Chapter 5

Story and photographs ©2019 secretdollsbusiness.com

On her way to work the morning following the speed dating (Saturday) Rini found herself more pensive than usual.  She just couldn’t stop thinking about the man she had met there last night.  Stephen.  He was gorgeous and oh so sexy.  Muscly, and those blue eyes, and she had always liked bald men …  When he had accidentally touched her hand there had been an immediate transfer of electricity between them.  She had shrunk back, much to her chagrin.  But he had been good about that.  Images of what he would look like naked kept popping into her head;  she just couldn’t stop them.  Her whole being was aching for him.  And not just in a sexual way.  She had felt so comfortable with him, as if she had just returned home after a life-long journey.

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She was tingling all over and couldn’t stop fidgeting.  That was a bad sign.

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Traffic was heavy this morning.  Everyone seemed to be out on the roads, doing their shopping, etc, when what they really should have been doing was spending time on the beach.  The weather was hot and dry on this lovely summer’s day.

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For a few moments Rini found herself wishing she, too, were anywhere other than here in traffic on this glorious day.

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But as she thought about her plants she felt reinvigorated.

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A short while later and after picking up some plants she arrived at her greenhouse.

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She parked her car and sighed with relief.  She was home.

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She loved this place, her plants were like family to her.

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Also, the greenhouse was all hers, no bank loan, just hers.  She had purchased it with the commissions from her first year as a garden designer.

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She surveyed her domain, taking in each and every plant and its state of health and well-being.  It was a much loved daily ritual.

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She started the daily watering and felt her mind ease.  Here she relaxed.

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For the next few hours she let her mind go empty, potting up one plant after another, in a moving meditation.  This was her happy place, and she never tired of touching the crisp, delicate leaves, contrasted against the soft soil and rougher mulch.  And it all smelled so wonderful.

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Later that night, at Edoya Japanese restaurant in Russell Street, Melbourne:

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The food looked delicious!

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They were preparing take-out as well.

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The server handed the take-out bag to the other man in the waiting area.

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Yusuru was already waiting for Rini and extremely happy to see her.  He greeted her with a broad grin.

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She approached him with a genuine bounce in her step …

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… and immediately felt pangs of genuine guilt and regret.  Yusuru was such a lovely man, and here she had essentially gone and thrown her heart away on someone else.

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It was early in the evening and the restaurant was still fairly empty as they were walking to their intimate table in the far right corner of the restaurant.

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As soon as they were seated, he quickly asked the burning question that was on his mind.

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She grinned broadly.

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Rini cringed inwardly.  What a dumb question;  as an architect he knew full well what it took to landscape front and back gardens.  The small-talk couldn’t have been any more awkward. What to say, what to say???

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Before he could embarrass himself with another dumb question, the server arrived with menus.

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She nodded enthusiastically.  Wine, oh yes, quickly.

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Yusuru read his menu intently, while Rini just smiled to herself.  She had already decided.

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She almost burst out laughing, but checked herself at the last second.  This was his world, no need to make him feel bad.

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Rini smiled at him disarmingly.  Poor sod, it wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t Stephen. She resolved to have a nice evening regardless, and to make Yusuru feel good about their date.  After all, it was very nice of him to take her out and share  “his” favourite restaurant with her.

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He launched straight into his favourite subject.

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She stared at him blankly.  She just hadn’t heard the question, was trying to enjoy her soup.  She smiled disarmingly.

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Awkward.

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Oh God no!

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Their entrees arrived along with their mains, in true Japanese style.  This wasn’t a la carte dining, just good home cooking.

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The finality in her tone startled him.  He spoke very softly.

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After they finished their desserts Yusuru tried to take it further.

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Although she had agreed to another date, she knew she probably wouldn’t be going out with him again except on a pure friendship basis, if he was amenable to that.  He was a nice enough guy and she loved that he was Japanese, but there was no spark there for her.  Certainly not when she compared her feelings towards Yusuru to those she was harbouring for Stephen.  She definitely wasn’t feeling any sexual chemistry and lust was important to her in a relationship.  

He wanted her to meet his dog and look at his drawings and taste his mother’s cooking, but her heart just wasn’t in it.  And if she was being really honest with herself, she had to admit that she found Yusuru quite boring.  Such a shame.

