Dressed For Her - Chapter 1 (Patreon)

ALL STORY LIST | CHAPTER - CH 2 

Author - Jennifer White

This is a lovely story from Jennifer White. It is a love story about two people who meet again after a long separation. It is about one person's quest for their true self.

Sean leaned back against the firm, wood-framed wicker back of the chair. Closing his eyes, he took in the soft sounds of jazz and the smell of fresh coffee that wrapped around him in a warm and comfortable hug. Saturday mornings were his favorite.

"Would they still be this special after next week?" he thought to himself. Hearing the sound of someone approaching, he opened his eyes to see a beautiful woman with medium-length dark hair. She wore it with bangs and had one side pulled gracefully behind her ear. Standing, his face beaming in a wide smile, Sean stepped forward, his arms open wide.

"Rachel, good morning, sweetie," he told her while squeezing her tightly.

"Daddy, it's so good to see you. I'm sorry it's been so long," the young woman replied, diligently turning her face a bit so he couldn't see the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry that I have been so, well, all over the place. Work is exciting; it's easy to get carried away."

Giving her one last squeeze, he pulled his arms away, and they both sat at the small table. Raising his hand to signal for the waiter, they both ordered coffee and beignets. "It's okay, Rachel; I understand, and I am so proud of you too. Besides, I know that your career and friends are a lot more fun than hanging around with some old guy," he said the last part with a chuckle.

"You're not old!" she retorted. "I know this because I have never forgotten a birthday; you are forty-nine years old, and look at you," she told him, almost in a scolding tone.

"You are fit, handsome, and about to retire, all before you turn fifty. You are always going to be my hero, daddy," she added. As she watched her father, Rachel studied him for a bit. He was not a big man, but he had always kept himself in great shape. When he was younger, he could have gone on the professional tennis circuit, but he chose a more dependable career as a software engineer.

His face was soft and kind—almost pretty.

His hair was cut close, and his once jet-black mane was now peppered with gray.  His expressive, ice-blue eyes shone with bright kindness. It was easy for her to understand why her mother fell in love with him. They paused their conversation as the waiter approached, setting down the small pitcher of chicory coffee and two plates of lightly fried pastries heavily coated in powdered sugar. Laughing a little, Sean nodded his head towards the plate. "You wore black; this is going to be interesting."

"I could give a tinker's damn about getting my shirt dirty when it comes to fresh beignets," she retorted, lifting one off her plate in defiance.

Taking a small bite, they both giggled as the sugar fell on her black blouse like snow on a slate roof. His face took on a bit of a serious appearance. "I'm more than a little nervous about this whole retirement thing.

I mean, on the one hand, I know it is the right thing to do. My partner, Lewis, is younger and has a vision for the company that is more aggressive than I'm comfortable with. Selling him my share was for the best. I've always wanted to travel, but, well, I guess that doesn't hold the same allure now that I'm."

He had almost said the word "alone," but he stopped himself just in time. That was the last thing that he wanted to talk about, and he didn't want to bring down the mood of the morning. "Well, to be honest, I don't know what I want to do now," he finished, hoping to cover for his previous comment. Her eyes flashed upward quickly. "Have you thought of starting a new career, something fun?

You wouldn't even need to make money," she asked, but the whole time she was thinking to herself, "He is still hurting. He's never going to get over Mom leaving him."

The thought made her sad. She understood that her mom wanted someone more decisive; she wanted a "man's man,"  whatever the hell that was. Rachel would never understand her mother's reasoning, but she couldn't hate her for it. Shrugging off the dampening of the mood, Sean took a sip of coffee. "Where to next for you?"

"London for two months and then Lyon for three. I'll end up spending the holidays in Italy, near Bologna. It's going to be crazy until then. I'm going to slow down and take some vacation while I'm there.

I might spend a few extra weeks and see some of northern Italy," she told him while lifting a pastry, holding a napkin under it in a vain attempt to shield herself from the rain of powdered sugar. Her face brightened suddenly.

"Daddy, would you meet up with me there? We could have a real father-daughter vacation!"

She exclaimed. Nodding his head, Sean replied, "It's a date!"

Their conversation drifted around the exciting things happening in his daughter's life, and for the next hour, they laughed and talked until their conversation was interrupted by the sound of ringing coming from the small grey leather clutch that lay next to her on the table. While she was on her phone, Sean waved down their waiter once again, requesting their check.

