Maxine's New Life Ch. 11

After I served two Lucas was ready to go again. But next up was an order for the return of property. We didn't pick up the property, we just delivered the paper that demanded it's return. Usually those were a pain in the butt, if they wanted to show their ass after they found out what it was. I usually just walked away, Lucas had the macho thing against him, so I tried to serve those.

"Hello," I said to the man who came to the door of the up scale condo." Is Mr." I looked at the clipboard before I continued. "Seacroft available?"

"I'm Julius Seacroft," he said.

"Mr Seacroft, I have a registered message for you sir. If you will sign here, I will hand it over." I smiled my prettiest smile.

"No offense Ma'am, but I am in the middle of a dispute with a business associate. I am not taking delivery of anything, until I call my lawyer."

When he turned to go into the house to make his call. I opened the storm door then I threw the slightly weighted brown envelope through the door. "Sir you have been served," I said it as I turned to leave.

"What the fuck do you mean bitch? I ain't taking this thing."

"That is between you and your lawyer sir. I just deliver the message. I am just the messenger."

"Well I ain't taking it, you take it back."

"Too late, you have it in you hands and my partner in the van over there has a picture of you holding it. I'm sorry please feel free to report this to your lawyer." I carefully walked to the van.

"Am I clean," I asked Lucas.

"Yeah, he went back inside." Lucas said.

"Good, I do hate to kick the shit out of an old man in front of his neighbors." I laughed as I climbed into the driver's seat. "How about you doing the last one?"

Lucas delivered the last court order to a grandmother type who offered him a muffin. Lucas knew better than to accept. I know he had been tempted, when the grandmother wasn't a granny but some twenty year old beauty, but they were all trouble. I had explained that a dozen times.

"Well that's the end of day one," I said as we drove toward the office.

"So what do you usually do now?" Mike asked.

"Oh about this time I usually decide what I'm going to for dinner. Then go do it."

"Why don't we all go to dinner?" Lucas suggested.

"Sounds nice, but we can't do that. This all has to be about Maxine, you and Ed. If this is to work, it has to be as if we weren't even here, ." Mike suggested. I had to admit that it made perfect sense. The kid seemed to be a lot smarter than I had originally thought.

"Okay, so I'll drop you two and go to dinner." I suggested.

"I'm going to follow you," Mike demanded. "I won't eat with you, but I will film it. I have some more cute camera tricks."

"Oh hell, I thought I was through with you for the day." I smiled and tried not to show my irritation. My cell phone rang. I put it on speaker as I had agreed at Jen's office. "At your service," I said into the electronic chain.

"Hey Ms Stonel, you wanna have dinner tonight?"

"I don't know, who is calling?"

"My name is Jerry Raven, and I know Raven is a girl's name, I'm also a friend of Reverend Archer. Well friend is a little too much, I am being interviewed for a job with him. He suggested I talk to you to get a feel for who he is. So I thought dinner would be good."

"Jerry call me back in twenty minutes, I have a business call holding." I pushed the off button. In effect I hung up on him. After the dial tone returned I pushed the speed dial for Reverend Archer.

"Preacher this is Maxine, what the hell are you doing telling people to call me for dinner dates. Are you trying to pimp my ass out. Call me if you want me to meet with this Raven character."

I knew that Mike had me on camera, but I didn't give a crap. When we pulled into the office parking lot, I had worked myself into a real mood.

"If he calls back are you going to go out with him?" Mike asked. I was sure that I was on camera.

"I have no idea, I will make up my mind when he calls, if he does." I meant it. If I heard from Archer first, the decision would be easier .

"So how was your day," Gwen asked. She might have wanted me to answer, but she was looking at Lucas.

"Oh it was peachy keen," I said ignoring her lack of attention.

Mike was about to speak, when my phone rang. "Hello." I said into the phone, which would always be on speaker.

"Maxine dear, I didn't tell him to call for a date. I did tell him to talk to you, if he had doubts that I could produce what I promised."

"Ah, then why in hell would he want to have dinner with me?"

"Because he has heard all about you. I guess he did his homework before the job interview."

"So he is ligit?" I asked.

"He is, so go eat have fun but not too much fun."

