Chapter 7. Game
Richard had overheard Dorothy that morning from the bathroom while shaving. She was sending Lupe to Little Eden Plaza after her morning chores were done. She gave her twenty dollars and express orders to return with both the receipt and the change and not a penny less or Dorothy would beat Lupe with an electric cord. Richard's first reaction was to tell Dorothy that if he so much as looked at Lupe crooked she was cut off, but as he rinsed off his blade he realized this was an excellent chance to interact with Lupe outside of the apartment.
Richard's leg was feeling much better, due in no small part to the hot/cold therapy Lupe had introduced him to and to a newer, more improved brand of morphine his doctor had recommended. Some new scientific discovery or the other, Richard didn't care to know too much about the specifics unless it affected his business and there weren't any organic compounds in turrets – just reliable solid steel and brass and lead. No unknown qualities. He preferred his work that way.
But his personal life, well, that had gotten much more unpredictable.
Upon waking that morning he felt energized and for the first time in years a sense of impending doom wasn't hanging around his neck. Just having Lupe in the apartment was a breath of clean, non-recycled air. She was a butterfly among wasps. A spring rain on gentle ferns. She was part of the surface there, with him, shyly returning his gazes with a cautious smile.
He still needed his cane for support while walking and standing, but the lion's share of the pain was gone. There was a dull ache now in his legs and hip when we walked, but nothing worse than the sensation of being sore after a strenuous workout. Whatever this new kind of morphine was, Richard would be needing more.
Previously he had been restricted to the commute between his home and office, but now that he had been freed from that prison he realized how little he had seen of Rapture in his time there. And the more he saw of it, the more disconcerted he was. There are so many poor people. What happens when they reach maximum discontent? The more he considered Rapture, the worse and worse the future seemed.
Richard shrugged all that off, however, and took a seat at a small café near the Atlantic Express station. He ordered coffee, but the waiter only laughed at him. No coffee in Little Eden, far too expensive. They had some sage and pine needle tea though, so Richard ordered a pot of that and waited for his prey to arrive.
Lupe arrived slightly before lunch time, wearing her oversized grey shift. She practically leapt out of the train carriage, happiness evident on her face to have an excursion away from work. Richard realized in that moment that she had had absolutely no days off in the week she had been working as a maid. Being poor must be awful. He eyed the rough looking train maintenance crew that arrived with a work cart and wrenches. Would they resent him once they noticed his fine suit and fashionable tie? Suddenly feeling overdressed, he undid his emerald studded silver cufflinks and put them in his pocket before rising to meet Lupe.
"Lupe, hello, what are you doing here?" Richard rushed out as he hustled over to her with a hobbled but not slow approach.
Her attention had been in the opposite direction, looking at the row of newspaper stands, but at his hail she turned to him. "Mr. Stone!" Lupe greeted him with a genuine smile. "I didn't expect to see you here. I presumed you had gone to work."
"No, no, my leg is feeling much better today, I thought I would get out and explore a little." He almost told her to call him Richard, but he held back. He rather liked the formality. A sexual shiver went up and down his spine.
"Fantastic!" Lupe said with a sparking grin. "I am so happy to hear that. Well, what do you think of what you've seen? I like Little Eden Plaza, there are many cute little shops that don't chase me off if I dare to step my foot inside."
I think it's a nightmare. This whole place is a bad dream I can't wake from. "It is a cute place, isn't it? Are you here to shop?" Richard asked as they continued to walk.
Lupe grabbed a fistful of loose cloth from the front side of her. "Mrs. Stone was kind enough to give me some cash to get a new uniform. There's a used clothing store here that sells maid's uniforms, hopefully they will have something in my size."
"Ah, about time. I was going to suggest it, but I've never been comfortable commenting on a woman's clothing," Richard found himself saying. What does that even mean? Say it, say you'd like to rip that ugly dress off in the alley here behind the stores and bury your face in her thighs. But he was always much braver in his thoughts than his deeds. He had learned the price of bravery in the war. "May I escort you? There's some rough looking characters over there." He stopped walking and pointed with his cane to two little girls trying to climb up a streetlight.
Lupe laughed, her laughter like bubbles in champagne. "Please do, I'd feel so much safer."
Richard suddenly stopped moving. "Oh," he whispered softly after a second.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Lupe questioned when she noticed he was no longer next to her.
Richard pointed his cane at her. "This is the first time in seven years I've been able to stand without a cane holding me up," he slowly said. Despite having attempted it many times over the years the pain had been too much to bear.
Lupe put her hand to her cheek. "Truly? Surely it can't be just the hot and cold rice, that doesn't work that well."
He shook his head. "My doctor recommended a new kind of morphine. It's working very well."
"Very well indeed," she concurred with a smile. "Can you walk without it as well?"
Can I fuck now? That was Richard's primary concern. He was tempted to try to walk without his cane, but when he moved his right leg there was a rush of pain up his back. "No, I-" he groaned. "I don't want to push my luck." He brought the cane back down to the floor.
