by Bradley Lowe
Many months had passed since Helen's youngest daughter had left home as a married woman. Helen was happy for her daughter, but she missed the noise, the chatter and laughter that young women bring into a house.
The house sat in a prime location: less than fifteen minutes' walk to the university, only yards from the open country, and only a short drive to the sea and sandy beaches, when there was a summer to enjoy such features.
Helen no longer had to work; she filled her days doing the things she wanted to do. She enjoyed gardening, walks in the country, days out to places of interest, and of course, retail therapy. It was on such a therapeutic day that she took a break from her shopping with a morning coffee. She overheard a conversation between two students who sat behind her; their language was colourful, to say the least. When you stripped away the expletives, their topic of conversation was the high price of lodgings in or close to the university. An idea was born.
Back at home, Helen made several draft copies of an advert she was going to place on local notice boards. Rooms to let: would suit university students, good rates, references required. She was going to stipulate girls only, but in these days of political correctness, no one was allowed to show a preference. She decided that any males wouldn't be acceptable. Happy with the final draft, Helen placed her adverts.
In less than an hour after Helen had placed her adverts, her phone rang.
"Hi, my name is Cathy, and I have a friend, Sarah. Are those rooms still available?"
Helen confirmed the rooms were still available and arranged a time for them to call.
Cathy and Sarah arrived punctually and Helen showed them around. The rooms weren't en suite; they would have to share the bathroom and share the inevitable cleaning duties. The rooms were clean, spacious and in a quiet location. The accommodation was far better than the cramped and noisy conditions the girls were currently living in. Helen had taken a liking to the girls; happy, always laughing, she was sure they'd fit in well. She gave them a list of rules. They weren't too happy about the rule of no boys in their rooms.
Cathy was sure that in a couple of months she'd have Helen wrapped around her little finger, but reality struck when Helen displayed her stern side.
"Break any of those rules, just once, and you're out, no second chances," Helen warned.
The laughter stopped abruptly with the realisation of how seriously the rules had to be observed. For what they were though, the rules were easy to live with.
Cathy and Sarah settled in well; within weeks Helen felt as if they were family. She helped them through the emotional roller coaster of university life, and relationships forged and lost.
"Now, ladies, you're going to have to fend for yourselves next Wednesday; I'll be out most of the day at this event." Helen pointed to an advert in the local weekend newspaper for an open day at a stately home which was opening a new exhibition. "I have a dental appointment in the morning, so I'll be leaving here about midday; I'll be back after 5pm."
"Oh that looks good; you go and enjoy it, we'll be OK," said Cathy, with a plan already forming in her mind. As Helen left the girls to their studies, Cathy said to Sarah, "I think we can take advantage of that stately home. We'll talk tomorrow during lunch."
The next day during their lunch break, Cathy and Sarah met.
"Right, Sarah, here's the idea: with Mrs Scott out of the way, let's invite those two lads round. We can make sure they're gone long before she gets back."
Sarah wasn't so sure; she had a lot of "But..." and "What if..." which Cathy quickly poo-pooed. Soon Sarah was actively planning with Cathy. The two lads in question, Neil and Gavin, were very enthusiastic about being alone with these two girls. Gavin had a problem; he had a lecture at that time, but he'd get one of his mates to sign in for him. The plotting foursome had all bases covered, roll on Wednesday.
The weekend passed like any other, except Cathy and Sarah appeared more helpful than usual. They also seemed to spend more time studying, not that Helen was going to complain. Through Monday and Tuesday, the girls were hardly able to contain their excitement; Helen's maternal instincts told her something was going on. She didn't know what, where or when, but these two girls were definitely up to something.
Cathy and Sarah couldn't believe their luck that Mrs Scott was away on a Wednesday. It was a lecture-free day for both girls. They told Helen that they'd be studying in their rooms. Helen thought it odd, but paid no attention. Although dressed in their traditional jeans and T-shirt, underneath each girl was wearing the scantiest of underwear. Helen saw the girls were studying as she left for the stately home.
Helen pulled off the drive unaware of the planned subterfuge. She drove towards the main road; she was on her way. The stately home sat partway along a single track road, and as she pulled into the road, she was stopped by a police officer directing traffic.
"Sorry, you can't get through this way; there's been an accident and the road is blocked; you'll have to detour."
"Thank you, Officer, I know the route."
Helen pulled over to the side of the road to consider her options. The alternative route was a fifty-mile detour, so by the time she got there the open day would be over. Reluctantly Helen turned and drove home. The road was clear; her return journey was quicker than her outward journey.
Within five minutes of Helen leaving, her doorbell was ringing. Two lads, Gavin and Neil, were standing on the doorstep. Cathy and Sarah opened the door to them. The girls' miniskirts left little to the imagination, as did their low-cut tops.
