Lisa and Don had been close friends for years. What was odd was the way their friendship had come about.
Lisa had been the college roommate and best friend of Don's ex-wife Sheryl. Don and Sheryl had gotten married shortly after college and Sheryl continued to hang out with Lisa regularly. About a year after that, Lisa married a guy named Erik.
Don and Erik got along well, so the two couples spent a lot of time together. They did the usual things: dinner and movies, barbeques, camping trips, shared vacations. The women took aerobic classes together; the guys played golf. And while there was a little flirting and a bit of sexual tension, all four of them were too conservative for things to go any further.
And so, when Erik unexpectedly left Lisa for another woman, she was shattered. Talking to Sheryl was very hard for Lisa... she didn't want to admit to her best friend that Erik's affair had left her feeling vulnerable and undesirable. She needed the reassurance and support of a man and Don ended up spending a lot of time with her. And while he was very attracted to Lisa - she was a petite, blonde woman with a great body and a cute, pixie face - he was very careful to not let her rebound on him.
Some time later, Don and Sheryl started having problems. Their differences were mostly to do with careers and money, but arguments seemed to spiral out of control, leaving them both feeling hurt and angry. Don ended up talking to Lisa, who let him talk about her feelings. Lisa didn't want to see either Don or Sheryl hurt, so she was careful not to let things get too close between them - though she was certainly attracted to his classic "tall, dark and handsome" looks and his friendly smile.
Eventually Sheryl and Don divorced and by that time the relationship between Don and Lisa had settled into an easy friendship. They could tell each other anything, talk about their lives and their feelings and know they could count on one another for support.
Several years passed. Don pursued his career as a sports equipment salesman, eventually becoming the regional manager. Lisa became quite successful writing mystery novels. Both dated and had their share of relationships, but nothing lasted for either of them. They continued to get together regularly and despite their mutual attraction, there was a kind of brother-and-sister feeling to their friendship. They both valued what they had and shied away from letting it become romantic.
Even so, Don was happy to hear Lisa's voice when he answered his phone.
"Hi stranger! Were you planning on calling me to reschedule that lunch you cancelled? Or did you forget about me?"
"Lisa, I'm so sorry! I really did forget. We're introducing a new tennis line and I've been swamped! Let me make it up to you... why don't we get together Saturday and I'll buy."
"It's your turn to buy anyway! But sure, Saturday is great. There's something I need to talk to you about."
Don noticed something odd in Lisa's voice... she sounded a little nervous.
"Is everything OK?"
"Yeah. I just need to task a favor. I need some help researching my next book. My agent says that if this one does well, we can renegotiate my publishing contract. But I'm really stuck on the background research and I'm embarrassed to ask you, but..."
"Don't give it another thought! You know I'll be happy to help however I can. Let me guess, your next victim is killed with a golf club, right?" he joked.
Lisa still seemed a little nervous when she replied, "No, it's not a sports thing. This is kind of a big favor Don... I think I'd be more comfortable asking you in person on Saturday."
"Sure... I guess I can contain my curiosity until then. I'll meet you at that seafood place downtown, OK?"
"OK, I'll see you there."
Lisa seemed nervous at lunch. She avoided the topic of her phone call entirely, instead asking about the new tennis line Don's company was launching. Finally, when their plates had been cleared and they were waiting for the check, Don broached the topic.
"So, you said you needed some help with research?"
Don knew that Lisa's fans liked two things about her books: her daring and smart main character, Detective Linda Buckminster and the meticulous research into the fascinating and exotic lifestyles that played a part in each of the stories.
Lisa cleared her throat and took a drink before starting. Don couldn't believe it, but her face actually looked flushed.
"Don, I really don't know where to start. This is a really important book for me. Based on my recent sales, the publisher gave me a huge advance. They're counting on this book to be a big success and I need to get the background just right. The main character - the victim, in a sense - is a prominent businessman. He leads a double life. He's kind of a sex addict, and goes to prostitutes. He considers himself a connoisseur of women."
"Then," she continued, "He starts reading in the paper that prostitutes are being murdered. I won't go into the details, but the clues all point to him as the murderer. And of course, Linda Buckingham becomes convinced he's innocent, figures out what's going on, and tracks down the real killer."
Don sat quietly for a moment.
"So... you want my help researching prostitutes? Lisa, I know sales guys have a certain reputation, especially in the sports field, but I'm afraid I've never been to a prostitute. Besides," he grinned, "you know if I had you'd be the first person to hear all the details!"
"Thanks!" she laughed. "Don, this just keeps getting harder, so I guess I'll just spit it out. I've actually met and interviewed a number of prostitutes, so I've got the basic background, but I still don't have a feel for how to write certain scenes. What I really need is to observe the girls at work, and so far, nobody will agree to that."
She took a deep breath and then blurted out the rest, "So I was hoping you would agree to seeing some prostitutes. I'll pay for everything out of my advance! But you have to make it a condition that I will be watching and taking notes."
Don didn't know how to react. He realized after a few seconds that his mouth was hanging open. Then he started to laugh and ended up choking. He took a drink of water and said, "You want me to go to a hooker, while you watch? Lisa, that's the craziest thing you've ever said! You're kidding, right?"
"Don, please, just listen. It's really hard for me to ask this, but I can't think of any other way. The main character in my book goes to very high-class girls... not hookers on street corners. I just can't picture what it's like - what they say, what they do, how they treat him. I can't think of any way to get this right unless I see it... and I need someone I really trust to help me with this. Please Don? It would mean a lot to me."
Don looked at her and saw the pleading look in her eyes. She was serious, he realized. There was a long pause as he thought about it. He had to admit, the idea was turning him on. And he did trust Lisa completely... as much as she apparently trusted him!
"OK Lisa. I'll do it. How do we start? I guess I could ask some of the guys on my sales team..."
Lisa was shaking her head, her short blonde hair swaying. "No, I've already researched this. The guy in my book keeps his sex life completely private. He'd never talk to his coworkers about it. He finds his girls on the web. A lot of the girls have websites and there are actually sites with contact information and even reviews! As I said, he considers himself a connoisseur, so he even writes reviews of the girls after he's been with them."
"Wow!" Don laughed, "I never would have imagined looking for a hooker on the web! So, what now? You give me some websites to go look at?"
"Ummm... not exactly. I want to watch that part too. I want to see what you look at, how you compare the girls. Is that OK? You look a little funny... this is all going pretty fast for you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, you could say that! OK, why not? When do you want to start?" Even as he asked the question, Don knew the answer. When Lisa got started researching her books, she threw herself completely into the project.
