With apologies to Joe Cocker. My proofreader enjoyed this story best when he had the Joe Cocler Song “You Can Leave Your Hat On” ready to play as he read this. If you want to do this, hit play the same time the “heroine” does in the story.
* * * * *
Another long day at work. You finish up, wondering what the evening will bring. Gathering your things, you put on your raincoat and head out to your car.
You open the door, climb in, and notice a slip of paper underneath your windshield. Rolling down your window, you retrieve the paper and open it up. ‘Meet me on South Emerald Street. 1324A.’ You smile and shake your head, wondering what I’m up to as you start your car, pull out of the parking lot, and head to the address.
When you reach 1324 Emerald and discover that it’s a hair-dresser’s. Huh? But you notice a door to the side of the store proclaiming ‘1324A’. Bingo.
Heading up the stairs, you find the door at the top open. You step into the dim room and look around. It’s almost like a small store-room, except that it’s carpeted. The place is mostly bare save for a single chair in the middle of the room, support poles running from the floor to the ceiling here and there throughout the large space, and a small bed against a side wall. But you don’t see me.
You catch a movement out of the corner of your eye, and look right. I’m wearing my gray raincoat, black hose and pumps, and a black chauffeur’s cap. I give you an almost-shy smile, and then hit the play button on the small stereo at my feet. The music starts. I walk toward you and around you twice, giving you a hungry look, before Joe Cocker starts to sing.
‘Baby, take off your coat, real slow’
I walk across the room, to the beat of the music, untying the belt. I grab both sides of the coat, one in each hand, and swing one arm backwards, then the other, flipping the coat off of each shoulder, and then I let it fall to the floor, revealing the little black dress underneath. I walk over to a chair sitting in the center of the room and primly sit down.
‘And take off your shoes, I’ll take off your shoes’
I kick the black pumps off my feet, and then raise one leg, then the other, to smooth the stockings up my legs. Then I stand beside the chair.
‘Baby, take off your dress, yes, yes, yes’
I unzip the black scrap of materiel, pull the dress down to my feet, and step out of it. My black bra and panties are an enticing contrast against my creamy skin.
‘You can leave your hat on. You can leave your hat on...’
I toss the dress to land on top of my coat. Then I drop my head, my hands on my thighs. I slowly run my hands up my body as I roll my head up. I reach my shoulders and raise my hands over my head to the music, throw my head back, and arch my back, thrusting my breasts forward.
‘You can leave your hat on.’
I lower my hands, placing my right hand on the back of the chair and walking around it touching my fingers to my hat in a silent salute to you. I stride to the light switch on the wall.
‘Go over there, turn on the light... no, all the lights.’
I flip on the lights, you smile, liking the fact that you’ll clearly be able to see everything for the rest of this show.
‘Come over here, stand on that chair. Yes, that’s right.’
