Raw: The Ultimate Mc Collection (95 page)

The only addition to my wardrobe that was necessary was some extra-lacy lingerie and a few pairs of sexy new heels.  While I owned lots of fancy dresses and shoes, I tended to lean towards jeans and my beloved leather boots.  These days, my dates almost all required nice dresses and heels.  It made me appreciate my comfortable boots even more.

I didn’t just like nice things - I liked comfortable nice things.  The beauty over comfort philosophy had always baffled me.

Today was one of those days. As I slid my body into a slinky, bright red, wrap-around dress that hugged the curves of my hips perfectly, I found myself feeling for the first time that this felt like work.  After inspecting myself in the mirror, I removed my lacey panties, hating the panty line they were creating.

While I loved the fancy dinners and nightlife, I would much rather have a nice night at Genevieve’s watching a movie and drinking wine with the girls in my comfortable boots and not these stiletto heels I was squeezing my feet into.

When I was done putting on my makeup and jewelry, I stared at myself in the full-length mirror in my bedroom.  My shoulder-length, platinum blonde hair was full and wavy, and much blonder than I usually wore it.  With my bright red lipstick and tall heels, my look was a little reminiscent of a glamorous Marilyn Monroe.  I had never been a small, petite girl - my figure was more on the voluptuous and full-figured side.  I loved my curves and as I gazed at my reflection, I felt an enormous sense of appreciation for them.  I loved being a woman.

Pearl had been watching me all night, but once I began spritzing my signature Chanel No. 5 all over me, she bolted from the room.  Once again, I wondered what Genevieve’s mystery fragrance was.  I had asked the girls one day and later Genevieve herself, but found that was one thing she was vague about.  She told us she had it custom made and shipped over from France, but she wouldn’t reveal the ingredients, claiming it was her signature scent and she didn’t want anyone copying it.

As I sipped a glass of wine, I began feeling a tinge of excitement for the date. So far, I had enjoyed the company of all the men I had seen, and I was sure tonight wouldn’t be any different.  Genevieve’s friends were all very dynamic people.

The buzzer sounded through my apartment, and I hurried to the intercom by my front door to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Charles here, ma’am.”

“Hi, Charles!  I’ll be right down, thank you!”

Charles was also employed by Genevieve.  Chauffeur and incognito bodyguard, he was a valuable part of our company.  He was discrete and knowledgeable, and his huge stature was an imposing force.  Having him drop us off at our dates was a subtle message to the clients.

I quickly gathered my handbag, stuffed it with my phone, wallet, lipstick, breath mints and condoms, grabbed my keys, turned off the stereo and lights and gave Pearl a kiss before I locked the door and ran down the two flights of stairs to the street.  

It was already dark out and the black sheen of the limo shimmered under the street lights.  Charles stood by the door waiting patiently.  

“Evening, miss.”  He was a man of few words but the warmth of his smile and the sparkle in his green eyes had a way of making you feel at ease and secure.

I reached up and kissed his cheek.

“Hi, Charles!  It’s great to see you again.”

“You too, miss. You too.”

He opened the door of the limo for me and I slid inside.  The smell of leather permeated the air, and when the door closed behind me, I relaxed into the buttery soft seats.  As always, classical music poured through the speakers and a full bar sparkled in front of me. 

The ride to the restaurant would take about fifteen minutes, so I poured myself a short glass of bourbon, added two ice cubes, and sipped slowly as I watched the city fly by outside of the tinted windows.  I loved the fact that I could see out but nobody could see in.

As we pulled up to the restaurant, I quickly finished my drink and checked my lipstick and hair.  My red lipstick was bright, but it matched my dress and nails perfectly.  I popped a mint in my mouth and closed my purse right before Charles opened the door for me. 

Smiling, I exited the limo legs first, clutching Charles’ outstretched hand and pulling myself up to my full height.  I looked up at Charles and smiled.

“Thank you for the ride, Charles.”

“Of course, miss.  Call me if you need me, or if you need a ride home later.  Otherwise, I will see you next time.  Have a wonderful evening, miss.”

“You do the same, Charles.”

I turned and saw my date smiling and watching me from the front steps.  He was even more handsome in person.  Since we had both seen pictures of each other, there was no awkward exchanges with someone who might not be who we were there to meet.

We walked toward each other with polite smiles stretched across our faces. His name was Drake Daniels, and we were meeting up with several of his clients.

He was certainly gorgeous, there was no doubt about that.  As we exchanged introductions and small talk, I drank in his tall, blonde handsome frame.  

“Genevieve has nothing but good things to say about you, Vanessa.  And I must say you are even more beautiful in person. I’m confident you are the right lovely lady for tonight.  I am trying to convince my clients to invest a very large sum of money into my oil refinery business and I need to project a very put-together image.  Having a beauty such as you on my arm will no doubt sky-rocket my chances of obtaining their small fortune.”

He was charming, too.  What a bonus.

“Well, I’m glad I can help.  Is there anything I should know before we go in?”

“No, not at all.  Just be beautiful and pleasant and follow my lead.”

“Of course, Drake.  Thank you for inviting me.”

“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.”  He reached out and brought my hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss right above my knuckles.

I smiled demurely, feeling a quiver in my stomach at such a gentlemanly gesture.  He was lovely.

“Shall we go in?” he asked.

