The Rain
By Maximilian Cummings
Part I
The rain lashed down on a grey and very wet London. The heavens had opened and it had simply poured and poured. Amy and Susie stood huddled together in a doorway cold and, literally, soaked to the skin.
Amy and Susie had worked hard all morning at ‘Pullen Wagstaff’ and, as they usually did, had slipped out for a sandwich. The autumn had been warm, even hot, and they had talked as they had walked along about the unseasonable weather and ‘global warming’. It had not looked like rain. Having left the office without coats or an umbrella they had got caught by the sudden change of weather. The girls had gone a little further afield than they usually did for their sandwiches and as they left the shop the first drops of rain had fallen. They had laughed it off but a hundred yards later it was not so amusing. The rain had come down in torrents, first wetting their hair and shoulders then everything. Puddles had quickly formed in the road and a passing cab, coming fast and close to the kerb, had shot most of a puddle over Amy’s trousers, drenching them.
Their clothes wringing wet, the pair had sought refuge in the doorway of an old Victorian house converted to flats or, as the up-market estate agents might put it, ‘apartments’. It had not offered much shelter but it was something. They had huddled there cold, miserable and of course wet. A soggy packet of sandwiches clasped in one hand, a handbag in the other. Susie’s tee shirt clung to her showing clearly the shape of her body. The fashionable gap between shirt and trousers felt wet and cold to her. Droplets of water could be seen on the exposed skin and goose pimples were prominent. She was cold and unhappy. Amy’s cream blouse had become almost completely transparent showing her lacy bra, through which, if you looked closely, and certainly Susie could see this, Amy’s nipples stood out cold and hard.
The rain continued to lash down.
“What are we to do, Susie? This is dreadful.”
“We can’t go back to the office like this,” said Susie looking at Amy’s sodden blouse, “you’d never hear the end of it from Kelvin.”
“What do you mean? ”
Susie gestured at Amy’s chest.
Amy understood and nodded. “Ah, girls in wet blouses. Yes, the boys’d love that wouldn’t they just! The rain’s going on and on, look at those black clouds.”
As they stood there they noticed, coming carefully down the street through the rain, a figure with an umbrella. As he came closer he crossed the street towards them, looking carefully first to his right and then to his left, and walked up the steps to the door where the girls were sheltering.
The man, noticing the girls, raised his hat, “Dear me! You ladies are simply soaked by this beastly rain. You look blue with cold. Dear me!”
Under the cover of the porch he lowered his umbrella and fumbled for his key. “Come inside, come inside out of the rain,” he said opening the door to a dry hallway.
The girls looked at him. He was very smartly dressed, immaculately dressed might have been a better description. Grey chalk stripe suit, trousers pressed, gold chain from his waistcoat pocket. He was old but looking well. Neat grey hair over a clean shaven face. No spectacles but liquid grey eyes under grey eyebrows. He smiled in a way the girls saw as kind and pleasant.
It looked warm inside and certainly dry. He looked harmless. They followed him in.
“I live on the first floor, a flat you see.” He lead them up the carpeted stairs and unlocked his door. It was dark wood with a reddish tinge, perhaps mahogany, with a brass handle and brass escutcheon.
“Would you like some tea or perhaps coffee?” He lead them into his kitchen and motioned for them to sit down as he filled the kettle and switched it on.
“Tea please.”
“Oh yes, tea please, that would be just lovely.” Susie could hardly keep her teeth from chattering.
The old man looked at the damp pile of paper that Susie had put on the kitchen table, the rather sad remains of her lunch in its paper bag.
“Perhaps some toast, some luncheon? Oh, dear, no this really won’t do, no you are both soaked to the skin.” He looked at them keenly.
“I could, I suppose, yes that would be best, if I was to get you some big bath towels and run a hot bath, I could put your wet things in my tumble dryer whilst you got warm and then with some tea and a spot of luncheon you’d be alright again for the afternoon.” He poured a little boiling water into a teapot, poured it out and then took down a jar labeled “Tea” and put three large teaspoonfuls of tea leaves into the pot before switching on the kettle again and filling the tea pot.
“Whilst that is brewing I will run your bath.” He hurried off and Susie and Amy looked at each other.
“What a funny man, what a funny way to make tea. I’m dying for a cup. Isn’t he nice?”
“I suppose it’s alright, Susie, after all he’s old?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well being in his flat and he wants to dry our clothes.”
“Warm clothes again...please!”
They heard the sound of a bath being run and the old man hurried in again. He poured some milk into cups and set them complete with saucers, teaspoons and a sugar bowl on the table before pouring out the tea.
“I’ve put two towels on the chair in the bathroom. Just you take your tea in there and put your wet clothes outside the door and I’ll dry them. Oh dear, you do look cold.” He smiled across at them. “Is the tea alright?”
“Oh yes, you are very kind but really we can’t...”
“Of course you can. How awful for you to get caught in the rain. I haven’t seen it come down like that for a while. It really was raining cats and dogs. I almost got caught but I nipped into a shop, bought a brolly and came home. Whilst you are bathing I’ll see about some luncheon.” He hurried out and the girls heard the taps being turned off. The girls sipped their tea and looked around the old man’s kitchen. It was very neat and tidy.
“Right all ready,” said the old man sitting down and taking his cup, “just put your wet clothes outside.” He smiled at them in a friendly way.
