Kissing the Butterfly

On one wall was a canvas picture, it must have been about a metre high and three quarters of that wide. It was a picture of a naked woman's body, between the shoulders and the top of the thighs. The woman's vulva were clearly visible and you could just see the labia protruding if you looked closely. The breasts were perfectly in proportion to the rest of the body, absolutely perfect. Where pubic hair would have been there was a tattoo of a beautiful butterfly. The canvas was obviously made from a photograph rather than a painting, it was strikingly beautiful.

The title of the picture, written on the bottom was 'Kiss the Butterfly'.

It was stupid and I don't know what came over me but I couldn't move, I felt so out of place and I just couldn't imagine my formally so slovenly brother living in a place like this.

"Is this really your place? Who lives here with you?"

Robert laughed, he said yes, it was his, and two other flats in the building were his as well, he rented them out and the rent from them paid the mortgages on them and half the mortgage on this one, he couldn't lose. He explained that ten minutes away in one direction there was a huge shopping centre, and about the same distance in another direction was a large trading and industrial estate so the flats were very sought after, he'd been really lucky when he'd got them some years ago.

"I live here alone when I am here, which isn't very often. My next door neighbour comes in and cleans up for me once a week, she also does a bit of shopping for me if I ring her and let her know I'm going to be home."

He had it so good, the difference between our two lives was so great it was overwhelming, I admit it, I was feeling bitter and twisted, and as jealous as hell! I struggled to stop myself tearing up. I might have started crying but just then there was a knock on the door and a woman walked in carrying several shopping bags.

"Hi Robby, I'm only on my lunch but I thought you might want this stuff sooner rather than later."

I stood and looked, if I thought the flat was immaculate this lady was something else! She was a couple of inches shorter than me, with curves in all the right places, dark haired and beautiful, she could have come straight off the cover of vogue magazine. It was difficult to say how old she was, her features were beautiful, I only found out later that she was six years older than Robert, nearly eleven years older than myself.

She turned to me and said

"Hello, I'm Elaine, I live next door, got to run but I'll catch you later."

As she turned to leave she handed Robert a wad of money and said she'd see him later to 'sort out.'

She left; I hadn't said a word.

Robert obviously saw the bemused look on my face and said

"No, we aren't. I know what you're thinking, she's fucking gorgeous, she's a departmental manager in one of the big stores in the shopping centre, but sadly for me she's gay!"

He sighed,

"What a fucking waste!"

He pointed to the bags that Elaine had placed on one of the two leather sofas in the living area.

"I told her you were here and asked her to pick up a few things, there's some fresh milk and some food and I thought you could use some clean clothes."

I just stared at him.

"I don't know your size so I just guesstimated, if you can't get any of it on you can get something out of my wardrobe to at least get you to the shops so you can sort yourself out, here!"

He handed me the wad of money.

"This should be enough to see you ok for a few days, get some clothes and get your hair done or something, if you need any more see Elaine, she knows she'll get it back, I'm due a couple of rest days at the end of the week but I won't be back until then so I'll see you later."

He took a good long look at me, I don't know what he wanted me to say but I was sort of in shock I think.

"You're leaving me here, on my own?"

"Yes, that's ok isn't it?"

"Well, yes but do you trust me, here in your home and with all this money?"

"Yes, why? shouldn't I?"

I just looked at him and shrugged. If he'd been anyone else I would probably have waited my chance and taken off with the money, I'd believed the best of people all the time I was growing up at home but I was quickly disillusioned on the streets, now I didn't trust anyone, not even myself.

I took a deep breath and told him I wouldn't run off with anything, a little belatedly I thanked him.

As he was leaving he handed me a key to the door and explained how the gates to the complex worked on a code number which he gave me. He said he'd be back on Friday evening and then he smiled at me and told me it was good to see me.

"There's a great Chinese takeaway round the corner, they do a special on Friday nights that's really good."

He hesitated just a moment and went on...

"When you go shopping get yourself some nice lingerie, I like to see a beautiful woman in lingerie!"

