contortionist positions. Just a man. Now, is this possible? Or am I wasting my time here?'
Miss Bright pursed her lips and gave a disdainful little sniff. 'Very well then. Far be it from me to encourage you to get the most from your fantasy.' She turned the page of the document in the green folder. 'Now, I understand that you are disease free and on the pill. And you are willing to refrain from any sexual activity until your scenario is complete. Is that correct?'
Holly nodded. Refraining from sex really wasn't a problem for her. She felt a little confused by Miss Bright's change in attitude though. One moment she seemed genuinely concerned for Holly's well-being and the next she was all business. It was almost impossible to keep up with this woman.
'And you'd like the entire scene to occur in the dark, so filming would not be required?'
'No filming!' Holly squeaked, imagining her mother's reaction if this ended up on the internet.
'That's probably wise. We do occasionally use infrared, but with mixed results. Everyone looks a bit like an alien, which gives the footage a cartoonish quality. Not exactly sexy.' Miss Bright said with a small smile.
Holly didn't return the smile. She was feeling too overwhelmed to respond. What kind of fantasy demanded infrared technology exactly? This was sounding more and more like a covert surveillance operation, rather than a harmless little therapeutic sex scene.
'Now, we have your check and the code for your security system. And you'll leave your spare set of apartment keys with the barista at the coffee shop off the lobby of your building, correct?'
Holly nodded. 'Yes. Her name is Emily. She's a friend and will be there until midnight. That's when her shift ends.'
Miss Bright made a notation on Holly's application. 'Are you sure you don't want him to come through the patio door as your original prowler did?'
Holly shook her head. 'I don't really think I could handle that. Besides my neighbors are still on alert. Most of them are seniors and if they saw a strange man sneaking in through the glass door again, they'd probably break the front door down with their walkers. And that could be embarrassing for everyone involved. I'd rather not explain to them that I hired some random stranger to re-enact my home invasion.'
Miss Bright gave her a sympathetic look. 'Sounds like you have some good friends in your building. You're lucky. This city can be very anonymous.'
'Yes. I'm very fortunate. Now, is there anything else you need? Are we good to go?'
Miss Bright looked doubtfully down at the mostly empty application form. 'I suppose. If you're sure you don't have any other requirements for your SF? Wardrobe or physical attributes?' She raised an eyebrow on the word 'attributes' as if challenging Holly to request a man with a micro-penis.
Holly really didn't give a damn about his attributes. She did, however, think about requesting the he refrain from wearing cologne. Most strong artificial or chemical smells caused her to have a very unattractive reaction. Sneezing and coughing throughout her home invasion fantasy probably wouldn't set the sexy mood. But since she was feeling self-conscious enough without bringing her freaky super-sniffer into this situation, she decided not to mention it.
'I do have one request. I know this is a little odd, but since I won't be seeing him and my hands will be tied at least through most of it, I'm wondering if maybe I could request that he have a deep voice?' Holly flushed and craned forward in her chair to get a better look at the document Miss Bright was making notes on. 'But it's not really a requirement. I mean, the man in the dream had a deep, raspy voice, but I know that must be difficult to come by. And I don't think it'll really matter.'
'Actually, we do have one SF who does a fairly accurate Batman impression. The Christian Bale version. Not the Adam West one.'
'That's a relief. Can't quite imagine Adam West talking dirty.' Holly gave a little shudder. 'That would be very disturbing. But I think I'll pass on the Christian Bale version too. He sounds a bit like he has a particularly phlegmy head cold in those movies. Just forget I mentioned it. If you have a guy with an authentic, non-crazy sounding, deep voice, then that would be my preference. But don't go to any trouble.'
Miss Bright set her silver fountain pen down and gave Holly a severe look. 'Miss Chambers, it's my job to go to any length of trouble to ensure your satisfaction, so please don't worry about inconveniencing me. I will find you an SF with the voice of a very butch angel if that's what you require.'
