The Convert

Dax shrugged and she asked him, "Why me? Why did you ask me to help you out and why are you paying me to just hang around? You have all these stunningly beautiful girls who are doing and, at least I think I'm right on this too, wearing—the things you like. So why would you pick me? Is this is a sympathy thing because of Gabe or something?"

"I'll answer your first question, first, even though it is very personal. I guess I'm kind of hoping maybe one of these three 'finalists' will...you know, maybe want to be more than just friends when this is all over."

Sage exaggerated hitting herself in the forehead. "Duh! Gee, Sage. Would you like to buy a clue? Wow. Now it all makes sense. It's not just a...thing...for you. This is something that's really important for you beyond just watching. This is something you want...or maybe even need...in a relationship. I'm guessing you probably don't even have relationships with girls who don't smoke. Is that true?"

Dax nodded and told her, "Yes, it is. I know this sounds insane considering how unpopular smoking is these days, but for me, it's a must-have in any future relationship." He paused before adding, "Especially in my future wife."

"Wow," she said again due to her genuine surprise. "I had no idea."

Dax was glad this had finally come out, but he was still uncomfortable telling her. He looked at Sage and said, "Now that you know, you must think I'm some kind of sicko or weirdo or whatever."

Sage thought for a moment then told him, "No. What I think is you know what you want. It's unusual, to be sure, but judging by how many tens of thousands of videos and sites there are devoted to smoking, it can't be all that rare. I'm just so naive about stuff like this. I'm sure there are tons of other similar things I've never heard about, either. Dax, if this is really important to you, then it's definitely something you need to explore. Follow your heart, right? Okay, so if I may ask yet again...what about me? Why me, Dax?"

"Answering your first question was difficult for me, Sage. Answering this one is even harder." He noticed she was looking at him with genuine interest rather than judgment so he took a breath and said, "I'll just lay this all out there, and when I'm done you'll probably want to walk away, but here goes."

Dax told her he'd had a pretty big crush on her since Gabe first brought her home. He let her know again he wasn't kidding when he told her he thought she was cute. He also explained that when she called him looking for Gabe he decided he'd like to have her around him as much as possible. "I guess I was hoping you might eventually feel the same way about me, but even when we had dinner I couldn't tell you how I felt because of Gabe. I mean, I knew he was leaving you, but he hadn't told you that directly and it would have felt like betrayal had I said that and..." He stopped then said, "I'm rambling. I'm really sorry. But that's the short version of why I asked you to um...assist me even though there's not really any work to do. Not even for one person let alone two."

"But I don't smoke, Dax. I've never even tried it and I've never wanted to. If that really is a must-have for you, then you had to know I'd never be a good match for you."

"I know. I feel like such an ass. I just...I just like you so much. I guess maybe I was hoping my fantasy might turn into..." He stopped talking when he realized what he was saying. He felt the red warmth creep up his neck again.

"So are you telling me that it's your...fantasy...to be with me? I mean, with me if I smoked, of course. Is that what you're saying, Dax?"

"God, I feel like I'm in junior high. This shouldn't be so hard." He smiled and said, "Okay, yes. That's been my fantasy since the first time I saw you."

"But you had all those truly beautiful girls to choose from and you chose the three you liked the best. I can't even compete with them, smoking aside. I'm average and they're...gorgeous. I just don't get it."

Dax was looking for a way to make her understand. "Sage? Have you ever wondered how someone can't stand your favorite song but loves one you don't even like? Or why some people prefer a painting like Starry, Starry Night over the Mona Lisa or vice versa? When it comes to movies, how is it some people prefer a movie like Star Wars to Casablanca? Do you think they don't really like the song or movie or painting they say they prefer? What I'm trying to say is I think you're the most attractive girl I know, Sage. I don't know whether you're Casablanca or Star Wars, but as I said, I'd take a girl like you over..." He stopped again then looked right at her. "I'd take you over any of the girls in this phony study in a second."

He saw a tear welling up in her eye. "Did I say something wrong? I meant all that as a compliment. Sometimes things I say don't always come out right and..."

She blinked away the tear and said, "It's okay. You didn't say anything wrong."

