X-Ray Vision Ch. 01: Discovered

"Off to get a job?" She was ready for anything.

"I think, maybe, one more stop? You are young and pretty, and can get away with bare legs. But for a different, perhaps more sedate look, tights or nylons?"

I was no expert, it was more common to see bare legs nowadays. But for first impressions, why not do it all?

Jill bent over, raised a leg, tilted her knee right and left, critically eyeing her calf.

God she looked good doing that.

"I can get some hose at any drug store. They won't last long, but it will only take a moment." She skipped ahead, having spotted a sign on the street ahead.

We arrived, and she paused at the door, then stuck out her hand with a pretty smile. It took me a moment, but I started, pulled a wad of bills from my pocket, handed them over.

Jill was definitely comfortable with treating money as incidental paper now. She didn't count it, just turned and flounced into the shop. She looked good and knew it.

Coming out in less than a minute with a plastic egg in hand, she handed back most of the wad. I'd meanwhile supplemented it with a ten I'd spotted stuck in the branches of a bush, blown there by some stray breeze. Always alert!

She cast about, noticed an alley, hared off. I followed, curious.

Reaching the entrance, she looked at me, hesitated.

"All clear!"

"Let me know if anybody is coming."

We went halfway down. Opening the egg, shaking out the scrap of fabric, she dumped the plastic in a bin behind a shop. Looking at the wall, she frowned. Nowhere to sit, and the wall pretty grimy.

I solved this by putting myself between her and the wall, leaning on it myself and pulling her to me, her back to my front. She was now insulated from the grime, her new suit protected. And a warm bundle up against me.

She got the idea, leaned hard against me, slipped out of one shoe, hiked her foot up, snugged it into one leg of the hose. Once it was bunched on her toe she drew the bundle halfway up, paying it out as she went.

Putting that shoe back on, she did the same with the other leg.

Now standing on her own again, she gently drew the sheer fabric over her knees, up her thighs, wiggled a little when she reached her hips, tugged and snapped until she was comfortable.

Turning this way and that, she admired her legs. Looking up at me, she gave me a critical look. "What do you think?"

I was gawking at her innocent display, my jaw open but no drool actually on my chin fortunately. I shut my mouth with a snap! "Looks good!"

She smiled impishly. "Now, I'm ready!"

Nobody had seen her antics, which was good since I'd been completely distracted.

It wasn't but half a mile to our target, the bail bondsman. On the way I entertained Jill with observations about passers-by.

"Large lady with the dog - has doggy treats in her pocket, but way too big for that tiny dog. I see a bite out of one, that matches her teeth."

"He's got divorce papers in his suit pocket. Ancient, worn, been there for years. Unsigned. Just in case?"

"He's got a pocket-watch in his stomach, mostly corroded away. Probably swallowed it as a child."

The number of butt-plugs I called out amused her no end.

"Maybe I'll get one. Help pass the time in the office."

We laughed easily, two friends out for a walk, a fine fall day. I'd not done this for years, not since I was in High School.

I only mentioned the unusual, the funny, the things I saw that illustrated the foibles of humanity. Most of us were just looking to pass the time, and some folks were pretty creative.

I skipped the corroded livers, the shrunken dark lungs. The worn-out knees and backs and necks and wrists, ground down by labor and accident. No need to burden her.

I did mention the elegant lady in heels, standing in front of a shop window, trembling slightly. The older gentleman a few feet away, well-dressed, seemingly interested in the display but his attention on her.

"He's got a remote in his pocket, his thumb fiddling with a knob. She's got a vibrator inside, small, rubber, in her pussy, shoved way up against her cervix. He can adjust the setting with that gadget."

We just watched for a time, enjoying the show. He'd run the intensity up, up! and she'd shake, put her hand to the window glass, brace herself. He'd turn it down, down and she would breath, leaning heavily, then stand straight again.

And repeat! An exhibitionist out for a fun time, and her handler. Just two ordinary pervs on a fine fall day.

I guess we were pervs too - voyeurs having our fun. Well, Jillian anyway. I couldn't really un-see anything, it was just a fact of life for me.

I alerted Jill "She's going to cum now." I could see the convulsions begin in her uterus, spread to her vagina, her abdominal muscles. He must have noticed too, cranked up the vibrator to the max.

