"I love you," he said, nuzzling my neck and nibbling a little.
I giggled softly.
"I know baby," I said, "you love me fifteen hundred dollars worth."
"Patricia," he snapped and there was a sharpness in his voice that I wasn't used to, "you know you are much more to me than just this, don't you?"
I turned my head to look at him.
"I know David, and I'm sorry for that," I said, kissing him softly.
He held my blue eyes with his browns. Deep brown. And I did love him at that moment, something it's easy to forget when you've been married as long as we have.
"I have something important to ask you," he said, and when I started to say something he laid his fingers on my lips.
"Patricia, I know you hide behind your wisecracks and your wit, but this is important so please take me seriously," he said.
I leaned back far enough to look into his eyes. His use of my full name made it clear this was serious.
"Okay," I said, "you have my undivided attention."
"Last chance honey," he said, taking my hands in his, "you can stop this now. We can call yesterday a little fling and be done. But once you cross that line, once you actually decide to sell your ass, well, you'll never be the same. So you really need to think about it."
I opened my mouth to reply but he put that finger on my lips again.
"I'm serious Tricia," he said, "I love you, I will love you, nothing will change that. But you have tomorrow morning to think about this. I figure we'll head for the Sheraton on the 16th street mall about 6:00. There's a big trial lawyers conference on next week and there should be plenty of potential clients."
"Is that what they are," I said, surprised by the word, "clients?"
He laughed at that.
"Classier than 'John,' don't you think?" he said.
"Okay," I said with a giggle, "and David," I said, meeting and holding his eyes, "I have been thinking about it, believe me, I have. But I'll never know until I try."
He sighed.
"Okay toots," he said, "put your stuff away and I'll take you to dinner."
That evening was an odd combination of nerves and excitement. We did dinner and dancing followed by excellent sex.
I woke at 5:12 a.m. the next morning and couldn't get back to sleep.
I lay in the dark thinking. Was I really going to do this? Was I really, actually going to be willing to sell myself? What was I trying to prove? To whom was I trying to prove it? What if nobody wanted me?
I was suddenly sick and barely made it to the bathroom when I threw up violently.
I was startled to feel his hands on my back, rubbing gently and then holding my hair back as I retched again.
It didn't go on forever, but it felt like it.
When I was finally done I washed my face and brushed my teeth and turned to smile at him wanly.
He held out a cup of coffee and smiled.
"You've seen me before a big presentation honey," he said, "that's all this is. A little stage fright."
I giggled softly and then I took a sip of the coffee.
And realized I was absolutely famished.
"I'm starved," I said, "come on."
I padded, naked, into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Absolutely nothing looked good.
My angel tapped me on the shoulder and held out a light housedress.
"Here," he said, "put this on and we'll go to Denny's."
I giggled as I pulled the single garment over my nakedness and stopped at the door to put on a pair of flip-flops on the way out.
I felt naked and naughty as we walked into the restaurant. Fortunately, there were only a half dozen night owls in the place. And I WAS famished.
We ate in silence and I could feel him watching me.
Finally, I met his eyes and said "I know, I'm crazy, but I'm still going to do it."
He chuckled.
"Good," he said making me look at him hard.
"Seriously," he continued, "you're invested enough in this and, well, I am too, that we need to at least try."
"We?" I said.
"Yes," he said, "we. I'm in this too even if it will be your pretty ass being used."
And the ice was broken with that.
We talked through breakfast and then he took me home and let me just snuggle as I went back to sleep.
All day, as I was doing the normal life things my mind would drift to what the night would bring. I would be vacuuming and suddenly have a little panic rush wondering if I was crazy.
About 3:00 David tapped me on my shoulder, making me jump, and said "come on Tricia, time to get ready."
Again that rush. I felt the adrenaline rush and the heat in my bowels. But I took a deep breath, gave him a smile,
"Okay," I said with an audible gulp and stood and padded to the shower.
I giggled when he climbed in with me and started washing my back. It was companionable and fun rather than sensual.
Washed and scrubbed, shampooed, conditioned. all squeaky clean, I started at the top. Hair first. Fluffed, not too big but, well, big and wavy and obvious. Just like my flaming hairdresser had shown me.
Then down to the face. I carefully applied the makeup per the directions that the makeup girl at the salon had shown me. Eyebrows carefully plucked and then penciled. Lashes mascaraed and curled. I toyed with the idea of false eyelashes and thought "nah." A nice pale blue eye shadow and eyeliner to give me to slightest of an "exotic" uptilt to the corners. Light base and blush and a bright flamingo pink lipstick and step back and inspect.
Pretty damn good I thought.
Working down now.
The new black bra was first. I adjusted my boobs and made sure the nipples pointed in the right direction. Then the garter belt and nylons, taking time to make sure the seam was ruler-straight. The panties next.
I slipped the bright blue top over my head and then the black skirt with its fringed bottom. I put on those new black shoes with the white tops, thinking "saddle shoes" as I did. I inspected my nails as I did and found them still looking pretty much perfect.
I put on small gold hoop earrings, not too gaudy, a very gaudy semi-precious stone bracelet, and finished the look with a gaudy turquoise necklace.
I took a very deep breath and walked to my full-length dressing mirror.
And thought "SHIT, I look good."
I almost shit my pants when I heard the sound of slow clapping.
I turned and David was standing there, just looking. He actually looked kind of proud.
"Oooooooooh yeah," he said, "you're definitely worth it."
It was 4:30 then and he sat me down at the kitchen table and we talked about the nuts and bolts of how things would work. We sat there for almost an hour and discussed the details. Who would do what. Who would sit where? How things would be handled.
I laughed when he showed me the little gadget he had for his cell phone.
"Credit card?" I said, seriously amazed.
"Yep," he said, and slid a stack of papers across the table with those little stick-on arrows that said "sign here" or "initial here."
"What in the world is this?" I asked.
"Congratulations," he said with a smile, "You are a 40% partner in Morgan and Morgan LLC. The credit card bill will show that as the payee, and the 'services' notation will read 'marketing consultation.' Hell, if the guy is sharp he should be able to take it off of his taxes."
I initialed and signed where it was indicated, giggling all the time.
And when I looked up it was 5:30 and time to go.
And oddly enough, I wasn't nervous.
I put the red underwear set along with shoes and that guaranteed wrinkle-proof little black dress into my slightly oversized Vera Bradley bag, gave my hair a few final touches in the mirror, took a deep breath, and headed downstairs.
David surprised me by standing there with a pretty bright red flower in his hand and when I stopped and looked at him he very carefully and wonderfully gently put the flower into the side of my hair.
He stepped back and grinned at me.
"Okay baby," he said, offering me his arm, "let's put my beautiful moneymaker out there."
We went to the car where he opened the door for me and off we went.
There weren't just butterflies in my stomach, there were crows. No, there were full-grown turkeys. I was so nervous I thought I would throw up.
And then there we were, pulling into the parking garage.
When he came around the car to open the door for me I just sat there for a minute, frozen.
"We can still call it off," he said softly.