Kevin Brown

Women love to be massaged, and I love to massage women. Being blind, I tend to have an easier time building a rapport with shy customers, so they'll become repeat customers. Sometimes I will get the occasional customer who will ask me out after getting one of my massages. I'll tell her, it is always a woman who asks me out, that I can't date them because they are customers.

No, I don't date customers, the reason for this rule is that I dated a customer and she turned into a girlfriend and then a wife. Then she became an ex-wife.

I wasn't born blind, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. My now ex-wife Klara had sent me a picture of our divorce decree to my cellphone while I was at work. I couldn't hold the tears back and wandered around the plant until I could find a place to be alone. I found a place, inside a silo that was scheduled to be fumed with nitric acid.

The doctors said I was lucky to lose just my sight, the nitric acid fumes could have just as easily taken away my ability to breathe, permanently. Klara felt extremely bad that she had caused me to lose my sight, but that didn't stop her from vanishing for a year. She came back, extremely apologetic, and asked to stay with me. I told her that I would think about it, and finally caved because my friend Sandy had stopped coming over to help me out. One drunken night Klara admitted to me that the woman she had been seeing gave her the boot because Klara wouldn't go to India with her.

So Klara and I became friends with benefits of a sort. If we couldn't get dates on any night, we would fuck each other. Eventually I figured out that Klara wasn't going out on dates, she was just pretending to go out on dates. My sense of smell was heightened when I lost my sight, and I never smelled any other men on her. I did smell other women on her every once in a while, and that was erotic when Klara came and shared that smell with me in the middle of the night.

We fucked, but we did not sleep together. Klara knew that I could see into her dreams, and had married me even though that I had disclosed that ability. After I lost my sight, I could still dream in black and white, but if I was lucky enough to have a woman beside me when I fell asleep, I dreamt in color. I did have a few of those nights, mostly because Klara had set me up. I stopped those after a while, mostly because those women dreamed about their husbands, ex-boyfriends, their dads or their moms . I told Klara to stop before she set me up with a woman who dreamed about farm animals. Klara said she would only move out once she was certain I would be well taken care of. I told her I could do just fine with a little help if she wanted to go see the world.

Massaging was a good job for a blind man to get into. The factories around Anson County needed people with sight or they would get chewed up by machinery. I did have some skills in computers, but I would have to adapt to a braille interface, and I needed time for that. With part of the settlement I received from the company that tried to kill me, I got a computer with a braille interface and used it as best I could before it broke. It's not like I could tell Klara how to fix it, so it sat in my guest room collecting dust.

I had a job which helped pay the bills, even though it felt like the bills were getting bigger and my paychecks smaller. I knew Klara made decent money as an assistant engineer, but I was reluctant to ask her to do more than just pay her way. It wasn't like we were married anymore, just very close roommates. Klara even helped me 'improve my technique,' as she called it. We usually concluded our massage learning sessions with sex, and that made life okay.

The way my life was going along made me comfortable. One year turned into two, and then two years into five. As time wore on, Klara didn't stay with me as much, stopping by every once in a while to help me shop or go to the library. I got some books on massaging, the librarian joking with me about the dirty pictures in them.

One day I was 'reading' a book written by a master masseur which had been converted into braille from English, which was in turn translated from sanskrit. There was a secret hidden in those little dots, how to give a woman an orgasm without touching her sex or her breasts. I could not believe what I felt, so I asked Klara if I could massage her one evening when she popped in to clean up after work. She complained about how tired she was and that didn't feel like fucking that night. I promised her that I would just massage her and I had no intent for fucking.

She went to go shower as I prepared my massage table for her. When she came out of the bathroom, I could smell the Irish Spring body wash that I loved to smell on her and that set the scene for what I was about to do.

"Let's get this shit over with," Klara plopped herself down on the table.

"Lay down," I ordered.

Klara grunted as she lay down. I felt my way over to the shelf and picked up a bottle of massage oil. Klara had oriented herself in the proper direction on the table, not trying to trick me like she usually did. I spread the oil on her back and went through the usual routine of massage. When I switched to the method described in the book, Klara started to moan. I was to pull all the negative energy in her body toward the small of her back, compressing that energy with ever-shrinking circles. I knew Klara was getting close to orgasm because her breaths were getting shorter and her moaning was getting louder.

