Chapter 29: Happy Anniversary, Stranger
Lance invited me, Chris, Alexis, and Ty to meet YasmÃn and him at Rendezvous for drinks. Chris couldn't make it because he had to work at the hotel, and Ty couldn't make it either because he had plans to watch some big game with his buddies. But Alexis and I decided a night out would be fun despite their absences. When we walked in, Desiré spotted us and hurried over to give us each a big hug.
"It's so nice to see you two! Lance told me you'd be coming—and no, that's not a double entendre, although you can never rule that out with him. Anyway, he's over that way, waiting for you with YasmÃn. I'll bring you some drinks in a minute." We thanked her and wandered over to find them. They greeted us, and we sat down to join them.
"Tell me what's wrong," demanded Lance immediately.
"What?" I asked, surprised by the blunt way he had initiated the conversation.
"Your face betrays you, my dear. You appear conflicted. Tell me what's troubling you." His domineering style can be a turn on in some situations, but it can also be off-putting when he insists on difficult conversations without warning. This was not sexy Lance; this was bossy Lance. It was slightly annoying, but I had to admit that he was also insightful.
"Well, to be honest, I was just telling Alexis that I'm a little concerned about me and Chris," I confessed. YasmÃn held my hand to comfort me and made an exaggerated pouty face.
"I was under the impression that domestic bliss suited you two very well."
"Living together is going fine. We're not fighting or anything like that. It's just that I worry that he's feeling jealous of my affairs."
"Say more."
"Well, you know, this whole lifestyle, for lack of a better term, that you have exposed us to and included us in is still kind of new and different to us. And we aren't exactly experts at navigating all the challenges." I paused as Desiré delivered our drinks with a flirty smile. As she rushed off, I continued. "I've discovered that I really like it. It's fun, exciting, and it sure feels good." Alexis and YasmÃn giggled and nodded agreement. "And most of the time I think Chris likes it too, but sometimes it seems like he wants me to be with him more and be with others less. And then I start to think that maybe he's right and maybe I should be paying more attention to him. I love him—a lot. In fact, our first anniversary is coming up and I want it to be really special. I don't want to ruin it because he's sad and I'm worried. I don't want to lose him because I'm not a good girlfriend to him."
"Why can't you do both?" He held up two hands, indicating the two options.
"Both of what?"
"There is nothing to prevent you from enjoying the company of others and attending to the needs of your boyfriend adequately. You simply need to be more conscious and deliberate about understanding each other's needs. Fuck and be fucked simultaneously."
"How do I do that?"
"When is your anniversary?"
"Saturday."
"Do you have plans?"
"Yes, but unfortunately our plans aren't very romantic. He's taking me to lunch at From Famine To Feast."
"He's taking you to your former
workplace
for
lunch
?!" blurted YasmÃn. "Ugh!" she groaned. "Why
there
? Why not dinner somewhere fancy?"
"He thought I'd enjoy seeing my former co-workers. And I would. I liked working there before I took the job at Phil's law firm, and I miss them. That part will be nice."
"But collegial reunions aren't exactly romantic," interjected Alexis, pointing out what was obvious to everyone, but, it seems, my clueless boyfriend.
"Believe me, I know, but I couldn't exactly turn him down." I shrugged.
"Okay, but why lunch? Why not dinner?" YasmÃn repeated, perplexed.
"He has to work that night. All the other managers at the hotel are away at a conference. He isn't available to take me for dinner." I sighed. "I can tell he feels guilty about it. That's why his plans aren't a surprise. He told me ahead of time because he didn't want me to get my hopes up for a nice dinner someplace fancy, only for me to be disappointed by lunch at work."
"But you are disappointed," validated Alexis.
"I have a different plan," said Lance. We looked up, hopeful but doubtful.
"
You
have a plan? For
my
anniversary? What kind of plan would that be? I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you on my anniversary with Chris even if he is at work. Not if he's already feeling jealous of me being with others. That would just make everything worse."
"No, that's not my plan. My plan is to use others for you to be with him on your anniversary."
"How? He has to work."
"Allow him to take you to lunch. Have a good time catching up with your former colleagues. Enjoy it. Afterward, thank him, give him a big kiss, and send him off to work with your best wishes."
"Um, that's already the plan. What's different about..." He cut me off.
"Then, we (you know, the others that he's apparently feeling jealous of) will sneak into the bar at his hotel."
"How can you sneak in? He can see who's at the bar from the front desk. He'll spot you even if it is crowded."
"No, he won't. We'll wear disguises. The girls will each flirt with him, one at a time, as they enter the hotel. That way, he'll feel desired by others. That's important. We don't want him to dwell on you being the only one who gets hit on and has affairs. At the same time, he'll also start to feel desirous. That's also important. We want him to get in the mood."
"Okay, so some girls flirt with him and he gets turned on. I don't see where this is..." He cut me off again.
"While all this is happening, you, in disguise as a 'lady of the evening', sit within his view, but far enough away that he only notices you, but doesn't recognize you. You flash him but never approach him. He's working, so he can't do anything about it. You build tension with him. Make him sweat a little. Draw him to you."
"You want me to harass him at work dressed as a hooker?"
He ignored my question. "When you are confident that you have his attention, you go around the room and pretend to solicit all of us guys. Each of us will decline your services, one by one."
"Apparently, you're not a very good hooker," laughed Alexis.
I slapped her arm and frowned. "I would make a great hooker!" I realized that didn't sound as bragadocious as I intended it to.
"Eventually, you give up on soliciting tricks. Disappointed, you approach him and confess that you are a novice whore. Make a deal with him. If he allows you to solicit customers at his hotel, then you'll make it worth his while."
"What makes you think he'll agree to that?"
"Are you telling me that you don't think you can seduce your own boyfriend?
Make him
agree to the deal. When he does, get him to take you upstairs to a room and make him glad that he agreed to the deal.
That