ADF - Sam the Fuck Up

"Samuel, you need to finish up that order before you can leave." His manager says, stopping him before he heads to the back to clock out.

"I'll be late though." Sam whines. "I've only got 15 minutes."

"Where are you going, exactly?" The manager asks.

"Umm... Nevermind." Sam says, flushing, and quickly working to complete the photo order.

"Sorry I'm late, Sam." Sarah apologizes, coming out from the back in a hurry. "I can finish that up."

"Thank you!" Sam says, setting the photos on the counter, and making a beeline for the time clock.

"You'll never make shift supervisor with that type of attitude." His manager calls at his back, before the door closes.

"Never make shift supervisor with that attitude." Sam mutters to himself, in a mocking tone. "Not like you'll have much choice, now that we lost more than half of our staff."

***

Pulling up to the auction location, Sam jumps out of the car, and runs inside.

"Am I too late for the auction?" He gasps out, as he manages to stop himself in front of the check in desk.

"The preview period is nearly over." The older woman at the desk says, her name tag identifying her as 'Rosie'. "But you are still in time to bid. May I see your card?"

Handing it over, Sam fidgets, staring around the room as he waits.

"Looks like you are eligible for one concubine today." Rosie says.

"Oh." Sam says. "Any idea how close I am to getting two?"

"The system doesn't tell me." Rosie says. "A promotion at work usually does it, especially if it comes with a decent raise. I'm sure you'll get there. Just go through the double doors, over there. You may have time for a quick preview."

"Thank you!" Sam says, nearly running through the lobby, throwing the doors open loudly, and drawing the attention of nearly everyone in the room.

"Sorry." Sam says, a bit louder than he intends, and slows down a bit, making straight for the women sitting at the back of the room.

"Hold on there." One of the guards says. "We've only got a few minutes before auction. Is there a particular girl you wanted to preview?"

"I just wanted to look." Sam says defensively.

"This is an auction, for people who are going to buy." The guard says. "If you are just looking, you can leave."

"I'm going to buy." Sam insists. "But I want to look them over first."

"You should have gotten here earlier." The guard says. "You can walk by and take a look, but the auction starts in 4 minutes."

Sam makes his way to the end of the line, looking the women up and down as he passes. Several cute women stand out, and he tries to memorize their faces, mentally assigning a dollar amount to each. Before he can reach the end, the auctioneer's voice sounds. "Auction starts in one minute. Take your seats."

"Damn it." Sam thinks, turning to walk to the front. "I didn't even get to look at them all."

Taking his seat, as close to the front as he can manage, he anxiously awaits the start of the auction.

"Hello Folks, and welcome to the nightly auction. We've got 40 ladies for you tonight, all zero owner girls, no mileage on those tires." The auctioneer says. "First we have a lovely young lady, who formerly worked in real estate. Don't be shy now, get up here."

A dusky skinned woman walks onto the stage, stopping on a spot marked with a X made of tape.

"This young lady says she can help with paperwork in a business, cook, and clean." The auctioneer says. "She's only 26, no kids. Who will give me $250?"

No bids come in initially, and Sam wavers. "She's pretty." He thinks. "But what if one of the prettier girls go cheap?"

The first bid comes in at $175, and she sells for $225.

"Lots more women to go." Sam thinks. "I'm sure I can get one of the really pretty ones."

After a few women in their 30's that don't interest Sam, one of the girls he had his eye on finally gets to the stage.

"Next up we have this gorgeous college girl." The auctioneer reads off his card. "She's only 21, no kids. Let's be honest, you don't really care if she can cook or clean, do you?"

"No!!" is the response that comes back from the crowd.

"Who will give me $500?" The auctioneer asks, and the bidding takes off quickly, rapidly surpassing the $700 that Sam has scraped together.

"Shit." Sam thinks. "Maybe the next one will come in lower?"

After ten more sales, Sam is thoroughly discouraged. "Why are all the girls I want going so high?" Sam mumbles to himself. "It's not fair."

"You just have to lower your standards." The older man sitting next to him says. "All these girls look the same in the dark."

Sam looks over at him, and responds. "I don't want to have to keep them in the dark. I want someone I'm proud to have, not some ugly, fat, old woman."

"Guess you better figure out where to get more money." The old man laughs. "Because otherwise, you'll need to use that light switch."

Angry now, Sam focuses back on the auction, trying and failing to bid on every remotely acceptable woman, but losing all of the bids.

"Only five left." The auctioneer says, much to Sam's chagrin. "Next up we have an office worker. She's 31, and doesn't appear to have many skills that any of you would care about. I'm sure a few of you could teach her a few tricks though, right?"

Laughter goes through the crowd, and Sam looks up from his hands, where he's been hiding his face. The woman on the stage has bronze skin, a face that isn't exactly pretty, but at least isn't awful, and is a bit taller than Sam prefers, but she could work. "Decent tits too, even if they weren't huge." Sam thinks.

"I'll bid if she goes cheap." Sam thinks. Looking over at the remaining women, he realizes that she is the best one left, and probably the only one he would be willing to buy.

"Goddamnit." Sam thinks, bidding almost reflexively, not even knowing what price the auction is at.

"Sold for $300." He hears a moment later, realizing that the auctioneer is pointing at him.

After the last concubine is sold, Sam stands up shakily, more than a bit frustrated at the result. "I should have bid on the first woman." He thinks. "She was cheaper, younger, and prettier."

Making his way to the front, he waits his turn in line, before pulling out cash to pay for his new concubine.

"That'll be $337.50." Rosie says.

"Wait, I bid $300." Sam says.

"Taxes and fees." Rosie says. "It pays for their upkeep while they are waiting to be sold."

"Damn it." Sam mutters, peeling off a few more bills, before handing them to Rosie.

Thoroughly upset now, Sam looks up to see his new concubine being led through the double doors. "Here are her personal belongings." The guard who had confronted him initially hands him a bag.

"Thanks." Sam mutters, a bit aggravated to see that she is actually slightly taller than he is. "I guess."

"Follow." Sam says, walking to the front door, and pushing it open loudly again.

"Can I get my stuff now?" The concubine behind him asks.

"It's my stuff now." Sam says. "Hopefully there is something here that can help me get back my $337.50."

Making his way to his vehicle, a 20 year old 4 door beater, he opens the drivers door, before getting in, and reaching across to open the passenger door. "The handle on that side doesn't work." Sam tells her. "If you ever go anywhere with me, you'll have to wait until I open it from the inside."

"Great." The concubine says, getting in and slamming the door. "Just great."

"Shut the fuck up." Sam says. "I'm so tired of people like you. You think it's easy to barely make it, every single month? You know how long it took me to save up that money? How many lunches I had to skip?"

