Under The Savannah Moon

A Novel

By

Tracy S. Teresi

1

Millie Price is the prototypical ugly-duckling. At least that's how she sees herself anyway. She often gazes into the mirror and thinks, "why couldn't I have been born pretty?" In reality Millie is a gorgeous brunette, petite, fantastic body flawless skin and the most beautiful crystal clear azure blue eyes you've ever seen. Her low opinion of herself stems from a verbally abusive drunk of a mother, and a multitude of lousy, shit-head boyfriends. Millie's life is currently in a raging downward spiral. She's 27, & works as a temp in whatever clerical-pool needs her at the time. She eats the same things every week, does the same thing every day.

Her weekends consist of Netflix movies: cheap box wine, and 5gallon tubs of Blue-Bell pecan praline ice cream. Millie contemplates suicide just about every hour, on the hour. And to top it all off, she suffers from a horrendous case of O.C.D she's had since childhood. This is the reason her relationships always end dramatically. The guys she chooses to experiment with invariably abandon her because they can't take her strange rituals, and quirky ways. Her longest relationship lasted almost a year, a personal best for her. And that was only because the guy was her best friend's brother. He hung in there as long as he did out of pity, that, and memories of the old days growing up together. Millie dwells on those days fondly. Millie is a timid young woman, painfully shy. Because of her condition she's learned to keep to herself, never breaching the stifling confines of her safe little world.

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She hates living the way she does, she can't help it, it's the only world she knows. She doesn't dare break through the safe walls of her meticulously insulated bubble, because if she does she knows something bad will happen.

Millie is so lonely, she longs for love, and companionship. She sees the other girls at work with their boyfriend's and husbands, she hears them gossiping about sexually-explicit rendezvous, and wonderful vacations. It's like an icy, cold knife in her heart. Millie wants so badly to be a normal girl but, she's been this way for so long now she fears it will never happen. Guys are constantly asking her out, & the ladies from the catty secretarial-clicks always invite her to get a drink after work. She desperately wants to, but, she knows it's only a matter of time before she uncontrollably let's one of her problems surface, and she'll be ostracized, or even be made fun of. Millie's gone through that heartbreaking scenario way to many times before. So she does what she always does to save face, politely declines the invite saying, "she's already got a prior engagement." When everyone leaves, she breaks down in tears mumbling, "I'm gonna die alone."

Millie is the unfortunate by-product of an extreme case of adverse circumstances. Her father died tragically in a plane crash immediately following her 4th birthday. That left her with an alcoholic mother who relentlessly berated her throughout her life. Her mother's pet name for her was, (you little bitch). When Millie's mother wasn't verbally lashing out at her, she kept herself busy by harshly trashing her father's memory.

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"He was nothing but a no-good abusive dope-dealing asshole, you're better off without him." She'd say. Supposedly, legend has it, the reason Millie was born 3months premature was due to her father kicking her mother in the stomach during one of their usual knock-down-drag-out fights. That was in addition to burning her all over her body with the red-hot-cherry of his cigarette, according to her mother of course. It's no great wonder Millie's as screwed up as she is, she's lucky to have survived this long. Once Millie finally escaped the clutches of her mother, she would never return, not even to visit. She couldn't so much as bring herself to drive through her old neighborhood for fear it might incite more horrifying memories.

Something had to give. Millie was 27 now and she knew she had to make a drastic change, either that or just get it over with and take her own life. On occasion, when she would actually talk to people about her problems, they'd say, "everyday God gives you is a gift." She'd reply, "not when you live like I do. There's a huge difference between living, and merely existing." One of the few pleasant memories she did have of her childhood were the camping trips she and her dad's family would take every summer to The Sequoia National Forest. They'd camp right on the river, it was magical. Millie never wanted those 4day trips to end. All year long she lived for nothing else but those 4 amazing days in August. She didn't even have that to look forward to now.

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Her family hadn't gone camping for years, Millie felt dead inside. The weekend was coming up. It was Friday; one of the girls from the secretary-click came over to Millie's desk and asked her if she had any plans for Saturday. She went on to explain how her brother was in town for a few days, and would she like to go out on a double-date with her and her boyfriend. Millie thought for a moment, she was about to give her usual blow-off-line when instead, to her surprise she said, "yeah, sure, why not, it sounds like fun." Millie really needed to have some fun.

Later that evening panic set in. "What did I do?" Millie kept saying aloud to herself. She should have looked before she leapt. It had been a long time since she was on a date. How was she going to do it and not let her crazy out? Millie couldn't sleep, her mind kept racing, obsessing over every possible move for Saturday night. Maybe she could call her co-worker back and simply say she caught the flu or something. She finally did it; Millie had run out of lame excuses. If she didn't somehow pull it together enough to do this, it would be all over for her at work. No one would ever talk to her again.

Saturday came. Millie was exhausted, she hadn't slept a wink. She had every clean article of clothing she owned laid out carefully, just so, over every inch of her bedroom. Methodical as usual, she color-coded all her outfits and narrowed it down to the top three.

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How to pick? Should she wear her tight low-rise jeans with a camisole top & pumps? Or, the flowing spring pastel-print dress with some casual flats? After a mind-crushing indecisive bout with herself she decided to go with the tight jeans. They'd show off her cute little butt, and slim legs. Millie knew she had a bangin' body.

"Ring, Ring." It was Millie's phone; a shock-wave of insecurity ran through her body. "Shit, what if it was Amy her co-worker?" "Hello… hi Amy." It was. She was just calling to give Millie directions to the restaurant they were to meet at later. "My brother is really excited to meet you." "Yeah, me too." Millie said with apprehension in her voice.

She hung up the phone and thought, "damn! This is really going to happen." Well, Millie still had a few hours before the date. Maybe she would get struck by lightning, or slip & fall in the shower and break her neck. Naa, she didn't have that kind of luck.

8 o'clock came quickly. It was time to meet up with the others. Millie gently sprayed herself about the neck and chest with three pumps of Opium, no more, no less. She loved the scent of the old classic fragrance. In junior-high-school she had a teacher, Ms. Demarko, she wore Opium. Millie adored Ms. D; she wanted to be just like her.

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Growing up Ms. Demarko was the only person who ever honestly seem to care about Millie. Every time she would walk down the rows of desks past Millie's she'd think, "if angels had a scent, surely they'd smell like her teacher."

Millie did everything in increments of 3's & 7's because of her O.C.D. Whenever she had to go somewhere she took exactly 3 steps at a time. Whenever she was thirsty she sipped her drink precisely 7 sips at a time, no more, no less. As time went on it was getting increasingly difficult for Millie to expand her zone of safety. She could feel it closing tighter & tighter around her, suffocating her. Her greatest fear was that someday it would choke her to death.

Millie soon arrived at her destination, (café bola). It was a sheik, little hole in the wall restaurant all the trendy corporate yuppies were currently frequenting. Exiting her car she said to herself, "here we go, you can do this, just take it 3steps at a time. Finally at the door Millie hesitates, she has to wait until someone either enters or leaves; she can't stand door handles, all the germs. Once inside she sees her co-worker Amy and 2 very well dressed gentlemen. "Millie, hi, so glad you could make it. This is my boyfriend Conner, and this handsome guy is my brother Rick." Amy said with an odd expression on her face, as if to say without words, "here's your big date, don't blow it." "Hi everybody." Millie said as she sat down. Fighting back her nervous convulsions she was thinking, "wow, Amy wasn't kidding, this guy really is good looking." He kinda reminded her of Robert Redford.

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Breaking the awkward blind-date-silence Rick says, "so, Millie, I hear you work with my sister, what's that like? If it's anything like growing up with her you have my sincerest apologies." Millie courteously grinned and said, "actually, she's quite nice, the whole office is great." As the night went on Millie began to feel a little more at ease. She was gradually breaking out of her neurotic comfort zone. Even fighting back every urge she had to do her compulsive rituals. She liked Rick, he was polite and laid-back, and she could swear she was catching a vibe from him.

As they were leaving the restaurant after dinner Rick gently angled Millie to the side, he said, "I had so much fun tonight, it was a pleasure meeting you. I was wondering; if you're not doing anything tomorrow maybe we could hang out. I was hoping you might possibly show me around before I leave."

