Rita Ch 01 Guardian Angels

This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between this story and any other is coincidence.

This is a different kind of story for me. It is my attempt to reach for a higher level of story. This de-emphasizes the erotic (sorry pervs) and yet entertains and builds characters. I intend this to be a four-part series, but who knows?

Please remember that all of the stories on this site are written for free and you can read them for free.

Those who enjoy criticizing grammar, slang and phrasing should just go read something else. Most of the characters in this series have English as a second or third language. I depict this in the same way screenwriters do. These characters use few contractions, simple adjectives and a formal style of speech. I've used a few French words that you should know. The name Benoit is pronounced [bin-wah].

Rita Ch. 1; Guardian Angels

Villa Benoit, Marseille, France

Friday 11:15 a.m.

Wearing the crisp white blouse and gray slacks of the household staff, Rita approached a bedroom door. Her signature meter long braid of silky black hair was gathered in a scarf behind her head. She knocked firmly three times. Not waiting for an answer, she pushed a serving cart into the room. Rita crossed the room and threw open the curtains on two southern facing windows.

"Damn! What the hell?"

"Mademoiselle Josephine, it is midday. Your grandpapa has associates here for lunch. He asks that you not come down until after two o'clock. Please do not come down without dressing properly. I brought an assortment of food and drink on the cart." Rita said, very stiffly and formal.

"Rita, please call me Joey. You know that I hate 'Josephine" Joey said, falling back into her pillow.

Another head popped up in the bed along with shoulders and nude torso. "Bon jour, Rita. Merci, thank you. The coffee smells wonderful." Nikki said and walked to the cart fully nude and poured a cup.

"You don't have to thank her. It's her job." Snapped Joey from the bed.

Rita was always icy to Joey and her friends, but Nikki had been courteous and respectful. The sight of the beautiful Greek girl made Rita's heart give a few hard beats. "You are welcome, Ms. Nickola. If you need anything, ring my phone. Please do not disturb Monsieur Benoit. You can use the pool after two."

Nikki smiled and said quietly, "Thank you very much, Rita." Nikki covered her breasts with her arm.

Rita smiled and left the room.

Nikki stood at the cart with her coffee in one hand and grazing on sliced fruit with the other. Standing nude and casually eating with her fingers seamed natural to the Greek beauty.

Joey sat up in bed. "Move that over to the table, Bohemian girl." She went to her bathroom and soon returned to investigate the brunch that Rita had brought. She uncharacteristically didn't complain. Joey was glad to see some muffins and fruit. There was toasted bread and jam. A thermal carafe held coffee, and another held orange juice.

"This is good coffee. I think Rita just made it fresh. I don't know why you are such a bitch to her. She seems nice and she has the face of a Spanish angel. Have you ever seen her nude?" Nikki asked and grinned.

Joey frowned. "No, but I've seen her topless at the pool and in workout clothes. Papa Andre gives her run of the place. He treats her like a guest, not a servant. Yes, she's gorgeous. She does this yoga/tai chi thing around the pool. She is the most flexible girl you know."

"Hmm, that sounds interesting." Nikki said and smiled. "Maybe your grandpapa has a crush on her."

"Maybe, you do too, slut." Joey quipped and tossed a grape that bounced off Nikki's left boob.

Nikki got up and dragged Joey back to bed. "In my country, hitting a breast with a grape is a mating ritual." She pushed Joey down onto the bed and kissed her.

"You just made that shit up." Joey giggled.

"Well, here you are under me in bed." Nikki kissed her again and handled her breasts roughly. The passion of their kisses escalated. Nikki's hand moved down to grope Joey's plump pubic mound. Then she rubbed the blonde girl's clit through her panties. "This is why it is better to stay nude, my love." Nikki pulled the panties aside and slipped two fingers inside Joey. She rolled Joey's clit around firmly with her thumb and kissed the heiress with forceful passion. Soon Joey squirmed and shook with a deep orgasm.

Joey rolled toward Nikki and pushed her to her back. She latched onto the Greek girl's tit with her mouth and grappled her wet pussy with her fingers. "Nikki, you are wet. The hot-ass Spanish girl did turn you on." Joey clutched the girl's pubes and pulled upward exposing the area that Nikki kept shaven for the convenience of her lovers. Joey licked her there and sucked on her clit. She danced her tongue into the wet hole of the Greek beauty. Nikki soon reached an animated orgasm. "Perhaps that will satisfy you until tonight." Joey chuckled.

