Do you have time to get something new?

She sends one back right away.

Yes. Any color pref?

I tap my lip, pondering some more.

Purple dress. Lavender lingerie. Use the card I gave you.

The next message doesn’t come for several minutes. This time there are images accompanying the message with possible screenshot lingerie options.

I can’t wait 2cu.

I flip through the pictures she’s sent: the first is sweet, the second is sexy, the third is slutty. Charlene likes to keep things interesting in the bedroom. Frankly, so do I.

Option one. Looking forward to dinner.

There’s a tap on the trunk, and I look in the rearview mirror to find Alex waiting for me to pop it. When I do, he tosses his bag inside, closes the trunk, and comes around to the passenger side.

He drops into the seat, grinning. “Hey, man, sorry I’m late.”

“No you’re not.” I shift the car into gear and pull into traffic, heading for the gym.

“You’re right. I’m not.” He adjusts his seat—Charlene was the last one to sit there, so his knees are currently hitting the dash. “Why does Charlene sit so far forward?”

I shrug, because answering that will tell him far more than he needs to know about what happened the last time she and I went for a drive. “You have an actual excuse for being late, or you just couldn’t get your lazy ass out of bed?”

“I surprised Violet with a spa day.” That grin of his widens even more.

“What does that have to do with you being late?”

“She wanted to thank me in advance for being so thoughtful.”

“Over a spa day? Don’t the girls go all the time?” Charlene’s nails are always perfectly manicured, and I know she’s not doing them herself.

“Dude, do you have any idea how relaxed and happy Violet is after a day at the spa? And smooth. Every single inch of skin is like satin. And she smells fucking fantastic.” He shifts around in his seat, his knee bouncing with excitement.

“So you’re sending her for your own benefit?”

Alex gives me a look, like I’m dumb. “It’s mutually beneficial. She gets to relax for the day, and when she comes home, I get to enjoy the aftermath of her relaxation. Usually for several hours.”

I tap the steering wheel, considering this. “But can’t she set that up on her own?”

“Well, of course she can, but it makes me look good when I’m the one who does it for her. All I have to do is call and ask them for the deluxe spa day package, and they do the rest. Then I reap the benefits when she gets home. It’s win all around.”

“I wonder if Charlene would want to go with her.”

“Probably. I made the appointment early this week, but sometimes they have cancellations. You want me to call and find out if they have space?”

“Sure.”

Alex makes the call while I drive to the gym. He’s put on hold while they check for openings. A few seconds later, I learn it’s my lucky day because someone had to cancel on short notice. He’s still on the phone when I pull into the underground lot. I should probably check to make sure Charlene is available for whatever Alex is helping me set up.

I call instead of text, because it’s easier. She answers on the second ring, sounding out of breath.

“Hi, sexy. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No. Nope. Not at all. What’s up?”

“I’d like to make a change in your plans for today.” I glance at Alex who’s giving me a strange look.

“Oh? You don’t have to cancel, do you?”

I like how concerned she sounds about the prospect. “No. Nothing like that. Violet’s going to the spa today. Would you like to join her?”

“At the spa?”

“Yes. At the spa.”

“Umm…that sounds nice, but I don’t have an appointment, and the place she goes is usually booked up weeks out.”

“I’ve already taken care of that, but only if you’re interested. Otherwise I can cancel.”

“Wait. What?” She sounds confused.

“The appointment is already made if you’d like to go. I believe there are several services you can take advantage of.”

“Seriously?”

I’m not sure whether I should be entertained by her disbelief or not. “Yes. Seriously.”

“That would be amazing.”

Now it’s my turn to smile, although she can’t see it. I give Alex the thumbs-up, and he finalizes the appointments and writes the start and end times on a piece of paper so I can tell Charlene.

“Excellent,” I tell her. “I’ll take care of everything. All you have to do is show up. You can coordinate with Violet on getting there, and your first appointment is at ten thirty. Your final appointment will end at four. Of course, if there’s anything you want to do differently, feel free to make changes.”

“Okay. Um, Darren?”

“Yeah, sexy?”

“This sounds wonderful, but I might not have time to go dress and lingerie shopping.” Her voice is soft, nervous and excited.

“Hmm… You have a point. Would you still like to try to make time for that, or should I expect that you’ll be unable to fulfill that request?”

“Would you still like me to try to make time for that?”

I don’t answer right away. If Charlene is worried about dress shopping, she’s not going to be nearly as relaxed—in fact she’ll be on edge, which usually isn’t a bad thing. But I feel like it might defeat the purpose of what I’m trying to do here.

“I don’t think that’s necessary. Of course, if you have the time, please feel free to use it, but it would be perfectly acceptable for you to provide options for me to choose from when I pick you up. Does that seem like a reasonable compromise?”

“It sounds perfectly reasonable, Darren.”

“Fantastic. Enjoy your day, and I’ll see you tonight.” I hang up the phone feeling good about myself, at least until I get a load of the look on Alex’s face. “What?”

“What the shit was that about?”

“What was what about?”