Chapter 15: Palacial

“Linda, this is Chichima from Nigeria.” Warren pulled a reluctant tiny black woman further into the penthouse salon. “Chichima? This is Linda. Chichima means ‘Precious Girl. Linda means ‘Pretty’.

Chichima ran to, abased herself, knelt on the floor, head bowed, before Linda.

“What is she doing?” Linda couldn’t understand why Chichima was acting so strangely. “Am I suppose to get on the floor with her? I know nothing of Nigerian culture or customs!” Linda wanted to welcome Chichima, but this display, made her wary.

“Chichima knows you are the first lady of the house, the first wife. She is acknowledging your preeminence. She is making a servants obeisance to you.”

“But she isn’t a servant. Did you tell her I was your wife?” Linda smiled at this thought. “It’s not true, but very sweet, if you did! You’re always so sweet to me!”

“I didn’t call you my wife, but I gave you the title ‘First Lady’. Which to Nigerians usually belongs to the first wife. They are allowed three wives.” Warren explained. “Please help her up, or she will stay there all day.”

Linda got to her feet in a regal flowing movement, took two elegant steps toward Chichima, cupped the girls chin, raised it so Chichima was looking up at her. Linda smiled benevolently and motioned for Chichima to stand. “Linda has the style and grace of a Queen!” Warren thought.

Chichima stood, hung her head, but Linda tipped her face upward again, then Linda leaned in and kissed Chichima gently on the lips. Chichima was shocked, but only a second. She moved so gracefully, quickly, but didn’t seem at all hurried, until she was molded to Linda’s body. She circled Linda’s waist with her arms, serpentine can only describe the movement of her arms as they slid around Linda. She leaned against Linda, and tilted her face up, offering her lips for another kiss. Linda kissed her. The kiss prolonged, and became sensual, then passionate. Linda broke contact first. “Does she think she is for me? A sex slave or something?” Linda wasn’t shocked, just unsure of the ground they were on.

“Yes! For both of us. She will do light housework, laundry, cook, wash dishes, any mild chores we ask of her, but primarily her duty is, sexual pleasure. Servicing us both, together, or separately. It’s all she knows, and her scars make her unfit for that position for anyone other than us. She knows her scars don’t offend us. She is very happy to have a master and mistress in-spite of her disfigurement.” Warren hoped he hadn’t confused things.

“Maybe I understand? I think I see. But, could I see her service you, and I’ll know better the level of service being offered!” Linda gave Warren a mischievous grin and the devilment was in her eyes.

“Certainly! Chichima?” With quick tiny steps, she was in front of Warren. He sat in a big over sized easy chair, and pulled her on to his lap. Within seconds she was impaled on him, but to anyone watching, she was simply sitting on his lap, both of them fully clothed.

“And that’s it?” Linda was amused.

“Yes!”

“Boring!” Linda laughed. They all laughed. Chichima’s internal fluttering felt exquisite to Warren, but that’s not something you can share. Only mention. Knowing or hearing it’s occurring, means nothing to someone not experiencing it.

“Ladies? We are going house shopping! In Perrysburg, Ohio. So, powder your noses, or whatever you need to do, the car will be here soon.” Warren gave them a heads up.

“We are going by taxi?” Linda thought that would be extravagant.

“No, Dear-heart. I bought a car from the want ads. It will be delivered in just a bit, I’ll pay for it, we’ll go pick up the insurance papers, register and plate it, and then ROAD TRIP!” he laughed, enjoying the surprised looks on their faces.

“This is silly, Warren! Buying a car unseen, from a dealer unknown, and in Detroit? Are you out of your ever-loving MIND! Sweetheart this is lunacy bordering on stupidity! But I love you with all my heart! I hope I haven’t offended you!” Linda went from shrewish to contrite, in the flick of a switch.

“Wa’ll, that remains to be seen! (Honk! ) Car’s here. Let’s go.” Warren tried ushering them out the door.

“Wait! I gotta pee!” Linda trotted to the bathroom, Chichima right behind.

To himself Warren complained, “I TOLD them to take care of that fifteen minutes ago, but NO. Gotta jaw wag and delay, is more important!”

The car was waiting in the alley behind the hotel. Chichima looked through a rear window in the penthouse, down at the car, and turned to Warren with raised eyebrows and wide-eyes. Linda insisted, she also needed to see, and gently nudged Chichima aside. “Warren baby! It’s so OLD! And dirty and I don’t think it can last long enough to make a trip to Toledo.”

