The Misogynist Ch. 06

"You want to take care of the fat girl right!"

He could hear the self-deprecation. "What's your dress size? Ten? Twelve?"

"Ten."

"You call that fat? You're not a size six or size four. Yes you're buxom. But you're hardly fat. A little fluffy maybe! Soft in all the right places! No fat is the wrong word. You're built like a woman. You're not a ten-year, you're a size ten. There's a world of difference."

Cheryl shifted her weight on the floor. She wouldn't look at Martin. She couldn't. It was hard for her to believe he had anything to do with what Turner had done to her. "You know Turner made me have sex with other men."

"I know he tried to make you have sex with other men. I've known that from the beginning. I even know who all the men are. They're all the same birds who were at the poker party."

"Why haven't you had sex with me?"

"Cheryl." He was exasperated. "I don't do that. Never did. Not when we were in high school, not in college." He paused to let what he said sink in. "Besides. With you it would be especially bad."

"Why Martin am I that ugly?"

"Cheryl you're not ugly. You're beautiful. I just couldn't do it."

"You feel sorry for me."

"I feel angry for you. I feel sorry for myself."

"What do you mean?"

"I could have, should have stopped this. I could have prevented it. I've wanted you. Yeah! I really have but in a different way. Cheryl I could go home right now and jack off. It wouldn't be that much different than taking advantage of some girl. I want you but it has to mean something. You understand?"

Cheryl was confused. Martin was confusing her. She knew Turner had used her, but she'd tried to hide from it. Martin wasn't letting her hide from his behavior. It was like he'd turned her whole life back upside down. Actually worse! Before Turner she was lonely and alone. Turner came along and she had someone. Now Martin made her lonely and alone again, but he wanted to make her have someone, him. What was she supposed to think? She looked at him. If he had been first, ahead of Turner, she would have been the happiest girl in the world. He just wasn't first. One man had lied, said he loved and took advantage, now a second man, a man complicit in the first man's lies said he loved her too.

What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to think? She looked at him. "You remember not so long ago Turner wanted to see me without any clothes on?"

"Yes I remember."

"You know I was still a virgin then."

"I figured that."

"You remember what you said."

"I remember it all."

"You knew what he was going to do."

"If you think about it, I even told you what would happen. You said you were prepared for it."

"Martin I didn't think it would go the way it did."

Martin wanted to console her. He couldn't. He realized she was starting to come to terms with what had happened. It was costing him his best chance at happiness. "I knew he was setting you up. I knew he'd take advantage of you. I didn't know how far he'd push it. I wish I had known."

"Would you have done anything different?"

"It's too late for that now, but I would not have helped him get you into that hotel room."

"I think you're lying Martin. I think you still love Turner."

"I don't love Turner. I loathe Turner. I loved the idea of Turner. Turner the reality is the lowest form of garbage. He's nothing but a bad dream. Cheryl let's both get past him. I'm ready. Are you?"

"I want to hear what that other guy, the guy you call Ass Hole says."

"If he comes clean will you? Will you try not to hate me? Cheryl, please, if he tells you about the bet, you won't, you know."

"I don't know Martin. I don't know."

This was more than Martin could stand. He reached out and grabbed Cheryl by the shoulders. He pulled her as close as he could. He tried to kiss her, but she turned her head. He let her go. "OK. We'll wait."

She turned her head back around. "Tell me something."

"You name it anything! What?"

"Those men who were at the poker party, you knew they came to the hotel to see me."

"Yes."

"You know none of them touched me."

"Yes."

"Were you the one who stopped them?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I knew you had to get a picture from each one, but I didn't want them to hurt you."

"What did you say to them?"

"I told them the truth."

"You mean about me, and about Turner."

"No, I told them about Turner's game and Turner's bet."

"They believed you?"

"They know me."

"That's supposed to mean something?"

"Yes."

