Alice Ch. 01 - New Girl

Before diving into today's story, I want to give a huge shout-out to Phil Anderer, the unsung hero behind the scenes. Phil's keen eye and editing wizardry have been instrumental in polishing my stories and banishing those pesky typos and spelling errors. Thanks to his expertise, I can share my thoughts with you all in a much clearer and more refined way. Big thanks to Phil for making sure each post shines.

I can't tell you how I know the events of this story. Also, many of the names and events have been altered to hide identities. You see, it isn't really my story to tell. It was told to me in confidence and I'm passing it along in a way that protects that confidence.

Frank was in his 70s and very well off. Not super rich, but he knew he couldn't spend what he had, in the time he had left. It also meant he ate most of his meals out, took taxis everywhere, and generally treated himself well. His apartment was a large penthouse in a posh building with wonderful views.

His daily routine was almost identical day to day. He walked over to the café and ordered breakfast, strolled over to the library, or just went for a walk if the day was nice enough. In the afternoon he napped or took in a movie.

Frank was a bit bored with life, not in a rush to get life over with, but still bored with his day to day.

This morning while eating his breakfast, he noticed someone on the other side of the restaurant. A girl in her early 20s was sitting in one of the booths, her knees drawn up and resting against the table, sipping a coffee.

He watched her for a long time; she looked a little lost. Like someone who might jump three feet up if anyone said 'hello' to her. She was wearing jeans with stains on them and ripped out knees. Frank wasn't sure if this was done for style, like the kids today often did, or actually worn. Her top was a loose-fitting t-shirt with that seemed stretched out and also stained from food. On top of that were two blouses and a windbreaker type of coat. Her hair was dirty blonde, greasy and there was dirt on her face and hands.

When the waitress refilled his coffee, he asked about her.

"Is she ok?" he started.

The waitress followed his gaze. "That's Alice. Poor thing is only skin and bones, all she ever orders is coffee."

"Is that all she can afford?" Frank asked.

"Don't know really," replied the waitress, "not my place to ask."

"Do me a favour, bring her the full breakfast," Frank told the waitress. "Tell her, it was made by mistake or something, don't let her know it was form me."

Frank watched as the waitress followed his instructions. As the plate was set in front of her, and the explanation given, it was easy to tell this had been a good move. Alice tucked into her meal like it was her last. Frank thought it was more likely her first in a while.

Frank smiled to himself, enjoying his good deed for the day.

A little later, Frank paid his bill, left a good tip, and headed out to the library.

On his way home he spotted the woman again. She was leaning against a wall on the other side of the street. He crossed over to get a better look.

Frank didn't realize it, but he had been staring at her the entire walk up the street. He almost jumped when she spoke to him.

"$20," she said, like he should know what he was talking about.

"I'm sorry?" Frank responded.

"I will suck it for $20." Alice smiled a half-hearted smile.

Frank was all caught up now, she was offering herself to him in exchange for money.

"You don't have to do that." Frank smiled at her.

"I don't have to do anything asshole!" Alice snapped back, "If you're not here for fun, fuck off!"

Frank wasn't deterred, he reached into his pocket and took out a $50 bill. He looked at the bill for a moment and then handed it to Alice.

She looked at the money, up at Frank, and back to the money.

"Ok, I will fuck you," she said turning to the alleyway she was standing by.

"No," Frank said, "I just thought you could use the money. I hope it helps."

Frank smiled at her and walked on his way.

He spent his afternoon at home looking out the window and thinking about Alice. He could picture her very clearly. Something about her mesmerized him. He hoped he would see her again.

He rose early and went to the café again, hoping she would be there. He was disappointed to find she wasn't.

He was almost finished his own breakfast when she walked in and moved to the same booth she was in the day before. She looked over and saw him, smiled a lonely smile, and went back to staring into her coffee.

When the waitress came over, he asked her to send the woman another breakfast.

"We don't need the subterfuge this time," Frank told the waitress.

The waitress looked over at the woman and back to Frank. She shot him what best could be described as a sour look. Frank assumed she thought he was hitting on the young woman.

He didn't correct her, as he didn't think he could without it sounding like an excuse.

