Seducing Helena (2 page)

Then again, he might be angry if he felt she lied to him.

Chewing her lower lip, she mustered up her courage and decided to be herself and not really go into detail about her job.

It was so much easier.

Dear Seth,

Hi, my name is Mary and I’m a friend of Leo Russo. He gave me your e-mail address and said you might like a pen pal. I hope you don’t mind, and if this is an inconvenience or I’m treading on anyone’s toes, please let me know.

When I was growing up, I had a pen pal from the Peru who I’d write once a month. I loved opening up my mail and seeing a letter from her. It would make my day. I was hoping you might like to start a correspondence.

Well, I’m not really sure what to say now, LOL. My old pen pal and I would talk about what kind of nail polish was available in our country and about music that came out two years ago in the United States and was just starting to reach Peru. You probably aren’t into that kind of stuff, unless you are, in which case I make no judgments. If you want to wear nail polish and look fabulous, then I say good for you.

Sorry for the rambling. I’ve had a long day and I really need to get to bed. I have a busy day at work tomorrow and I get fussed at if I haven’t gotten enough sleep. I bet that sounds kind of shallow to you considering you’re fighting a war and I’m bitching about people making sure I get enough sleep. Honestly, I’m really not that superficial. I grew up poor, like government-cheese poor, and I understand better than most just how absolutely blessed I am. I live in New York City and the difference between the haves and have-nots sometimes makes it feel like two totally different worlds existing in the same place.

Thank you for all you do to keep the United States safe. I know what an amazing, wonderful, and blessed place this is and I’m so thankful you and your brothers in arms are fighting for our freedom. God bless.

Mary

***

The next morning Helena grabbed her black coffee and shuffled to her computer, barely awake but eager to see if he’d written her back. Sipping the bitter drink, she clicked open her e-mail and gave an excited giggle. He’d written her twice since she’d gone to bed. Clicking the first letter open, she set her coffee down and leaned forward to read.

Dear Mary,

Thank you so much for writing me. I can’t tell you how nice it is to come back to the barracks and find something other than Viagra ads in my in-box. A lot of people don’t know this, but sometimes war can be boring as hell. Lots of waiting and watching sand and boulders. Thinking about your letters will help to pass the time, and that’s an invaluable gift out here.

You mentioned Peru in your letter. I was there briefly about five years ago between deployments. I love to travel, and South America is a particular favorite of mine. The people are so nice, and the food is amazing. I want to go back after I get out of the military in two months and maybe hit up Brazil this time. My mom will kick my butt for taking off as soon as I get back, but there are so many things I want to do before I die. That probably sounds morbid, but I spent a long time taking things for granted and I’m trying not to do that anymore.

Anyways, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in Kansas, about forty miles outside of Kansas City. The town where I was born and raised, and where my parents still live, has a whopping population of 3,465 people. Everybody knows everybody, and that can be a good and a bad thing. I have two older brothers and a mess of nieces and nephews. I don’t have any kids yet, but maybe someday.

Gotta run. It was nice talking with you, Mary.

Seth

Dear Seth,

I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so I envy you all your nieces and nephews. My mom died when I was young and my dad never remarried. However, I do have about fifteen hundred cousins. My extended family has lived in the same part of Brooklyn since the 1850s so we’ve managed to populate about three city blocks with our kin. I moved to Manhattan a couple years ago and while I miss the close-knit community feeling of the place where I grew up, I don’t miss everybody knowing my business the second I stepped outside of my door. I swear my aunts had some kind of crazy system of spies to let them know where us kids were at every moment of the day.

Certainly made trying to sneak my high school boyfriend into my house while my dad was out preaching an impossible thing.

Anyways, on a non-embarrassing memories note, I love Brazil! I’ve been there six times for work and it is just gorgeous. One of the things on my bucket list is to go there during Carnival some year and shake my ass in one of those scandalous drum-queen outfits. I got to see one up close during a photo shoot and it was sexy, but super heavy with all the beading and embellishments they put on it. I tell you what, getting up for the sunrise on the beach is totally worth it. Have you ever seen something so beautiful it stunned you? Well that happened to me on the first day of the shoot and I fell in love with that country. The way the sunlight hit the water in every photo we shot was perfect. Maybe if you need a travel mate we could go together. ;) Just kidding, unless you want to, in which case I’m serious. You’re hot.

Mary—who has had a few too many martinis tonight at a dreadfully boring press event

Dear Mary,

Poor baby. I bet you’re paying for that fun this morning. How’s the headache?

I’d actually love to take a trip to you, and thank you for the compliment. I know you won’t send me your picture because you think I might be a stalker, but I can assure you I’m harmless. I hope the reason you aren’t sending one is because you’re afraid I might be superficial, you know, typical guy. I’m not saying I’m some saint, but I’ve realized a woman’s character is something to be valued beyond physical looks.

So what do you do for a living? Whatever it is, it sounds a hell of a lot more fun than what I do. I was having a real shitty day until I got your letter and it made me laugh. Some fucked-up stuff happened and I don’t want to go into it right now, but you gave me something to think about other than the death. I know you’re probably embarrassed over drunk e-mailing, but I assure you that you did me more good than you’ll ever know.

That said, I have a request for you. Could you just go outside and take pictures as you walk around the city? I need to see something normal, something that is just daily life in New York City. No rush, and if you don’t feel comfortable about doing it that’s fine too. I just…I miss home.

Seth—who probably sounds like a pansy

Dear Seth the Mighty,

I haven’t drunk texted anyone since spring break my senior year of high school. It is as bad now as it was then, and I’m soooooo sorry you had to see…er read that. But I’m glad it managed to bring you some comfort. I mean hell, what’s more American than drunk texting?