"You don't look like you were skipping lunches." The woman says.

Growling with frustration, Sam puts the car in reverse, and aggressively pulls out of the parking lot. "Just wait til I get you home." He says. "Then we'll see if that attitude is still an issue."

***

As they pull up to the apartment building, the concubine can't help but laugh.

"What?" Sam asks angrily.

"I own one of these units." She says. "Or used to own it, before all of this. Who knows, maybe I was your landlord this whole time."

"Just shut up." Sam says, struggling to control his anger. "Don't talk."

Moving two fingers over her lips, she makes a zipper noise, and then stares at him silently. "Get out of the car, and follow me inside." Sam says.

Sam throws open the door, nearly hitting the car next to him, and then goes around to the side to make sure the concubine is going to follow. As she approaches, Sam turns, going to the center of the building, and taking the stairs up.

Sam stops at his door on the third floor, fiddling with his keys until he manages to get the right one. Looking up, he sees the woman smirking. "What the fuck did I buy?" He thinks, as he opens the door, and steps inside.

After the woman enters, he shuts the door, takes a deep breath, and says. "My name is Sam. What is yours?"

The woman turns, acting like she was trying to speak, but her lips were sewn together, before shrugging.

"You may speak now." Sam says, frustration beginning to build again, despite his best efforts.

Taking her fingers like before, she reverses the previous motion, unzipping her lips.

"That's so much better." The woman says, exaggeratedly moving her lips and face muscles, as if she was stretching them. "I'm Bella. I'd say it was nice to meet you, but I'm not sure it is, so far."

Sam's hand clenches, and he nearly smacks her, but he manages to restrain himself.

"You really want to hit me, don't you?" Bella asks, eyes on his hand, and not flinching.

"Why are you behaving this way?" Sam asks, trying and failing to keep the anger from making his voice a bit high pitched.

"This is who I am." Bella says. "A piece of plastic around my neck doesn't magically make me a new person. If you had talked to me before bidding, I would have told you that."

"My boss wouldn't let me leave work on time." Sam says. "And the shift after me was like 2 hours late."

"Maybe you should have waited until tomorrow." Bella suggests. "So you could have been prepared."

"I work tomorrow evening." Sam says, voice taking on a wheedling tone. "We are seriously short staffed now."

"Ah." Bella says. "I see. And the drug store probably didn't have many employees to start with, right?"

"How did you know I worked at the drug store?" Sam asks, before looking at his chest, where her finger was pointing. "Oh, the shirt."

"Yeah." Bella says. "It's kind of obvious, if you are paying attention."

"Yeah." Sam says, deflating visibly. "I struggle with that, sometimes."

"I can tell." Bella says. "If I'm going to stay with you, things are going to have to change. This apartment is squalid."

"It's the best I can afford." Sam says defensively. "And you said you owned one of these."

"The one I owned was much nicer than this." Bella says. "I had it totally renovated a few years ago. Tile floors, granite counters, and it didn't smell like old cigarette smoke and dead pets."

"Well, it's what I can afford." Sam says. "And work won't give me more hours. They are keeping me at 32, even with the staff shortages."

"Find a new job." Bella says flippantly. "It shouldn't be hard to find something better than... this." She points at his shirt. "Especially if there is a labor shortage now. What are your qualifications? Did you go to college? Wait, nevermind, I know the answer to that one. If you had, you wouldn't be working part time at the drug store."

"I started college." Sam says angrily. "I just didn't finish. My parents died, and things got rough."

"Rougher than this?" Bella asks, pointing at the stained carpet. "This is one step from homelessness. Do you have a resume? I can work on figuring out what you can do that will pay enough to get us out of this... place."

"You aren't in charge here." Sam says, trying to grow a spine. "I own you, not the other way around. And I want a blowjob."

"Get a new job, and a new apartment, and you'll get one every day." Bella says. "This apartment doesn't exactly excite me, you know, sexually."

"This is bullshit." Sam says. "I paid $337 for you."

"And 50 cents." Bella says. "Every penny counts, when you live here."

Sam growls, stepping forward and swinging at her face. Bella steps back nimbly, causing Sam to go off balance, and stumble.

"Don't do that again." Bella says. "I'm not going to be your punching bag. If you try to hit me again, you'll wake up missing parts."

"You bitch!" Sam screams at her. "I own you. You don't get to talk to me that way."

"I'm a human being." Bella says calmly. "Go get your resume, and if you don't have one, write down your work history, and skills. We can work together to improve your situation, or you can swing at me again, and see what happens."

"God dammit." Sam says, sinking into the couch. "Nothing ever goes right for me."

"You thought I would 'yes, master' you, and give you blowies before bed, while making your lunch, doing your laundry, and cleaning this shitbox?" Bella asks.

"I mean, kind of." Sam says. "I wanted someone to spend time with me. It gets lonely in here, all by myself."

"You should have done your homework, then." Bella says. "If you had shown up at the start of the preview, you could have interviewed all of us, and found someone who was interested in that. Like that first girl. She was just the sweetest thing. Always polite to everyone, and she was cheaper than me."

"Fuck." Sam says, hands going to his hands. "I almost bid on her."

"Why didn't you?" Bella asks.

"I had a few other women I kind of liked more." Sam says. "I was hoping one of them would be cheap."

"And instead you ended up with me." Bella says. "Which is good news for you, even if you don't realize it. If you will get your damn resume, I will work on finding you a decent job. Then you can afford a second girl, and I can help you find someone that actually works for what you want, and you won't have to bring her back to a shitbox like this."

"I'll go get it." Sam says, admitting defeat.

When he comes back from the bedroom with the resume, he finds Bella is sitting at the table with his laptop already open.

"Do you need the password?" Sam asks, handing over the resume.

"I figured it out." Bella says. "Is this your complete work history?"

"Yes." Sam says. "Back to high school."

"What was your college major?" Bella asks, flipping through the multiple pages of the resume.

"I didn't have one." Sam says. "I just took a few core classes."

"Great." Bella says. "We'll leave that off, then. I'll let you know when I need something else. Do you have anything edible here?"

***

"Ok, I've found a few jobs you might be able to get." Bella says from the tiny table in the kitchen. "Turn that off, and come over here."

Sam rises sulkily, coming over to the table, not sure if he wanted her to actually find something, or not.

"Read over each of the open tabs." Bella says. "Each of them is full time, with benefits, and pays more than you make now."

Sam reads them, now fairly certain that he wanted Bella to be wrong more than he wanted a better job. After a few minutes, he says. "Ok, they are better than my job. But could I actually get these jobs?"

"That depends on how much of a fuck up you are." Bella says, and pauses for a moment. "Well? Are you a total fuck up, or are you capable of learning?"

"I'm not a fuck up." Sam says. "I've just had some bad luck."

