Mrs. Schwartz stared at the telephone after hanging up with Tess, half expecting her to call back. When she didn't, Mrs. Schwartz released a breath and whispered, "I hope that's enough."

Over the next few days, Tess had hardly seen Alfie. He woke up early and ate quickly, got in late and let her go with a grumble before he even ate his dinner. She could tell he was stressed and he chuckled when he took a sip of his morning coffee on Friday and found it had whiskey in it.

"Smart. I need it." He admitted with a glance in her direction.

"Yes, sir. You seem tense." Tess responded with a nod. "Can I get you anything else before you leave?"

Alfie shook his head before taking in her demeanor. "You've been cheerful the past few days."

"I'm just happy." Tess confessed.

He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

Tess shrugged, "Life is hard. But, it's getting better. Thanks to you."

Alfie's eyebrows pulled together and it made Tess smile that he could communicate so effectively without words.

"You let me stay and work. I couldn't even fry an egg. I still have no idea how to polish silver or make coffee but they are both next on my list of things to accomplish."

"Yeah, well… I'm too fucking soft." He grumbled with a shake of his head and a glint of humor in his eyes.

"You weren't the other day." Tess mumbled, acknowledging to herself that it was out of her character but wanting to see his reaction. Alfie's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Keep talking like that and we will have to repeat that morning." His eyes bore into her, testing the waters to see if she would reciprocate his advancement.

She smiled and blushed for a moment before clearing his plate and walking into the kitchen, feeling his eyes on her and she did so. When she had finished her Friday chores, she collected her pay from the dining room table and left for the weekend. She took her usual stroll by the canal until she had almost reached the Italian border and turned toward a small restaurant where she sat outside and watched the lively streets of Camden Town. She didn't know when it had happened but she found herself at peace as she recognized familiar faces and smelled the air. It was starting to feel like home.

Alfie went through the weekend as usual with the exception of no company. He wanted quiet after the busy week and as much as he would have loved to bury himself in someone, he found the only company he was missing were the sound of Tess's heels on his hardwood floor and the humming she did while preparing his breakfast. By Sunday afternoon he had grown restless and decided he would go for a walk. It wasn't long after that he found himself outside the boarding house that held his maid. He could see her light on and decided to ring the bell. A blonde woman answered and her eyes grew wide before stepping back and opening the door up to him. Walking in, he made his way up the stairs, catching and holding the eye of the landlady's pinched face of disapproval. Alfie shot her a mischievous smile and a wink as he proceeded toward the small room that held his destination.

Tess lay on her bed reading her book for the third time that week. She didn't want to face the woman in the bookshoppe so she only had one option to pass the time. The only problem was, it didn't matter how many times she read it, the explicit scenes always made her needy. She hadn't touched herself since the day she had in the bath and she was growing more and more frustrated.

She rubbed her legs together, an ache at her core calling her attention. She was ready to give in when a knock at her bedroom door caused her to jump. Putting her book down, careful to leave it open to keep her place, she stood and fidgeted with her hair and dress as if whoever was knocking at her door could tell there was a wetness between her legs or read her thoughts.

Opening the door, she froze. "You really are determined to have me out on the streets aren't you?"

Alfie laughed, "Let her try it. Are you always in here when you aren't working?"

Tess shrugged and moved to the side, allowing him entrance to her room. "Not much else for me to do. The other boarders here are all too frightened I'm going to give you a bad report on them so they don't talk to me much."

Alfie glanced at her and made a mental note to introduce her to some of the women his men are around regularly. He couldn't risk her leaving simply for the fact that she was lonely and had no friends.

Seeing the book on her bed, he picked it up and looked at the page she had marked.

"Making progress I see." He said as he noted the page number.

Tess blushed but refused to admit it was her third time reading the book so she closed the bedroom door and avoided his eye.

Alfie read the page and looked at Tess with a grin. "Interesting page."

"Again you came all this way to simply comment on my library." Tess shook her head and walked closer, grabbing the book away from him.

Before she had successfully snatched the book from his grasp, Alfie pulled back on the book, dragging her forward. Tess stumbled a step forward, stopping herself just before colliding with Alfie.

