Mrs O'Grady's Boarding House for Young Women
A boarding house where the female residents pay their rent by services rendered to male clientele.
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Author's notes:
1. This is a work of fiction. The activities and practices described in this story are not necessarily either condoned or recommended. If you choose to do anything described in real life with real people you do so at your own risk.
2. All characters are fictional and any likeness to any living person is purely coincidental. The story is purely imaginary and, to the author's knowledge, bears no relationship to any factual occurrence. To the author's knowledge, institutions such as the one described in this story do not exist and are completely fabrications of the author's imagination.
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"Geez, I'm totally skint," complained Jessie.
"Well, you're in luck. I just happen to have some cash so I'll buy lunch for us. Sound good?" replied Melissa, a friend she'd met when she first arrived in the city.
Over lunch in an average cafΓ©, Jessie, who had recently arrived from the country where she'd been working on a ranch, told her friend that work was just impossible to find unless you had experience.
"And how am I going to get experience without having work? It's a catch 22 situation. I don't want to have to go home again to be told 'I told you so' by my know-it-all parents, but I simply cannot afford to stay here. The rent I'm paying for a run-down room is exorbitant. Food's expensive and I have only a few dollars left before I have nothing. Please, Melissa, as the only person in this god-forsaken city who even gives a damn, what do you advise?"
Melissa stared into her eyes for a long moment. "Well," she began at length, "There are several options. Firstly you could simply go home, but I know you don't want to do that. Secondly you could keep searching for a job, but you've been doing that for, how long now?"
"Four weeks," muttered Jessie.
"Yeah, well if you've found nothing in the last four weeks you'll be unlikely to find anything in the next four. Or you could change your accommodation to a less expensive option like I did when I was in your predicament a year or so ago."
"But the room I have now is a slum, anything cheaper is bound to be worse," reasoned Jessie.
"Not necessarily so. My room is wonderful; it has a pleasant view, is quite large, has a very comfortable king size bed, has an ensuite and a small kitchen. Everything I could want actually."
"And just how much does this palace cost you?" sneered Jessie.
"Well, actually, nothing; not a cent. But I do have to do some work providing services for people in return, and then not only do I receive free accommodation, but also free food and even a small cash allowance."
"That sounds almost too good to be true," replied Jessie, "Are there any vacancies? It sounds just perfect."
"Well, actually one of the other girls left last week, no need to go into the reasons for that, so there is a vacancy at present. You interested?"
"Absolutely. Can we check it out now? Hey, and we'd be living in the same accommodation. That'd be cool. What's this place called?"
"Yes, we can check it out this afternoon, and yes that'd be cool and the name of the place is Mrs O'Grady's Boarding House for Young Women."
"Hmmm, that sounds a little pedantic and old fashioned. We don't need to wear ball gowns when we eat or anything like that do we?"
Melissa laughed. "No, of course not, this is the 21st century. There are some dress standards but they are very informal and never strict, in fact, if the truth be known, they are often extremely casual. You'll see when you get there. Hurry and finish your lunch then we'll go."
They finished their lunch and quickly walked the three blocks to the boarding house, where Melissa let them in a side door with her key. The first thing Jessie noticed was that it was very tastefully decorated with discreet lighting, thick carpets and drapes and wall hangings in profusion. It gave the air of being opulent without being flashy.
Melissa led Jessie through several corridors until she finally came to a large entrance foyer opening onto the main street with a wide, grandiose stairway leading upstairs. To one side was an office with a large dark-stained wooden door on which Melissa knocked and waited. The door was opened by a young woman, well dressed in an almost transparent top and short tight skirt.
"Melissa," she greeted, "How may I help you?"
"This is my friend Jessie and she's really short of money and I told her a little about this place and she thinks she'd like to live here."
"Well, I guess she'd better have a chat with Mrs O'Grady then. Come on through. By the way, Jessie, my name's Trish."
Trish led them across her outer office and knocked on an inner office door which was opened by an elegantly dressed older woman. She smiled at Melissa and then flicked her eyes over Jessie as Trish explained the situation.