Oh, boy, now she was in a pickle. In the company of others it was survivable, but, a one on one situation now that was a whole nother deal. She didn't know what to say, she wasn't sure if she could keep her crazy on the down-low all alone with Rick. Millie was in a panic, every inch of her body was literally busting out in beads of perspiration. Her mind was racing; she thought she might faint at any moment. She remembered her calming breathing exorcizes she learned in therapy, deep breath 1, deep breath 2, deep breath 3. Starring blankly at Rick Millie paused for a minute, a solid minute

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before she reluctantly agreed. "That's great, I'll call you tomorrow then?" "Sure." Said Millie. "Goodnight." "Goodnight." Right then Amy came over grabbing Millie by the elbow, "so, what do ya think, great guy right?" "Yeah." Millie said apprehensively. "I just knew you two would hit it off." She gave Millie a jubilant kiss on the cheek and a gigantic bear-hug and said, "goodbye sweetie, I'll see you at work on Monday."

Sitting at home on the floor of her apartment Millie was paralyzed. She didn't know if she could go through with it. It had been 2 years since she'd been on a date with a man, what if things got sexual? The remote prospect of possibly having sex with Rick both frightened and elated her. Millie kept methodically tapping her feet in increments of 3's to try and calm her nerves. She was so keyed-up she had to take a sleeping pill with a stiff shot of Jägermeister, it was the only way she was going to get any rest. Millie liked Jägermeister. It possessed a lot of the same qualities you find in Absinthe. When taken in combination with just about anything, it cradles you in an ever so slight hallucinogenic state before it sends you off into a deep blissful sleep.

When morning came Millie was gently woken by a soft, furry nuzzle against her chin from her loving cat Felix. Felix is a terrific cat; he is always there for her no matter what. He doesn't care about her weird eccentric ways.

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When Millie loses it, and gets totally strung-out on her rituals he stays by her side for support & patiently waits until the episode passes. Then, when she calms down, he gives her sweet-kitty-kisses as if to say, "it's going be alright."

Staggering to her feet super groggy, Jäger always gives her a nasty hangover. She opened a pouch of Meow Mix for Felix, and tossed a blueberry pop-tart in the toaster for her, the breakfast of champions. 10 o'clock rolls around and the phone rings. Millie pauses for a moment to collect herself, then says, "hello." "Good morning, it's Rick, is it too early to be calling?" "No, its fine, I've been up for hours." Millie says wiping the sleep from her eyes. "How bout I pick you up in about an hour?" "Sounds good." Millie gives him directions and hangs up the phone.

"Well, it's official, there's no turning back now." She thought. Where was she going to take him? Savannah was a big town; there were lots of things to see. But, Millie couldn't stand the typical tourist spots, too many people. Besides, who'd want to see a hokie town square, anyway? She had an idea: there was a quaint little park on the outskirts of the city she had been to once, or twice before. Maybe that would be the safest option; it wasn't well known accept to the locals, so there shouldn't be any crowds. And if she was lucky, she could keep her crazy down to a minimum. Millie packed a small lunch picnic style. She was good at this; her yearly camping trips were finally paying off. That and the community service she had to do at the soup kitchen downtown for all her unpaid parking tickets.

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In no time at all Rick had arrived. "I've got a surprise for you." Millie said. "Just drive, I'll tell you where to go." Excited by her enthusiasm rick put the car in gear and quickly sped off. Millie still couldn't believe she was doing this; it was such a departure from her usual hum-drum lonely life. She didn't know what it was, but, she had a feeling today would be a day she wouldn't soon forget. Upon entering the park Rick's face lit up. "Wow, get a load of that." He said with astonishment. At the entrance to the park there was a natural spring geyser that shot a huge shaft of water up in the air over 200 feet. Millie had forgotten about that, it had been so long since she'd been there.

Rick parked and they got out of the car. Millie took Rick's hand and said, "I want to show you something." It was an old 1950's era turn-style carousel. She went on to explain, "whenever she got really down she would come here and ride the beautiful painted horses, sometimes all day long. Or until she got the g-spins, whichever came first." Rick, like a true gentleman, helped Millie onto a vibrant blue horse then mounted one right next to hers. There was nobody around; they had the whole place to themselves. This was glorious, for the first time in a long time Millie was actually having fun. She liked Rick, she felt at ease with him. Even though she had only known this man for a little over 24hours, it felt to her like they were old friends. After about an hour or so of riding the carousel, Millie abruptly jumped off her horse & yelled to Rick, "follow me!" Rick grabbed their lunch and hastily gave chase.

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Up and down they ran, until they reached the mouth of a small cave high on a rock-outcropping. "This is where we'll eat!" Millie said, shouting to the wind. It was a gorgeous spot; it overlooked a lush, green fertile plain sparsely dotted with Spanish moss trees.

Millie lay out a blanket over the only flat area in the cave. "So, what do you think?" She asked. Rick was blown away, struck dumb by the beauty of it. He could only utter, "amazing, absolutely amazing." "I love this place." Millie said. "I'd like to put a house right there in between those moss trees, I could be happy here forever." Rick nodded yes as he gazed longingly at Millie. Slowly he inched closer and closer to her. Millie was so preoccupied in her dream she didn't notice until he was almost right on top of her. She slowly cocked her head to the side to meet his waiting lips. He kissed her softly, passionately. Millie pulled back in surprise. She didn't mean for that to happen, but she was glad it did. Millie's whole body was shaking; she was like a bomb ready to explode. It had been so long since she felt the gentle caress of a man's lips, she had to have more. She pulled Rick on top of her and began wildly thrusting her tongue into his mouth, her baby-soft skin rubbed raw by his scratchy day-growth beard. Millie could feel the pulsating outline of his manhood pressing against her thigh. She was so erotically charged the hairs on her arms were standing straight up at attention. Then, she sensed something, Rick had made his move. He ever so gently eased his hand up her thigh past the bottom fringes of her skirt.

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Millie was breathing heavy now, & softly moaning. She could feel the blood within her rushing to all the right spots. This was exactly what she feared the most; it was also precisely what she unconsciously craved. A split second later before she could even think of what to do Rick's thick, manly fingers slipped gingerly between her silky, wet folds. Millie gasped in ecstasy, her body writhing to the rhythm. Her beautiful pink nipples piercing through the tight white tank-top she was barely wearing. Wantonly, she pulled Rick between her toned, tanned legs. Rick obligingly submitted to her. Then, like a man on a mission, he jostled her panties to one side and slid himself deep inside her. Millie was all a quiver; she couldn't believe what was happening. With every hard, penetrating thrust she fell further & further into a trance like state. This was truly an out of body experience, and one she fiercely needed.

After an extremely intense half-hour, their romantic tryst had come to a sweaty, very climactic end. Millie was a little embarrassed, and a little sticky, but no worse for wear. On the car ride home Millie could hardly look at Rick. Soon, however, her shy embarrassment would give way to afterglow. She felt incredible, positively giddy. Millie felt like a real woman again, like a real normal woman!

She couldn't really grasp the full magnitude of it yet, but, what she did know was that she had definitely hit a turning

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point in her life. From this day forward things would be different, she would be different.

Rick had a noticeable stud-like grin on his face the whole way back to Millie's place, and well he should, she rocked his world. They didn't talk much, but, every now & then they would both sneak a sly glance at one another. It was better this way, Rick was leaving on Monday and Millie would probably never see him again. Pulling up to Millie's Rick jumped out and opened the car door for her, he said, "I had a great time, let's keep in touch, ok? I'll call you." "Yeah, sure, that'd be great." Millie said dismissively. She knew the deal, she'd had one night stands before; she knew the likelihood of ever hearing from Rick again was slim to none. That was just fine with her; she wasn't looking to get married anyway. He was a hot-bang, nothing more.

Monday morning came quickly, "ohhh, yes, another boring day in the secretary-pool." Millie was dreading seeing Amy, "had Rick bragged to her about what happened on their last date, or was he a gentleman and kept it between them?" The last thing she needed was to be despised as the office slut. Oddly enough though, Millie really didn't care. Something had changed in her that day; it was like an awakening, or a re-birth of sorts. She was done worrying about what other people thought of her, done with living to please other people. Now she would live to please herself.