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When Rini finally got home she found 7 messages from Stephen on her answering machine.  He had started calling during the morning and continued until 10 minutes before she got home.  

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She was elated, she had been hoping and praying that he would ring.

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She undressed slowly, lost in thought.

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She took a quick shower and got changed into her pajamas.  

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What a yummie, yummie man.

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She threw back the covers and wondered for the thousandth time today what his hands would feel like on her body.

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She thought of his beautiful, melodic baritone. 

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If only he could be here in bed with her.

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At least he had rung her.  Seven times!!!

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Would he call back tomorrow?  Or would he think she wasn’t interested because she hadn’t answered his calls?

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She tried to remember his heavenly smell.  What would it be like making love to him?

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Just after 11 am, as she was reading her morning newspaper in bed, a call came through – and it was him!  She pounced on it, driven by the butterflies in her tummy (and elsewhere, butterflies all over really).

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They went straight to face time.  She didn’t even care about not wearing any make-up, she just wanted to see and hear him, immediately.

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No need to tell him she had been on a date.  Or should she have said it, just to keep him on his toes?

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Wait for it …

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She smiled, a big, wide, happy smile that couldn’t hide her excitement.  Time for a big fat lie.

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She laughed.

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She reveled in the sound of his voice, deep, resonant, rich and sensuous, it reverberated through her entire being.  She could have listened to him read the phone book to her and would have been happy.

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There was steel in his voice, but his expression remained friendly.  She knew from her Dad not to ask further questions about it.  Either he couldn’t tell her at all, or he just couldn’t tell her over the phone.  He would tell her, in time.

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He smiled warmly and shifted in his seat.

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She sighed a long, sad sigh.

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She laughed.

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She giggled happily.

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She felt a huge wave of relief after having confessed her feelings about her mother, one she was unfamiliar with, because as a rule, she never spoke about her.

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She really needed to get up and start working, but she just couldn’t let go of him just yet – Friday was such a long way away.

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She put down her Ipad and sighed.  What a man!  He had helped her finally make a decision about adopting both a cat and a dog, which she’d been struggling with for years.  Better still, he would come with her to the shelter!

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He wanted more kids!  He couldn’t be more perfect.

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He had a fish tank!

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If his hands were as good as his voice he would be an incredible lover …

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Ooooohhhhhh.  Oooooohhhh.  Oooooohhhhh. …

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Meanwhile, at the offices of The Daily Dross, Mimi had just returned from a politician’s press conference at Government House in a dark mood.  Fucking politicians, always had to interrupt someone’s quiet weekend to make their daily soundbite on TV as well as a few column inches in the press.  Arseholes.  She swept into reception on a cloud of hot summer air and greeted April, the weekend receptionist.

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Grunting a response Mimi made her way to the Deputy Editor’s desk.

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After posting her story she thought about what was really bothering her:   her non-existent love life.  Or rather sex life, for what she wanted wasn’t love but hot, steamy, naughty, outrageous, passionate, delicious, plentiful, mind blowing and sheet destroying sex.  No emotional chit chat, just pure fucking.

And she knew just where and how to get it.

A few weeks ago she had posted a story on an escort agency that serviced only females with straight men.  The men varied in age and were supposedly gorgeous.  Many held down regular jobs and supplemented their income with a little – or a lot – of fun on the side.  Mimi hadn’t got to meet any of the men, just the female managers of the agency.  The agency had no commercial premises, so most of their clients got hotel rooms for their trysts with the boys, although home visits were available.

Mimi had organized an anonymous credit card and loaded it ready to go for several hours.  At $400 for the first hour and $300 per hour thereafter she’d had to save up a bit because she wanted at least one full night.  Now she was finally ready to make a booking.  Once that was locked in she would get a hotel reservation for the night.

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First she looked through the guys’ profiles.  There were 15 to choose from.  And they all sounded delicious.  Unfortunately there were no proper photos, just shadowy figures against a grey and black background.  Each man claimed to have a  ‘specialty’.  The one promising a 15-minute orgasm immediately appealed to her.

There were Australians, an Englishman, a Frenchman, a South American hottie who, at 25, was probably too young for her, a Russian, a Swede and – naturally – an African American stud.  All the cliches were present, there was a  “Tradie”, a  “Chef”,  several  “Gentlemen”,  “Business men”  and one  “Fashion Model”.  Oh yes, an “International porn star”.  Of course.