Jill was fascinated, eyes unashamedly locked on the wanton display, the woman staggering on her heels, leaning hard against the glass, face screwed up in ecstatic agony.

"Check out her thigh." There was a stream of juice making its way from her pussy, just appearing to Jill now at the hem of her thigh-length skirt. Making good time to her knee, more drips following the track, becoming a wet slick.

Jill poked me, tore her gaze away. "We stay here, I'm gonna ruin these tights." I glanced down and indeed she was moist, the crotch of the tights absorbing it for now but not for long.

We walked on, her face a little flushed but still full of fun.

"Anything going on upstairs?" Above most shops in this district were offices, but occasionally some apartment. I scanned quickly.

"A couple on the third floor, in bathrobes, taking the day off. Clearly just finished a little morning glory.

That office, the dentist above the shoe store, she's got a drawer full of condoms, and a trash can littered with wrappers. She must service more than teeth.

There! Two stockers in the back of the lamp store, he's laid out on the packing table, pants discarded on the floor, dick in the air, she's riding cowgirl, panties in her shirt pocket.

A little simple rumpy-pumpy, taking their break and making the most of it. He's been working out, she's squeezing his pecs. His eyes are closed, but he should be looking at those tits, really something, right there for the grabbing.

Ooops! He came inside! Now she's mad, she didn't cum. She's climbing down, stomping out. Heading for the women's room.

He's following. He figured out he isn't wearing any pants, his dick flopping around. Going back for the pants.

She didn't put her panties back on. She's dripping his cum from her cunt! All over the floor, splot splot splot, all the way to the bathroom.

Cleanup on aisle three!"

Jillian was laughing, staggering on the sidewalk, enjoying the hell out of my descriptions. I felt like Mark Twain must have felt on tour, on stage, the audience enjoying the show, in his element.

Across the street, two couples, one pushing a baby carriage, cute baby asleep.

"That lady? With the baby carriage? Must be just a couple months old. Well, she's pregnant again. Just a few weeks, but you can tell by the angle of her uterus."

"That's fast! I'd want to take six months off, get the first baby weaned anyway! I don't think I'd need two people sucking my tits at the same time. It'd get sore pretty quick!"

Jillian had become very comfortable with me. Knowing intimate details of strangers, seeing through the façade folks erected daily, getting that shared with you, that could make your outlook pretty raw I guess.

"Had experience with that? Been a lot of guys sucking those tits, have there?" I was being deliberately rude, hopefully teasing like a friend might do, I waited for her reply.

She didn't blink. "A few. How about you? I see by your face, not many. None? Really?!" She was taking my tease, turning it around, running with it.

I punched her in the arm, not hard, just embarrassed.

"Anyway, you can probably tell, right? Nipples all chewed and stretched?"

I took her question seriously. "A mom, hormones change when she delivers, her nipples get bigger, more plastic. But a girl, never had a baby? They are bouncy, tiny, rubbery. They don't get chewed up, no matter how you try."

She digested that, looking at the couples still. "How about the other couple?"

I peered across the street. "Near as I can tell, she's not had any kids. Certainly not pregnant. Ow. That's a pity. She won't have any kids. Her fallopian tubes are kinked, twisted. Must have gotten an infection at some time."

Jill looked concerned. "It'd be pretty hard to tell a girl something like that. What would you say? Hey, my boyfriend says your baby-stuff is broke?" She shook her head. "I can see how it might be frustrating, knowing all this but nothing you can really do."

I nodded, agreeing, but actually stunned by her words. Just a casual remark, sure, but she'd just called me 'my boyfriend'.

That pleased me deeply. Not getting any funny ideas, but clearly she was open to it. At least not weirded out by me. Which was such a wonderful change.

"It's not so bad. I didn't do it, didn't make her sick or anything, and they'll probably find out sooner or later. Maybe they already know. Not really our business, right?"

She nodded, unconvinced.

We arrived. The Thai place was open, the lunch crowd past but a few business types having a late lunch. Only one waiter on duty, young Thai-looking guy, probably a family place.

I stuck my head in the door, "Hey! Your noodles are boiling over!" The kid looked alarmed, made a beeline for the kitchen.

"See? Sometimes there is something I can do about it." I grinned, and got punched in return. But she was smiling again anyway.