More tears welled up and Dax said, "Sage, I obviously said something that upset you. I'm a guy and we guys can be really clueless about stuff like this. Can you just tell me?"

She did her best to wipe away the tears with a cheap paper napkin and said, "You really don't get it, do you?" He just gave that look that said he really didn't. "I like you too, Dax. A lot. After I met Gabe, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot. He was so handsome and he treated me so well and he never pushed me to...you know. But when I saw you for the first time, I couldn't believe how cute you were. I wanted you to notice me and flirt with me and I felt so guilty for feeling that way. But I knew you wouldn't flirt...or even notice me...because not only was Gabe your brother, you were way out of my league. And since I was dating Gabe, I never told you. And now I learn you feel the same way about me, but I still can't have you because I don't want to..."

Sage began crying and as Dax tried to comfort her, she jumped up, grabbed her purse and coat and ran outside. Before he could catch up to her, she'd hailed a taxi and sped off.

Dax stood there watching it drive away and said to himself, "Gee Dax. That went well."

He wasn't surprised when she didn't show up the next day or the day after. As the days rolled on, he had no doubt Sage had no interest in his interest and he couldn't blame her. Fantasy was one thing while reality was quite another. Sometimes reality really did bite.

Each week, he reviewed each girl's 'progress' asking them how much they smoked outside of the 'lab', when they had their first cigarette of the day, how many they were smoking, etc. Paula had begun smoking on her own the first week. She really did like new experiences and getting paid to try something new was icing on the cake.

She'd always been flirty, but during the fourth-week review, she started dropping even more direct hints like how Dax could have his cake and...eat her too...anytime he liked. But all she wanted to do was hook up, and as much as that interested Dax in the short term, he was looking for that special, future someone. Once he knew she had no interest in a long-term commitment, he lost interest in her. She was into hook-ups and the short-term, while he was genuinely ready to settle down.

His second choice shocked him during their week 5 interview. "I finally started smoking outside of here this week," she told him. Dax decided to make his move and asked if she might like to get together sometime. The look she gave him started the ball rolling. "Dax? I thought you knew. I'm gay. I'm only doing this study to save enough money so my girlfriend and I can have a nice wedding. She's ready to kill me because I'm already so addicted to smoking and she's made me promise to quit as soon as this is over. I just thought you knew. I'm so sorry."

Dax managed to extricate himself without too much embarrassment and put the rest of his egg's in the remaining girl's basket. She'd begun smoking publicly after the third week, but Dax hadn't said anything about possibly dating until the fifth week. When he told her how much he liked her, and that he'd like to take her out sometime she said, "Oh, Dax! If you'd asked me two weeks ago, I'd have said yes, for sure. But a couple of weeks ago I finally met this really cute guy I've been interested in for the longest time. He saw me smoking at a party and came over to talk to me. We had a really great time so he asked me out." She looked a little embarrassed but said, "He finally told me on our second date he has a huge thing for girls who smoke. Who knew, right? I thought for sure I'd have to quit once this study was over, but he LOVES that I smoke. And to tell you the truth, I honestly enjoy it, too. I so didn't really want to quit and now I have a boyfriend who thinks it's like the sexiest thing ever. So I actually owe you a big thank you for doing this whole thing. It's just been so amazing!" She leaned over and hugged him and said, "Thank you, Dax. Thank you so much!"

"Strike three," he mumbled. At least he had his videos and there were now three beautiful girls who enjoyed smoking and it was very possible that his number four choice had continued to smoke, as well. In fact, he still had her contact information and went looking through a pile of papers to find it.

"Yes! Here it is."

As he was shuffling through the papers, he noticed there was a discrepancy with the timers. One of the rooms showed it had been in use for several hours longer than there was video to match. That made no sense because no one got paid unless they made sure to record their session. And yet there it was. There was a four-hour and thirty minute difference and no way to figure out why.

The key cards didn't have individual chips so he didn't know which one was being swiped when. He only knew when someone had entered or left. Maybe one of the girls...like Paula...was bringing in a boyfriend to try something new. Nothing else made sense. Nothing was missing and he withdrew cash each day to pay the girls, so this wasn't a big deal, but he was definitely going to talk to Paula and find out what was going on. Dax smiled when he thought about her performing a strip tease for some guy as part of her 'new things' motto.

