Double Trouble (6 page)

Chapter 10.

To celebrate my inaugural appearance as an exotic dancer, we consumed our customary few glasses of wine. Fancy that. Flushed with the alcohol, Maureen then wanted to make a whole new list of demands, but Stephanie overruled her, saying that only one set of demands per day was allowable. We went our separate ways and agreed to meet the next day, to discuss the rest of the week. I arrived home to be meet by a grinning Paul.

“Well, how did it
go
?” he wanted to know.

“Fairly
well
, I thought,” I replied. “All the girls loved it. Stef told me I was brilliant and could make a
career
out of it.”

Paul laughed. “I’ll
bet
she did,” he remarked. “And you probably
could
, knowing you, sweetie. Whenever you put your mind to something, you always make a success of it. I hope you’re not
considering
it?”

“Why
not
?” I teased. “I could have a stage name. Something like, I don’t know ….. ‘Curvaceous Kim and her dance of the seven tablecloths’, maybe.”

“Not bad,” Paul smirked. “How about ‘Fully Clothed Kim and the dance of her distraught brother’, if you even
think
of doing such a thing.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry, brother mine,” I reassured him. “I know
exploitation
when I see it. It’s just another useless skill I’ve discovered I’m good at. One day I’ll probably learn something
useful
to put on my résumé. I doubt that ‘striptease artist’ would add to the glamour of it.”

“It’d all depend on the
employer
,” Paul amended, with a grin.

The girls and I met at Stephanie’s the next day to hear the latest decrees of Queen Maureen. I was beginning to
regret
Stephanie’s game. I hoped Maureen wouldn’t have me marked down for another humiliating job. The first order of business was yet another note.

Hindenburg’s disaster and life-giving gas combine. Find igneous ore floating there and discover your clue.

Your admirer
.

“What the hell is
this
supposed to mean?” Janice exclaimed, holding the note at arm’s length. “He’s gone
loopy
.”

“It
is
a little strange,” admitted Stephanie. “Whoever it is has decided to switch to
riddles
for some reason. Do we bother to
solve
it or not?”

“I guess it depends on how
bored
we are at the time,” suggested Maureen. “I
love
mysteries, myself. I say we
go
for it! What does everyone else think?”

Stephanie shrugged. “Why not? Kim? Jan?”

“I suppose,” Janice agreed. “But it’s starting to get a little
creepy
, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps,” I agreed. “But it’s interesting all the same. It adds some
spice
to life. We can always pull out at any time.”

“We’re agreed then,” Stephanie concluded, firmly. “But let’s hear the
latest
from Mount Sinai first.”

Maureen giggled. “Really, Stef, don’t be sacrilegious,” she scolded. She cleared her throat dramatically. “Today, I’d like to be
pampered
, if that’s okay with you all. I’d like a pedicure, a manicure, a bubble bath and a shampoo. Stef can do the pedicure and manicure - I know she’s the
best
at it; Jan, the shampoo and Kim the rest. Questions?”

“Yes, actually,” I asked, “What does ‘
the rest’
entail?”

“You know…… the bubble bath,” Maureen replied, flushing a little.

“Not answering the question, Maureen,” I told her. “More
detail
, please.”

“Well,
umm
, you have to, you know,
make
up the bubble bath and, like…
bathe
me,” Maureen informed me, her cheeks changing to a more crimson shade.

“Bathe you?” I enquired, curiously.

“You know, scrub my
back
….and things,” she said.

“
Things
? What
sort
of things?” I asked, impatiently. “Is this another ‘humiliate Kim’ scenario, Maureen?”

“No,
no
,” she hastened to explain. “I just want to be treated like a
film star
for one day, that’s all. I want to be cosseted, bathed and dried as if I was
royalty
, without having to lift a finger. Haven’t you ever had
that
dream?”

“I have,” Stephanie interjected, wistfully.

“Me
too
,” Janice added. “It’d be
marvellous
to have someone do all that for you. It’s the
ultimate
indulgence, isn’t it?”

“Okay, then, I’ll do it,” I confirmed, “if you’re all so set on it. It seems a little
silly
though.”

“Come on, Kim,” teased Stephanie, “surely you
like
being mollycoddled now and then. I refuse to believe you’re
so
self-sufficient and independent that having someone fussing over you isn’t a
secret
desire.”