"You're what? 35? 40?" Bella asks. "And you work part time at a drug store. You are a fuck up."

"I'm 32." Sam says, more than a bit offended.

"Really?" Bella asks, the look of surprise on her face absolutely devastating to his vanity. "Well, I guess you are a bit less of a fuck up than a 40 year old working part time at a drug store. But getting back on topic, yes, you should be able to get any of these jobs. I'm going to apply to them for you, after I redo your resume. I need two references that I can list on applications. Write down their names and numbers on this." Bella pushes his resume across the table, taking back the laptop.

"Umm... I don't really know who to list." Sam says.

"Did your last boss like you?" Bella asks. "Or a former coworker?"

"Not really." Sam says. "They were all assholes."

"What about where you work now?" Bella asks. "Is there a coworker who wouldn't tell the manager if they got a call about you?"

"Sarah, maybe." Sam says. "But most of the rest of them are gone, all that's left are the old ladies, and the store manager, who is a jerk."

"Then write down Sarah's name and number." Bella says. "And talk to her when you can, to explain what you are doing, and to ask her to give you a good reference. Offer to give her a good one, if she wants to use you as a reference, that will incentivize her not to tell people what a fuck up you are."

"Can you please stop calling me that?" Sam asks.

"Fuck up?" Bella asks.

"Yes." Sam says sharply, his frustration clear.

"I'll stop for tonight." Bella says. "And if you stop acting like one, I won't call you that again. But if you keep being a fuck up, it'll come right back out."

"Deal." Sam says.

"So what the fuck gave you the idea that you should buy a concubine?" Bella asks. "You can barely feed yourself, or pay your rent, and your car is going to stop running any day now. I'm genuinely curious, are you just that horny? or lonely?"

Sam sighs and looks, not wanting to answer. After a minute, he looks up, and sees Bella still waiting for an answer. "A guy came into the store about two weeks ago. He had two concubines with him, and at least one of them seemed to actually like him. I asked him how much they cost, and one of them was only $800. I just thought, if I could have someone waiting for me at home, something to look forward to, maybe life wouldn't be so bad."

"Wait, so some guy came in with two girls, and you asked them how much they cost?" Bella asks. "In front of them?"

"Yes." Sam says, puzzled.

"Jesus Christ." Bella says. "Did you ask him if they were good in the sack too? Or if you could borrow one of them for a few minutes?"

"No, of course not." Sam says defensively. "I didn't want to be rude or anything."

"And you don't think the girls were uncomfortable with you asking that while you eyed them up?" Bella asks.

"I didn't really think about it." Sam admits. "I'll admit, my mind was going a thousand miles a minute, thinking about the possibilities."

"About the possibilities of having a sex slave?" Bella asks, not hiding her scorn.

"It was more than just that." Sam says. "The Asian girl seemed to actually like him. The way she looked at him when he asked if I had a problem with them being there. I want someone to look at me like that."

"And you thought that buying me, being an asshole, and then bringing me back to this shithole in your shitbox of a car was going to do that?" Bella asks incredulously.

Sam puts his face into his hands, and Bella says. "Look, I don't think you are a bad guy. But, no offense, you are an idiot who has no idea how to get what he wants. I can help you with all of that."

"Ok." Sam says, hands still in his face.

"Let's start by not hiding, like a child." Bella says, and after he moves his hands, she says. "Tell me about your love life. How long ago was your last relationship?"

"Define relationship." Sam says.

"Exclusively dating one person, for at least 4 dates." Bella says. "Mutually exclusive."

"6 years ago, maybe?" Sam says. "I haven't been dating much, lately."

"Because you live in a shitbox?" Bella asks. "And drive another one?"

"That's part of it." Sam says. "I'm also tired of rejection. You can only hear 'no' so many times, before you'd rather throw yourself into traffic than ask anyone else out."

"So this was the safe route for you?" Bella asks.

"I thought so." Sam says. "Clearly, I was wrong."

"Mostly." Bella says.

***

"Sarah, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sam asks, when he arrives for his afternoon shift.

"Sure." Sarah says, the cute blonde looking around for customers, and then coming closer to him.

"I'm applying for new jobs, and I was wondering if I could use you as a reference?" Sam asks quickly. "I'd be willing to be a reference for you, too, if you need it."

"Umm... Sure." Sarah says, sounding disappointed. "We'll be really short handed without you."

"I know, but I can barely make rent with this job." Sam says. "And it's pretty clear they are never going to promote me. And with my new concubine, I have to make more."

The color drains out of Sarah's face, and she says. "Oh."

"Yeah." Sam says. "She helped me apply for some new jobs last night. She said if I leave, you might be able to use that as leverage for the promotion, since we are so short staffed."

"Umm... Thanks." Sarah says. "I have to go."

"What's going on with her?" Sam wonders, before walking over to the register to help the customer who is waiting.

***

"You idiot!" Bella says.

"What?" Sam asks. "And I thought we were laying off the insults."

"You fucked up, again." Bella says. "The girl had a crush on you."

"Sarah?" Sam asks. "I don't think so. We've worked together for years."

"Let me get this straight." Bella says. "You asked to talk to her, and she made sure you were alone. Then you asked for a reference, and she was disappointed. And you told her about me, and she got upset, and left. Am I forgetting something?"

"No..." Sam says. "Shit, you really think that's it?"

"Either that, or she really hates the idea of people having concubines, or both." Bella says. "I'd put my money on a crush that just got crushed."

"What do I do?" Sam asks. "You already put her down as a reference. And I don't really have any other friends."

"Sam, you are a moron." Bella says. "Call her, and tell her that you are a moron, and didn't realize she liked you. Ask her if you two can talk. If she already knows about this shitbox, invite her over to talk."

"I wish you wouldn't call it a shitbox." Sam says. "It doesn't help."

"It helps motivate you." Bella says. "Go, call her. If she doesn't answer, then send it as a text. Remember, you are apologizing for your stupidity."

Sam dials, and after two rings, it goes to voicemail. Hanging up quickly, he says. "She rejected the call, I think. It only rang twice."

"Then text her." Bella says, trying to be patient. "Let me read it before you send it."

After a few attempts, Bella edits it to be acceptable. "Send it, and we'll see what happens." Bella says. "Hopefully you haven't fucked it beyond repair."

***

The next morning, Sam's text was still showing as unread.

"She had to have seen it by now." Bella says. "That means she swiped it off, without bothering to read it. She must be seriously pissed at you."

"Shit." Sam says. "What do I say when I see her at work today?"

"Nothing weird or creepy." Bella says, giving him a serious look. "If she avoids you, give her space. If she actually talks to you, you can mention that you would really like to talk to her about yesterday, and ask if you can call her tonight, after work."

