As I pulled into my father's driveway, I frowned in confusion at the sight of an unfamiliar car parked next to his. Dad didn't have many friends aside from his poker buddies, so I had no idea who would be visiting him on a Thursday afternoon.
I'd recently begun working nights at the hospital, and I tried to check in on Dad fairly often before I had to start getting ready for my shift. At seventy years old, Dad had retired a few years ago, and my mother divorced him shortly afterward. Now, she was remarried and living what she called "her best life," and my dad had seemingly embraced his return to bachelorhood.
Still, I worried about him getting lonely. Though he and I had never been very close, I strove to change that. He didn't make it easy, however. When I offered to run errands for him, or take him to a restaurant just so he could get out of the house, he would wave me off. "I don't need your help, Nash," he'd tell me in his gruff voice. "I'm fine. But you, son? You need to get a hobby. Or get laid."
While comments like those stung, I managed not to let Dad get under my skin. My own divorce had only recently been finalized, and I didn't need anyone, least of all my father, reminding me that I hadn't had sex in over a year. He hadn't been on a date since the 1970s, so he had no idea how much of a challenge it was to connect with someone these days.
As I now got out of my car and made my way to the front door, I thought I could hear the roar of a vacuum cleaner. I remembered Dad mentioning he was thinking about hiring someone to clean his house once a week. I'd agreed that was a good idea, since my father was far from tidy. When they were still married, Mom constantly complained about his messiness.
I found the door unlocked and let myself inside. Already, I had a pleasant smile fixed on my face as I prepared to greet the new housecleaner. That smile vanished entirely when I saw my dad lounging on the couch. His expression was downright lecherous, and it was easy to understand why. A young woman in a ridiculously skimpy maid's uniform stood before him, pushing a vacuum over the worn living room carpet. Her waist-length dark hair was pulled back in a braid, which gave me a good look at her gorgeous profile. The top she wore was so low-cut that her ample breasts threatened to spill out of it every time she leaned forward. Her skirt, meanwhile, was short enough to reveal plenty of cheek. The only sensible part of her outfit was the pair of white canvas shoes on her feet.
"Hey, Nash!" Dad shouted over the vacuum's noise. His smile let me know he found my shocked face hilarious.
The young woman glanced in my direction and then hurried to turn off the vacuum. "Hi, there!" she said brightly. I looked from her to my father and then back to her again. Both of them were acting like this was a completely normal situation.
"Uh, what's going on?" I managed to ask in the room's sudden quiet.
"Nash, this is Georgia, my new maid," Dad said.
"Housecleaner," she corrected him, her polite smile never wavering.
"Georgia, this is my son, Nash."
Georgia held out her hand to me. "Nice to meet you, Nash."
As I shook her hand, I couldn't help but notice her beautiful brown eyes, so large and full of expression. Yet they captured my attention for only so long before my gaze was drawn to her cleavage. "Nice to meet you, too, Georgia," I told her tits. She cleared her throat, prompting me to look up at her face again. My own face reddened when I saw her lift an eyebrow.
I grew flustered, unsure of how to act. This scenario was fucking surreal, like a crazy dream. Finally, I turned back to Dad. "Hey, Dad, can I talk to you a minute?"
His smile widened to a grin. "Sure, have a seat."
"Uh, how about in the kitchen?" I said in a strained voice.
While Dad feigned oblivion, Georgia picked up on my signals. "It's okay, I'm finished in here," she said. "I have a little more work to do in the kitchen, so if you'll excuse me..."
I watched her unplug the vacuum cleaner and begin winding the cord around the cord hooks. She had to bend down to reach the bottom one, which gave me an eyeful of her luscious ass. The sight of her black thong made my cock stir.
When Dad and I were finally alone, I went to sit next to him on the couch. "Dad, what the hell is going on here?" I hissed, trying to ensure Georgia didn't overhear.
"I told you I was going to hire a maid," Dad said, all innocent-like.
"Housecleaner," I corrected him. "And that's fine, but I want to know why the woman you hired looks like a prostitute!"
Dad's smile morphed into a scowl. "That's disrespectful, son. She's working hard here."
Glancing around, I had to admit Dad was right; the house looked better than it had since Mom moved out. "Great, I'm glad she's working out for you. But what's going on with the outfit?"
Before my father could answer, his ancient cell phone rang. "I gotta take this, Nash. It's Fred calling about the next poker game."
As Dad began what was sure to be a lengthy conversation with Fred, I wondered if I should simply get up and walk right out the fucking door. Whatever was going on here had nothing to do with me. But I knew I had to get to the bottom of it. What if Georgia was some kind of gold digger who was after Dad's money? I couldn't turn a blind eye and allow him to be taken advantage of.
With a heavy sigh, I stood and headed toward the kitchen, where Georgia was cleaning the countertops. She offered me a smile but didn't volunteer any explanation for her uniform. I struggled to keep my voice friendly while asking her which company employed her.
