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Subject: {ASSM} Red Dress {Traffic Guy}{MF rom no-sex}
Date: Thu,  8 May 2003 05:10:06 -0400
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I thought my main character from "Casino" was a little smug at the end 
so I attempted to take him down a peg or two.  Dan fought it.  You get 
to decide who won.

As usual, you can reach me either at trafficguy8@subro.dnsq.org or by 
removing NOSPAM. from the header.

<1st attachment, "Red Dress.txt" begin>

RED DRESS

By Traffic Guy

Copyright 2003



"Do you mind if I sit here?"

The voice belonged to a fit looking woman I judged to be in her
forties.  The most striking thing was the bright red dress she
wore.  It was a spaghetti strap party dress that fit her very,
very well, but seemed to be an effort to make her look younger. 
"Sure, have a seat."

After ordering a white wine spritzer she turned and stuck out her
hand.  "I'm Linda Pearsol."

"Dan Helton.  Nice to meet you."  Her handshake was firm and she
had a positive air about her.  No wedding ring.  We talked about
a few inane things while I mulled over the various reasons why a
nice-looking woman like her would be chatting up an old guy like
me.  I didn't come to any real conclusions, so I decided to do
what I usually do - go with the flow and see where it leads.

Eventually the chatting took on a more personal note, and she
started punctuating her conversation with little touches -
innocent at first, on the shoulder and arm, then moving down to
the hand.  At this point I decided to slow things down a bit.

"Linda, why didn't you put your hair up in a ponytail?"

She looked at me for a moment, then replied "Because that would
have been a little too much.  You wouldn't have taken me
seriously."

"And the dress?"

She grinned.  "I'm sure I don't have to explain that to you."

I grinned back.  "You're right about that.  Now, since you
obviously planned this out very well, there must be a point to
it."

"Of course!  I'm trying to entice you back into my boudoir for a
night of limitless passion!"

I slowly shook my head.  "No, that can't be it."

"Okay then, I'm bored and I thought I'd have a little fun tonight
and you looked like you could provide it."

"Nope.  I am definitely your target for something more than a
little fun."

Apparently she expected this.  "How about if I just say it's
something I wanted to do and leave it at that."

I took a long look into her eyes.  She looked right back.  I
could find nothing in that look that made me think she was lying.
 "I think I can accept that.  So, what's next?"

"A nice evening spent with a friend?  A little talk, a little
dancing, whatever you want."

I raised my eyebrow.  "Whatever I want?"

She smirked a little and answered, "Why, is there something you
want to do that you think I wouldn't?"

At that I turned to the bartender.  "Tony, what do I owe you?"

"Twenty-seven fifty Mr. H."

I dropped forty on the counter and started to push away.  Linda
grabbed my arm.  I stopped and looked directly into her eyes,
which had turned a little sad.  She held the contact for a
moment, then glanced away and let go.  I walked out of the bar
without looking back.  

-------------------------

As a widower who managed to take early retirement I pretty much
do what I please.  I have no close family or friends, although
there are several good buddies and two couples that I maintain
consistent relations with.  All in all, I like where I live and
what I do and manage to keep busy without being tied down.

One of the things I like to do is visit one of the area casinos
several times a year.  That was where I had my second run in with
Linda about two weeks later.

I was sitting at one of the blackjack tables, doing a bit better
than usual, when a woman wearing red slipped into the vacant seat
to my left and plunked down a small stack of chips.  She looked
to her left first and then turned to me.  I was carefully not
noticing her since I was pretty sure it was Linda.  I felt her
stare for a moment, but didn't turn as the cards were dealt for
the next play.  I split a pair of eights, drawing a six and a
five.  I hit both, and busted both.  With a sigh, I gathered in
my chips and turned to my right to leave.  I expected her to
follow, but was pleasantly surprised when she didn't.

I wandered off, hitting a couple slots on the run, using the
various mirrors to make sure it was indeed Linda.  She stayed at
the table, playing her small pile of chips.

I decided she'd earned another shot at me, so I made my way to
the nearest restaurant, asking for and getting a table by the
windows facing back the way I had come.