***

As Sam enters the store the next day, he sees Sarah, and walks in her direction. She says something to the customer she is waiting on, and slips into the back room.

Entering the back room, Sam sees her grabbing her stuff, while trying to work the time clock.

"Sarah, please don't run away." Sam says. "I just want to talk, for a second."

She manages to get the time clock to do it's thing, and walks to the door. "The customer at the counter is waiting on you." Opening the back door, she ducks out before he can respond.

"Shit." Sam says, turning and slowly walking back into work.

***

"I told you to leave her alone, if she was avoiding you." Bella says, smacking him on the back of the head. "Why can't you ever just do what you are told?"

"Don't hit me." Sam says. "And you aren't in charge of me. If anything, it's the other way around."

"I think we both know that's not the reality." Bella says. "And that wasn't a hit. It was a gentle reminder to stop being a fuck up."

"I don't know what to do." Sam says, trying to ignore her use THAT word again. "I don't work with her again for three days."

"Good." Bella says. "Maybe she'll forget you acting weird by then. Give her space. If she's interested, she'll read your text. And if she isn't, maybe we'll find you another job before you get yourself fired for harassing her."

"I didn't harass her." Sam says loudly. "I just asked to talk to her."

"While she was trying to avoid you." Bella says. "It's creepy, and weird. Don't do it again."

"You don't understand." Sam says. "I wasn't trying to be creepy and weird. I just wanted to explain the situation."

"About how your concubine had to explain that she had a crush on you?" Bella asks. "And about how you are so desperate, that you'll do anything to have her listen to you talk about that?"

"I just want her to know that I didn't realize, and that if I had, I would have asked her out." Sam says. "I just didn't even think of her that way, since we work together."

"Yeah, just keep that to yourself." Bella says. "You have an interview tomorrow at 2, by the way. You are welcome. Try not to fuck it up, please. If I have to stay in this shithole much longer, I'm going to jump off the balcony."

"It's not tall enough, you'd just break your legs." Sam says.

"This place is so shitty it can't even kill you right." Bella says. "Total shithole."

"Where is the interview at?" Sam asks, not wanting to engage on the shithole topic again.

"Downtown." Bella says. "It's for the manager position at the storage facility. Easy work that even you can't fuck up, and much better pay. Don't fuck up the interview, please."

"I'll do my best." Sam says. "I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't distracted by the Sarah situation though."

"Get over it." Bella says. "I'll tell you what: If you get the job, I'll watch one of your games with you, like I'm your girlfriend. And give you a blowjob after."

"Really?" Sam says.

"If you want." Bella says. "Of course, if I do, you won't be able to tell Sarah that I'm just here to help you with your finances and job search."

"Fuck." Sam says, mind racing between the thought of getting a blowjob, and the possibility of blowing it with Sarah a second time.

"Fuck, indeed." Bella says. "And no, you aren't fucking me, even if you get the job. You have a lot more self-improvement to do before I'd consider that."

"Do you think Sarah will come around?" Sam asks.

"Probably not, if you pass up the blowjob." Bella says. "And if you get the blowjob, she'll probably knock on your door tomorrow, find out, and never talk to you again. That seems consistent with how things go for you. First, you have to actually get the job. If you don't, it's all a moot point."

"Maybe I can get an IOU on the blowjob?" Sam asks. "And then cash it in, if Sarah doesn't text me back in a few weeks."

"Nope." Bella says. "One time offer. If you pass on it, you'll have to earn another chance, by doing things like moving us into an apartment that doesn't make me want to puke every morning when I wake up."

"Fuck." Sam says again, and sits quietly for a bit.

"Weighing whether the idea of a girlfriend is better than the reality of a single blowjob?" Bella asks.

"Kind of." Sam says, sighing. "I really want things to be ok with Sarah."

"Then turn down the blowie." Bella says. "Easy enough choice, right?"

"Not really." Sam says. "She might never talk to me again, whether I turn it down, or not."

"And then you have to go hide in the bathroom for an extra night." Bella laughs.

***

"What is your greatest weakness?" Bella asks, looking up at Sam over the top of the resume she is holding.

"I'm too honest?" Sam answers hesitantly.

"I'm too honest means I'm a blunt asshole who can't deal with people." Bella says. "You need to come up with something better than that."

"What should I say?" Sam asks.

"I'm not you." Bella says. "If I give you an answer, any decent interviewer will know it's not true. Maybe they won't ask that question. It's a stupid question, anyhow, even if it gets asked all the time. Time's up. Go get dressed, and make sure you use mouthwash one more time right before you leave."

Sam gets up, dread filling him as he heads to the bedroom to find his clothes. "Wear the ones hanging from the door." Bella yells. "And don't wrinkle them. I took the time to steam the wrinkles out of them earlier."

A few minutes later, Sam walks out, looking presentable. "You actually look decent." Bella says. "You should have come to the auction like this. It would have been a much better first impression."

"Your first impression wasn't great either." Sam responds, not recognizing the compliment. "Nude on a stage, with a plastic collar on."

"Yes, well, don't worry about seeing me like that ever again." Bella says, entering the bedroom, and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Damn it." Sam says. "Why do I fuck everything up?"

***

When Sam re-enters the apartment, he finds Bella on the couch, watching TV. She doesn't even look at him when he enters.

"I got the job." Sam says, in an artificially cheerful voice. "That means we can get a better apartment soon."

"We should wait a bit, and make sure you don't fuck up the new job." Bella says. "You are talented at that."

"I won't." Sam says, and adds in a lighter tone. "My pay is going to be twice what I make now."

"When do you start?" Bella asks.

"I told them I can start next week, if they work around my schedule at the drug store." Sam says. "And they said that was fine. I'll give my notice tomorrow, and do mornings at the storage place, and evenings at the drug store next week."

"The extra hours will help." Bella says. "I've been going over your finances. You really shouldn't save your login information for your accounts on your computer, if you are going to have such a weak password. We need to pay off your cards first, and then work on getting you a reliable car. Then we can work on a new apartment."

"Umm... Thanks." Sam says. "And I'm sorry about earlier. I don't take criticism well, sometimes."

"It wasn't supposed to be criticism." Bella says. "It was a compliment. You need to work on the defensiveness, if you ever want anyone to actually like you."

"I'll try." Sam says. "I really am sorry about earlier."

"Apology accepted." Bella says, some of the tension draining out of her. "Have you heard from Sarah?"

"No." Sam says. "Would it be weird if I tried to call, just one more time? She shouldn't be at work right now. I actually have a reason to, with the new job."

"Text her." Bella says. "Just mention the job, and tell her you haven't given notice yet, and ask her not to mention it at work until you give notice. Don't be weird."

"Ok." Sam says, pulling out his phone, and staring at it for a moment, before beginning to type.

