Flower Girl Ch. 02

Tracy exited the train and walked up the stairs into the midday sunshine and the Saturday Manhattan crowd. The air was thick with humidity, the crowd different from the usual hustle-and-bustle business population that dominated the weekdays. Today it was tourists, roving bands of teens, families, and shoppers who meandered about the sidewalk in varying speeds. Tracy joined the stream of pedestrians and made her way to Finey's, one of her grandmother's favorite dining establishments.

"Tracy!" her fashionable grandmother exclaimed. She was known as Beverly to all her acquaintances, except for Tracy and Beth, who both called her Nana.

"Nana! Are you kidding me with this dress? Where did this come from? You are so lucky I am not your size -- I would steal all your clothes!"

Beverly modestly put her hand to her broad cowl collar and said, "Well, I've had it for years, but I suspect it's a classic."

"Rickrack! That is so cool. I've never seen such big rickrack." Tracy reached out and felt the black jagged trim around the collar of the yellow and white dress.

"And you look lovely, as always, my dear. How did everything go last night?" Beverly was referring to business, of course. There was a wedding happening today and Beverly knew Tracy was practicing letting go of control and allowing her helpers to manage without her.

"Well of course Antonio's wife and her sisters came last night to assemble all the centerpieces, bouquets, and boutonnieres. It's a good-sized wedding, not too big, just seven centerpieces, but they're so pretty! Here, let me show you, Nana." Tracy pulled out her phone to show Beverly a photo.

"Oooooh," Beverly held her hand to her cheek, "Are they all in the same tea cup?"

"Yes, isn't that pretty? And 'Antonio's harem,' as I like to call them, did an excellent job. You know, Nana, I used to try and go to just check on them, maybe help out? But Antonio said they like it better when I don't come." Both women laughed and Tracy went on, "I felt so guilty before. Here are these three women working in the middle of the night, and who knows what they have to do during the day. Work? Take care of kids? Then they come and make flower arrangements in the middle of the night? But Antonio said they love it. He said that is when they are able to get away from the men and catch up on all the gossip!"

"Kind of like the sewing circles of the old days!"

"I guess so. Anyway, I didn't realize I was spoiling the party because I don't know how they interact in my absence, but Antonio asked me to stay away."

"Really? He is very frank. Good for him."

"He is a horrible brat. He said I scare them, but then admitted that they just like to get loud and talk in Spanish, so I made the big concession: I reluctantly agreed to stay home and just left a sample of each item with a note saying how many to make of each."

"And they were successful?"

"They are flawless. And the shop -- spotless. I feel so... unnecessary, Nana!" Tracy laughed.

"Oh no, Tracy, this is very good. This will allow you to get out more. You need to let your help do their jobs so that you can get out of that flower shop more often. You need to get out and meet people, single men, in particular."

Tracy rolled her eyes out of habit, although she actually agreed. "Well guess what, Nana. I met two single men just this week!"

"Oh, when it rains it pours!" Beverly put both hands to her own cheeks. "Please go on!"

Tracy paused to give the waiter her order, and then patiently waited while Beverly placed her own. Then she told her about William, and also about Matt, a guy who came into Petals to buy flowers for his mom's birthday.

"He's in a band and they are playing this weekend. He told me I should come check them out."

Beverly smiled a tight, closed-mouth smile and sipped her coffee.

"What, Nana?"

"Well, Tracy, William sounds very interesting. Matt sounds like more of the same."

Tracy sighed. She'd known Nana would say that, but she also knew it was true. "But William has not really shown an interest in me, and Matt totally flirted with me."

"Oh, on the contrary, my dear. William showed an interest with no urgency. That is to be commended. Matt took the lazy man's approach. "Come check out my band," Beverly said in a mock-macho voice, before turning her sweet smile back on. "And let me guess, tattoos? Tattered jeans? Green hair?"

"Two out of three," Tracy pouted, "No one has green hair anymore, Nana."

"Oh really? I thought it was 'classic'." Beverly teased, causing Tracy to giggle.

"I hate it when you're right."

"I know, dear. Don't take the easy road. Take your time and get to know this William, or anyone else not looking for an easy hook-up."

