If you hate cheating, have no sense of adventure, and no sense of humor, please don't read this story. It will disturb you -- and I sure don't want that!
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Are you familiar with a change in life event? No, I don't mean a change in circumstances that qualifies you to modify your health insurance plan. I mean an event that changes the way you look at life, alters your goals, revises your expectations, transforms your desires; and most importantly changes what you do.
I, Michelle Folger, nee Rothschild, had such a life changing event.
I have always been prim and "proper." I have never used a swearword in my life, except when I was nine and had my mouth washed out with soap for my lapse. I eschew getting dirty, including even when I was in elementary school. At least until my life changing event I was more proper than a nun and primmer than a Southern Belle.
I'm not just proper in my choice of clothing, makeup, and hair style, but I was always proper in the way I conducted myself and how hard I worked in school and in part-time jobs I had growing up. As a result I am successful in business, owning my own company. One reason I have success is because I hire competent help, give them responsibility, and pay them properly.
My parents, sisters, friends, and later my husband, always wanted me to be more laid back. I never argued with them, I just never changed. I always dressed smartly not just at work but at the gym (where I didn't sweat but "glowed"), going to concerts or sporting events, or even on picnics and horseback riding. I have dozens of high class outfits with perfectly matching shoes, purses, and jewelry, including from famous brands and designers such as Gucci, Oscar de la Renta, Victoria Beckham, and Christian Louboutin. Even my workout clothes are high end, the most inexpensive of which are Lululemon and Athleta.
I am not, and never was, overbearing with my children or forced my fashion or lifestyle choices on them. I ended up with an older daughter who pretty well mirrors me (although she is somewhat more laid back), a son who is accomplished but dresses like a slob, and a younger daughter somewhere in between. I love them all the same and never even comment on their choices in life, let alone try and change them.
I have a good marriage to my husband Derek. We had been married 26 years at the time of my life-changing event. He is kind and pleasant and works diligently, although he does not have the same drive to succeed that I do. He is not gross and rarely uses foul language -- if he was or did I wouldn't be with him. We have a vanilla sex life, which was fine with me at the time of my 47th birthday.
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My life changing event happened when I was about three months past my 47th birthday. By then all of my children had graduated from college, the youngest six months earlier, and were on their own.
I was travelling on business, as I did about sixty days a year. I had had a hard day negotiating to get better terms with two different suppliers, and one customer. All three had unreasonable demands or proposals. To say that I was not happy with the results so far would be the understatement of the year. The suppliers wanted to increase their prices, and the customer wanted me to decrease my prices, to the point that my profit would be razor thin.
After dinner with the female employee who was travelling with me, for one of the first times ever on a business trip I went to the hotel bar to get a drink. I rarely drink alcohol but for some reason I had the desire to get something fruity with an umbrella in it, hoping to get a respite from the angst from my consultations that day before I planned for my meetings with the same suppliers and customer the next day. I hadn't changed from my business attire of a two-tone dark Gucci jacket and skirt, lavender Ganni blouse, and Christian Louboutin shoes, as I sat on a bar stool.
As I was mindlessly stirring and occasionally sipping my pina coloda a young man came up to me and politely asked "Are you from She's Sharp?"
Before answering I took a good look at him. He was big, trim, extremely handsome with large azure eyes, and well dressed with a Rolex Sky-Dweller watch, or a very good fake, on his left wrist. He couldn't have been more than twenty six years old; it was hard to believe that he could afford a $40,000 watch.
After what I considered an appropriate delay, just to yank his chain, and to try and satisfy my curiosity since I had no idea what "She's Sharp" was, in my best prim and proper voice I replied "Is that any way to greet a lady? Certainly you can be more verbal and interesting than that."
He was only slightly fazed. "Sorry," he chuckled. "Perhaps I should have asked if you would like to join me at my table and do me the honor of letting me buy you a drink," he continued, motioning over to a two person table a few meters away in a secluded corner of the establishment.
"Thank you," I smilingly replied, extending my hand for him to hold in helping me get off of the bar stool, which I had found way too uncomfortable anyway.
As we sat down he introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Charles."
"No last name Charles?" I smiled back.
"Just Charles for now; and you?"
"Michelle; for now just Michelle," I replied, shaking his extended hand..
"Do you come here often?" he asked.
"No, not often. I'm here on business."
"What's your business?"
"I'm the CEO of a manufacturer of specialty consumer goods and I'm meeting with suppliers and a customer."
Charles smiled widely when I said that.
We discussed many things over the next hour or so while we each consumed two drinks. He was very erudite for one so young and had travelled to almost as many places in the world as I had. He also asked relatively sophisticated business questions that few people besides CEOs would know the answers to, and he seemed very pleased by my responses, smiling after each one.
At the only lull in our hour long conversation he said "Now that we've established what a successful CEO you are, I hope that you're as interested as I am. Would $1,000 for two hours suffice?"
I wasn't sure what he was getting at. I must have had a perplexed look on my face and hadn't responded after about ten seconds when he said "OK, $1,500 then?"
Then it dawned on me. He thought that I was a call girl -- but wait!
Even though I pride myself on staying in shape and fill out a classy suit and blouse very well, and while I have enough ego to think that I look young for my age, there is no way in hell that he couldn't know that I was over 40. How many 40 year old call girls are there I wondered; and how many twenty-something guys want a 40 year old call girl; and how many call girls dress in the expensive business attire that I had on; and how many CEOs of companies also worked as call girls? While I was having great difficulty in running this truly surprising development through my mind, probably with a shocked look on my face, Charles continued.
"Look, $2,000 cash is my final offer, and I can guarantee you that you won't be disappointed," he said as he gently took my hand and put it on his crotch.
At first I thought that he must have a snake in his pants, and I actually squeezed it trying to figure out what it was. I'm sexually naΓ―ve, but not stupid; it was a large penis that grew another 10% when I squeezed it. "Oh..." involuntarily came out of my mouth which Charles undoubtedly took to mean "OK" because he got an enormous grin, pushed the table away, almost lifted me off my seat, dropped a $100 bill on the table, and started escorting me toward the elevators.
For some really odd reason all of a sudden the words of my kids, parents, and husband "don't be so uptight; relax; have some fun," caromed through my addled brain. Before I had a chance to really think the elevator bell rang -- it must have been waiting on the floor we were on because Charles had only pushed the button a second before -- and he quickly ushered me inside.
As soon as the elevator door closed he grabbed my butt with both hands and kissed me as zealously as I have ever been kissed in my life. I was so startled by the entire chain of events that I must have acted instinctively rather than with rational thought because when we reached the top floor -- he apparently had the penthouse -- I found my hands around his neck.
As soon as the elevator door opened Charles picked me up, somehow swiped his key card over the sensor with me still in his arms, and just like that we were in his room, again before my thoughts could crystalize.