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Millie wasn't ashamed; she'd had a beautiful encounter with an incredibly handsome & sweet man. This is what normal people do. Millie obsessed over the word (normal) she desperately wanted to be normal. All her life she'd been told she was weird, strange. She was always the girl nobody wanted to pick for their team, or hang out with; she was always the outsider looking in. Well, all that was about to change.

When Millie got to her desk at work she noticed a small folded piece of paper. It was a note from Amy, it said, "meet me in the bathroom when you get this." "Oh, boy, this was it." Millie prepared herself for the worst.

Entering the bathroom she immediately saw Amy, their eyes locked on each other. Amy briskly walked right up to Millie. Staring her dead square in the face she said with strong conviction in her voice, "what did you do to my brother! He said he had the time of his life, he said it was his best date ever." Amy said beaming at Millie. "Thank you so much, what did you guys do?" Millie was dying to tell her new friend in explicit detail all about their steamy date, like girlfriends do. She wanted so badly to boast, and gloat over her sexually liberating conquest. But, instead she opted for the PG-rated version to spare her friend the possibly embarrassing details of getting-it-on with her brother. Sometimes the safe way is the best way; especially when you don't want to risk alienating yourself from people you just barely know.

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Millie scored major points with Amy. She had unknowingly skyrocketed up the office chain of cool; she was now one of the girls. Things at work were different now. In just one week Millie had gone from basically being invisible, to being the most sought after woman in the office. Everybody from the mailroom boy to the corporate heads were driving hard to the hoop. She wasn't quite sure how to take this new found attention. Breaking it down the way Millie saw it, she could either shy away from it like she had been doing her whole life, or embrace it, and squeeze it for every drop it was worth.

Millie had a new sense of identity; you might even say she was drunk with power. With all these guys fawning over her she felt like she could have any man she wanted, and she was about to test out her theory. Friday was finally here, and this was the 4th of July weekend which meant no work on Monday. Millie had a standing invitation from the girls at work to a party on Saturday, so, in preparation she thought she'd test out her new dating legs solo tonight.

Exhausted from her long day at work, Millie was cordially greeted at the door by her trusty watch-kitty Felix. He was so happy to see her he accidentally scratched a hole in her last good pair of nylons. "Kitty, no!" She cried. What a fitting end to a fairly crummy day. At this point Millie just wanted to slip into a nice, hot bubble-bath & enjoy a slightly chilled glass of chardonnay.

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Glancing across the kitchen to her answering machine Millie saw the message indicator light blinking. She thought, "I wonder if Rick called?" She scurried across the kitchen and nervously pressed the play-back button. "You have 4 new messages." The digital-voice said. The First one was a wrong number. The next one was Amy leaving directions to the pool-party on Saturday. The third was a message from her mother inquiring why she doesn't call anymore, & is she alright or just too fucked-up in the head to care about calling her mother back. Man that really shot a cold current of rotten memories through her veins. Some things never change messages like that were the reason Millie didn't speak to her mother. The 4th and final message was from Bryce, an old acquaintance of Millie's she'd met in a group counseling program from years back.

Bryce was a cool guy, very supportive. He had some pretty heavy issues from his childhood as well. Millie remembered the two of them bonding over their mutually similar emotional scars. She was always kind of attracted to him but never acted on it. One of the first things they tell you in counseling is, "never under any circumstances are you to date another member of your therapy group." They say co-dependent relationships born from grief or like traumatic situations are always un-healthy. Never the less, it was nice hearing from him. Millie had often wondered how he was, and if everything had turned out alright for him. Now that they weren't in group together anymore maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to catch up with Bryce.

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Just hearing her mother's voice was enough to send Millie into an obsessive, compulsive spin. She was frantically tapping her feet & fingers in 3's. Pacing across the kitchen like a crazy woman. Felix was meowing, he was hungry. Hearing her kitty's cry for food seemed to snap her out of it, if only for the time being. Millie set out some food for Felix, and cracked open a fresh box of wine. Oh, boy, did she need this. Millie took precisely 7 big gulps of her favorite chilled cheap wine & then drew a hot bath. Depressed and now a little tipsy, her upside-down world had once again rained on her parade. This week was going so well, why did her mother have to call and spoil everything?

The warm bubble-bath felt amazing. Millie put some of her soothing bath-salts into the water as an added decadence to help ease away the stress. She used the good bath-salts, the kind you can only get at a head-shop. The kind people smoke and get high on & eat people's faces off, (the zombie bath-salts). Millie never skimped when it came to her bath. Sipping and soaking, she decided to call Bryce; she had a nice buzz going, "why not?" She thought. The phone rang once, then twice, "hello." Said Bryce. Millie hesitated; she almost chickened-out and hung up the phone. But, then the wine kicked in, "hi, it's Millie." "Hi, I wasn't sure if you'd call me back or not." "Of course, why wouldn't I?" "Well, I'm glad you did. So, what's going on, it's been a while?" "Oh, you know, same stuff, different day, same job different company." " some things never change, huh?" "Yep." Said Millie.

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"I guess what I really wanted to know is, how are you dealing with life these days?" "The way I always do, any way I can. Three paces & seven sips at a time." "Still doing your routines huh?" "Till I die." Millie said sadly. "Hey, I've got an idea." Bryce said. "Why don't we get together soon, maybe hang out?" "Like when?" Millie said cheerily. "Well, how about tonight, are you busy?" "You're in luck, it just so happens I'm free tonight. But, you will have to pick me up; I started celebrating a wee-bit early." "Not a problem, you still at the same old place?" "Yes sir." "Shall we say 8 o'clock?" "Sounds great." "I'll see you then." "Bye." "Bye."

Millie wasn't sure how she felt about going on a date with Bryce, was this a date? Or, was it simply two old friends catching up? "Whatever it was, it would be nice to spend some time with him." She thought. Bryce knew about Millie's problems and still he wanted to see her. He was the same caring guy she remembered.

After soaking a while longer Millie emerged from the tub a different woman, she was much more relaxed. She slipped & slid all the way to her bedroom. She also had a cute, comically klutzy side about her, guys found it so endearing. While putting on her makeup Millie began to freak out a little. She was running through scenarios like she always did, such as "what do I do if he tries to kiss me? Or, what should I say if he asks me if I'm dating anyone? What if I go in for a kiss and he shoots me down?" Millie had to stop herself, she was getting so flushed she wouldn't even need any rouge.

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Ding, dong, it was the door-bell. Bryce was right on time, 8 o'clock sharp. Millie answered the door "hi, how are you, come on in." "Wow, you look incredible." Bryce said. "Thanks, so do you." "Hey, are you hungry? I thought we might get a bite to eat at (Le Chateau) in the French quarter." Bryce said. "You must be reading my mind, I'm starving, that sounds perfect. Let me just grab my purse and we can go." On the car ride to the restaurant Bryce could sense something was different about Millie. She seemed sexually heated. She was exuding a strong magnetism he hadn't noticed in her before. After parking the car the two entered the restaurant. Millie had never been here before; it was so nice, so upscale, and so expensive. "Bryce must be doing pretty well to afford this place." She thought. As they sat down Bryce ordered a bottle of the house red-wine, and some pre-dinner hor d'oeuvres. "Classy." Millie said. "Why thank you, I did pick up a few things since our last group-session." They both laughed with ironic cackle. Millie abruptly interjected, "so, what's really your deal here Bryce? Why did you just call me out of the blue like this, after all this time? I mean, we haven't spoken in like two whole years, why now? Actually, I meant to call you sooner but I've been going through some serious family stuff. My father passed away a while back and my mom is a mess, she's taken it really hard. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, I remember how close you were to your father. "Yeah, he'd been sick for a long time with prostate cancer, it ate him to the bone." Bryce said getting choked-up. Millie could see the pain on Bryce's face when he spoke of his dad, she didn't like seeing him this way.

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She quickly changed the subject to spare him from having to elaborate any further. "So, are you dating anyone, do you have a girlfriend or anything right now?" She blurted out. Bryce, looking dejected, frowned out of the corner of his mouth and said, "not currently, no, how about you?" Millie paused for a moment. She almost started to tell him about her latest sexual adventure in the park, but she stopped herself. Something told her he wouldn't find the salacious tale quite as interesting as she, that, and Millie wasn't exactly sure where this was going with him. She didn't want to possibly spoil the mood.

