Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Maya knew she’d said the wrong thing. She could see it in Lisa’s expression and the way her friend withdrew. The urge to try to fix it was strong, but it felt like that would be overstepping even further. So when Lisa disappeared into her room and stayed there, Maya did her best to keep busy.

It wasn’t what she wanted to do. She wanted to go down and check on Lisa, to apologize, to see if she was okay. She wanted to badger her friend, until she opened up and they could talk about it. Boundaries, she reminded herself.

Sometimes boundaries were hard. She distracted herself with the weekend chores instead of letting her own needs barrel over Lisa’s. Those chores included running some errands and getting out of the house helped, once Rick came home so they could go pick up her car from the restaurant parking lot.

By dinnertime Lisa seemed less withdrawn. Still on the quiet side, and smiles were rare, but that could have been for multiple reasons. Mostly she seemed like she was thinking hard about something—and Lisa had a lot to think about at the moment, so that made sense.

Rick had ordered pizza for dinner. It was a rare treat and not something they normally did on the weekend when they both actually had time to cook, but there was company, and it made everything feel a bit festive.

They camped in the living room to eat while they watched a new action movie on cable. By the time it was over, things felt more normal with Lisa. They’d all relaxed.

“That was better than I expected,” her friend said as she stood up and stretched. “I don’t usually like this kind of movie.”

“The car chases are exciting, but the plots never make sense,” Maya agreed. “But this one wasn’t bad. I like the cast anyway.”

“Of course the plots don’t make sense. The police would call in a helicopter and the whole thing would have been shut down on the spot,” Rick pointed out. He’d been into the movie when it was playing, but now that the credits were rolling, his legal mind was kicking in.

“Don’t ruin the illusion, Daddy. You’re supposed to suspend your belief, remember?” She had to remind him of that frequently, otherwise he would nitpick movies to death.

“I know, I know, sugarbear.” He snorted a laugh and started picking up the debris from dinner.

They all pitched in to clean up, and it went quickly with the team effort. Maya’s attempts to get ice cream for dessert, however, were a complete failure.

“I think you’ve had enough sugar today,” Rick reminded her.

She argued, but when he slowly raised one eyebrow and asked her if she really wanted to get herself in trouble again, she let it go. Her butt was still a little sore from the night before, and the last thing she wanted was another punishment.

Lisa went back to her room once everything was put away. “I didn’t sleep great last night so I think I’m going to bed,” she explained.

They all said goodnights and Rick, not much of a night owl, herded Maya to their room to get ready for bed too. She pulled out some comfy pajamas, but sat on the bed holding them, instead of putting them on. “Daddy? Did you find out anything to help Lisa today?” She pitched her voice louder to be heard over the sink in the bathroom.

He poked his head out. “What?”

“I asked if you found out anything for Lisa today?”

Rick shook his head. “Not yet. I put in a document request, but I told them it wasn’t an emergency. I’ll probably hear back on Monday. Why?”

She shrugged. “Lisa’s just really unhappy. I wish…”

He waited for her to finish, but she didn’t. “Well? You wish what?”

“Nothing, Daddy. Never mind.”

He frowned but didn’t push. After a second, he vanished back into the bathroom. She got changed for bed as she listened to the sound of him vigorously brushing his teeth and gargling. When he returned, he put on his pajamas and then climbed into bed. He held out his arms and she rolled into them.

Snuggling up with him was soothing, and she needed it after the day she’d had. The sound of his heartbeat very quickly put her to sleep.

The next coupleof weeks were busy. Having a third person in the house changed things, but not in a bad way. Lisa took over some of the cleaning, and also some of the dinner prep, while they were at work. It was wonderful to come home to the smells of dinner cooking some nights, and she seemed happy to be able to do something for them, though Rick refused to let her do it all.

“You’re not working off your bed and board, Lisa. You’re a guest,” he said firmly.

“I like to help,” she insisted.

“I see that, and I appreciate it, but we’ll all take our turn.” And that was his final word on the issue.

There weren’t any more tense moments, and Maya was happy about that. In her free time she began to research asexuality and what it meant to be both asexual and a submissive. There were a couple of blogs online that explained it well.

She felt like she had a better idea of what Lisa was going through, after she spent a night binging all the articles she could find. There were Doms and subs out there who identified as asexual, as she’d thought, but she could see why Lisa hadn’t run into many. For every twenty pages that focused on sexual domination, she might find one that talked about other types.

Still, she sent what she did find over to Lisa’s email, but avoided discussing it with her directly. The last thing she wanted was to make her friend uncomfortable again.

