It had been nearly two years since Amber and I had our wild, secret encounter in the cabin. To my knowledge, it was still a secret between the two of us. Amber and Jerry were engaged, and I was looking forward to "prowling" the single women at her wedding (in my experience, there are few events that lend themselves to passionate one-night-stands like the alcohol and romance-fueled environment of a wedding).
Amber and I had kept in touch...but had never discussed what had happened that stormy night. We'd been meeting weekly for coffee, as she needed someone to vent to about the frustrations and stress of the wedding. Jerry was uninterested in the details, leaving the majority of planning to her alone (with some help from her mother, who lived nearly 2 hours away). While I was unable to assist with the planning, I was more than willing to be there as a friend.
Our small talk followed the usual pattern - "not enough time in the day", "Jerry just isn't capable of helping, and doesn't try", and "I can't believe how expensive things can be", among other familiar complaints. After about 30 minutes, we were finishing up our meeting. As we were walking out, Amber asked a question.
"Chris, can I have Katie call you tonight? She has a favor she needs to ask you."
"Sure...tell her I'll be home any time after 7:00."
Amber's friend Katie had been a secret crush of mine for years. At 5'10", she was blessed with the leggy build of a runner. In fact, she'd been quite successful in High School and College, competing in the 400m. In the years since, she'd maintained a challenging 6-day a week running schedule, and the results were evident. She had shoulder-length brown hair, and wore the "sexy-librarian"/"Smart-girl" glasses that drove me wild. While her running took its toll on her bust, she wasn't afraid to show off what she DID have...it wasn't uncommon to see her wearing hot pants and heels during the summer, or mini-skirts during cooler months, often with the tiniest of t-shirts or barely-there tank tops.
I was quite anxious to learn the favor she needed. My mind had wandered to every adult film I'd ever seen, hoping that her "favor" was similar to theirs.
Promptly at 7:00, my phone rang.
"Hey Chris, it's Katie!"
"Hey Katie, how are you doing tonight?"
"Not bad...just planning Amber's Bachelorette Party."
I was intrigued to find out what they had planned (for some reason, I always loved imagining what a group of crazy girls do in the less-public parts of these parties), but decided to get straight to the point and asked what favor she needed to ask me.
"Well...umm...I don't really know how to ask this, but..."
"Go ahead and ask...the best way is always to get straight to the point."
"Well, Chris...I wanted to ask you to provide 'entertainment' for the party. I guess you could say that I'm asking you to be our stripper."
I was totally shocked. While athletic, I'm nothing special from a build/muscle standpoint, and I generally don't dance unless I'm several drinks into the evening (and then, it's far from "sexy"). I inquired why they didn't just hire a professional.
"Well, the girls are liking the idea of getting just a normal, average - yet attractive - guy. Think about it like "Amateur Night" at the titty bars...you guys go wild for them. Also, I guess we could say that we have a few criteria we're looking for...and they aren't willing to agree to them."
I was shocked by what she'd just asked. To be honest, I'd never entertained the idea of doing something like this. I had no intention of indulging her request, but I had some curiosity as to what the "criteria" that a professional stripper wouldn't do.
"Well, #1. We want you to be at our party for at least 2 hours. #2. When one of the girls tells you to remove an item of clothing, you have to do it...and within 30 seconds. #3. Of the 2 hours you'll be present, we want you to be completely naked for at least a full hour. #4. When naked, we'd very much appreciate you being...ummm...erect."
I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't have a certain appeal. While Amber has never been a superficial person, her friends tend to share a certain aesthetic appeal.
"Why are you asking ME?"
"Well," she responded shyly, "Amber told us a story a few years ago...about walking in on you while you were stimulating yourself. The idea has stuck with a few of us ever since. You were the natural choice."
I was shocked that Amber had shared this...even more surprised that a few of her friends had remembered the story, and wanted to create a similar situation. My pulse quickened as adrenaline coursed through my veins. I don't know if it was the thrill of living life, or the fact I hadn't been laid in a few months, but I eventually agreed to provide their entertainment.
"OH MY GOD...AWESOME!!! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ON SATURDAY!!!"
Click.
What did I get myself into?
The week raced by quickly, and I started to get nervous about my impending performance. Katie had told me to dress casually...half the appeal was getting a guy the knew to perform for them on request. I dressed in my best pair of Jeans, a pair of stretchy imitation silk boxers, and a button-down dress shirt. I hoped they would enjoy their evening.