We passed the restaurant, went in the grand business entrance in the center of the block. Took a different elevator this time, the one that was already there of course.

The bondsman office had a sign, no window. We stopped in the hall to do some planning.

"So I go in, talk to one of the folks at a phone, ask to see the boss?"

I nodded, agreeable but I had a better notion. "You can do that, maybe she'll see you, maybe not. But it kind of puts you in a category, a person asking for something. They're easily ignored."

I let her think of the better plan. She was young but smart, it took her just a moment.

"I'll walk right through the room like I belong; they won't even think to stop me, just keep at their phones. Go right into the boss' office, make my pitch!"

I nodded harder. "That sounds better! Put yourself up there as a peer, gonna make her life easier, take some of the load off, leave the boss to grow the business!"

She looked serious, thinking, preparing her plan of attack. When she was ready she didn't hesitate, just opened the door, strode in, all professional.

I stayed outside. This was her deal, all hers. I was definitely in a support role, had done all I could.

Didn't mean I couldn't see what she was doing, but I couldn't hear, that made it hard. But I was a master at reading body language, years of seeing the expressions along with the heart rate, breathing, vascular constriction, tensing muscles, posture, all right there in front of me.

It went just like she thought, nobody in the outer office did more than glance at her.

In the boss' office, the boss on the phone, put a hand out for a slip. Noticed Jill wasn't a phone-drone, said something into hers, hung up.

Jill launched right into it. Held her attention, got her listening. The boss was initially wary, arms crossed, leaned back, needing to be convinced.

Jill used her whole body language, gestured at the outer office, mimed being on a phone, mimed being interrupted, counted on her fingers. Pointed out the office window at two empty desks, held up two fingers, then one, then none.

The boss was relaxing, arms went to her side. I saw the moment when she became convinced. Her spine straightened, I could actually see her respond to some of the weight being lifted from her shoulders.

Jill stopped talking exactly when she should have. A good judge of character, and she can't even see into the heart of reality! Just the surface stuff, and still she timed it perfectly.

I knew I'd read the conversation right when the boss stood, reached out, shook Jill's hand. Jill shook back firmly, no wasted motion, the picture of efficiency.

She made another remark, got a reply, nodded good day and left. Strode through the outer office again, not looking anybody in the face, in command of the situation.

I stepped down the hall, pretended I hadn't been 'eavesdropping'. She blew out the door, closed it carefully, and slumped against the wall.

"Well?" I pretended I didn't know.

"Don't pretend you don't know! I got the job! You saw it! I was awesome! I stalked in like I owned the place, all business-like, went right into her office, knocked but didn't even wait.

She was all, who're you? and I was all I'm the one gonna make your life easy, double your business, run that outer office like a well-oiled machine.

She was Prove it, what's wrong with what I'm doing now? And I ran down the numbers, made them up as I went, the interruptions, the empty desks, the hiring distraction, turnover has to be high.

When I had her, I saw it and stopped talking. Nothing I could do then but talk myself out of a job."

I was so impressed, so proud of her. I admit to feeling a little proprietary about my protégé. Impulsively I hugged her, a smile a mile wide. She returned the hug, then did a jig in place, twirled, laughed, put her hand to her mouth.

We moved down the hall so they wouldn't hear too much inside.

"Let's celebrate! How about some Thai?"

She was very agreeable; lunch had been what? two hours ago? A lot had happened since then, and young people get hungry a lot. And of course I could see her stomach was empty, lunch having moved well along.

The waiter noticed us when we sat down, came right over.

He started right in "How did you know? The pot was boiling over?"

I laughed easily. "I can see through walls!" Jill laughed too, easy, friendly.

He was good-natured about it, thought he was being kidded, left it at that.

We ordered pad Thai, a good dish to see if a Thai restaurant knows its stuff. Easy to make; easy to get wrong.

They got it right. Not too sweet; right mix of vegetables; egg and shrimp done but not rubbery. Noodles not hard or gummy, just right. A little heat.

We ate silently for a while, giving the food the respect it deserved. Then Jill sat back, spoke up.

"I start day after tomorrow. Which gives me time to get the other suits, maybe some more underwear, a jacket."

I thought about it, "Some casual clothes too. You can't wear those vacation togs forever."

She made a face. "I want to burn them. Nothing but bad memories there." I agreed, that was best, make a clean break.

