to him.

"What can I get you, handsome?" she asked.

"Um, a beer, I guess." He wasn't even sure what brand to ask for, as his college experience had always been cheap beer in large quantities. "Whatever's on tap."

"You got it." A minute later, she slid a tall, cold pint of beer under his nose, then bent down so she could be face to face with him. "So," she said, "who have you got your eye on?"

Jesus, he thought, is ¬she available? I was ready to have sex with the lady at the door. Now I have to choose?

Josh took a look around and was shocked to find that the eyes of nearly every girl was on him, at least those that weren't already chatting up a man. He spun back around towards the bar and took a deep sip.

"Hey, baby, it's okay." She tapped him playfully on the nose with a long, manicured nail. "Take a sec, then turn back around and have a look-see. Remember, you're the one that gets to pick. I think they'd be lucky to have you."

Then the bartender called out to the onlookers, "Quit staring! You're making the poor boy nervous."

A mummer of laughter rippled through the room, but it didn't make him feel embarrassed. In fact, they triggered something in his gut, a familiar, erotic tug. The laughs were soft and feminine.

He took another sip then slowly turned around in his seat to survey the room. The women weren't staring at him anymore, but most glanced up to catch his eye as it swept passed them. This was an unreal sort of proposition, he thought, after years of chasing after girls and getting nowhere. Sure, he was paying for it, but that didn't bother him. He knew that it was his wallet, not his charm that would get him a girl in this room, but that didn't mean he couldn't also be charming in the process. Everyone in the room was a consenting adult and this was... well, practice, he supposed. Practice for a time when he would have a girlfriend.

From across the room, an absolutely stunning young asian women turned her head to look at him. She wore a black bustier that emphasized her long, slim torso and pushed her small breasts up into a delicious bundle. Her long, bronze legs were crossed as she sipped at her martini, a foot bobbing slowly up and down. When Josh smiled at her she whispered something to another woman at her table then stood up and crossed to him.

"Hi," she said. "Can I join you?" She had no trace of an accent other than American, and Josh found himself a little disappointed. Perhaps, he thought, if he was the one on native turf and she was the visitor, he might feel a little more in control. It was stupid, he knew, but honest.

Josh gestured to the seat next to him, which she took, but not before sliding it so close to his that when she sat her knees slid between his legs. The temperature in his pants immediately shot up ten degrees.

She giggled, "I'm Kim. What's your name."

He pushed the lump down in his throat and said, "Josh," with as much confidence as he could muster.

"First time?" she asked. He nodded.

Kim leaned into him and nuzzled her nose in his ear. At the same time, she took his hand from his lap and put it on her bare thigh. Her leg was so soft, so naked -- he wanted to melt into it.

"If you want to go back to a room with me, just say the word." Then she took his earlobe in her mouth and circled her tongue around it.

Josh nearly came in his pants right there. She giggled again and pulled away from him.

"Is that a yes?"

Josh nodded. She beamed at him and took his hand to lead him across the room towards Miss Annie's table. "Just wait here a second, I need to talk to Miss Annie" she said. Miss Annie, watching the proceedings, gave a knowing nod to Kim and they disappeared behind a velvet curtain to talk business.

Josh stood, alone again, unsure what to do with his body. Should he go back and finish his drink? Should he take it with him? Would he pay now or when it was over? What if it cost more than he brought? What if they tried to rob him, or blackmail him? He started tapping his hands absentmindedly against his legs, hoping to look like he really enjoyed the music and was just drumming along.

Then a voice came out of the darkness. "Nervous?" It was deep and breathy and made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Wh-what?" he asked. At first he couldn't even tell where the voice had come from.

"I asked if you're nervous. You look nervous." The voice was so evocative. The words stockings and affair popped into his head out of nowhere. He turned around and found the source, sitting in the deep corner of a booth that was half-hidden in shadow.

"Have a seat," she said. "They'll probably be a minute." Josh sat at the booth in a trance.

The woman seated before him was a different breed from the rest of the women here, he could tell immediately. She was older, probably past forty. She was no skinny teenager, that was for sure. Her body was thicker, curvaceous. She wore a beautiful evening gown that did showed off her body, but not in a showy way. It was elegance, he thought, and suddenly all the women he'd seen so far seemed like they were using cheap gimmicks to get at what this woman had naturally -- sex appeal. She exuded it, like the smoke from her cigarette.

"I thought you couldn't smoke inside in this state," he said, which was the only thing that came to his dumbstruck mind at the moment.

"I thought you couldn't drink unless you were twenty-one," she threw back at him. He felt a little sting in his pride, but she gave him a little smile and the hurt melted away instantly.

"I'm Josh."

"Lana," she said, extending a hand.

He tried to focus his eyes on her face, but they were ravenous and wanted to devour her every part. They stared at each other for over a minute. He couldn't think of a single thing to say. She in turn didn't seem interested in the least in breaking the silence.

The bartender came over and delivered a fresh tumbler of what looked like whiskey. When she left, Lana finally spoke. "So... Kim," she said, nodding towards the spot where Kim and Miss Annie had disappeared.

It wasn't a question, per se, but Josh felt he had to defend his decision. "Well, yeah. I mean, um... she's... she seems nice."

Lana gave him a smoldering look. "Nice lots of things, mm? Nice legs, nice ass, nice tits. A little petite, but...."

"Yeah. And, you know, it's my first time here. I'm not, like, gonna be with her all the time."

She laughed, warm and breathy. Smoke and whiskey glided across the table and filled his nose with her aroma.

"I mean, I don't have to, right?" he stammered. For a moment, he genuinely wasn't sure.

She laughed again and threw her head back. It reminded him of something -- something beautiful -- but he couldn't think what it was. His senses were running on overdrive and his brain could barely process everything that was happening in the moment, let alone retrieve memories.

"No," she said. She leaned forward and her breasts mashed into the edge of the table, pushing them up towards her neck. "In fact, you can still say no. 'No, thank you,' if you want to be polite about it."

"Really?"

Just then the velvet curtain swung open again and Kim stepped through. "Ready?" she asked, extending a hand.