CHAPTER 7

WILLA

When Billy Bob declared our deal was off, I was overwhelmed with disappointment. My feelings for him confused me. He was an average, ordinary man. But with his warm friendly eyes, relaxed demeanor, and easy smile, along with his character and personality he moved me like no guy ever had in my entire life!  

When he dropped me off after our last horseback ride, I couldn’t stop thinking about my brief history with him. Things like the contented look on his face as we watched a beautiful sunset together while sitting on horseback. He and I racing and playing tag on the horses. On the way to our third riding session, he did something I’ll never forget. He had pulled over at a lemonade stand where a little boy and two little girls were eagerly awaiting some business. He came back with two cups, handing me one.

“It’s really good,” I said after I tasted it.

“I have an idea,” Billy Bob said.

He reached under his seat and pulled out a thermos. He dumped out about half a cup of coffee and rinsed it with a partial bottle of water. He went back to the kids and had them fill the thermos with lemonade, then he gave each of them a five-dollar bill. At least it was really good.

As we pulled away from the lemonade stand, I turned around to look at the little ones behind us. They were jumping up and down with pure joy. Then I looked at Billy Bob as he gazed ahead at the road and nonchalantly sipped lemonade, oblivious to the amazingly happy affect he’d had on the kids. It was the first time I’d had a taste of what it felt like to fall in love with a man.

Not only did I want to keep seeing Billy Bob, I now felt, not only a desire to go to the wedding, but a need. I wanted a bigger glimpse into Billy Bob’s world. I especially wanted to see what his ex was like. She had to be a completely brain-dead ditz to dump a man like him. To be honest, I really wanted to make her jealous. I wanted revenge on a woman I didn’t even know.

Then something occurred to me. If paying for a pretend date was the issue, why couldn’t I just give the money back and be an authentic date? So, the following day I took extra care in applying my makeup. I slid on my highest-quality stockings with my best heels. I put on my sexiest, most elegant dress, and I went to Billy Bob’s home, determined to accompany him to the wedding.

I hadn’t been to Billy Bob’s place before. He lived out in the country in a small house that he rented. It was a two-bedroom ranch. I was relieved when I saw his truck in front of a one stall garage. I was strangely nervous as I walked from my car to his front door. I took several deep breaths as a variety of thoughts and emotions whirled in my head.

“Willa, what are you doing here?” Billy Bob had asked, utterly surprised. I instantly began to make my case to accompany him at the wedding. Now Billy Bob may have been the most wholesome man I had ever known, but he was still a man. I could tell he liked the way I looked, even though he did his best not to notice. I was used to being overly confident with my sex appeal, so I had to work extra to win him over.

Relying on my charm and not looks alone was not easy, so I wasn’t surprised when he resisted. I also knew he would be a gentleman who would discipline his eyes. So I implemented what I felt like would be my strongest weapon, physical contact. In particular, a kiss. And not just a kiss, but a lingering mouth to mouth lip lock if possible.

When we kissed it blew me away, taking me to a wonderful place with which I was unfamiliar. I wanted more, much more of this man. I was both exhilarated and frightened of my feelings for him. Yet I had to play it cool. Then typical Billy Bob, he told me what he thought about my eyes as half of my breasts were exposed less than a foot below his eyes.

There was no doubt about it, I was falling in love with Billy Bob. But was he with me? If so, where would we go with it? Even though I was having these overwhelming feelings, I was uncertain that I could give up my profession. I just made too much easy money. On Billy Bob’s side, I couldn’t see him with a former sex worker, let alone an active one. He even told me as much.

When we got to the wedding, the church was crowded. Not surprisingly, many people were delighted to see Billy Bob. I used the restroom before we went into the sanctuary. When I came back out into the foyer, Billy Bob was talking to a woman with a man standing just behind her. By the body language of the trio, I surmised that she was his ex, and the man was her new beau. I sauntered up to Billy Bob and laced our fingers together in a manner that showed familiarity. I smiled at the couple.