'I appreciate that, but as long as he doesn't sound like Pee Wee Herman, I'll be fine with it. Now, are we set for next Thursday night then?'
Miss Bright closed the green folder and stood up, walking around the desk until she was directly in front of Holly. 'Yes. I believe we are. Just give me a few days to sort out the details and I'll contact you via email.'
Holly started to stand, but found that she was a bit unsteady on her feet. She had forgotten to eat again. This light-headedness was becoming a common occurrence in her life. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't concentrate on even the most mundane tasks; even remembering to feed herself was becoming a challenge.
Before this had happened, she had been completely together. A successful freelance photographer, she'd ran her own business and managed a busy social life as well. Now, sleep deprivation was robbing her of everything. Her old life, where she went out, had fun, slept in late, dreamed of success and looked forward to the future seemed like an alternate reality to her now. All she thought about lately was getting some deep, dreamless sleep. Until she had that, nothing else mattered.
Hoping Miss Bright wouldn't notice that she'd nearly toppled over; she sat back down and pretended to rummage through her knapsack which was sitting on the cool marble floor next to her chair. As she waited for the dizziness to pass, she couldn't help but look directly down at the blonde's feet. Expecting the black power pumps worn by most downtown female executives Holly was quite surprised to find that Miss Bright was sporting unbelievably frivolous metallic strappy sandals with at least five inch heels. She also had a bright green leprechaun tattooed on one slim ankle. And each and every toenail had a bright yellow happy face painted on it.
Holly felt a little like Dorothy in the Land of Oz, getting a glimpse behind the curtain at the Great and Powerful Oz. Clearly, the ice queen persona was merely a facade. She grinned to herself, suddenly liking Miss Bright a great deal more than she had during her interview. Those whimsical adornments belonged on a real woman with a past and a sense of humor. Not the unfeeling cyborg she was emulating so convincingly. Holly didn't know the reason for the pretence, but she certainly felt better about putting her fantasy in Miss Bright's hands knowing that she was an actual human being.
Standing up, she allowed Miss Bright to escort her to the empty lobby. When they reached the elevator, Holly pushed the call button and then turned to face the other woman. 'I know this must seem ridiculous to you,' she said, nervously biting one seriously mangled thumbnail. 'Trust me. If someone had told me a few months ago that I'd be paying to have a sexual fantasy fulfilled as a means of banishing my horribly erotic dreams, I would have laughed my butt off too. But I really don't know what else to do.'
Miss Bright held Holly's gaze as the elevator door opened. Her expression was cool but not entirely unmoved by her client's desperation. 'Holly,' she said quietly. 'I don't know if this is going to help you out at all. There's obviously more going on here than just a woman getting over a near trauma. Whatever the real problem is, I think you need to give up your reservations and really commit to this experience. Pretend this isn't some kind of unorthodox therapy session and abandon yourself to your fantasy instead. Even if it doesn't banish the nightmares or cure your sleep-deprivation, you'll definitely get more out of this if you stop feeling like you shouldn't enjoy it.' She smiled and reached out to squeeze Holly's arm. 'Now, please go home and try to get some rest.'
Holly stepped into the elevator and gave Miss Bright a wry grin and a small wave. 'If I manage to do that, I won't need your service, now will I? And you'll be off the hook.'
As the doors slid closed between them, Miss Bright thought to herself, T hat is one refund I'd issue without a single reservation.
Turning on her heel, Elizabeth Bright walked back to her office. She wasn't thinking about Holly and her fantasy though. She was pondering the mystery of Holly's 'Your Fantasy' card. She suspected she knew its source and was not looking forward to confronting the rogue ex-Scene Facilitator who was most likely responsible for its circulation. As much as she'd prefer to forget about it she really couldn't have him representing Delta of Venus Inc. Not when he'd been fired long ago. By her.
No, this was going to be a difficult conversation. But a tiny, traitorous, horny part of her couldn't quite contain its excitement at the idea of talking to him again. She stubbornly ignored that part of her and grimly sat down at her desk, prepared to do battle.
