Make it do what it do

Wednesday

Sasha returned to her modest hotel room after a long day of presentations and session participation. She promised to meet Jesus and other attendees for the networking happy hour. After selecting a business casual outfit she rifles through her suitcase looking for her underwear. After her third search came up empty she picked up her phone, selected Big D from her contact list and waited impatiently. "Hey Sweetheart," Daryl answers pleasantly.

"Don't sweetheart me…you are holding my underwear hostage.

"I am not. Do you honestly believe I would let you leave without panties? Check the front pouch of your weekend bag," Daryl directs.

Sasha grabs the Army green, quilted weekend duffle with cognac leather straps; unzipping the front and searching inside. She pulls out a package of Jockey seamless panties. "Are you serious?" her voice elevates.

"Deadly…those are travel panties. The ones you tried to pack were not interested in leaving…we talked about," he explains without a hint of shame.

"You had a discussion with my panties…you are absolutely a fool," she shakes her head.

"You're jealous because we have an understanding," he teases.

"Well if I can't use them neither can you…whatever dirty deeds you have planned are off the table." she challenges.

Daryl is silent, "Look here Sasha we agreed on phone sex before you left."

"I don't know Daryl…I probably won't feel very sexy later. Choices have consequences…enjoy your evening," she disconnects the call.

Andre's vintage white Jaguar with the white leather interior pulled to a stop in front of the elegant home on Oak Street. To his surprise a simple turn on the dance floor at his niece's wedding reception caused him to open a door he purposely closed a decade ago when his wife lost her battle with ovarian cancer.

He thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Williams' company and continued to get to know her via e-mail during the day and intimate phone calls in the evenings. The burgeoning relationship with Eva was fresh and enthralling. At this stage in their lives they had no illusions about who they are as individuals or what they want from a companion; they were two full grown adults enjoying each other's company and exploring what life still had to offer.

He approached the front door in a dapper black pinstriped, double breasted suit with a striking eggplant colored tie and matching pocket square. His Bostonian's were buffed to perfection at the old school barbershop while he received a classic straight razor shave with brush applied cream and a hot towel. He clasped the Magnolia corsage in the floral box with both hands after ringing the door bell.

Eva opened the door gently and offered a dazzling smile to her gentleman caller. "Good evening Andre…please come in…I only need a moment."

His savored her presence. The dusty rose silk blouse with the asymmetrical collar tucked neatly into her soft grey palazzo pants highlighted her voluptuous curves and flawless brown skin. Her fresh roller set allowed her silver curls and waves to lay effortless across the crown of her head evoking images of Dorothy Dandridge and Diahann Carroll. She gestured to the well appointed living room for him to take a seat as she disappeared down the hallway. She re-emerged minutes later carrying a silver evening bag and shimmering grey pashmina wrap. "I think I'm ready…thank you for your patience."

"Actually," he stood, "I think you are missing a little something," he gestures toward her with the corsage in his hand. "I know this is terribly old-fashioned but a beautiful woman should never leave unadorned by the best of nature's bounty."

Eva extended her left arm, "I do declare…real men still exist. I am definitely looking forward to what tonight has to offer."

Andre removed the corsage and secured it to her wrist, "The best is yet to come." He raises his arm to usher them into a night filled with infinite possibilities.

Thursday

"Cut!" the director bellowed across the Kings' County cable access studio. The crew and staff groaned in frustration. He approached the pair standing awkwardly in the middle of the set. The standard amount of time allocated for filming a local business infomercial was 2-3 hours. The KCSF shoot approached hour 6 with no end in sight.

The first sets of delays were caused by the female co-star's multiple, ridiculous wardrobe, hair and make-up changes. Not only was her presence unnecessary but her relentless demands caused typically patient staff to threaten resignation or homicide-whichever seemed more effective in the moment.

The second sets of delays were caused by the male spokesperson who wore more tactical gear than a full SWAT team. The superfluous weapons on the gun belt as well as the heavy body armor clashed with the sound and boom microphone equipment creating excruciating feedback for the engineer to manage as well as rendering the scripted lines he insisted on shouting almost unintelligible.

The director approached the pair ready to unleash the venom churning in his gut over the course of the day. "Enough! Mr. Walsh…I have instructed, pleaded and now I am demanding that you stop shouting your lines or gritting them through clenched teeth and a tight jaw. The boom operator is more than capable of picking up your voice. The delivery does not make you appear tough…quite the opposite. Your performance will be perceived as unhinged. For the love of God, stop scowling. If you want the people to buy your services that cannot be afraid of you."

He then turns to Lori who stands stiff as a board in the middle of the set staged to resemble a scene from 'Gone with the Wind'. "I did my best to dissuade you from the Ms. America ball gown but you would not relent. At this point can you at least stop gesturing like you are turning letters on the 'Wheel of Fortune'?

The crew snickers and rolls their eyes. At this point in the day the craft services table lost any appeal and the double time pay does not make a difference. Bonnie Rae and Karen stand off to the side passing a vacuum insulated stainless steel water bottle back and forth. Hour five broke their will to live so they pulled out the home-made sangria in an effort to comply with the client contract. "I thought the outside action shots of them posing next to the Hummer, arriving in the Hummer…departing in the Hummer were dumb. At this point, that may be the best footage."

"I agree…it seriously took him a half a hour to get her to stop waving like the Queen of England. Who waves in their own home? Not to mention she appears not to blink…it is all wide eyes like she is surprised by everything that is happening around her."

Bonnie Rae throws back another tart swig of the fragrant punch, "Remind me again of all the fees we charged so I don't run screaming from the room."

"You got it Babe…starting with our individual hourly rates," Karen runs through their contract rates line by line stopping periodically to calculate the current total as well as estimates of the final bill.

Their dream vacation with Nike and Athena at the Grand Canyon is now a reality thanks to the Desperate Duo.

Friday

Justice meets with DA Monroe. "Thanks for being flexible. This may be the biggest case of my career and an effective post trial press conference is crucial for the victim and the community to move forward. Kings' County needs to place this incident in our rear view mirror," she explains.

"I am eager about the work. The folder contains two drafts of the remarks you will deliver from the podium on the courthouse steps. You can pick one over the other or pick specific passages from each and we can create a third version. I recognize the significance of this case," Justice replies solemnly.

"Thank you…this is first rate work," Deanna responds as her eyes skim the text. "I will make my selection by this time next week which gives us another week for the final draft plus a week for me to rehearse," she concludes.

Justice updates the calendar on her phone. "I have scheduled us for the next two Fridays. If anything changes you can contact me by e-mail or a phone call." she stands, extends her hand and prepares to exit.

"Crisp, professional and thorough…your career will be quite exemplary," DA Monroe compliments returning the gesture.

"Thank you Ma'am." Justice retreats and prepares to catch Carl for a ride home. I cannot wait to surprise him with dinner out this weekend.