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She sat next to Tom but couldn't help glancing at Josh from time to time, wondering if she was doing the right thing in letting him share their house. For his part, Josh was aware of regular looks from Lucy and, though he couldn't be certain, he was worried that his indiscretion had been discovered. At half-time, Josh made his excuses and retired to his room.
Being a light sleeper, a habit he had developed from sleeping rough, Josh awoke in the night to sounds emerging from the main bedroom; he strained his ears and realised he was eavesdropping on the sound of Tom and Lucy's love-making. He pulled the covers over his head and endeavoured to get back to sleep.
In the morning he was awoken by a knock on his door. After he confirmed he was decent, the door was opened by Lucy brandishing a cup of tea. She set it down on the bedside table before brusquely telling him they needed to talk once he was up and dressed. He drank his tea while contemplating the discussion that was to follow - from Lucy's attitude and tone, he knew she had discovered the panties. He quickly showered and got dressed before descending the stairs in dread of what was to come.
He found Lucy waiting for him sitting at the kitchen table - the pair of lacy blue panties lying on the table in front of her.
"You recognise these, I take it?" she stated as he entered the room.
"Christ - I'm so sorry Lucy - I don't know what came over me - I'm so sorry, especially after everything you've done for me. Do you...... do you want me to leave?"
To Lucy, he suddenly looked a pathetic shadow of the boy she had known. It dawned on her that what he had endured over the last five years had changed him considerably - he was no longer the boy she had fallen in love with. She had been seriously considering chucking him out but seeing his remorse and with her realisation about how life on the streets had changed him, she decided to give him a second chance.
"Take a seat Josh. I can't say that I'm not shocked and disappointed in your behaviour but if you promise nothing like it will ever happen again, I'm prepared to give you a second chance."
"You have my word Lucy - I can only apologise and assure you that nothing like this will happen again. You have been so good to me, taken me in, fed me, clothed me - I owe you so much and I'll repay every penny as soon as I get employment."
"Okay - we'll put this incident behind us - switch the laptop on, let me have a look at your cv," she said.
An hour later, Lucy had been through his cv, making several amendments and enlarging on the gap in his cv between his school years and the current day.
"You have to be honest about it, Josh," she explained, "If you try to come up with some cock-and-bull story to fill in the missing years you are leaving yourself open to being found out and proven to be a liar. I imagine most employers would be quite sympathetic to what happened to you and the fact that you have turned things around and are now seeking employment could come across as quite impressive. Plus, let's not forget, you have great grades from school which prove you are intelligent and hard-working."
With that, she got up and left him to his job search, as she gathered her things together to go to work.
He split his day up, spending two hours going through the various posts advertised, registering with agencies, doing some on-line skills tests - thank God he had been a natural when it came to IT he thought. He took a break, helping himself to some juice from the fridge and sitting down in the living-room, watching some daytime tv, till he got bored with the junk that was on offer. Then he went back to the laptop and continued his job-search.
That night when Lucy came home, she checked that he was okay before announcing that she was going up for a shower. As she undressed, she deliberately left her pink, silky panties in plain view on the floor before she showered, towelled herself dry and went to the bedroom to put fresh clothes on. Returning downstairs, she went into the kitchen to prepare dinner - "Should be Tom's night," she told Josh - "but he has been asked to work late on his current case." She suggested Josh take a shower and that a glass of wine would be waiting for him once he had freshened up.
Entering the bathroom, Tom immediately spotted the panties and knew that Lucy was testing him. He picked them up, resisting the temptation to sniff them and placed them on top of the laundry basket. He showered quickly, not wanting his urges to get the better of him and wrapped a towel around himself to dry off in his own room.
Returning downstairs, sure enough, there was a nice cold glass of Pinot Grigio awaiting him. He picked it up, thanked Lucy and went into the living room, switching on the tv. About three-quarters of an hour later, the front door opened and Tom walked in.
"Wow - something smells good," he announced.
As Josh turned in his chair to look out into the hallway, he saw Lucy walk into Tom's arms, "And it wasn't the food I was talking about," he continued, as he buried his face into her neck and started to kiss her. Josh quickly turned away, slightly embarrassed to be eavesdropping on their show of affection.