Reaching into the inside pocket of his sports coat, he pulled out his wallet, but as he did, a folded piece of paper fell out onto the table. Sean reached out to retrieve it, but his daughter beat him to the draw. "What's this?" she asked while quickly scanning the print.

"Ohhh, this is your thirtieth high school reunion! Are you going?" she asked while continuing to read. Glancing up with a hint of mischief in her eyes, Rachel lifted the paper so she could read all of it.

"Who is Addison?" she asked with a huge grin. Blushing, Sean reached for the paper halfheartedly. "We were friends in high school," he replied, unable to meet his daughter's eyes directly. "You're going, aren't you?" she asked, then leaned in closer. "So, were you and...Addison...good friends? Come on, you know you can tell me."

Sean felt his face grow redder, but he could never lie to his daughter. With a sigh, he leaned back, wishing that there was scotch in the cup instead of coffee. "We never really dated. She, well, I don't exactly know how to say this, but she wasn't into guys during high school. We did hang out a bunch and were close friends. We were in the theater club together, and we did a ton of stuff, but nothing like dating."

Sean felt like a teenager getting questioned by his mom for staying out past curfew. Without prompting, he began to explain himself more. "So, about a week after the reunion invitation came, I got a message from her asking if I was going. She said that if I would, then she would."

There was a long pause until Rachel broke the silence.

"Well? You are going right?" she asked as she intercepted the bill from the waiter and handed him her card. As Sean began to protest, she shook her head. "Ssshh Daddy, this is my treat.

Congratulations on your retirement. Now as your favorite daughter, I am commanding you to go out and have a good time!"

She told him, "I'm not kidding. I will not tolerate you just crawling into a hole; it's not you. I expect frequent updates on all the fun stuff that you are doing."

Pausing for a second, she added, "And I'd like to see a picture of this 'Addison' chick. I need to see if she meets my standards for hanging out with my daddy."

Chuckling hard enough to make his shoulders shake, Sean opened his phone and scrolled through some social media photos, stopping on one and rotating the phone so his daughter could see. The woman in the picture was slightly taller than he was, with long auburn hair styled in soft waves. She was pretty in a very feminine way; her makeup was well done but not heavy, and her eyes were an alluring green color."

"She's a hottie! "Rachael teased. "You think that she has added guys to her menu? Humpf," she asked with a giggle. "Humpf," Sean grunted as he stood up, handed his daughter her clutch purse, and walked with her to her car. With another hug and a kiss on the cheek, he held her at arm's length.

"You better email and send pictures and I'll be waiting on the dates you want me to meet you in Italy," he told her.

"Will do, but I expect the same from you. An email every week telling me what a wonderful time you are having now that you finally have the time to enjoy yourself," she replied as he opened the door to her car for her. "Deal! " he said, then closed the door and walked away, turning to wave one last time as she pulled out of the parking lot.

Later that evening, Sean was thumbing through his phone.

Reflecting on his promise to Rachael he opened the invite page for his class reunion.  Feeling a sense of courage from their discussion that morning, he swiped his finger across the screen, indicating that "yes"  he was attending.

Placing his phone on the charger, he busied himself with getting ready for his last week of work.  Most of the contract work had been done, for the most part, he would be visiting customers and saying goodbye to work friends.

The next few days drifted by pleasantly for Sean.

It had been easier than he had expected, and everyone was excited for the next chapter in his life.  He had been out with some friends and the cab had just dropped him off in front of his townhouse.

He was not really in the mood for staying out late and drinking so he only had a couple of glasses of wine and then called it an early evening.  Leaving the trio of men at the bar he told them that he had to get up early in the morning.  It was a lie, but it was also convenient.

"Bing" His phone dinged with an incoming message.

Flopping down on the couch he fished it out of his front pocket and pulled his thumb across the screen.  There was an asterisk next to the social media app icon,  Sean opened it, expecting a silly meme from a coworker about old people or retirement.

"Sean, I'm so glad you are going to the reunion.  I have had you on my mind for the past couple of years.

Do you remember how you signed my senior yearbook? "Addison"   Rereading the message, Sean smiled as he remembered his daughter's question, "You think that she has added guys to her menu? "  

It had been almost six years since his wife had left him.

He remembered the evening that he got home from work, a courier arrived with a letter requiring a signature.

When he opened it, he got the surprise of his life.  It was from her lawyer; she was filing for divorce.  Even though it wasn't even from her, Sean always thought of that as the last word that she ever said to him.

