Lola had platinum blonde hair that rested just below her breasts and crystal blue eyes that appeared to follow me when I moved through the room. There was a glint in their expression that made her seem omniscient. Her lips were parted and painted a vivid red. The dress she wore was white and far too short, exposing a generous portion of her luscious thighs, and her skin was perfect and surprisingly soft-looking. She looked... well, exactly as she should, I guessed.
"What the hell am I going to do with that?" I asked Mark, still stunned.
Mark snorted. "What do you think, moron?"
I knew from the moment I unwrapped her what she was for, but I couldn't believe Mark thought I was desperate enough to fuck a mound of plastic. There was something intrinsically perverted about the whole concept. "No way. That's sick."
He handed me a pamphlet that contained all sorts of filthy directions for how to get the most out of my new "pleasure doll". I was beyond horrified.
"Take it back, Mark. Seriously. It's all Tina needs to see."
Mark sat on the sofa next to the doll and made a show of grabbing her leg. "Dude, it's fine. You were whining like crazy the last time I saw you that you guys haven't had sex in three months. That's unacceptable. You deserve an early Christmas present."
"I'm not fucking a doll."
My friend shrugged and swept his gaze over her admittedly attractive form. "I would, for sure. A buddy of mine has one and it's all he talks about." Mark patted her cheek and grinned at me. "You can do anything you want to her and she doesn't give you any shit for it. It's brilliant. You don't need to ask for permission or wait for her to be in the mood."
As much as the whole thing skeeved me out, there was something appealing about that. Tina and I had been together for five years and everything was boring and predictable. Sex was something I needed frequently; I was ready to explode. I told myself that's the only reason why "Lola" the doll looked so good at that moment.
"You sound like you work for them. That could have been a nice commercial."
He laughed and got up, casting one last lustful look at Lola. "I don't know, man. She's hot. What difference does it make if she has a pulse or not?" He put his hand on my shoulder. "Think about it, okay? Keep her for a few days. If you're not wowed, I'll send her back."
"You can return them? Seems kind of nasty to me. Who would want a used one?"
"I'm assured this one is brand new and that returns are washed thoroughly." Mark grabbed his coat. "Call me in a couple days." His lips stretched wickedly across his face. "Let me know what it's like."
"Yeah, yeah, bye. Talk to you later."
He left Lola and me alone in my apartment with fading laughter. Prick. This was so like him. That's why I hated confiding in him, but he had been my oldest friend and he was the only one I had who wasn't completely in love with Tina. All of my other friends thought I was being a selfish asshole when I said things weren't working out. Mark listened.
I stared down at the doll's slightly spread legs and shook my head. Sometimes he listened a little too well.
I was freaked out by how she seemed to be staring me down, almost daring me to touch her. I rushed to get my coat and tossed it over her head, messing up her perfect hair. Still, my eyes were drawn to the sensual body.
My cell rang, startling me from my gawking. I ran to it and checked the screen: Tina.
"You're late!" she yelled, nearly deafening me. "You were supposed to meet me at the tree lighting twenty minutes ago."
"Shit."
She sighed. "You forgot. I knew you were going to forget."
"I didn't forget, I'm just running late," I lied, looking for my shoes. "Listen, I'll be there in ten."
"No, not if you're still at your apartment. You know what the traffic is like now. You're not getting here for another thirty, at least."
"I'll be there in ten," I repeated, hanging up. I would pay for that later but it was better than hearing her say the same thing over and over while I tried to get ready.
Once I was dressed, I looked Lola over and wondered what the hell to do with her. Tina might want to come over and she would seriously have a heart attack if she spotted a sex doll on my sofa. I took her and unceremoniously threw her into my closet, hoping that Tina wouldn't poke her head in there.
I headed off to Rockefeller Center, trying to forget about the lifelike quality of Lola's plush skin.
*****
Thirty-five minutes later, I arrived just as the festivities started dying down. Tina was going to be pissed, and if I had thought that maybe a romantic night would put her in the mood, I'd royally fucked that up.
I found her a little while later after exchanging a few terse messages back and forth. She stood with her sister, Caroline, with a pinched look on her face that had nothing to do with the cold. Caroline, on the other hand, looked pleased. She hated me and I knew she was counting down the days until Tina broke up with me.
"Hey," I started gently, "sorry I'm late. You were right; traffic was gruesome. Mark stopped by before I left and I just lost track of the time. I really am sorry."
Tina softened a little. "Mark stopped by? For what?"
"Probably with a gaggle of Christmas strippers," Caroline snapped. She wasn't a fan of Mark ever since he asked her husband how he put up with her at a party we'd hosted. "Anyway, we've been freezing our asses off. Let's just go to dinner."
Tina bumped her arm into Caroline's with a warning look. She looked back at me with warm brown eyes and forced a smile onto her face. "Mark doing okay?"
"He's fine. Caroline's right, let's go to dinner. I made reservations."
Dinner basically consisted of Tina and Caroline talking about the different performers that had been at the lighting, what they wore, and if they liked them or not. I zoned out, wondering if my drought was going to finally be broken once we got back to my apartment. Although she should have been furious with me about being late, Tina kept glancing at me with little flirty smiles that sent my pulse racing. I watched her laugh with Caroline and I couldn't help but compare her with the manmade woman I had back at home.
Tina's hair was dark brown and just touched her shoulders. It bounced with every movement she made, which was a major turn-on for me. Her cheeks had a natural flush that didn't need makeup, and her lips shimmered with dark pink lipstick. My eyes lowered to her nearly perfect breasts that pushed fetchingly against her sweater. She was beautiful, inside and out, and I knew I was lucky to have her. Everyone knew how fortunate I was and loved to remind me of it. I didn't want to end things with her, but something had to give. My frustration had morphed into a sentient being. I needed a body underneath me.
"Rob, are you even listening to me?"
I turned to look at Caroline. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."
"I asked how work was going."
I smiled with feeling for the first time that night. "Great, actually. I just took on a new client this morning." I was a divorce attorney and I loved my job. I was admittedly a bit of a workaholic, but nothing gave me as much satisfaction as getting a killer deal for one of my clients. It was like figuring out a giant puzzle and I found immense satisfaction whenever that last piece clicked.
Tina gave me a high-five from across the table. "Awesome. Any interesting details yet?"
Tina was a professional organizer. She essentially helped people get their shit together. She got my love for the job, which was one of the reasons I stayed in the relationship.
"I'll keep you posted." I turned to Caroline and took a deep breath. "How's work going for you?"
Caroline was a nurse. She usually had a sad or inspirational tale to tell. Judging by the way her eyes lit up, I was guessing tonight's would be inspirational. She launched into a grand story, paying most of her attention to Tina.
I gave myself permission to fade out and fantasize again. This time, thoughts of platinum blonde hair and sinfully red lips haunted me. I was surprised to find myself attracted to these qualities, deliberately not letting myself dwell on just who—or what—those qualities belonged to.
Alarmed and a touch disgusted, I focused on Caroline's words and drove out thoughts of the doll.