He rolled out of bed and stretched. Opened a bottle of water and looked at the disheveled bed. As he turned his head to the room in shambles, he heard the door to the bathroom open. There she was. Wearing nothing but his shirt - buttoned and cuffed - and smiling. All the worry. All the nervousness. The apprehension. All gone. The vision in front of him reminded him of the past two weeks. He smiled, pulled her close, and was thinking what other ways he could ravage her.
A few hours before, He sat at the bar, sipping a glass of water. He purposely was not watching the door. He needed to calm down. A man who spent his days presenting and closing deals was not used to the nerves. The sweaty palms. He was about to meet her. The woman who he could not get out of his head.
His name was Ryan. He was 40 and a he owned his own marketing agency. Unlike the image of Mad Men, his team worked hard. They had fun, but it was about facts and numbers and focus. He was used to traveling to visit his clients - he believed face to face meetings is how he was able to grow the firm from himself to over 100 people. He was on the road two or three nights a week. He loved to travel, but the stress of the road was always there. His wife and two kids at home didn't see much of him during the week. But on the weekends - he was Mr. Dad.
Like all men when they hit 40, he had plenty of chances to stray from his marriage. Not that he was unhappy at home - but Ryan was attracted to power. Not the 'I am the President and can invade you' power, but the subtle power of getting things done. That attraction to power and his old school manners and charm caused many a woman to flirt with him. He wasn't one to hook up with a random woman, but he also was not a saint. Two lovers in his past, but it has been a year since that. Back home, sex had slowed down to birthdays and anniversaries and nights with too much wine. He loved his wife, but he needed more.
Cautious as he was, he couldn't just pick up a woman at a bar. Nor hit on his clients. He needed discretion. Privacy. And a call girl was not his style. So he signed up for Ashley Madison. Created a profile. And started to look through profiles. And just like dating years ago, it was like looking for a needle in a stack of needles in a barn full of hay. He was ready to give up when one night, in a hotel room, he found a profile that got his attention.
Ryan's top salesperson had found a new client in Detroit. A company that grew out of the ashes of the car maker recession, helped companies streamline their manufacturing process to be more environment friendly. Part of the green movement. But after signing up the local automakers, they needed to branch out. Ryan's firm was in Indianapolis. He wasn't a big city firm, but the company wanted a unique and smaller voice. He made plans to make the pitch and travel to Detroit.
The night before, Ryan arrived and settled into the hotel. After dinner with a friend, he got on his laptop and went through the presentation. Ready, he logged into Ashley Madison and decided to look at profile in the local Detroit area. After about 10 minutes of looking through, he found one that caught his eye. "Summer1970" was her name and "Looking for a Summer Friend" the headline read. He opened it and continued to read. Someone had spent some time on this. She wrote well. Came off smart. With a bit of spark. Not having had lucky so far, he sent a quite note -
"Hi there - enjoyed your profile. I might not be local, but I think I might give you a run for your money. Let's chat."
He kept looking around and checked his mailbox. There was a response from "Summer1970" - that was quick. She said thanks for the note and she liked what he had wrote as well. She asked to see a photo and what caused a man from another state to reach out. So their correspondence started.
That night, they emailed and used the Instant Message service for about an hour. She was attractive - short brunette hair with vibrant eyes. She had a great smile. Back and forth they talked. Not about sex, but about what brought them to the site. Why they were looking for something on the side. Without specifics, they learned they were both professionals. Career was important and they were both on the top of their game. He mentioned he was local and was visiting a new prospective client. As it was time to end his day, he shared his personal contact info - email and number - and said good night.
The presentation went well. As always, he commanded the room. This is what he did best. As he shook everyone's hand, he checked his phone. There was a text. From Summer. For whatever reason, he felt a surge of energy. They ended up texting as he was driven back to the airport.
The next two weeks was a whirlwind. They texted. They shared photos. He found out she was the VP of Marketing for one of the automakers. They shared a love of fashion. Of fine food and wine. Of sports - and playfully bantered over the upcoming Lions vs. Colts football game. They were both successful. And deep down, they both loved power. He had to remind himself he was really looking for a fling, but this felt like more. There was an ease of communication and a connection he could not put in words.
As the first week progressed, Ryan and his team found out they had won the business. They had a week to put together a plan and present it. He and his best team members worked long hours. But the texting never stopped. Two busy lives, two careers, two families, and yet they always found time to text. And as it became obvious that this was heading to an affair, the flirting created a silent simmer. They decided to not allow it to get raunchy or dirty - but to save that until they met. But you could tell, they wanted to. Ryan and Summer both pushed the boundaries on what was acceptable, and the other loved it. And then Ryan sent the email. He was going to be in town the following week. He was meeting his new client. And he had a free evening. Ryan was straight to the point - I want to meet you.
Summer's response had been immediate. Not a yes. But a location and a time. And a note that followed that as much as this was what she wanted, that it needed to be more than a onetime thing. They would enjoy each other after the second dinner. Ryan knew this was the right thing to do. But he couldn't help himself - he knew he would have to try.
On the day of their meeting, Ryan got into town early. He got to the hotel. He asked the front desk at check-in if they could press a suit and shirt. He had a big meeting to prep for. After heading to the room, he waiting for the housekeeping staff to pick up his suit and shirt, and he decided to take a shower. He shaved again, as close and smooth as possible. No longer the image of his lean track running self at 18, he was still an attractive man. A hint of grey in the hair. Broad shoulders. Strong hands. A bit of a stomach from eating and drinking too much. But he was still a man that women noticed.
Part of that is that he loved to dress well. Long a fan of the bespoke tailors of London, Ryan was a guy who paid attention to details. Boxers and an undershirt. Red socks held up by sock garters. Yes, sock garters. He learned how to dress in London and still followed the rules he was taught. His shirt was custom as well. Light blue with a white collar and white French cuffs. A dark blue monogram on the left cuff of his initials. He tied a solid red silk Brioni tie in a double Windsor - a knot of power and attention. He slipped on the pants of his dark blue with red pinstripe suit. No belt for him, he slipped the red braces (suspenders for the Americans). He put on his vest. He was old school. And she said she liked that. Adding a red Hermes pocket square he donned his jacket. He made sure he tie was straight in the mirror. He was going to be early, but he wanted to get to the restaurant.
As he arrived at the restaurant, he valeted his car. Gave his name to the hostess and said he would be at the bar. He had almost thirty minutes to wait. Drink? No - just ice water. He wanted a clear head. He sat there and waited. No, he wasn't going to pull out his phone. He didn't want any chance she texted saying she was not coming.