Not George or Bradley, But Black Andreas
When I asked my wife what she wanted for her birthday and without flinching she said, "George Clooney or Bradley Cooper," I knew she was kidding. Or did I? That playfulness was uncharacteristic, but it inspired me. Yes, we had been married twenty years, and I did know the bloom was somewhat off the rose. Our sex had dwindled from once a day, to a couple of times a week, to once a month whether we wanted it or not.
Sometimes her mind did wander during sex and her orgasms were coming less frequently than days over 100 degrees or winners in the lottery. Yes, we had hit that married people malaise, and the everyday-life stuff had begun to get in the way of hot Sunday morning sex. It was, I admit, regretfully all true.
So was there some truth to her joke about George or Brad? Okay, I didn't know either Mr. Clooney or Cooper, but I did have a credit card, and I was sure Escorts Are Us took Visa or Mastercard. Her roguishness was welcome. What if I dangled a night at the Ritz or Marriott in front of her with a handsome dude and a free pass? Would she quickly turn it down, annoyed at the joke, or would she hesitate and blush and then smile and go off with Mr. Hot Pants?
So the only way to find out was to find out: to offer her a promise she could not refuse, to do anything her little disparate-housewife-heart desired. So if I gave her a Free Pass, and pledged she could do anything she wanted without repercussions, would she take it? I had to admit, if I was offered the same deal, I would have a hard time turning it down. What it really boiled down to was whether she believed me that I could grant such a pass, that I would not come back and hold it against her. I figured most women given the same chance would take it if it would not be held against them, ever. It was like 'would you take the money if no one would ever find out?' If you were invisible, would you go into the men's locker room if no one could see you? Of course you would. At least most people would, I thought.
So I decided to go ahead with it. I prepared a "certificate" giving her my okay for a night of fun for her birthday, and my guarantee that it would not be held against her if she were to "exercise her womanly desires with a member of the opposite sex." Then I looked into escort services. Finally, I picked a luxury hotel and decided on a date and reserved the honeymoon suite for one night.
The morning of her birthday I put the envelope with a card, the certificate, the hotel reservations, a picture of Mr. Anything You Want, and a short note. The note said: "I couldn't get George or Brad, they were busy, but I was able to get a handsome replacement. Have fun. Happy Birthday. Love, David."
I left it on the counter with a vase of flowers and a box of chocolates. When she got up at six to fix her coffee, she found it. I waited in bed until after she got up, then I listened to her in the kitchen. I didn't hear the coffee maker, so I knew she was reading. After a few minutes she walked back in the bedroom with a big I-can't-believe-this smile on her face.
"A free pass?" she said.
"For one night, unless you want more," I said raising up in bed. "George and Brad both were busy," I said.
"Oh, come on, I bet you didn't even try," she said with an impish grin.
"Their agents wouldn't put me through," I said with a shrug. "But Mr. I'll Do Anything You Want was available. For a small fee." I smiled. "It's real, babe. At the Marriott. All night. Happy Birthday."
"You're serious?"
"As a heart attack," I said. "He'll pick you up in a limousine, take you to his castle, and be at your command until morning or the carriage turns back into a pumpkin, whichever comes first. You said you wanted George or Brad, and I knew you had not been exactly swept off your feet by your husband lately, so I am offering this. Honestly, I hope you will accept it. I love you, sweetheart. Have a ball. Really. Free Pass. Honestly."
She stood in her bathrobe, holding the certificate, looking completely bewildered. "Please. Take it," I said. "Have a good lusty, no-hold-barred time. It's just sex."
I kissed her. "No one needs to know except the escort service and us, and we won't tell. Really, baby. You deserve some real fun. Do it. Please."
I was beginning to think it was all for nothing when she began to smile, a real I am-going-to-do-this smile. "One night. No rules, no conditions, no stipulations?"
"Just one," I said. "You have to come home. You can't ride off in the sunset with Mr. One Night." She put her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss that proved to me she believed me and accepted the terms.