Terri had been married for three years, happily for the most part, except that Phil was still a full-time graduate student and they were barely scraping by financially. She found the post in the Variations category of their city's alternative website: "Play a Sex Game for Profit," said the header. "A thousand dollars for one afternoon's fun," it said. "Only uninhibited young women need apply."
She smiled as she made note of the phone number. She wasn't exactly uninhibited, but for a thousand bucks she would play darn near any game right now. She called the following morning, after Phil had left for class. She didn't like secrets, but Phil was a bit possessive, so this bit of exploration needed to be secret.
She found herself in a telephone interview, conducted by a woman named Lorena: Yes, Terri said, most people thought of her as attractive, with her long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Yes, she had good legs, although she admitted that they weren't long legs; she was only five-three. Yes -- although she blushed about this question -- her breasts were very sensitive sexually. Yes -- now she blushed even more -- she always had multiple orgasms during sex. What were her dimensions? About 35-23-34, she guessed. She worked out regularly, she told Lorena.
Lorena invited her to a 1:30 p.m. interview, with the possibility that she could go to work immediately. "We want you in a mini-dress," she instructed. "No bra. Sexy panties. If it bothers you that a man might see you -- possibly all of you -- it won't work out. What do you say?"
Terri paused to try to understand the gig. She loved sexy clothes. Being honest, she enjoyed guys thinking she was sexy, although it drove Phil crazy when men ogled her. But in the past, being sexy had meant short skirts and leg shots, not "all of her," whatever that meant. Still, she didn't know where this month's rent money would come from, and she could always back out if things got uncomfortable. "Okay," she said, "I'd like to come." Terri heard Lorena chuckle, but the woman turned businesslike and gave Terri instructions to a location on the far west side of town.
Terri showered and carefully selected white string bikini panties and a pale blue mini-dress that barely reached her thighs. As she slipped the dress over her head, smooth cotton caressed nipples already fully erect. She scolded herself for being aroused. This afternoon needed to be about the money. Anything else would be a betrayal to Phil. But for some reason, she felt warm all over. And she felt her nipples pushing, hard, against the thin material of her dress.
She drove her nine-year-old Escort to Beckley Avenue and pulled into a parking lot behind a massive three-story Victorian mansion, tan with soaring green gables. Three cars were already there: a black BMW, a silver VW Jetta, and a sleek little Miata convertible, cherry red.
Terri took a deep breath, exited her car, and walked onto the rear porch of the huge building. She soon found herself in an ornate drawing room sitting opposite Lorena, an attractive brunette of about fifty. Lorena explained that an anonymous man of considerable wealth kept this house as his playground. He enjoyed a variety of sexual activities, and today he was interested in watching women wrestle.
"Just watching?" Terri asked, prepared to escape if the man expected any kind of sexual contact. Lorena confirmed that, indeed, only wrestling was involved.
Relieved, Terri decided she could probably handle that just fine, although she guessed that she would lose quickly if paired against a skilled opponent. Then a light bulb came on.
"Do I wrestle in my dress?"
"Yes," said Lorena. "Mr., uh, Smith enjoys the visual of young women in dresses."
Terri frowned. "But why might he see, you know, all of me?"
"Before I explain," said Lorena, "I must inspect. Stand please. Pull your dress to your shoulders."
Terri hesitated, but decided it would be silly to come this far and wimp out over a woman's inspection. She stood and slowly lifted the hem of her dress, past her waist, past her breasts. The air-conditioned air felt cool. She noticed, again, that her nipples seemed to have a mind of their own. For reasons she couldn't explain, being so vulnerable in this strange place was doing its best to arouse her. She reminded herself that Phil would want none of that; that she was just here for the money.
"Very nice," smiled Lorena. "You'll do just fine, if you decide to participate. If you do, by the way, your thousand dollars is in this envelope."
As Terri lowered her dress and returned to her chair, Lorena gapped open the envelope flap and thumbed through ten one hundred dollar bills.
"Mr. Smith is interested in a new variation today," said Lorena. "Two other young ladies are here, a most attractive black woman named Elena and a brunette named Nanci. Mr. Smith will hold three straws. The three of you will draw. The shortest straw will wrestle against the other two."
Although Terri knew little about wrestling, she knew enough to ask, "That wouldn't be fair would it? Wouldn't the two people win easily?"
Lorena smiled a worldly smile. "Yes. They probably would. Mr. Smith anticipates that possibility."