Naomi Porter watched her son as he rooted through the attic junk. Rees was a good boy and, at eighteen years old, could have found much more interesting things to do with his time than help his mother clear out rubbish - of that much Naomi was sure.
"There's a big box of clothes down here." He called
"Okay, can you pull it over so we can see what's in it?"
As Rees struggled to pull the large crate out into a space where they could both inspect the contents, Naomi looked around the gloom of the attic. All this stuff seemed like it belonged to another lifetime, an unfulfilled lifetime she had shared with her, now, ex-husband. At thirty four years old, Naomi Porter's fortune - and her life - had changed almost eleven years ago.
She had been singing one night at a local charity benefit in her local town. There had been talk amongst the performers of the possible arrival of a talent scout from a big city firm and, of course, Naomi was also excited at the prospect of being "discovered". But she was a realist and never really expected to get noticed herself. Besides which, if she had of been seen, she knew that her husband would have put up fierce opposition to her taking off for a life on tour.
But Naomi was noticed. Her performance that night was one of the best of her life and she excelled, putting the rest of the performers that night firmly in the shade of her lime-light. The scout had little choice. She was the freshest thing that he had seen for ages and he lost no time in offering her a series of bookings, singing backing to one of the top stars that his company managed. Naomi knew that there would be fights and heated arguements at home, but she also knew that there was one person, one man, that would be on her side and support her.
"Just seems to be a few old dresses and an old computer in here."
Rees's voice snapped Naomi from her daydream and brought hr back to the present. Slowly she peered into the box. She knew what was in there even before she looked and her skin was already beginning to tingle with anticipation. Her hand reached in and touched the soft material of the dress. It was folded neatly and she carefully blew the dust from the fabric. She brought the garment up to her face and inhaled the dusty aroma. Dispite the dust the familiar scent came rushing back to assault her senses like an electric shock.
"Guess we better throw all this junk out?" Rees commented.
But Naomi was lost in her own thoughts. She stood in front of a mirror that was against the wall and wiped the thick dust away with her hand. She held the dress in front of her. Her thoughts were now completely lost in a dream-like world as she remembered back to the last day she had worn the dress - the day her career started....
Naomi sang all the way back home in the car. She felt as light as the very air itself and she seemed to float in through the front door. Her hand reached out for the light switch. As the lounge suddenly became illuminated her heart fell as she remembered she was the only one in the house. Her husband was working away again and her father was looking after young Rees for the night at his home only a few miles away. She checked her watch and felt her heart race slightly. It was 11pm. She knew there was one person that she could tell her news to that would be pleased for her. She just hoped that Bob would still be on-line.
Leaping the stairs two at a time she hurried to her bedroom and the computer - her only means of contact with a man she had never met but made her feel so good, so wanted. Naomi cursed the machine as the cables from her microphone and camera became entangled. She checked her watch again and felt a rising panic. She had to log on soon to the Internet or he might be gone. She was so excited and wanted to share her joyful news with him.
The dial-up delay seemed to last for ages as she watched the blank screen. She could feel her palms sweating slightly.
Waiting...waiting..waiting...and the suddenly she was on-line. Her eyes searched in vain for Bob's name and her heart sank as she realised that he wasn't there.
"Fuck!" she swore under her breath.
Deciding to leave the computer running for a few minutes, Naomi, disappointed at not being able to share her feelings, started to prepare for bed. It would be a long conversation with her husband on his return tomorrow, she reasoned, so better get a good nights sleep. But she knew that sleep wasn't what she really wanted.
Just as she was sitting on her bed and about to take her high heeled shoes off, Naomi heard the familiar sound of the log-in chimes from the computer speakers. For a moment she was sure that her heart had stopped beating. She froze, her shoe half dangling from her stockinged foot, her breath held in anticipation. Could it be him? She hardly dared to think. She wanted so much to check the screen for his name again, but was scared that it would only be one of her girlfriends trying to find out how the concert went.
Slowly she moved towards the computer. She caught her breath as she saw his name highlighted. He was there! Another chime from the speakers indicated that he had sent her a message. Her fingers trembled on the keyboard as she looked.
*How are you, sweetheart? How was the concert?*
He had remembered! She knew that he would never let her down! Her fingers began to fly across the keys as she typed her reply. She seemed to type and type, telling him all about the concert and how the scout had approached her afterwards.
*You're on your way! I knew it would happen!*
The message was clear and to the point. Naomi and Bob had been conversing via the internet for nearly a year and in that time she had revealed more about her innermost desires and fantasies to this man than she had to anyone else in her life. He knew well her ambition to succeed as a singer, but she had also told him of her need for a dominant male. Bob had fulfilled this need in every way apart from physical contact. He was firm with her but gentle, teasing her mind with his words and setting her body on fire with his suggested instructions.
*Did you wear the black dress?*
Again the computer chimed as the message flashed up in front tof her eyes. Naomi smiled. Bob had told her to wear the dress for the concert and he knew full well that she wouldn't disappoint him
*Yes I did!*
*I told you it would help, didn't I!*
*Yes!..actually I just got home...I'm still wearing it!*
There was a long pause. Smoetimes Naomi thought that Bob did this on purpose just to tease her. When his reply finally came it was, as always, short and to the point.
*Show me*