Warren just smiled. “She runs. Drove here! We will make her nice and clean again. Fix whatever needs fixing. Trust me. That is not an old car. It’s a collector’s dream, a fantastic CLASSIC!”

Warren enlightened them. “I was born and raised in East Toledo. That’s like Hell’s Kitchen in New York. Linda, you grew up in southwest Detroit! That’s worse than Hell’s Kitchen! We are both tough street kids. And Chichima, we KNOW the kind of hell she comes from. In the alley below, and in the movie the ‘Godfather’, is the same model of limo Michael Corleone was chauffeured around in! Appropriate for toughs like us, too! Don’t you think?” Warren was setting the stage, piece by piece.

“But it looks so dated! And Old!” Linda complained.

Going down in the elevator, Warren told the nanobot to eliminate the dirt and dust, any smells inside the car, and make the running gear and mechanicals, factory new. But not to disturb the appearance, wear, and scratches. Neither outside nor the interior.

The women were reluctant to enter the car, but when they discovered it didn’t smell, gingerly climbed in. Warren instructed the driver, with the address to the insurance agent. There was a car phone. Warren asked if it worked. Driver informed him, Warren would need to arrange for a service account before the phone would work. Warren added another stop to the list. Driver informed him, he wasn’t available as a chauffeur, was only to deliver the car and collect the money. Warren gave him twenty dollars, and promised to release him on arrival at DMV, after they collected the insurance rider first. The driver, mollified by the gratuity, agreed.

At the DMV, Warren tipped the driver another twenty, and presented him with a personal check, for a thousand dollars, as prearranged with the dealer. Inside the DMV, Warren exchanged his Ohio chauffeur’s license for one issued by the State of Michigan. In 1987, young divorced Warren lived in Maumee, Ohio. One of the first orders of business arriving back in 1987, he acquired a replacement license, claiming the original was lost.

Now, with a Michigan license and address, insurance in order, The 1957 Crown Imperial Limousine contracted by Chrysler, built and armor-plated by Ghia, of Turin, Italy, was soon street legal, wearing a temporary tag. The custom “5th Estate” tag, would be mailed to the penthouse.

This business was eating up the day. Warren decided initiating service for the phone could be postponed. The girls were hungry, and wanted fried chicken. They went to a drive through, and bought enough buckets for a small army. Warren was driving and the two women were in the back, munching. “Do you have enough room back there?” he asked.

“It’s PALACIAL, and the ride is so smooth and quiet!” The car was beginning to charm Linda. Of course. Chichima never dreamed such luxury existed, but didn’t comment. Couldn’t.

“When you are finished eating, I’ll pull into a car-wash, and we’ll get her spruced up.” Warren already loved and was proud of his car. It would normally cost a fortune, several times the new dealer price, to restore the huge, more than twenty feet long car. Thank the Empress for the nanobot! As the car was being trolleyed through the automated car-wash, Warren, Linda, and Chichima watched through sudsy windows in the waiting room. “Nanobot, make the car Factory New, totally throughout!” Warren’s thoughts directed his private genie. The car-wash cashier didn’t want to charge for cleaning the already pristine interior, after the limo emerged from the robotic wash tunnel. Just as new as coming off the assembly line, the car gleamed! Warren insisted on paying anyway, but forbade the detail staff even entering the car. He needed to justify the improvement, and the fee was inconsequential. He definitely did not want the cheap deodorizing scents, the staff carried ready to shoot! “Ooh! This is GORGEOUS! Smell that new car smell! Can we buy a can of the spray? The odor is so like original realistic!” Linda was no longer ashamed to ride in his “OLD” car.

They merged onto the freeway. “Now I have you ladies trapped in a speeding car, I am going to tell you a crazy story!” Warren was cruising south on I-75. He amazed and regaled them with the nanobot story, was economical with the truth about his other escapades, and forgot to mention the Empress at all! They left I-75 and entered Perrysburg on state 20. To allow them to better appreciate the quaintness of downtown Perrysburg, he pressed a button. Automatically retracting the convertible landau roof over the rear seat. The landau collapsed into a special hidden compartment in front of the enormous trunk. That earned him some “Oohs and Ahs” from Linda, but she had to restrain terrified Chichima from leaping out of the moving car. Chichima smiled exuberantly and nodded approvingly, once the roof was fully open and she understood it was not trying to eat her with it’s huge jaws!