He watched as the waitress brought over the breakfast and pointed him out.

Alice picked up the plate and walked over to Frank's table.

"What do I owe you for this?" she asked without any pleasantries. "Waitress seemed to think you are trying to get into my panties."

"Nothing," Frank smiled up at her, "just thought you could use it and I had the means to give it to you. No strings."

Alice sat down across from him.

"I suppose I should thank you for yesterday as well." Alice said to him.

"Yes," Frank replied. "Sorry about the lie. I didn't want you to feel..."

"Indebted?" Alice finished his sentence for him.

"Yes, indebted." Frank nodded.

"Thank you," Alice said, almost spitting the words out.

"Thank you," she said again, this time with a little less hostility.

"I don't want anything from you," Frank started, "I just saw you might need the help. Besides, you already offered me a lot for a very reasonable price."

Alice shot him a look of distain, but quickly softened her features when she thought over his remark.

Alice wasn't used to getting things given to her; she also had a lot of mistrust built up. Part of her guarded against offers like this, as they were usually a quick path to a guy trying to get some part of him inside of her.

Frank studied her while she ate,trying to think of what he could say next. Finally, he came up with nothing better than "Why do you do it?"

"Fuck strangers?" Alice asked, trying to remain tough.

"Yes," Frank smiled, "fuck strangers."

"Pays for food and food keeps me alive." Alice smiled back a sarcastic smile.

"Frank," Frank said, "I understand you are called Alice."

Alice shot a dark look over to the waitress, figuring that was how Frank knew her name.

"Hi Frank!" Alice said. "What can I do for you?"

"Where are you staying Alice?" Frank asked in the most disarming way possible.

"I have my places," Alice replied.

"So, nowhere... stable?" Frank asked rhetorically. "Can I pay for a hotel room for tonight?"

"Sure, plus $200, and I will stay the entire night," Alice responded.

"No," Frank shook his head, "You misunderstood me, I do not want to stay with you. The room will be yours for the night; I will go home."

Alice just looked at him. She didn't know what to do.

"Why?" she finally asked.

"I don't know," Frank replied. "I can do something good. Maybe it makes me feel better, maybe this is selfish."

Alice kept staring at him. Finally, she spoke again.

"Where do you live?" she asked him.

"In the apartments around the corner," Frank replied.

"Lavish place." Alice smiled, "How come we can't go there?"

She was pushing him a little, trying to flush out his ulterior motives. She had been studying Frank. He was old but distinguished; he dressed nicely and seemed to have a calm about him. He didn't seem dangerous in any way. Still, she had to be sure; she'd had a few close calls with 'dates' she had been on. Men who seemed to be paying for a living sex toy and not a person offering a service.

"Would you feel safe if we went to my place?" Frank interrupted her thoughts. "Tell you what, I will also give you $200, not for sex, but as a sort of insurance. If we assume I don't want to kill you, I hope we can assume that, then you would be worried about me raping you. Since you have already offered to have sex with me for $20, $50, and $200, I want to show you I am not trying to get anything for free or rip you off. Strange logic, I know."

Alice smiled at him. He seemed to be trying hard to convince her he was safe.

"Ok, your place!" Alice decided.

She didn't like the idea of staying in a hotel by herself. Especially when she hadn't paid for it. She wasn't sure of the proper etiquette; she had never actually stayed in a hotel. A few motels when she was younger, and they seemed to be noisy places with rough dudes hanging around.

"My place then," Frank agreed, "I have a spare room."

As they paid the bill, the waitress continued to give Frank a cold look.

"You ok?" the waitress asked Alice.

Alice nodded and smiled.

The waitress was making it clear she would remember that Alice and Frank left together in case anything happened to Alice.

Frank and Alice left the café and walked back to his place. Alice walked slightly behind him the entire way, ready to bolt if anything strange happened.

The man at the door greeted Frank and held the door for him. He gave Alice the once over but didn't address her directly.

Frank had the penthouse suite. When Alice stepped inside, her breath was taken away for a moment. The ceiling was high and there was so much room. Everything looked beautiful and expensive.

"How do you know I am not going to rip you off?" Alice suddenly asked him.