"Lets do the shopping on the way home?"

She thought that wise, ready to do something, anything to work off some energy. "Mr. Nguyen doesn't have that kind of stuff?"

"Not the lacy stuff. Khang could fit you with some really nice blouses, slacks. Anything else, sweaters, shorts, shoes we'll have to go someplace else."

"How much do we have available?" She was concerned about money. But not the old way; now it was just, how much do we have on us?

I looked around, took my time, scanned deliberately, carefully. Spotted what we needed.

"Give me ten minutes behind that apartment building, we'll have all we need."

She didn't question, just accepting my skills, respecting me. It felt good.

Tagging along, she helped pull things out of a heap of discarded furniture, clothes, boxed books and so on. The entire contents of an apartment, left behind and ready to be hauled to the dump.

Uncovering the box I wanted, ripping it open, I pulled out a lock box. Found the key in a jar in a box of kitchen stuff, opened the cash box.

Inside was several thousand dollars, bank bands still on the bills, hidden and discarded unrecognized.

"Why is this all here, do you think?" Jill surveyed the detritus of a life, piled at the curb.

"Somebody moved without giving notice; somebody died; somebody got put away. We'll never know. But we saved this from the dump, and will put it to good use."

Jill was all aboard the salvage train now. She was poking through the clothes, but they were all for somebody much wider than her.

I waited while she considered a vase, white glass with daisies enameled around the rim. Decided to keep it. I complimented her on her choice, it was good glass.

The rest of the way home we took our time, visited a few discount stores, a thrift shop, but she quickly gave up, decided to move up the retail ladder.

We went to a department store, visited every department. She made some really good selections, tried everything on, got a trousseau worthy of an office manager.

The store delivered, agreed to pack her vase as well, deliver it with the rest. The fee was exorbitant but what did it matter? Money was to make your life go easier.

Stopping in Nguyen's she greeted Phuong like an old friend, went back with Khang, selecting blouses and slacks.

Khang was happy and animated, pleased to be working with Jill, running her hands over her shoulders, her hips, chatting about color and fashion like sisters.

I talked with Mr. Phuong. He was blunt.

"A new girlfriend? A concubine? A mistress? Now tell me everything."

I colored, and he nodded. "So, just an acquaintance so far. Fine, fine. But don't wait too long. She is a fine girl, very healthy, very young, will make a wonderful wife.

You bring her here too much, and Khang will have her! Yes I know my granddaughter, she is the modern sort. Girls can marry now, that is a fine thing, my Khang knows her own mind. She can be very persuasive!"

A sobering thought. Phuong put his hand on my shoulder, like a father to a son. "You have a gift; but that is just a beginning, a talent to make some things easier. To make a life you must use it, get benefit from it.

But with women, carefully! carefully! Like a gentle songbird, pretty and sweet, but easily spooked. You can't keep her in a cage, so you must coax her, let her want to stay, so she doesn't fly away with another songbird."

He made meaningful gestures to the back room where the girls were laughing, their voices high and sweet, raised his eyebrows, tilted his head.

He knew! Of course he knew. He'd asked me to find missing objects before, somehow knew I had second sight. Respected it, as Vietnamese tradition admitted of such things, gifts from the gods of special insight.

I bowed to Phuong in the Vietnamese way. "Thank you Mr. Nguyen, I will try not to disappoint you." Completely serious, respectful of this elder that meant me only good.

He relaxed, bid me sit at his small table in the corner by his shrine, share his tea he kept hot and ready. Well, Khang kept it hot and ready, because she loved her grampaw.

The girls took a long time back there. How many blouses could they try on? All of them it seemed. No matter. Eventually they made selections, a group effort with Khang coaching Jill gently and expertly.

Jill didn't blink, ordered five each of several blouse styles, slacks in four colors, two of each. Came out, kissed Phuong again, like a devoted daughter, hands on his cheeks. He had the good grace to blush.

Paid my tab in cash, Phuong apologizing for the crass necessity but accepting my bills all the same. Half our remaining cash disappeared in a blink. Left some on account, should Jill need anything unexpectedly.

We made our departure, started the walk 'home', tired and happy.

"I like Khang. She's sweet. Has amazing style sense. And those hands! She can do the finest work."

Jill saw I was alarmed, looked quizzical. I decided to come clean.