Each man had a blurb to sell themselves accompanying their nondescript photo.  They all promised  “sensual delights”, something called  “The Boyfriend Experience”, and all of them claimed to  “understand a woman’s needs”.  The words and descriptions made her laugh out loud.

“Real and ravishing moments”.  

“Maybe… You want someone in charge… who gets you in minutes… and surprises you for hours…”  

“… how about we explore your deep desire… with patience… with care… I will be confident yet playful, gentle yet firm, whatever your desires may be, your pleasure will be fulfilled… the ones you know and the others…”  

And this clanger:  ” Most women struggle to find a companion that can take them on a journey and stimulate their most inner desires. I understand what women want through some personal development I’ve done through the years.  Let me make you feel special, and keep memorable moments that most likely will make you come back for more.”  Oh really?  She mimed sticking a finger down her throat.

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“It must be PERFECT.  (I will make that happen)”.   Time would tell.

What the hell, one for the road (totally unchanged, it really reads exactly like this, including the spelling and grammatical errors):  “Welcome ladies … I bring you great honour to meet with you as I will bring you a great joyful experience. Along with my lushes locks and nice face I will bring your great pleasure and anything you want as I am great to talk to. With me with you will feel like nothing else matters but you. I wont only make you feel special but will remind you how special you really are. I am will also help your self esteem and mentally”. 

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Startled, she quickly cleared her screen.

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Straight after the photographer has left she is back on the website, finally settling on the following offering:

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She quickly organized her hotel room and sat back with a feeling of great satisfaction.  She was taking her future into her hands, for once.

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It was mid evening when Rini finally admitted to herself that she was not getting ANYTHING done.  She had tried all day to work but it was useless.  She should have just spent the day with Stephen.  All she could think about was that man.  Worse still, after talking about Michael Bolton she had felt the need to get out some of the old CDs and listen to his songs.  And that had made her super horny.  And not horny for sex either, but horny for love and deep, spiritual and physical connection.  The desire she felt for him was overwhelming.  If only she could call him, go out with him …  Instead, she ordered a pizza and turned on the TV.  And when the phone finally rang she pounced on it with joy.

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3 minutes later her phone rang again.  This time it was Stephen.

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Stephen chuckles to himself.  God she was gorgeous.

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Suddenly the door bell rings.

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To be continued …

Story and photographs ©2019 secretdollsbusiness.com

Chapter 4, Part 2

Stories and Photographs ©2016 secretdollsbusiness

It’s break time at Friday Night speed dating in Alfredton.  The restroom fills quickly as girls file in en masse.

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They proceed to discuss all their eligible and not so eligible choices, but all too soon the short break is over and the painful small talk resumes with Bachelor Number 7, the guy they have all been drooling over.

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Ding!

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Ding!

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Ding!

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Ding!

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Ding!

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Rini reeled, but then quickly composed herself.  She hadn’t looked at it from his perspective.  He’d probably thought that this sexting thing was the way early dating was done these days.  It had been an easy enough mistake to make.

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Ding!  Ding!  Ding!  Ding!!!!

All the guys got up and returned to their original seats, all except Stephen, who managed to quickly slip in opposite Rini, much to the chagrin of the guy who’d been looking forward to sitting across from her again.  He got Lotti instead.

Nina wrapped up the evening.

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Timothy scampered off in search of a waiter and alcohol, and Lily turned to the girls.

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Meanwhile Rini was gripped by feelings she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time.  As she looked into Stephen’s eyes a frisson of excitement shot straight through her, shaking her to her core.  There it was.  That sensation of utter excitement mixed with terror at the thought of it not being requited.  Sheer, pure, unadulterated lust had gripped her in its clutches.  She cleared her throat but couldn’t speak.  Stephen raised his glass.

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Meanwhile, at another table …

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And right next to Rini, Lily is getting to know Timothy.

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Sadly, the night is coming to an end, and Stephen asks the question he’s been dying to ask for hours.

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He reached across the table for her hand.  She shrunk back as if stung by a bee, but not before a huge bolt of electricity had charged through from his hand to hers.  She sat back startled, wide eyed, and stammered a response.

