Part One: Elsa
I've always had an obsession with costumes. Becoming a costume designer and constructionist was an obvious career choice for me; I love to dress people up into someone completely different. I also love to dress myself up. Any excuse to get a little extra for a night out or a party is fun for me. Halloween is naturally my favorite holiday. I love to throw theme parties. And in the bedroom, I adore roleplay.
I think it's a natural extension of my dramatic personality that I like to explore during sex but I'd always struggled to convince my partners to really get into it. I figure guys are more uptight or I just have a crazy overactive imagination, but getting boyfriends to think beyond the teacher/student roleplay was challenging. And ask a guy to put on a costume in order to fuck you? Forget about it.
But Andrew is different. He's kind and sweet and eager to please. Our sex life in the first eight months of our relationship had been nothing but great! He was always willing to try new positions and we'd had a few experiments with the basics of roleplay: mostly me wearing some slutty outfit and talking dirty til we couldn't keep from banging. I'd done the short, pleated skirt and hair in pigtails asking for a better exam grade and the French maid who finds more than she bargained for while 'making the bed,' but I was ready to take things to a new level.
I tossed around lots of ideas but nothing really seemed to stick out as the winner until one night I was at Andrew's apartment making us a dinner of spaghetti when he told me his firm had decided he was important enough to have his own private secretary. Andrew works for one of Manchester's biggest law firms as an account man. He doesn't do the lawyering himself; he brings in the clients and keeps them happy with business dinners and snappy conversation. It allows the lawyers to focus on law and court prep, while an account man keeps the clients rolling in. Up until now Andrew had shared a secretary with three other junior account men, but the high-ups had finally seen it fit that Andrew needed his own dedicated assistant.
"Do you get to hire your own secretary?" I asked, tasting the meat sauce on the stove.
"No, there's a personnel director in charge of all that," he explained from his spot on the couch. "They will probably promote some girl out of the secretary pool. You know how many people there are answering phones and making photo copies there."
I nodded. I had only been to Andrew's office once before but I remembered the masses of people all looking very formal. It had reminded me of Boston Legal, but without William Shatner running around and screwing everything up.
"So it will probably be a woman?" I asked.
"Probably, most of the aides are..." Andrew looked up at me. "You're not worried about that, are you?"
"No," I shook my head. "I just hope she's not looking to move up the corporate ladder too fast... If you know what I mean."
Andrew laughed and got up to join me in the kitchen. Wrapping one arm around my stomach he said "Love, I think you've been watching too much Mad Men. I'm not going to be seduced by my secretary."
"Promise?" I said looking up and fluttering my lashes at him.
"I promise," he said, putting a kiss on my nose.
Of course, I wasn't truly worried about Andrew and his new secretary although it did perk my ears every time her name came up over the next week...which was often. Her name was Cassidy and she was from Ireland. I hadn't met her yet, but I imagined a buxom redhead with adorable freckles and short skirts.
The firm had a 40th anniversary gala planned at the end of the week and I knew I'd get the chance to meet the new secretary there. It would be my first time as Andrew's plus one to a fancy work gathering and I couldn't wait! As I've mentioned, I love to get dressed up!
I was looking through my closet trying to decide which dress was the best to wear to the gala as a first impression for Andrew's co-workers. I wanted them to be impressed that their star account man also had a sexy, successful girlfriend. I had it narrowed down to a floral silk A-line gown and a black beaded number with a crazy high slit in the leg.
As I often do when trying to pick a dress, I looked at my accessories to see which ensemble would fill out the best. It was upon opening my costume trunk that I rediscovered my mink wrap. It had belonged to my grandmother in the 1950s and while I'd had it for years, I had never worn it. The climate of anti-fur fashion policy had scared me away from wearing it in public, but the little I knew about the partners at Andrew's firm told me that a fur wouldn't be a problem to them.
I pulled the mink around my shoulders and paraded around my bedroom. Also in the trunk I saw one of the many fascinator hats I had collected and I placed it delicately on my head. The hat was black wool with silk flowers and a half veil of french tulle. I looked in the mirror and absolutely loved the Joan Collins vibes I was giving off.