Then she popped with a full-blown scream that made her hoarse. She completely collapsed on the table, not moving until her breathing returned to normal. "Holy, holy fucking shit, Kevin. That was fucking special."

"Thank you," I gave her a fake bow purposely in the direction of the wall. "Thank you very much."

"I changed my mind, I want to fuck. Right now and all night."

"Yes, ma'am."

***

The next week, I was going through my usual end of the day routine when Elmer stuck his head in the door. "I got a woman out here, says she wants a 'Kevin Special.'"

"A what?" I asked.

"She says a 'Kevin Special.'"

"All right, let her in. Want me to lock up for you?"

"Ten-four," Elmer said.

I heard the woman come into the room. She closed the door and latched it behind her.

"Should I be worried?" I asked.

"Klara is a friend of mine," she replied. "She says you have a magic massage technique."

"I won't do that to a woman I don't even know," I countered.

"Yes, you will. You want to see if your magic will work on a woman you are not intimate with. And the man in you won't even want payment for it, but I'll pay you anyway. I want the massage to put a spring my step for a week."

"All right, you begged for it."

I was hesitant to give her that special massage, knowing how intimate it was. My fingers had a mind if their own, however, and worked their magic anyway. I was glad Elmer was gone, because she let out a shrill scream that definitely would have caught his attention.

"Damn," the woman grunted as she pulled herself up.

She started to fall trying to get off the table, but I caught her, my hands catching under her breasts. "Sorry."

"That's quite all right, Kevin." I heard her getting dressed, the rustle of money being set on the shelf farthest from me. "Plus a tip."

Chasing her would be pointless once I got out of familiar territory. I found the money, vowing to give it to Klara instead. She was right on time and hurried out to walk me to the car, even though I didn't need the help. "How was your day?" She asked.

I pulled the bills out of my pocket. "You tell me."

"Holy shit, Kevin! That's a thousand dollars!"

"I don't believe you."

"Why would I lie about that?" Klara asked.

"Because you set me up, Klara. The woman came in asking for the 'Kevin Special.'"

I heard her sigh. "That was Annabelle Andrews, she's one of the senior engineers in the company. She's been working out of our plant for the past month, getting some new conveying system online. The morning after your massage, I was in noticeably better spirits, and she's been hounding me about my good mood until I finally gave in today."

"Please don't make a habit of telling everybody about your favorite masseur," I quipped.

"Even for a thousand dollars?" Klara teased.

I shook my head. "Shit, Klara."

***

The next day at work, what I feared most happened. At closing time, a woman came into the shop asking for a 'Kevin Special.' Elmer came into the room, and grilled me about my technique and why high-class women were rolling into the shop asking for it. I assured him, on my fingers, that I was not having sex with customers on the property even though it might feel like that to the customers.

Elmer took my oath seriously, my swearing on my fingers obviously getting to him. The woman came in and started undressing, and I heard Elmer lock up in the background. "I'm Shanaya," the woman said.

"I'm Kevin," I extended my hand to her. "But you already knew that."

She shook my hand and caressed it with her fingers before letting go. "I know a lot of things, Kevin. One only has to study Hindu history to know there is a technique which can send a woman into sexual ecstasy without touching her sex."

"You're Indian?"

"Of course," she scoffed. I heard the rustle of the towel on the massage bed, telling me she had laid down. "Bring the myth to life, Kevin."

Having never massaged an Indian woman before, I was surprised at the softness of her skin. I knew that she had someone help moisturize her, because nobody could get the center of the upper back by themselves. Was this the woman Klara had divorced me for? I didn't know because I had never met her.

My fingers worked her whole body, which was knotted up in all the major muscle groups. There were grunts of pain and joy from her and when I had her relaxed, I started to wind her up. A push here, a slide there, pinpoint pressure and caresses compressed her negative energy into the small of her back. A tap in the center set her off into orgasm heaven, along with the most and shriek that came with it. Just to see if I could bring her to multiples, I repeated the technique and held my hands at her center, pressing it with my thumbs.

