“Where have you been?” I asked. “At a shelter. I-I got a job cleaning on the day shift and the night shift, but I just got fired from the night shift.” “I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable,” I said, coping to my part in the situation. “Let me run you a bath okay?” “O-okay,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. Taking her gently by the hand, I led Ashlyn into the bathroom and sat her down on the chair I'd had set up in there. Starting the tap, I let Ashlyn pick her favorite temperature before putting in the plug. As the tub filled, I began to add all manner of scented oils and bubble bath, all designed to make the process even more pleasant. When the tub was inches from its brim, I turned off the taps, halting the water.
A look at Ashlyn let me know she was in no fit state to undress herself and get into a tub safely. It was likely she hadn’t really slept in days. Taking her by the shoulders, I stood her up and released her golden hair from the ponytail she had put it in. “Arms up,” I ordered, and she obeyed without resistance as I pulled her shirt up over her head.
Getting on my knees behind her, I took off her shoes and her socks before going back up to her waist, reaching around and undoing her jeans, easing them down, keeping my eyes on the floor as I did so. Taking her panties down in the same manner, I stood up, relieving her of her bra, Ashlyn letting out a small sigh of relief as it came free.
Taking her by her shoulders, I guided her to the tub, getting a glimpse of her full glory as she sank slowly among the bubbles.
“Would you like a drink?” I asked. “Yes, please,” she said, not specifying, but just sinking lower into the water. Alcohol was out, I knew she didn’t drink. I went to the kitchen and poured a tall glass of grape juice, figuring it to be the safest option. Pouring myself a single Wild Turkey at the mini bar, I returned to the bathroom. Sitting in the chair, I handed Ashlyn the grape juice, while taking a sip off my Wild Turkey. “Yummy,” she said, her top lip still purple from the juice. Without knowing why I gently stroked her cheek with the back of my hand. Ashlyn closed her eyes humming contentedly, not seeming to mind at all. Putting my tumbler down by the sink, I lay my hands on her bare, wet shoulders, again without a word of protest from her, and started massaging her very tight muscles. Ashlyn hummed contentedly as I massaged her, letting out the occasional moan that while not quite orgasmic got mighty close to it. Putting the empty glass down on the side of the tub, she moved, sitting up and giving me a generous view of her beautiful breasts. She sat forward, giving me her entire back to work on. Pressing my hands against her, I tried not to think about how soft and warm she was. Something my cock stood up and took full notice of. When I was finished, I took a handful of shampoo and started to lightly massage it into her hair, using the empty glass to rinse it out then running my fingers gently through the long, clean strands. Before I really knew what I was doing, I picked up the sponge from the soap shelf and started scrubbing her down. First her back, then her shoulders and her neck.
Ashlyn leaned back, letting me do her chest and her tits, her nipples going hard from the stimulation. I worked my way down to her belly and over her hips and up one leg, then the other. Ashlyn slowly opened them when the second was finished.
Moving up the inside of her right leg, I scrubbed the sponge in gentle circles up her inner thigh to her pussy. Ashlyn moaned and spread her legs even wider, making it clear what she wanted me to do.
Going as gently as I could, I moved the sponge on the outside of Ashlyn's tender young pussy, making her hum and moan with pleasure as I worked her up to the brink of orgasm, which came faster than even she seemed to expect. “I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that,” I said, replacing the sponge to the shelf. “I don't want you to go,” she pleaded, taking hold of my wrist. “I-I have to go,” I said, as though she hadn't said anything. “You're tired and should finish up and go to bed.” I turned my back, ashamed that I had taken advantage of her vulnerability that way. “You should leave Katie with me tomorrow. I'm working from home, and that will free you up.”
I left the bathroom, taking the tumbler of whiskey with me.
