Last March I was in Los Angeles visiting a close friend from my time in the Navy. We spent some time together playing tennis but struggled with the humidity. One night while we were out having dinner, he mentioned something that caught my attention.
"There's a local theatre group that is having a fundraiser this weekend. I hear that a date with some big name celebrities will be auctioned off," he said.
"Anybody really famous?" I asked.
"Mostly older celebrities who have not been in the public eye for a while, or so I was told. Three guys and eight women, but I don't know who they are."
We decided to go, even though we knew we could not afford to "bid" very much to help out. Due to an unexpected traffic snarl, we were late and the male celebrities, Martin Sheen and Michael Douglas had been "purchased" for $750 each. Robert Dinero backed out.
The female celebrities were all hot for their age, but the last one coming up for a "date" was Catherine Zeta-Jones. The bids for a luncheon date with any of the female celebrities had varied between $900 and $1,200 and the local theater representatives were ecstatic.
My buddy didn't have any interest in paying big bucks for what would probably be a staged and stuffy lunch with a celebrity. But I had always had a crush and too many fantasies about CZJ, and I decided to wade into the bidding. Three guys and one woman and I all vied for the date, and the bids went up each time by $100 until the last bid was $1,400.
i checked my bank account on my phone; $2,386.42. i raised my paddle and shouted, "$2,300!". The auctioneer stammered for a second, but didn't even ask for another bid; he slammed his gavel on the podium and yelled, "sold!"
My buddy was astounded at my boldness and reckless bid just to have lunch with Catherine Zeta-Jones. When I took care of the payment procedure, they took me backstage to meet her in a lobby where the celebrities had been waiting. I saw Christie Brinkley leaving with a guy old enough to be her father.
After we were introduced, Catherine and I chatted a few minutes to get acquainted. Even at 54, she was as hot as ever.
"I was surprised that you jumped the bid so high, Bill," she said with a beautiful smile.
"I was determined to win a date with you; I've been a fan and fantasizing about you forever."
"Well, you DO realize that this is a lunch together only, there is nothing personal or sexual intended nor implied."
"It may not be intended nor implied but it's not impossible, is it?" I asked boldly.
"I think you may have misunderstood; we will have lunch in my hotel suite, we will NOT be alone, and it will be very upbeat and platonic."
"That works for me; I can still fantasize."
The next day I arrived at her hotel suite as instructed. A maid opened the door and led me to the living area where Catherine was waiting. She wore a silver shimmering blouse that allowed a wonderful view of her cleavage. Her dark blue slacks hung to her curves like melted butter.
"Lunch is ready, so let's just sit down and take care of my obligation," she said curtly.
I was disappointed and decided that I would milk this opportunity for all it was worth.
"You're even more stunning in person than you are in films," I offered.
Her smile almost made me hard because she had softened up.
"Thank you, thank you very much."
"Surely you can't blame me for fantasizing about you," I stated.