"The amount of fun I have is no longer any of your concern." I laughed out loud. The guys at the office had to be curious. I figured it was good to keep them guessing.

I was about to leave for dinner alone, when the call came. "Hello," I said into the cell.

"So did the Reverend vouch for me?" Raven asked.

"He did indeed. So where are you taking me for dinner."

"It's your town, you tell me."

"Did you drive to town or are you carless in Aster?"

"I have my car, but you could pick me up at the motel."

"I could, but I think not. Twenty yards south of the intersection of Main and Church, there is an old style trailer. It is attached to a concrete block building with a sign with a pig painted on it. The place is called Keplan's Barbecue. I'll be there in thirty minutes, should I wear a rose or will you know me."

"I think I'll know you, but what are you wearing just in case?"

"A white sweater, and jeans," I replied.

"And under that?"

"My, my you are a dirty boy." I laughed again, knowing Mike was probably filming me.

"So humor me and answer." Raven almost demanded.

"Bikini panties and a push up bra, slightly padded."

"Nice, I'll be there," he said. Then he hug up on me.

"So will I," I said into the dead phone.

Keplan's was really just a hole in the wall. It had been open in that shiny giant thermos bottle trailer, with it's open air barbecue pits, since the 30's. In the seventies the EPA, and probably the health department, forced the construction of the small concrete block building behind the trailer to house real cookers. There was even a kitchen in the block building for the plating of the food. By the time I returned home, the trailer was just the dining area. The center portion of the trailer and opening to the kitchen was also the counter seating area complete with a cash register. Each end and sides of the trailer were lined with booths of differing sizes depending on its physical location inside the trailer.

There was not a single table or chair in the place. Sometimes when there were groups, the customers occupied three or more booths. The people just shouted back and forth to have a conversation. It was a controlled riot scene, but it was always interesting in Keplan's.

Since, when I entered I didn't see a man sitting alone, I took a small end booth for two. The smaller booths on the ends by the door allowed for people to pass the counter without a major accident.

"What you gonna have Max?" the man behind the counter shouted over the customers seated in front of him at the counter.

"Just Ice tea for now Jim. I got a date coming." I smiled. He shook his head as if in disbelief.

Jerry Raven arrived about halfway through the glass of iced tea. "You must be Maxine," he said standing over me and looking down. Jerry was tall.

"I am and that would make you Jerry Raven," I suggested.

"Doctor Jerry Raven actually." He said it as if I should be impressed. I wasn't.

"Oh I am impressed," I lied, as he seated himself across from me. "And what is your specialty?"

"Oh I'm not a medical doctor exactly. PHD in behavioral and clinical psychology." he admitted.

"Ah, that would mean you are here to help turn the Hazelwood Inn into a drug rehab facility."

"That is correct," Jerry said in a very calm voice. It was his shrink voice, I was sure of if. It was a voice I had heard before. It always made me wonder how long they spent in front of a mirror practicing it.

"What do you recommend," he said staring at the menu.

"I have no idea, but I'm having the small barbecue tray myself. I avoid French fries. but I'm told that the ones served here are very good. With the plate you get fries, on the tray its the same thing but no fries," I explained.

"Then it's the plate for me. I love French fries. Actually I love anything French."

"Well I love anything fried, but fried foods are not good for my ass."

"Your body looks just fine to me?" he said.

"But you are looking at it from the outside. That isnt the same as looking out of it."

"I suppose that is true."

"It is," I replied. "Hold on a second." I said turning my attention to the counter. "Jim, how about one small tray, one large plate and an Ice tea for my date."

"Can do Max." he replied.

"So does everyone just shout their orders?" Jim asked.

"Only at night. During the lunch rush they have a waitress. She shouts it."

"Ah okay, sounds like an interesting life that I am about to get into."

"Could be, but it's like anywhere else. It is more about what you make of it, than what it really is. It's like this place, you can only come in at lunch when there is a waitress, or you can come in at night and take your turn at bat,"

"So, is Archer going to have the money to start a residence center from the ground up?" Jerry asked.

"He doesn't have to start it from the ground up The Hazelwood has all the fixtures in place. It's gonna be 'you supply the junkies and just add water' kind of thing."

"Well that part is true. Do you have any interest in the rehab center?"