As fate would have it, he ran into Paula the next day. He was on his way out as she was just arriving. "Hey, where you going?" she asked. "Why don't you stay and watch? I'll put on a private show for you. What do you say, handsome?"

Dax took off his coat and said, "Speaking of private shows, do you have a minute?"

"For you? I've got all the time you want." She smiled that wicked smile of hers and as she slid off her coat, Dax realized Mr. Happy was very happy so see her. She was wearing a short yellow sweater and black skirt with heels. She saw him look and said, "So do you like bumblebees, Dax?" She turned around and wiggled her ass at him. "So what's on your mind other than my ass?" she teased.

"Well, I'm not an ass man, but that's beside the point," he said as he asked her to come to his office.

"Paula, have you been coming in here and making videos then erasing them? I'm not upset if you are, I just need to know."

"Um...no. Why would I do that? I already spend a ton of time in here—several hours a day now—so what reason would I have to spend even more?"

"Okay. So you're not bringing any guys in here?"

"Well...there was one guy. But that was just once for maybe an hour. That's about how long it takes to make me...very happy. But other than that, never. Oh, and we didn't record our um...session. Satisfied?"

"Yeah. Just trying to make sense of something. Okay, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow for your money, okay?"

"You could stay and you know...satisfy me. Then I wouldn't even charge you for today's session."

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks. Take care, Paula."

"Bye, Dax. Nice ass, by the way!" she said as he walked away.

"So if it isn't her, what the hell is going on?" he asked himself.

A week later, while he was counting out that day's payroll, he was shocked to see a text from Sage: "Hey Dax. Sorry I ran away. I let my heart rule my head. I've been using both since and I'd really like to see you. Can we get together sometime? Sage"

He smiled and tapped out a reply: "Sure. Anytime. Besides, I owe you for the time you worked here. Just let me know when and where. D."

Just seconds later he read: "How 'bout tonight? Sharky's Bar 8pm. Sound good? S."

"See you then. D."

It was colder than normal for this time of year. Dax wore a button-down shirt, a sweater, and a leather jacket as well as gloves and a knit cap. Sharky's was a little over a mile away, so he decided to take a brisk walk and clear his head. The 'study' hadn't really born any fruit and he was trying to decide whether to let it run the entire 60 days or just pay the girls off in full and call it a...waste of time.

Sharky's was one of Dax's favorite haunts. It had a balcony-like area in the rear where people could smoke. He loved to hang out there and watch for sexy young co-eds going out to have a cigarette. He'd picked up more than a few girls there when hook ups were his thing. Even though he was moving passed all that, he was in the mood for love that night, and once he and Sage had talked he planned to do a little trolling.

As usual, the bar was busy. It was a top choice for university students and two-dollar draft beer kept a lot of them coming back. He pulled off his hat and gloves, stuffed them in his pockets, and blew on his hands to warm them up. He hung up his coat and stepped inside and there was Sage standing near the bar looking his way.

Dax was impressed. She was wearing this very sexy light-blue crop sweater with long sleeves and a really short navy-blue, school-girl skirt. Her hair was very nicely styled and she was wearing a touch more makeup than normal. He'd always thought she was hot, but he'd never seen her look like this.

"Wow! Look at you. You look...even more amazing than usual," he said as they hugged hello.

"Thank you, Dax. I told you I've been trying to think with my head and my heart and I think I came to a kind of understanding with myself."

"I had no idea the two of you were even arguing," he teased.

"Okay, wise guy. Very funny. But yes, there was this kind of battle going on between my head and my heart and I think I finally refereed a compromise."

"Would you like something to drink while you tell me about it?" he asked her.

"Sure. Some white wine would be nice, thank you."

He ordered a beer and handed Sage her drink. "Okay, so how does this 'truce' of yours work and what was each side demanding before the referee stepped in and called a halt?"

She took a sip and said, "Well, my heart's been telling me since Gabe I have to be willing to compromise if I want to have a real quality, long-term relationship."