He was close enough that she could smell the sweet scent of cigars and rum and she could feel the heat of his stare on her face. Her face flushed as her body remembered the last time the two had been so close.

Alfie ran a knuckle softly up her arm, leaving goosebumps behind. Tucking his forefinger under her chin, he tenderly tipped her head back to look at him.

"Alfie.." Tess whispered, half begging him closer and half warning him they shouldn't do whatever he had in mind. She wanted to. God, how she wanted to. But she wasn't supposed to have men in her room and she was afraid someone would walk in and catch them.

He lowered his face to hers, their noses touching and their lips less than centimeters apart. Alfie's other hand moved slowly and softly down her hip, his fingers playing at pulling up her dress.

The feather-like touches from his fingertips made Tess clench her jaw as her body warmed and ached for true contact.

Alfie could feel the desire coming from her body as he continued to gently tease her and since he received no objection to teasing up her skirt, he decided to really work it up.

Finally, the teasing was too much for Tess and she pushed her lips onto his. Alfie kissed her as he pulled up her skirt and walked her back toward the bed. Leaning over her, she laid back and scooted toward the head of the bed. Alfie ran a finger along her core and could feel the wetness of the fabric, causing him to growl in approval. Tess gasped at his contact between her legs and she felt her core muscles clench, seeking more than just a tickling swipe.

Alfie hooked his fingers inside the top of her knickers and moved them down, inspired by the contents of her book. He moved his mouth from hers, kissing her jaw and her neck. Alfie found her peaked nipple beneath her clothes and sucked it into his mouth, gently pulling with his teeth. Feeling the warmth from his mouth seep through her clothes and the feel of his teeth made Tess moan, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the sound.

Alfie reached up and grabbed her hands, pulling them down and holding them by her side as he moved his mouth farther south. He hovered over the junction between her thighs. Alfie locked eyes with her and she licked her lips. She knew what he was thinking about doing and she desperately wanted him to, needing to know what it felt like.

He buried his nose into the soft curls between her legs and she closed her eyes, anticipation growing. He released her hands long enough to slide his arms under her legs and her thighs by his ears. Alfie kissed the inside of her thigh and grazed his teeth along the soft flesh which made Tess gasp and squirm. He did the same on the other thigh and smiled when he saw her wetness glistening, waiting for him to feast on.

Unable to help himself, Alfie slowly licked along her core, moving up to find her sensitive spot and Tess moaned. He began to move circles around it with his tongue so delicately it felt like a tease, which made Tess both frustrated and excited. Her hips shifted and bucked, seeking more contact.

Alfie flicked his tongue over her bud as it began to swell causing her to whine and say his name making Alfie's own erection swell. He wanted her to come, but not quite yet, he was having too much fun driving her wild. He wanted her to say his name again, loud enough for each person in the house to hear it and if anyone said something to Tess about it, they'd be out on their ass.

He moved his mouth from her clit to lick and suck at her entrance, enjoying the flavor of her arousal. Alfie closed his eyes as he moved his tongue in and out of her while Tess moaned and balled her fists. She moved her hips, grinding herself on his face and relishing the feel of his coarse beard on the inside of her thighs which put her senses in overdrive.

Alfie moved his attention back to her bud and began sucking intensely, making Tess arch her back.

"Ah! Alfie! Fuck!" She cried out.

Hearing her curse and cry out his name, Alfie growled in approval once more. The vibration of his growl mixed with the intense suction on his mouth sent Tess over the edge. Alfie watched as her eyes rolled back and felt her legs and body tense. He quickly released her hands and moved his thumb to her clit, rubbing circles and allowing the swollen numb the opportunity to ride out its pleasure. Meanwhile he shoved his tongue into her and massaged her pulsating walls.

When her muscles finally relaxed, Tess's body sagged onto the bed. Alfie licked up the last of her pleasure and leaned up, looking at her drooping eyelids and sated grin. His cock ached with each pulse of his heartbeat that flowed through his swollen erection. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her until she quaked under him again, saying any form of obscene language he could bring from her delicate, posh mouth but could tell she was spent. He achieved what he wanted by making her curse and cry out his name.