"Well, what's it to be?" asked Gavin.
"Strip poker," replied Sarah, giggling.
"I'm game for that."
The four went into the living room; Cathy provided the cards. Helen's favourite classical CD was discarded for the latest dance CD. Neil lit a strange cigarette.
"You can't smoke that in here; she's a non-smoker; she'll go fucking ballistic if she smells that," shouted Sarah.
"It'll be alright; we'll open the windows, and get the air freshener out of the bog," replied Neil.
"Stop worrying," Cathy told Sarah as she dealt the cards.
"Look what I've found, a bottle of Talisker; now that is an awesome whisky, drinks all round?" asked Gavin.
"Don't be a fool; she'll know someone's been at it, none for me," yelled Sarah.
"Sarah! What the fuck's the matter with you? Now chill, yes, drinks all round," Cathy cut in.
The drinks were poured, the cards dealt and the game commenced.
"This will be a short game; we're not wearing much," said Cathy, grinning.
Cathy was the first to lose her top, then the lads both lost theirs. Sarah had a run of bad luck and was down to her bra and panties. The boys were soon down to their underpants. Cathy had a worse run of luck; she lost her skirt in one hand, and was undoing her bra to the song "Get your tits out for the lads" with the next hand.
Helen pulled the car onto the drive and noticed the living room window open. The normally quiet street was suffering the noise pollution of modern dance music emanating from her living room. She opened the front door. She heard voices, she heard laughter, and she smelt strange smoke. Helen walked to the lounge door and saw two young men wearing only their underpants. Both young men sported a significant bulge. Cathy was sat at the table in only her knickers. All eyes were on Sarah, who was dancing around undoing her bra to chants of, "Off, off, off." Sarah threw her bra towards the door, looked up and saw Helen standing there.
"Oh fuck!" said Sarah, trying to cover her bare breasts with her arms.
Everyone looked towards the door.
Apart from the music from the CD, a stunned silence fell on the room; the laughing and chattering stopped abruptly. "You two, OUT!" Helen said angrily pointing to Neil and Gavin, who were sitting next to each other. She marched across the room, picked up their jeans and threw them out of the open window.
"Hey, what the fuck, lady..." Neil started, but was unable to finish.
"I told you 'out'! As you weren't listening, I'll put you out." Helen grabbed Neil by his left earlobe and twisted it hard. Neil yelled. She took hold of Gavin's right earlobe and did the same. He too yelled. Both boys followed Helen quickly to the front door and outside; the door closed and locked firmly. Sarah and Cathy watched in disbelief as Helen had removed Neil and Gavin so effectively. Helen returned to the living room, switched off the CD, then looked at Sarah and Cathy.
"You two, get dressed before I throw your clothes out of that window as well. Go and get packed, you're out." The two girls left the living room in tears; as they climbed the stairs, the recriminations began.
"This is your fault; I told you this would go wrong."
"Yeah? Like when? You've said nothing before; I didn't see you objecting to Neil and Gavin taking their jeans off, and whose idea was strip poker, anyway?"
The squabbling faded as the girls got to their rooms. Cathy sat on her bed and looked around the room. "I've thrown all this away! How could I have been so stupid?" she asked herself. She packed enough clothes for the next three days, thinking she'd ask Mrs Scott if she could return later to collect the rest of her belongings. Fresh tears flowed as she berated herself for what she was going to lose.
Suddenly she pulled herself together; she needed something to offer Mrs Scott in return for being allowed to stay. Cathy knew what her mother would have done: blistered her bare bottom with a hairbrush! It was worth a try.
Sarah sat on her bed crying, understanding what she was about to lose; she kept thinking If only... If only...
Helen poured herself a drink, and looked at her living room and thought of the way the two girls had abused her trust.
"What do I do now?" she asked herself. Did she place another advert for new lodgers? Or give it up as a bad job? One thing was for sure: the house would be quiet without those two. Helen thought about what would have happened if she had come home and found her daughter behaving like that. She knew the answer to that immediately - chairs would not have been used for a week! So why not? Cathy and Sarah had become almost family, so what was wrong with some traditional family discipline?
"Cathy! Sarah! Get down here NOW!" Helen shouted up the stairs at them.
Two very worried-looking and tearful teenage girls appeared in the living room; they had changed back into their usual jeans and T-shirts.
"I have an alternative for you, your choice, but you both have to accept. You either move out today, as your contract states, or I will punish you both with a hard spanking, followed by six strokes of the cane. You decide, but it has to be unanimous."
Without hesitation, Cathy said, "I'll take the punishment from you, Mrs Scott."
"You, Sarah?" asked Helen. Sarah said nothing. "Alright, go to your rooms; you have thirty minutes to decide, otherwise... you are out!"
Upstairs in Sarah's bedroom, Cathy made her sales pitch.
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