He hadn't been with a woman since his ex-wife.  It wasn't that he felt he owed her his fidelity, or that he hadn't had an opportunity or two.

The root of the problem was trust and the fear of falling in love again to only be destroyed by it later.

His curiosity engaged, Sean got up and went to his study.  Digging through the bottom shelf of the east wall bookcase until he found what he was looking for, the senior year copy of "The Sentinel".  Holding the book, Sean ran his hand across the cover and stared at the silver writing on the spine that shone against the deep purple of the leather cover, "Class of 1992".

Wondering where all the years had gone, he opened the book and began thumbing through the pages.    After a few minutes he turned to the theater club page, drawing a sharp breath as memories began to flood back, he stared at the glossy black and white photo.

It was their school's production cast for  Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night".

Oh god, he had forgotten about that.    With a chuckle, he remembered all the friends he had and how crazy that particular production was.  Somehow, he had gotten cast as Maria and  Addison had been chosen to play Olivia.  It was the only time that he had played a female role.

They were short on people to play parts and the theater teacher said that none of the other guys could even come close to pulling it off.  Smiling Sean remembered how much fun Addison had had reminding him that Maria was Olivia's servant.

At the bottom of the photograph, intermixed with the signatures and well-wishes from everyone else in the cast, was Addison's flowing script.

"To my favorite handmaid, best wishes and stay in touch.  Addie".

Closing his eyes, Sean struggled to remember what he had written in her book, and then it struck him.

"Your loyal servant and friend for life," Sean whispered to himself, smiling at his keen memory. Maybe it was the wine, but he was feeling both brave and a little giddy after going through the yearbook and remembering all of the wonderful friends and fun he had before real life had gotten so complicated. Pulling his phone out and opening her message, he typed his reply: "Your loyal servant and friend for life. Sean."

Setting his phone down on the floor next to where he was sitting, he was surprised when it dinged almost immediately. "My handmaid remembers her promise. I am truly impressed," Sean read the return message from her.

A tingle ran down his back, making him shake a bit. Smiling, he stood up and poured a small measure of tawny port into one of the crystal glasses that sat on the small table next to the bookcase. "That quaffing and drinking will undo you; I heard my lady talk of it yesterday," Sean typed into his phone, only slightly amazed that he could still remember some of Maria's lines after all these years. "Ding," his phone chirped. "Can I call? Would you send me your number? Texting is difficult in the bath."

Taking a sip of the sweet, full-bodied port, Sean shrugged to himself. "What the heck," he said while typing in his phone number. As his thumb wavered over the send icon, he took a moment to pause. It had been so long since he had spoken with a female, a woman, outside of a workplace conversation. Truthfully, he had spent the last six years avoiding that. Was he ready? He was about to delete the text, but the thought occurred to him. "What will she think if I don't send my number? What am I so afraid of? "With shaking hands, he hit send. As the information flew digitally across the network, he had one thought: "There's no turning back now."

For the next five minutes, Sean stared anxiously at his phone. Why was it taking her so long? Maybe she decided not to call after all.

"Bzz, bz, bz."

It was a silly thought, but he resisted answering immediately, which would make him seem desperate. Then the thought struck him: "What do I say? "

"Hello, this is Sean," he squeaked into the phone, the words getting stuck in his throat. "Oh my god! It is you! " answered an excited female voice. In the background, Sean thought that he could hear the soft sound of water splashing. "Shit! ""She said she was taking a bath.

"His m mind shot to an imagined image of her lying in a claw foot tub, her beautiful hair in a bun, a few strands falling errantly, framing her pretty face, only her head and shoulders above a sea of pure white suds. He pictured her face slightly flushed from the heat of the water, or maybe something else. "Sean, you sound wonderful. I mean, it is so good to hear your voice. How are you doing? ""I knew that you would remember, but I never dreamed you could still recall your lines. You were the cutest Maria ever."

He felt himself blush as he remembered the trauma of playing the female role.  His instructor told him, "Acting is acting, you should be willing  to try anything."

He couldn't have gone through with it if not for Addison's support.

He remembered how she would fawn over him while doing his makeup, telling him how pretty he was.

Sean realized that he had been lying to himself for the past thirty-  three years.

On day one of his sophomore year, when he met Addison for the first time, he fell in love with her.  Telling himself that he was just her friend was how he had coped with her lack of wanting anything more than a plutonic relationship.    The only time she had ever shown interest in him beyond that of a good friend was the last night of the performance of "Twelfth Night".