Throughout the course of their presumed date, Millie kept incessantly checking her cell-phone. Bryce, noticing this said, "do you have somewhere to be later? Are you expecting a call?" "No." Millie said dismissively. "It's nothing."

Unbeknownst to anyone, Millie had secretly signed up with a few online dating websites. She was covertly checking for any recent messages that may have come through since she'd left home. She couldn't wait to test out the new and improved her. With all the pomp & circumstance one might expect from a fine French bistro, dinner was served. Everything looked and smelled tantalizing: Foie-Gras, Steak-frites and the star of the evening Duck-confit. Millie dove in head first; she was anything but demur when it came to eating. This was yet another of her funny, absurdly-quirky attributes. Bryce, opened-mouthed & wide-eyed, could hardly believe what he was witnessing. Never before had he seen such a shy, diminutive waif attack her food with such unabashed intensity.

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Closing his mouth, and discretely diverting his eyes, he murmured under his breath, "you go girl." After about twenty minutes of conversation less non-stop chowing-down, Millie slowly raised her head from her plate and said with gastronomic delight, "how about that goose liver?" Bryce, overcome with the absolute hilarity of the moment let out a colossal bellow of a laugh. So encompassing was it that he also farted in unison. Everyone within an ear-shot heard it, Bryce and Millie laughed hysterically. This would definitely be a date to remember.

Skipping desert, they paid the check and were off into the night. The moon was full; it was so bright it almost looked like dusk. Millie loved this time of year. You could smell the orange & cherry blossoms in the air, the fragrance was wonderful. Savannah was in bloom, and so was Millie. She was getting that feeling again, that frisky, carnal lusting. She was also in a quandary; her and Bryce were having such a great time together she didn't want to possibly ruin it with a premature sexual encounter. Millie couldn't deny it; she was totally attracted to him. But, the real question was, was Bryce boyfriend material, or just a casual fuck? He was a sweet, vulnerable guy; she remembered that much from their therapy sessions. The last thing Millie wanted to do was break his heart.

Walking through the cobblestone streets of old Savannah, Bryce's hand gently brushed against Millie's, their fingers interlock. She could swear she felt an electric shock. He then assertively swung his body in front of Mille, softly caressing the velveteen skin above her right hip with his other hand.

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Bryce pulls Millie close as if going in for a kiss. She stops him against her better judgment, or perhaps with it. "No, not yet, we have plenty of time. Maybe you better take me home now." Millie says. Bryce, with a look of puzzled rejection says, "forgive me, you're right we have plenty of time." They walked and talked a bit more killing the hours, strolling through the cherry blossom lined streets. Millie enjoyed reminiscing about the old days, though some of them were sad, lots more were cathartic. She'd gotten a lot out of those therapy sessions; they were a life-preserver when she needed it most. This was fine with Bryce; he enjoyed simply being with Millie, and holding her soft little hand. When he thought about it, it seemed right. Two damaged people belonged together, even complimented each other. They were like two peas in a dysfunctional pod. Of course, he didn't dare share his theory with Millie right off, he wanted to wait and spring it on her later.

Back at Millie's front door they faced each other. Bryce gave her the (love struck puppy-dog gaze) and said, "well, this sure was a lot better than a therapy-session. I'd be willing to bet with a lot more practice we just might get it right." Millie gave a playful grin and said, "yeah, & without any serotonin levelers." They both chuckled with an odd air of ironic insight. Bryce asked Millie if he could see her again. She said nervously fumbling over her words like she often did, "you bet. Please don't wait another two years to call; I might just be barefoot and pregnant." "oh to wishful thinking." He said walking away.

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"Goodnight sweet guy." Millie said. "Goodnight beautiful girl." Said Bryce. And there it was. As quickly as it had come, her magical reunion was over. Would Bryce ever call her again, she didn't know. All she knew was how she felt, and that was decidedly undecided. She would simply throw caution to the wind and let fait decide.

Dragging herself inside, Millie kicked off her shoes and flopped down on her bed. Still somewhat tipsy, she was feeling a bit horny as well. Millie had been unusually turned-on all day. They say you're libido gets kicked into high gear when you start having sex after a long period of inactivity. This must be what was going on with her. Since things didn't get that far with her date, there still might be something Millie could do to quell her carnal needs. Millie remembered a long time ago she'd known a girl from another temp job who had one of those sex-toy parties. She wasn't into that sort of thing, but, she figured why not? I'll just pick up something as a novelty, that, and she really wanted to fit in with the other girls. Millie rooted around in her closet rifling through the junk she'd collected over the years, and there it was. Buried under a pile of old Vanity Fair magazines she swore she was going to read someday. "The Jackhammer" it was called. This was a serious apparatus. Opening the box, Millie began browsing through the directions; it seemed like the right thing to do. After all, she was new at this, and "The Jackhammer" looked like in the hands of an inexperienced amateur, it could possibly do some irreparable damage.

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Millie was a little scared, the damn dong was fucking huge! She wasn't sure if it would even fit inside her. She inserted the AA-batteries and turned it on to the first setting. The thing had 3-speeds 1-2, & (SUPER OVERDRIVE). Millie played it safe. She lubed it up real good with the packet that came in the box, it was strawberry scented, "mmm" she thought. She tried to prepare herself as best she could for what was to come, her, hopefully. Millie lay back on her bed positioning the pillows just so. Thinking of something calming, she gently maneuvered the vibrating tip of the latex-monster over her clitoris. "Wow!" This was a new experience for her; it felt like nothing she had ever known before. It took a little getting used to, but, after a few minutes she found her groove. Millie was really enjoying herself; she grabbed the huge-dong with both hands and slid it up inside her as far as it would go. In & out she thrusted turning up the speed setting as she went. Man, now she knew what all the ladies at the sex-toy parties were raving about! This was incredible, she wasn't sure if it was the booze or the overdrive-setting, but, she was seeing bright flashes of light, even with her eyes shut. "If only guys could vibrate with such intensity." She thought. Millie was orgasming like crazy, like she never had before, each one more powerful that the last. She rode that dong until the batteries ran out! It's a good thing it came with a charger. After her big ride Millie immediately fell fast asleep. She slept like a baby, best sleep she'd had in months, she was totally spent. The next morning Millie woke to a call from Amy, "hey sleepy-head, are you ready for the pool party today?

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Get your teeny-weeny-bikini on that sexy little body and let's roll!" Millie actually did have a really cute tiny G-string bikini, with the emphasis on (tiny) it left virtually nothing to the imagination.

At first Millie had reservations about going to the party. After all, it was situations like this that made her feel so awkward. She got claustrophobic around large groups of people. But that was the old Millie; this was the new & improved Millie. Given her recently acquired state of heightened sexuality, and her "live for today" outlook on life she thought, "what better a place to experiment?" She was in! Millie got directions from Amy and said she'd meet her there about noon.

If she was going to make a kick-ass impression, she needed to prep the chassis first. Step 1; freshen up the bikini-line detail. Millie shaved everywhere, she was o'so smooth, not a follicle left standing. Step 2; eyebrow tweeze, they had to be perfectly symmetrical. Step 3; the toe nails, a shiny coat of cherry-red, boys always love red. Millie jumped into the shower and carefully lathered up from head to toe. She just got a new shampoo & conditioner that smelled like tropical fruit, Coconut, papaya & such. Toweling off, she smelled like a freshly made smoothie, yummy. As Millie seductively applied her Olay moisturizing all over body-lotion with glitter, she noticed she had a message from one of the dating websites she'd signed up with. Stumbling over her cat Felix and an old pair of tennis shoes she quickly reached her computer.

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It was from a site called (The Right Fit) some guy who's screen-name was( lil'monster 88). Millie checked out his profile, his picture was cute. He was right around her age: about her height, he liked camping, racing motorcycles, sports a real guys-guy. He was also a fireman for The Savannah Fire Department. "So, he must know how to work a hose." She thought naughtily.

Millie's phone rang; it was Amy wondering where she was. Millie had been dawdling around so long she'd lost track of the time, it was12:15 already. She threw some clothes on over her bikini and took the ever crucial, "one last look" in the mirror. She was stunning, and with one final blast of Opium she smelled heavenly. What guy wouldn't want her? Arriving at the party fashionably late Millie saw Amy waiting for her by her car. Amy couldn't make a proper entrance alone; besides, everybody knows girls prefer to hunt in packs. Walking up to Amy Millie asked, "do I look ok, is this too slutty?" She was wearing a totally hot pair of shredded-out faded daisy-duke jean shorts: with a tight v-neck boys white t-shirt, and a pair of pink low-top Converse sneakers. "No way sweetie you look great, just slutty enough." Amy said, with a lascivious grin.

