The Calm Before The Storm (Patreon)

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The heavy box finally gave in to Brand's efforts with the crowbar. He pushed the wooden panels aside and pulled out a sleek, semi-industrial stove, which he carried to the rear of the tiny room, positioning it beside a large refrigerator.

"Well, this is coming along nicely," he said to himself, before venturing out in search of another box.

As he was about to load it onto a cargo cart, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Helen, the gorgeous mutant he had met during the Christmas storm. They had been chatting regularly on social media since then. She was dressed casually in a four-sleeved sweatshirt, shorts that revealed a bushy tail, and white sneakers. "Wow, what a surprise to see you again," Brand said, his excitement evident. "I like your style, it's great to see you dressed so relaxed."

"I missed you too," Helen replied with a smile. "And I'm happy to find you in a situation where I don't have to save your life, or at least I don't think so. Isn't that a lot of weight for one person to carry?"

"Unfortunately, getting help costs money, and I have to be careful with every penny now," Brand explained.

"I can't help but feel proud of you and the steps you're taking. Although I'm surprised that you're doing it all on your own. You told me before that a coworker was going to quit and become your partner," Helen said, sounding surprised.

"Yes, that was the plan, but he's a married man with two kids and this is a big risk. In the end, he backed out. I don't blame him, really... I'm single and have no one to rely on. Sometimes I wake up at night terrified that I made a mistake," Brand admitted.

Helen approached Bran and gently stroked his cheek. "This is not the time to lose faith. Starting a business always requires a leap of trust. Even if it doesn't work out, you can try something else, but at least you'll have given it a shot."

Her fragrance and touch comforted Bran. "Thank you, I think I needed to hear that," he said.

"So, how's the place coming along?" Helen asked excitedly.

"Right now, I've just been getting the furniture delivered. This last box is for a wall counter," Bran replied.

"Okay, let me help you get it inside," Helen offered.

"It's not necessary, you don't have to do that," Bran protested.

"I want to help because I'm your friend. Plus, I have twice as many hands as you," Helen said, holding up all four of her arms. Bran eventually agreed, and together they loaded the counter onto the car and carried it into the building.

"The place is a good size to start with," Helen said, looking around at the tables and chairs stacked in a corner. "Have you thought about how you're going to decorate it?"

"Well...that's a problem," Bran said, organizing some boxes.

"What do you mean?" Helen asked.

"I calculated the costs with the help of a partner. I thought I could make up for his lack of contribution with a bank loan, but I haven't been able to get one because of the current situation," Bran explained, sitting down in a chair. "So I focused on buying the equipment for the operation, thinking I could come up with something for the decoration, the facade, and the marketing, and handle the shop on my own."

"You can't just improvise with those things," Helen scolded. "The decor and design are crucial to the overall experience."

"Wow, you really know what you're talking about," Bran said in surprise.

"I took a few semesters of Design studies," Helen said modestly.

"In that case, can you give me your opinion on some ideas I had for the venue?" Bran asked, handing Helen a small notebook. She scanned the notes before giving Bran a poker-faced look and wagging her tail in disapproval.

"Brand, all you have here are ideas that are already being used at other venues," Helen said. "I'm surprised you didn't draw a big gold M outside."

"Is it really that bad?" Bran asked dejectedly.

Helen stood up gracefully from her chair and walked over to Bran.

“OK, I’ve decided. I’ll be your partner!” Helen said with a smile.

“W-what!? You can’t be serious!” Brand asked in disbelief.

“Did I stutter? Don’t you remember when we said goodbye on Christmas say? I said if you ever got the nerve to start your own company, I would come and help. I'm like Lt. Dan in Forest Gump, but with sexy legs,” she laughed.

“I don’t know if I’m comfortable being Forest in this scenario,” brand laughed back. “But what you, you know, your own line of work?”

“Oh,” Helen said taking a deep breath. “I think it’s time I take my life in a different direction.”

“That’s surprising. You never seemed ashamed of it before and, you know, you were good at it.”

“Of course I’m good at it,” she said with a wink. “After all, you were one of my clients.”

“I still dream about it, but seriously though, why quit?”

“I told you before I didn’t plan on being in the, ahem, escort business forever. And lately things have gotten a bit dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Brand asked, genuinely concerned. “What do you mean?”

“Stress has gone up, all around. And when stress goes up, clients get tweaked. And when clients get tweaked they get a little… pushy. The whole “workplace” gets a bit less safe. I’ve had more than a few problems.”

“Problems?”

“Yeah, look.” She pulled down her collar to expose a bruise on her neck. “Some just get too into it. Some want to take BDSM to the extremes. One even asked me if my tail would grow back if he cut it off. Three days ago, a guy demanded me to make that face… what’s it called… the “Ahegao.” According to him, I didn't do it well and he tried to teach me by force. It’s a bad scene all around.”

“Oh my god. Where is that guy!? I’ll kill-”

“Calm down my white knight,” Helen said grabbing Brand’s arm with her two left hands. “I know how to defend myself, and naked guys are the most vulnerable type of guys.”

“Did you report him?”

“Yeah,” Helen said with a sigh. “But I don't think it will do much good. After all it’s my word against his and people in my line of work don’t exactly have the best reputation.” She leaned her head back to look at the ceiling, shaking off the bad memories. “Anyway I know the guy won’t be coming for me. He’s married and I can easily leak evidence of his hooker habit on social media.” She laughed but then her lips turned to a frown. “I’ll be honest though, it affected me. Like a lot. I’m just… shook, you know. I haven’t really taken a job since then, and it’s because clients like him are becoming more and more common. I just think it’s time to stop.”

“Well safety is the top priority, but are you sure you wanna be my partner?” Brand said sitting next to her. “I’m not exactly sure this is the safest line of work to go into… financially speaking.”

“I mean what else am I going to do, stuff bags at the supermarket?” Helen said with a smile. “I told you every business starts with a leap of faith. Besides, I trust you a lot. After all, you owe your life to me.”

“You did save me from freezing to death,” Brand said smiling back.

“Exactly! So don’t worry. I’ll take care of the decoration and marketing and you just focus on making this business run.”

“Yeah, but I told you, I don’t really have the money…”

“But I do!” Helen said. “How do you think I’ve been surviving without working. I have quite a bit saved. I told you last time I’m not a cheap escort.”

“Hah, so what you gave me a discount?” Brand said.

“Nah, it’s a lot simpler than that. You were the first person that I had sex with for fun, not business, in a really long time. It was more worth it than the money.” She wagged a finger at Brand. “My business services on the other hand, those will cost you. I expect to get an even share of the profits.

“I can agree to that. Welcome to the team of… artisan… sandwich… shop…” brand said stumbling over his words.

“Oh my god you haven’t even chosen a name,” Helen laughed. “Don’t worry I’ll come up with something. First things first though I’ll have to move closer. Maybe I’ll get an apartment near here.”

“Magnificent! We should celebrate. Maybe we can go out to dinner?” Brand asked.

Helen stood up and leaned against Brand's chest.

“…oh I have some ideas… nut not right now. Now I think it would be nice to just relax and have a few beers. Sound OK?”

“Whatever you say, I know a bar nearby,” Brand said with a small smile.

“Then its settled,” Helen said, standing up once more. “Let’s get to work, 'partner.'” Helen smirked a bit before heading toward a pile of boxes in the corner. Brand was not far behind.