After the fourth orgasm, she rolled off the table. "Oh my goddess, Kevin! You have such a wonderful gift! I've never felt anything like that in my life."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked.

"Heavens, yes."

I heard the rustling of clothing, she was in a hurry to get dressed, a real hurry. "Shanaya?"

"Yes?"

"The rates are on the board out front. I'd say a half-hour for the massage, no tip necessary, it was my pleasure," I said.

"You do know I can leave any amount I want here and you'll have to take it?" She asked.

"Yes, I know."

I heard paper being pulled from leather and set on the table. "You deserve this, Kevin, especially now." I heard a sniffle and then a sob, and then she was gone.

While I was tidying up, I felt the towel that covered my bed. The place where her crotch had been was extremely wet and sticky. Either Shanaya had experienced amazing orgasms and gushed or she had peed. Either way, I would have to clean up her mess before I could take any clients tomorrow.

The towel went into the laundry bin, and I could tell by the smell of Shanaya's wet spot that she had indeed cum on my bed. I wiped it down with disinfectant and then sprayed deodorizer on the whole bed.

When I went outside, I heard two women arguing in the parking lot, both of them going quiet when I jingled the keys before locking the door. Klara came to help me into the car because I didn't have my stick. She shut the door, and spoke to the other woman again. The woman was actually Karmala and Klara was not her normal pleasant self because she had shown up at my shop.

A truce was finally called, and Klara finally got into the car. "So you're going out to dinner with her?" I asked.

"We evidently still have some issues to work out," Klara replied.

"Why didn't you just tell her to go fuck herself? Isn't that what she told you?"

"Kevin, please, I don't want to get into this right now," Klara sighed.

"Give her this back," I handed Klara the money Karmala had left behind. "I don't want it, not from her."

"All right. Just so you know, there's fifteen hundred dollars here."

"I don't care."

I sulked all the way home, not just because Karmala had tricked me, but that Klara was going to dinner with her. Klara's code from before the divorce was that dinner was at Karmala's house and Karmala was the desert. The night I figured that code out was the night after Klara and I stopped sleeping in the same bed. It didn't take a genius to figure out who she was dreaming about then.

Klara darted into the house before I even had a chance to get out of the car. She had parked as close to the house as humanly possible because Karmala was picking her up and our driveway was really short. She emerged from the bathroom smelling like lavender, a soap she didn't use unless she was going out. I heard her brushing her hair as she went into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

I took a quick shower and went to my bedroom. Shorts and a t-shirt were my bedclothes of choice, and I stretched back and listened. The air conditioning kicked on, bringing the smell of lightly roasted hair and makeup powder. The final smell to overpower them all was Klara's favorite perfume.

A few minutes later there was a knock at my door. "Come in."

Klara opened the door and came in and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm heading out, Kevin. I'm sorry I was such a bitch."

"Yeah, me too. Can you call Tara and she if she can take me to work tomorrow?" Tara was Klara's half-sister, and liked to help me out every once in a while.

"I'm coming back tonight, Kevin."

"Klara, I'll be lucky to hear your voice again," I countered. "She's come back for you and I know why. If you stay now, I know it'll be out of pity."

"Why do you have to be such a dick?" Klara demanded.

"Just please call Tara for me," I said.

"I'll be back tonight." She left the room, her heels clacking down the hall. I slid off the bed and cracked the window so I could hear conversation if there was one.

"Jesus, Klara, we're not going to some honky-tonk for dinner," Karmala snapped.

"Excuse me, Miss Million Dollar Salary, some of us don't have Calvin and Vera on speed-dial. You've gotta dress down 'cause I can't dress up."

"We can fix this," Karmala said. "I'm sure JayCees is still open."

"I can't afford that!"

"Klara, I'll take care of you if you let me. Please, get in the car."

I knew it. Karmala wanted to dress Klara up and take her to some fancy restaurant and finally give her the marriage proposal. I couldn't compete with Karmala for Klara, especially since she had wealth.