The two hotties entered the party. From the minute they walked in all eyes were on them. Millie felt very self-conscious; she could feel her O.C.D about to kick in full steam ahead. She started obsessively counting in 3's, first in her head, but then gradually aloud. Amy heard her and asked, "is everything alright? You look a little skittish, are you gonna have a stroke

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on me here?" "No, I'll be fine, it's just…why is everybody staring at us? You wouldn't happen to have a Zanex in your purse would you?" Millie said half joking. They slowly moved through the party eventually making their way to the rest of the girls from work. "Hey, girls?"

It was a typical hot, humid Savannah summer day. The ladies all stripped down to their bathing suits, and stretched out in lounge chairs beside the pool. Christopher, the owner of the house, & said thrower of the party quickly came over to introduce himself & ask if anyone wanted a drink." The ladies collectively said "yeah!" "Are margaritas alright?" "Sure." "Margaritas it is, I'll be right back." Said the host. Christopher was one of the flunkies from work, his dad was the CEO. Christopher was the guy you loved to hate; he was always ripping a joke, or inappropriately patting someone a little too close to the ass. He was constantly pushing the limits of company decorum. For the most part though, he was a pretty good guy. He just had a hard time deciphering when enough was enough. Millie had a couple of margaritas and was finally starting to loosen up. She and Amy were the first ones to jump into the pool. It felt great; the nice cool water on their sundrenched skin was exactly what they needed.

From the moment they'd arrived Millie had noticed a guy checking her out, fixated actually. And why not, she looked hot. Her amber skin glistening with oil, her petite, toned body frolicking freely in the warm Savannah sun. It was enough to make any red-blooded American male crazy with lust.

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Millie had an allure about her, she was sexy, gorgeous & single. She was the object of every man's desire. Flipping her hair back soaked with water, she caught the young man starring at her. Their eyes met, he smiled, and Millie smiled back. Right then a girl walked into her field of vision and directly up to the young man. She kissed him on the cheek as she gave him a drink. There was something familiar about this woman. Millie thought for a moment, ahh, yes, she had seen her before. It was Lisa, a girl from the upstairs secretary staff. Millie didn't know her well, they'd said "hello" once or twice in casual passing around the office. Millie got out of the water and grabbed her towel. "Where are you going?" Amy asked. "I have to use the bathroom." Millie said. "I'll be right back." Millie sauntered slowly past the cute young man that had caught her eye. She gave him an inviting stare, as if to say, "follow me." & follow he did.

Millie headed upstairs to find a quiet, secluded bathroom away from the rest of the party goers. Once at the top of the stairs she swung a quick right & waited to see if her quarry had followed her, he did. "Hi." She said coyly. "Hello." "Was that you're girlfriend I saw you with earlier?" Millie asked. "Yes, well, sort of, it's kinda hard to explain." The young man said evasively. "So, why were you checking me out then?" Millie asked, putting him on the spot. He didn't have an answer. He just stared blankly at her for a brief moment then diverted his eyes away. "I see." Millie said in a whisper. Millie enticingly angled her body through the threshold of the bathroom door. "Care to join me." She said beckoning him.

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This was so unlike Millie, she wasn't a temptress. She didn't understand what was going on inside her head; all she knew was she had to satiate her primal hunger to be wanted.

The two entered the bathroom & locked the door. They began kissing slowly, softly at first, then feverishly frenzied. Millie couldn't control herself; it was like her hormones were on auto-pilot. She reached down and cupped the man's genitals with her hand and began gently massaging them. She could feel him growing in size. Millie then undid the zipper of his Brooks Brothers, khaki slacks & reached in to free his engorged, throbbing member. She knelt down to get a better look at it; it was magnificent, so thick, so smooth & with a perfect mushroom-tip. She had to have it. Millie lovingly caressed it with both hands making absolutely sure it was rock-hard before she slipped it past her awaiting wet, glossy lips & deep into her throat. Millie loved going down on men, she was really good at it too, or so she'd been told in the past, anyway. This guy was certainly enjoying himself, she could tell by his low guttural-moans. He tempestuously clutched the back of Millie's long, silky black ponytail as he repeatedly plunged himself inside her. Millie was getting off on it; she liked a man with initiative. Suddenly there came a knock at the door, "Paul, honey, are you in there? It's Lisa." Alarmed, Paul stumbled over his words. "Give me a minute… I'm almost finished." Paul was freaking out, but not Millie, she never missed a beat. The thought of possibly getting caught was half the fun. The uncertain rush drove Millie even harder; she couldn't stop now, she wouldn't

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she was going for the big finish. Paul wasn't kidding. About a minute later Millie's cheeks puffed-out like a chipmunks, just like they were filled with air, but it wasn't air they were filled with. Millie swallowed exactly 7 times, she knew the rule, "good girls always swallow." Gazing up at Paul with an audacious grin Millie rose to her feet and said playfully, "so, you want the window or the door?" Paul didn't look amused. The window really wasn't a viable option as they were on the second floor; surely someone would notice a person jumping off the roof. Besides, Paul's girlfriend already knew he was in there. "Paul, so that's your name, it's a pleasure to meet you Paul." Millie said sarcastically. "Oh, yes, and you too miss…?" "Millie." Millie snickered. "Any ideas." Millie whispered. "Nope, fresh out I'm afraid." "Why don't we do this, I'll hide in the shower & you quietly creep out?" Millie said. "Sounds like a plan." Paul said in a low voice.

"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! "Honey, are you alright?" It was Paul's girlfriend again. "Be right out." "Dude, is everything ok? You've been in there for like a half an hour, I thought you fell in." Lisa said.

Millie was becoming quite the little vixen, her confidence seemed to be growing with every conquest, she felt unstoppable. It would appear she was truly mastering the art of seduction. Making her way downstairs Millie settled back in with the girls. "Where were you? I've been looking all over for you. Your face is totally red, what have you been doing?" Amy said inquisitively. "I don't know, it must have been something

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I ate." Millie said with a mischievous grin. A few hours later, the party was getting kind of beat. The only guys still hanging around were the balding, slightly overweight ones. These guys were the typical bar-fly types that linger until the very end of the night and troll for overly-drunk left-over girls to hammered to be particular about who they leave with. That was ok with Millie she'd had her fun for the day besides; she needed to get back home anyway. She had a hungry kitty to feed, a pile of laundry to do, and a mess of things to catch up on she had been neglecting for way too long. She also wanted to check her email to see if anybody else had browsed her profiles and wanted to hook-up. Millie said goodbye to Amy and the girls and headed home.

Back at her place Millie burst through the door, she was on such a high she couldn't wait to see what the universe had in store for her next. She immediately took a shower and brushed her teeth, she could still taste Paul in the back of her throat. She fed her crazy kitty, and opened up a can of mandarin oranges. Now Millie needed something sweet to wash away the odd combination of cum & peppermint toothpaste. Sifting through some crap in her black-hole of a closet, Millie came across some of her old journals. When she was in high school she used to document in great detail everything that happened to her on a daily basis, it was Millie's only outlet. She had very few friends, and the ones she did have would never understand the shit she was going through. It helped to get it all out. Sometimes Millie thought she was going to explode, the

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Journals got her through the really rough patches, they were her confidants. Millie missed writing in her journals, she was thinking about maybe starting up again, these days she had much to say.

Off in the distance Millie heard her E-mail notification. When she checked it she was shocked, she had over 50 hits on her profiles. Millie had to calm herself; she knew not to get too excited right away, the dating world was chock-full of assholes, and scumbags galore. She would never forget the horrifying story she'd heard about a young woman who was brutally raped after hooking up with a guy she didn't know off Craig's-List. Millie was careful; she had no intention of falling prey to any of that kind of bullshit! She always carried a can of pepper-spray and her trusty double-edged butterfly-knife in her purse; nobody was going to fuck with her! That's the one positive aspect of being afflicted with a physiological disorder, you're habitually paranoid.

