"This situation sucks! I'm sorry, mom."
"Instead of whining, you could help me."
"Yes, Ma'am!" She saluted. It broke the tension, and I laughed.
Much as I wanted to, I couldn't half-ass this thing. If Rodney was not happy with me over the forty-eight hours, he might decide to not burn Stacy's I.O.U.s. If that happened, I would have prostituted myself for nothing.
Stacy was a terrific second, helping me in and out of the tub and verifying that my legs and underarms were as smooth and soft as possible. I rose from the tub and dried myself off. I had brought along an astonishingly sexy bra and pantie set in case I got lucky, but there was no way I was going to wear those for Rodney lest he think that I was actually excited to be blackmailed and nailed by him. I donned a lacy but otherwise demure set. It was academic in any case, but I vowed to hold onto my integrity for as long as possible. I tried telling myself that it might not be too bad, but I have known too many men like Rodney Slifer. His only concern this weekend would be his pleasure and his satisfaction. It was my first boyfriend all over. I was too old for this nonsense!
Instead of my little black dress, I opted for a white mini. For one thing, it showed off my tan and more importantly, wearing it, the collar might pass as a classy accessory and not a symbol of my immanent domination and submission.
I fixed my makeup and styled my hair, and Stacy closed the collar around my neck. It was only then that we discovered the keyhole. If Rodney didn't remove it at the end of the weekend, I'd have to have it cut off. Damn! I didn't think it was possible to hate that man more than I already did!
The clock ticked down to 5:40. "Being late would be a bad idea."
I looked at my daughter and said, "Stacy, you will be alone in this room for the weekend. You are a young woman, I won't tell you how to live, but I do hope you will exercise some self-restraint. My erasing you I.O.U.s with my vag will be kind of pointless if you get knocked up while I and doing so."
"I'll be careful, Mom."
"And get some sleep. I won't have you looking haggard at Ruby's wedding."
"Will do."
She kissed me ever so lightly to not mess my makeup.
"Do you want me to walk with you, Mom?"
"No, darling. Nice offer, but I'll use the walk to collect my thoughts."
"You are so brave, mom!"
I wanted to reply, "if someone hadn't been an idiot with someone else's money, this walk would be unnecessary!" but I restrained myself.
In the matching clutch purse, I placed my room key card, a few cosmetics, and two boxes of condoms that I hoped Rodney would use but expected he would want to go bareback. The thought of his swimmers inside me almost brought brunch back up. I closed the door behind me, took a deep breath, and headed to the luxury end of the casino's hotel. I could feel the glances of guys taking me in. That should have made me feel good, but right now, objectification was just annoying. I entered the elevator to the penthouse. A kid eyed me head to toe, smiled, and flashed a thumbs-up. It took everything in me to keep from kicking him in the nuts with my white stilettoes.
I was on his floor with six minutes to spare. I took three minutes to locate his door. I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and knocked.
The door opened wide. Rodney stood in a designer Armani suit. It had the same effect as buying a Bently and then putting up on cinderblocks in your front yard. He smiled, leaned in, and stole a kiss.
"You look radiant!"
I said nothing.
I made a move to enter his room. He stepped out instead.
"Let's not rush into things we have all night and tomorrow. I want to show you off and give you an excellent dinner"
He took my arm and led me out of the hotel and onto the strip. A Telsa Ubered us to the finest restaurant in Las Vegas. He had a reservation, and we were seated at a lovely table. An expensive Chablis filled my glass. He held his glass aloft and said, "A toast to open minds."
I looked at him blankly. He clinked his glass against mine anyway and smiled.
"Paula, you have me pegged as a shallow, conceited, jerk with no appreciation for what a woman really wants or needs.
"I won't contradict you."
He chuckled.
"All I ask is that you keep an open mind. If you are willing to relax, we will have a wonderful time. I see you as more than a simple roll in the hay."
"You better not, I'm costing you 30,000 dollars."
"A bargain at ten times that price!"
"Says the perverse blackmailer."
"Ha, your tune will change."
"Mr. Slifer, you are young, selfish, crass, and have no idea what makes a woman tick!"
"I may be young, but I know my way around a woman's psyche."
"Don't flatter yourself."
"How do you think I got your daughter to trust me to the tune of 30,000 bucks?"
"Stacy is young and immature."
"I think you sell her short. She trusted me because she knew me to be a man of integrity."