"Not a nickel invested or donated." I admitted.

"Good, tell me this, did you and Archer have a thing?"

"That is none of your business," I replied.

"Well that is an answer. He described you as a bi sexual, submissive type lover, is that true?"

"He actually told you that?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes, of course it did take a little prompting."

"Why in the world would you prompt him? Anyone in town would have told you I screw around. And why the interest anyway?"

"But do they know you are a submissive?" he asked.

"I'm not a submissive, but I can pass," I replied. "So are you in the life, or are you doing a paper for some professional journal?".

"I dabble. Like you, I can also pass."

"I see, so are you going to take the job?"

"Archer doesn't have the funding yet. What he wanted was an 'if you get the money. I will come' kind of thing."

"So if he gets the money, will you cum?"

"Conditionally. I agreed yes."

"Good for you, this town needs another downtown draw even it if is junkies," I suggested.

"You really are cold, aren't you? I mean cold in your real life. Does that mean you are hot in your sex life?"

"It means I am what I am, and don't pretend to be anything else in any of my lives," I said it with a smile which I hoped was mysterious.

"What's it like to kill a man?" he asked.

"From sex to death, is there some kind of symbolism there?" I asked.

"Maybe there is. but I didn't think of that when I asked. I'm curious not many women kill a man and then avoid prison. At least not ones I can ask about it. My guess is the Russian was not your first."

No, he wasn't the first, but I do hope he was the last."

"So do you have nightmares?"

"Yes I have nightmares, but not about the Russian."

"What do you have nightmares about then?" he asked.

"Am I going to get a bill for this session," I asked. I looked up to see Mike with what appeared to be a cell phone pointed at me. He was filming us and probably recording the conversation as well, since I was still wearing my hidden microphone.

"No charge, so who is in your nightmare?"

"An Afgan child, a little girl. The Taliban decided to make an example of her. A kind of message to her friends and family. Don't talk to the Americans or death will be a blessing."

"Was it an awful sight?" he asked.

"It was bad enough, so that I still see her in the nightmare," I replied.

"Did you find the man or group who did it," he asked.

"Not me, but a forward air controller, an air commando if you will, painted a shack with a laser marker that very same night. Sometime in the early morning hours a missile found them. They didn't count on her mother telling me where they were. She wasn't nearly as terrorized as they hoped. Men just don't get how just gut level pissed off a mother can get. If the Afgan men had a mother's courage, the Taliban would be exterminated in a month."

"So you didn't kill the bad guys?"

"No, I just worked out a trade so that the commando painted the house. I did get to go to the shack the next day and spit on the bodies."

"Do you have PTSD?" he asked.

"You really know how to change the subject. No, I did my time in counseling while I was recovering from a bit of misplaced steel." I looked over his should to see Jim push the cafeteria tray with our food, and a small pitcher of iced tea down the counter. "Turn around and get that tray please."

The Doc did just that. I went to work on the chopped barbecue and coleslaw. "This is really quite good," he admitted.

"I'm glad you like it," I replied.

"Not a very romantic place for a date though,"

"Well this isn't a date, now is it? You wanted to know, if the preacher really had the inside track on that grant. I'm telling you that he does. I have no idea the exact status, but I know he has people in Washington trying to get it through."

"Well, I'm not going to turn in my notice," he admitted. "But I will sign a letter of intent."

"You need to ask Jennifer, but I expect that will be sufficient."

"So how about you come back to my place for a drink?" he asked.

"I have a better idea, why don't you come over to the Cop Out and have a drink."

"Is that where you usually hang out?" he asked.

"No, it's where I go when I need a drink."

"Sure, why not?" he asked.

"Why not indeed," I replied. Seconds later I saw Mike on the phone. I figured he was going to pass me off to Gwen. Most likely I would find her waiting for me at the Cop Out. She would probably be with Lucas.

"What a dump," the doc said.

"Well, I'm not holding you against your will. You do have a car in the parking lot."

"I didn't mean it like that. Just that it isn't what I am used to," he said.

"You really are making it worse. Why don't you just leave."

"Like hell i will."

"Then let me introduce you around." He just smiled at the prick. I carried him from table to table and introduced him to the cops, nurses, and emts. He seemed to be enjoying it. He should have enjoyed the attention of the nurses and female emts at the very least. They were all over him, when I introduced him a doctor.