“Well, I
do
like being massaged,” I conceded.

“There you go, then,” Stephanie announced. “You
are
human, after all. I was beginning to
wonder
. I’d
love
to be pampered. Maureen, you’re
sooo
lucky!”

“I know,” she said. “I thought of it last night and I was so
excited
I could barely
sleep
.”

“
Were
you now?” Stephanie mused, with a twinkle in her eye. “I wonder
why
? But anyway, when shall this royal cosseting begin?”

“Anytime now would be fine,” Maureen announced. “
Slaves
, to your places!”

Chapter 11.

And so, we took up our appointed positions. Stephanie began filing and polishing Maureen’s nails, while Janice washed and soaped the regal hair in a basin. Actually, being pampered was beginning to look like
fun
. I very rarely indulged in that sort of thing, preferring to do everything
myself
, but, judging by Maureen’s blissful face, I vowed to find the time to have a full makeover one day. I went into the bathroom, started the water flowing into the bathtub and rummaged around in the cupboard for some bubble liquid. I discovered some weird smelling concoction that boasted to ‘
produce the biggest, brightest bubbles imaginable
’, and poured a generous amount into the bathwater. The effect was an immediate flowering of soapy bubbles - so
many
in fact, that they began to spill over the edge of the bathtub. Maureen appeared at that moment, wrapped in a dressing gown and stared in amazement at the sheer volume of bubbles being produced.

“A bit
overboard
, don’t you think?” she observed.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I apologised, scraping marauding bubbles from my clothes. “I guess I added a little too much. I’m not used to this sort of thing.”

“Never mind, it’s the
thought
that counts,” Maureen comforted me. She slowly undid her gown and hung it on the rail.

“Well,
look
at you!” I exclaimed, admiringly. She blushed at my comment.

“Yes, that weight loss did wonders for my self-esteem,” she confessed.

“And your
figure
, too,” I added, still amazed at her transformation from overweight to exactly right. “Sweetie, you’re
stunning
!”

“Do you really think so?” she asked, preening a little. “I
did
work hard at it. I exercise every day and I watch what I eat.”

“And you succeeded,” I told her sincerely, “you
really
did.” And she
had
. Her body was shaped and toned from the exercise into a voluptuous hourglass figure. I watched as she slid gracefully into the bubbles, almost disappearing.

“And just what am I supposed to be
doing
again?” I asked.

“
Wash
me, I guess,” Maureen replied, at a loss herself. “I’ve never had this done before, so I’m only
guessing
as to how they do it in Hollywood. The whole idea is for me to do
nothing
….I think. Anyway, I’d like to try it. I want to be able to think back to today and say that for this
one
time, I was treated like a
queen
.”

“Okay, I think I can do that for you,” I replied, reaching for the soap. “Firstly, we’ll give you a good soaping, then a scrub down, so just relax, your Majesty, while this unworthy peasant attends to your needs.”

Maureen giggled at my pronouncement but allowed me to go ahead. I decided to treat it almost like a massage and rubbed her all over. She sighed in pleasure as I applied the soap to her upper body and arms. Apart from getting bubbles up my nose, I found the task to be quite enjoyable. Her skin was soft and yielding and gave me a sensuous thrill as I stroked it. I know that
Maureen
certainly enjoyed it. I don’t blame her. I would have, too.

“Finished the upper regions,” I informed her. “Lift your
leg
now, sweetie, please.”

Eyes closed in total delight, she did. I soaped her raised leg, eliciting a little gasp and a blush when I ventured too close to the sensitive inner thigh area.

“You’re a bit
ticklish
,” I remarked, noticing her reaction.

“I know,” she replied, candidly. “Sorry about that. It’s a
touchy
area for me.”

“It is for
most
women,” I remarked. “
Next
leg, please.”

I repeated the performance and was awarded with another small gasp and further blushing. Then I washed off the soap with a coarse cloth, rubbing her skin firmly with a scrubbing action.

“Oooh, I
like
that,” Maureen murmured, as I worked.

“It cleans the skin,” I said, “and does a bit of exfoliation as well. It also perks up the circulation. I always do it to myself.”

“Nice,” she said. “I’m going to do it from now on.”

“I think you’re
done
, my lady,” I announced finally, wiping bubbles from my forehead. “You can arise from your ablutions at this stage, if you so desire.”

