Story A Day #8 Perfect 10

Tom could not believe his luck on the dating site his friend had recommended.   He had done the circuit of online dating sites for several months and was very frustrated with meeting women who were not what they said in the profiles.   Their loose interpretations of “a few extra pounds” had led to some very awkward dates.   He was on the verge of giving up when his friend Steve had recommended a new site called Perfect 10.  Guaranteed hot babes, Steve said.  He had even shown Tom some pictures of his dates and Tom was impressed enough to sign up for a membership. 

It wasn’t long before he met Traci and tonight was their first date.   She was a blonde bombshell, something right out of a man’s fantasy.   It never occurred to him that she might not be who she said she is, the site guaranteed him a 10, or his money would be refunded.  He had enjoyed the flirty messages they had been sending and he knew this date was going to be fantastic.

He arrived early at the restaurant and waited outside in his car.  The plan was he would watch for her to arrive and then follow her in a few minutes later.   That way if she was not a perfect 10, he would just go back home and save them both the embarrassment.

  

Right on time a cab pulled up and a gorgeous blonde unfolded herself from the back seat.   Tom’s jaw dropped.  She was just as beautiful as her picture.   He watched as she sashayed into the restaurant, her platinum hair piled on top of her head.  She was wearing stiletto heels and a tight red dress that showed her smoking hot body perfectly.   This was going to be great.

He went inside and walked towards to the table where she sat.  She was holding a red rose like they agreed so he would know who she was.  It was clear she didn’t need to rose, there was no mistaking it was Traci. 

Before he could speak she looked at him and said  "You’re late.”  Her voice was high and a bit nasally but he decided he could live with that, with everything else she had going on.

He looked at his watch.  He was exactly on time.

“Hi I’m Tom, it’s nice to meet you.  You must be Traci?”  he was trying to be polite and not start off on a bad note.   He held out his hand for a handshake and she offered hers limply in return.

“Well duh, yes I am Traci, you saw my picture didn’t you?  I don’t like to be kept waiting!”   she eyed him from head to toe looking none to pleased at what she saw.

Tom didn’t like how this was going.  He had plans for this evening that depended on good chemistry.  He turned on the charm.

“I’m so sorry Traci, it was rude of me to keep you waiting.  You look absolutely beautiful tonight, your picture doesn’t do you justice.”  He relaxed as he noticed his charm was working.  He sat down.

The waiter came over to take their drink order.   Tom ordered a bottle of wine for them.   A few minutes later the bottle arrived at the table and Traci immediately grabbed it and filled her glass to the brim.   She took a big gulp and burped.   Yes, this hot woman actually burped.  He waited for her to show some embarrassment but she said nothing.

They ordered dinner, Traci ordering the most expensive items on the menu.   As they waited for their food to come Tom made small talk in an attempt to get to know this fascinating creature. As he watched her he noticed that there were no flaws in this perfect 10.   Her hair was immaculate, her eyes a vibrant blue, with thick black lashes. Her makeup, though heavy, was artfully applied.  Tom wanted to stroke her flawless skin and kiss those full pouty lips. Traci gave one word answers to all of his questions and Tom was struggling.   At one point she took out her lipstick and seductively applied it to her luscious red lips.  It was a sexy move and Tom lost track of his thoughts for a brief moment.

When the food arrived Tom was astonished at Traci’s table manners… or lack of them.   She held her utensils like a farmhand and chewed loudly.   He watched in fascination as she shovelled in forkfuls of food.  How could such a beautiful woman be so…gross.  As he watched her wolf down her food, his appetite for his own disappeared.  His date didn’t look up or say a word until her plate was clean and she finished by licking her fingers and drying them on her dress.  

“Aren’t you going to eat?”  she asked, eyeing his untouched meal

“I’m not…hungry after all.”   He said.

Traci downed her second glass of wine and grabbed Tom’s plate and began shovelling food in her mouth again.   The wine had relaxed her and she became chatty.   She regaled Tom with stories of all the bad dates she had had and how men were such jerks and never who they said they were.  She laughed loudly at her own jokes and had little interest in what he had to say.   By the end of her third glass of wine she was drawing attention to herself with her loud and crass behaviour. But Tom didn’t care.  She was stunning and he considered himself lucky to be with her.  He wanted to take her back to his place and enjoy her hot body.  Her behaviour had not kept him from wanting her.   Nervousness could do strange things to people and he chalked it up to that.

When the dinner was over Traci excused herself to go to the ladies room.  She was gone for a long time and he wondered if she had ditched him and left.   He was relieved when he saw her coming back to the table.   At least he thought it was her…same hair, same dress.  But something was different.

“Hello Tom, I’m Traci”  the high pitched nasally voice was gone and her voice was soft and low.  

“Uh…what’s going on here?”  he said. 

Traci no longer looked like a perfect 10.  She had transformed herself into someone Tom barely recognized.  She had washed all the makeup off her face, revealing a glowing complexion that made her look young and healthy. She had brushed the hairspray out of her hair and it fell soft and shining to her shoulders.  The blue eyes he had found so fascinating were now a light g green colour and while the lashes were no longer dark and thick they were still pretty.   The pouty lips were smiling at him and had lost the cherry red colour. 

  

“I owe you an apology, Tom.  I am not who you thought I was.  I am a journalist and I am writing an article on men’s fascination with the “perfect 10”.   When I saw that dating site advertised on Facebook I was so angry, I wanted to teach men like you a lesson…”  she explained, looking earnestly into his eyes.

“A - a lesson?!? “  He didn’t know what else to say.   This was so surreal.  She had played him for a fool!

“Yes, I wanted to show you that looks aren’t everything.  That there is no such thing as a perfect 10 and man are jerks for expecting women to live up to that standard.  I am sorry if you are angry with me, but you guys have it coming to you.”   She didn’t look angry.  Her eyes danced as she explained her treachery to him and a smile played at the corner of her lips. 

“You’re laughing at me.  I don’t know who you think you are, but I am out of here…”   he stood up to go, but when he looked at her again he noticed something.   She was really quite pretty in a natural sort of way.  What people would call a girl next door.   Maybe he would stay and hear her out.

“So all of this tonight…it was just an act?”  he asked.

“Oh yes!  My idea was to be as off-putting as I could be and prove that you would still want me, in spite of it all.   And you did, didn’t you Tom?  You were planning on taking me to bed anyway weren’t you?”   she didn’t look angry, just amused.

“Well…I….no.   Yes, I was planning on taking you to bed.”  He confessed.

“That’s what I thought.   And you were so polite to me, and trying so hard to salvage a really bad situation, I took pity on you and blew my own cover”.   She put her hand on his, her touch soft and warm.

“I know I am not your Perfect 10, but would you be willing to buy me a drink and we can talk?”  She smiled the most beautiful smile Tom had ever seen.  His heart leapt in his chest.  She didn’t seem drunk any longer and he realized that had been an act also.

Tom and Traci spent the next several hours talking about everything under the sun.   Traci was funny and smart and as the evening wore on Tom found himself not wanting it to end.  He was surprised to find that Traci made him want to be a person that was worthy of a woman like her.   At the end of the night, he drove her home to her apartment, kissed her on the cheek and promised to call her the next day.  Like a perfect gentleman.

“You don’t want to have you’re your way with me now that I am not a perfect 10, is that it? “  She was laughing at him again, but this time he didn’t mind.

 

Tom stared at this incredible woman in front of him.

“No, I don’t want to have my way with you because you are a perfect 10 and I want to treat you with the respect you deserve”.