I was working my way through my salad when she appeared, walking
toward the restaurant at a leisurely pace.  This time the red
dress had a scoop collar and elbow length sleeves.  The hem on
the ruffled skirt reached just above the knee.  Again,
appropriate for the scene except for being red.

I caught her eye, smiled and waved her in.  She seemed a little
surprised, but immediately smiled back and nodded.  Moments later
she joined me.

"Hi Linda.  Do you come to the casino often?"

"Not really, I've only been here a couple of times and I'm still
learning the ropes.  How about you?"

"I've been here many times and I'm still trying to learn," I
chuckled.  "For instance, I was doing well at blackjack earlier
so took a chance and split eights, for god's sake!  I got just
what I deserved and realized I'd better quit if I was going to do
things like that."  I wondered if she would admit she saw that.

"So that was you!  I wondered.  I must have sat down next to you
just before that happened.  Frankly, I didn't understand what you
were doing when you turned that other eight over.  I didn't know
you could do that."

"Well, then, maybe you better read up on blackjack before you try
it again.  It's not quite as simple a game as the casino would
have you think."

"I believe you."  She paused and I wondered if she would try to
turn the conversation toward personal things.  I was again
pleasantly surprised.  "Since you've been here a few times, I'm
sure you have a good idea what to order."

"Well, I usually stick with the T-Bone, but everything I've tried
here has been good."  I waited for her to order a T-Bone.

"In that case, I'll have the shrimp scampi."  She looked me in
the eye and grinned.  "I don't think a little garlic is going to
affect my relationship with you."

Was that a reference to the way I blew her off the last time?  I
wasn't sure.

We managed to chat about gambling while we ate, with me giving
her a primer on blackjack and craps.  She seemed genuinely
interested.  When we finished our coffee at the end I called for
the check.  She started to get out her purse and I waved her off.
 "I invited you in, I pay.  If the situation is reversed, then
you can pay.  Deal?"

She looked carefully at me for a moment, then nodded, held out
her hand and said, "Deal," and we shook hands.  "What's next for
you?"

"I usually head to the bingo hall about this time for a couple
hours."

"I'm surprised.  I wouldn't place you as part of the bingo
crowd."

"Surprises me too, but somehow I got in the habit and I really
seem to enjoy it now."  I thought for sure she would ask to tag
along.

"Well, I don't think I want to risk it, so I think I'll try
putting your knowledge to work at blackjack for a while.  Thanks
for dinner."  She smiled and waved gaily as she took off in the
other direction.

Damn!  Maybe I had completely misread the situation.  I ran over
the possibilities in my mind again and decided it didn't really
matter.  Either I would see her again or I wouldn't.  I found
myself hoping I would.  

Trying not to think too hard about it I headed to the bingoroom.

-------------------------

Hildie passed away almost six years ago.  To say she was
everything to me would be an understatement.  Don't get me wrong.
 I'm not pining away, as you can tell.  I'm not going to bars or
casinos to get away from the world.  I enjoy good company and
conversation, but do shy away from anything that smacks of a
close relationship, especially a physical one.

I have continued to celebrate our anniversary, using the night as
a way to honor her memory and relive the magic.  I do the same
thing every year.  First dinner at a fine restaurant, then off to
a show, and finally somewhere that features a live dance band. 
Oh yes, and I have used the same escort service every year to
provide me with a partner for the evening.

Before you start questioning how this honors the memory of my
wife you should know a couple things.  My deal with the service
is that the woman is not to come on to me in a sexual manner,
should be an accomplished conversationalist, and should simply
enjoy the evening to the best of her ability.

Oh, yes.  And it MUST be a different woman each year.

The reason I continue to use the same service is that I haven't
been disappointed yet.  Apparently whomever runs the service
picked up on my needs very well.  The women have been mostly
older (meaning not in their twenties or teens), have dressed
appropriately with just a hint of makeup, and either were very
good actresses (which, in that business, should be considered a
given) or actually enjoyed the evening.

And, of course, they all danced very well.