"I should probably read it before you send it." Bella suggests.

"Not this time." Sam says. "If I fuck it up, it'll be on me, completely."

A few minutes later, Sam's phone chirps, and he quickly unlocks it, and then stares.

"Well? What did she say?" Bella demands.

"She says good luck with the job." Sam says. "And asked when my last day is."

"Don't leave her waiting." Bella says.

After sending the response, Sam's phone chirps again.

"What now?" Bella asks eagerly, not giving him time to read it.

"She asked me to let her know when I've given my notice." Sam says.

"Oh..." Bella says.

"I told her I would." Sam says. "I'm just not sure why."

"Maybe she wants to immediately ask for the promotion?" Bella suggests. "You putting in your notice gives her leverage, and if she is going to use it, she should do it quickly."

"Probably." Sam says. "Do you think I should ask? Or just see if we can talk?"

"Up to you." Bella says. "I wouldn't though. If she wants to talk, she will let you know."

Sam thinks for a moment, and quickly fires off a text.

"What did you say?" Bella asks.

Before Sam can answer, his phone rings.

"Sarah?" He asks, answering it on the first ring. After a moment of silence, Bella can see his face flush. "It's not like that." Sam says, sounding very defensive. "I didn't know you liked me. If I had, I wouldn't have bought one."

Sam begins pacing, and Bella watches anxiously from the table as his face turns even redder. "I haven't even touched her." Sam says, voice taking on the whiny tone that Bella has grown familiar with. "I'll get rid of her, if you want."

"Fuck!!" Sam yells, throwing his phone into the couch, before slumping onto it, hands in his face.

"I suppose it didn't go well?" Bella asks after giving him a few moments to calm down.

"No." Sam says through his hands. "It didn't."

"So I shouldn't pack my non-existent stuff?" Bella asks, just the hint of acidity in her tone.

"No." Sam says, looking up with tears of frustration in his eyes. "I really could use a hug, if you don't mind."

Bella rises from the table, sitting next to Sam on the couch, and pulling him to her. "There there." She says awkwardly. "Everything is going to be ok. Lots of fish in the sea and all."

"You aren't very good at this." Sam says, voice muffed by her shirt and chest.

"Mothering is my greatest weakness." Bella says, leading to a snort from Sam.

"I can tell." He says, raising his head from his chest, and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "She wouldn't listen to anything I had to say. I think she hates me. She didn't even care that I hadn't touched you, the fact that I bought you was enough."

"Everyone has their limits." Bella says. "Slave ownership is hers, apparently. We have a plan though. You are going to kick ass at the new job, and once we get the car and apartment situations figured out, we can start saving for your perfect concubine. I don't want to hear anything else about getting rid of me, though, now, or after we get you your dream girl."

"I'm going to go shower." Sam says. "Are you still going to hang out with me later?"

"As tempting as it is to punish you for offering to get rid of me..." Bella says, drawing out the silence at the end. "I keep my commitments. You got the job, so the companionship and blowjob are yours, if you want them."

"I do." Sam says, suddenly looking less sad, and more resolute.

"Then go get cleaned up." Bella says. "We can do the blowjob first, unless you want to wait."

"First is good." Sam says eagerly, Sarah already forgotten.

***

"Fuck." Sam says, opening the shower curtain to find Bella sitting, fully clothed, on the closed toilet, and quicking pulling it back into place, so that only his face was showing. "How did you get in here?"

"The locks on these doors are awful." Bella says. "You can get into them with almost anything."

"Oh..." Sam says.

"No need to be shy, either." Bella says. "You are about to have your dick in my mouth, after all."

"I guess I am." Sam says, eyes lighting up like he had just been reminded that it was Christmas morning.

"Well, let's see what you are working with." Bella says, sweeping one hand to the side expansively, as if she was moving an invisible curtain.

Sam pauses for a moment, before moving the curtain to the side, his free hand instinctively trying to cover himself.

"You are going to need to move the hand." Bella says.

Sam flushes, before moving his hand.

Bella leans forward to get a better look. "Perfectly normal." She says. "Are you a grower or a shower?"

"What?" Sam asks.

"Does it get bigger when it gets hard?" Bella asks.

"A little?" Sam says.

"I can see that." Bella says, watching his dick begin to slowly inflate. "Catch."

Sam barely manages to catch the towel that Bella throws at him.

"Come to the bedroom when you are dry." Bella says. "Don't bother putting those clothes on."

Sam quickly dries himself off, and steps into the bedroom, to find Bella sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Do you want to be sitting up, or lying down?" Bella asks him, giving him a little smile.

"umm... I'm not sure." Sam says. "I haven't really done this much."

"How many blowjobs have you had?" Bella asks.

"Two?" Sam says.

"Just lay down on the bed." Bella says. "Remember, if you do a good job with work, you'll get more of these."

Sam moves past Bella onto the bed, laying on his back, eagerly awaiting her touch.

Bella moves around to the bottom of the bed, before climbing onto it. "Move your legs apart a bit." Bella tells him, before reaching out to touch his thigh. Feeling a tremble, she asks. "Nervous?"

"A little." Sam says, a slight tremble to his voice.

"Don't worry, I don't bite." Bella says. "At least, not when I'm doing it willingly."

Pushing his legs slightly to move them apart, she leans forward, breathing on his dick, before rubbing her face on his shaft and balls, ending with a small kiss on them.

Sam trembles, letting out a moan.

"Feel good?" Bella asks, getting a nod in response from Sam. "If something doesn't, just tell me."

He nods again, and she rubs her hands up and down his thighs for a minute, before finally leaning in to kiss the head of his dick. Giving him a small lick on the bottom of the head, she pulls it into her mouth, sliding it about halfway into her mouth.

"Oh, fuck." Sam says, hands reaching for her head.

"No hands." Bella says. "If I feel them on my head, the blowjob is over."

Sam quickly pulls them back, looking at them for a minute.

"Put them underneath you, if you need to." Bella says. "Eventually I might loosen that rule, but for now, absolutely no hands."

Sam shoves his hands under his ass, and she goes back down on him, licking and sucking on his head, before taking him as deeply as she can, stopping when he hits her throat, and looking up to make eye contact.

"Holy shit." Sam says.

Pulling back, she begins a steady up and down motion, lightly rolling his balls in her hands.

After a few moments, Sam begins breathing heavily. "Bella, I think I'm going to cum."

Bella sucks harder, focusing on his head, and brings one hand up to stroke the lower part of his shaft.

"Fuck." Sam says, spasming as he unloads in Bella's mouth.

Bella continues to nurse on his dick for another few moments, before giving it one last pull to make sure she has all of the cum, and after flashing him a brief cum filled smile, swallows.