When Tom disappeared upstairs to change, Josh got up from his seat and took his empty glass into the kitchen.
"I'm happy to take turns at the cooking if you want. I know I haven't had the chance over the last few years but it's one of those skills you never forget and who could forget my beans on toast?" he joked, smiling at Lucy, who seemed to have forgiven his indiscretion.
"Well, if you're sure Tom - that would be nice. Let me show you where everything is and you can surprise us tomorrow with your culinary skills."
As she gave him a tour of the kitchen cupboards, they frequently brushed against each other. Uncertain whether he was doing it deliberately or not, Lucy tried to steer wide of Josh whenever she could, but she couldn't deny the little sparks that shot through her body when his hand accidentally grazed her breast as she turned suddenly to show him where the plates were kept.
For his part, Tom was wondering whether Lucy was deliberately manoeuvring around the kitchen to ensure that their bodies came into contact. He was aware of the growing lump in his jeans but tried to keep it out of Lucy's view in case she took umbrage at the sight of it. When the tour was over, he swiftly left the kitchen and went to his room to masturbate, the relief flowing through his body as he shot his load into a tissue from his bedside table.
Returning downstairs, he found Tom in the living room and offered to get him a drink.
"Sure, a nice cold beer would be great," responded Tom, "Have one yourself, if you want."
There seemed a difference in Tom's attitude, much to Josh's relief.
"Nah - thanks but I've had a glass of wine already - got the taste for that - maybe another night," he answered, as he went to the kitchen, returning shortly after with a cold bottle of Budweiser.
Sitting down in the armchair that he had been using, he was pleasantly surprised as Tom showed interest in his day's job-hunting endeavours and even suggested a few smaller "boutique" job-agencies that Josh had neither heard of nor seen any sight of on-line. He made a note of them on a scrap of paper and thanked Tom profusely for the suggestions.
Soon, Lucy was calling them into dinner and the two guys joined her at the dining table where a lovely beef stew with mashed potatoes was awaiting them. A glass of Pinot Grigio was awaiting Josh and a fresh bottle of Bud was sitting on the table for Tom; Lucy was already sipping at her glass of Pinot as the men sat down.
This meal was far more amicable than the previous night and Lucy smiled as she watched her current and former lovers getting on so well. She was glad that she had given Josh a second chance - this thought reminded her to check on her panties in the bathroom after dinner - and she hoped this was evidence that the three of them could live together harmoniously for as long as it took Josh to get on his feet.
When the meal was over, Josh offered to load the dishwasher and clean the saucepans - an offer which Lucy gladly accepted. Moving with Tom towards the living-room, Lucy told Tom there was something she needed to do upstairs and would join him shortly. She made her way up the stairs, praying that she would not encounter a repeat situation from last night. Looking at the floor where she had left her panties, she noticed that they had been moved; getting concerned, she turned to the laundry basket to see them sitting on the top of it. Picking them up, she felt them and sniffed at them; satisfied that they were in the same condition as when she had taken them off, she returned downstairs, a huge sense of relief washing over her.
As she reached the bottom step, she almost bumped into Josh who was about to ascend the stairs.
"Why don't you join us and watch some tv?" she enquired.
"Thanks, but if you don't mind, I'd like to spend some time practicing some new tunes on my guitar. You know how much I like to play," he responded.
"Sure - I hope one evening you'll play for me and Tom - you sounded really good from what I heard on the street - even better than I remembered."
"Yeah - maybe when I get to know him a bit better. Tonight was good but we are still virtually strangers - I'd like us to become friends if possible."
In his room Tom took his guitar in hand and, sitting on the bed, started to play some tunes he had been meaning to learn over the last few weeks. He went over and over the difficult sections until he had them down to a tee, then he started to play a string of songs as if he were still on the street entertaining the passers-by. It had only been two days but he missed playing guitar for the public, even for the pittance that he got back in return.
Time had flown and he was still playing his tunes as Tom and Lucy ascended the stairs on their way to bed. Stopping in her tracks, Lucy grabbed Tom's arm and made him wait for a while on the landing as they listened to Josh's playing. After a couple of songs, Lucy knocked on Josh's door, advising him that they were off to bed and asking him to stop playing.