I started a website and am putting my pictures up there in like a daily-journal type thing. It’s password protected and password is Seth. I’ll give you the link down below. I figured if I was going to do as you asked, I should do it right. I haven’t included any captions because I’d be up all night tagging everything I took a picture of. This way, you can kind of imagine your own day as you look through the pictures. I know I imagined you were standing next to me today every time I snapped my camera. It was nice.

So…I’m really bad at being coy about things but I just wanted to put it out there that I think you’re really nice. For a thousand reasons I wish you were back in the States, but since you’re not, I’d like to ask you out on a virtual date. I’ll kinda describe myself and what I’m wearing and then tell you where we’d go on our date. Feel free to find this lame, because it is, but it’s also kinda fun. I get to meet you without you being distracted by my cleavage, which I can assure you is excellent. I went around after work and took some pictures of where we’d go on our date.

The weather in New York City flip-flops this time of year between nice and cold as fuck. Ahh, spring in the Big Apple. I think the first place I’d take you would be to get something to eat. My dad always says a man with a full belly is a happy man. All my male cousins seem to agree so I’d take you to this fanfuckingtastic diner in Brooklyn. It’s been on the same corner for the last forty years and serves amazing home-cooked meals. They’re really nice people and they help take care of the neighborhood. That’s an important thing where I grew up. There are some bad parts, but there are also places where good people live and do their best to make their places nice.

After that, I’d drag you to Central Park to walk off your meal. I want you fed but not in a food coma. I’d be wearing my jeans that ride low on my hips and a leather jacket that leaves about a half inch of my belly visible. It may be a first date, but I do like to tease a man. If you were very lucky, we might hold hands as we walk around the park and talk about all the different bits of history that have happened there. New York City’s history is one of my hobbies.

Yes, I’m a nerd. But I’m a hot nerd so I can get away with it. ;)

Mary—who is going to go watch Star Trek

Dear Lt. Mary of the Starship Enterprise,

I’ve just got one question. Do we kiss?

Captain Seth of the Starship Enterprise

Dear Jr. Sailor Seth,

I don’t know. Do you have enough game to get a kiss on a first date?

Mary—who is wearing only her lace panties right now

Dear Goddess Mary,

That is just cruel. In order to return the favor, here’s a picture of me right now.

Seth the Not So Meek

Dear Seth the OMFG,

Are you wearing anything under that towel? Or smuggling a beer can under there? You cannot tell me all of that is you. If it is, I think I just soaked my panties…which you will not be getting a picture of.

Mary—who is now very squirmy

Dear Mary,

That’s how I like to leave my girls on a first date. Wet and wanting. Makes the second date so much better. Baby, I’d kiss you so good your toes would curl and you’d be moaning my name. Just say’n.

Seth the Hung

Dear Seth,

Sounds like we’ve got a date tomorrow night. I’ll be wearing my white sundress with nothing underneath. Show me what you’ve got.

Mary the Horny

***

Six weeks later

Dear Seth,

Wow, I can’t believe you’re getting out so soon! I would love to have you come visit me, please. I swear if I have to read one more dirty e-mail from you without you here to take care of business, I may fly over to Afghanistan and kidnap you. I know you’ve been begging me for a picture since you’ve sent me plenty of pictures of you without your shirt on for my pleasure, and I know I’ve been putting you off…but it’s not because I’m fugly or camera shy. I know you said it doesn’t matter to you what I look like, that you find all women beautiful, but I’m afraid you’ll think differently after you know who I am and that I haven’t been honest with you.

See, when I told you I knew Leo from the modeling business as an assistant, I wasn’t being entirely honest. My real name is Helena Flores and I’m a model. I’m not sure if you even know who I am, so feel free to do an Internet search on me. Just be aware any porn pictures are doctored. I like being in front of the camera with my clothes on…or at least my underwear on. I also hope you don’t believe the tabloid stories about me. I’ve never been secretly pregnant, bulimic, had an affair with a prime minister, been a man, or been married to Sasquatch.

I’m telling you this because you need to be aware of the kind of world I live in. People take pictures of me all the time, everywhere I go. I pretty much ignore them because having my picture taken is my job, regardless of my being in a studio or out at a club. I try to pretend they aren’t there and live my life. I only plan on modeling for a few more years before going back to school, so I really hope you’ll still want to come visit after you get out. You just need to be aware if we’re out in public together, you’ll also become a target of photographers. Not everyone can handle it and if you’d like to back out of our visit, I’d totally understand.

That said, I’m enclosing a picture of me sitting at my computer desk with your latest e-mail behind me. I hope that convinces you I am who you say I am and I hope you forgive me for lying to you. Being able to talk with someone and be the real me has been more of a gift than you’ll ever understand. Oh, and if you don’t tell me a bedtime story tonight, I’m going to be really pissed.

Helena

PS—How do you like the bikini? It’s the one I wore on the cover of Sports Universe. ;)

Dear Helena,

Holy fucking shit! Sugar, I’m torn between being pissed at you for lying to me and freaking out. I know you, I mean I fucking
know
you. My only question is what the fuck are you doing wasting your time on a guy like me? Damn, I can’t believe all the dirty fucking shit I wrote to you. Fuck. Look, I promise when I come visit, I won’t do anything you don’t wanna do, okay? I know you and I have talked about doing some pretty freaky shit but I don’t want you to think I’d really break into your apartment and take advantage of you in your sleep or anything. I’ll stay in a hotel, and you won’t have to worry about me stepping over the line, I swear.