Chapter Twelve
Ashlyn
I had stayed on fairly good terms with Amelia, my boss for the day shift, mostly by not sneaking Katie in and catching naps in the staff room. It was really only fair that I lost my job at the Adam's building, but I was determined to stay on with Madison. An ambition helped by the fact that things had gone exceptionally well the next day.
Not only did I save the money on daycare with Chase watching Katie, but I had also actually gotten to the bus stop on time. I practically danced as I dusted the computer screens. Before long, my first break was coming up. I figured it couldn't hurt just to call and check in on Katie.
“Hello?” Chase said, picking up. “Hiya,” I said brightly. “Seriously, Ashlyn?” Chase asked, his tone edging on annoyance. “What?” I asked innocently. “This is the third time you've called, and it isn't even lunch!” “Oh,” I said, fleeing myself blush. “I appreciate your concern but get back to work or I will turn off my phone,” he said, not unkindly. “Righto,” I said. “See you at lunch,” he said, hanging up.
Finishing off my coffee, I did as Chase ordered and got back to work, the minutes ticking by to hours, inching toward noon. It was a weird trick of time, but it always seemed to take longer to get home than it did to go to work. The bus rolled up the same streets, passing the same buildings, though they never seemed to pass as fast as they did on the way down. Eventually, the bus arrived on the right street and I pulled the cord, nearly jumping down the back stairs to the sidewalk. I watched carefully as I approached the building. Just in case the landlord was around and noticed I wasn't with Chase. I put up the hood on my sweatshirt just in case. “Mommy!” Katie cried, toddling up to me once I got in the door, nearly falling down in her fervor.
“Hey, sweetie,” I said. Out of nowhere, Katie wrapped herself around my leg, almost knocking me off balance with her enthusiasm. Taking her by the hips, I hoisted her up and held her tight.
“Hey,” Chase said, coming over from his desk, which was set up near the patio door to take in the view. “Hey,” I said. He kissed me on the cheek, which I wasn't sure what to do with. I certainly didn't mind. Every time I thought of him, my pussy got tight. Particularly after what had happened in the bath the night previous. The man was definitely gifted with his hands. No one had ever made me feel that good before. There came a knock on the door. Chase went off to answer it without another word. At least not in English. I could have sworn I heard him talking to the delivery girl in Chinese. He must have given her a big tip, considering her joviality before he closed the door.
“You speak Chinese?” I asked when he came back in, setting the bags on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Only Cantonese,” he said, sitting on the couch, “Mandarin is beyond me though I'm pretty good at standard Arabic. I was a translator during the war.” “Iraq?” I asked. “Afghanistan,” he said, taking out the tiny, white take-out boxes, arranging them according to size. “I think I heard about that,” I said, sitting down on the couch. I had of course. I was ten when things started to simmer down, though I wasn't really paying much attention to the news at the time. Far more intrigued by Facebook and the beginnings of YouTube. “Not the half of it,” he said, snapping his chopsticks with emphasis. “Isn't that always just the way?” I said, trying to empathize. “Tell me about it,” Chase said, bitterly. “What did we get?” I asked trying to change the subject. “A little bit of everything,” he said, giving me a fork. “I got a separate order of dumplings for Katie.” “She's never had dumplings,” I said. “That's what I figured. She'll love them,” he said confidently. Sure enough, he was right. Katie ate the entire order of dumplings and asked for more. So, I gave her some of the pork from the pork fried rice which she also loved. “Soy sauce?” Chase asked as I started on my main course. “No thanks, any sweet and sour?” I asked. “Certainly.” “How was your morning?” I asked when we were well into it. “Really good honestly,” Chase said. “Was she any trouble?” I asked. “Oh, no, she was really good,” he said, gently stroking Katie's hair. “It was a bit of a struggle to get her dressed, mostly because she objected to the ensemble I tried to put her in. Eventually, I figured it out, after that she was fine. We both had a breakfast smoothie and then she mostly just sat on the floor in front of the desk and played with her toys. We had a few episodes of wandering but she's not very fast.”