"Tonight, we will dance at Club Phantom and then we will drain our date's hard Italian cocks." Nikki said. Both girls laughed.

****

Rita busied herself around the house. The regular staff cook served lunch to the meeting. Rita enjoyed the quiet time and she didn't mind a few household chores. Villa Benoit was a beautiful estate. It was small by some standards, but the house was incredibly old and well maintained. Dusting the ancient wood and intricate carvings of the main staircase took on a sensuous appeal that sometimes left her aroused.

Andre Benoit was the owner of the estate and Joey's grandfather. He was the fourth generation of his family to master the villa. They were a long line of wine merchants. Mr. Benoit had diversified into other businesses serving the needs of restaurants and hotels on the French Riviera. His meeting ended around...

1:30 p.m. Friday

Andre's assistant, Lydia escorted the two men and a woman from the meeting to their cars. Rita gave a nod to Lydia and made her way into Andre's office.

"Rita! Come in. Come in. Do you have a kiss for an old man?" Andre Benoit asked.

Rita gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. "A little kiss for an old man that is not really so old. Bon jour, Papa Andre."

"Bon jour, Little Senorita. If I were a young man, I would be in love with you. Maybe I am anyway. Did the girls treat you rudely?" Andre asked.

Rita chuckled. "Your lovely granddaughter is who she is. The Greek girl is very courteous."

"If only Josephine could learn from Nickola. I think their summer romance will soon come to an end. These men they have been seeing, I do not trust. They are not who they claim to be."

There was a knock at the door. Tony de Palma slipped in and locked the door behind him. Rita jumped up at the knock but sat back down at the sight of the misplaced American. He did a good job of hiding his limp strolling across the room. Tony was a former intelligence analyst for the US Navy. He was slightly taller than average with black hair cut fashionably short. His casual sport coat sometimes concealed a small handgun, but most times not. Carrying a weapon in Europe is impossible for a civilian.

"Oh, don't get up on my account, Rita." Tony said grinning.

Rita got back up smiling. She hugged Tony firmly and gave him a quick kiss. "Hello, Tony, silly man."

"It is not fair that he gets a better kiss than me." Andre said, smiling. "Did you find out anything else?"

"Not much. We knew the names were false and they are older than they say. They have been seen with some known criminals."

"These idiot girls brought those men to this house." Andre said with frustration. "You must shadow them, Rita. We must keep these girls safe."

"I think they are going to Club Phantom again tonight." Rita said.

"Don't let the men pick them up here. Tony, drive them there and stay close. Rita, you will be in the club. I will drop you off." Andre said.

Tony produced from his coat pocket, a small smart phone and a tiny wireless ear bud. "Here, Rita. You will need to tape this to your chest. I can help you with that if you want."

"You are Mr. Smooth. I think I can manage. We will set up the link before we go."

Andre reached into a desk drawer and produced a long flat jewel box like a necklace might come in. "I think you should wear your favorite hair clasp tonight."

Rita opened the box and gave a worried smile. "Hello old friend," she said.

****

After dropping the girls off into the waiting arms of their dates, Tony circled around the ancient streets of Marseille and parked as close as he could to the front of Club Phantom.

"Rita, I'm back out front. Do you copy?" His phone beeped when Rita tapped hers. He could also hear inside the club anything that was close to Rita. "Let's try voice. Say something."

"Yes. This place is great. No, I don't want to dance right now. Maybe later." Came her voice.

"Sounds good. No wonder someone flirts with you. You are a beautiful tonight, Rita." Tony said into the phone. "I will never forget our time in Paris. You and I should go there again sometime soon." The phone beeped twice, her signal for 'no'. He heard her laughing. "Have the girls seen you?" Two more beeps.

"The men have their attention." Rita said.

Rita moved around the club, dodging the eye line of the rich girls. Her long braid fell down her back with her cloisonné butterfly fastened to the top of the braid. In her gold colored blouse and black slacks, she was as striking as any of the women there. She caught the eye of many men and women. This made her stay farther from Joey and Nikki than she liked. Every fifteen minutes, Rita tapped her phone, sending Tony a beep. He would acknowledge with a short word or two.

Tony sat in the Mercedes sedan with his attention fixed on the front of the night club. He periodically scanned for other activity on the street. He passed the time waiting for Rita's 'beeps' thinking about his unceremonious exit from the US Navy. He had been wounded in Afghanistan, then rode a desk at Rota Naval Station until he finished rehab and was discharged. He went home to Atlanta for a while but missed Spain until he returned there. He was fluent in French and Spanish. He could blunder his way through some Italian and Greek. He was in charge of security for partners, Robert Renard and Andre Benoit, wine merchants. Their businesses were legitimate, but they often dealt with some shady people.