"I don't. I will have to trust you." Frank replied with a smile.

Alice passed through the living room and out onto the balcony. The view was incredible. She could see the entire city.

"Let me show you your room." Frank called her back inside.

They walked down the wide hallway to the first room. She opened the door and looked in. It was huge inside. Almost as large as the main floor of the house she grew up in.

The door at the back of the room led to an ensuite backroom with a large soaker tub.

"Oh my god!" Alice exclaimed. "This looks wonderful!"

Any pantomimed toughness was now completely lost.

"Would you like a bath?" Frank asked.

Alice nodded happily.

"Ok, I will leave you to it." Frank told her, "There are fresh towels and a robe behind the door. If you put your clothes in the hallway, I will make sure they are washed."

Frank exited the room and closed the door behind him. Alice looked around to see if she could see any hidden cameras or a two-way mirror. In the end, she didn't really care. So what, if the old man gets his jollies watching her bath.

Alice ran the bath, stripped out of her clothes, and wrapped a towel around her. She placed her clothes outside the door as Frank had asked.

On the shelf by the bath was everything she needed shampoo, body wash and bath salts. She poured some of the bath salts into the runn:ing bath and as it reached the right height, she got in.

She couldn't remember the last time she had a bath. When she was a child. Sitting in this big bath now she felt like a child again. She washed her hair and scrubbed her skin clean. It felt so good to be clean again. For the last couple of weeks she had cleaned herself in the sinks at local coffee shops. It helped keep the dirt from her but didn't really leave her feeling clean.

She lay back in the bath and closed her eyes, almost falling asleep. This was heaven. Beside the sink she noticed some disposable razors. She leaned over and took one to shave her legs. It had been some time since she had done that. Next, she shaved her armpits. She was starting to feel like a woman again. She reached over and took another razor, might as well clean up completely. She shaved the hair off her pussy and admired her handiwork.

She felt clean again, really clean. She washed her long hair. She couldn't remember the last time she had it cut. However, it was now clean, conditioned, and she could pull it back into a pony tail. She fished a hair-tie out of her pocket, but decided against it as even the hair-tie felt dirty.

After almost an hour in the bath she finally got out and dried herself off with a large fluffy white towel. Back in the bedroom she lay down on the towel and finished drying. Even if this was for only one night, it was going to be an amazing night.

Frank had picked up her clothes in the hallway. He washed them as promised, but not before taking note of the some of the sizing labels. He wasn't sure the clothes would survive the washing process.

He called down to the local high-end store and asked to speak to the personal shopper. He told her he had a young woman staying with him and she needed a few things to wear. He told the woman on the phone her luggage has been misplaced by the airline so she wouldn't question why he need panties and bras.

Once this was all underway, Frank got himself a glass of sherry and sat down to read his book.

"OH!" Frank exclaimed when he looked up to see Alice standing in front of him completely naked.

"Listen!" Alice started, "I don't like to be in debt with anyone. I appreciate what you are doing so I wanted to pay you back a little. Get a good eyeful!"

This was Alice trying to take back a bit of control, balance the relationship. She was sure this was still about sex in some way, maybe this would flush it out. Not that she would mind all that much. He had been nice, and the bath was wonderful. If she had to bounce on an old guy for a while, so what.

Frank was looking at her, he couldn't help it. He looked her over, head to toe. She was gorgeous.

"Alice," he stumbled, "You don't owe me anything."

"You don't a mind look though, do you?" Alice smiled at him.

She was enjoying this. Frank wasn't leering at her, he was looking at her, appreciating what he saw. He wasn't making crude comments or demanding things from her. He was looking at her like she was a piece of art.

"Sorry," Frank said, "Your clothes are still in the wash. There should be a robe on the back of the door."

Was he really directing her to cover up? She wasn't sure how she felt about this. He was still smiling at her and looking her over.

Alice turned around and wiggled her butt at him. She heard him laugh as she walked back to her room.

She put on the robe and returned to the living room.

"Are you hungry?" Frank asked.

"A little," Alice replied.

"There is some fruit in the fridge," Frank suggested, "or yogurt, probably some bread and jam. If you like, we can order something in for lunch."