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He looked utterly devastated for a moment.

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There was a slight tremor in his deep baritone.

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A big, wide smile adorned his face again.

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TO BE CONTINUED …

Chapter 4, Part 1

 

Stories and Photographs ©2016 secretdollsbusiness

It’s Friday night and everyone has assembled at Purple Bar in Alfredton for the speed dating session that is held there once per month by David and Nina Fisher.

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(Editor’s note:  David and Nina actually got divorced six months after they married, but let’s not let that get in the way of a good business story)

 

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There’s some nervous laughter.  Trust Lucas to be the smartarse.

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A murmurmed  “No”  echoes through the room.

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Immediately the din of many voices speaking at once erupts.

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Mimi feels slightly claustrophobic as she greets the guy sitting opposite her with what she hopes is a warm smile.  After all, it’s not his fault.  Plenty of time to kill Lily later.

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Ding!

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Ding!

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Ding!

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Lily was right in her element, which was good, given she was the one who’d dragged them all here.

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Ding!

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Ding!

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Ding!  Ding!  Ding!  Ding!!!

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Everyone seems to get up at once to start moving around and go to refill their drinks, but our girls – apart from Lily – are still sitting there, shell-shocked.

 

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 TO BE CONTINUED …

Chapter 3

Stories and Photographs ©2016 secretdollsbusiness

After a very long day, Rini is tossing and turning in her bed.

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She’s trying her darndest to relax and empty her mind but nothing seems to work.

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Back and forth her brain jumps, mulling over the events of the day.

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She takes some sleeping tablets and climbs back into bed.

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She tries to go back to sleep, but the tablets aren’t working.  She is as awake as awake gets.  She gets up again.

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Now she’s chasing sleeping tablets with aspirin.

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She decides to get up properly and move around until the tablets kick in.  After wandering around for a while, she settles in the living room, pulling out the computer to check her internet dating profile –  again.

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Two days later Rini is preparing for her first date with Yusuru.  They are meeting at Alfred’s Bistro, just down the road from her place, and her father is coming along to keep an eye on proceedings.

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A few minutes later, down town in Alfredton, a very tall, very handsome and very nervous Japanese man slides onto an empty chair opposite Rini at Alfred’s Bistro.

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Simultaneous awkward laughter ensues.  Thankfully, their lunch arrives, at least giving them something to do with their nervous hands.

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And so they started talking.  They had a lot in common and were quite similar in personality.  Soon it felt as if they had known each other for a long time, rather than just a few minutes.  Yusuru constantly had to hold himself in check so as not to stare at her – she really was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

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She was a little embarrassed, but it sure was nice to be complimented so flatteringly.

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They organize a time to meet, exchange phone numbers and with a quick parting hug he is gone, leaving Rini to ponder what her Dad would have to say about him.

TO BE CONTINUED …

Stories and Photographs ©2016 secretdollsbusiness

Intermission

Story and images copyright secretdollsbusiness.com 2016

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AS SOON AS WE HAVE SORTED OUT OUR COMPUTER PROBLEMS WE WILL CONTINUE THE STORY.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.  WE APPRECIATE YOU.  VERY MUCH.

BEST REGARDS FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

 

Chapter 2

After an interesting start to her day, Rini is on her way to the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne to view a new commission.

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It is lovely driving in the warm sunshine.  Rini loves summer, almost as much as she loves the other seasons.  Each season has its own special charms for her.  The abundance of flowers and harvest make it easier to bear the unrelenting heat of an Australian summer.  And Rini loves to grab every opportunity to get out of the city.

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After about an hour Rini reaches the new client’s suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne.  It is a beautiful area, full of farm land with livestock and many vineyards and gentle rolling hills.

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The client is waiting outside his house and watches Rini drive onto the property.

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Rini gets out of the car and meets the cliet.  He is incredibly attractive, an added bonus to the job.

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Rini whips out her measuring tape and sets to measuring the available space.

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Christian tries to give her the information she requires, but he is clearly struggling …

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Christian walks her to her car and sees her off.

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She’s sad to leave the countryside as she turns onto the freeway to head back to the city …

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And all too soon she is back at home.

Charlotte joins her after work for a quick Japanese take-out dinner before they head off to attend the gallery opening.  Rini is having a mixed Bento box and Charlotte is enjoying some sushi and sashimi.  They also have a tray of Gyozas.