"Being wealthy is a far cry from having integrity."
He smiled at me, completely unfrazzled.
The first course arrived. My tastebuds had an orgasm that traveled over every inch of my body! We ate in silence for a while. Rodney was not the uncouth leering nascence I expected. Maybe he could turn the charm on and off. I lost some of my anger at Stacy.
The band tuned up on the small stage and a singer whose CDs I own began to sing on the small stage. My jaw dropped! Tickets to her shows were unobtainable or priced out of my league, yet here she was, in an intimate setting in Vegas, looking marvelous in a short sequined dress. I'm not the least bit bi but was she ever gorgeous! Had she pointed her finger at me, then and there I would have done anything she asked. Anything! Her alto voice sang selections from the great American songbook. OK, this was seriously cool. It also could not have been a spontaneous occurrence. Rodney did understand what constituted a great date. The concert and the meal ended. The singer autographed my menu and chatted with us for a few moments before her entourage arrived and swept her away. Rodney was as good as gold. We exited the restaurant and this time our Uber was a vintage 1950s convertible with huge tailfins. The top was down. Rodney and I sipped Dom Pérignon as the Uber drove out into the desert. There was this lovely comforter I wrapped myself in to ward off the Nevada nighttime desert chill. Somehow or other I found myself leaning against Rodney's chest. The landmarks of Vegas receded as we drove deep into the desert. I had a fleeting fear that I would end up in a hole like Joe Pesci in "Casino." But I quickly realized that Rodney had no intention of eliminating me. At least not until he had what he wanted. I relaxed. The ride was beyond comfortable. We drove off the road. With no moon, the magnificent stars filled the firmament. The car rolled to a stop and turned off its headlights. It was just the two of us in the backseat with the cosmos above. The Milky Way was visible in all its glory. I felt both insignificant and worshipful. Rodney told the stories of the constellations. All the lore of the illustrations spilled out of him, like a way younger and more attractive Carl Sagan. Rodney guided my finger as we traced out my Zodiac sign. I could see it. The connect the dots picture really did look like two fish connected by a line! He pointed out his zodiac sign and said our star charts aligned. I told him I didn't believe in astrology. He said, "I don't either. I believe in beauty."
He kissed me deeply and passionately. It curled my toes. For a while all we did was neck. Had I underestimated him? Was this serious passion on his part, or was it all a ploy to get into my knickers? I didn't know. I didn't want to know. The Uber returned to the road and sped back to Vegas. The Champagne was nearly gone.
We entered the casino's hotel. His arm was over my shoulder. He was respectful, even gallant. We rode the elevator to his penthouse suite. Yes, we kissed all the way up. I blame the alcohol! His suite made me aware of how the other half lives. Luxury on top of luxury. Rodney whipped up a strawberry daiquiri and handed it to me. He gave me a tour of the suite. The balcony had a marvelous view of the strip and downtown Las Vegas. It included a hot tub.
"Can I interest you in a dip, Mrs. Anderson?'
Why the hell not? I'd rather have my body hidden at least partially by bubbles and water than to simply strip off in his presence. Plus, the hot water of the jacuzzi would knock the life out of his swimmers if he did go bareback later. So, a win all around.
"I didn't bring my bathing suit," I replied.
He looked at me like I was being a moron. OK, I deserved that one.
He started up the jets and looked at me expectantly, "Can I help you undress sweet Paula?"
"I'm a big girl, Mr. Slifer. You are a dirty young man."
"I'll turn my back until you are in the water."
"Deal!"
He faced the interior of his penthouse suite while I hastily stripped off and placed my clothes on a chair. I grabbed my daiquiri and slid into the water.
"You can turn around now."
He did a slow turn and shrugged off his suit jacket. He placed it on a different chair. He undid his tie and opened the neck of his silk shirt. With a smile he bent, undid, and stepped out of his shoes and socks. He stood upright and began unbuttoning his crisp white shirt. His tight abs and deep tan came into view. Holy hell was this hot! He unbuckled his belt and opened and lowered his pants. His neat satin boxer came into view. He was tenting them. A lot! Around the pool earlier, I hadn't really checked him out. I knew he was attractive but not a prospect and I disliked his personality so why ogle him when there was plenty of studly young beefcake on display? I never realized until now just how much heat he was packing. He stepped out of the undies. My lord! I must have gasped.
