Chapter 330.
They parked and made their way to the hotel entrance, following the signs for wedding guests. They ran into Imogen and Joshua in reception, and the four walked together to the ballroom. There was a big light ante-room where the guests could gather, and through double doors they could see a dancefloor surrounded by dining tables, which waiters and waitresses were laying for lunch. Tim was attracting lots of attention as usual, and they had been there less than a minute when he found himself surrounded by four girls of about his own age. A girl in an orange dress introduced herself.
âHi! Iâm Yvette. Youâre Tim, arenât you? Pleased to meet you.â
She held out her hand. Tim took it and smiled. She was rather pretty.
âThese are my friends. This is Josephine, this is Frankie, and this is Tess. We just wanted to say what a great job you did at the church. Weddings are so boring. Iâm not ever getting married.â
âUnless you agree to be her pageboy,â quipped in the girl in the green dress, Frankie, with a grin.
âOh, well, if you would⌠That would be different, of course...â
âHow did you come to be a pageboy?â asked blue dress â that was Josephine. âWhen we heard we expected some snotty little kid â not a cool, handsome guyâŚâ
Tim blushed, and demurred, but felt inwardly pleased and proud. Serena was right. Why had he doubted it for a minute? In this outfit he was definitely a babe magnet. The girls moved closer, smiling at him invitingly. Any initial shyness evaporated.
âWell, it was pure chance, really. See, I work at Pittâs Wood Equestrian the other side of the townâŚâ
âOh. I know it well,â said Tess. âIâve even ridden there.â She suddenly had a thought. âWait a minute⌠Are you one of the boot boys by any chance?â
âThatâs right. Me and Bobby.â
âWow! Iâve seen you aboutâŚnow I recognise you.â
âWhatâs a boot boy?â asked Josephine. âDoes heâŚ?â
âClean boots? Yes. But itâs a bit more complicated than that, I believe⌠Isnât it, Tim?â asked Tess, innocently.
âOhâŚyeah, I guess⌠Anyway, as to the pageboy thing, once Miss Poole â thatâs the principal â asked me to be a pageboy for a party she was having. And it just sort of developed from there⌠Then Deborah heard about me through her daughterâs friend, and she asked if I would⌠And of course I agreedâŚâ
âWeâre so happy you did, Tim. Otherwise we wouldnât have got to meet youâŚâ
Serena, seeing Tim making some new friends, decided they might cramp his style if they hung around.
âImogen, shall we go congratulate the happy couple? Theyâve just arrivedâŚâ
And the three of them moved off, leaving Tim with the girls.
The girls quickly understood how vulnerable Tim was to flattery, and decided to exploit his weakness to the full.
âI just love your outfit!â cried Frankie. âYour shorts are really neat!â
âYeah, coolâŚâ added Josephine, putting her hands on his shoulders.
Frankie was checking out his belt. âThatâs really good quality leather. And the pink looks really good next to the purple⌠It is latex, isnât it?â
Tim nodded. The girlsâ touch was as light as a butterfly â and all the more thrilling for it.
âActually these coloursâŚâ
âThatâs cool. I wish I had some latex gear. If I had my way, Iâd wear latex and leather all the time. I hate these stupid filmy dresses we had to wear today. You wonât believe it, but our mums got together and chose our outfits specially so weâd each wear a similar dresses but in different colours!â
âTrue,â added Tess. âPersonally Iâm not used to it. I feel most comfortable in my riding gear. And powerful. Guys donât take the piss when youâre wearing tight breeches, high boots, and carrying a whip!â She laughed. âAnd they donât try to patronise you, either.â
âWe want to leave home as soon as possible,â said Yvette. âWeâre gonna rent a big house together.â She had an idea. âYou should join us, Tim.â
Tim smiled. âThatâs very nice of you,â he said, casually.
âNo. Weâre serious,â said Josephine. âLetâs keep in touch, and maybe that can really happen. If you were interested, that isâŚâ
Tim was flattered. âHonestly, I would. Iâd love to. But itâs complicated⌠Thing is, see, my contractâŚâ
âContract?â asked Frankie.
âYeah, see, I have a contract with Pittâs Wood, and I have an apartment there, and then thereâs ESDSâŚâ
âESDS?â Josephine looked puzzled. âWhatâs that? What does that stand for?â
He realised heâd said too much. âOh, itâs nothingâŚjustâŚâ
But Yvette was already typing on her phone. âEgertonâs Special Domestic Services? Whatâs this? Boy maids? What theâŚ? I canât see the menu unless Iâm a member. But yeah, thatâs it, isnât it? It says âaffiliated with Pittâs Wood Equestrian Centre! Tim? Are you involved in this? Are youâŚreally a boy maid?â
Tim clammed up, but his face was a confession in itself.
âIâm still in trainingâŚâ
âTell us everything, darling,â said Frankie, âcome on⌠Donât be shyâŚâ
But Yvette gave her an almost imperceptible shake of the head, which warned her against being too pushy. She was more concerned in gaining his trust, and playing the long game. It wasnât every day you came across a guy with such possibilitiesâŚ
She gave Tim an look which expressed both admiration and interest.
âTim? That latex looks amazing quality⌠Would you mind if IâŚâ She reached towards him, tentatively.
âPleaseâŚâ
âThank youâŚâ Her fingers caressed the smooth latex. âOh, gosh⌠Yes⌠Itâs so fine. Your shorts must have been wildly expensiveâŚâ
âI think so too⌠But all my outfits are paid for⌠Itâs part of the contract, see.â
Her hand lingered, stroking the glossy surface. âYouâre a lucky guy⌠I wish I could see your other outfits sometimeâŚâ
Tim has taken an immediate fancy to Yvette. He jumped at the idea.
âIâd really like to show you. Maybe we could meet up? Iâm getting some new pageboy gear next week, and then I could also show you⌠ErâŚâ
âYour maidâs uniform?â cried Yvette, excitedly.
âErâŚwell, erâŚâ
In his eagerness to renew their relationship Tim had been about to suggest it, but now was having second thoughts. Yvette knew exactly how to handle him, however.
âOh, no pressure. I quite understand if you wouldnât want to. Itâs a professional matter, after all. Sorry - forget I mentioned it.â
âNo, really⌠Iâd be glad to. Maybe you could come to ESDS one day. I could ask my mist⌠I mean my aunt.â
âDo you mean all of us?â
He could hardly say no.
âErâŚsureâŚâ
âWow! Thank you, Tim. Youâre such a great guy!â And she threw her arms around him and kissed him.