Yes to Everything (52 page)

Her father, Archer, had been warned she’d essentially be on ‘radio silence’ until further notice. This fact had made him very unhappy. She was the only family he had with exception of Tawny and her mom and he was fiercely protective. That he hadn’t locked her away until he could ‘talk sense into her’ was both a surprise and a blessing.

She placed the hard copies she’d scanned into her file box and returned it to the spare room, taking a final look around to make sure she’d remembered everything. She’d lived here for two years. Riya owned half of a duplex right on the water in Deerfield Beach. If she stepped out her back door, she stepped onto sand. Archer often told her she was ‘slumming’ and offered to buy her a high-rise condo on the water. She always rolled her eyes and ignored him. He totally loved when she did that.

Turning off the lights, she left the envelope for Tawny on the kitchen counter. She’d also be keeping and storing Riya’s few valuables until she got back. She’d already called her dad again to say goodbye. Her regular cell phone was now in the envelope. Her few bills were paid.

Her trusty 1998 Toyota Corolla was at her dad’s place in the garage, the rental parked out front, gassed and ready to leave.

She had one credit card with no limit and access to cash if she needed it. But she wouldn’t, or rather, she shouldn’t need it. If she did, the entire project was pointless, after all.

She went into her small bathroom and took a long look at herself in the mirror above the sink. She was pretty, but didn’t consider herself beautiful. Long brown hair almost to her waist that tended to curl, greenish hazel eyes set in a heart-shaped face. Her body was well-proportioned, fit, and gold-toned from the sun and her mother’s Brazilian roots.

Her ex-boyfriend during her freshman year of college had described her as “just right”. Enough curves to please without becoming a caricature. Neither tall nor short, standing five-six in bare feet. She assumed she generically appealed across a broad range of men, symbolizing the ‘girl next door’ which would work to her advantage over the next couple of months.

Riya was confident about her ability to complete her research, but she wasn’t arrogant. There was a nervous knot in her stomach. Her dissertation and her fictional writing were the main things she’d been focused on for so long. She wasn’t a virgin but she wasn’t promiscuous either. In most things, she considered herself very average.

Years of work, months of planning, and it was time to get on with it. She brushed her teeth and ran her fingers through her hair before pulling it into a loose braid that fell down her back. She laid down on her bed and thought about tomorrow. Staring at the ceiling for a while before drifting off to sleep, the sound of the ocean behind the house singing a lullaby. Her sleep was dreamless, as if her subconscious knew a blank slate was necessary.

Dawn arrived warm and humid. She took her run like she did every morning, watching the sun rise over the ocean and people-watching. Five miles up the beach and back had her soaked with sweat as she stretched on the sand before heading inside to shower and dress. Today was the beginning of the last phase.

It was already ninety degrees as Riya loaded her duffle bag and backpack into the car her father had insisted she rent for the drive to Orlando. Tawny stood next to the driver’s side door, doing her best not to show the stress she was feeling.

“Is there anything I can say to convince you to call me every couple of days?” She asked. Her accent was a sing-song of her mother’s heavy Irish brogue and her late father’s Georgia drawl. “Just so I know you’re okay?” The pleading look in her bright green eyes almost convinced Riya to reconsider but she hugged her friend tightly instead.

“You know I can’t. No matter how much I’ll want to. It would influence my research results if I had an outside opinion…and you know you can’t keep from giving your opinion.” She squeezed her again before letting go. “I’ll miss you so much. We’ve never been apart this long. Remember our disastrous attempt at separate summer camps when we were thirteen?”

They both smiled as they remembered their pleading to be switched to the other’s camp. Eventually, their frustrated parents brought them home. They’d spent the rest of the summer swimming and laughing like idiots at the beach. “I thought our moms were going to flip out when you threatened to hitchhike from Georgia to North Carolina to be with me.”

Their moms had been best friends, raised together in New York City. Tawny’s father died of a heart attack when she was six, and Riya’s parents had helped Margaret raise her daughter.

