I had a job! Not a prestigious or super high paying job, but it was a good start. I was no longer “unemployed and homeless,” I was merely homeless. Time to work on that second part.
“Summer,” I asked her. “You’ve helped me so much already that I can never repay you. But you could you help me with just one more thing?” Even as a working stiff, I wasn’t above a little more mooching.
“Oh, sure! I’m just happy to help.” She smiled brightly. Such a kind girl.
“Well, I’m happy that I found a job, but I still need to find a place to live.”
Her reaction was not what I was expecting. She blushed and started twiddling her fingers. “It’s… a little early for that, don’t you think? I mean, I mean, I’m not necessarily against it but I thought we’d work up to that…”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Weren’t you asking to move in with me?”
“No! I just wanted you to help me find a place I can rent for myself. An inn, a hotel, an apartment, or whatever.”
“Oh! Of course! Uh, please forget what I said. Do you want something short term, or long term?”
“Hmm…” I thought for a second. “More than a few nights, since I might be here a while. But I don’t need anything permanent. I don’t really know what my situation will be. And I still don’t have money. Maybe some place I can stay for a few months, cheaply?”
She clapped her hands. “Got it! A boarding house would be perfect for you I think.”
“A boarding house?”
“It’s shared housing. Sort of like an apartment, but smaller. You just get a room for sleeping—They’ll provide meals and a laundry service. Lots of people use it when they’re new to the city.”
“That sounds perfect! Where is it?”
“There’s one close to here, actually. A lot of dockies live there, I think. Is that OK with you?”
“Sure!”
Summer led me to a place just a few blocks away from the air docks. It was a large, rather dilapidated looking building made of brick, with many small windows. We entered.
Inside appeared to be some sort of common room. It was large, mostly filled with long tables and chairs. There was a small fireplace in the corner, not being used. The walls were decorated with oil paintings of the bay, ships, and airships, as well as a few black-and-white photos of various women. They all looked rather grim and stern to me, but it was the same as old-fashioned photos I remembered from my world, where the model had to pose without expression for a long time.
There was just one other person in the room. She was a short, plump woman with long blond hair. And (I couldn’t help but notice) a rather ample bosom. After a few seconds, I realized that it was the same nurse I had met earlier—Clara—except now she was dressed in a plain black uniform.
“Hi!” She greeted us in her usual chipper voice. “It’s great to see you two again! Especially you, Eddie!”
“Thanks,” I answered. “Uh, do you work here?”
“Yep! This is my second job, when I’m not working at the hospital. Although there’s not really much to do here, normally—I just take people’s money and give them room keys. You looking for a room?”
“He is,” Summer answered. “Not me.”
“Right! Well, our deluxe suites are $5 a week. Those come with two rooms, a closet, and a private bathroom.”
“I don’t really need a deluxe suite,” I said. “In fact, I don’t have much money right now… how much for your cheapest room?”
She looked disappointed. “Healthy young man like you, and you don’t have money? What’s wrong with you?”
“I just got it, and just started my job. I’m good for it, I promise, I just don’t want to spend much right now.”
She looked at Summer. “Is that true?” Summer nodded.
Stolen story; please report.
“Alright, well our basic room is 3$ a week. One room, one small bed. And you’ll have to share a bathroom with the hall. But you still get two meals a day, and laundry on weekends. Does that work?”
“Works for me. So uh, do I need to sign a rental contract or what…”
She laughed. “Ha, do I look like a lawyer? Just shake my hand and promise you’ll behave and pay on time.”
This was much easier than renting a room in my world! I liked this casual style. Doing as she asked, I gave her a firm handshake and looked her in the eye. “I promise I’ll be a model guest here.”
She squealed. “Oh! Oh my. My heart wasn’t quite prepared for that. I should probably make you pay a deposit, but I’ll let it go since you’re so handsome. Please take this key and make yourself at home!”
I took the key she offered me. Leaving this odd woman behind, Summer and I walked upstairs to where my room was. Unfortunately, “basic unit” was exactly what it was. It was very small, about 5 by 10 feet. There was a bed, a chest of drawers, and nothing else. Still, it was clean and comfortable.
As we were checking out the room, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and—there was Clara, standing in front of me once again. But this time she was wearing very different clothes. A very short, revealing black dress, covered in frills and bits of lace. There was a small white apron over it that seemed to be purely decorative, because it hardly covered anything at all. It certainly didn’t cover her large breasts or her bare thighs.
“Hi! It’s me again. I forgot to ask you before if you wanted our special maid service. Would you like to hire me to be your maid?”
“A maid?” I asked, dumbly.
“Yeah. You know. I’ll cook you special meals, clean your room, and generally take care of all your housework. And of course, I’ll wear this elegant outfit the whole time!”