Sam stares at her in wonder, and she asks. "What, you've never seen a girl swallow cum?"

"Not mine." Sam says. "The other two times they didn't even let me cum in their mouths."

"They sound like fuck ups." Bella says. "If you are going to do something, you should do it right. I hope you found that to be satisfactory?"

Sam nods frantically.

"Good." Bella says. "Do you want to cuddle me in here, or to go watch your stupid game?"

"Here!" Sam says quickly.

"I'll go get your clothes." Bella says. "And don't get any ideas. If you want more blowjobs, you have to earn them."

***

Sam walks into the apartment, beaming.

"Bella?" He calls, not seeing her living or kitchen areas of the tiny apartment.

"Coming." She says, walking out of the bedroom. "How did your one month review go?"

"Great!" Sam says. "I made a copy to show you."

They meet at the breakfast table, and she skims through it.

"Well, it looks like you are turning a new leaf." Bella says, looking up at him with a smile. "We should celebrate."

"I was hoping you would say that." Sam says, grinning.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up?" Bella suggests. "I'll meet you in the bedroom."

As she waits, Bella strips, and arranges herself on the bed in a provocative pose. When Sam finishes his shower, he stops in the doorway, jaw nearly on the floor.

"Woah." He manages to say.

"After we celebrate, we are going to find you a new car." Bella says. "And I will begin looking for available apartments. After that, we begin the search for your concubine. Do you still want a girl who absolutely adores you? Who gets excited to see you when you walk in the door after work, and is eager to join you in bed?"

Sam nods, eyes focused on Bella's exposed body.

"Then you need to learn how to please a woman." Bella says. "I will teach you, starting today. If you do well, both at your lessons, and at work, you will continue to get rewards."

Sam nods again, eyes still not meeting hers.

"Sam, please repeat what I just said." Bella says, and after a moment, in a sterner tone, continues. "SAM!"

Sam jumps, finally meeting her gaze. "Sorry. You are a little distracting."

"This is exactly what we need to work on." Bella says. "While it is flattering to an experienced woman like myself, your staring could put another woman off. Come over here."

Sam eagerly approaches the bed, beginning to crawl onto it, before Bella stops him.

"This is a lesson." Bella says. "You will do what I say, and when we are done, you will get a reward, if you have done well. Do you understand?"

"I thought I was getting a reward for doing well at work?" Sam asks, the whine beginning to edge into his voice again.

"The lesson is the reward." Bella says. "You do want to actually know how to keep a woman happy, right?"

"I know how to please a woman." Sam says defensively.

"And how many women have you gone down on?" Bella asks.

"A few..." Sam says, hesitantly.

"And how many came from it?" Bella asks.

"Some of them." Sam says. "Sometimes it's just foreplay, it doesn't have to be more than that."

"Sure." Bella says dismissively. "Unless the woman is multi-orgasmic. Or, you know, you actually want her to be satisfied."

"Fine." Sam says, shoulders drooping. "Bella, can you please teach me?"

"Good." Bella says. "Normally, you'd start with kissing, lips first, then neck, moving down slowly, you get the idea. We aren't going to be doing that."

Spreading her legs, Bella says. "Come to the end of the bed."

After Sam approaches, eyes laser focused on Bella's pussy, she continues. "This is my clit." She moves a finger to poke it. "If you can't find this, you can't make a woman happy. It's not difficult to find, it's always in the same place, here at the top, but men still have difficulty, for some reason. Today, you will be licking all over my pussy, but once I start grabbing your head and moaning, you will lick and suck on this, until I cum. Do you understand?"

"Sam!" Bella says again.

"Sorry." Sam says. "I understand."

"Good." Bella says. "Slide up here then, and show me what skill you have. I'll coach you through it, after I get a sense of your abilities."

Sam looks at her for a moment before putting a knee on the bed, and slowly sliding up, almost as if he expects her to change her mind. Finally reaching the junction of her thighs, he leans in, and nervously touches her with one hand.

"Go ahead." Bella says encouragingly.

Sam leans in further, sticking out his tongue, and gets his first taste of Bella. Finding that it's actually somewhat pleasant, he licks again, pushing a bit deeper into her, before settling into a pattern of licks.

"Don't forget the clit." Bella says. "Even early on, it doesn't hurt to let a girl know that you are aware it exists."

Moving up slightly, Sam licks it a bit tentatively, leading to the first quiet moan from Bella. Glancing up, he sees her head is back, and she is breathing more heavily. He licks again, trying and failing to maintain sight of her face, as her head goes further back into the pillows.

After a few moments of this, Bella leans forward again. "Do you know how to find the G-spot?"

Sam just shakes his head, staring up into her eyes.

"Take your pointer finger." Bella instructs him. "Make sure it's lubed up nicely, and slowly slide it into me."

Sam does, eyes alternating between his finger, and her face, as he slowly slides it into her.

"Now curl it upwards." Bella says. "You are looking for a patch at the top with a different texture, it should feel kind of ribbed, or bumpy."

"Is that it?" Sam asks after a few moments of probing.

"You got it." Bella gasps, head going back again. "Now lick my clit while you rub my G-spot. Do not stop until my hand pushes on your forehead."

Sam leans in again, licking her clit more aggressively than before, while working his finger.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!" Bella groans, reaching down to grab his head, and pushing it harder into her pussy. "Don't you dare stop."

"Fuck!!!" Bella screeches, and Sam tries to pull back, his nostrils clogging as she pulls harder on his head, while squirting onto his face. After a moment, he pushes on her thighs, and she releases his head, slumping back onto the pillows.

Sam gasps as he struggles to regain his breath, before stumbling into the bathroom to blow his nose, and clean off his face. When he comes back to the bedroom, he sees Bella still spread out on the bed, a smirk on her face.

"Well, it turns out that with a little coaching, you can indeed please a woman." Bella says. "And yourself at the same time."

Sam looks at the wet spot on the bed where he had just been, a hangdog expression on his face. "I didn't mean to." Sam says. "I wasn't touching myself, or anything. It just kind of happened."

"We will work on your sensitivity later." Bella says. "Do you normally have a problem with not being able to last for your lovers?"

"Umm..." Sam says, face flushing. "How long is not long enough?"

"If you have to ask, that means you probably have a problem." Bella says.

"Do I still get my reward?" Sam asks, clearly eager to change the course of the conversation.

Glancing at the spot on the bed, Bella says. "I'd say you are already fairly well fulfilled."

"Bella." Sam whines. "Please?"

"Maybe before bed." Bella says. "I have no intention of working on you for an hour while you are still recovering from fucking the mattress. For now, we should rinse the smell of sex off of us, so we can go find you a new car. I have a list of cars that fit what we need."

