I want to give special thanks to my editor, Alabasterthighs. Her assistance is greatly appreciated.
*
I rolled into the office later than usual for a Wednesday morning. Fighting an uncharacteristic midweek hangover, I sat at my desk, booted up the computer, and played back the messages from the night before. Nothing urgent; at least, nothing that rated a higher priority than my first cup of coffee. I opened the calendar and scrolled through the appointments. Again, nothing that would require delaying my morning recovery ritual. I glanced at the deadlines and, seeing nothing due today, went to the kitchen to get that longed for cup of coffee. Ten years ago I could have drank all night and been relatively unaffected the next day. Now, at age forty-five, a late night drinking binge has left me huddled in the office with the shades drawn, the door closed, the ringer on my cell phone turned to the lowest setting, and the DO NOT DISTURB light flashing on my office phone. If I could have turned the volume of the light down any lower, I would have.
As I returned to my desk I heard the last few bars of the cell phone ring tone assigned to my wife's sister, Bibiana. Bibiana is a gorgeous creature, in many ways a younger, smaller, and -- I hate to admit -- prettier version of my wife. Bibiana also has the good fortune of not being burdened with a conscience. This allows her the luxury of doing whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with whomever she wants to do it. Her lack of intelligence, however, has allowed her to make some very bad choices, and as a result, I have had to bail her out of some ridiculous situations, sometimes at considerable personal cost to myself. She is always quick to repay me for my troubles with her preferred currency: mind blowing sex. This arrangement has worked to our mutual advantage for most of my fifteen year marriage to her sister, Ileana.
By the time I reached my cell phone, it had already stopped ringing. I closed the office door and looked for a message. The inbox showed no new messages, so I called her.
"Ah, my hero," Bibiana cooed into the phone. "Coming to rescue me again?"
"That depends," I answered. "What's the problem this time?"
"No problem, actually. I was just calling to give you a heads up. Someone is going to be calling you today."
"I would say that someone has already called me today."
"Silly man, I am not talking about me."
"Then, who?"
"I ran into a friend of mine at the gym last night. We started talking, and she has a situation that requires some assistance. She asked me if I knew anyone who could help, and I suggested you."
"So I have to rescue your friends now, also?"
"It's not like that. I'll let her explain. I gave her your name and number, but I did not promise that you would help her. Whatever you decide to do, that's your decision. It makes no difference to me, one way or the other."
"That's a pretty vague explanation."
"I know. I'm sorry. I don't know if you will be interested in her proposition, but I believe it would be better if you heard it from her. I might not explain it properly, and that could influence your decision."
"You can't give me a hint?"
"Sorry. I'm not getting involved in this. You do whatever you like, and don't worry about me. I won't hold it against you if you say 'no'."
"Alright, I'll wait for her call. What is her name?"
"Dawn. Dawn Kennedy. She should be calling you sometime this afternoon. She leaves work at five, so my best guess is between five and five thirty. Good luck, and have fun."
"OK, thanks, I guess. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
* * *
I survived the rest of the morning, and after eating a bowl of soup at lunch, I started to feel better. The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. I was grateful for that, although time seemed to slow to an imperceptible crawl after three o'clock. At precisely five o'clock my secretary left for the day, and that was pretty much the end of my productivity, as well. I would have left by five fifteen if I were not waiting for Ms. Dawn Kennedy to call.
Finally -- at five thirty-one -- the generic ring tone sounded, and an unfamiliar number flashed on the cell phone display.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hi, my name is Dawn Kennedy, I am calling for Mr. Santos," a soft feminine voice responded.
"This is Victor Santos. How can I help you?"
"I have a situation. Bibiana recommended you as someone who might be able to help me. Can we meet tonight to discuss what I have in mind?"
"Umm, sure," I answered, with some hesitation in my voice. "Do you know where my office is located?"
"I know where you are, but I don't want to meet you at your office. There is a supermarket located one-half mile south of your office. Can you meet me there in fifteen minutes?"
"Ah, sure, I guess. Is this urgent."
"It's not urgent, but I would like to get moving tonight, while I have time to meet with you."
"Will this take long?
"Not more than fifteen or twenty minutes, I would estimate."
"Alright, I'll be there."
"Perfect. I will be standing in the wine section at exactly five fifty. Please don't be late."
"How will I know you?"
"It won't matter. I will know you."
The call ended. I shut off my computer, grabbed my jacket, and headed for the parking garage.
* * *
I entered the store and headed toward the wine section on the far side of the building. At exactly five fifty I turned the corner. The left side of the aisle was stocked with bottles of wine; the right with loaves of bread. I saw three women and one man occupying various places in the aisle. Not knowing which woman was Dawn, I decided to make one pass through the aisle; if no one stopped me, I would continue to the end of the aisle and head for the exit.
The first person I encountered was a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties, talking on her cell phone. She did not even glance at me as I walked past her. The next person was a slim woman in workout clothes, whose age could have been anywhere from thirty-five to fifty-five; it was hard to judge her age due to the number of cosmetic procedures she had already underwent. That woman gave me a suspicious glance as I approached, then resumed her study of various whole wheat bread labels when I walked past. The lone male in the aisle was filling his cart with jugs of cheap wine and barely moved so I could proceed around him. That left two women, an older woman in a postal carrier uniform, and a plump woman in a business suit, who appeared to be around forty years of age. I had a good idea which woman was my target.
I ignored the postal carrier and walked toward the chubby redhead. Her green eyes met mine, and I knew she was the one. Bibiana is a gorgeous little size three, but she knows my personal taste runs toward plus sized women such as her sister and this well-dressed redhead holding a bottle of Argentinian wine in each hand.
"You're right on time. Walk with me."
I followed her to the frozen foods section, which was vacant. Walking behind her allowed me to investigate her figure. Dawn stood about five feet, four inches tall. She had a big ass that stretched her navy blue pantsuit to the limit. She had thick thighs, and wore black pumps with a conservative three-inch heel. Her shoulder length hair was red, and judging from her pale skin tone, the color was natural. Her face was lightly freckled. Her hair was cut in a long bob, parted on the side, and curled inward as it reached her shoulders. She was a very pretty woman.
As she turned around, I saw for the first time that her breasts were full, and her cream-colored open collar shirt revealed a generous amount of cleavage.
"I'm sorry for the cloak and dagger meeting. I imagine this is not what you are used to. I just wanted to meet you in a public place where I would be able to see you before you saw me. I needed to get an idea if you are what I am looking for. I have had bad luck so far with the other men."
"What are you looking for?"
"That's kind of difficult to explain here. Let's just say, I have a fantasy. You could be the one to fulfill it for me."
"I'm flattered, I think. Would you like to go somewhere else so we can talk about this privately? I know a little bar around the corner."
"I have a better idea. Follow me to my house."
* * *