Looking over the profiles of some of the guys that had sent Millie date-requests was utterly disappointing. The majority of these men looked like somebody's old perv dads. This totally bummed Millie out. She wasn't in the market for a sugar-daddy; she wanted a hot strapping young man who would teach her the ways of contemporary sex & love. She needed a sexual-warrior of the highest caliber, a man who could twist & contort her beautiful agile little body into supercharged erotic positions the likes of which no woman had ever experienced before, Millie craved just such a man.

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She knew that this was a lot to ask, but, she was on a life changing, cathartic journey of self-discovery after all. This would be by far the most momentous undertaking she'd ever hoped to achieve, and for this she could settle for nothing less.

Approaching the end of her potential suitors profiles Millie saw something. "Wow, wait a minute, who is this handsome guy?" She thought. The guys name was Cory Everett. He was 5'11: gorgeous wavy honey-blonde hair, muscular, emerald-green eyes & full pouty lips. He looked like a Chippendales male review hunk. "This guy is single?" Millie said aloud in disbelief. She didn't even bother reading the rest of his profile, nor did she care to. Millie got all she needed from his pictures. She just hoped the pictures were really of him, and current, not his college fraternity layout. Millie couldn't wait; she immediately jumped online & responded to his date request. While waiting to hear back from the hunk, Millie passed the time thumbing through some online classified ads in The Savannah Star, her local paper. Going straight to the personals, her eye was drawn to an ad printed in bold type-face. It read, "Single? Searching for that special someone? Are you adventurous? Come to our swingin' date night bash, guaranteed fun for all. You'll never be lonely again. Respond to this ad only through website." Then it gave a web-address.

At first Millie thought, "that's a weird sort of cryptic posting." It even sounded somewhat scary, but it worked, she was intrigued. Not really considering it seriously, Millie copied & pasted the web-address to her email, and made a mental note

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to check it later. But only as a last resort, strictly for the sake of human curiosity nothing more. Three hours had passed with no word from Mr. Chippendales. Still online, Millie was addicted to the internet. She liked to use the virtual-world as an added supplement to her own plain, boring everyday life. She would spend hours on end looking up the most outrageous, disgusting things she could think of just to see if there was actually a web-page dedicated to the specific criteria. She was pleased to discover that 9 times out of 10 her morbid mental inquisitiveness was fervently playacted.

Engrossed in a documentary on unexplained phenomenon, Millie was abruptly jolted back into reality by the sound of her email notification. "This was it!" She thought. Her Adonis was eagerly sending her a response. Checking her inbox, to her dismay, there was no email from her anticipated hunk. Instead, there was a reply from the posters of the odd "swingin' date night bash" classified ad it read, "are you coming? We hope to see you there." Then it just gave an address, a time and a date. This creeped Millie out! How did they know she had even seen the ad? They must have spy wear or something. "Was someone watching her right now?" Millie's casual curiosity had quickly blossomed into full-fledged fascination. Maybe this was some sort of a sign, or possibly divine intervention. That was that, she had made up her mind she was going to the bash! Not knowing anything about this sort of event Millie set out to do some investigation. She wanted to know a little more than simply a name. She didn't want to go in totally blind.

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Millie put the key words into the search box, (swingin' date night bash). Sure enough, she got about 20 or so hits right off the bat. From what she could gather by the information she was getting these so called (date night bashes) were a deceptive code name for some sort of an underground subculture of secretive sex-clubs. The more Millie read, the more captivated she became. The article went on to say how the genesis of this sexual revolution dated back to ancient Rome, the days of Julius Caesar, Caligula, & public orgies. Then, in the mid to late 1940's directly following the end of World War II, the first accounts of this deviant movement hit the shores of America by way of the returning military couples. By the 1950's it had spread to the suburbs. But the most prolific time in modern history this sensation is documented is during (The Sexual Revolution) of the 1970's. These establishments were commonly referred to as (swingers clubs).

Millie was blown away, this scene sounded exactly like what she had been looking for. Someplace where anything goes, you can do whatever you want, with whomever you want. And it stays within the walls of the club. This would be Millie's time; she never experimented in high-school or college like most girls her age did. She was too shy, too uncertain of herself. Back then she was painfully insecure, and extremely over-critical about what people thought of her. Well, not anymore, what had that gotten her, nothing! Nothing but regrets of an unsatisfied, unfulfilled life. Millie would regret no longer. This was her sexual-revolution and she intended to embrace it with the same zeal & tenacity she embraced her dildo: with both

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hands until the juice runs out! Still with no response from Cory, Millie decided to focus on this exciting new adventure. There was a certain element of risk involved, Millie liked that. She'd read at these sex parties the sky is the limit, no matter how crazy, or perverse your erotic fantasy is you can make it a reality there. It was like a twisted adult Disneyland; and Millie couldn't wait to ride the rides.

Before Millie knew it Sunday had arrived, the date on the bash-invitation was tonight. Everything was happening so fast, she wasn't sure if she was ready. This was a huge step for her; Millie would be delving into a world she knew almost nothing about. She was contemplating bringing someone strictly for safety reasons, but, she wasn't supposed to. The cryptic invitation emphatically stated that she was to come alone, "no exceptions would be tolerated". To your average, normal person this might have been a colossal red-flag; however, Millie, in her euphoric, scattered state of mind disregarded it all together. Something deep down inside was telling her, "after tonight, she would never be the same." The phone rings: it's Bryce. He says, "hey, how does brunch sound to you?" Millie, pausing for a moment to think, then counters with, "yeah, ok, sounds good, just nowhere with an open flame." They both laugh. Bryce had it bad for Millie; he loved everything about her. He'd wanted to tell her since their days together in therapy but didn't for fear it might have been too much for her to handle in addition to her problems. He didn't want to risk pushing her away. He hoped now that some time had passed it just may be the perfect

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opportunity to win her heart. Millie and Bryce met down the street, walking distance from Millie's. It was a little hole in the wall place called (Mike's Big Breakfast.) It's the neighborhood hot-spot for the locals; they serve breakfast fare till 3 in the afternoon, it's cheap & pretty damn good. Everybody gets the ranch special, the sourdough bread & orange marmalade are the very best in town.

Millie, looking more chipper than usual, was tickled pink that Bryce had called and asked her to brunch. Immediately after greeting him Millie says apologetically, "I'm really sorry, but, I can't stay long. I have a million things to do before tonight." "Tonight, what's happening tonight?" Bryce asked. "Well, please don't take this the wrong way; I'm not trying to be evasive or anything, it's just that I honestly can't say: it's sort of a secret." "Secret huh, that sounds exciting." "Yep, I hope so. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow." "Cool, can't wait." Bryce couldn't help but wonder: "was she talking about a date with another guy?" He didn't inquire, though it was eating away at him. Instead he brushed it off, after all, they weren't going out he had no right to be jealous.

The ranch breakfast was exactly what Millie needed; she ate until she was stuffed. Mike's is notorious for their huge portions. Millie had to load up for tonight, this would probably be the only meal she'd have the whole evening. Millie felt terrible; she was being a horrible breakfast guest. She was so preoccupied, lost in thought about what magical wonders awaited her after dark; she wasn't paying any attention to

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Bryce. She could see his mouth moving but didn't hear a word he said, Millie just sat there staring right through him. "Hello, Earth to Millie. Is this another one of your spells or am I boring you to death?" Bryce said sarcastically. "Say what again. Oh, forgive me Bryce, my mind is somewhere else today. Can we pick this up later?" Millie said scattered. "Don't tell me, your secret party tonight, right." "You know me too well." "Sure, we can pick this up later, go have fun, & please… be careful." "Thanks Bryce-boy, you're the best." And just like that Millie was off like a shot." Bryce, mildly despondent, quietly sighed as he watched her leave. Yet another missed opportunity with the woman he pined for. He would be ok; in his eyes she was everything. Bryce would always be there for Millie, no matter how long it took.

Millie was discombobulated once again. Her room looked as though a cyclone had hit it, there were outfits everywhere. She thought to herself, "what do you wear to a sex-party? Should I play it safe and wear jeans, or something trashy & easy-access?" Gazing at herself naked in the mirror, she thought, "I'm only gonna' get one shot to make a killer 1st impression…trashy & easy-access it is." Millie put on the tiniest little low-rise skirt she could find. Underneath she was sporting her lucky leopard-print g-string panties. On top she threw on her DKNY sheer, nearly see-through white silk blouse, with no bra of course, and as a topper, or more accurately a bottomer, her best pair of slinky, 5inch black alligator pumps.