The two of them sat together on the floor. Cheryl dressed in a little see through, Martin in a pair of old denim jeans and tee-shirt. Her trying to figure out how to put the pieces of her life back together, him wishing, praying, she'd find a way to forgive him, and maybe include him in her future.

The doorbell rang. Martin called through the intercom. Come on in Ass Hole! We're on the back porch.

Ass Hole appeared dressed in casual attire. "I'm here for Cheryl."

Martin pointed. "There she is."

Ass Hole leaned down to unfasten the chain holding her to the table but saw it was already loose. Unperturbed he said. "It's going to be a hot time in the old town tonight Cheryl baby."

Martin put his hand on Ass Hole. "There's something I want you to say to Cheryl."

Ass Hole flinched back. "Yeah what?" Ass Hole had this churlish smirk on his face, and Martin couldn't handle it. He jumped on him and punched him right in the nose. Before Ass Hole could retaliate Martin had clobbered him in the jaw and plunged a powerful fist right into the center of his stomach. Ass Hole was bleeding from the nose. His jaw was already twice its normal size, and he couldn't breathe.

Cheryl watched Martin's angry outburst in disbelief.

Martin looked at Ass Hole. "Tell Cheryl about the bet."

Ass Hole responded. "What bet?"

Martin corked him in the right eye, and then sent another powerhouse into his left eye. "Tell her, or I'll turn you into a cripple."

Ass Hole was finished. Never a fighter always a bull shit artist. "Turner and I had this bet he couldn't get you in the sack and then get you to jump in the sack with me before the end of summer."

"What was the bet for?" Martin held his fist over Ass Hole's face.

"Two thousand dollars."

"Who won?"

"Turner won." He looked at Cheryl. "I had to pay him $2,000.00 plus another $1,000.00 because he delivered you before Labor Day. That was an extra $1,000.00 for being ahead of schedule."

Martin backed off. "Tell her good bye."

Ass Hole looked at Cheryl. Through bloody lips he said good bye.

Martin spoke again. "Next time you see Turner tell him you and Cheryl had some good clean nonsexual fun. Don't say anything about me. He'll know anyway. And if I hear anywhere that you've said anything bad about her." He pointed to Cheryl. "I'll find you and break both your legs."

Ass Hole was ready to come clean. He squared his now clearly broken jaw. "Cheryl. Turner doesn't care about you. He hates women. You were a bet. I'll bet he's out right now finding some other girl he can fuck over. He was bragging about some poor bitch named Alexia just last night." He looked at Martin. "That's my story. I'll admit I'm a piece of shit, but what about you Martin old man? What about you?"

Martin gave Ass Hole the thumb. "You're out of here."

While Ass Hole fled Martin turned back to Cheryl. "If you hate me I'll understand, but at least let me get you out of here."

Cheryl wanted to cry. No she wanted to die, or at least disappear. "It's not that easy."

Martin saw the look on her face. "Look Cheryl. You know the truth. You know how I feel. You've got to believe me."

She answered. "No. It's not that."

He interrupted. "Then what is it?"

"I'm a schoolteacher. I take care of other peoples' children. I have my reputation Teaching is all I have."

"He can't hurt you where you work Cheryl."

"Yes he can. You see there's this tape."

Martin tried to console her. "I know about the tape. You and I both know today's date was the final pay off. In a little while he'll have no more hold on you. Your teaching is secure. I guarantee it."

"Martin you're crazy. Turner knows everything. He knew about you before you came today. He bragged about how he was going to fuck you up. He'll ruin you and me. There's nothing anybody can do."

"If I fixed it, if I got it all fixed so there was no tape, no fear of anything getting out, and no more fear of Turner, would you give me a look?"

"Martin I don't know. I'm just too tired to care."

"Look. Let's do this. Let's get you out of this outfit, though you're as pretty as a shiny new penny in it. Let's go out to eat. We'll talk some more. I have so much I want to tell you."

Cheryl nodded. "OK."

"OK what? OK, let's go eat? OK, I'll give old Martin a shot."