***

"Now that we are out of the shithole, we can start looking for your dream girl." Bella says, as Sam comes home from work. "I need your card info to make a login for the BAA site, so I can preview the candidates for auction."

Sam eagerly moves over to the kitchen table, entering his card info in the area Bella indicated, before she takes the laptop back. After a few minutes, she says. "There is a big auction on Saturday. I'll make up a list of profiles, and then you can take a look, and decide which of them you like. If there are enough, we can attend, and make sure to get there in time to do an interview."

"You are coming?" Sam asks, looking at her oddly.

"Do you really want to risk fucking it up, again?" Bella asks.

"Ok, you can come." Sam says.

"We need to keep the budget reasonable." Bella says. "The new car and apartment are soaking up a reasonable amount of your new paycheck, and a third person will add to our expenses."

"Are we going to have enough?" Sam asks.

"That's why I'm going to go through the profiles." Bella says. "If we attend, and all of them go much higher than our budget, we'll know we have to wait a bit, and save more. In the meantime, keep kicking ass at work. A promotion wouldn't hurt."

"I'm doing really well at work." Sam says. "I don't think there really is a chance of promotion any time soon, though. My boss would have to leave."

"Keep an eye out, just in case." Bella says. "You never know when something will come up."

"So now that we are in the new apartment, do I get some sort of extra reward?" Sam asks.

"Beyond blowjobs, and getting your dream girl shortly?" Bella asks.

"Maybe." Sam says. "I was just thinking..."

"That you should get greedy?" Bella asks, voice full of scorn. "That you'd ask, and I'd bend over the table for you?"

"... It doesn't sound much like you, now that you say it." Sam admits.

"It definitely does not." Bella says. "Maybe we can work something out, though."

***

"What if none of the girls are bi?" Sam asks anxiously, as he pulls up to the auction center.

"Then we come back another day." Bella says. "Or you give up your dream of ever getting in my pants."

"Shit." Sam says anxiously.

"I'm sure we'll find someone we agree on." Bella says. "We've got several options that we both like, after all."

As they walk into the auction center lobby, a number of other prospective bidders give them looks.

"I don't think they expected to see a Master bring one of his concubines." Bella whispers. "Just ignore them."

"Sure..." Sam says, glancing around uneasily.

When they finally reach the front of the line, the same woman from before greets them. "Here to pick up another?" Rosie asks. "Or are you wanting to surrender this one?"

"We are picking up another one." Sam says quickly, to reassure Bella that he isn't tempted.

***

"I really liked the second to last one." Bella says, turning to look at Sam.

"The tall one?" Sam asks, turning a bit green. "No, absolutely not. This is about finding MY dream girl, not yours."

"Let me guess..." Bella says. "You want the tiny, stacked, one?"

"Umm... Yeah." Sam says. "She's really cute, and she seems so sweet. I could see myself cuddling with her on the couch every day after work. And she's not that stacked, probably only a B cup, they just look bigger, because she's small."

"She didn't have any experience eating pussy though." Bella says. "I'll admit, I wouldn't mind watching her do it, but then I have to teach yet another person. I just finished training you up."

"You could always leave her alone." Sam says.

"That hardly suits me." Bella says. "I have needs too. Maybe we should consider the first one? She said she experimented in college, I bet I could get her tongue trained quickly."

"I've made up my mind." Sam says, giving Bella a stern expression. "If you aren't happy with it, too bad. I've done everything you asked, and I'm getting the girl I want."

"Then you have to let me train her properly." Bella says. "Or work to get a third slot, so I can get someone to meet my needs."

"I'm working like 50 hours a week already." Sam objects. "She said she was curious about women anyhow. I'm sure it will be fine."

"What if she sells for over the budget?" Bella asks. "Maybe then we can go for the one I liked?"

Sam shakes his head, slumping in the chair. "I don't know."

***

Sam waits anxiously, his preferred girl not coming up until nearly halfway through the auction.

"This is her." Sam says, nudging Bella with an elbow.

"The ones I liked are gone." Bella says sullenly. "If you don't get this one, we are leaving here empty handed."

"Then I'll make sure to get her." Sam says, determination written on his face.

"She better have a magical tongue." Bella mutters.

"Next up we have this lovely young lady." The auctioneer says. "She is 20 years old, and says she has experience caring for children, as well as cooking and cleaning. Who will give me $300 to start?"

Sam's hand is in the air before the auctioneer can finish his sentence, and the bid quickly rises, reaching, and then passing his limit. "1,000!" Sam says, raising his hand.

"That's too much." Bella leans in to whisper.

"My credit card is paid down." Sam whispers firmly. "I'm not giving up."

After another bid, Sam's patience breaks. "1,500!" He says loudly.

***

"How are we paying today?" Rosie asks, looking at a bashful looking Sam, and a red faced Bella.

"I need to split the payment." Sam mutters. "800 on here, and 700 on this one."

Sam hands over both of his cards, not missing the look Bella is giving him.

"I suppose I can." Rosie says, typing something into the system, before swiping each card. A bit more quietly, she continues. "You might want to wait before getting any more. Putting concubines on credit isn't a great idea, keep in mind that if you default on your loans, they can come after concubines purchased with their cards to recoup their losses."

"Oh.." Sam says.

"I told you not to spend that much." Bella whispers furiously, before glancing up at Rosie, and flushing.

"Too late this time." Rosie says. "But keep it in mind, if you buy any more. And make sure you pay that credit card balance."

"I will." Sam promises, retrieving his receipt, and waiting nervously for his new concubine.

"She is cute." Bella admits grudgingly, as she is brought through the double doors. "I'm giving you a pass, for her sake, but we are discussing your spending when we have a moment alone."

Sam nods, eyes fixed on the girl coming towards him. "Hi, Elena!" He says excitedly, reaching out to grab the bag of her belongings, before reaching out to grab her hand.

"Hi, Master Sam." Elena says quietly, squeezing his hand.

"Let's get out of here." Bella says. "It's a bit busy."

"Yes, please." Elena says.

Elena's eyes are on Bella as they head to the car, but Sam keeps a tight grip on her hand. "dinner?" She hears, and glances up at Sam.

"Sorry, Master." Elena says. "I was a bit distracted, I haven't been outside in over a month."

"Oh..." Sam says. "Sorry, I should have realized. Are you ok?"

"I will be." Elena says, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Thank you for asking, Master."

"You don't have to call me Master." Sam says. "I meant it when we talked earlier. I want you to think of me as your boyfriend, not your owner."

"Ok, M.. Sam." Elena says. "I may slip up a bit, they had us practice calling men Master, so that we were prepared. And after hearing the horror stories from the girls that got returned, I got really determined not to mess up."

"You don't have to worry about that with Sam." Bella says. "He's a sweet guy, even if we girls do have to keep him on track sometimes. Speaking of which, Sam, we should probably get Elena home."