My first impression of Carly Brooks was that she looked like a witch with her pointy nose and mean, beady eyes. Other than these features, she was more attractive than I expected with long blonde hair, a wide sensuous mouth, and athletic legs. Even though she smiled at me, I could see the glare of dislike in her eyes. Carly’s man seemed like a pompous, know-it-all nerd. He reminded me of Sheldon from the television show The Big Bang Theory.

“Carly, Niles, this is my friend, Willa Waconia,” Billy Bob introduced. “Willa, this is Carly Brooks and Niles Wentworth.”

I almost burst out laughing. Niles Wentworth! Did his name cause him to evolve into the pompous nerd before me?

Niles beamed at me with what he probably thought was a charming smile. Unlike Billy Bob, his eyes frequently darted to my chest. “How do you do, Willa? By the way, it’s actually Dr. Niles Wentworth.”

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Niles Wentworth,” I chimed cheerily. “I do quite fine, thank you.”

“I bet you do,” he replied, not even trying to hide his arrogant flirting.

“Glad to make your acquaintance,” Carly said with an obviously forced smile as she shook my hand.

“Likewise,” I beamed, glancing at Billy Bob and then back to Carly. “It is a little awkward meeting the ex, though.”

“It doesn’t need to be,” Carly said, her smile seeming genuine now. “Besides, I didn’t hear girl in front of friend when Billy introduced you.”

“He’s just being low key,” I replied, hoping she couldn’t tell that my smile was also forced. “Aren’t you, sweetie?”

Billy Bob smiled, blushed, and shrugged.

“I guess I owe you a big thank you for making this incredible man available,” I told Carly before I kissed Billy Bob’s cheek, causing his blush to turn a deeper shade of crimson.

Carly glared at me as her forced smile slowly evaporated. I stared back at her with a satisfied countenance until she looked away. “Well, it was good to see you, William,” Carly said.

“Nice seeing you too, Carly,” Billy Bob said and then nodded at her man. “Niles.”

“William,” he said, shaking Billy Bob’s hand.

“Willa,” Niles said to my breasts before he shook my hand.

“I’m truly happy for you both,” Carly said, looking back and forth between Billy Bob and me. If she was Pinocchio, her nose would have grown.

“Thank you,” Billy Bob and I replied at the same time, as I looped my arm through his and snuggled into him a little.

As we watched Carly and Niles drift away from us, Billy Bob and I really felt like a couple in that moment. I genuinely liked the feeling too. No – I loved the feeling!

“That wasn’t so bad,” Billy Bob said with a satisfied sigh.

“It went well, sweetie,” I said smiling.

“Why do I feel kind of bad, yet also rather wonderful?” Billy Bob asked, still grinning.

“Don’t you dare feel bad,” I told him as I bumped my hip into his. “You did not pay for this. I’m here because I truly want to be with you.”

Billy Bob put an arm around my waist, pulling me in for a brief squeeze against him and kissed me on the cheek. As he released me, the feeling of being a couple intensified. I put both of my hands on his cheeks and pecked him quickly on the lips. When I turned away from him, I noticed Carly had been watching us and she instantly looked away. I grinned and did a mental fist pump. Later at the reception, when dancing began, Billy Bob refused to shake a leg at first. When a slow song came on, I pleaded with him to go out on the floor with me, especially when I saw Carly and Niles go out.

“Come on, Billy Bob,” I begged. “All you have to do is put your arms around my back and sway.

“Alright, I’ll give it a try,” he said after watching Carly and Niles for a minute.

I took Billy Bob by the hand and led him onto the dance floor. I laced my arms around his neck, and he placed his hands behind my lower back. He moved stiffly at first, but soon began matching my gentle rhythm. Once he got comfortable, I noticed him sneak a peek at his ex and her cheesy lover.

“Niles Wentworth? Seriously?” I whispered into Billy Bob’s ear. “Did he evolve into that name or what?”

“You mean Dr. Niles Wentworth,” Billy Bob whispered back. “And, yes, it does seem to fit him pretty well.”

We both laughed. Since Billy Bob wasn’t used to dancing, I was in the lead. So I guided us a little closer to Carly and Niles. I tried not to look obvious by getting too close. When I was happy with our position, I began to kiss Billy Bob.

“Willa,” he said looking around as if embarrassed. But when he looked back at me, I could tell he found my lip maneuvers pleasant.