When Riya’s mother died in a car accident her senior year of high school, it almost killed Tawny’s mother along with the rest of them. Now she loved and looked after Riya like she was her own, repaying a debt only she thought she owed for all their help with Tawny.

“Mom keeps questioning me about where you’re going. Will you have enough to eat, will you be around people you don’t know. That kind of thing. While you’re here, she isn’t being too persistent, but I shudder to think about how bad things will get before you resurface.” She paused, watching two elderly women power-walking down the beach. “What if she gets it out of me?”

“Simple, if you tell her what I’m really doing, I tell Aunt Maggie about those piercings to your kitty and your nipples that I held your hand through a few months ago.” Riya said mischievously. Tawny would be subjected to withering glares and ‘are you on drugs’ questions from her old-school mom if she ever knew. Her friend had to laugh despite herself.

“We’re all worried, of course. I’m going to ask once more and then I won’t be a mother hen anymore…much. Are you sure you’re going to be okay, Riya?”

Riya placed her hands on Tawny’s shoulders, slightly lower than her own. “I promise to be careful. The phones have a built-in GPS so if I go too long without uploading data, you’re allowed to check on me, but please don’t worry. I’ll see you in Boston for our celebratory ‘chick weekend’ around Halloween and we’ll road trip back together.”

She hugged her once more, took a final look at her little beach place, and got in the car. She’d rolled the windows down to remove some of the sweltering humidity and the AC was cooling things down a bit. When she turned on the stereo the CD player was blasting one of Tawny’s mixes.

Riya smiled and said, “You made me a compilation.”

All her friend did was nod and held back the tears shimmering in her eyes. She leaned out the window and said, “I’m a clever girl and I won’t let anything happen to my best friend’s best friend.” Putting the car in reverse, blew her a kiss and added, “See ya, Tee.”

Chapter Two – The Internet Entrepreneur

She pulled away and allowed herself one final glance in the rearview mirror, then wished she hadn’t. Tawny dropped her face in her hands and cried in the driveway. She was soon out of sight and Riya was relieved to be on her way. Much more ‘memory lane’ and she might have begun to question her motives.

She got on the interstate and headed north toward Orlando. Tawny’s mix was a selection of hits popular in Florida to remind her of home. Flo Rida, T-Pain, the Bad Boys soundtrack, and Will’s Smiths Miami thumped through the speakers and had her singing along.

The drive took three hours, counting the stop on the turnpike for gas, a shake, and a bathroom break. She’d purposely made the first leg of her journey close to home. This was her first face-to-face exposure to one of her subjects and she didn’t want to be too far away to turn back. She kicked herself for the self-doubt that had necessitated this safety net, but felt she’d made the right decision all the same.

When pooling her research, she’d automatically weeded out the web liars. Men who said they were a certain age, income level, etcetera but were something else altogether. She was admittedly discriminating about looks but not race, religion, status, or age.

If someone lied about the little things, they were more likely to lie about the big ones. She needed truth if the data was going to be accurate. All the rejected applications were numbered and comprised the first fifty pages of her research. Nothing would be wasted.

Each of the chosen eight had agreed to complete surveys for her research. All had signed releases to use their anonymous data for her dissertation. Of course, it wouldn’t be a one-way street. They would get what they wanted just like her. This was the first experiment of its’ kind to her knowledge.

Entering Orlando around noon, she took her time finding the house she was looking for. Traffic here was always congested because of the various theme parks, but most of the houses were lovely and the people generally friendly.

She found the street and kept going, stopping at a convenience store to freshen up. It wouldn’t do to arrive looking like a wayward traveler. She brushed her hair and teeth then added fresh deodorant. Once she was certain she was ready, she got back in the car.

She pulled out her file and read the correspondence between herself and her first subject. Her standard acceptance email had been sent to each subject, with approximate dates of her arrival.

