“Are you sure?”
“Oh, yes. It’s quite all right.”
“I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again.”
We’ll see about that.
“No problem, sweetie. See you next time.” With Amanda out of earshot, she introduced herself to Amanda’s friend. “Hi. I’m Perri.” She extended her hand.
“Hi, I’m Robin Perry. Good to meet you.”
“How long have you known Amanda?”
“About five years. I’ve never known her to be so clumsy before.”
“I don’t know, but it seems that lately, she bumps into me all the time.”
“I know. I don’t know what’s come over her.”
She moved in for the kill. “You know, I just talked to Kyle, and...” She whispered in her ear. “… He says he thinks he’s gay.”
Robin gasped. “No way! Really?”
Her head shook in agreement, appearing serious and sober as a judge. “Just don’t tell anyone -- especially Amanda—that I told you so.”
“I’ll remember that.” Robin blinked a couple of times and stood silently for a few moments before she spoke next. “Well, Perri. Good to meet you. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“A pleasure, Robin.” As Robin walked away, she turned to Roger, who maintained a very stoic face as he had eavesdropped on the entire conversation. “I’m going to meet Kyle on Monday for lunch. But I’d really like to meet with the girls I’ve met, so I can continue to slander Kyle and Amanda.” She pulled him up to her, and pressed herself against him. “I’d make it worth your while to arrange things for me.” A long, wet kiss sweetened the deal.
“Hm-m-m. Only because this whole sordid affair is so intriguing, I’ll help you out; kinda curious to see just how well you pull this off.”
Her lips pouted. “You doubt my abilities? I’m...” She paused for effect. “I’m hurt.”
“Yes. And I just heard that Hell has frozen over…”
She winced at the mention of Hell, but knowing that he was just being facetious, she steeled herself, and grinned. “Oh... you know me too well, you rascal, you.”
“Yes, but you’ve managed to get your way again. My, but you’re good.”
“Of course. Now why don’t you show me how good I am? Hmm…?” Getting her way always spiced up her sex with Roger. She basked in the afterglow long after she left.
* * *
Sunday, July 27th
They had arranged to meet in a boisterous family-style restaurant so they wouldn’t be noticed or heard above the pandemonium. The picked a burger joint in Georgetown with a retro Nineteen Fifties vibe. As she walked in, several college kids from Georgetown engaged in energetic conversation as they downed hamburgers, chicken tenders and French fries, all loaded with enough cholesterol to clog every artery in your heart. Poisonous saw Phoebe walk in and flagged her down.
“I’m glad to see you’ve decided to take me up on my offer.”
“Yeah,” Phoebe answered, “but I’ve got a couple of questions.’
“Shoot.”
“So, I get paid every time, even if I have only a conversation with a man?”
“Yes, but make sure he appeals to you. However, don’t let your heart become too involved. If you want to that, you’re in the wrong business.”
“Well,” said Phoebe, “I’m up to the challenge. When do I start?”
“Right away. Just keep track of names, places, conversations and times, and I’ll take care of the rest. I have had a special software app developed for me to keep track of your time. You start your time whenever you make contact with someone, even if it is only a phone call—which you would wisely use to set up a ‘date.’ Any other questions?”
“How do I use this software?”
“Very simple: once the app is started, you just press ‘Start’ on the app on your smart phone whenever you engage with someone, and ‘End’ whenever the engagement ends. I’ll show you how to download the app.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
Nine
Sunday, August 3rd
Perri lay on her bed, cell phone to her ear, mulling over her strategy. The idea percolated with such convincing force she thought her head would explode. The speed-dial button called up Roger, whose phone rang several times before he answered.
“Hello, Ms. Perri. How’s my favorite seductress?”
Playing with a player kept her adrenaline up. Her tone flat, she smirked and said, “Doing very well at it... certainly better than you.”
“I know better than to try to best you in that area: my hat’s off to you. So what’s on your mind?”
“I would ask you why you took so long to answer, but I’d wager that you’re perfecting your prowess.”
“A gentleman never admits to such things.”
She laughed. “You may be a gentleman, but your talents rival mine.”
“I do my best...”
“Now listen. My plan is working well thus far: Kyle is unhappy with Amanda; Amanda is beginning to feel like a klutz—thanks to me—and I need to have a get-together with the both of them.”
“You mean, you’re going to work on them both together? Isn’t that rather ambitious of you?”
“You’re going to help me. We’ll invite them over to your house, since Evie would give me no end of grief if I did such a thing here. I’ll work on seducing Kyle, and I need you to ‘perfect your prowess’ with Amanda. I think she’s ripe for being interested in someone else. And you, my darling, are just the man for the job.”
“I appreciate your high opinion of me, but I’m not as good as you at plotting evil. How are we going to seduce our respective marks without them being aware of the obvious?”
“You can leave most of that to me. I’ll make sure I can monopolize the conversation with Kyle, and you can keep Amanda spellbound by your charm and wit.”
“Okay. I can at