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Millie was an absolute vision. She looked like a radiant, sensuous sex-kitten ready to pounce. Her tight little derriere just barely grazed the bottom hem-line of her skirt. Her brown-sugar toned legs shimmered with a light dusting of glitter-laced moisturizing lotion. And the fragrant aroma that wafted off her body was so resplendent it would no less make the honeysuckle & gardenia bow at her feet.

It was finally here. The moment Millie had been so anxiously awaiting: it was time for (The Bash) at last. Millie grabbed her essentials, the directions and she flew out the door. Her whole body was shaking with excitement. She was having a hard time understanding the directions; they were vague, ambiguous at best. It was like following an old pirate treasure map. This must have been deliberate, par for the course. "It was obviously done this way to make it harder for the cops to find." Millie thought. The directions led her downtown to the industrial part of the river-front, "marsh-town" the locals called it. This area was the oldest part of Savannah, it dated back to 1773. Growing up as a child Millie had always heard stories about this part of town, it was reputed to be haunted by the lost souls of old mariners who had died tragically along the banks of the Savannah River. She didn't believe much in folklore, but she did know one thing for certain. In the present day this area was notorious for being infested with the scum, and dregs of Savannah society. A beautiful young woman such as herself didn't want to walk these streets alone for any length of time. It was a good thing Millie had her pepper-spray and knife. The night air was heavy with the stench of the docks: tar, old wood,

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and dead fish. The scent burned Millie's nose like ammonia, still, she pressed on. She was looking for a green & red warehouse with a purple door. "It's so damn dark!" Millie said to herself. This particular part of River St had no lighting what so ever. Turning the next corner she just barely caught the faint outline of a man's silhouette. Millie walked cautiously toward him clutching her purse, 3paces at a time. As she drew closer she noticed a familiarity about the man. "Hello Millie, it's nice to see you again." The man said. Puzzled, Millie couldn't believe her eyes, it was Rick, Amy's brother. "What are you doing here?" Millie asked with noticeable shock in her voice. Rick went on to explain that he was back in town on business. Apparently he did promotions for some of these underground clubs. And while monitoring hits to the web-address Millie had innocently stumbled across, he was astonished to see her email.

"Please don't tell my sister about this." Rick pleaded with Millie. "This is a part of my life no one in my family knows about. I just don't think they could handle the details of my alternative lifestyle, their very conservative."

She agreed, she too didn't know much about this lifestyle, but she was dying to find out. Millie took Rick's arm & they both entered the club. "You know, you're lucky I caught your email address, usually these events are strictly by invitation only, you have to know somebody." Millie looked up at Rick and said, "well, it's a good thing I know somebody, huh?" They both smiled. The club was dimly lit, there were tables: couples, & a few singles mixing throughout.

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It was an odd mélange of age groups as far as Millie could tell, anywhere from early 20's to late 50's. There was a definite 70's vibe happening as well, the majority of men Millie saw were wearing large collared, poly-blended, loud paisley-print shirts with super bell-bottoms. The women were wearing either short tennis-like skirts or flowing Saturday Night Fever dresses with the trade mark Farrah Fawcett feathered hair. Everybody really seemed to be having a great time.

Millie noticed right away that there were roped off separate areas. She asked Rick what they were, as he was the regular to these types of get-togethers. He explained to her that the main room when you first walk in was primarily for getting acquainted. The roped off areas are for after you have taken things to the next level and have chosen the couple, or singles, or couples you'd like to get to know better. These areas are more private: some have beds, big communal lounge sofas, futons whatever best suits your mood. "Ahh, I get it." Millie expressed with intrigue in her voice. "Come on, I'll show you around, there's some people I want you to meet." Rick says as he hands Millie a glass of chilled Champaign.

As she walked through the club Millie was getting a lot of attention, she was hands down the most ravishing young beauty there. Rick escorted her to the far side of the room where he had waived to a couple. They were a stunning pair. The man was a tall handsome Italian looking type: broad shoulders, thick, wavy jet-black hair & perfectly smooth olive complected skin, probably in his mid to late 40's.

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His companion, a drop-dead gorgeous Asian woman: petite, like Millie, early thirties with obviously surgically enhanced breasts, but very nicely done if Millie did say so herself. "Millie, I'd like you to met some friends of mine, this is Alonso & Kiara." Said Rick. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." "Oh, on the contrary, the pleasure is ours." Said Alonso. "So, where did you too meet?" Kiara inquired. "Actually, Millie is a friend of my sister's from work." "Really, what line of work are you in Millie?" Alonso asked. "Oh, I'm just a secretary." "Just a secretary, you're being too modest. A company lives or dies on the strength of their secretarial staff, I'm sure you're vastly understating your importance there." "That was a really sweet thing to say." Millie thought. "Hey Alonso, why don't we freshen up the girl's drinks and let them get better acquainted." Suggested Rick. "Sounds good."

What Rick had conveniently neglected to tell Millie was that Alonso was the sole owner & CEO of one of the world's largest cosmetics companies, second only to L'Oréal. And Kiara was a top Victoria's Secret model. Slowly sauntering over to get the drinks Rick says to Alonso, "so, what do you think about Millie?" "What do you mean, what do I think, she's beautiful." Alonso proclaims emphatically. This was a calculated move on the part of the two men leaving Kiara & Millie together. It is well known in the underground world of the sex club subculture, that the women are the ones who decide whom to bring into the equation not the men. "Men will fuck anyone." It's said, but women are much more discriminating.

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Returning with the drinks it was obvious the ladies were getting along quite well. Kiara whispered something into Millie's ear, then they both laughed. "This seemed like the perfect time to further explore the deeper, darker recesses of the club." So the men thought. "Ladies, shall we?" Rick said gesturing with his hand beyond the red rope.

The atmosphere in the club was totally outrageous. It was like Millie had stepped right off the street and fell headlong into a porno-set. The first lair they came upon was a room filled with mattresses everywhere, and all kinds of naked people engaging in group-sex. It was a full-on orgy scene. Millie was a little shocked; she'd never seen anything like this before tonight, she never even thought places like this existed. She'd had a relatively modest upbringing, yes, her mom was screwed-up, but nothing like this. She imagined this is what it must have been like in Caligula's palace, wall to wall decadent desire.

In room 2, there was a live sex show being featured with two men and a woman. The men were doing unmentionable things to her, Millie was frightened, but, still she couldn't bring herself to look away, this new world was fascinating to her. The room was set up like a kind of dinner theatre, there was seating & hostesses taking dinner orders, dinner theatre with a twist. By now it was clear to Millie, in here anything goes. And what happens in the club stays in the club. There was an unspoken code: nobody passed judgment, you could do whatever you liked with whomever you wanted, just as long as no one got hurt. It seemed pretty straight forward to her.

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The next room was geared toward S&M, the smell of leather and scented KY permeated the air. Millie wasn't into that rough stuff; she didn't like anything that left a mark. The more Millie drank however, the more open to suggestion she became.

