“Hey, Char?” I said to get her attention off her homework so that I could properly judge her reaction to my suggestion.

She dragged her gaze from her computer to look at me. “Hey what, Kaylie?”

“I have a date tonight with Jackson—”

She quickly interrupted me. “And? It’s not like that’s unusual.”

“And I had a crazy idea,” I continued.

She jumped up and came over to me at that. “Oooh, crazy ideas are my specialty! Tell me more.”

“Okay, but you have to promise to tell me if you think it’s a bad idea.”

“Like I’d have a problem telling you something was stupid. Please,” she said as she rolled her eyes at me.

“Good point. I was thinking about putting a pair of panties in my purse and giving them to Jackson to tell him I’m ready,” I rushed out as quickly as I could and waited for the explosion.

She didn’t flip out and actually seemed to be considering it. “Hmmmm, that could actually work. But I don’t think you can just put a pair of panties in your purse. You’d have to skip wearing them altogether to get the best reaction from him.”

“Seriously? That’s your great advice?” I asked. “Go commando and tell the guy you’re dating that y’all aren’t wearing panties before ya slip him a pair,” I continued in a deep Southern drawl to mock Char.

“Yup, I’m pretty sure that’s what I just said. And it was totally based off your idea to begin with, so cut the sarcasm.”

“Sorry,” I sighed.

“I get that you’re nervous. But you don’t have to do anything that drastic. You could just tell Jackson that you’re ready. But I can damn well guarantee that if you did go commando and slip him a pair of panties at dinner, then you’d be in for the night of your life. He strikes me as the type of guy who would really go for that. In a big way. And you’d be the recipient of some major naked gratitude.”

“You think so?” I asked. That’s what I thought too, but I was letting doubts creep in.

“Oh, yeah. Like on-your-knees, lick-me-please gratitude.”

“Ohmigod, Char!” I giggled. “Where the hell do you come up with stuff like that?”

“I don’t know. It’s a talent you just have to be born with I guess.”  She shrugged her shoulders.

It took me a few minutes to settle down before I could speak coherently again. “I like the sound of naked gratitude, so I guess I’m going to go for it tonight.”

“Good for you. And while you’re at it, wear a skirt, too,” she suggested. She must have noticed my shocked expression at her suggestion. “I didn’t say a miniskirt or anything. I don’t want you to flash your vajayjay at the whole world. Wear that pink one that goes to your knees. It’ll have more impact if you go pantiless with a skirt on. Trust me.”

“And are you speaking from personal experience here?”

She gave me a sly smile before answering. “Shane may or may not have talked me into doing it a time or two myself. There is something so sexy about having a naughty secret like that.”

****

So here I was that evening freaking out, minutes before Jackson was going to pick me up for our date. I’d sent him a text letting him know I would meet him downstairs instead of having him meet me in my room like he usually did. He hadn’t seemed happy about the change in plans because he liked picking me up, but there was no way I’d make it out the door without my panties on in this skirt if we started the night in my dorm room. One of two things would have happened. