Page 26 of Things We Fake
“If you want to meet after school on Monday, I can give you a virtual tour of what we’ve improved.”
“Sounds good. Do you want me to ask other teachers to join us?” I felt obliged to ask, but I crossed my fingers he would say no. I didn’t want to share him with anyone else. Probably that’s what every serial killer thought about their victims.
“That’s up to you,” Cam said. “I’ve always been a fan of the ‘train the trainer’ method.”
I took a short black nightie out of the pink bag. I could picture him training me while I was wearing this, and he wore nothing at all.
It took me a moment to remember I had to say something. “Sounds perfect to me.”
“I’d better let you get to bed.”
“I’m in bed already.” I studied the mega pack of condoms the girls had included in my seduction kit. They were preparing me for a sex marathon!
“Fuzzy robe and a DIY facial?”
I narrowed my eyes at his teasing. I could tease too.
I dipped into my best sultry voice, hoping I sounded like a seductress and not like Vinnie, our family cat back in Warwick, hacking up a hairball under the dining room table. “Actually, I’m wearing a tiny black lace nightie and lots of scented body lotion.”
He swallowed. Twice. “Good to know. I’ll let you… go to sleep. And I’ll go take a cold shower.”
“Try not to flood the bathroom. See you Saturday.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven. Goodnight, Susanne.”
There was something so sexy about the way he said my name, I felt a tingle warm the inside of my thighs.
“Goodnight, Cam.”
I set the phone on my nightstand, letting out a huge sigh, my bed strewn with the sexy items my girlfriends had put together for me. I was blessed in many ways. I still couldn’t believe I was going out with this gorgeous man. And come to think of it, I wasn’t even lying to my parents. Meeting Cam at school next week could be considered another date, especially if it were just the two of us. If I played my cards right, this would only be the beginning of a not-at-all-fakerelationship.
Chapter Nine
Sue
Hard to believe, but by six-thirty Saturday night I was actually ready. Mr. Pierre had chopped off a couple of inches, added some highlights, and worked his magic until my hair fell in soft curls down my back the way it had that one time in high school when I accidentally looked amazing for prom. His makeup wizard introduced me to a taupe eye shadow that made my brown eyes look as though they’d been sprinkled with gold dust. A dab of sheer foundation, a sweep of peach blush, and just the right coral lipstick later, and I didn’t recognize the pretty face in the mirror.
I’d picked the pale blue lingerie tonight and had slipped on some thigh-high stockings before putting on my new dress. I completed the outfit with three inch heels, my black clutch purse, and Nikki’s jewelry.Mamma mia, I was glowing!
Now, I paced my small apartment, ready and waiting for him to show up. Jesse had forced me to remake my bed with the red satin sheets from the seduction kit. Truth be told, I didn’t plan to seduce Cam tonight. It wasn’t my style, and I didn’t know if I wasready for this step yet. But since the girls said I should go with the flow, I wanted to be prepared—just in case.
One by one, the girls texted me to wish me good luck, as though I was going to war, which didn’t help my nerves. I felt a bit like a virgin bride about to face her new husband on their first night together. How ridiculous was that for a thirty-year-old woman?
Ange’s text included a photo of her wearing a wide-brimmed, straw bonnet with a purple velvet ribbon covered in tiny white lilacs. Her message read,Found my hat! Next week it’s your turn and you’re not getting away again. Enjoy your evening and make sure your hunk enjoys it too. Remember, you’re a fabulous sex goddess and every man in that restaurant will want to do you! *five wink emojis*
I sighed, repeating like a zombie, “I’m a sex goddess. Every man wants to do me. Blah blah.”
By 6:55 I was a basket case, imagining everything that could possibly go wrong. I’d lit the candles and then blown them out twice. What if when I opened the door, there was a draft so strong that my curtains caught fire?
I stared into the mirror for the hundredth time and barely recognized myself. What if Cam showed up and he liked the way I looked, but then saw the real me again and didn’t? What if I tripped in my heels, said something stupid, got spinach in my teeth? What if he didn’t have sex and seduction in mind? What if I’d misread everything and this wasn’t a date-date? What if it was just a pity dinner to erase the memory of Porn Night? I didn’t even know if he was single. He’d implied he didn’t have a wife, but he could have agirlfriend or a fiancée back in Denver, and here I was coming on too strong.
Panic filling me, I was halfway to my bedroom to change into a simpler outfit when I heard a knock at the door.
I froze. He knocked again. My brain kicked into gear. Words from ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade” filled me. Into the valley of death...
Get a grip, Morelli! This has to be better than hat shopping, right?
I inhaled, giving up on trying to slow my racing heart as I opened the door.
