Her phone buzzed just a second later.

“Veronica?!” Melissa said, picking up the phone.

“Melissa? What’s up?”

“Remember that thing we talked about…?

The thing about if and when I was ready for it?”

There was a brief pause as Veronica chewed on her lip from the other end of the line.

“You want to be one of my models?”

Even though her friend couldn’t see her face, Melissa was shaking her head.

“No, she said. Well…kinda. It’s complicated.”

“How complicated?”

“Let’s just say that I need your help, and I think I have an idea that might be beneficial to both of us.” Melissa gritted her teeth.

“But I’d definitely need your help at first, financially…”

She explained her plan…

By the time Melissa was explaining her idea, Veronica was laughing so hard.

“No no no, stop. Stop. I’m in! I’m in! Consider me an investor and supplier!”

Melissa said her goodbyes and had her tears replaced with a devious smirk.

“Everything okay ?” Douglas asked her when she came back in not quite ten minutes after she’d left.

“Yes.” Melissa said. “Just had some last-minute calls I had to make to the office.

Do you wanna do something tomorrow?

I’m starting to feel some cabin fever is all.

Been close to a month since I’ve been somewhere besides the office or home.”

Her boyfriend looked around at the pile of junk that he’d littered all around the apartment.

“I mean yeah. I just thought we’d spend part of tomorrow cleaning up.”

If not for her phone call, Melissa would be bristling right now.

“We’d” clean it up. Douglas had made ninety-nine percent of the mess.

He couldn’t be bothered to learn to cook, or bring garbage to the dumpster, but “we’d” clean it up.

If she was having second thoughts, she wasn’t anymore.

“It can wait. Let’s order pizza and just watch some T.V.!”

It was the best day that Douglas could remember in a long time.

It wasn’t a trip to Disney or nothin’, but it was still really good.

He was a little annoyed at first that Melissa woke him up early, but then she took him out.

They’d had a great breakfast: Bottomless pancakes and iced sugary coffee.

Then they’d gone to see an early matinee.

Lots of explosions and then stopped at a sushi place for lunch

Melissa had paid for it all.

She’d paid for it all normally, true, but she’d specifically asked for the check each time,

no more awkward stares from waitresses.

It was when they’d gotten home that things really kicked into high gear.

“Put this on.” Melissa dangled a frilly black blindfold in front of him on.

“I want to show you something.”

Douglas knew that tone.

“Where’d you get that?” Douglas asked.

“Just put it on, silly.”

“How are you gonna be able to show me something if my eyes are covered up,” he asked inquisitively.

That got him a light smack in the arm.

Douglas laid on the bed,  unable to contain the grin plastered all over his face.

He’d allowed himself to be guided, completely carried away by the sensory deprivation.

For some reason, the apartment smelled different, too.

Like fresh perfume; lavender.

“I got a cleaning crew to come help while we were out.”

They’d done a good job.

The place had never smelled this good before.

He’d tried to help Mellisa in her little conquest.

However, that had only earned him a slap on the wrist;

one that actually hurt a little bit.

“No, no, no. Let me do it for you, baby,”

she whispered. Oh! that certainly did something to awaken him.

“Patience, baby.”

Melissa said.

“All good things to those who wait. I want to get this just right.”

Doug squirmed on the bed.

His stomach gurgled, and he felt a not-so-little cramp.