***

Time gets away from you when you're blind, so does that line between being awake and asleep. I was awakened by a soft tapping on my bedroom window. I tapped a button on my clock and it announced the time as half-past zero hour. "Yes?"

"Kevin, it's Sandy. Can I come in?"

Sandy had been a friend in high school, we had hung out but never hooked up. After my accident, she had helped me put my doubly-destroyed life back together after Klara had taken off. I didn't hear from her as often as I liked, mostly because she worked at a department store headquarters sixty miles away and Klara pretty much chose where she drove me. Maybe the gossip vine had told her that Karmala was back for Klara and I needed her help.

"Give me a minute." I climbed out of bed and shuffled down the hall. Klara had been very tidy in her departure and hadn't left any obstacles in my path.

Sandy already had the screen door open and her arms were around me as soon as I opened the door. "Kevin, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" I asked.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." I opened the door the rest of the way and she came all the way inside. I heard a grunt as she ran into the sofa. "Do you need some light?"

"I don't want to trouble you, I just want to see the world the way you do."

I chuckled. "Sandy, I don't see the world, remember?"

"Sorry. I completely forgot about everything I learned in the year I was with you."

"Try shuffling, it works for me."

She shuffled her way around the couch and plopped down with a sigh of relief. I pushed the door closed and hit the light switch beside the door. I didn't need to shuffle as I knew the distance to the couch. "Thanks for trying, Sandy. What's up?"

"I saw Klara and that bitch Karmala in JayCees. It was pretty obvious that they are together again. I just came to make sure you hadn't gone off the deep end like you did last time."

The last time was when I had come home and found all of Klara's things had vanished. I asked Klara's half-sister Tara to take me to the liquor store so that I could get some 'medication.' The store would only sell me one fifth of liquor, and that was barely enough to get toasted. "Sandy, I didn't go off the deep end the first time, but thanks for your concern. Why do you say it was obvious?"

"Those bitches had their hands all over each other, I almost told them to get a room," Sandy growled. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Gossip is my entertainment." The only television in the house was in Klara's room. I had a radio and a public library that found braille books for me, and that summed it up.

"Anyways, Karmala was gushing over everything that she had Klara try on, telling her how beautiful she was and all that shit. Karmala bought a dozen outfits for Klara and wasn't even fazed when I hit her with the fourteen thousand dollar total. She was all like: 'Put it on my black card.' I packed them up and they went off arm-in-arm. What's the story there?"

"Karmala's dad was sick. She wanted Klara to come to India with her, but Klara said she was going to make sure I was okay first. That's when Karmala broke up with her. Now she's come back for Klara and I probably won't hear from her again."

Sandy pushed me back on the couch and straddled me. "Kevin, I know this sounds bad, but can we be more than friends now? I know you were all kinds of twisted when Klara came crawling back to you, but she's gone now and I want my chance!"

Sandy had helped with my recovery as much as Klara, stepping aside when Klara came back to live with me. Sandy and I had never slept together, I thought the friendship was just a friendship until she had kissed me goodbye with lips wet from her tears. "Sandy..." I took a moment to think about where Klara was now. I knew where she was, I knew where her heart was. "Yes, let's try again. First, I need some food."

"Wait right here." I heard Sandy leave, and then she came back with what smelled like Tennessee Chicken. "We'd better do this at the table."

Or on the table, I thought. I started to help myself, but Sandy gently pushed me down into a chair and set everything up for me, including the soda. I felt my way around the setting, Sandy had set everything like she had when she had first fed me. Except for her chair, it was right next to mine, like we were on a bench together.

Sandy fed me my first bit of chicken. I ate it all the way to her fingers, and then licked them clean. The next thing she fed me was a spoonful of coleslaw. I was more than able to feed myself now, but she had dialed back the clock to our first meal together and added some spice to it.

My lack of underwear began to show when Sandy started feeding me the cookie. The last slice she held in her mouth and guided me to take it. I took the cookie and then her lips. Her hands went behind my head and she started to pull on my hair to keep my mouth on hers.