“Thanks, Kim, that was lovely,” Maureen said, standing up. “I feel so relaxed.”

“And clean,” I reminded her. “Don’t forget
clean
.”

“Of course, clean,” she smiled. “Maybe I should hire you on a permanent basis for this.”

“Right,” I told her, giving her a hand out of the tub. “I’d just
love
to be your full time maid. Maureen, don’t be so
idle
. Do it
yourself
.”

“But this is so much more
fun
,” she protested. She drew herself up in what she imagined was a haughty manner. “Maid,
dry
me!”

“At
once
, ma’am,” I replied in a cringing tone, falling into her playacting. “Just stand
still
, ma’am, and let me do all the work….. you lazy
cow
.”

Maureen giggled. “Don’t be so
insolent
, maid.” She rolled her eyes. “Dearie me, I don’t know what the working classes are
coming
to these days. Such
disrespect
for their betters. I blame
books
. We should never have taught you to
read
.”

I snorted with amusement as I dried Maureen with a towel. It was a pleasurable task for the both of us. I found that I missed the feel of another body under my hands. I was between relationships at the moment - as
usual
. It seemed to be a
permanent
situation for me. I could never seem to hold onto a partner for any length of time. It drove me crazy trying to figure out why. I
tried
to do everything right. I
knew
I was a loving and giving person.
Everyone
said so, but something always went
wrong
. My lovers seemed to wander off into the sunset or found someone else or just disappeared, leaving me alone and broken hearted. And I was the type of girl who
needed
someone to love. I didn’t like being on my own. I yearned for companionship more than anything in the world. It made me feel
complete
.

I sighed sadly as I finished drying Maureen. Maybe one day I’d find someone who’d want to
stay
with me. Yeah, and members of the porcine family might become
airborne
too, I thought bitterly.

“All finished,” I pronounced.

“That was lovely,” Maureen thanked me. “I
do
feel like someone important now. You’ll have to let me do it for
you
one day, Kim.”

“I might take you up on that,” I remarked. “It
did
look like fun.”

“It
was
, believe me,” Maureen confided, wriggling with pleasure. “I think it’s taken the place of
chocolate
as my most favourite pastime in the world.”

“Taken
over
from chocolate, eh?” I murmured. “I’m impressed. I didn’t realize I was
that
good.”

“You’ve
no
idea,” Maureen said, a dreamy look in her eye.

“Are you going to get
dressed
now, maybe,” I pointed out. “Or are you going to walk around stark naked for the rest of the day?”

“I suppose I’d
better
,” she said, reluctantly. “
Jan
would throw a fit if I rolled up like this.”

“Yes, she would, wouldn’t she?” I agreed, bringing Maureen her clothes. “Her upbringing must have been fairly strict.”

“She has
orthodox
views, that’s all,” Maureen shrugged, starting to dress. “It’s not her fault. Maybe the
rest
of us are nonstandard, and
she’s
the normal one.”

“Perhaps,” I agreed, doing up the buttons on her dress and sweeping her soft, lovely hair out of the way. I finished my task but was enchanted with the way her curls moved and slid under my hand. “Maureen, you have the most
marvellous
hair!” I complimented, running my fingers sensuously through the silken threads. “It’s so soft and fine. I’m totally jealous.”

“And
I’m
jealous of you,” she replied, “so I guess that makes us even.”

“Me?’ I exclaimed, astonished. “What have I got that makes
you
jealous?”

She looked disbelievingly at me and made a face. “Your
looks
, of course, you silly sausage,” she informed me. “Kim, sweetheart, you’re
beautiful
! I wish I was
half
as pretty! You must have men
fighting
each other to throw themselves at your feet. I’d just like to experience a
little
of that one day, you know.”

“I haven’t been stepping over any thrown bodies
so
far,” I smiled. “It just doesn’t
work
like that, I’m afraid, Maureen. It’d be
nice
if it did though. My looks haven’t helped me much. Notice that I’m
still
not married or even have a
partner
right now. Looks are overrated, sweetie. Take my word for it.”

“Even so,” Maureen concluded, “I’d
still
like to have even a
tenth
of your looks, even if they
are
overrated. I’d take my chances with the
rest
of it.”

I laughed and lovingly stroked Maureen’s hair one final time, before we both exited the bathroom.