Ray Mills - Spread wide babysitter

"Yes," Jondra said.

"I've got a job for you," the man said. "Friday night. You work Friday nights?"

"Let me see. That's tomorrow night, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"How many children, Mr…"

"Bates," the man said, sounding self-conscious. "Just one. A little boy."

"I see," Jondra said, trying to sound businesslike.

She didn't know whether to accept the job or not. The voice on the other end of the line didn't exactly make her tingle with expectation as Bill Andrews' voice had done. On the other hand, a person couldn't always be judged by his voice. And she could always use the money. If Mr. Bates was not attractive, she wouldn't be obligated to go to bed with him, since that wasn't a part of the bargain. She had no other plans for Friday night, even though in the back of her mind she couldn't help wishing it was Bryce Clark who had phoned to hire her.

"Well, I guess I can make it, Mr. Bates," she said. "Will you pick me up, or should I take the bus there?"

"Oh, I'll pick you up," he said. "How's about seven-thirty?"

"That'll be fine," Jondra said. "You realize that I charge two-fifty an hour."

"Money is no object, Miss," said the man on the phone.

All things considered, Jondra was not very "up" for the Friday night babysitting job. She would go through with it for the money, but she didn't expect any excitement. And her lack of expectation was doubly reinforced as soon as she saw Mr. Bates, who picked her up in a shiny, red Cadillac. He was short and squatty, thick and hairy, looking to her very much like a throwback to the times of the cavemen. His shoulders were burly, his arms huge and muscular, his hands broad and meaty. Thick tufts of wiry black hair seemed to squirt out of his ears and the back of his neck. He looked like an animal, and he had a wild glint in his eye. Good God, what a scary guy, Jondra thought, immediately feeling ashamed of herself.

"Hello, Jondra," Bates said, smiling in a way that was clearly meant to be friendly.

His mouth was fierce and savage looking. Jondra found herself thinking that it was more fit for tearing raw meat off a bone than for smiling. Again she felt guilty. You can't blame people for the way they look, she thought.

"Hello, Mr. Bates," she said with false cheer riness. He was probably a nice man underneath his brutal appearance. All she had to do was stay for a few hours with his kid, then get her money and come home. It wouldn't be so bad. "My, what a nice car," she said, running one hand along the shiny front fender of his Cadillac.

"Glad you like it," Bates said, a little too gruffly, opening the door for her to get in.

Jondra couldn't find anything to talk to him about while he drove her across town, so she chatted idly about the weather. She realized after about ten minutes that he lived quite far away from her, down in the southern end of the city where the houses were older and shabbier than any she had ever seen. She wondered why he had not been able to get a babysitter who lived closer.

Finally the car stopped in front of a gloomy, old, brown-shingled house that gave Jondra the creeps even to look at. God, am I going to have to stay here all evening in this house with his bratty kid? How did I let myself in for this? she asked herself.

She followed Bates inside the house, and for the first time she felt fear clutch her throat when she heard him shut the door behind her. Oh, don't be silly! she told herself. It's just a normal babysitting job, for God's sake. He can't help looking like an evil old troll. And he can't help it if he has to live in this creepy neighborhood either. Just be nice and it'll be all over soon.

"Well, where's the little one?" she asked brightly, looking around the tacky interior of the house, which was furnished with thrift-shop furniture.

"Oh… well," Mr. Bates replied evasively, appearing slightly nervous himself for some reason. "I think he's probably… out back. I mean, in one of the back rooms. Why don't you come along? We'll see if we can find him."

"What's his name?" Jondra asked as she followed Mr. Bates into the shadowy back rooms of the house.

"Joey," Mr. Bates replied.

He opened the door to what was apparently a back bedroom and beckoned Jondra inside. It was dim in the room and she had to squint to see anything, but shortly she caught sight of a young man sitting in a chair. He seemed to be a younger replica of Mr. Bates. Jondra judged him to be in his middle twenties. In another chair across from him sat another young man of about the same age, a gigantic hulk of a guy who looked like a tackle for a pro football team.

Nowhere did Jondra see the small child she had presumably been hired to take care of. She began to think something was fishy. What have I got myself into? she wondered.

"Well, where is he?" she asked Bates, trying to keep the shrill anxiety she felt out of her voice. She didn't want them to think she was alarmed when this was probably just some kind of harmless joke they were playing on her.

Bates pointed to the young man who looked like him. "That's Joey," he grinned.

Oh, my God! Jondra thought. Her heart sank. "And I'm Ed," said the one who looked like a tackle.

"If this is some kind of joke, I don't think it's very funny," Jondra said through her teeth.

For the first time she realized how totally foolish she had been. She was completely at their mercy. No one knew she was here. If they decided to try anything, she would have nothing to rely on but her own wits to help her escape.

"Oh, this is no joke," the one called Joey said, standing up and approaching her.

He, too, was coarse and brutal looking, like his apparent father, with a thick, muscular body and black wiry hair spurting out of him everywhere. Now Jondra didn't mind admitting to herself that both of them were totally repulsive. She felt like recoiling from him as he walked toward her, but she was already only two or three steps from the door. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Mr. Bates blocking her exit.

"What… what's this all about then?" she murmured nervously.

Joey reached out and stroked her cheek with his rough, calloused hand. "We want to have a party." He grinned.

"I didn't come here for a party. I came here to babysit," Jondra said firmly.

"Ha, ha, I know," Joey laughed. "I'm the one you're going to babysit. And I want to have a party. Anyway, you're such a pretty babysitter."

His hand dropped from her cheek down to her neck. He got his fingers under her collar and stroked the warm skin of her neck and throat. Jondra was terrified. She tried not to show her fear, thinking any display of fear might excite them further. Behind Joey she could see the giant one, Ed, getting out of his chair, too, and coming toward them. Oh, my God, what are they going to do to me! she thought.

But she knew perfectly well what they had in mind, Joey wasn't subtle about it. He was already unbuttoning her blouse.

"God, you can't do this to me," Jondra whimpered. "It's against the law. I don't want you to. It's not fair."

"Nobody said it was fair," said Bates.

She could feel him right in back of her. When Joey got her blouse completely unbuttoned, Bates slipped it off her shoulders from behind. He tossed it into a corner of the room.

"God damn, you're beautiful, Jondra!" Joey said.

Ed reached out one giant hand and squeezed one of her tits roughly through her bra. "Hell, she's got big tits, don't she?" He grinned.

Jondra could feel Bates' fingers fiddling with her bra clasp. God, I can't believe this is really happening! she thought, feeling the panic rise in her throat.

"Please!" She began to cry. "Please don't do this to me!"

"Aw, don't cry, little Jondra," Joey said. He brushed away her tears with his rough fingers. "We only want to have a party. We want you to have fun too."