"Go dance with some of the nurses," I suggested, when we were seated.

"You wont be upset?" he asked.

"Not at all," I assured him. "Try the redhead, she can't keep her eyes off you."

While Doc Jerry danced with nurses, I got a good look at Gwen and Lucas. She kept her eyes on me, even while Lucas whispered in her ear. She was professional enough to keep an eye on business, even though Lucas was busy trying to distract her.

I slipped out of the club while Doc Jerry was dancing with a washed out looking blond from the ER. The drive home was always a pain, It is dark as a serial killers heart in the country at night. I did have a motion triggered light at the gate thank god. It was there for me, not the camera but it worked for both of us. When my car approached, the light came on. Then I let the gate opener worked its magic. A few minutes later I was walking into the door of my place.

I was almost naked, when I remembered that I was most likely being watched. I resisted the urge to make a universal gesture of contempt toward the camera. Instead I slipped the long tee shirt over my bra, then worked the bra off under the shirt. I crawled into bed still wearing my panties.

I couldn't sleep so I masturbated under the covers. I had no idea whether I was being watched or not. Even if I were, they most likely couldn't tell for sure. I was noisy as i got close to orgasm, but I didn't care there was no sound. It wasn't until the next morning, that I remembered the hidden microphone in my clothes. It was possible that they would hear me after all when they ran the tapes. After the moderately strong orgasm, I fell almost immediately into a deep sleep.

When I awoke the next morning, I took a shower and almost forgot about the camera again. I hadn't even thought about Lucas seeing me, but Gwen and Mike were talking about showing my ass to the world. I did the walk about the room in a towel rather than naked, as I had so many times before. Those times Lucas might well have been watching.

I wore just the towel while I started the coffee. While it brewed I dress as i usually did, except I did turn away from the camera. It least that hid my boobs and bush.

I filled my large delta cup with coffee, then left the cabin quickly. I hated that camera thing, but I had agreed to it. I drove the cruiser home the night before, so I had no choice but to drive it to the office that morning. I stopped by the local Hardee's for a biscuit. I didn't open the wrapper until I got to the office. I munched on the crispy biscuit with a scrambled egg, while I waited for the others to arrive and the day to really begin.

The second day with the Pros from Dover started out with me waiting for them. I didn't have any real plans. It was to be a day with just more of the same boring crap, so I didn't mind waiting.

"At your service,"I said into the office phone.

"My god Maxine is that how you are going to talk to me?"

"No Jen, I'm sitting at my desk. I don't have caller ID here. I thought you were a client."

"Well hell, I am a client. Marty told me to keep an eye out for anything fun that I could send your way. He is willing to pay the freight in order to get his little show off to a roaring start."

"I am not going to fake shit just for his stupid show. Nor am I going to do anything to endanger my people, just so we can look cool for him. I do things the smart way, not the violent way."

"We know that, it's why he wants you for the show. He could hire an actress to play wonder woman and give him blow jobs on the side."

"So what's the gig?"

"You are going to love this one. It's a recovery, not just the notice this time. You are going to pick up the item."

"And what is this item you that are so mysterious about."

"On no bitch, first you have to let me tell it my own way."

"Well at least get on with it before I fall asleep."

"Corporal James A. Dewey enlisted in the United States Army two years ago. This is all according to his mommy, who is my pro bono client. Actually like I said Marty is paying the bill for it."

"Get on with it Jen. I might be too old for the job at the rate you are going."

"Dewey is off for his first tour of duty in the big sandbox, when his wife decides she just don't love him anymore. Sounds like a country song don't it."

"One I have heard way too many times from some crying soldier," I replied.

"Well she took everything of course," Jen added.

"Of course,"I replied.

"Dewey wasn't rich and they didn't have much, so he don't give a crap about the money or the crummy furniture, but Dewey and his dad restored a 1966 for mustang 2+2 what ever that is."

"Nice ride," I admitted.

"So she took off with the car. Now that car was his before he married her. Not gonna be community property, if I can get a friendly judge, and when haven't I been able to do that."

"Jen, that isn't hard. When you were between husbands, you screwed all of them."