"And your head was saying...?" he asked as he took a drink from his beer mug.

"Don't take risks. Play it safe. Be careful. Make him come to you."

"I see," he replied. "So...what does the compromise look like?"

She picked up her glass and her purse and said, "Come with me and I'll show you."

"Are we getting a table?" Dax asked as he followed her.

"Not exactly," she said smiling over her shoulder.

They got to the sliding glass doors of the balcony and Sage stood there letting him know she was waiting for him to open the door. "It's pretty cold out there," he warned her.

"That's why I wore a sweater," she said with a smile.

"Um, yes, but it isn't exactly covering those three or four inches of bare skin," he said pointing to the bare area of her abdomen.

"Are you complaining, Dax?" she asked him. "Isn't this exactly the kind of thing you like?"

"No argument there," Dax said kind of sheepishly.

"Okay. Then I've won half the battle." She noticed a confused look on his face then said, "I'll show you the other half outside." Dax opened the door and let her step through. He followed, then closed it behind him.

They found reasonably private place where Sage stopped and turned to face him. "So I realized after we had lunch the last time, that I was going to have to do more than just admit a need to compromise if I was ever going to really get your attention. So...I decided to make a change in my wardrobe and..."

"And?" Dax asked.

"And in my lifestyle." She reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of Virginia Slims menthol lights along with a lighter then removed one from the nearly-empty pack. "May I have a light?" she asked smiling at Dax.

He fumbled with the lighter she handed him. As he lit it, he was completely fixated on her as she took a deep drag then exhaled. "I'm only about two weeks into my own um...study or experiment...so if it doesn't have the um...desired effect I'm hoping for...I can still give it up." She inhaled deeply again, then said, "But I definitely understand why people enjoy smoking so much now. In just this short amount of time, I've gone from hating it to kind of liking it." She took another hit and exhaled as she told him, "If I keep smoking for another two weeks or so, I probably won't want to quit." After another long drag, she asked Dax, "So is this going to be enough, Dax, or are you still going to look elsewhere for what you want?"

"Jesus, Sage. I can't believe what I'm seeing. Are you sure this is what you really want?"

She took another very long drag and told him, "I'm very sure that I want you, Dax. And if smoking is the only way I can have you, then it's a compromise I'm happy to make. Oh, and I kind of like this look of yours." She turned sideways a little and said, "I think it's really cute."

Dax finally took his eyes off her for a second. He looked down at the ground and thought for a moment then looked up at her and said, "Sage? I know how shallow you must think I am for insisting on...this..." He used his hand to point toward indicating the way she looked as well as that she was smoking. "In order to get my attention. But if that was your goal, you've done it. In spades. I mean, you look better than any fantasy I've ever had of you."

Before he could walk that back Sage said, "Does that mean you've fantasized about me before, Dax?" Her smile was positively killer.

"Um...well...yes. A few...hundred times," he said smiling back at her.

"And was I always smoking and dressed like this?" she asked as though she didn't know the answer.

"Always," he told her truthfully.

She finished her cigarette and said, "Well, I'm happy to keep dressing like this and I'd even be willing to keep smoking if I had some kind of long-term commitment from the guy I'm in love with."

He reached out for her hands and she gave them to him. He stepped closer and he could smell the delicious scent of smoke on her breath. "Under those terms, I can promise you I will be committed to you, Sage Melton." He pulled her close. They were just an inch apart as he said, "I only wish I'd been able to tell you I'm in love with you first."

"Well, you tell me that now and we can pretend I didn't already say it," she whispered. Her eyes told him she longed for him to kiss her as did the growing bulge in jeans.

He leaned down and kissed for the first time and the wonderful taste caused blood to fill his member which strained to be released. She offered him her tongue and Dax returned the pleasure as she moaned with delight. As he released her he stared into her eyes and said, "I love you, Sage."

"I love you too, Dax. Would you take me home now, please?" she asked playfully.

"Of course," he told her.

"I haven't smoked in my apartment yet," she told him as she kissed him back. "But I'd like that to change tonight."

"Would you be willing to do that for me?" he asked as he kissed her back.

"There isn't anything I wouldn't be willing to you for tonight, Dax Johnston."