At last, the party of four reached the final secluded room in the place. This room was set up with a decidedly Middle Eastern flair. There were huge comfortable lounge pillows: Persian area rugs, and hookah pipes. It even smelled like the head-shop where Millie got her special bath salts, a fragrant combination of weed, and lavender incense. It was casual, comfortable, & a good place for a 1st timer to start, Millie thought. They all sat down & made themselves at home. "Hookah anyone?" Rick asked with a ridiculous, comical expression on his face. Everyone laughed. Sitting in a semi-circle, the women paired off together. Millie noticed right away Alonso's attentive gaze, his deep-set roguish dark brown eyes were mesmerizing. They seemed to initiate the unspoken. And then like a choreographed dance, Kiara leaned in and seductively kissed Millie on the nape of her neck and said, "why don't you sit closer to Alonso, he likes you, I can tell." Millie's heart was racing, the feel of Kiara's breathe and soft lips on her neck gave her chills. She wasn't sure who she wanted more, Alonso or Kiara, or maybe both. Millie felt like an adolescent school-girl playing spin-the-bottle, whose turn was it now? Who would make the next move? Rick, sensing Millie's awkward 1st time jitters, eased the tension & angled

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his way closer to Kiara. Alonso, following Rick's lead grabbed a pillow and said, "here Millie, why don't you lay back and get comfortable?" That was all she needed to hear, Millie did as Alonso enticingly suggested. "Are you nervous?" Alonso asked Millie. "No! Yes, maybe a little. It's just that I've never had sex in a setting like this before: around so many people." "I know exactly what you mean, I was apprehensive my first time too. Here, try this. Close your eyes, breathe slow & steady, now try and imagine yourself floating atop the water in a calm, serene lake. There's no one around but you and I, block everything else out of your mind." Alonso said in a soothing voice. He then began softly caressing her skin, slowly running his fingers up and down her arm. Millie liked it; she was feeling more at ease with every stroke. By this time Kiara & Rick had thrown caution to the wind. They were totally nude and engaging in some rather amorous hot & steamy felatio. Catching a glimpse of the two lovers from the corner of her eye drove Millie crazy. Her hormones suddenly exploded into a full frenzy, she wanted what they were having. She grabbed Alonso's hand and placed it high on her thigh, just barely touching the lacey outer trim of her g-string. Alonso took Millie's subtle gesture as a green-light to ravage her. He gently cradled the back of her neck with his free hand while slowly easing himself downward to meet Millie's awaiting mouth. Alonso forcefully pressed his lips to hers, Millie squealed in delight. Enthralled by her sexy, infectious, enthusiasm Alonso quickly slips his fingers through the silken barrier of Millie's panties and begins rubbing her engorged clitoris wildly. Millie loved the smell of him, musky

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& sweet, it really turned her on. Alonso was making Millie so wet she couldn't stand it. She moved her left hand down the curvature of her body and untied the bow on her hip holding her g-string together, it fell loose, Millie was free. In a matter of moments they were naked and entangled in one another. Millie couldn't wait any longer, she was ready now! She pushed Alonso on his back & jumped on top of him, straddling him like the Italian stallion he was. She then whispered, "fuck the foreplay, it's overrated." Seizing Alonso's full length of rock hard pleasure she thrust every inch of him deep inside her. Millie rocked franticly back & forth, up & down, side to side, she even did (The Reverse-Cowgirl-Bunny-hop), Alonso felt so good inside her. For the first time in her life she was the one in control. This timid, shy little lady who was always on the sidelines was finally in the game. Millie felt so empowered, she was calling the shots now. She was dominating this man & loving every minute of it, & from the look on his face he was too.

The two couples were putting on quite a show, so much so in fact, they had gathered a rather large crowd of impressed, horny onlookers. It was understandable; after all, it wasn't everyday you got to see incredibly gorgeous people going at it with such acrobatic vivacity in a public forum like this. Millie rode Alonso hard! She was determined to drain him dry of every drop of seed he had, or die trying if need be. His stamina & virility were remarkable to say the least; he had been keeping up with Millie move for move for almost an hour. Finally, like

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a long distance runner approaching the tape, Alonso, dripping with sweat and pumping furiously, clutched Millie by the hips with both hands and let out a loud, euphoric burst. She could feel him spasm inside her, he had cum.

They lay there, the four of them giggling amongst themselves. "Pretty scandalous goings-on for people who had only just met this evening," Millie thought to herself. But, this was normal for them. This would take some getting used to; it was a whole new era for Millie.

While getting dressed Alonso said, "hey, what are you guys doing next weekend? I'm hosting a get-together at my house on the island; it's going to be a rager you should come. It starts on Friday and ends Sunday night. "Wow, a weekend party." Millie had always wanted to go to one of those, they were like the crème de la crème of shin-digs, usually reserved for only the ultra-rich. "So, you mean a whole weekend of crazy, sexy party games?" Millie said. "Oh, absolutey!" Roared Alonso. "I'm in!" Exclaimed Millie. The two couples walked to the front door of the club & exchanged numbers. Alonso & Kiara said, "we had a blast you guys, can't wait to see you next weekend." "Sounds great, see you then." Millie said, staring lustfully at Alonso. "Goodnight." "Goodnight." Rick escorted Millie back to her car. "So, what about tonight huh? Are you ok with everything, how was your first club night experience?" "Well, I'd have to say, it was amazing! Fantastic! Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, it totally exceeded anything I could

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have imagined." Millie said emphatically. "If you thought tonight was cool just wait until next weekend at Alonso's. His parties are legendary; he actually owns the whole island. His house he so casually refers to is a 25,000 square foot palatial Tuscan Villa he had imported stone by stone from Florence, Italy and placed on the site of an old sugarcane plantation. The only way to describe his estate is outrageous. Trust me when I say, "it will be a weekend you will never forget."

Millie winked at Rick and said playfully, "see ya later alligator." She was having déjà vu; this was eerily reminiscent of the last time she and Rick were together, with the exception of swapping playmates, of course.

Dawn was breaking as Millie drove home. She was replaying in her mind all that had just happened; it seemed unbelievable, sort of like a dream. Alonso was such a wonderful guy, so worldly, so cultured; he was unlike any man Millie had ever known. His scent lingered on her body, that sweet, musky smell. She kept taking deep breaths so as to keep his essence with her a little longer. Millie was crushin' hard on Alonso & she knew it. She had so much fun with him, and the thought of spending a whole weekend on his private island estate was positively sublime. Her lady parts were tingling all over again. Arriving at home Millie jumped in the shower and got cleaned up, reluctantly though, she was in no hurry to erase Alonso's mark on her. While she was drying off Millie noticed she had an email. It was the one she'd been waiting for all weekend, Cory, the strapping blonde guy from the dating

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website. Millie didn't know what to do, she was torn. Should she pursue something with Cory, or see where things might possibly go with Alonso? After all, he was perfect: rich, handsome, charismatic, & he was a great lover. He embodied virtually everything she was looking for in a man. The only thing looming in the back of Millie's head was Kiara. "Who was she really? Was she Alonso's girlfriend, wife, what?" It was a mystery, he was a mystery, Millie didn't even know his last name. That was deliberate; there was a strict code of silence in that world. Nobody ever gave their last name; anonymity was part of the seduction. It was a toss-up, Millie had to weigh the pros & cons and make a decision based on what she felt in her heart. After hours of soul-searching & immersing herself in some heavy-duty contemplative thought, she decided Alonso was the one, there could be no other. Millie's animal attraction to him was simply too strong. Besides, if for whatever reason things didn't work out between Alonso & her, she could always reach out to Cody later. Maybe he would find someone else in that time? That was a risk Millie was willing to take.

The holiday weekend had passed so quickly, it was already Tuesday, time to hit the grindstone again. "It's really true." Millie thought. "Time does fly by when you're having fun." This relatively inane observation to any other person would seem cliché, but, to Millie whose life was usually at best lonely: dull, boring &perpetually mundane, this was a semi-prolific revelation. As she sat down at her desk Millie thought she would choke to death for sure. The air in the office was

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stale, dank, lifeless. There was a huge pile of invoice folders stacked ram-shackled in the corner of her cubicle that was nearly as tall as she, and her supervisor needed them filed A.S.A.P! Millie, being the consummate good minion got started right away. About two hours into her appointed task, she had barely made a dent in the mountainous profusion of papers. Her head just wasn't in the game today and she knew why, she had Alonso on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about him: his neatly trimmed Italian chest hair, the adorable Magnum Pi, dimple in his chin, his cute little ass. Millie had definite plans for Alonso; if it was the last thing she did she would be his woman!

The day's drudgery was weighing Millie down; it was the same thing all the time over & over again: filing, data input & memos. She had dreams at one time. As a girl she fantasized about being a famous clothing designer, and traveling the world to exotic locations to discover spectacular, new fabrics & patterns that nobody had seen before. Putting on grand elaborate fashion shows in Milan, & Paris, being the toast of high society. But Millie's overbearing drunk of a mother quickly crushed those "pie in the sky" flights of fancy. Her mother's unrelenting brow-beatings, had taken their toll over the years. Her favorite line was, "fashion designer, huh! You'll be lucky if you make it out of high-school without getting knocked-up by the janitor." Yes sir, she was a real sweet-heart of a woman, she knew just how to inspire greatness from her little girl. It was because of demoralizing pearls of wisdom like