"It will come in time I bet," Lupe offered optimistically. They walked along for a few more minutes in silence, Richard too preoccupied with his rediscovered ability to stand on his own two feet to attempt to flirt.
Lupe stopped in front of a grocer and looked up to the second story. "Yes, that's it, above the grocery like she said. Would you like to come in with me, Mr. Stone?"
There was a flutter of excitement in his stomach and also his cock. A windowless store in an anonymous part of the city? Even if his leg wasn't feeling better he'd brave the climb up the handsome wrought-iron stairway. "I will." He didn't even bother to pretend that he was interested in used clothes. Hopefully Lupe would get the message.
The staircase shook ever so slightly under their weight as they climbed up. Richard kept a firm grip on the railing and noted that Lupe was walking much slower than an able-bodied young woman like herself normally would go up a flight of stairs. Her non-verbal consideration for him was the most thoughtful thing anyone had done for him down here.
A number of small bells rang out as Lupe pulled the door open. The shop smelled faintly of mildew and strongly of cheap perfume. Each of the four walls was jam-packed with used dresses of every color and cut. Richard was temporarily overwhelmed by the visual stimulation and gazed at the dresses.
Lupe, however, had clearly been into a store like this before so she wasn't too surprised. "Good afternoon," she greeted the woman behind the counter.
The woman slouched behind the counter stretched and sat up straight. "Afternoon," she replied in a strong Southern accent. "Looking for anything in particular?"
Lupe nodded. "A service uniform please." She gestured to the grey misshapen dress she was wearing. "Something nicer than this."
"The nicest one you have," Richard imperiously spoke up.
The woman shrugged. "Alright." She jumped up from the stool she'd been resting on. "I've got a lovely one back here, it's a little impractical for work, I think that's why it's been sitting here for a while." The shopkeeper strode over to the back wall and picked through the dresses until she found the one she was looking for.
Lupe cooed wistfully. "It is lovely, look at it Mr. Stone."
Richard wouldn't know if he would term it 'lovely' but it certainly was fancy. The dress itself was a rich deep black satin. It had short sleeves and came to just under the knee. The collar was a wide white lapel and there was a sheer and lacey apron that came with it. But Lupe wanted it, so the very least he could do was to get it.
"How much?" Richard asked as Lupe fingered the delicate lace apron.
"Fifty dollars," the shopkeeper said. "Firm. Cash."
What, do you think I'm some foolish rich man infatuated with my maid to the point that I will buy her whatever impractical thing she wants? Because you, dear madam, are extremely correct. Richard wasn't even going to try to haggle. He always found it so beneath him. He pulled out his wallet.
"Oh, no, it's a silly thing," Lupe protested. "Fifty is far too much-"
"Yes, yes it is," Richard concurred as he saw that he only had seventeen dollars in his wallet. He did not make a habit of carrying large amounts of cash around. But Lupe wanted it…
His fingers found the silver cuff links he had taken off earlier. They were solid silver from a world-renowned silversmith and a damn sight more than fifty dollars. "Do you take trades?" Richard asked the shopkeeper.
She eyed Richard up and apparently liked what she saw. "Sometimes. What do you have in mind?"
He revealed the cufflinks in the palm of his hand. "Check the mark and you tell me if you're interested."
"Please, it's not necessary, I can just get the one I have on altered," Lupe gestured at the sign on the wall advertising alterations. "Mrs. Stone only gave me twenty dollars, she'll be suspicious if I get such a nice dress for that."
The shopkeeper laughed a little, clearly getting the measure of the situation. "Oh, I think Mrs. Stone is going to be suspicious of a great number of things, isn't she?" The shopkeeper held the cufflinks up to the light. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal."
"Wait, I don't even know if it's going to fit me," Lupe suddenly slyly said. "I'd better try it on. Mr. Stone, will you help me?"
All of their little flirtations plowed into him like a sandbag to the gut. Or a warm and soft hand around his cock. Either way. "Yes," he clearly answered, as if it was a perfectly normal and reasonable day to day request. The cufflinks should be more than enough for the shopkeeper to look the other way.
The shopkeeper snorted a laugh. "Yeah, go 'try it on'. Just clean up after yourself when you're done." She pointed down a hallway. "It's at the end."
Lupe hastened down the hall, uniform in hand, with Richard in hot pursuit. There was no pain at all. Only anticipation.
The changing stall was a small wooden cubicle with a thick curtain in front of it. Lupe whipped the curtain open and stepped inside. After a moment of thought Richard laid his cane against the wall. He was going to want both his hands free.
Once inside he stood proudly behind her and then whisked the curtain shut. Her back was to him and she hung the dress on a hook. There was a full length mirror on the wall and for a moment they looked at their reflections. Her skin was flushed and her breathing came quickly. Once Richard tore his eyes away from her he saw that he was breathing even faster than she was and his milky white skin was warmly glowing.