Amy and Susie carried their tea into the bathroom. It was an old fashioned bathroom. A large bath on feet stood next to a wide wash basin. On a cane chair were piled two large white bath towels. The bathroom was warm and comfortable. Steam rose from the bath and a strong scent of eau de cologne came with the steam. Amy locked the door.
“Well I wouldn’t have expected to be having a bath half an hour ago. Who’s first, Susie?”
Susie peeled her tee shirt over her head and undid her jeans, “He is nice, did you see those yellow flecks in his eyes, and the way his eyes crinkle up as he smiles. What a lovely manly scent that cologne.” She breathed deeply drawing the steam and scent into her lungs. Her chest expanded as she breathed in. Undoing the clasp of her bra she let it fall to the floor. She slipped out of her panties, picked up her clothes and folded them neatly.
“Come on Amy, get those wet things off and put that towel round you.” Amy undid her blouse and peeled off her wet bra. It was so wet it stuck to her skin. She folded them with Susie’s clothes before removing her trousers and panties. Wrapping herself in one of the warm towels she picked up the clothes, undid the door and peaked out. The old man was not to be seen. She put the wet clothes on the floor and slipped quickly back into the steamy warmth of the bathroom.
“He wasn’t out there Susie. I was a bit worried he’d be trying to see us.”
Susie laughed at her and stepped carefully into the bath and sat down. “Ooh its lovely and warm. What a lovely big bath, there’s room for two.” Amy looked at her. “No, I didn’t mean you should get in too! That would certainly impress the boys back at the office!” They laughed together.
“Mmmm I feel really relaxed already. Don’t you Amy?”
Amy sat on the chair in her bath towel. “Yes I feel a lot warmer, a lot better, a bit sleepy even. I love that bath oil, that eau de cologne smell. Love that cologne, love that cologne...”
“Yes it’s lovely, a strong scent not quite eau de cologne, Amy, I could close my eyes and go to...”
Outside the bathroom the old man picked up the girls’ clothes and took them back to his kitchen. He opened the tumble drier and put the wet clothes in one by one. With his carefully manicured hands he stroked the girls’ brassieres. He smiled to himself and took a sip of tea.
Amy sat with the white bath towel wrapped around her on the cane chair. She sat motionless seemingly asleep. In the bath the steam rose around a pink Susie. She too seemed asleep. The extractor fan suddenly came to life drawing the steam out of the bathroom. Outside the bathroom door stood the old man, his finger on the extractor switch. He waited patiently for a few minutes and then turned the screw to unlock the bathroom door. He stepped inside and smiled. His eyes were drawn to Susie’s naked body. Her large breasts and the fair curly hair around her sex, it was slicked back by the water and her slit was clearly visible.
“My dears, I am so pleased you came in out of the rain. Now in a few minutes you will hear me go out of the bathroom door and you will wake up and continue your bathing. When finished you will come out wrapped in your bath towels and have lunch with me. Being just in bath towels will not worry you. You will feel, as perhaps you already do, kindly disposed towards me for rescuing you from the rain. You will feel warmly towards me and when you leave you will talk about me and want to come and visit me again. You will become increasingly interested in my well being, whether I have a lady friend, whether I have a good sex life and, this is particularly important, will want to ensure I do have a good sex life by helping me with your own bodies. You will listen to my suggestions and come to follow them as if they were your own ideas. Apart from my instructions you will, of course, not recall me coming into the bathroom. Dear girls, id you understand these instructions?”
Despite seemingly asleep both girls answered in dreamy voices. The old man got them to repeat their understanding of his instructions.
“Excellent, my dears, now you will need to put some more hot water into the bath after I leave.”
The old man looked again at Susie’s naked form, tidied away the bottle of not quite eau de cologne which, in his haste to run the bath, he had left on the washbasin, and walked out of the door. There was a click as he re-locked the door..
“Amy I think it’s your turn, let me put some more hot water in first.” Susie got up glowing from the bath, the water cascading from her and bent to turn on the hot water tap.
“Please, am I dying to get in that water or am I not? Funny the tea has gone a bit cold.”
The old man looked up as two much pinker and warmer girls padded into the kitchen in bare feet wrapped modestly around with white towels. He tried not to think about their warm pink bodies under the towels still a bit damp from their bath.
“Here you are. Now sit down. I have made some eggs on toast. Would you like a bit of Tabasco on top? Now I don’t know your names. My name is Owen Brightly.” Amy and Susie introduced themselves.
The scrambled eggs on toast were delicious. Now that they were warm and dry, and given their delayed lunch, they were rather hungry. They chatted away about themselves, their jobs at Pullen Wagstaff and, of course, how awful the rain had been. The old man smiled at them, nodding and listening intently to their talk.
Lunch over, the old man, took their dry clothes out of the tumble drier and to their surprise set up an ironing board and neatly ironed and folded their clothes. “There you are, all ready for you, just leave the towels in the bathroom.” The girls took the neat pile of clothes and soon returned dressed once more in their clothes now comfortable and dry.
“Mr Brightly, you have been so kind, thank you very, very much indeed. We must be getting back to work now.” Outside the rain had gone and the sun was shining on the puddles and wet pavements.
The old man saw them to the street door. “Do come and see me again if you are passing. Goodbye Amanda, goodbye Susannah.” He closed the door and smiled to himself. He foresaw some pleasant days ahead with Amanda and Susannah.