During portions of the evening I would feel Hildie there,
enjoying it with me.

So I called the service as usual and got ready for the evening. 
Right on time the door bell rang...

...and the woman at the door was wearing a beautiful, formal, RED
dress.  It was Linda.

--------------------

"Good evening Mr. Helton, I'm Linda and I'm here to be your
escort for the evening."  The words were delivered as they always
were, with a smile.  But there was something in the back of her
eyes.  Fear?  Hope?

"Come on in.  It'll take me just a moment to finish getting
ready."  Somehow I managed to come up with the words that would
get me a moment or two to think.  To this day I'm not sure why I
didn't just explode and tell her to hit the road.  Maybe I'm just
too nice a guy.  Or maybe Hildie trained me too well.

I went into the bathroom and needlessly adjusted my tie for
several minutes.  I ticked off the items in my mind.  

Linda definitely planned this in advance.  The red dresses were
an admission of that planning.

She had to have known she was the one to be my escort this year
and had to have talked to at least one of the other women.

And yet she seemed to be ready to treat the evening as if she had
never met me.  Why?

Did it matter?  Well, yes, it did.  Did I have to know why right
now?  No.

In fact, I knew that if I pushed the matter now, it would
probably ruin the evening, or at least the original purpose of
the evening - to celebrate my anniversary with Hildie.  Could I
still celebrate this night the way I wanted to, with Hildie by my
side?  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.  Then I thought
of Hildie holding my hand and looking into my eyes with that
smile of hers and, somehow, knew it would be all right.

When I came out of the bathroom, Linda was standing exactly where
I had left her, perfect posture and the usual smile on her face.
I smiled back and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

The smile became brighter as she answered, "Yes, sir."

--------------------

After the usual spiel about how I would prefer to be Dan and she
allowed me to call her Linda (with a twinkle in her eye, of
course!) we set out for the restaurant.

We never mentioned our previous meetings, or even hinted at them.
 And I found myself enjoying the evening just as I had the other
times.  We had intelligent conversation about the world and
current events at the dinner, laughed and groaned at the show,
and finished up, as usual, at one of the dance clubs Hildie and I
had frequented over the years.  I couldn't be sure, but Linda did
seem a little disappointed at my choice of a swing club, but
quickly shook that off and danced as well or better than my
previous partners.  And again there were moments when I felt
Hildie with me on the dance floor.

At last it was time for the evening to end.  As usual I had
driven us back to my home.  Normally the evening would end with a
hand shake at the lady's car (the money was taken care of ahead
of time so there wouldn't be that awkward moment right at the
end), and then the lady would drive off into the night and I
would enter the house alone.

But when I stopped my car and was ready to get out Linda finally
broke character.  "Dan, could we please talk just for a moment? 
I promise I'm not trying to do anything that would change or hurt
you.  Please?"

I looked at her.  It was a measure of how successfully I had
immersed myself into the evening that I had forgotten about our
previous meetings.  Those memories came flooding back, along with
the unanswered questions.  For a moment I fought myself over
which way I wanted to react to this.  But the bottom line was I
had to know.

"Okay.  But if I don't like this it will cost your boss a
client."

"No, it won't."

"Huh?"

"For the last three years the women you have taken out haven't
been a part of the service."

I sat there, stunned.  "What do you mean?  I call the same number
and send the money to the same place."

"And he gives it to a charity, usually one that helps kids with
special diseases."

"But then, where did you come from?"

She looked out through the front windshield for a moment, then
started talking again.  "It's a rather involved story, and I
would like to start from the beginning."  She looked at me.  "And
I would like to be a little more comfortable telling it.  May we
go inside?"

I raised my eyebrow.

"No funny stuff.  I promise.  We all know it wouldn't work,
anyway."

"We?"

She sighed.  "Please?"

I grimaced and got out of the car.  She waited for me to get her
door, a question in her eyes.  I opened it, handed her out,
looked her in the eye and offered my arm.  Her grateful smile
almost, almost got to me.

--------------------

After seating her and providing a drink I sat and listened to a
tale that I really didn't believe, mainly because of how it
presented me.