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The girls clear the table and refresh their glasses of wine.

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The girls get ready and take the short walk to the gallery.  It is packed and there are many local celebrities in attendance.  It promises to be a bit of a booze-fest with an open bar and light refreshments.

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Seemingly out of nowhere Lily appears behind them.

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Christian leaves the group he was in and comes over to talk to Rini.

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The girls leave Christian and Rini to talk and go in search of some liquid refreshments.  The gallery is well prepared, with an assortment of drinks and nibbles including oysters.

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Once back at home, Rini prepares to go straight to bed.  She is totally spent.

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TO BE CONTINUED …

Introductions

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Rini Janssen

Rini is a 36-year-old garden designer.  She has been best friends with Mimi and Martha since primary school.  The other girls joined their group during their time at university.  She has a degree in communications (journalism) but discovered quite quickly into her first assignment that she was in the wrong profession.  So she took hold of all of her courage and retrained as a garden designer, which in hindsight, she realized, she should have done from the start.  Her parents divorced when she was a small child.  She is very close to her father, a retired service man turned police officer.  Her mother owns a fashion boutique on the Gold Coast and the two women aren’t very close.  Rini has no siblings.  She lives in a dilapidated old attic flat on Oak Lane in Alfredton, a fictional suburb of Melbourne where our story is set.

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Mimi Mason

Mimi is a 37-year-old print journalist who works for a prominent satirical Melbournian newspaper and magazine respectively called  “The Daily Dross” and “The Weekly Dross”.  There she works as both lead journalist on the daily and deputy editor on the magazine.  Mimi got divorced 3 years ago and has recently moved into her first own home – a lovely, spacious flat in a converted warehouse in Linden Avenue, Alfredton.

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Martha Kohn

Martha is a 36-year-old print journalist who is the only non-medical professional in a family of doctors, and they never let her forget it.  She did journalism mostly because it was all her friends’ passion, but Martha really loves to cook.  She would like nothing better than to get on one of the top- reality TV cooking shows, try her luck and see where in the food industry that could take her.  That or open a bookshop.  Martha has a younger sister and an older brother.  She got divorced 5 years ago and it really broke her spirit, because she had had her heart set on having a large family of her own.

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Lotti Mason

Lotti is Mimi’s younger sister.  She is a 29-year-old vet who loves her work with a passion.  She wouldn’t ever want to do anything other than work with animals.  She works in a large inner city vet clinic, close to her flat in Elm Parade, Alfredton.  She has always tagged along with Mimi, so Mimi’s friends quickly became her friends.  She has had a succession of short romances but is now looking for a steady boyfriend.

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Lily von Tetsch

At 42 Lily is the oldest of the group of friends, but she hides it well, evidenced in her often astonishing lack of maturity.  Lily is a TV journalist and anchor woman with NTV 5 in Melbourne.  She has an apartment in Mimi’s block on Linden Avenue.

Chapter 1

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The girls have gotten together at Rini’s attic flat to celebrate.
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With Martha’s expert help Rini has put on a lovely spread of nibbles for them.  Soon the talk turns to boys – or rather, the lack thereof.

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As Peter and Rini sit down, it’s soon obvious that Lily is taking a shine to the new arrival.  Shame she can’t come out and openly ask Peter if he is single (she knows Rini’s parents got divorced when she was little).
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Happy Australia Day 2016!

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Rini was mortified, but knew her Dad well enough to realize that he wasn’t judging them. A few hours later Peter got up to leave.
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Rini walked her Dad downstairs and onto the pavement outside her building.

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They each take turns registering and writing their profiles.  It’s a lot of fun doing it in a group, and there’s a lot of laughter and hilarity.  Afterwards they get ready to leave.

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Early the next morning and even before going to work Rini got out her phone to check whether anyone had responded to her internet dating profile.  She was amazed at the results.DSC_0039aDSC_0042.aJPGDSC_0043aDSC_0003DSC_0023DSC_0028DSC_0002aDSC_0007a.JPGDSC_0017aDSC_0004aDSC_0025aDSC_0005aDSC_0073aDSC_0066aDSC_0077aDSC_0009aDSC_0090aDSC_0004b

TO BE CONTINUED …