Then he was out of the door and gone, at least I thought he'd gone but he hadn't gone very far. When I looked out of the kitchen window he was leaning up against a wall outside. I saw the neighbour Elaine go to him and hug him, he appeared to be crying!

I thought about going out to him but before I could act he walked away.

I sat on a sofa and gathered my thoughts, things had certainly taken a turn: twenty four hours earlier I'd been hungry, cold, wet, and dirty, without a penny to my name and my only possessions a packet of condoms and some odds and ends scattered throughout the pockets of my layers of clothing. Now I was sat in an incredible apartment holding more money than I'd ever seen before in my life, I was no longer cold and wet, but I suddenly realised that I was hungry, and very dirty!

The bags that Elaine had brought were next to me so I started looking through them.

Milk, cheese, bread, and half a dozen assorted ready meals in one bag and two pairs of jeans, two polo shirts and a sweatshirt in a second bag. The third bag held three pairs of canvas pumps and a pack of medium sized knickers. The clothes and shoes were all different sizes and were all the supermarket's own brand.

Other than an odd item of underwear that was still in cellophane, these were the first actually new clothes I'd had in years. Then it hit me, I didn't actually know my own size!

I was still sat looking at them when there was a knock on the door and Elaine stuck her head in and asked if she could come in?

Over the years I'd become quite hard and cynical, what did this walking glossy magazine cover want? She was gay so she wasn't after Robert, I was a filthy dirty girl dressed in rags, so she certainly had no interest in me, so what?

Before I could answer her she was in and sat next to me. 'Here it comes' I thought, 'the cross examination '. I'd gone through it a hundred times before, I was no stranger to bring quizzed.

To my surprise that isn't what happened.

"When Robby rang me and said that his long lost sister had turned up I was so pleased for him, but a bit surprised that he asked me to get a selection of throwaway clothes for you, I hope they're alright?"

I was about to answer when she suddenly gave a squeal and jumped back!

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I saw something move, I'm sorry but I think you have a flea!"

I stood up quickly and looked down at myself, if I had only one flea I'd be lucky, more like a zillion of them!

"Look Kate, it is Kate isn't it?"

I nodded affirmation.

"I don't know where you've been, and I don't need to know, but we need to get you out of those clothes, and quickly."

Elaine went into the kitchen and came back with a plastic Ziploc bag and a roll of black bin bags.

"Why don't you put things from your pockets in this?" She said handing me the Ziploc bag " and put your clothes in these bags!"

She was right, the only dirty thing in the whole place was me, dirty and flea ridden, I was a walking contamination.

As I emptied my pockets and started to take my clothes off Elaine went into the bathroom and I heard her turn on the water.

"All the soap in here is medicated rather than fragranced, but that's a man for you!"

My answer seemed to surprise her a bit.

"Well that's probably not a bad idea anyway, but I think I need a shower before the bath or I'll be soaking in mud!"

By the time Elaine came out of the bathroom I was down to a tee shirt and my knickers. She stopped and looked at me.

"Ok, I think we might have a problem, I can usually tell a woman's size with a single look, and Robby obviously didn't realise how many clothes you were wearing, everything I got you is at least three or four sizes too big, you're as skinny as a beanpole!"

"It doesn't matter, I'll just wear the smallest!"

"Actually I think a couple of my old things might just about fit you, we'll take the supermarket stuff back and I'll lend you a few things until we can hit the shops, I get good discount so we can splurge! What size bra do you need?"

I wasn't wearing a bra, and when I'd had one I just wore what I could get on, I hadn't been measured for one since I was about nineteen.

"I don't know, I haven't had one for a while."

"I don't think any of mine will fit, you might be skinny but by the looks of it you have bigger breasts, at least a 'C' if not a 'D'"

Picking up an empty bin bag I walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Elaine held the bag as I dropped the tee shirt into it, followed by my pants.

I was naked in front of her and she commented that she envied my tits as she was only a 'B' and had actually considered an enlargement. She handed me a large bottle of shower gel.

Standing under the powerful cascading water I watched through the glass door as Elaine went out carrying the bag with the last items of my clothing in it.

A brief moment of panic swept over me as I realised how vulnerable I'd allowed myself to become, I had to mentally shake myself to calm down.