Cheryl was ready to just gush forth with an ocean of tears. She held them in. "Let's just eat first."

Martin took what he could get. "Wait here I'm going downstairs and get a pair if snips. I want you out of this stupid collar."

Cheryl waited while Martin got something to cut her out of her collar. He was back with a small tool box. He went to work. It took no time at all. "Like everything Turner." He said. "The collar was made of some really cheap shit." Lifting Cheryl to her feet he wrapped a blanket around her. "We have two stops to make. First I'll run into a Walmart and find something cheap and easy for you to wear. Then we'll go to a real clothier and dress you up the way you should be."

He picked her up, carried her to his car, and settled her in the front seat. In a jiffy they were at a Walmart. True to his word he was in and out in minutes carrying a small bag.

"Here I'll keep a look out while you slip this on. It's only a simple house dress, but it will get us to our next stop."

Cheryl pulled out a simple blue dress, and slipped into it. She noticed it said size twelve. It was a little large.

Down the road they sped till Martin found the clothier he wanted. It was a little boutique set off from the main drag. "I've bought things here before. They have everything. Even make up!" He got out, walked around, and helped her from the car. His courtesy was more than Cheryl was used to.

They went into the boutique together. Martin spoke up first. He used his most quiet and discreet voice so as to draw no attention to himself or to Cheryl. "I have a beautiful lady here who needs a complete make over. She needs underwear, dresses, shoes, stockings, and make up, the works."

For the next hour and forty-five minutes Cheryl and two sales ladies went from item to item to item. They selected brassieres, panties, stockings, shoes, dresses, slips, make up, everything. Cheryl went back into one of the dressing rooms with one of the sales ladies to get prepared.

Martin explained they were going for an afternoon lunch, then back to his house for a rest. Later that evening he was taking her out for a night on the town.

Cheryl came out, and she looked completely different from the forlorn waif he'd first seen at Turner's. She was dressed in a smart looking dark blue business suit. It had a crisp white blouse, a smartly tailored jacket, and very attractive A-line skirt that came to just above her knees. The shoes she had on were dark blue with approximately three inch heels. Her legs were decorated with dark blue nylons.

Make up was sparse. Cheryl had perfect skin, and it was hard to improve on it, but there was a hint of pale pink blush, pink lipstick with a trace of gloss, and just enough blue eyeliner to give her a faintly exotic look. Her hair was done up in a tightly fitting bun with just a few wisps of hair escaping down around her face. She wore the same dark glasses gotten so long ago.

When she walked out Martin whistled. "Boy Oh boy. Are you a dish!" he gave her a crisp smile, then a frown. There's still something missing. While she'd been dressing he'd slipped over to the jewelry counter. He pulled out a couple boxes. Here try this stuff on. In one box was a pair of pearl earrings, a single pearl for each single piercing. Then in a second box came a beautiful pearl bracelet, and the last box hid a magnificent pearl necklace. Last he held out a small diamond wristwatch. "See if this fits."

Cheryl put all the jewelry on and looked in the tall three angled mirror. She had to admit it. There was no denying. Even she had to admit she looked pretty dog on good.

Martin spoke first. "Cheryl you're lovely absolutely beautiful!" As she admired the jewelry he thought to himself. Getting rid of Turner will be easy, getting her to look past his involvement to see his true feelings now that would be daunting challenge. He had to do it. He just had to do it.

It was then that Cheryl noticed Martin had changed clothes as well. He had on a dark blue suit, white shirt, and black wing tipped shoes without any socks. "Where are your socks?"

"Come on." He said. "Socks are for sissies."

They left the boutique arm in arm. Martin was holding on to her like she was some priceless art object. He carried a second set of bags filled with evening clothes for her. All the sales people commented on how radiant the two of them looked. Both Martin and Cheryl overheard one of the sales people comment on how the two of them obviously belonged together. Martin prayed Cheryl would take that comment seriously.