Rick continued his pursuit of a solution to the rest of Lisa’s issues. “It takes time. The wheels of justice are, unfortunately, slow, but things are happening. I’ll let you know when everything is settled,” he told Lisa one night over dinner.

They had a lot of dinners together, and game nights, and movie nights. Maya really enjoyed having Lisa there and she realized that she wasn’t looking forward to having it be just the two of them again.

Lisa’s presence hadn’t changed anything between her and Rick. They still had plenty of alone time. Their sex and kink lives were just as active as always, but having a third person in the house made things feel more like… family. She liked that.

And some things were just better with more than two people. Board games for instance were so much more fun now. Lisa was going to be missed.

Three weeks after Lisa had shown up on Valentine’s Day, Rick came home looking extra pleased with himself. He called them into the living room, took a seat on the sofa, and started pulling paperwork out of his satchel. “Lisa, I think you’re going to be very happy.”

“Really?” She perched on the edge of the sectional, looking like she wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Really. Okay, let’s take this in reverse order.” He shifted through the papers and passed one over to her. “This is a copy of your lease. Correct?”

She glanced at it and nodded.

“When your landlord dumped all your things on the sidewalk and changed the locks, he broke the terms of your lease, and incidentally, the laws protecting renters. He didn’t officially file for an eviction. You were not properly served with notice to vacate. On top of that, he tried to recoup the missing rent by selling your furniture. So, after chasing him around, and discussing the situation with his… attorney…” Rick’s mouth twisted, and a note of derision entered his voice.

He shook his head. “If you want to call him an attorney, I think it was his brother-in-law and I have trouble believing any legitimate law school would have taken him. Anyway I have some options for you. First, there’s this.” He handed her a check.

Lisa’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Maya leaned over to look and let out a slow whistle. It was an awfully big number.

“What’s this for?” Lisa asked in a breathy, shocked sounding voice.

“That is your security deposit, your first and last month’s rent, an estimated value for your furniture, and a hefty bonus for pain and suffering. I suggested that they compensate you generously for your trouble, otherwise I’d be filing charges. They still saved a lot of money on the fines, and this way the money goes to you and not the city.” He sat back, grinning.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a check this big before.” She swallowed hard and shook her head. “So, you said there were options?”

“Ah, yes. Well, with that money you should have no problem getting set up in a new apartment, and I have a letter of reference for you here, but as you should never have lost your place to begin with, Mr. Anthony Scazzy will be happy to welcome you back to your former rental.”

Lisa frowned. “I… don’t know if that’s a good idea. He’s probably going to be really mad about all of this.”

“Oh, he was ready to bite bricks. But I can keep my eye on him to make sure there’s no retaliatory behavior, if that’s what you want.” He sucked his teeth, making a tsking sound. “I have to say I wouldn’t recommend it. In my experience people who cut corners in one place will do it in others. Better to find a new apartment.”

“Yeah, I—yeah. I’d rather do that.”

“Great. Next problem. Unemployment. After speaking with several supervisors I was able to expedite your payment. You should be receiving your first payment, which will include backpay, within the next few days.”

“Finally!” she blurted.

“Yes, well part of the issue was your former employer made a claim of gross negligence, which held things up, but—”

“He what?” She jumped to her feet. “How could he do that?”

Maya could see her shaking with upset, and quickly got up to hug her. “What a dick. I’m so sorry, Lisa.”

Rick gave them a minute and then cleared his throat. “I know this is upsetting, and we’ll get to him in a minute, but his claim was dismissed. You were awarded the full amount. It just added to the wait time—which is already ridiculously long right now.”

Lisa nodded and slowly sank back down in her seat, with Maya pressed against her for emotional support. “Sorry, I just… it’s so infuriating that he would do that.”

“Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for employers to do this, and it might not be personal. It keeps their costs lower if claims are denied.”

“That’s still terrible.”

“It is, but in this case it backfired. The Unemployment department does investigate these things and your co-workers spoke up. Several were willing to state that they’d heard him pressuring you to date him, as well, so if you’re interested… I’ve referred this to the prosecutor. Sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious issue, and I don’t think you’re the only one he’s done this to.”

“He’s fired other women for not dating him?”

“Probably. There’s no reason to think you were the first… or the last. If it goes to court, you’ll probably be called as a witness. If you want my advice…” He let the offer trail off.

“Of course, please.”

“If the prosecutor finds enough evidence to file charges, you might want to consider filing a civil suit against him as well.”

“Oh…” She trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip as she considered it.