Two hours ticked by. Tony was contemplating where to empty his bladder when Rita signaled with a string of beeps. "I copy, Rita. What's up?"

"The two men are walking to the front door."

"What are the girls doing?"

"Kissing."

"Shit!" Tony said. He heard Rita chuckle over the phone. "Ok. I've got eyes on the boyfriends coming out, lighting cigarettes." He watched through compact binoculars. The men kept looking around until a black Mercedes van came up the street and turned into the alley beside the club, stopping abruptly. The men stepped quickly to the van. "Rita! We've got company. A rental van. Two more men. Our guys are talking to them." Tony watched as the taller man took an item and tucked it into his leather jacket. The shorter man took an item. A faint blue flash was visible near his hands. "Stun-gun. Rita, the shorter man has a stunner. The other man has unknown object." The van bolted for the back of the night club and the dates stepped quickly into the front door of the club. "Rita! Move the girls. Now! The dates are coming back in, the van is going around back. Go, go. I'm putting the car at the front door."

Rita shed her high heels and got to the table quickly. "We must go to the ladies room now. Your dates are coming to take you by force."

"Hey, Rita. You look hot." Nikki said.

"Is that my blouse, you little bitch?" Joey snapped. "I'm not going anywhere." Nikki stood but Joey sat, defiantly.

"Come with me if you want to live, idiot." Rita barked.

"Oh, listen to the Terminator." Joey cracked wise.

Just then, a couple stepped into the path of the men, who were fast approaching. They threw them to the floor, violently. Nikki grabbed Joey by the arm. "Come on. Something is wrong." The girls dashed for the kitchen.

"Bathroom. Not the kitchen! Not the kitchen!" Crackled Tony's voice in Rita's ear. "Bad guys at the back door. You have to come out the front."

"Not the kitchen. Not the kitchen!" Rita yelled at the girls. "Not the kitchen! Joey, stop!" Rita screamed.

But Joey heard nothing. She ran blindly in a panic. Rita had Nikki by the hand, pulling her along until the shorter man caught her. He shocked her back-side with the stun gun. Nikki fell whimpering and cramping.

Rita spun around pulling her weapon from her braid. The butterfly folded down, revealing the handle and snapping into place at the hand guard. Rita crouched low and struck like a snake at the man's groin with twenty centimeters of slender, black, forged steel. The man screamed and bent over. Rita drove upward with all her strength, a vertical punch, smashing her fist into the man's face. He fell to the floor.

"No time to celebrate. The second attacker comes. Fall back four steps. Keep your blade low, my Sara-Dina."

Rita stepped back, trying to catch sight of Joey in her peripheral vision. The man slashed wildly with his knife. Rita felt the sting of cold steel on the skin of her left forearm. She dodged another wild slash and flashed her blade across his face for show then made a low thrust toward the man's pelvis. He side-stepped and slashed again. Rita caught his blade on the hand guard of hers and rolled it down and away. Rita thrust for his un-guarded shoulder, but her blade was deflected by the man's slick leather jacket. This left her overreaching and too high. He turned with great quickness and grabbed Rita's right wrist.

"When your enemy takes your arm, you must drop your blade, or it will wind up in your own belly. Drop your blade, Sara-Dina."

Rita dropped her stiletto and recoiled her hand to grasp the man's knife arm with both hands. She felt the sharp blade cut her left palm. She tried to maneuver for a snap-kick, mindful of the blade. The stronger man was quickly gaining the advantage.

****

Phillipe Gaston was working near the back door of Club Phantom. He was putting bottles of Champaign in buckets of ice and wrapping each one in a clean white towel. He thought of how he had often drunk some of the Champaign but disliked it. He was dumping some dirty water out the back door when a black van slid to a stop near the door. Phillipe saw a man dressed in black leap from the van and run toward the door. Phillipe instinctively closed and locked the door. The man slammed into the door, but it held. Phillipe dropped the heavy iron bar into its brackets barring the door.

"Boss says, 'No one comes in the back'." He yelled. The man beat on the door. Phillipe heard yelling and screaming behind him. He turned to see three girls run into the kitchen screaming. A blonde in a black dress led the way followed by a girl in gold with a long braid. A girl with black curls was behind, but a man grabbed her. The girl with curls screamed and fell to the floor. The long braid stooped low and punched the man in the groin and then drove upward, hitting the man in the nose. The man went down yelling and bleeding.