It seems that the first three women who had been my escorts had
all quit the service soon after our outing.  None of the three
went on more than five more 'appointments' before deciding they
didn't want to do it anymore.

That's when the man who ran the service decided to go outside his
stable to provide me with an escort.  Apparently his sister, who
had no direct connection with the service but knew about it,
volunteered for the next one.  And it was from her circle of
friends that the last two had come.  They were the ones who
demanded that the fee be given to charity.

At this point I stopped Linda.  "This doesn't tell me the
question I'm most interested in.  Why?"

"Because of you, of course," came the reply.

I shook my head.  "I don't get it.  I'm not a handsome young man
with something to offer women like you.  In fact, I make it plain
what the evening is about, right up front.  And I've never led
any of you on."

"I know," she said softly.  "And you severely underestimate your
effect on women."

I continued to shake my head in denial.  "Look, Linda, I happen
to know a lot about men and women and relationships.  I have
counseled many couples over the years, very successfully I might
add, so I think I know a little about this.  And I don't see how
one night, one date, especially with a man who is admittedly
using you as a surrogate, can lead to the kind of behaviour you
are talking about."

"He has eyes but he cannot see," I thought I heard her mutter. 
Then stronger, "Dan, describe this evening to me.  Tell me what
happened from your point of view."

I shrugged.  Why not?  "We went to Pierre's for a steak dinner. 
I ordered for both of us, and chose the wine as well.  We chatted
about a wide range of topics, including the mideast and the
Columbia disaster.  I found that you liked Cagney and Bogart
movies, and we discussed many of them in detail.  We talked about
skiing in Colorado and fishing off the Florida Keys."  I was
starting to slide back into the evening.  "We talked about having
been to Paris once and planning to go back some day.  We
discussed having a party on the fourth of July and..."

I realized with a start that suddenly I was acting as if it were
me and Hildie talking, not me and Linda.  I buried my head in my
hands.  "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.  I never knew... I shouldn't
have treated you like that."

Linda was at my side, shushing me and saying "It's okay, really,
it was a wonderful evening, please, please just listen to me for
a little longer."

I finally nodded my head for her to go on.

"Dan, it isn't just you that seems to change us and make us feel
the way we do.  It's you AND Hildie.  The love you HAVE for each
other is a wonderful thing, something we haven't had in our lives
as yet and may never have.  You give us a glimpse of something we
never really believed was possible.  And for a brief time, we are
a part of it.  The look in your eyes as you plan something, when
you are sharing a laugh, when a dance is done.  We know you are
seeing Hildie, and we wish we WERE Hildie.  Oh, God do we wish we
were Hildie."

She paused for a moment, and I looked up at her.  She was
smiling, but with tears in her eyes.  "Don't worry.  None of us
would ever try to take Hildie away from you.  None of us could. 
Somehow you've made us love her as much as you do.  I didn't even
understand that part myself until tonight."

That part reminded me.  "If you didn't know until tonight, then
why the charade at the bar and the casino?"

She blushed.  "Well, that came about because of a plan the other
women wanted to try.  They thought maybe you would be more open
to seeing them again if I could show you we could be good
companions on our own.  I'll admit, I thought I had blown it that
first night.  They had warned not to be suggestive in any way,
but I got a little carried away..."

"Yes, I remember.  I wasn't too nice about it, was I?"  I hung my
head, thinking about how cold I had been.  And here I had thought
I was a nice guy.

"Dan, don't go beating yourself up.  It's who you are.  I had an
inkling of it after talking to the others about what happened and
after tonight I know it.  And you more than made up for it at the
casino.  Considering what I know about you now, I'm even more
surprised you gave me a second chance."

"That's easy.  You made yourself worthy of a second chance by not
forcing the issue.  You took a shot, and when it didn't happen
you let it go.  To me, that showed you were thinking of me as a
person, not as a 'mark,' and impressed me."

