what waited for me with the others.
As it got time for them to meet us at my place, Kelly started to get nervous – and promptly calmed down when Candice, then Susan showed up; and soon after, Sandra, then Robyn, and finally, Jan.
Candice was dressed in a raw silk sheath that I was sure the silkworms had spun directly on her. It almost made my guts ache to look at her, she was so delightful.
Sandra had opted for a strapless black evening number, snug on her torso, but loose and flowing below her hips. If it hadn't been for the texture of the material, I'd have though it was spray-painted on her.
Susan was in a black spaghetti-strap gown that molded to her curves, and made it amply clear that she was female – but doing it with style and class.
Robyn was in a pale, pale green outfit that covered her shoulders, but left her back exposed all the way down past her waist. Low-cut, it let her show off an interesting amount of cleavage.
Last, and certainly not least, was Jan, dressed in a sheer white number that nicely accented her complexion and shape. Sleeveless and strapless, I couldn't help but wonder at the design and attention that went into making sure it stayed in place.
They all smelled absolutely wonderful, too – soft, natural perfumes that only served to entrance and attract; none of that chemical nonsense that usually assaults the senses, rather than caress them.
I guided them into the den, where the nondescript briefcase Paul had given me to hold the jewelry was. Making each of them keep their eyes shut, I put the necklaces on them, to the 'oooh's and 'ahhh's of the others – and when they opened their eyes and saw what they had on, every last one of them got saucer-eyed and all but stopped breathing. They were able – just barely – to get the earrings and bracelets on themselves; and looked at me as though I'd just landed in a UFO.
Once all of them were fully decked out, Kelly went back to the bedroom to dress herself – and when she came out, every last one of them gasped as they got the full effect of what she was wearing. She'd let them all see all of it, but individually, not with the dress and jewelry together. I was already dressed in my tux, and was ready to leave at any time.
About that time, the florist showed up with the corsages – a couple minutes later than promised, but still in time. Again, they could only stare at the delicacy of the flowers, and savor their gentle fragrance.
A couple minutes later, we heard a discrete knock at the door, and I observed that it must be our ride. Candice looked at me, and asked 'What ride? Limos have been booked for months.' I smiled, and said that I'd chartered a bus – and every one of them – including Kelly – gave me the Goober look. I only smiled as I guided us to the front door, and opened it. When they saw the limo, and driver in full livery, they could only stare for several seconds before pulling themselves together. Taking Kelly and Jan on my arms, we headed out to the car – the driver beating us by only a couple of seconds, to open the door and help us all in, addressing each and every one of them as'Ma'am', and calling me 'sir' with a note of awe in his voice.
The ride to the prom was smooth as glass, giving the girls plenty of time to find the champagne the limo company had included – not the best available, but certainly respectable. We each had a glass before pulling up in front of the hall where the prom was being held. Again, the driver beat anyone else to the door, and helped the ladies out first, then me.
I paused a moment to tell him that we'd be inside for at least two hours, and probably more – and that he could take a break and make himself comfortable, if he wanted. He nodded his understanding and appreciation, and I headed to the open door, where they were waiting for me.
When we entered, one of the school staff politely asked for our prom receipts. I handed them over, and we started to go in – until another staff member objected, saying that she didn't know if it was okay for an older man to take six girls into the prom. At that, a couple of security guards came over, ready to block us, if necessary. I told her who I was, and suggested that she check with the administrator. She told one of the security people to find him; the fellow nodded and took off. I waited patiently, knowing that this idiot was about to find out what was what.
As we waited, the remaining guard kept looking at all the jewelry on display, and finally asked me 'Is that stuff all real?'
'Yup – about twenty thousand dollars worth of real, bub. Anybody makes a grab at it, you'd better stay the hell out of my way.'
His eyes got big, and he just looked at me for a bit before looking around for his partner – who chose that moment to make his reappearance, telling the woman who'd stopped us 'Mr. Jenkins says quote, 'quit screwing around, and let them in if you know what's good for you', unquote.', and then leaned over to whisper in her ear. When he stood up again, she was white as a ghost, and quickly said 'I'm sorry, Mr.
Marshall, my mistake, sir! Please, go on in!'
The girls all smiled at the reaction to my name, and we went on through the second door, then paused a moment behind a curtain they'd put up for privacy, to get used to the low lights. Behind me, I could hear the second guard tell the first 'You know, all that jewelry and shit on those girls is real – twenty grand worth, he said!'
The first answered by telling him 'Yeah, well, when I found Jenkins, one of the off-duty cops was nearby, and heard me talk about this guy. After Jenkins told me to tell her who this guy was, the cop pulled me over and told me what this guy did to three punks that showed up – put all three of 'em in the hospital, one of them stayed there a while.'
'He told me if anyone made a play for the gold, to stay the hell out of his way.'
'I would, if it was me – he impressed the hell out of that cop; he said the punks were dusted or some shit, and this guy took all three of 'em out in less than a minute; didn't even break a sweat!'
Our eyes adjusted, we moved on past the end of the curtain – and as we cleared it, we could hear all the conversations that had been going on simply fade out as everyone stopped talking, to look at us. Kelly leaned over to whisper in my ear 'I think this is what they call an entrance?'.
I smiled, and nodded, getting a wicked smile in return.
After several seconds, the noise level slowly increased as people started talking again – with the choice of subject fairly obvious. As we made our way toward the seating area, a couple of the waiters came alive, and pushed a couple of empty tables together for us. When we got there, I nodded to them in appreciation, and discretely slipped one of them a $50 bill and whispering 'For you and your buddy. Keep up the good work, okay?'. He gave the bill a quick double-take, and nodded his agreement – and as the two of them left us, I could see them both looking over their shoulders at me. The rest of the evening, we had no trouble getting their attention. Later, when we left, I slipped the other one another $50, and a whispered 'Thanks.'; he nodded enthusiastically, and smiled.
We'd been sitting there only a few minutes – Kelly on my right, Jan on my left, the others expanding out from there – when Kim showed up, standing on the other side of the tables from me. She looked first at Jan and Kelly, then me, before saying 'I owe you an apology. I made trouble for you, and my friends, when I shouldn't have. I did something dumb, and I'm sorry for it.'
Kelly and Jan shared a look, then looked at me, before Kelly spoke up, telling her 'Yes, you did make trouble for us – but in the end, it made me even happier than I was before. I don't think I could ever trust you again, or be your friend, but I can at least forgive you.'
Jan spoke up then, saying 'I wouldn't want you as a friend, any more, and I'll never trust you again; but I can forgive you, too.'
I could see that Kim was hurt by what they'd said, so when she looked at me, I simply told her 'I can forgive people for their mistakes. But that doesn't mean that I'll give them a chance to hurt me, or the ones I love, when I do. Your apology is accepted, and I forgive you for your mistake. But don't bother them, or me, again.'
Her eyes got big, and she quickly left us alone again.
Perhaps half an hour later, Mary Alice showed up with her boyfriend, along with Kathy and her boyfriend slightly behind them. She said 'Just*look* at all of you! So lovely tonight; but what are all of you doing here with just one guy?'
I think all of us were surprised when it was Susan that told her 'That's none of your business!', quite vehemently.
Mary Alice looked surprised, and said 'Well, I was just asking a simple question!'
Sandra looked at her, and said 'Nothing from you is simple – and nothing we do is any of your concern. Why don't you just leave us alone to enjoy the party?'
