Chapter Nineteen

“Flo, hi. It’s Pia.”

“Mornin’, darlin’. What a great surprise.”

“I wanted to call and say thanks for the pictures and see how you were doing.”

“I’m fine, though goin’ crazy right now. It’s Dan’s birthday and I’m doin’ my red hot number tonight.”

“Really?” Pia replied, her surprise evident. “I thought Dan wouldn’t go for such a thing. What did you call him? A romantic Neanderthal?”

“I’m takin’ a chance for sure, but I took Joey’s advice and planned things more to his tastes, and there is nothing he finds more tasty than the Dallas Stars.”

“Are they like the Cowboy cheerleaders?”

“No, darlin’, the Stars is our pro hockey team.”

“Red hot seduction and ice cold hockey. This just gets more interesting by the minute! All right, girl, let’s break it down.”

“Like I said, Dan loves the Stars. So for his birthday I rented out an entire suite at the American Airlines Center. It’ll be just me and him and his favorite eats—or should I say, a more upscale version of them.”

“Sounds like a perfect setup for a little one-on-one pucking—pun absolutely intended.”

“Sugar, let’s hope so.”

“My, my, Ms. Flo. I thought Becca was the monster Joey created.”

“It’s like I told you in my letter: I’m gettin’ a kick out of all this sensuality stuff. Joey was right, it’s fun. It’s like every day you wake up to a scavenger hunt, just lookin’ for all the goodies the Lord and Mother Nature left for you to find. And what about you? You been spreadin’ some of that cool charisma around the Big Apple?”

“In a manner of speaking. I did meet one interesting guy—a politician, but, well, nothing there. He’s a bit of an asshole.”

“Darlin’, I thought you’d go back home hotter than a honeymoon hotel.”

“Funny you should mention ‘hot’ and ‘hotel,’” Pia hinted.

“Uh-oh.”

“I wanted to wait until I was sure, but, well, I’m almost three months pregnant.” Pia went on to tell Flo about Grand and their evening together and agreement to become parents. “At first I was a little freaked when I found out, but now I’m really happy.”

“Well, pregnancy will do that. So what does this Grand fella think?”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone while Pia played with her necklace and tried to figure out how to break the news to Florence.

“He doesn’t know. And you don’t plan to tell him,” Flo answered for her.

“Correct. But it’s not like I tricked him or anything. We made an agreement that includes no contact until the first birthday, and then every birthday after, I’ll send him an update. He can opt in at any time, but right now he’s opting out, which is fine by me.”

“This newfangled kinda parenthood takes some gettin’ used to.”

“I think it worked out in the best possible way.”

“Darlin’, this is a lot to digest in one day—particularly when I’m supposed to be fillin’ my head and belly up with sensual and seductive things. How about I call you tomorrow and we’ll discuss all angles of this then. But right now, I got a load of work to do to get ready for tonight.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. But Flo, I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I?” Pia asked, anxious for some positive maternal feedback, even if it was from a friend.

“Sugar, only you can decide that. But if this is what you want, I’ll back you a hundred and fifty percent.”

“Thanks, Flo. That’s all I needed to hear. We’ll talk soon. Enjoy tonight. Don’t hurt Dan too bad.”

Flo hung up the phone feeling as through Pia had gotten herself in one big mess. But there was no time to dwell on that now. She had to focus on herself and Dan and cleaning up her own muddle of a marriage.

 

Happy Birthday, Sugar!

Please Join Me For a Starry Evening of

Sweets on Ice

To Celebrate 56 Years of Living, Laughing, and Loving

Friday, May 19 Location to Be Announced

 

“Is the blindfold really necessary, Florence?” Dan asked for the umpteenth time.

“It’s a surprise. Just go with the flow, man.”

“I look like a jackass walking around the streets wearin’ this thing.”

“Darlin’, you can’t see how you look, so how would you know? Now, I can gag you too if you’d prefer,” Flo suggested with a laugh. Even though her husband had complained since leaving the house, they were both enjoying her mysterious behavior.

“So I’m bein’ kidnapped on my birthday?” Dan asked as he unknowingly walked through the private concourse of the American Airlines Center toward their suite.

“Yep.”

“Can you at least give me a hint where you’re takin’ me?”

“Oh, absolutely I can, but I won’t,” Flo replied, continuing her playful torment. “I would suggest that if you stop complainin’ and live in the moment, you might be able to deduce a few things for yourself.”

Florence made the statement knowing it would be nearly impossible for Dan to figure things out. She’d arranged to have dinner served ninety minutes before the start of the hockey game so there would be few noises, smells, and other obvious signs pinpointing their location.

“Oh, there you go with that flower power talk again. I still don’t get who’s puttin’ all that new age stuff in your head. Always talkin’ about enjoyin’ the world through your eyes and nose.”

Flo brushed off his comments, not sure if they had crossed the line between teasing and complaining and not wanting to risk ruining her red hot surprise by guessing wrong. She knew that surprises were as popular with Dan as liver popsicles, but this was a special occasion and hopefully the start of a lot of new things.

“All right, I guess we can remove the blindfold and let you see where you are,” she said as she led him across the threshold into the luxury box. Before Florence could react, Dan whipped off the black satin sleep mask she had purchased as part of their red hot night.

“What is all this?” Dan asked. A wide smile broke out on his face as he surveyed the party decorations and a small table set for a romantic dinner for two. Flo had supplemented the green, gold, and black balloons—the official Dallas Stars colors—with tea lights and yellow rose petals scattered around the suite. Each of the monitors in the sky box also had the animated words “Happy Birthday, Dan!” exploding across their screens. It was a mix of seduction and sports that managed to have mutually satisfying appeal to both husband and wife.