"Unzip me," she ordered him.
He wordlessly complied. With no further provocation the oversized grey shift fell to the floor, leaving Lupe in her simple white cotton slip. Richard no longer remembered that speaking existed; instead he stared hungrily at the golden brown skin of her arms and her chest. He saw just the slightest suggestion of cleavage, but her pert, succulent breasts were modestly hiding under the cotton fabric.
"Do you think it will fit me?"
Her question seemed to drift across time and space and it took a moment for him to form an answer. "I wouldn't know," he weakly answered, unable to tear his eyes away from her luscious and soft body.
"Take an educated guess," she took one of his hands and placed it on her waist.
She was so warm. He placed his other hand on the other side of her waist as well. "I'm going to have to get a better feel for it," he murmured into her ear. He kissed her neck and she gently trembled at his kiss.
Richard's hands roamed upwards to her breasts. They fit perfectly into his hands, as if they were made for them, and he grasped them firmly and hungrily. Lupe moaned and turned her head to him. Her lips met his, just as ravenous as he was, and her tongue pushed into his mouth.
She arched her back and pressed her ass against his crotch. There was no way she couldn't feel the iron-rod erection that was now being crushed against her generous and taut ass. She pushed herself against his hard-on and broke the kiss off.
"Well? Do you think it will fit?"
Richard took a moment to catch his breath. "I'll make it," he gutturally whispered at her.
She smiled wickedly. "The dress, Mr. Stone. I mean the dress."
He pulled her backwards by her breasts, clasping her body tightly against his. "Let's see," he murmured and released her breasts. He reached for her thighs and roughly caressed them over the slip. Richard slowly bought his hands up closer to her crotch and was gratified to notice she began to squirm in heated anticipation.
His hands reached her hips and Lupe lighted upwards on her toes in excited expectation. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and cupped his right hand over her mound. Her breathing was ragged now and he kneaded his hand against her.
Every molecule in his body was crying out for sexual relief; to take her here, on the floor, and figure out a way to make it work even if he blacked out from the pain. No, came a voice from his higher being. Not now. This is the most fun we've had in…forever. Don't rush this. She's playing a game. Play it with her. Enjoy it. Her honey will be even sweeter if you do.
He released her and she sank down to her heels again. Lupe met his lustful gaze in the mirror and reached for the black dress and pulled her over her head. Richard dutifully tugged it down over her body, sorry to see it disappear but also grateful for the preview. He zipped the dress up.
Lupe spun around and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I think it's a little loose at the chest and a bit tight on the behind, hm?"
Richard was feeling bold and optimistic. He knelt down, wincing only slightly at the tinge in his hips and leg. He tugged at the admittedly tight black satin wrapped around her ass. "Yes, too tight," he agreed. He then gave her right cheek a solid slap before standing up.
"How much are those cufflinks really worth?" Lupe asked while she preened a bit in the mirror. Her hair had fallen out of it's tidy bun during their game and she was trying to tuck her hair pins back into place.
Richard shrugged. "Don't worry about it, I got dozens of the damn things."
"No, I mean, are we getting a bad deal for it? How much is it actually worth?" Lupe pressed him.
"A few hundred. More than that dress. She knows I want it and I'll do anything to get it." He eyed Lupe's calves. They had not been visible in the grey dress. He imagined holding them as she was lying on her back, as he was thrusting into her, as she was screaming his name in orgasmic rapture. Anything.
"Hmm," Lupe mused aloud and turned around a few times. "I do need alterations on this dress. And that grey one can be taken in and I can do actual work in that, I'd hate to get this one ruined by actual work. Which means I don't have anything to go home in. So would you please go pick something out for me to wear home? You've got good taste."
Richard wasn't aware that he did, but if she said so he'd try. "What are you doing to tell my wife, hm? That you got two dresses and another one altered for twenty dollars?"
Lupe stuck something of a pose in the mirror, admiring the way her new dress accented her waistline. "Would you prefer I tell her the truth?"
Richard honestly didn't care either way. "You'd probably better not."
Lupe reached into the pockets of her old dress. "Here's the twenty Mrs. Stone gave me, please take it to offset the loss of your cufflinks."
Richard took his eyes off her and focused on the bill momentarily. "No, I don't need it."
"Please, I'm afraid to keep it. She goes through my things and I don't want her to find it. Have the shopkeeper make a receipt out for twenty dollars even, I'll tell her I got a deal."
"I'm going to have a talk with Dorothy later today," Richard said. "I'll remind her who makes the money she loves so much. Besides, it's not as if we are sleeping together now is it?"
She had turned back to the mirror and caught his eye in it. "No, there's no sleeping involved."
Richard pulled the curtain open and groped for his cane. "What's your favorite color?" That at least would be a starting point for choosing a dress for her.
"Red," she replied saucily. She struck another pose in the mirror. "I really do like this dress. Thank you Mr. Stone."