A woman I'd known for only half an hour had just walked out with virtually everything I possessed, the last time that had happened was in a brothel, nearly six years ago, a girl had offered to clean up my clothes while I was in the shower, I'd never seen either her or my clothes again.

I stood under that shower and literally scrubbed myself raw. I discovered a few bite marks on my arms and legs and scrubbed at them with the medicated shower gel. I was scrubbing my head when I heard Elaine come back in, she asked if there was any of the clothing I'd taken off that I particularly wanted to keep?

It was a leap of faith on my part when I said there wasn't, I prayed that this was going to turn out ok, I'd been burnt before.

Elaine told me she needed to get back to work as she was already late, but she'd left a few things for me on the sofa; she suggested I have a good soak in the bath and she'd see me in a couple of hours.

As I got out of the shower I heard her go out the door. I almost ran into the living area but told myself I was being paranoid. I needn't have worried, although the supermarket clothes had gone the shoes were still there, as was the pack of knickers.

Next to them on the sofa was a small pile of clothes, I ignored them and found the Ziploc bag with my things in, including my ID card. The only beauty products I'd managed to keep with me all the past years were decent toothpaste and a toothbrush, the only part of me that I knew was bright and clean was my smile, when I had occasion to smile; I'd always looked after my teeth. I grabbed my tooth gear and went back to the bathroom.

I luxuriated in the bath until it started to get really cool. Everything felt so decadent, the towels for instance were so soft and fluffy, I'd never felt anything so soft, not even back at my parents' home. And then there were the clothes that Elaine had left for me, I felt myself starting to tear up again! The clothes were a pair of jeans, a tee shirt and a woolly top, it was only when I started to put them on and read the labels that the truth hit me: the jeans and tee shirt were 'Armani' and the top was pure cashmere, they must have cost a small fortune, and she'd just left them for me.

The clothes actually were still a bit large for me as it turned out but they were much better than anything I'd worn in a long time and I loved them, even the jeans which ended half way up my shins, they weren't supposed to, but they looked kind of fashionable anyway. I ate not one but two of the ready meals and then crashed out on the sofa.

I must have slept like the dead, it was getting dark outside when I woke and Elaine was in the kitchen washing the few things I'd used when I'd eaten earlier.

She must have heard me stirring because she called out that she'd put the coffee maker on. I'd seen it earlier but hadn't a clue how to use it so I'd boiled a kettle and made tea.

I was really groggy, but the gorgeous smell of coffee brought me round pretty quickly as Elaine came and sat next to me.

I couldn't believe how at ease I felt with this beautiful woman, she was so pleasant and confident, she just exuded an air of contentment, and something else I couldn't at first identify, then it came to me, it was sensuality, this gorgeous woman was a very, very sexual person.

We talked, that is I talked, because it was mostly me doing the talking. I started by thanking her for the lend of such beautiful clothes, but she just shrugged it off as though they were two cent rags.

The only real question she asked was if I was alright?

To be honest I wasn't sure, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by what had happened over the previous twenty four hours and I felt as though I was in a dream.

I found myself giving my life history, that is, a very sanitised version of it. She sat and listened, saying very little, just letting me get it off my chest. I felt better for it and when she did make the occasional comment it was in no way condescending or accusatory, I liked this woman, I liked her a lot!

Elaine suddenly leaned into me and gave me a hug, as she did so she ran her hand through my hair.

"You know you clean up very well, but tomorrow is Tuesday and my day off so you and I are going shopping. You are really very pretty, but tomorrow we're going to make you fucking gorgeous ."

She pulled back, looked me straight in the eyes, and then leaned back in and kissed me delicately on the lips.

I felt a twinge below, between my legs, in my pussy; my God, I was turned on, I hadn't been turned on for a long long time!

The kiss was light and fleeting but nevertheless beautiful, she pulled back and smiled. I leaned into her and returned the compliment, kissing just a little longer than she had, her smile when the kiss was over would have lit up a dark room.

I'd never done anything like that before but before it could go any further Elaine got up and said we should sort out a bedroom for me.