"A jam sandwich sounds great!" Alice wondered off to the kitchen.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door. Frank answered it and came back with large cardboard bags.

"I ordered you a few things as your clothes seemed a little worn," Frank said handing her the bags, "Why don't you take them into your room and try them on?"

Alice almost danced down the hallway. She had seen women on the street with shopping bags from high-end stores. She had imagined what that might be like. Here she was with three bags full of clothes.

In the room she unpacked everything from the bags.

There were two beautiful bra and panty sets, a pretty summer dress and a cute pair of kitten heels.

She started to dress and marveled at how soft the panties and bra felt. Nothing like what she had been wearing which always felt a little rough and her bra had lost its shape.

The dress flowed around her like there was a constant breeze blowing about her.

She felt 'sexy'. She hadn't felt sexy for a very long time.

In the last bag was a Cami set for bed. She placed it on the pillow for later.

Slipping on the heels she walked back out to the living room. She was blushing now, she felt so good.

"Thank you, Frank," Alice stammered, "I don't know what to say anymore, but thank you."

"You look wonderful," Frank smiled at her. "I hope I don't offend you by what I say next, would you like to get... I am not sure what the ladies call it... Would you like to get your hair and nails done?"

"Oh god," Alice exclaimed. "Yes, I would love to!"

She paused for a moment and asked again, "Frank, why are you doing this?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Frank replied. "Because I can, seems like the best answer. It takes me very little, and it seems to have a great impact on you."

Alice smiled at him. She really couldn't believe her luck. She also felt sorry for some of the things she had said to him earlier.

"Well, I know nothing about this," Frank said, clapping his hands together. "Where do we go to get your hair done?"

Alice knew of a place; she had walked by it many times and watched the ladies through the window.

"Cosmos," Alice said, "it isn't too far from here."

"Cosmos it is then," Frank smiled, "I will call us a taxi."

In no time, they were standing in front of Cosmos. Alice could feel her heart beating, she couldn't believe she was going into the place.

Frank walked them in and up to the counter. He was greeted at reception by a very flamboyant gentleman.

"How may we help you today?" the man asked them.

Frank took a black credit card out of his bill fold and handed it to the receptionist.

"This is my... niece, she is visiting me for a few days," Frank told him, "Please see that all her needs are seen too. Can you also arrange a taxi home for her when she is finished?"

The receptionist held the credit card like it was a bar of gold. He scanned it into the computer on his desk and handed it back to Frank.

"No problem, Sir!" The receptionist assured Frank.

Frank turned to Alice, "I think you are in good hands here; how do you feel about dinner afterward?"

Alice just nodded.

"Great, I will make arrangements while you get polished," said Frank.

Frank left and Alice was escorted back to a private room. A glass of Champagne was provided. Her shoes removed and her bare feet placed into a sink of warm water. Her hands had a similar treatment and were also left to soak.

A woman came into the room and introduced herself. "I am Jennette, I will be your care specialist today. What would you like to get done today?"

Alice was very nervous and didn't really know what to say. She simply answered, "Hair."

"Very good, Philip will take care of that. How about a facial?"

Alice just nodded; she thought the moment she tried to answer with words she would expose herself as an imposter. She was also sorry now she had shaved everything earlier. She could have been waxed; she had only ever done a home wax. Although it was messy, it did leave everything very smooth.

Two other women had now come into the room. One, ever so gently, took the glass from her hand and placed her hand into a solution. Her chair reclined and she found herself staring up into the face of the other woman.

The woman smiled down at her and started to wipe around her face with a warm cloth.

It felt like she was there for an hour as three women worked on her feet, hands, and face. At one point even her neck was massaged. Her nails had been finished in a perfect French white; her toes matched that, and her face felt soft and relaxed.

Philip arrived and swung her chair, so her head dropped back into a sink, and he set about washing her hair. No one had ever washed her hair before. Not that she could remember, she was sure her mother had probably done it at some point.

Philip raised her back to the sitting position and studied her for a minute.

"A short cut, pixie, would suit you," Philip said. "How do you feel about that?"

Alice didn't know what to say.

"Unsure?" Philip went on, "Let me show you."