Chapter 2: Baiting the hook

Janice Monroe was a mess. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her work all day. She felt guilt and embarrassment over the photo she'd sent, to a virtual stranger no less. Yet her mystery man seemed to know so much about her already. He knew how to push her buttons, to convince her of almost anything. This is foolish, she thought, a woman my age acting like a love sick schoolgirl. My God what was I thinking sending him a photo like that. He probably thinks I' m cheap now.

Janice shook her head trying to clear away the jumble of questions. She new she was throwing her self at a man she never even meet face to face, but it had been so long since she was able to "connect" which anyone the way she did with her mystery man. What if he rejects me, she thought in horror. What if he looks at my picture and laughs. Oh God I hope he writes back. I lost Frank because I wasn't willing to be the woman he wanted, I'm not about to loose another man.

Thinking of her ex-husband Frank brought back a twinge of pain. She'd always felt like something of a failure as a woman since he'd left. She vowed not to make the same mistake again. This time she would please her man. No matter what... No matter what! she told herself.

John watched his mother pull into the driveway. He smiled knowingly to himself as he sees her hurriedly grabbing her papers and briefcase, then practically run to the front door. He crept over to the top of the stairs and peered down to see her standing above a jumble of paperwork scattered in the doorway. In her rush to check her messages, she'd dropped her papers. John laughs to himself as he sees her just leave the scattered mess.

Taking the time to pick them up now would only delay her finding out if HE had written her. She disappeared into the den, and a moment later John could hear the familiar beep of a computer booting up.

"Dam, she's got it bad all right," he muttered. "Guess mom's more desperate than I thought. hehehe"

Below, Janice waited as the computer ran through it's set up routine and began to search for any new messages. It seemed to take an eternity. She pranced about nervously and nearly jumped out of her skin when the computer dinged the familiar sound of "New Mail"

"It's him", she mewed. It's got to be him... Oh please God let it be HIM!"

Fingers shaking she keyed the open command and felt a tingle rush through her body as she saw that it was from her mystery man after all. She read:

That's very cute Janice. The photo you sent just goes to prove that
you're all wrong for me. If you were any kind of REAL woman you'd
have tried harder than that.

You think undoing a few buttons on your blouse will bring me back?
If you want this to go any farther you'll have to do much better
than that. How am I suppose to know you really WANT me to keep
mailing you?!?

A flood of emotions washed over her as she read. He had mailed her back all right, but only to express his disappointment in her. She didn't measure up as a real woman in his eyes. Feelings of failure washed over her. She felt small and vulnerable reading his word, but then she began to brighten as she realized she still had a chance. He had said she needed to do better. She could! She knew she could. She would prove she was worthy of her mystery man, anyway she had to. Making a quick mental list in her mind of the things she would need she called up to her son.

"John... John are you up there?"