She obviously knew her way around the flat as in no time she'd pulled bedding out of cupboards and helped me make up the double bed in one of the spare rooms. I was more in favour of having the single, it seemed more appropriate to me but Elaine was insistent that a lady would always take the larger bed, and room; me, a lady? yeah that's right!

After Elaine left, which I thought she did rather abruptly, I had another luxurious bath and went to bed. In spite of having slept most of the afternoon I slept like a log, which was most unusual for me.

The following morning, bright and early I found some eggs in the fridge, added some cheese and had cheesy egg on toast for breakfast, it had been my favourite as a kid and I hadn't eaten it in years.

I was just cleaning up when after a knock on the door Elaine came breezing in. Unlike the day before, she was dressed very casually in jeans and a sweater, still she looked as though she had just stepped off a catwalk.

Even though I was wearing her designer clothes, I felt like a tramp next to her, she simply oozed class, something completely alien to me.

We drove to the shopping mall in her car, a virtually new Lexus. It only took a few minutes and we parked in the staff only area. Before leaving, Elaine had handed me a purse and a handbag to put it in, saying that a lady would never just pull money out of her jeans pocket!

Our first port of call was the lingerie department of a seriously expensive department store. Ushering me into a changing cubicle Elaine introduced me to an older lady who specialised in bra fitting. My size turned out to be 30C, probably the only size I'd never worn.

Whilst watching me being fitted for bras I noticed Elaine seemed to be seriously 'checking me out'. I was flattered, at first, but then realised that she was checking out certain areas, my arms; more specifically the insides of my elbows.

I've been around, a lot, I knew what she was looking for, needle tracks. At first I was pissed, but then thought that I couldn't blame her, with my history she was just being sensible.

When we left that department I had two bras in a bag as well as the one I was wearing, I'd never worn such a comfortable bra.

I suggested we go for coffee. Picking the quietest seats I could I waited as Elaine got the coffees ordered. When we were both sat I took a deep breath and started.

"I don't use, I've never used."

She just looked at me and started to talk, but I stopped her.

"It's ok, I understand and I don't blame you, most of the people I've known in hostels or even just on the streets use something, it's the only way some of them can cope with their lives."

"But not you?"

"Never, I've never given in to that, I've been close a couple of times though, you'd have to be out there to understand, things happen to you out there, it's a different world."

What was the matter with me? I was talking to Elaine as though I'd known her for years instead of hours, what was more was that I was getting attracted to her, in a way I'd never been attracted to anyone before.

Out coffees arrived, and as the barista was walking away Elaine reached across the table and took my hand in hers.

"That's a world you're never going back to Kate, I'll make sure of that!"

For the fourth or fifth time in less than two days I felt tears come to my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep crying lately, I don't understand why you would care about me, no-one else ever has."

"That's not true you know, I know that Robby does, he's talked about you a lot in the few years I've known him, I know he and his aunt, well, your aunt, have searched all over for you! Besides, I care for you!"

"Why?"

"Because you're the sister of a close friend, you're beautiful and I like you!"

"You wouldn't like me if you knew more about me, I gave you a very sanitised version of my life yesterday, the only people who've called me beautiful were angling to get in my knickers."

I looked down into my cup...

"And a lot of them succeeded!"

"I don't blame them for that!"

Oh my God, she was attracted to me as I was to her, but I felt there was still a barrier, and I knew what it was.

"I'm clean, if you were wondering."

She made a very quiet comment about showers and baths but I interrupted her.

"I think you know what I mean, I was at a clinic just last week, I had to get a new contraceptive implant and checked for STI's, I was all clear. I haven't actually been with anyone since so..."

Again she hit me with that smile!

We spent the rest of the day shopping. As well as the bras I'd already bought we went into an actual lingerie shop and got more, even more expensive and sexy ones, and knickers, I'd never owned knickers like these, thongs, tanga briefs and high wasted panties. And then clothing, we bought at least four or five full outfits, and not just what I would call ordinary clothes. Elaine was as good as her word, in the department store she got massive discounts, and even in other shops she got various discounts and 'managers specials', she was obviously well known and well liked. Everything we got had designer labels, big names!