Good afternoon, Sean:

I’m pleased to tell you that your application has been accepted. I’m due to arrive one week from tomorrow. I look forward to finally meeting you in person. Please remember the following terms, as outlined in our signed agreement:

1. I will arrive on a Friday morning and stay a minimum of one (1) week.

2. You are expected to cover all expenses during my time with you, up to and including non-typical clothing for occasions requiring more than casual attire.

3. You must have Internet access in your home throughout the duration of my stay.

4. You will provide safe transportation, of your choosing, to my next destination.

5. Sexual intercourse must include the use of condoms at all times. There are no exceptions.

6. A current physical and blood work, dated no more than three days prior to my arrival, showing a clean bill of health should be emailed to the above address.

7. Sexual preferences will be accommodated as long as my personal safety is not at risk at any time.

8. You agree to complete two surveys. The first is to be completed before my arrival. The second is to be completed at the halfway point of my time with you and will be audio recorded.

Let me know if you have any additional questions. I’m sure our time together will be mutually beneficial. I’ve attached the first of the surveys to this email. Please get it back to me before Thursday of next week.

Kind regards,

Riya

She read his response right behind it:

Hi, Riya:

I look forward to meeting you, too! I understand and accept the conditions in both the contract and your email. I’m very curious to meet you in person and think we’ll get along great.

I’ll take very good care of you while you’re here and can’t wait to see what your other survey includes. The first one is included in this email. Wondering how I did. I’ve always been rather good at tests.

See you next week!

Sean

SURVEY ONE

Subject Name: Sean

Subject Age: 37

Subject Career: Internet Entrepreneur

Marital Status: Divorced

Children (Y/N): N

Annual Income: $150K

Location: Orlando, FL

What was your primary motivation for applying to this study?

I was intrigued when I found your site and was convinced by an old Army buddy to apply.

What do you hope to gain by your participation?

More knowledge about the “investigator” (not just carnal) and maybe myself.

What is one thing you wish the investigator to know about you?

I don’t overcomplicate things but I take life seriously.

Do you have any negative assumptions regarding this study?

There being either NO emotional impact or TOO MUCH.

What is your most secret sexual fantasy?

Experiencing that “chemistry” I hear people talk about. Being on the water with a willing partner who isn’t looking over her shoulder or asking for constant reassurance about sharks.

Have you ever told anyone else about this fantasy?

Yes, but no one gets it.

Have you attempted to realize this fantasy in your daily life?

Not yet. I rarely take women out on my boat - never for sex.

How have you utilized the Internet in your sexual life?

Light porn. I tried online dating three times and regretted it almost immediately.

Looking once more at his online profile and the photo he’d mailed as part of their arrangement, she decided it was time to quit stalling. She returned to the bungalow style home on a quiet residential street a couple of miles from the gas station. The yard was well manicured and the house in good condition. There was a white Ford Explorer parked in the driveway and she pulled in behind it.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her door and made her way up the stone walkway to the front door. She lifted her hand to knock when the door was thrown open wide and she was embraced in a strong hug. Caught off guard, she inhaled sharply and evaluated the mixture of scents that assailed her.

Clean cotton, a hint of cologne, and a light aftershave. Nice.

She hugged him back and then leaned to the side for a good look at Sean. Late-thirties, strong build, about 6’, friendly gray eyes and a bright smile. Dark hair cut short in military style with a scattering of silver at the temples. Dressed in khaki cargo shorts to the knee and a clean white polo, ratty canvas sandals on tanned muscular feet.

Riya realized she wasn’t the only one looking, and felt a light blush creep up her neck and face. His eyes traveled from her shining hair, loose down her back, to the ultra-soft pale pink cotton shirt and linen mini skirt. Her leather sandals highlighted her coral polished toes. Her legs were tanned and smooth.

He nodded once in satisfaction and smiled again. “Even better than your photos, I have to admit. I’m impressed.” He cupped the back of her head with a large, strong hand and pulled her in for a kiss. It started light but his exploration of her lips and tongue soon took on an urgent quality.