“In my opinion, you have a case, but it’s not something you need to worry about now.” He pushed the pile of papers across the coffee table. “These are for your records.”

She picked up the pile, flipping through it slowly and glancing at each page before she looked up at him. “So, this is it? Everything’s fixed?”

“Well, you have some decisions to make and that will determine where you go from here. There is one more thing…”

“There is?”

“I’m not sure if you’re interested. I know you’ve been applying for a lot of jobs, but I glanced at your qualifications, and I have one I think might be a good fit for you.”

“A job?”

“You’d have to apply obviously, but I can put in a good word for you, if you’re interested.”

Lisa’s eyes lit up like she’d hit the lottery. “I’m interested, definitely.”

Rick didn’t question the fact that she hadn’t even heard what it was yet. They both knew she’d been applying for everything under the sun. “Well, the court records department is looking for someone. It’s not the best paying job in the world, but I think it’s close to what you were making before, and more than you’ll get on Unemployment.”

“Court records?”

“Mhm. You’ll answer questions, look things up in the system, accept payments for fines and tickets. Nothing too complicated or different. If you want it, I can—”

“Yes! Yes, please, I want it,” she blurted.

Rick’s mouth tilted in a grin. “I had a feeling you might. I’ll talk to them tomorrow and get you an application. And now, I think we’ve covered everything.”

“Daddy, you are amazing!” Maya beamed at him proudly.

“I… I just don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you fixed everything. I didn’t think there was much you could do, to be honest.” She sat back with a soft stunned expression.

“This is why you go to friends for help, Lisa.” Maya couldn’t resist the smug comment, and then she grinned and gave her a side hug. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thank you, both of you. I really… I just…” And then Lisa was crying.

Lisa hadn’t cried since Valentine’s Day, but now she did. It wasn’t a few tears either. It was full on ugly sobs, while her shoulders shook.

Maya felt helpless to stop the storm that had finally broken loose. She rubbed Lisa’s back, repeating reassuring words like a mantra. “Oh, Lisa. Oh honey, it’s all okay now. You’re going to be okay.”

Rick was more practical. He got up and left the room without a word. When he came back, he had a box of tissues and a glass of water, both of which he set down in front of Lisa, and then he sat down on her other side.

She grabbed a handful of tissues and pressed them to her face, holding them there as she continued to shake.

Maya looked at Rick, distressed and worried, but he shook his head. “She’s going to be fine. She just needs to get all that stress out, don’t you Lisa?” He patted her thigh. “You go ahead and cry. It’s good for you.”

“But why is she crying now? You fixed it all,” Maya blurted, feeling completely perplexed and starting to get upset herself. She’d expected Lisa to be relieved, happy, but this didn’t seem to be either of those.

As usual Rick was attuned to her. “Maya, take a deep breath.” He gave her a firm look over Lisa’s head. “She’s fine, but she’s been very busy trying to stay strong this whole time, because if you fall apart in the middle of stressful times, it’s hard to get things done. So now that she doesn’t need to be strong anymore, all of those emotions are coming out.”

That seemed a backwards way to do things, but Maya nodded and sucked back a deep breath. With Lisa safely between them, the tears finally slowed. Rick offered her the water and she took a few sips.

“I’m so sorry,” Lisa said, her voice thick still. “I don’t know what happened.”

He smiled at her. “Nothing to be sorry about, Lisa. You were just letting go of some of the stress you’ve been holding onto. The relief probably hit you pretty hard.”

“I don’t usually do this…”

“You’ve been dealing with a lot, and you’ve been scared. Sometimes getting past that makes the dam break.” He was using his gentle voice. It was the same one he used when Maya was upset.

She could see Lisa relaxing, calming. It took some time, but eventually the trickle of tears stopped, and the trembling subsided. “I’m sorry for … being a mess. I really just—”

Rick cleared his throat, cutting her off. “Lisa, you have nothing to apologize for. It’s perfectly fine. Just keep taking slow, deep breaths.”

She tried to apologize a few more times, but Rick shut it down each time and Maya continued to hug and reassure her until she’d finally calmed down completely.

They went out to dinner the next night to celebrate, and Lisa insisted on paying when she realized the long overdue back pay had already arrived in her account. It was a wonderful night, but ended on a bittersweet note.

Towards the end, Lisa mentioned she had started looking for apartments and Maya realized… she didn’t like the idea of that at all.

In the short time she’d been living with them, Lisa had become family. It had all blended together seamlessly and Maya didn’t like to think about her going. It made her sad.