Alfie looked at her juicy cunt and licked his lips before meeting her eyes again. Leaning over her, Alfie whispered, "delicious" before kissing her deeply and repeating the motion his tongue had just used inside her walls building her lust back up.

When he pulled away, he stood and held out his hand.

"C'mon." He said, adding "You let me eat. Figure it's only polite to return the favor." When she looked at him questioningly, causing her to look away in embarrassment.

Alfie moved away, giving Tess a moment to adjust her clothes and slide her knickers back on and allowing himself a moment to adjust his still needy erection to be inconspicuous until it resumes its former state.

When Tess had adjusted her clothes and fluffed her hair, he led her from her bedroom and bore his eyes into the eyes of her landlady, daring her to say something. Meanwhile Tess kept her eyes down, knowing everyone had heard her passionate cries through the thin walls of the house.

"They'll be talking now." Tess piped up as they walked down the pavement.

"Let them." Alfie responded with a shrug.

"Easy for you to say." She mumbled.

"What? You think people don't talk about me?" He laughed. "Lamb, it doesn't matter what you do, someone will talk. If you let that dictate what you do, you'll be miserable. Might as well give them something to talk about."

The two walked into the small restaurant Tess frequents after receiving her pay on Fridays. As they sat, Tess piped up, "you enjoy misbehaving, don't you?"

Alfie grinned at her in a boyish fashion. "No."

Tess rolled her eyes at him. "Is this appropriate for you to have me out being that I'm your maid?"

This time it was Alfie that rolled his eyes. "You weren't complaining about decorum when I was fucking you with my tongue."

Tess's eyes went wide and she looked around. "Shh! Someone will hear you!"

"Oh I'm sorry, do you not want people to know I had my tongue inside your tight little cunt until you cried out my name and all other sorts of naughty words?" Alfie raised his voice slightly, catching the attention of those at the tables next to him.

"Please!" Tess hissed as she lowered herself in her seat as the men at the tables next to her smiled knowingly and chuckled.

Alfie couldn't help but be amused. "Alright, alright." He said before changing the subject.

—

Philip was outside when a nice car pulled up the way. When the two men stepped out, his stomach dropped.

Then men began toward him and he reluctantly moved forward to meet them.

"Where is she?" The first man asked, jumping straight to the point.

"I- she's not here. I still have a week left."

The two men looked at each other before one of them stepped beside Philip and clapped a hand on Philip's shoulder harder than was necessary.

"Why don't we go in where it's more comfortable." The man said causing Philip to tense as he walked into his large home and toward his study.

Philip with struck with a punch to his stomach when the door to his study closed. Falling to the floor and grabbing his stomach, Philip groaned.

"I still have five days." Philip grunted. "I know where she is! I can get her here!"

Kneeling down to be closer to Philip, the man asked, "where?"

"She's in Camden Town."

The man nodded and stood before kicking Philip on the side of his face. "We will get her ourselves." The man said before the two exited, leaving Philip bleeding and groaning on the floor in his study.

Fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Schwartz brought Philip some ice for his busted lip at his request.

"You lied." Philip said as she entered the room.

"Sir?"

"She's called." Philip watched Mrs. Schwartz closely for any change of demeanor.

"If Miss Tess has called, I'm afraid I was unaware."

"I talked to the telephone operator. Very nice young woman. She told me calls have been coming in from Camden Town."

Mrs. Schwartz remained silent and she cleaned the dried blood from his face.

"Lucky for you. The operator wasn't interested in your calls. Until now." Philip paused. "If she calls again, I will know. And I'll know exactly what is discussed. If I find out you're lying to me. I'll have a lot more than your job."

Mrs. Schwartz stood tall and held his eye for a moment, her mouth pursed and tight. Philip snarled before gritting through his teeth, "Remember your place."

Mrs. Schwartz bowed her head, swallowing her pride for the sake of keeping an eye on her current employer, and left the room. When she entered her small office, she leaned against the door, internally begging Tess to heed her warning just days before.