Yasmin's Story: The A-Z of Trophy Wives, #25

By D.D. Grey

They're young, beautiful, with fast cars and luxury homes—with absentee, older husbands. Bored and lonely, each of our trophy wives has her own solution.

 

Yasmin works part-time in a charity shop on 35th Street. It fills the time while her husband is working.

Simply to fill the boredom, she fills in as the helper on the collection lorry and finds the driver, a rough and ready but somehow charming man, a true friend. One day, out in the sticks, the lorry gets a flat, and she helps him change the tire.

She was all hot and sweaty and covered in grime, so he offered her the chance to clean up before taking her home. His flat is small and cramped, but she doesn't notice the bathroom door doesn't have a lock on it. She doesn't notice as the handle turns and the door swings open.

The driver is about to change her life just as he changed the tire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.D. Grey
• Release date: Oct 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223774297

Book preview

Chapter 1

I could see the look of frustration on Sasha’s face from the other side of the shop. Whatever Hank had just told her couldn’t be good news. With no customers in the shop, it was easy enough to angle my route, so I passed close enough to hear. It wasn’t that I was nosy, lonely, for sure, but not nosey. I just wondered if I could help. After all, it was why I volunteered at the small charity shop on the corner near our apartment.

You have got to be kidding me? Fuck!

She looked at me and mouthed a sorry for the obscenity, but I just smiled and shrugged, telling her that the language wasn’t something that bothered me. In fact, it did bother me, but only because I’d never heard Sasha say anything remotely like that in the year since I’d started my three days a week at the shop.

Sorry, there’s nothing I can do is there? Damn fool went and bust his arm playing softball last night. Didn’t show up for work this morning, and I didn’t get a message from him until three this afternoon. I guess he spent the night in the ER.

Gary? The question slipped out before I could stop it. It wasn’t my conversation, and usually, I had better manners than to break into someone else’s private conversation. Even if it was being carried out in raised voices.

Yeah, Gary, damned fool thinks he’s God’s gift on a sports field. I ask you, who ever heard of anyone breaking their arm playing softball? Jeez.

Is he alright?

He’ll be fine. They mend easy at that age.

Sasha had managed to get control of herself a little while Hank had brought me up to speed. He knew I had something of a soft spot for the kid who helped him on his rounds. Hank and Gary made a good team, working the van, picking up other people’s junk and then cleaning, and where necessary repairing it for resale. Sasha, I knew thought the same. We needed the donated stock to keep the shop going.

But in the meantime, what are we going to do about the Sampson’s pick up tomorrow?

I’ll go on my own.

You will not. Hank. A big store like that works to different rules than us. A two-man crew, minimum, or they won’t let you load. They’ve been good enough to offer us those two hundred boxes of bric-a-brac, and that stock will last us months. You can’t pick it up on your own.

Excuse me for asking, but why not?

She turned and smiled at me. She was always patient with me. Because, Yasmin, they have a health and safety policy that dictates a two-man crew to load or unload a van. They don’t have the staff to help, and they won’t let a single guy work on his own.

I sniffed, trying to lighten the mood, but had a germ of a plan in the back of my head. That’s a bit sexist, isn’t it?

Hank’s brow furrowed as he frowned, and Sasha started to frown then caught on. She smiled, her lips curling upward for the first time in several minutes.

Okay, two-person rule, not a two-man rule.

Hank chuckled. Doesn’t matter. I’ve got nobody I can call on who can do it tomorrow.

And if I call them and say we can’t pick up tomorrow, then they’ll ship them elsewhere. They need the space, and I need that stock. Damn it!

I’ll go with him. That’ll satisfy them, right?

They both just stared at me, and I felt myself going red.

But, it’s your day off.

Sasha. Phil is, as usual, away. East Coast until the middle of next week. It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do that can’t wait. Believe you me, when I’m at home, there are only so many times you can rearrange your underwear drawer.

My blush intensified. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud in front of Hank. He was a nice guy, big and powerful. The same age as Phil, but he made two of my husband. I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a gym membership, but his muscles would have put most gym rats I knew to shame. His laugh was deep and rich, and Sasha shook her head.

I kept talking, covering my embarrassment. Look, they say they have to have two people with the van. I don’t have to actually do much, do I? Hank says he can handle it on his own. I’ll help as long as it’s light enough for me to lift, but otherwise, I’ll just be along for the ride, and it meets their requirements, right? I held my arm up next to Hank’s. His made three of mine, and I was sure that under the shirt sleeve, it was all beef, no fat.

Hank nodded slowly. It’s an idea. I know we need the stock, Sasha. I can work it that way.

Sasha shook her head. Our insurance doesn’t cover her. Sorry, Yasmin, but it doesn’t. You have to pass a certificate in goods handling.

I could see where her thinking was taking her. If I had an accident, I could sue her for enough damages to put her out of business. Hell, the legal costs would be enough to put her out of business, let alone any compensation claim. If her insurance didn’t cover it, well, she was toast. Given I had a hotshot lawyer for a husband, even if he wasn’t a personal injury lawyer, his firm had people who were among the best in the business.

I’ll sign a waiver.

But...

Sasha, it solves the problem. You need the stock. They need the space. Hank needs to fetch the boxes, and it gives me something to do tomorrow. Win, win, win, as far as I can see.

But...

Hank, you got a problem with my company for the day?

He shook his head, went to say something, and then blushed. He actually blushed.

What?

Well, I was just going to say, those floaty summer drees you wear wouldn’t be appropriate clothing for lugging boxes all day.

I giggled, knowing what he meant. The shop didn’t have air-conditioning and got quite hot in the heat of the day. Although, now, with the sun no longer on the plate glass windows at the front of the shop, it was starting to cool off. As a result of the heat, Sasha, myself, and the other volunteer women, tended to wear lightweight clothes at this time of the year. Today I’d worn a short summer dress, not one I considered sexy, but it was short enough to display my legs. So, not appropriate for lugging boxes around, but it would be alright for riding in your van, is that it?

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, caught unsure how to respond. Sasha broke into a peal of laughter. She got you there, man. Not like you to be lost for words.

Hank recovered quickly. Well, if she wants to travel in a bikini, that’ll be fine. But I think jeans and a t-shirt will do the job.

I glared at him, but he knew I knew he was kidding.

What about Gary’s overalls?

This time both Hank and I looked at each other and laughed. Gary was tall and thin, so the overalls wouldn’t look too ridiculous around me. However, he was at least a foot taller than me, so the length would be ridiculous. The crotch would be hanging down around my knees, the sleeves flapping well past my fingertips.

I think I can rustle up a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Sasha sighed and looked pensive for a couple of moments. I could see she was thinking things through. That stock was important to her. Are you sure about the waiver?

Of course, look, let I’ve got a boilerplate one on my phone. You know lawyers, always be prepared. I think Phil carried a condom in his pocket from the age of fourteen... I stopped myself, blushing again as they both laughed.

I thought it was scouts that were always prepared?

You should see the badges he collected. I think he got a full set. Besides, don’t boy scouts become either park rangers or lawyers?

True.

Anyway, Phil set me up with a couple of dozen boilerplate forms to cover any situation. And I do mean any situation. Lawyers, hey?

Moving past Sasha into the office, I used AirPrint to send the standard waiver form to her office printer, and then grabbed a pen, filled in my name, address and then signed and dated it. Unlike most forms, it didn’t need to be witnessed, because Hank, as an involved party, couldn’t do that. We’d have had to grab someone off the street to do that.

Three minutes later, I reappeared next to them. Here you go.

I’ll give Sasha her