She gestured at what she was wearing. It was a classic French maid outfit—a black dress under a white apron. The clean lines and sharply contrasting colors did give it an elegant look. However it also had a very short neckline and skirt, giving me a clear view of her chest and thighs.
I gulped. It was hard to think straight, but I had to be practical here. “Uh, sorry but I don’t think I can afford it. I just started working, and I don’t have much money so…”
“It’s OK! I’ll work for cheap!” She said, and flashed me a smile.”
“But I’m only a third-rate dockhand…”
Summer broke in. “Actually… you probably make more than her. Maids and receptionists are quite cheap here, since it’s such light labor.”
Clara pouted. “It’s true! We hardly ever get paid much at all! …But it’s OK. This is all I can do, since I’m not smart enough for technical work, and I’m not strong enough for physical work. Not like you. You look really strong…” She stepped forward and slowly traced her finger around my chest, then squeezed my bicep. “Yes, very strong indeed.”
“Hey now,” said Summer. “That’s going too far for a sales pitch.”
“No it isn’t. I can go much further than this.” She winked at me. “I can do more for you at home than just cooking and cleaning, if you know what I mean…”
“Uh, like what…?” I asked, dumbly. Summer glared at me. “This is a very small room, and I don’t have much stuff. I don’t think I need your service.”
“Well… there are a lot of things.” She started speaking in a low, sexy pitch: “Just for example, suppose you’re tired after a long grueling day of work. I could give you a massage to relax your muscles. Although, I wouldn’t be able to do that wearing this uniform… the oil might splash on me. So we’d both have to be naked.”
“Naked?” I asked, dumbly. Summer was glaring daggers at her now.
“Yes, naked! Being naked is the safest, cleanest way for an oil massage. Of course, the massage can only heal your physical stress. Maybe you need to relieve your mental stress too. You could pull me down onto the bed and release all your mental stress right into me!”
“Hey, that’s sexual harassment!” Summer yelled at her.
“Oh… I’m sorry.” She stepped back from me, looking ashamed. “I go too far sometimes, I’m really sorry.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“Uh, it’s fine,” I felt strangely guilty, even though I hadn’t done anything.
“No, it’s not fine! That was very wrong of me,” she insisted. “I need to learn to behave better. So, if I was working for you, you’d have to teach me!”
“Teach you?”
“If I do something you don’t like, you need to give me a firm smack on the bottom!” She turned away, bent over slightly, and wiggled her rear end at me. Turning back she smiled and said “Or, you know, You can just do that whenever you feel like it, too. I don’t mind.”
“Hey, you weren’t sorry at all! You were just faking it!” Screamed Summer.
“Hee hee, maybe! But he doesn’t mind, Do you?”
I was having a hard time thinking straight. I felt a powerful attraction to this girl, but I felt bad seeing her flirt so shamelessly in front of Summer.
“Uh, you’re very pretty and you seem nice but… I’m kinda together with Summer, here, and I don’t think she’d like it very much.”
“That just makes it better!” Clara flashed a mischievous smile and continued with her fantasy: “She’ll be so jealous, and she’ll have to imagine us having sex. It’ll drive her crazy! Or, she can join in.”
“I certainly will not!”
“Hmm, but you would if he asked you to, wouldn’t you?” Clara winked at Summer, then took a step closer to me. “Just think about it, Mister! You could do both of us in the same bed. You could start with me, and bring me to orgasm—I’d orgasm real fast, because I’m so sensitive, and I’d cover your man-meat in my juices. Then you could pull out, and stick it straight into into her. And she’d hate it, because my juices would go all into her, but she’d also love it because she’s getting to have you. And I’d get off again, watching you, and we’d all three orgasm at the same time. Doesn’t it sound good?”
It did indeed sound good. Her words were turning me on and clouding my judgment. But I still didn’t want to be such a jerk to Summer. And frankly, Clara kind of scared me with how openly perverted she was.
“Sorry, no thanks! Bye, bye!” And before she could say anything else, I shut the door.
Summer was now looking at me with shining eyes. “You’re such a gentleman! You handled that floozy perfectly!”
Clara’s voice came from behind the door. “I’m not a floozy! I’m just trying to offer my guest a better stay!”
I ignored Clara. “Thanks, but I’m just trying to get my bearings here, you know! Can’t let myself get distracted by romance! Or, uh, whatever she was offering.”
Summer nodded. “Good, good! Very wise, practical decision!”
Summer and I talked a bit more about the differences in our worlds, and then she left. It still wasn’t that late, but with everything that had happened I was dead tired. I flopped down on the bed and quickly fell asleep, my head whirling with thoughts of all these interesting—but intimidating—women I kept meeting.