"Nana!" Tracy laughed, surprised that her Nana knew the term "hook-up." But Nana was right. Maybe not William, but definitely not Matt. Besides, she didn't believe those flowers were for his mom anyway.

* * * * *

Vera rolled her older brother on his back and said, "I hope you appreciate me, Victor. I never imagined in a million years I'd be wiping my brother's ass." Victor gave Vera a thumb up, one of his three favorite hand gestures. "I have to work tonight, so don't ring the buzzer unless it is an emergency, okay? Two hours. Do you want music?" Victor answered with a thumb down. "TV?" Thumb up. She turned the television on and set it on The National Geographic channel. Victor never used to watch that type of stuff before the accident, but Vera thought the narrator's voice and animal sounds must be soothing to him. The narrator was describing the complex social structure of the leafcutter ant. "Okay?" Thumb up.

Vera pulled the blanket over Victor's leg, but he violently kicked it off and his heel hit her left thigh. "Damn you, Victor!" she yelled at him, rubbing her thigh. He flipped her off, exhausting his array of communications signals. She considered giving him an extra pill so she could work, but then decided against it since it was only Andy tonight. He was the only client who really knew about her brother in the back room, but she did not consider Andy a typical client. She looked at the TV and tried not to think about Andy. She always made an effort not to think about Andy, unless he was there. It would complicate things, and life was hard enough. The narrator said the leafcutter ant could carry ten times its own body weight.

"If I were a leafcutter ant, I could toss you on my back and take you anywhere, Victor. We wouldn't need nurses, or handicap vans, or anyone else's help. Think about the things we could do! I could carry you around like a baby, like a big two-hundred pound baby!"

Victor made a grunt and gave a thumb up. Vera did not correct herself, allowing Victor to believe he was still two hundred pounds. It didn't matter anyway. She was a hooker, not a leafcutter ant. A forty-three year old hooker with no family except a brain-damaged brother.

William looked up from his screen after reading the latest installment of Tracy's writing. The library was busy, typical for a summer morning, but no one needed his attention at the moment, so he went back to reread the body of the email.

William,

Thank you for your advice about my writing. You are correct. I am very confident in some areas, but lack confidence when it comes to writing. I was not an English major, but I have always had a desire to write. I simply lacked ideas; then one day I overheard a conversation, and it got me thinking. The story you have been reading is the result of my eavesdropping and overactive imagination. Feel free to offer any criticism. I am not overly sensitive and I appreciate you taking the time to do this. I trust my legs will not be an issue, since you only saw part of them once. And that was days ago.

Tracy

William thoughtfully reread the email again. In mentioning her legs was she teasing him? Taunting him? Simply responding to what he said? Or was she hinting that there was much more to see? Or that it had been a while? The email came several days after his, indicating she was not eager to speak to him. Perhaps she is only interested in his input. He is a librarian, after all. And the leg comment, well... He mentioned her legs first. It would be odd if she ignored the comment. No, mentioning her legs was just a demonstration of her confidence, as if she were saying "Yes, I have beautiful legs. Get over it." William smiled at the thought. He could almost hear her voice uttering those very words.

"Whatcha' reading, William?" asked Melissa, a volunteer at the library.

"I am reading a story by an unpublished up-and-coming author," William answered, dryly.

"Really? Who?" Melissa probed.

"Janet Jones," William lied, saying the first name that popped into his head. He was not sure why, but he did not trust Melissa.

"Can I read it?"

"I'm sorry, Melissa, I was given this work in confidence, but I can ask the author," William said.

"You know her?"

"Only by email," he continued the façade, then wishing to change the subject, assigned her a task in the form of request: "Would you mind taking this stack of books upstairs?"

"Sure," Melissa answered. She picked up the books then casually asked, "Do you have any plans for the evening."

"Yes," William answered, and then turned to the patron who approached the desk. Melissa sauntered away.

* * * * *

Tracy opened an email from Mrs. Hillson, who wrote to say that she was delighted with the flowers and that Tracy could expect to hear from at least one of her dinner guests, possibly two. Mrs. Hillson mentioned "The brave use of color" and Tracy smiled, feeling a sense of pride and also gratitude to have a customer who appreciated her talent -- and paid her invoices promptly and without question.