“Yes, let’s.”  I smiled up at him, and allowed him to tuck my arm into the crook of his elbow and we turned, ascended the steps and began walking towards the warmly lit building.  

The doors opened in front of us and we walked in. 

After Drake checked in with the host, we were led to our seats.  I wasn’t surprised that Drake would require the best seats in the house.  

He definitely seemed to have a handle on what he wanted out of life, and he couldn’t have been much older than me at all.  But it wasn’t his youth that made him attractive.  Clearly, he was intensely driven by his career and there was something irresistible about men like that.  I had always been attracted to men who knew what they wanted, and even more so, the ones who knew how to get it.  

Looking at Drake now, as he greeted his colleagues before turning to introduce me, I wondered how things would have worked out if I had met him under different circumstances.

“Vanessa, this is James Morgan and Eileen Morgan.”

“Lovely to meet you both.”  I shook their hands and smiled warmly at them.

“You too, Vanessa.”  James took my hand, pressing his lips to the back of my palm.

“What a lovely couple you two make!”  Eileen said.  “How long have you two been dating?”

“Thank you, Eileen.  We only recently begun to spend time together,” Drake winked and smiled at her, charm oozing from him.  “So, let’s not talk about it, so we don’t ruin the honeymoon phase!”

Everyone laughed politely, and Drake gently took my arm, guiding me to my chair and holding it out for me.  I sat down and he sat next to me.

“I am starved!” he exclaimed with a smile.  

Drake reached for my hand and intertwined his fingers in mine.

His hand was hot and pulsing against my palm.  I crossed my legs, surprised by a faint twinge of arousal.  It had been a while since someone had held my hand like that. Like a man. Like my lover.

I enjoyed every moment of it.  The night flew by after we ordered.  Wine flowed as freely as the conversation and Drake held my hand almost the entire time, periodically looking over at me and gazing into my eyes and smiling.   I had to remind myself that none of this was real, and I was only here to play a role.

We made it through the entire dinner with the Morgans pleasantly.  We made small talk and they were polite enough to not ask any more questions, for which I was grateful, and I’m sure Drake was too.  Before long, we were ordering desert and then Drake was paying the check and we were saying our goodbyes.

At the front door, James took my hand and pressed it to his lips once more.

“Vanessa, it was a lovely meeting you.  I hope you can keep this guy in line.”  He gestured to Drake, and his wife took his arm.

“I’ll try, James.  But you know Drake…”  I let my voice trail off, hoping it was the right thing to say.

“Come on, darling.  We have to get home.  Nice to meet you, Vanessa.” Eileen said, as they walked off.

Drake turned to me and peered into my eyes.  

“They seemed very nice,” I said.

“Yes, and you were perfect, thank you.”  His voice was deep and low.  He reached down and kissed me on the cheek.  I smiled up at him.

“Well, I’m glad I could be of service.”

His eyes narrowed as he seemed to mull over his next question.

“Is Vanessa your real name?”

“Yes.”

“Good.  I like it.  Would you like to get another drink with me? There’s a bar down the street I like to go to sometimes.”

I weighed my options.  I could end the date, go home alone and sculpt.  Or, I could enjoy the company of a handsome, rich man.  Either way, I was getting a fat envelope full of cash at the end of the night.

“I would love that.”

He offered me his arm, and we strolled down the dark street.  The streets were crowded with people, and we trailed past them quickly.  After a few blocks, we were alone on the dark sidewalk.

“It’s not far from here.”

We turned the corner after another block, and Drake led me into a dimly-lit basement bar.  We sat in a booth in the back, and I looked around as he went to the bar to get our drinks.

He was handsome, no doubt.  He was debonair, rich, healthy.  From what I could tell so far, he would have been the perfect boyfriend for someone.  If only it weren’t for that pesky job of his.  When he sat down across from me, I almost felt guilty taking his money.

Almost.

God, he was charming!  He talked and talked, and all I saw was his perfect lips dancing across his perfect teeth and his sparkling eyes lighting up with passion, about whatever it was he was talking about.

My eyes raked across his body.  He had removed his suit jacket when we walked in and his biceps strained against his starched, white shirt.  After one drink, he removed his blue tie, and I spied the tip of a tattoo peeking out beneath his shirt.  My gaze traveled down his body, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was beneath the expensive clothes that adorned his sculpted body.  

“Drake.”

“Yes?”  he replied.  I had interrupted him, and his eyebrows arched curiously.

“Do you think you got the money?  The money you wanted from the Morgans?”

 “Yes, I do.  I’m fairly certain, that is.”  His eyes shined into mine as he gazed at me.

“Good.  So, it’s been a successful night, would you say?”  I asked, peering deeply into his eyes.

“Absolutely, Vanessa.”

“That’s excellent. That makes me very happy.  So, listen,”  I said, “I don’t like to beat around the bush.  Would you like to finish this evening at your hotel?”

His eyes darkened with arousal as he stared at me seriously, obviously contemplating his words carefully.

“I thought you’d never ask,”  he replied softly.

“Excellent,”  I said.  “I hope you will forgive my forwardness.”

I batted my eyes at him slowly, sincerely hoping I hadn’t stepped over the line, but at this point, my pussy was throbbing in anticipation and all I could think about was seeing him naked.

His deep laughter echoed through the bar, and he stood up, grabbed his jacket and tie, took a step towards me, then leaned down again to whisper in my ear.