Lucy grinned. “I'd never seen a penis before I was sixteen. I hadn't a clue what to do, but Steve had seen enough of his elder brother's pornos to guide me. It was a great time.”
Tonya had a rush of jealousy. She hadn't had a boyfriend in ages, only attention from men she didn't find attractive.
“I've got something incredible to tell you. You won't believe it,” Tonya said.
Lucy sipped her wine and looked at her friend with curiosity. “I'm all ears.”
“You know Dr. Crosby?”
“Oh my God, he's so hot. If I weren't married, I'd—”
“Not you as well. My mom told me the same thing. Well anyway, he wants me to be his girlfriend.”
Lucy spat her wine back into her glass. “You what? You lucky bitch.” Her eyes widened, and now she was the jealous one.
“It's not as simple as you might think. You know Mom and I are finding it hard to make ends meet?” Lucy nodded. “Well I was upset the other day about Mom, and he noticed and asked me what was wrong. I told him about our financial troubles.” Lucy was now sitting on the edge of her seat, hanging onto every word. “He asked me to go and see him the next day, so I did. And guess what he told me?” Lucy was stunned and incapable of guessing. Her mouth fell open, and she slowly wiggled her head from side to side. “He told me if I were to consent to be his girlfriend, he would pay off all our debts.”
“Jesus Christ,” Lucy said after a while. “Snap his hand off. You won't get another offer like that again, especially from a man like him.”
“I asked him if being his girlfriend included having sex.”
A look of dismay came over Lucy's face. “Of course it means having sex. That's the whole point of having a boyfriend. Really, when were you born, in the eighteen hundreds?”
“I know. It was a stupid question. He said he wanted sex.”
“Great. You'll have to tell me what he's like in bed. Doctors know all about female anatomy. I bet he makes you come so often you'll beg him to stop.”
A bird flew overhead, and Tonya wished she could climb up on it and be carried away to a far off land. “But in my opinion, that's the same as prostitution. He pays me, and I have sex.”
“My dear friend, what's the difference between that and what Steve does for me? It's his house, his money, and I give him sex.”
“You're married. What Dr. Crosby wants is the same as in that film. What was it called? You know, with Robert Redford.”
“Indecent Proposal.”
“Yes. That's it. He's made me an indecent proposal.”
Lucy finished her wine in one gulp and poured another glass. She was enjoying this conversation very much. “I'll admit it's a bit unusual, but if were you I would take it. Just imagine all your money worries, gone. And what's a bit of sex? If he turns out to be a lousy lover, which I'm sure he's not, just lay on your back and let him do it.”
“Very helpful. Thanks,” Tonya said sarcastically.
*****
Gretta was talking to Mrs. Bain when Tonya arrived at the office.
“Tonya, thank heavens you're here. I can't make head nor tail of this young lady. I need my prescription. Where is it?”
“Mrs. Bain, don't you remember? You get your prescription at the dispensary in town, not from here. Gretta, take Mrs. Bain to the dispensary and make sure she gets her prescription please.”
Gretta flashed Tonya a dirty look, as if to say she'd had enough of the old lady already, but Tonya didn't take any notice; she had other things on her mind. She walked through the empty waiting room and knocked on Dr. Crosby's door.
The room smelled just as nice as the day before. Whatever shower gel he used, she liked it. “Dr. Crosby—” she began.
“Call me Marcus, please,” he said.
“Er...Marcus”—it seemed strange calling him Marcus—“I want to reply to our conversation yesterday.” He didn't say anything. “I think what you have offered is inappropriate. You have done nothing more than proposition me. Use me, in fact. You have used your superior wealth to try to get me to do something I don't want to do. And to be frank, I think you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Did I hear you correctly? That I should be ashamed of myself? Shall we look at the situation?” He looked her straight in the eyes with a glare that made her uneasy. “You are the one in need, not me, so perhaps you should be a bit more civil to me. In addition, this facility belongs to me, and you work for me. Think about that next time you insult me. I'm sure there are plenty of other jobs out there.”
“Are you threatening me?” Tonya asked, her blood beginning to boil.
“Not at all. I'm simply pointing out that I made you a reasonable offer, and you are being ungrateful.”
She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Never. I will never take you up on your ridiculous offer. How could you? I'm not a piece of trash you can take to bed for money.”
Marcus cringed as she slammed the door and the pictures of his yacht almost fell from the wall.
*****