The next few days followed a similar pattern for Josh; job applications, checking his emails for responses - which were few and far between - some down-time as a break from the computer screen and honing his guitar skills. On the Friday, he got excited when he was invited for a job interview; he polished his shoes, ironed a shirt and dressed in his new suit. He found the interview difficult, not having had one since he applied to university and struggled with some of the questions. When he left, he felt quite deflated and checked his pockets for what money he had left over from his days of busking. He calculated that he had sufficient for a drink and decided to console himself with a pint in one of the many pubs.
The first one he came across looked a bit rough and ready but, he reasoned, having been a "down and out" till quite recently, who was he to be choosy. He went through the main doors and approached the bar, ordering a pint of lager from the attractive barmaid. While he was waiting for his pint to be poured, he read a poster behind the bar about live music every Friday and Saturday evenings. He took the pint from the barmaid, who introduced herself as Amy, and paid her, before enquiring about whether they were looking for any new acts for their live music evenings.
"You'll have to speak with the manager," she informed him, before she called through a doorway behind her "Geoff - there's a guy here wants to know if you want any new acts."
Moments later, a giant of a man came through to the bar. He was, Josh estimated, at least six foot six, broad chested and with arms that looked like they could lift three beer barrels each. He had a rugged face, with a ginger beard and moustache.
"So, young man, what is it you do? You part of a band or a solo act?" he asked.
Taking a sip of his pint, Josh introduced himself and told the manager that he played guitar, as a solo act and that he had quite a wide repertoire.
"Bring your guitar this afternoon - can you make three o'clock? We'll have a listen to you, see if you are what we're looking for."
After finishing his pint, Josh hurried home, his spirits lifted. Although the job interview hadn't gone well, he was looking forward to the audition. Once indoors, he rushed up to his bedroom and started practicing the numbers he was going to play. At half past two, he put his guitar in its case and walked to the pub. When he arrived, the door was locked and he had to knock to gain entry.
He was guided through to a room at the back of the pub, where there was a stage and a microphone. There were four other people in the room, excluding himself and Geoff, the manager. Geoff told him to go on stage and start his audition, after which Geoff joined the other on-lookers.
Feeling slightly nervous for the first time since he had arranged the audition, Josh took his guitar out and opened with "The Streets of London", running through You're so Vain, Yesterday and Killing Me Softly before Geoff held his hand up to stop him.
"You don't sing, lad?" he asked.
"Only if you want the bar emptied," responded Josh.
"Okay, hold on a moment."
As Josh watched, Geoff turned and spoke with a young woman behind him. The next thing he knew, she was walking towards the stage.
She stood next to where he was sitting, "I'm Shannon, what you playing next?"
"I was going to do "Sultans of Swing" - that's if he wants me to continue," said Josh, as he eyed up the newcomer. Her shapely legs, encased in a mini-skirt, her flat stomach on show underneath her tight black belly top. His eyes noted her nipples prominent under the thin material, making it obvious that she was not wearing a bra - finally, his eyes reached her face - pretty with dyed blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.
"Well, it took you a while but you finally found my face," her tone mocking him as she looked down at him, "Geoff wants me to accompany you vocally - the punters hear like to hear singing - especially if the singer is as sexy as I am."
"Do you know the words of "Sultans"?" asked Josh.
"I know most of them - I'll get them up on my phone and wing what I don't know; just give me a moment."
As she searched on her phone, Josh took the opportunity to appraise her again. He found her incredibly attractive physically but her attitude, her personality, was somewhat off-putting. He classified her as one of those girls who thought too highly of themselves and the song "Love Yourself" immediately sprang to his mind. His chain of thought was broken when he heard her voice.
"I said I'm ready - come on, start playing before Geoff dies of boredom!" she said.
"Oh - sorry - my mind had wandered elsewhere," following which Josh started playing the opening chords of "Sultans of Swing."