“Happy birthday, sugar,” Florence shouted as she delivered a warm hug. Dan was not a man prone to expressing his emotions, but she could see that he was not only surprised but touched.

“Woman, what have you done?” he asked, smiling broadly as he continued to look around.

“It was all spelled out in the invite. Sweets on ice…starry evening…You’re here in this lovely, very private luxury box to watch the Stars in their first playoff game and celebrate any way you see fit, darlin’. The night belongs to you.”

“This is amazin’,” Dan said as he gazed down at the now empty arena and ice rink. “You can’t miss a thing from up here.”

“Here you go,” Flo said, joining him with two pilsner glasses, each filled with a shandy cocktail. She looked Dan straight in the eye and tried to hold his gaze as she’d learned. Dan smiled and quickly looked away, finding it more comfortable to put his attention toward the smoked oyster roll appetizer.

“A toast: Dan, may tonight be not only a celebration of your birth, but the birth of a new beginnin’ for us as well. I love you, darlin’. Happy birthday.” The two touched glasses before drinking.

“Whoo-wee. What is this?”

“Lemonade and lager beer. It’s called a shandy. What do you think?”

“Interestin’, but if you don’t mind, I think I’ll stick to straight beer.”

“It’s your night—you can have any darn thing you desire,” Flo said, hiding her disappointment and anxiety behind a smile.

Well, that went over like a skunk at a picnic, Florence thought as she walked over to the bar area to replace Dan’s drink. Apparently beer cocktails were all the rage, and she’d gambled on Dan’s taste buds and lost. Hopefully dinner would be different. She’d worked closely with the chef to create a sumptuous and more sophisticated meal catering to her husband’s tastes and comfort level. Tonight’s seafood menu included shrimp and avocado quesadilla appetizers; a dinner of lobster tacos, yellow tomato salsa, and jicama salad; and for dessert a sexy fresh fruit and chocolate fondue—all foods Dan loved, but prepared with a more sensual twist.

“Here you go, sweetheart,” she said, following her script for a red hot night and taking a seductive sip before handing the pilsner glass over to Dan. He gave her a brow-furled smile, which Flo decided was a cross between intrigue and surprise, as she’d never before had the audacity to drink from his glass. “Come with me,” she cooed, taking his hand.

She led him over to the dinner table and, while trying to maintain eye contact, unfolded his napkin and placed it in his lap. She went back to the kitchen and plated their food, careful not to serve too much. Florence placed dinner on the table and before returning to her seat gave him an enticing kiss on the mouth.

Dan, feeling his penis stir, once again smiled with question marks in his eyes. In a surprising move that caught his wife totally off-guard, he raised his glass in a toast. “You know, I’m not really good at this kind of thing, Floey, but thank you for all of this. It’s really nice and very special.”

Florence tapped her glass against his, thrilled that he’d acknowledged and was touched by her effort. Dan’s words set the tone for harmonious dining. At first, she tried to use her WMS tricks—from flirting to playing footsy—but stopped when it became glaringly apparent that Dan still didn’t know how to relate to this unseen side of his wife. Reminding herself to remain patient and flexible, Flo put their red hot night on simmer and eventually they settled into amicable conversation. They covered everything from talking about the boys to gossiping about the neighbors to trying to figure out what model SUV they should buy next. With the help of good food and drink, talk turned into laughter and laughter into hand-holding. Florence sat back, happy that they’d returned to their comfortable old ways, but also disappointed that Dan was not responding to her new sensual side with the interest and vigor she’d hoped for.

Down below, they could hear the noises of the arena coming to life. It was still forty minutes until the face-off and before Dan’s attention was totally turned to his beloved Stars, Florence decided one last time to try to engage his senses and his imagination.

“Time for birthday gifts.” Flo walked over to the closet, where she’d had the staff stow Dan’s gifts. She removed from its hanger the sinfully soft cotton bathrobe.

“Why don’t you put this on?” she suggested, holding the robe like a valet.

Dan, tipsy and willing to oblige his thoughtful wife, stood up and turned his back to her, ready to slip his right arm through the sleeve.

“No, I mean, why don’t you take your clothes off and slip into this. You’ll love the way it feels—like wrappin’ up in a cloud,” Flo said as she reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Flo, I do not know what’s gotten into you. I do appreciate all this, but let’s wait till we get home and take care of business properly. You know, I’m just not built for this kinky kind of stuff. I don’t want to hurt your feelin’s, but this is all kinda new for me,” he added, reading the rejection on her face.

“New and you like it, or new and you don’t?” Flo harnessed her courage to ask.

“I don’t know—it’s gonna take some time to get used to. You’ve been actin’ kinda different since I got home.”

“Is that bad?”

“Not bad so much as different. It’s given me cause to rethink my decision to leave. Hell, I don’t think I’m cut out for the bachelor life anymore. Been married way too long.”

“But you left because you said you were bored. We can’t just ignore that. We have some things to work on. So maybe we should try startin’ over,” Flo suggested. “Start datin’ each other and revisit everything in six months and see where we stand.”

“I’m up for baby steps,” Dan agreed before giving his wife a quick hug and a kiss.

The commotion of team introductions down on the ice pulled them apart, and Dan moved away from her to his front-row seat. “Floey, could you grab me another beer?”

Flo exhaled softly before heading over to the bar. She couldn’t deny that she was disheartened that her intended evening had been more lukewarm than sizzling, but progress had been made. Dan had noticed the changes in her, and though he hadn’t embraced them totally, he didn’t seem to be totally put off by them.

He’s right, we’ll have to take it slow, she reminded herself. She would take the baby steps necessary to put her marriage back on course, but this time Florence Chase, now a weapon of mass seduction, would be stepping out in heels.