The Righteous

"I'm not done, Daddy." Virtue stepped forward, "I'm Delilah, given name Virtue Dixon Allen. I am a whore as are my friends," she said softly, "none of us chose to be whores. None of us lay in bed when we were 10 dreaming of spreading our legs for strangers yet here we are," she said softly. She felt her heart break seeing her father reel back against his desk. She went on to tell how she made the terrible mistake and had to atone for her sins over the last 6 months.

After she was done, her father came over and held her, tears wetting her dress. She could feel his chest heaving with emotion and started crying herself.

Finally, Warren stepped back and kissed Virtue on her forehead, "I wish you'd come to me. Wish I'd been there for you." He thought a minute, "Delilah...Candy. Those...you are the girls Donald and Clarence were..."

'Fucking, yes," Virtue said. She saw her daddy wince, "Can you think of a better word? 'Have sex with?' 'Make love to...with?' 'Fornicate?'" she asked.

Warren shook his head, "No. I hate the word but it's the first word that came into my head when you told me your story."

"My story is nothing compared to my friends," Virtue said, "I brought all that happened down on my head. They are innocents that have suffered from those they should have trusted and from society judging them as if they gleefully dove into sin. At least I deserve all that happened to me, they do not," she said softly. She turned as Candy got up and hugged her, followed by the other two girls.

"No one deserves what you went through," Candy said. Then the girl turned to Pastor Dixon, "she should have gone to the hospital at least once, and had the police not arrived we might have met at her funeral," she said softly. "And after six months where she gave me every tip she'd made I found out, she was a slave. They never paid her a dime, so she lied to you. She wasn't a whore as whores trade their bodies for money. She never took a dime."

Warren stood rigid trying to grasp what his daughter went through.

Virtue shook her head, "I traded my body for my and my husband's reputations. Currency is currency. I'm still disgusted I wasted it on that man," she said ruefully, "He'll never realize the massive value he weakly cashed in. I'm a whore and when the story comes out, that will be the first and perhaps only label people will use."

"Damn it! Why didn't you come to me?" Warren asked, "I would have been there for you."

"It's not too late," she said. I know it's presumptuous but I'd like my inheritance early. I...we would like to buy the store and run it. It provides a service for couples. The toy, videos, and lubricants can be a benefit to loving couples. Birth control might run counter to the Catholic Church, but not everyone is Catholic. My husband preached that God wants women to bear children and railed against it saying it was against natural law." She paused and the look apologetic. "Sorry. I had all these things in my head."

Warren saw the shocked looks on the three girl's faces and realized Virtue hadn't told them a word of what she'd planned. He nodded and went over to the office door. "Maria, please bring us some lunch, lemonade would be good. Our guests must be starving."

After Virtue said her goodbyes to her mother and mother, with extensive hugs all around, they headed back to the car.

Candy stopped her, "you...we can't repay you," she said softly.

Trixie and Kris said the same things but Virtue shook her head. "Pay it forward then, but I feel the opposite. All of you were so incredible, so supportive, even after I took your room," she grinned at Candy.

The girl blushed, "I might have hoped for some terrible thing to happen to you but then I got to know you," she sighed.

Virtue nodded, "I saw how you looked at me. But it was strange. I found that I was looking forward to coming to work, not because there was anything great about the impersonal fucks, but because I'd get to see my friends." They all hugged before getting into Virtue's car.

* * *

The Righteous Sisters became an established business without the glory holes in the back. But new services were offered that were often fully booked. There were pole aerobics, oral sex classes, and couple intimacy clinics, along with sessions for those going through transitions.

Warren and the pastors in Williams Point would send couples asking for advice to the store and the girls found that sometimes those with deeper questions should go to the church and seek their council.

Then, there was the issue of the homeless. At first, the girls had set out a table with wrapped sandwiches, towels, and blankets, then when a motel down the road went up for sale, they bought it. Within a year, many of the previously homeless had a place to stay and were keeping it immaculate. There were always flowers blooming in the planter boxes out front, not a scrap of litter was ever found and there was a lush lawn where the neighbors brought their dogs. Of course, there were always treats for the dogs. Then outside their doors, tables with sandwiches, towels, and blankets started appearing.

Virtue never remarried nor had kids after finding out that her backseat adventure with Luke severely damaged her fallopian tubes. She didn't mind as she was Auntie Vi for six great kids that Sarah, Bonnie, and Kay all had from their happy marriages.

Faith, Hope, and Charity would be frequent visitors with their kids and often would sneak off with one of the girls for sexual technique tips.

The four girls were sitting around one day and Candy sat up, "wait! You shoplifted a video. Which one?" she asked.

Violet nodded, "Passion Week."

None of the girls had heard of it and asked Violet what it was about. She laughed, "Not a clue. Never watched it."

They decided to watch it with their husbands so the next night they were all sitting in the video-watching area in the back. The plastic wrapper was still on it. After it was done, all looked disappointed.

"That was her? The waitress who never did anything?" Kay asked.

"Damn!" Virtue sighed, "I served six months of hard labor for the worst movie I'd ever seen without the girl I was checking up on doing anything?"

"But you never would have met us," Sarah smiled.

Virtue shook her head, "what makes you think that a self-righteous, priggish, tight-assed bitch wouldn't want to hang with a bunch of whores?" she asked.

Candy giggled, "I remember the pictures of you in the paper. You looked pissed! Your ass sure loosened up in a hurry," she said referring to Delilah's first client.

Virtue shook her head, "I had to grow up quickly as I'm sure you all did. At least I had my first orgasm," she sighed. "Clarence never put my needs high on his list."

They stood and hugged before going out back and ceremoniously burning the disc.