Linda smiled at that.  "Thank you.  That means a lot to me, more
now than before."  Then she got serious.  "I know I only hinted
at it before but now I have to lay it on the line.  All six of us
would like very much to have the opportunity to go on outings
with you."  I started to say something and she interrupted
"...let me finish, please."

I nodded for her to go ahead.

"We do not, repeat do NOT intend to replace Hildie in your life.
What we would like is the opportunity to try to be an addition to
Hildie, going to the places you want to go, do the things you
want to do.  However, we do ask that you try to think of us as
individuals.  We don't mind you taking a moment to commune with
Hildie, but we would hope you could 'commune' with us a little,
too.  If you can't, it would become too frustrating for us."

She hung her head for a moment, then continued softly, "and now
that I've said it, I have to say I can't do it.  I can't even
think of doing something that has a chance of taking a part of
Hildie away from you.  I'm sorry, let me get my things and I'll
be leaving."

I put my hand on her shoulder as she started to rise, holding her
down.  "I accept."

For a moment she just sat there, not understanding.  "What did
you say?"

"I said, I accept."

She quickly looked up and into my eyes, trying to determine if I
really meant what I said.  "But what about Hildie?"

"Hildie is alive inside of me, and now you.  If I spend time with
you, I strengthen that bond.  You know, you reminded me of
something someone once said to me that I dismissed at the time,
but turns out to be true.  She said, 'I'm sure she doesn't want
you to stop living just because she did.'  And she's right.

"Here I thought I was handling her passing so well.  I had some
buddies, I was nice guy, I was comfortable in my little world.  I
even came up with a way to celebrate my life with Hildie."  I
shook my head as the tears started forming.  "And I can see now
that all it did was keep me from sharing her life with others. 
God I was selfish!"

Linda held me as I cried, and before long I could feel wetness
that couldn't have come from my eyes.  I turned, looked into her
eyes and kissed her forehead.  She smiled through the tears and
sniffed, then we both looked for tissues.

After we had repaired the damage somewhat, we talked a little
about what comes next.  She gave me a list of all of the women
with their phone numbers and said the next step was up to me.  I
told her to tell the others it might take a while, but I was
planning to give each of them another outing, and would be in
touch.

She was at the door and ready to leave when one last question
came back to me.  "Linda, before you go, could you solve one last
mystery for me?"

"If I can, sure."

"It appeared to me that you were a little disappointed when I
told you we were going to a swing club to dance.  Why?"

She blushed a deep red.  "Uh, are you sure you want to hear
this?"

Of course, that just made me more curious.  "You bet I do."

"Well, remember last year, with Nancy?  You danced a tango with
her."

Now it was my turn to blush.  "Yes, I do.  I think I was ready to
take her right there on the floor before I realized that it
wasn't Hildie."

"Yeah, she thought so.  In fact, I think that's when the women
started talking about this plan.  Are you sure you want to hear
this?  It might change your mind about us."

I was beginning to think I knew where this was headed and I
closed my eyes for a moment.  Oh, Hildie, forgive me but I just
might enjoy this.  Then from somewhere I got this feeling that
said 'me too!'  "I'm not letting you off the hook now.  Spill
it."

She blushed again.  Such a lovely shade of red, and it seemed to
go all the way down.  Hmmm.  "Well, Nancy told us you were, well,
um, or at least felt like you were..." she blushed even more,
"Damn it, she said you were hung like a horse and it felt great
even through the clothes."

I raised my eyebrow.  "And you thought that maybe, if I got used
to you, that you might be able to convince me to share that with
you, too?  Linda!" I said in an imperative tone.  "Come here!"

She looked a little frightened at the tone, but came forward.  I
opened my arms and beckoned.  Her eyes widened but she came into
my arms and and hugged me.  I placed my hands on her ass and
moved our pelvises together, grinding slowly.  "Oh my god," Linda
simpered.  As I continued the pressure and my manhood continued
to rise she became glassy eyed and started moaning "Oh my fucking
god!" and finally looked up at me with those unfocused eyes and
asked "Are you for real?"

I smiled as I led her into my bedroom.  "I never kid about the
important things."


THE END
<1st attachment end>


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