I had accomplished my goal, though. I caught a glimpse of Carly looking at us as Niles undressed me with his eyes. I laughed and hugged Billy Bob tight as the song ended. He picked me up off the ground and spun me around once, as I squealed in delight. I leaned my head on his shoulder as we walked off the dance floor hand in hand. Something was stirring in me, and it had nothing to do with our little game.

“I can’t thank you enough, Willa,” Billy Bob told me after he pulled up to my home. “I had a great time tonight.”

“Remember, you owe me at least one more horse ride,” I told him.

“For sure, I told you we’d still go again. Let’s do it next week even,” Billy Bob said with a smile. “Well, I guess it’s time to say goodnight.”

“Billy?” I asked, feeling strangely nervous. “Will you spend the night with me?”

“Willa, you know I can’t.”

“A girl can try, can’t she?”

“It’s a temptation, to be sure.”

“So, give in.”

Billy Bob laughed and brushed his hand gently against my cheek. I felt tears begin to build behind my eyes. Once again, William Robert caused foreign sensations to course through me. What was I gonna do with these feelings I had for this true gentleman? Yet I knew we simply weren’t suited for each other. The thing is, my head knew this, but my heart didn’t. But realistically, he was a devout Christian, and I had a lucrative adult entertainment business.

“Thanks again, Miss Waconia.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr. Booker.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” I replied, but I didn’t get out of the truck. I just sat and smiled seductively at him.

“What?” he said with both a grin and a frown.

“Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?”

“Sure,” he said, shrugging. He leaned toward me and pecked my cheek.

“You can do better than that,” I said as I hooked my hand around his neck and pulled him back. He didn’t resist, and we kissed quite passionately. After a minute I slowly reached for his hand and moved it to my thigh.

“Willa,” Billy Bob mumbled as he reluctantly pulled away.

Although I was experienced dealing with men, I wasn’t experienced with romance. But I did know enough that when it came to intimacy, it was much more common for the man to drive things forward, and for the woman to apply the brakes. Oh well, we were far from a typical pairing.

“Billy Bob,” I murmured back, as I pulled his face back to mine. After a few minutes, I tried moving his hand back to my thigh. I’m ashamed to admit this now, but I really wanted to make love with him that night. So much it hurt.

“Willa, you’re killing me,” he gushed.

“And you’re killing me,” I gasped.

We stared at each other for a long, awkward moment. “I need to go!”

“Why?” I pleaded.

“We’re not ever gonna be a couple,” he said with regret. “We can’t just be sexual without commitment.”

I hated these feelings of longing and loss! I felt such strange desires for love and companionship. I also felt tormented, lost, and confused as he rejected me. The irony was not beyond me. I had such respect for his rejection of my seduction. Yet if he would have given in to temptation, I would have lost much, if not all, of my admiration. Oh the human condition!

“Buddies?” Billy Bob asked with a sweet smile as he offered a hand.

“Buddies,” I conceded as I put my hand in his. “You’re gonna take me horseback riding next week, right? Promise?”

“Right. I Promise.” The urge to kiss him again was almost overwhelming. What had this man done to me? A few weeks ago, I was an atheist who was mostly comfortable with how I earned a living. After getting to know Billy Bob, I was now an agnostic who was mostly uncomfortable with my occupation. But I made a lot of money! The love of which is the root of all evil. I also found myself truly wanting to be loved by a man for the first time in my life.

As I walked away, Billy Bob stood and watched. As my behind wiggled on the stairs, I just knew that amazing man was watching Willa the person and not her sexy body. As I realized this, coupled with the fact that I couldn’t have him, I just let the tears spill from my eyes. What was happening to me?

It took a long time to get to sleep as my thoughts churned. If I gave up my job, would he have me? But what if I did, and he didn’t? And what about Carly? At the wedding, she seemed more focused on Billy Bob than the guy she was with. Call it women’s intuition, but this gave me a bad feeling. I could tell that the chemistry was off between Dr. Niles and Carly.

My gut also told me that Billy Bob still loved her. I just knew it. A few hours ago, I had made Carly jealous. Now, as I lay sleepless in Cedar Rapids, I felt jealous of her.