Another, bigger man ran in stepping over the first. The bigger man was wielding a knife and slashed at the girl in gold. She somehow had a black knife in her hand and thrust it at the man. Phillipe wanted to help but he had to stay away from the blades. He grabbed a bottle of beer and threw it. He left it high to avoid hitting the girl, but it hit the ceiling. The man and girl lunged at each other again. Phillipe grabbed another bottle of beer. Just as the man grabbed the girl in gold, Phillipe stepped into his next throw with all he had. "God, guide my hand," he prayed as he released the bottle.

****

Suddenly there was a sickening sound, like a boot kicking a melon. In the movies bottles break on heads. In the real world, it is the skull that suffers. The man went limp and fell to the floor. The bottle hit the floor and burst. Rita drove her heal into the man's ribs. He did not react.

"Gino!" screamed Joey, drawing a cross look from Rita.

"Two men down. Tony, we are coming out the front." Rita barked.

"Got you, babe. Come quickly." He replied in her ear. "There is a crowd of people between us."

Phillipe approached Rita with clean towels. "Here. You are bleeding."

Rita made eye contact with Phillipe for a half second. "Help me get the girls to the car at the front door." She wrapped her arm in a towel and wrapped one around her cut hand.

Phillipe pulled Nikki to her feet and held her arm across his shoulders. "Can you walk? The man stuck a stunner to you."

"I can barely move. My ass is still cramping." Nikki said. She saw the man bleeding on the floor. "Put pressure on the wound or you will bleed to death in one minute." She repeated the command in French.

Phillipe barked his version in Italian, then yelled at the crowd blocking the door. "Out of the way. Out of the way" He paused when they did not move and then yelled, "He's got a gun! Gun, gun! Pistola! Pistola!"

The boy's quick thinking made Rita smile through the pain. The crowd parted and Tony met them at the front door. Joey ran to him. "Our dates went crazy and Rita tried to kill them."

"Jesus! Get in the back, kid." Tony said to Joey.

Rita's towels were turning crimson. She plopped into the front seat. "The boy helped us. He saved my ass."

"Here, kid." Tony said and pushed a card into Phillipe's hand. "Come see me tomorrow. Villa Benoit."

"Put pressure on that man's wound or he will die." Nikki said to Phillipe as he helped her into the car. "Merci, beaucoup."

He watched the sedan speed away, then ran back into the club as sirens got louder.

In the car, Tony was speaking loudly into his phone set on speaker. "Andre, Rita is hurt. She's cut, damage unknown. We are going to the hospital."

"No! No hospital. Villa Benoit. We can take care of this." Rita protested.

"Bring her here." Andre's voice came over the phone. "If we can't handle it, then, the hospital"

"He didn't ask about me." Joey complained.

"He didn't have to." Tony said.

"And why the hell not?"

"He knows that if Rita and I are still alive, you are OK."

****

At the villa, Tony drove the sedan around back and right up to the kitchen door. Lydia and Andre came out to meet the car. "We have a table ready. How bad are you cut, Rita?" Andre asked.

"It's just a scratch." Rita said. She was holding her breath as the pain set in.

"She is lying, sir. Her arm is sliced open like some trout." Nikki said. "I can help. I am a medical student."

"That is good. Lydia was a nurse and I have cleaned many fish on that table." Andre said grinning.

"I have medical training." Rita said, wincing.

"I know, Little Senorita. But you are no good to anyone like this. Let us help you. You did well." Andre said, holding her good hand.

"Let's clean this mess up. Rita, this is going to hurt like hell." Lydia said and started cutting the remains of the gold blouse off of her. She noted how the fiery Spanish woman seemed reduced to a frightened young girl by the injury.

"Why all the fuss over this house girl? She's a servant." Joey complained.

"Shut your mouth, Joey. She saved us from being kidnapped. She took down two strong men in ten seconds. Is that what a servant girl does?" Nikki asked.

"Grandpapa would just pay them." Joey quipped.

"I would, child. I would pay and pay and then they would drop your bodies in the Mediterranean." Andre said, not taking his caring eyes from Rita's face. "Now go to bed Josephine. You are trying my patience." Tony handed him a syringe. Andre quickly pinned Rita down and put a dose of morphine sulfate in her shoulder.