"I work for myself," she replied. "I have references, if you're interested."
"You do this full-time?"
Georgia washed her hands at the sink, then turned to me. "Part-time. I'm a full-time student at the university."
I raised my eyebrows, slowly nodding while I processed this information. "You must stay busy then."
"Very." Georgia tossed her long braid over her shoulder.
In her presence, I felt completely off balance. I wanted to take a firm, authoritative stance with this girl, but it was almost impossible when she made me feel like she had the upper hand. She was gorgeous, oozing sex appeal without even trying. And I was old enough to be her father. I was also disgusted with myself for wishing I'd worn something nicer than jeans and a T-shirt. My dark blond hair needed a cut, and I hadn't yet shaved. A girl like her wouldn't give me a second look if we passed each other on the street.
Finally, I worked up the nerve to ask, "You always dress like that when cleaning houses?"
Georgia looked down at her outfit and grinned. "No, but your dad offered to pay me an extra hundred bucks if I wore a sexy maid's uniform while cleaning his house."
"Goddamn it," I muttered, pressing a hand against my forehead. I was ready to wring Dad's neck. "And you thought it was appropriate to go along with that request?"
When Georgia's eyes met mine again, I noticed her stare grow decidedly cool. "Everett pretends to be a dirty old man, but he's harmless. If he wants to see me prance around with my tits and ass on display, I'm willing to do that for the right price."
My mouth dropped open at her candor. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "I thought you college girls were supposed to be feminists." As soon as I'd spoken the words, I desperately wished to take them back. I tried not to cringe as Georgia's expression became blatantly hostile.
Then she plastered a sweet smile on her face, clasping her hands behind her back. Sidling up to me, she batted her long eyelashes. "You know what I think is feminist, mister?" Her cutesy voice was clearly meant to mock me. "Being able to make my own money so I can pay my fucking bills." Her demeanor suddenly turned icy, and the look she flashed could have cut me dead right there.
Never had someone made me feel like such a dick, not even my former wife, during our divorce. And I knew I deserved it.
Before I could apologize, Dad strolled into the kitchen. His face darkened as he looked from me to Georgia. "Everything okay?" he asked her. "Nash isn't giving you any shit, is he?"
So much for family loyalty, I thought.
Georgia kept her hard stare fixed on me as she said, "Your son's okay, Everett. It's a shame he doesn't have your charm, though."
That cutting remark actually made me wince. Dad was known for many things, but charm wasn't one of them.
Muttering a quick goodbye, I fled from the kitchen, my face red with humiliation. Long after I left my father's house, I kept thinking about what Georgia had said. Her words, repeated in my mind, ate away at me until I knew I needed to atone for my behavior.
The following Thursday, I showed up at Dad's house with a bouquet of flowers I'd bought at the florist. I made sure the arrangement didn't include roses. The blooms were cheery and bright, reflective of the spring season. When I stepped into the living room, Dad appeared in the doorway. Georgia, however, was nowhere in sight.
My father scowled. "I should throw your ass out of here! Whatever you said to Georgia last week really pissed her off."
"I want to apologize to her for that," I said quietly.
Dad scratched his belly while regarding the flowers. "Those are a nice touch," he grudgingly admitted. "She's cleaning the main bathroom right now."
I ducked my head as I walked past Dad and down the hall. Approaching the bathroom, I heard Georgia singing softly. She had a beautiful voice.
Once I reached the doorway, I stopped short. The young woman was on her knees, leaning over the edge of the tub so she could scrub the bottom of it. She wore the same skimpy outfit, and again I drank in the sight of her perfect ass.
I made sure I was looking elsewhere when I said, "Hi, Georgia."
She glanced over her shoulder at me. "Hi, mister!" she replied in a deceptively sweet voice.
Briefly closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. No way was this girl going to let me off easy. "I want to apologize for being an asshole," I told her. When our eyes met again, I thrust the vase of flowers toward her. "These are for you."
Georgia was still for so long that I began to fear she'd tell me to fuck off and then go right back to cleaning. Finally, she rose and went to the sink to wash her hands. I liked how fastidious she was.
Turning to me, she let her gaze linger on the flowers. "Those are beautiful."
I was relieved when she accepted the vase, cradling it in her arm. "I'm glad you like them. And I appreciate you doing such an amazing job cleaning Dad's house."
Before she could respond, Dad started down the hall toward us, keys in hand. "I gotta run out and pick up a prescription at the drugstore." Standing at my side, he looked in the room at Georgia. "Will you be okay here for a few minutes, sweetheart?"
"Of course, Everett," she told him while her eyes locked with mine. At least she was no longer regarding me like I was shit on the bottom of her shoe.
"Drive safe," I told Dad. I had no idea why he'd picked now of all times to go to the pharmacy, but I figured I should stick around until he returned. When I heard the front door open and close, signaling Dad's departure, I turned back to Georgia. "Would you like me to put those flowers in the living room so they're out of your way?"