Tracy heard the door swing open and looked up to see Ray walking into Petals.

"Hey, Ray, how's it going?"

"Good," he answered, "You?"

"Work has been busy! Hey, Alicia was in here the other day."

"Really? To give back your story?"

"No, she emailed me about my writing and I sent her the next chapter. She was just passing by and came in to say hello. She's surprisingly cool."

"Yeah? What, you didn't think I would have a cool girlfriend?"

Tracy laughed a little defensively, "Oh no, I didn't mean that. I just think she looks really conservative -- you know, the cheerleader type -- but she is very down-to-Earth. She made a few funny and insightful comments about my book. Oh, and she is crazy about you, but you must know that."

"Yeah, pretty lucky for me."

"You're both lucky." Tracy let out a little sigh.

Ray took off a backpack and placed it on the counter, "I brought your next chapter back and thought I would pick up some flowers for her while I'm here."

"Oh yeah? Ready for red roses now?" She teased. Ray had been especially conscious of what type of message he sent with flowers.

"Oh, we're way past that. I'm ready for the I'd-love-you-even-if-your-butt-gets-big color."

"You're funny. Hey, I know Alicia likes those hydrangeas over there." She walked over and started making up a bouquet. "And these are on the house."

"What? Tracy, I don't want to do that," He said, reaching for his wallet.

"I want to, Ray. I don't really make money off of guys like you anyway," she laughed. "Weddings are my bread and butter. Besides, you introduced me to two really cool people and I want to do something for you."

"Two? William?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, he's been emailing me too," Tracy smiled. "He's been really nice and encouraging, but he's quite the wordsmith, isn't he?

Ray laughed and nodded, "He sure is. Maybe a double date is in our future?"

Tracy shrugged and answered that she wasn't sure William was attracted to her. "It might just be that he is interested in my writing. I'm not everyone's cup of tea, you know," she winked and gestured to her tattooed arm.

"Oh, you definitely have his number," Ray laughed, then took his lovely bouquet of blue hydrangeas and headed out the door. Tracy really liked Ray, but compared to William he lacked sophistication. Yes, she had to admit; there was something about William. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was not trying too hard. In fact, she still had no indication that William was attracted to her. He had sent another email with a few really helpful suggestions about her writing and did not mention her legs -- or any other body part, for that matter. It had been almost two weeks since she met him and no suggestion of getting together. But she knew it was likely that she would see him at the library when she went to the writers group the next evening. She tried to focus on her writing so that she would not obsess on what outfit she might distract William with.

Vera rose from the bed when she heard the doorbell and kissed her brother on the forehead before closing the bedroom door. She hung up the robe she was wearing so that she could greet Andy in his favorite type of ensemble; it was a sheer babydoll nightie, a new one he had not seen before. Andy's desires were simple to fulfill. He loved see-through fabrics and a good blow job.

Vera checked the peephole and opened the door, smiling. Andy wore a half-grin on his face as he looked her up and down, and stepped inside. Vera locked the door behind him and as she turned around, he grabbed her and pressed her into the door, kissing her and running his hand up her thigh to her ass. No words were exchanged. Vera did not kiss her other clients, but she had been kissing Andy for years. There was an ease between them as two people who had known each other a long time, but that did not detract from the passion. Although their routine varied slightly, Vera knew to expect quick, passionate sex when he first saw her, followed by a period of casual conversation, then another round of playful, slower sex. The conversations that occurred between the first and second orgasm were something Vera cherished more than she cared to admit.

Andy grabbed both of her wrists and held them in one of his hands above her head and pinned to the door, his other hand inside her sheer panties as he kissed her neck.

"Mmmm, I love it when you get like this," Vera murmured, "So nice to be with a man who --"

"Shut up, Vera," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, pushing her to her knees. He wasn't being rude; he simply did not like to be reminded of her profession at times like this. Vera unzipped his zipper, knelt down before him, and freed Andy from his pants. With his shirt still on and his pants around his ankles, Vera began the long slow licks she knew he appreciated.

"Take it in your mouth," he ordered.