"Oh, of course." Sam says, letting go of Elena's hand.

"We can sit in the back." Bella says, opening the door, and motioning for Elena to slide in.

As Sam starts the car, and begins to drive them home, Elena leans over to Bella, and whispers. "Are you ok with me being here? I don't want to cause problems, and you seem tense."

Bella reaches over to pat her on the knee. "You are fine." She says quietly. "We are both excited to have you. Sam and I do need to have a quick conversation, not about you, when we get home. I'm sure you are excited to get a shower, so I'll get you set up with that, and then he and I can talk while you freshen up."

"Everything ok back there?" Sam asks anxiously.

"Just girl talk." Bella says. "We are good."

***

"You seriously overspent." Bella tells Sam, after Elena is in the shower. "Credit card interest is no joke. We need to pay that off, asap."

"We will." Sam says. "We can start on that soon. I don't want to think about it tonight. Where do you think we should take Elena for dinner?"

"I think we should take her to the pantry." Bella says. "And see if she can actually cook. Until we get the credit card paid off, there is only one kind of eating out anyone should be doing."

"Huh?" Sam asks, looking confused.

"Nevermind." Bella says, frustration entering her voice. "Look, we've had a good thing so far, right? Don't lose your head just because we have another girl in the house, ok?"

"I'm not losing my head." Sam says. "I just want to make a good impression."

"Then stop acting weird." Bella says. "In fact, why don't you go watch TV or something, and I'll help her get settled in? We will figure out dinner, and let you know when it's done, or if there is something she needs from the store."

"She might not be in the mood to cook, she just got here." Sam says uncertainly.

"I'm sure she'd rather cook than go back in public with a collar on her neck." Bella says.

"Oh..." Sam says. "I didn't think about that."

"Because you are thinking of her as a girlfriend." Bella says. "And that's sweet, but it's not reality. She is your concubine, and if you go out in public with her, she has to wear a collar, just like me."

"Ok." Sam says. "I was just excited to show her a good time."

"Chill. You two can get to know each other after dinner, on the couch, like normal, nearly broke people do." Bella says. "While I work out a way to pay off our debt as quickly as possible."

***

"So... what are the sleeping arrangements?" Elena asks shyly, while sitting next to Sam on the couch. "I only saw one bed."

"Umm..." Sam says. "I've been sleeping on the couch, but if you are ok sleeping in the same bed as me, maybe Bella can take the couch, at least for tonight. Unless you two would rather have the bed."

"You two haven't been sharing the bed?" Elena asks.

"Bella doesn't seem to like that idea." Sam says. "She can be a bit weird about touch sometimes. And affection."

"I'd rather share with you then." Elena says. "If you don't mind. I could really use some cuddles to help me fall asleep."

"Jackpot!" Sam thinks, trying to contain the joy he felt. "I'd like that." He says after a moment, not able to fully contain his excitement.

"Sam, do you think Bella is ok with me being here?" Elena whispers. "She doesn't seem to like me very much."

"She's fine with you being here." Sam whispers back. "If anything, she will be thrilled not to be cooking and cleaning, or being bothered by me so often. She's just being Bella."

"Ok..." Elena says softly. "I don't see how you are a bother though. So far you've been so nice. Some of the stories we heard while we were detained were awful."

"The first person I met with a concubine told me to remember that you are people too, and that if I wanted to be happy, I had to make sure you were happy too." Sam says. "I kind of forgot that, early on, but I'm trying to do better."

"Well, I think you are sweet." Elena says, laying her head on his shoulder.

"You are too." Sam says. "I can ask Bella if she is good with sleeping on the couch, if you are ready to cuddle in bed?"

"If you are sure she won't mind." Elena says. "I can always take the couch, if I need to."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Sam says, getting up off the couch, and cautiously approaching the breakfast table.

"Bella, Elena and I are getting ready to head to bed, if you needed anything out of there before we do." Sam says, trying to sound assertive.

Bella just waves him away, focused on the spreadsheet she was working on. "Have fun. Try not to knock her up on the first try. Oh, and I'm budgeting for a bed for the spare room, ASAP. I'm not sleeping on that couch more than a few nights."

"Ok." Sam says, relieved that she isn't arguing. "Finances are your department."

Walking back to the couch, Sam holds out his hand to Elena. "Will you join me, m'lady?"

Elena giggles, and pulls herself off the couch using Sam's hand, hugging him, before allowing herself to be dragged to the bedroom.

"Sam, don't forget: The clitoris is at the top of the vagina!" Bella yells loudly, just before the door closes.

"What was that about?" Elena asks, blushing a bit.

"Bella has an... odd... sense of humor." Sam responds, flushing red. "Best to ignore her."

***

As Bella tries to finish working up the budget, she is constantly distracted by sounds of moaning from the bedroom. Slamming the laptop shut, she moves to the couch, pulling her panties down enough to slide her hand down, and begin turning the distraction into entertainment.

Just as she begins to really get into it, the sound of loud knocking comes from the door.

"Fuck!" Bella snarls, pulling up her panties and shorts, and marching over to throw open the door. "What!?"

The blonde woman at the door shrinks back from Bella's fury, before regrouping, and managing to say. "I'd like to speak to Sam."

"He's busy." Bella says shortly. "Whatever you are selling, he isn't interested."

"Please tell him Sarah is here." Sarah says, lifting her chin, as she realizes this must be Sam's concubine. "He'll want to speak to me."

"I doubt it." Bella says, smirking. "He's balls deep in his new girl."

Sarah blanches, stepping back, as if she had been struck. "He got another one of you?"

"Oh, he certainly did." Bella says, not sure if she enjoyed this more than masturbation, but certainly enjoying the variety. "She's really cute too. He can barely keep his hands off of her." She can't help but pile on a bit, getting a thrill out of the free woman's misery.

Sarah's face falls, and she looks down. "I... I really need to talk to Sam. Can I come in and wait?"

"I don't think so." Bella says. "Shouldn't invite strangers into the house and all, without Master's permission, or so I'm told."

"I'm not a stranger, I've been Sam's friend for years." Sarah insists, the tiniest bit of color entering her so recently pale face.

"You are a stranger to me." Bella says, emphasizing the me. "And unless you'd like to make my acquaintance much more closely, you can wait outside until Sam is done."

Sarah starts to speak, and stops, gawping at Bella. "Did you just proposition me?"

"Oh, nevermind." Bella says, moving to close the door, and mutters. "If you want something done properly, just do it yourself."

"Wait." Sarah says, wedging her foot in the door. "I'll... I'll do it, if you let me in to talk to Sam."

Bella grins, stepping back to allow the door to swing open again. "You may enter, new bestie."