Chapter 11: Sensory Deprivation

The borrowed car arrived a little after five with Rico at the wheel. It was a real classic, a 1965 Mercedes 250SE Cabriolet, the ragtop version, with a cream color paint and red leather seats. Less than 1,000 of this model had ever been built and this one was even special. Rico had bought it at an estate sale from the heirs of the original owner, and his body shop had done its magic on the exterior. It was insured at $250,000, Joey had been told, and Rico would replace it with Joey's pedestrian BMW immediately after they had driven up in front of the Hilton where the prom was held.

In keeping with the car, Joey donned a classic tuxedo, complete with a black bow tie and his grandfather's gold cufflinks. A white carnation in the tux lapel perfected the period appearance. His wavy black hair had received a fresh cut, and he looked perfect as even Tess admitted. She and Rico followed Joey over to Deirdre's driving the BMW, and they gave two cameras a good workout while taking pictures and video clips of Joey driving up to the Darling residence.

He rang the bell and a smiling Maureen greeted him at the door accepting the bouquet with a small blush. Joey could imagine that Maureen had never been the target of Old World curtesy. Then, Deirdre walked down the stairs and that image would remain burned into his brain for the years to come. She looked stunning in her cream colored silk dress. It was cut low, with a pronounced waist, and a wide skirt with petticoat, ending just below her knees. Her shoulders were covered by a sheer silk scarf in baby blue that matched her eyes perfectly, and she wore cream-colored pumps with three inch heels.

Tess, Rico, and Maureen snapped pictures of Joey and Deirdre as he led her to the Mercedes and helped her inside. It was a sunny evening and Deirdre wore a pair of period sunshades. She tied the blue scarf over her head, to protect her hair against the wind and looked every bit as if she had stepped right out of a Sean Connery James Bond Movie. Joey walked around the car and sat in the driver's seat, but before he started the engine, he bent over to kiss his girl.

"God, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen," he whispered.

She kissed back and then she lowered her sunshades and peered over them. "I'm also the horniest girl you have ever met, so let's get this prom thing over with."

He started the engine and engaged the clutch shifting into first. Releasing the clutch he let the car leap forward. He briefly looked over at Deirdre who involuntarily used both hands to secure her head scarf.

"We must find more chances for you to dress like this," he said with admiration in his voice. "God, I thought you look fantastic when you're naked, but dressed like this you're a dream."

Deirdre blushed deeply. "Stop that, Joey!" she shouted over the engine and wind noises. "I'm not wearing much in the way of panties, and I'm leaking already."

"I can always lick you dry," Joey offered grinning outrageously, and Deirdre moaned clinching her legs involuntarily.

"I'll get you for this," she promised.

Joey and Deirdre had plenty of attention when they drove up to the entrance of the Hilton. Many of their class mates were outside, watching the parade of rented limos each spewing out between two and six students. Joey carefully placed the Mercedes in the line behind a white Volvo convertible which he knew to be Deborah's graduation gift from her father. Deborah alighted from the Volvo with her friend Chet, and a valet took care of the car. Then it was Joey's turn. He pressed the horn button, and a three-tone fanfare sounded, causing people to jump and stare. Tess and Rico were in place already, keeping the cameras running as Joey stepped out and walked around the vintage car to open Deirdre's door and help her step out. Laughter and whistles sounded from their fellow students when a blushing Deirdre emerged at Joey's arm.

Rico quickly swapped car keys with Joey, but he waited until they were surrounded by their friends before he and Tess drove off in the Mercedes.

"Wow, what an entrance!" Deborah laughed. "Somebody bring this man a Martini, shaken, not stirred!"

"Come on, Deb, when I heard you wanted to drive up in your brand new convertible, I tried to compete. Only, I couldn't afford a new car and had to take the old clunker from my uncle's scrap yard."

Joey's mock-modesty met with more laughter.

"So, where'd you find the Bond girl to match the car?" Carl Peters, one of the "jocks", asked leering at Deirdre.

Joey grinned back. "She was always there, but of course it took a man of the world to recognize her potential," he replied polishing his fingernails on the tux lapel and receiving an elbow for his trouble.

"Ass!" Deirdre hissed, but she remained welded to his left arm.

New arrivals took the attention from them and they joined in the chorus of taunts directed at each arriving couple. Soon most of the class had arrived and they all moved to the ballroom. Joey and Deirdre were sitting with their usual partners, the ones who had already celebrated Deirdre's birthday. Monica DeVeer and Lin Wu sat with them. Neither had come with a male companion, and the reason soon became clear when the young women left their closet announcing that they were lesbians. They had saved that announcement for the prom night to avoid taunts and possible recriminations. Now that they went off to college they saw no need for secrecy anymore.

A lightbulb went off in Deirdre's head. That was why they had refused to partner with her! They were lovers!

"You know, Monica, you could have told me," she said. "I thought you snubbed me because of my mom, because she's a lesbian."

Lin answered in stead of her friend. "We would have, but come on, we were both scared. And don't you complain about it either. After all, Paynter paired you up with Joey."

"There is that. Still, it's good to know why you didn't want to partner with me. I thought is was because I was a dork."

Monica grinned. "You were. And so intense!"

As the evening progressed, Joey and Deirdre danced a lot. As opposed to the party at Vincente Di Rosa's mansion, Deirdre did not dance with other men, except for their friends at the table. She did not like it at all that all the "popular" guys suddenly noticed her, only because she was wearing high heels and a dress. If they did not see her when she was wearing blue jeans they did not understand who she was anyway.

As expected, Deborah was the elected Prom Queen, and she had to stay away from their table for about an hour to hold court together with the Prom King, Jamal Wayne, who would attend college on a basketball scholarship. The funny part was that neither of them liked the other, but both kept their misgivings hidden for an hour, knowing they would never have to see each other again after the school closed.

By half past eleven, Joey prodded Deirdre to make the good-bye rounds, and at midnight, he led her out of the ballroom. Deborah and Liz with their boyfriends joined them. A valet brought the BMW and Deborah's Volvo, and they paired off in the two cars. The other two couples rode in the Volvo. Only the three men knew their destination, and they drove out of Philadelphia in a north-western direction for over half an hour until they arrived at a walled compound, called The Oasis. Here, they parked the cars.

Joey retrieved several gym bags from the trunk, each labelled with one of the girls' names and packed by their mothers. In spite of the late hour, the reception was manned by a good looking young woman dressed in an all white overall.

"Di Rosa, party of six," Joey announced, and the young receptionist smiled.

"Great, you're right on time. You're booked for the full program. If you go up to your rooms now to change, we can start at one o'clock."