He was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Shannon's voice, which differed widely from her speaking voice and Josh noticed that the watchers were soon tapping their feet and smiling at the pair of them on stage. He played a couple more numbers, with Shannon accompanying him, before Geoff said, "Okay - I've heard enough. A slot has come up next Saturday at short notice; the lead singer of the band that was booked has caught covid - are you free then? And I mean the pair of you - so either you both are available or neither of you gets the slot."
Getting down from the stage, the pair of them approached Geoff.
"I can make it," said Josh, full of smiles.
"Wait a minute tiger, we haven't heard how much he's offering yet," said Shannon.
"Well - the going rate is £100 for a three-hour slot," said Geoff.
"You bastard," said Shannon, "I know only too well you were going to pay the band £300!"
"Well, yeah, but there's four of them to split it between - and they've played here before, so I know the punters like them - I'm taking a gamble with you two."
"Okay, so four of them - two of us - we should get at least £150," argued Shannon, "You know we're good together - you just heard us and that was without any time to practice together."
"But..." started Geoff.
Before he could continue, Shannon started up again, "And their lead singer is a guy - you think the boys are gonna prefer his singing to mine?" With that, she placed her foot on a chair, her skirt riding up her thigh exposing the gusset of her panties.
"Okay, okay £150 it is, but you better be good or this will be your first and last gig," agreed Geoff.
As they turned away, Shannon followed Josh to the stage where he was going to retrieve his guitar.
"So, as you were happy to settle for £100, I think the extra £50 should be mine - as I'm the one who negotiated it," she said to him, "Oh - and if any of the punters throw money at the stage, that's mine as well - no-one is going to throw money at you."
Happy to have a gig - hell, he'd have played for nothing - Josh agreed to her demands.
"Do you want to rehearse together before Saturday," he asked, "time is tight but we should be able to fit something in hopefully."
"Stuff that," said Shannon, "I'd rather be out enjoying myself. You send me a list of the songs that you intend playing - it's a three-hour slot - though we do get a half-hour break halfway through and I'll learn the words of any I don't already know. Here's my mobile number," she grabbed a bar mat from a nearby table and wrote her number on it.
"Cool," said Josh, "I'll send you the list tomorrow if that's okay."
"Sure, tiger - if there are any I don't like, I'll let you know."
With that she turned on her heels and made her way out of the bar. Josh watched her till she was out of sight, admiring her figure more than he admired her character.
As he packed his guitar into its case, Geoff approached him.
"I wouldn't even dream about it, son," he said, "Her last boyfriend is a wreck, the way she played him - getting him to spend all his money on her, cheating on him, leaving him destitute as she moved on to her next conquest. Sure, the scenery is nice but it's a dangerous descent from the summit."
"I don't think I even like her," said Josh, "she seems a bit materialistic for my liking but there's no harm enjoying the view is there?"
"No, no harm at all," smiled Geoff, "Just don't let her play you."
"I won't," stated Josh, "She's definitely not my sort."
Returning "home", Josh checked the time as soon as he walked in the front door.
"Jeez!" he exclaimed.
He only just remembered that he had offered to do dinner that evening. He only had about an hour till Lucy and Tom were due home from work. He cursed, having forgotten about it, he had nothing planned. He checked the contents of the cupboards and then got on the internet, checking for easy preparation meals. He settled on Sausage Bolognese, which he reckoned he should have ready shortly after they had arrived home.
Just over an hour later, the front door opened and he heard laughing as Tom and Lucy entered arm in arm.
"Hi Josh," called out Lucy, "What's that lovely smell?"
"It's just Sausage Bolognese," he responded, "sorry, I was going to do something a bit more fancy but I went for an audition in a pub this afternoon. Guess what? I've got a gig Saturday night - it's not just me - there's this singer - a girl called Shannon - so, if you've nothing better to do, it would be nice to have a couple of friendly faces in the audience."
"Wow - you have been a busy boy. That reminds me, how'd the interview go?" she asked.
"Oh - that - yeah, I think the less said, the better," replied Josh; his spirits momentarily lowered.
"Oh well - I'm sure there will be plenty of others. You just need to get back into the practice of interviews," said Lucy, approaching him and kissing his cheek.