And that was the moment that my plan was truly born. I called out for my roommate Heather and I laid out my whole plan. I wanted her ideas and more than anything a little encouragement that I could pull this off.
"Elsa, you are one naughty lady," she laughed. Heather was always in support of my sexy plans and she adored Andrew ever since she helped me win him back after our first date had ended poorly. With Heather's help I picked out a fitted black wrap dress, a pair of ridiculously sexy buckled heels, and a set of fake but somewhat convincing pearls.
Then came time for the phone call. I used Heather's landline to call the law firm.
"Gordon, Fraser, and Moore. How may I direct your call?" came the first telephone operator.
I put on my poshest London dialect and said, "I'd like to speak to the person in charge of Mr. Andrew Bennett's schedule, please."
Heather stifled a laugh with her hand and I was immediately transferred. After two rings a cheerful Irish voice answered.
"Andrew Bennett's office, this is Cassidy."
"Yes, hello Cassidy," I said demurely. "I would like to set an appointment with Mr. Bennett for Friday afternoon. It's a matter of some urgency."
"Of course, may I ask who is calling?"
I looked to Heather in panic. I hadn't picked a name!
"This is... Eleanor... Wallace," I finally answered.
"Will Friday afternoon at three o'clock work for you Ms. Wallace?
"Three o'clock is acceptable," I said with a sniff of importance.
Cassidy hesitated for a moment, "And may I take a note for Mr. Bennett on what your potential case is regarding?"
"Adultery."
Heather's jaw dropped in delighted shock at my bold declaration and I held up a finger to keep her quiet while I got off the phone.
"Thank you, Ms. Wallace. We will see you Friday afternoon."
"Yes, you will. Thank you Cassidy," I said with finality and dropped the phone on it's cradle.
Heather and I doubled over with laughter.
"Oh my God, you are going to scare that poor girl to death!" Heather giggled.
I didn't see Andrew a lot that week because he had lots of business dinners before the big gala; he had to make sure all his top clients would be attending. That was okay because I was so excited about my little plot that I was scared I'd give it away.
On Friday morning I had kissed Andrew goodbye after sleeping over at his place and told him to pick me up at Heather's for the gala since that's where I'd be getting ready.
"When are you just gonna move in here?" He asked, waving a hand toward my piles of clothes that already lived in his apartment.
"When are you gonna put a ring on it?" I winked and put a smack on his behind as he went out the door.
Andrew thought I had a spa morning with Heather and Olivia to prepare for the gala, and I did...but he didn't know that they would be helping me get ready for something big before the gala.
I rushed out to the spa and got my nails done as well as a professional wax-the pains of being sexy.
Back at Heather's I pulled together my "costume." Eleanor Wallace was about to make an appearance that would be remembered. I pulled on a brand new red long-line bra and a matching garter belt. I delicately rolled up a pair of black thigh high stockings and attached the garter straps. Then I pulled on a tiny red lace thong. It's a common costuming faux pas that the underwear is worn underneath the garter, but the smart woman knows they need to be on top for easy removal.
Next I slipped into the buckled shoes and pulled on the wrap dress.
Then it was time for Olivia and Heather to take over. Olivia teaches acting and Heather teaches dramatic interpretation at Manchester University where we all work and we all have experience in hair and makeup for the stage. Heather pulled my hair back into a wig cap while Olivia painted on a new face. I usually don't wear a lot of makeup for work, but Olivia was going all out. She even glued on some false eyelashes.
"Pucker up!" She giggled as she put a daringly dark berry shade of lipstick on my lips. Heather brought over the wig that we had borrowed from the school. It was chestnut brown with big rolled curls. It would look like I came right from the hair salon.
I put on my pearls and Heather delicately pinned the black fascinator into the wig. I pulled on a pair of dainty black lace gloves and finally my grandmother's mink. The three of us looked in the mirror together to admire our work.
"Think this will work?" I asked.
"Honey, if Andrew doesn't want to screw you, I will!" Olivia said and we all laughed again. I looked at the clock and it was time to get going.
"Wait! One more thing!" Olivia said, grabbing an eyeliner pencil. She poked it against my left cheek giving me a sultry, Marilyn Monroe-esque mole.