Married to a retired playboy

Two

Silence enveloped Vanessa and Darryl as they waited for laundry service. An hour crawled by, each minute feeling like an eternity while waiting for Darryl's shirt.

Persistent Darryl tried to make conversation with Vanessa but she had refuse to engage in his flirting games. She had no interest in someone who left his date downstairs to flirt with another woman.

Finally, a long awaited knock at the door broke the awkward silence. Relief washed over Vanessa as she answered the door. The charade, this unexpected detour in her evening, could finally come to an end.

"Thank you," she said with a curt to the unseen hotel staff member who delivered the cleaned shirt.

She handed the shirt to Darryl, mumbling a quick apology who pretended to be occupied with his phone after Vanessa ignored his previous attempt.

Vanessa grabbed her phone and left the room, hoping to never meet Darryl again.

Downstairs, as she settled the bill for the ill-fated damages a horrifying realization dawned on her.

Her purse wasn't with her. Panic clawed at her throat as she realized that her purse was missing. Had she left it at her table? Back in the room? Quickly, she retraced her steps, a knot of dread tightening in her stomach with every floor she ascended.

The room was empty, the bed neatly made, all traces of Darryl Peter gone except for a faint whiff of his cologne. The sight was unbelievable to her. She had left Darryl there a while ago, now he was gone with her purse.

Her purse, her money, her identification cards, her credit card– all vanished. Frustration and a surge of anger replaced the panic. This charming stranger, this Casanova wannabe, had somehow managed to turn a spilled drink into a full-blown disaster. Why would he take her purse?

Defeated, Vanessa sank onto the plush armchair in the room, her head in her hands. What can she do in a situation like this? There was only one person she could turn to in this mess.

Thankfully, her phone was with her and not in her purse. The only person she can call right now was Carolyn. Carolyn was the one who caused it in the first place. She dialed Carolyn's number, and Carolyn answered.

“My purse is missing. Someone took it.” She complained, her voice tight with worry. Vanessa poured out the entire story from the disguised blind date, the spilled wine, the flirtatious stranger, the missing purse hoping her best friend could help navigate this unexpected twist in her evening.

“Calm down, Vanessa. Don't panic. Don't worry. I'm on my way to you” Carolyn assured her, helping her ease the tension.

“Don't take too long, I'm waiting “ Vanessa told her best friend over the phone.

“I won't,” Carolyn assured before ending the call.

Relief flooded Vanessa's face as Carolyn swept through the hotel lobby doors, a whirlwind of concern and determination. Together, they recounted the entire ordeal to the receptionist, their voices rising in a desperate plea.

Vanessa, already on edge, watched with growing frustration as the receptionist remained impassive, citing privacy policies.

“How can you talk about privacy policy when my purse his missing. My ID card, credit card are all gone,” she snapped at the receptionist but Carolyn calmed her down. Carolyn took her to the corner, assuring her to come back with Darryl's contact.

Without wasting time, Carolyn came back with Darryl Peter's contact information without explaining how she got it. Vanessa who is pretty much occupied in getting back her belongings dialed the number with trembling fingers.

She didn't do any introduction and she didn't wait for him to do any introduction as she pours out her mind, accusing him.

“You took my purse” Vanessa's voice, laced with anger, accused Darryl of taking her purse.

“You left it and I was only holding onto it” he said, his smooth charm faltered slightly over the phone.

Vanessa scoffed at his defense, a flimsy claim of simply "holding onto it" because she'd forgotten it.

“You should have returned it to me, immediately. Why did you leave the room if you had no other motive?” She asked, accusations laced in her voice.

“Something urgent came up,” Darryl replied, casually.

"So how do I get my purse back?" Vanessa demanded, her voice tight with barely controlled fury.

A suggestive chuckle came through the receiver. "Well, Vanessa," Darryl's voice dripped with insinuation, "perhaps a little dinner date could be arranged. Consider it a finder's fee." And the line went dead.

Vanessa slammed the phone down on the counter, her face flushed with a mixture of anger and disbelief. “A date?” She uttered in disbelief.

Carolyn squeezed her friend's shoulder in silent support. She blamed herself for the accidental encounter between Darryl and Vanessa and she must more than guilty about it.

Everything had spiraled into a full-blown nightmare, but Carolyn remained by Vanessa's side, and Vanessa knew they'd find a way to navigate the mess created by the purse-snatching Casanova.

Fury vibrated off Vanessa in waves as Carolyn drove her back to her apartment. "The nerve of that – that Darryl Peter character!" she exploded, launching insults aimed squarely at him and, by extension, the entire male population as a whole.

"He was on a date with his girlfriend? And shamelessly hitting on me? And now this…holding my purse hostage for a date? Unbelievable!"

Carolyn listened while her eyes remained on the road, a knowing glint in her eyes. She understood Vanessa's frustration. "Alright, alright," Carolyn soothed. "He sounds like a complete jerk, no arguments there. But getting angry won't get your purse back."

Vanessa slumped further into the passenger seat, the anger slowly morphing into resignation. "So what do I do? Let him blackmail me into dinner?"

"Not exactly blackmail," she countered. "Think of it as a… retrieval mission. You go, you get your purse back, and hopefully never see that slimy Casanova again."

Vanessa scoffed. The idea of willingly stepping foot in the same room as Darryl Peter was less than appealing. "But Carolyn, what if he tries something again?"

"Then you unleash a verbal beatdown of insults on him ," Carolyn declared with mock seriousness, a grin tugging at the corner of her lips. "Besides, I'll be there for moral support and all."

Vanessa wasn't interested in meeting Darryl, but seeing the unwavering determination in her friend's eyes, Vanessa knew she wouldn't be easily swayed.

Three pleas later, with Carolyn painting a vivid picture of a purse-less future filled with endless inconvenience, Vanessa finally conceded.

"Fine," she grumbled, defeat lacing her voice. "But this is strictly a purse-retrieval mission. No dinner, no flirting, and if he even breathes wrong, I won't go easy on him."

A triumphant smile spread across Carolyn's face. "That's the spirit! Just get your purse back."

Vanessa, despite her apprehension, couldn't help but c***k a small smile. She knew Carolyn saw her situation with Darryl as an adventure, and she wonder why?