Chapter 5

Ray was right in one respect and wrong in another. Scott was, indeed, very surprised as Ray had predicted he would be, but not within days, within hours of their telephone conversation. It was during lunch on the patio when Brooke asked. "Have you heard anything from that man you met in Seattle, what was his name, Oh yeah, Ray?"

Scott almost choked on a fork-full of salad. He had to take a sip of water before answering. "As a matter of fact, he e-mailed me this morning."

Brooke said, "what did he have to say?"

"Oh, he had gone ahead and made a lot of arrangements. Nevertheless, I e-mailed him back immediately, thanked him for his efforts and explained that we wouldn't be able to go foreword." He looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction but he couldn't. "I'll print them out and let you read them."

He left the table, went into the den and waited a few minutes before returning. "Here you are," he said as he handed the two pages to her with Ray's on top and his reply underneath.

Brooke starting reading, then she gasped, brought her hand to her mouth, her eyes widened and she blushed in obvious embarrassment. She glanced at her husband, then quickly looked down and continued reading. When she finished with Ray's e-mail, she read Scott's then handed both pages back to him without saying anything or looking at him.

Scott wasn't about to ask her what she thought and she didn't volunteer how she felt about what she had just read. After they finished lunch and put the dishes in the dishwasher, Scott said, "hey let's go to the mall. I need to take a break from the computer and searching for an elusive job that probably doesn't even exist." He didn't have to wonder if Brooke would be interested, she was always game for a shopping excursion. Neither of them bothered changing clothes. Brooke was wearing jeans and a big comfortable T-shirt over her sensible underwear and sneakers.

Because Ray had been right about Brooke's curiosity, Scott wondered if he might also be right about transforming her wardrobe. Scott made it a point to go only to women's stores, particularly those that catered to the younger, hipper crowd. The only clothes that he commented on were dresses, short dresses, sexy dresses, dresses that revealed the bare shoulders and backs of the mannequins. "That's a great dress," he said, pointing to one in the window. "That would look terrific on you."

"Think so?" Brooke asked. "Want me to try it on?"

When she came out of the dressing room, he chuckled when he saw her white bra straps and sneakers. "Honey. You can't wear a bra with that dress. Take off your bra and shoes and let's see what it looks like."

This time when she came out, there were no white bra straps showing and she was barefoot. Her perfect breasts, obviously, were unrestrained beneath the fabric of the dress. Her perky, pointy nipples poked at the bodice. Anyone who saw her in the dress would know instantly that she wasn't wearing a bra. She stood in front of the three mirrors, stuck several poses and said, "I don't think I'd feel comfortable wearing this."

"Brooke, you look absolutely fabulous," he said. "But, you can see your panty-line, that's sure a distraction."

"I know, but with pantihose it would smooth it out."

"I hate pantihose," Scott reminded her. "Go slip your panties off. Please, for me," he said.

When she came out of the dressing room, she looked beautiful as she walked toward him smiling. "How's this?" she asked as she twirled around, smiled, then posed in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"Perfect, let's get some shoes to match."

When they left the mall two hours later, they were carrying four bags containing two dresses and two pairs of high heels. Without question, Brooke would never have chosen them before. Now this is getting interesting, thought Scott.

That night, it was Brooke who broached the subject of the e-mail from Ray. "Ray said that he would be posting a video and some stills of Anne from the last shoot in Seattle. Do you think he has yet?" She asked.

"Only one way to find out," said Scott.

Ray hadn't posted anything from the last shoot but that didn't stop Brooke and Scott from spending an hour in the den at Anne's site. Scott downloaded another video and then several of the photo sets that they hadn't viewed before. Even though the sun hadn't set yet, it was Brooke who stood up and said, "let's go to bed, honey."

Scott remembered another assignment Ray had given him and said, "before we go to bed, can I take some photos of you in one of your new dresses and shoes?"

Brooke loved having her picture taken. She brushed her hair, put on lipstick, dressed in her new beige dress and shoes then walked into their bedroom. He snapped a couple of her in her dress, then asked. "How about a couple without the dress, sexy?"