Vera complied, enjoying the opportunity not to be the one barking orders. She spent a few minutes going up and down Andy's shaft before he pulled her back up to her feet, walked her over to the couch, and bent her over the armrest. 'Oh my god', Vera thought to herself, 'he is in a mood!' He didn't even remove her sheer panties, just moved them to the side as he placed himself at her entrance.

"Are you ready, Vera?" he asked in a gruff voice, even though her wetness was apparent. Always a gentleman.

"Very," she panted as he thrust himself deeply inside her with one long stroke.

"Aaaaah," she moaned loudly.

"Quit acting," Andy teased her.

"Fuck you!" Vera gasped.

"No," Andy answered calmly and aggressively, "Fuck you. I. Am. Fucking. You. Vera." He punctuated each word with a thrust, and then reached into her hair to pull her head back and find her lips with his. Vera moaned with pain or pleasure, or perhaps a combination of both, which was difficult to distinguish. She just knew she was feeling an onslaught of sensation as Andy continued to thrust in and out of her hard and fast while steadily pulling on her hair with one hand and rubbing her pubic bone with the other. He continued kissing her as he pummeled her cunt relentlessly.

"I'm going to cum!" she warned.

"Good," Andy snapped, then released her hair to firmly squeeze a breast. He did not let up, even when he felt her squeeze all around him and felt the gush of increased wetness. Only when Vera collapsed on the couch did Andy pull out and release his seed all over her back. That was their agreement; pull out or wear a condom, and Andy alternated between the two options he was lucky to have. Vera claimed he was the only client who had that choice.

He collapsed on the couch next to her, still with his shirt on and his pants around his ankles, Vera still in her nightie. Wrapped in each other's arms, both exhaled deeply. Vera laughed, "I guess we both needed that."

"I know I did," Andy said.

"Rough day at work?" Vera asked.

"Yeah, how about you?" Andy did not want to tell Vera he had lost his job. He did not want to get in a bad mood or ruin his limited time with her, and he didn't mind hearing about Vera's work when he was temporarily satisfied. Sometimes he found it amusing. Vera pulled off her cum-soaked nightie, balled it up, and threw it aside. "My work is getting easier but weirder every day," Vera answered, while unbuttoning Andy's shirt. "I think it is very possible that in the future I might have enough online clients that I don't need to meet anyone in person."

Andy felt a panic rise in his chest, "Anyone?"

Vera laughed, and teased, "Well, maybe my prices will just go up! Seriously though, thank God for the internet."

"Did God make the internet?"

"Smart ass. Anyway, I'm going to get some professional photos taken next week, really play up this Dominatrix thing. Do you know I now have a client in Denmark?"

"Whoa. You've gone international."

"Get this; he mails me cash, regular mail to a PO Box, except it is in Euros! I have to take it to an exchange service, but he pays in advance, a whole month for guess what?"

"Well, it would have to be webcam stuff, right?"

"Yes, but not what you'd expect. He wants me to watch him masturbate!"

Andy did not answer, just played with Vera's curly hair between two fingers.

"And not only watch, but direct him. I am supposed to tell him exactly when and how he can masturbate and all kinds of conditions and... Well, he wants me to control his orgasms. Then he wants me to watch to make sure that he follows my instructions! If not, I mete out punishment."

Andy was not easily shocked by Vera's escapades anymore. Years prior he saw the big dog-cage in her kitchen and knew she didn't have a dog -- it was for a client who liked to be locked up. Since then, nothing surprised him.

"What kind of punishment can you administer online?"

"Oh, denial mostly. He likes to be punished! If I am always pleased it doesn't work, so occasionally I have to tell him I am very disappointed with him. I scold him and tell him he may not touch his own cock until I say so. Last time it was for three days! Not even to go to the bathroom. I tell him to sit on the toilet and pee like a girl!"

"And he pays you for this?" Andy laughed, letting his hands wander down to caress her bare breast as she spoke.

"Good money! And after the punishment, he is ecstatic. I tell you, Andy, when I first started doing this, it disturbed me. I felt a little guilty, like I was abusive. Then one of my clients gave me this book, 'Venus in Furs'. Have you heard of it?" Vera grinned. Andy was concentrating on her nipple with his finger and thumb and she knew this conversation was coming to an end as his dick was swelling.

"Nope. Fiction? I only read non-fiction."