She had coerced him, well everyone, to stay in costume for the after-party.  It had been a great show, and everyone was in high spirits but exhausted.  By midnight the only two left awake were he and Addison.  They were sitting cross-legged on the floor drinking cheap white wine that an older brother of one of the cast had bought for the group.

He caught her staring at his wine glass and asked, "You okay Addie? "Looking up at him with a smile, her eyes a little hazy from drinking, she nodded her head toward the glass. "Your lipstick, on the glass."

Lifting her face and looking directly into his eyes, she whispered, "You need to touch up your lipstick."

Her voice was dreamy, and her eyes looked almost glazed over with lust. Opening her purse and pulling something out, she leaned over and began to retouch his lips. Closing the tube, she didn't pull away; instead, she leaned in closer. Bringing her lips to his, they met in a soft kiss. Sean could still remember the sensation, their lips touching, the tenderness of the moment, her hand warm on the side of his face.

"Hello? Are you still there?

"The sound of her voice pulled him away from the memory. "Yes, sorry. I was just thinking about how much fun we had and how bad a person I am for not keeping in touch better," he stammered. "It's okay, I understand. I doubt that your wife would have approved of you keeping up with too many female friends," he thought, thinking that he heard a little catch in her voice. "I...I heard what happened. I'm sorry, I meant to reach out, but..."

Sean gave a little chuckle, not because anything was funny, but because he sensed her discomfort and wanted to add a bit of levity to the moment. "Don't worry, I guess it was for the best. Hey, look at the bright side; no one can tell me not to keep in touch with my friends now, right?

"There was a moment of silence, and then she spoke; her voice seemed a bit deeper, and her words came slower. "I saw the recent photos you posted on your page; you still look incredible in tennis shorts. All these years, your stomach is flat as a washboard, and your tush is amazing."

Sean was speechless, then he heard a soft giggle on the other side of the line. "Did I go too far? "Addison asked, her voice coy and demure. "No, I mean, yes, well. I never totally quit playing. I joined a rec league a year ago. I won my division, but I'm not the player I used to be."

"So...the reunion is in two weeks. Are you coming early or just for the weekend? ""If you have some time, you could take off from work, and I could come early too. We could go to a show or two and catch up a little," she asked. "Work is not an issue; as of Friday, I am officially retired, a man with no master," Sean told her.

"Congratulations! That is wonderful. What do you say about coming in on Thursday morning? I'll book a couple of rooms at the Four Seasons and see what bands are playing in Austin that weekend. ," she rattled off in an excited voice. "Whoa, I don't think it's fair for you to pick up my hotel room."

"Oh, should I just get one room then? "She asked quietly. Speechless, Sean made a soft noise as he drew in a quick breath. She followed up without giving him a chance to mentally recover," want my sweet Maria, my handmaid for life," he heard her voice as she whispered into the phone. "You remember, don't you, Sean?

Do you remember that night? It could have been so much more. You're the only guy that I've ever kissed, much less thought about going further with."

There was a moment of silence on the phone as she gave him time to let her words settle in before continuing.

"Sean, don't you remember? You used to get so excited when you put on Maria's pretty clothes. I know you tried to keep it a secret from me, but I saw. I watched you look at yourself in the dressing mirror while you were wearing your fancy knickers and whalebone corset."

After a bit more silence, she drew in a deep breath and whispered into the phone's speaker, "I saw you doing something else too, Sean. Something naughty, something a bit similar to what I'm doing right now."

Sean's mind was screaming at him to end the call, to hang up and forget the conversation. He could cancel his plans to go to the reunion. Instead, he sat quietly, looking at the black screen of his phone.

"I want you to do something for me when you come to Austin."

There was a short pause before she continued.

"I'm going to send you something, something pretty.  I want you to wear it for me. No one else will know; it's just for me. It will be our secret, our exciting, dangerous little secret."

Addison listened to the sound of rapid breathing on the other end of the call. She could almost picture his pretty blue eyes, wide with fear, his cheeks blushing with color.

"And when we get back to my room that night, we will see if Sean still gets excited when she's wearing pretty things.

I'll put the package in the mail in the morning.

I want you to call me when it is delivered. I want us to open it together. I want to be on the phone with you when you see it for the first time," she told him, her voice feminine and commanding. Without waiting for his reply, she ended the call. Tilting her head back in the tub, Addison let her fingers finish what they had started.

Her legs began to shake. Closing her eyes tightly, she whimpered one last time and then relaxed in the warm water.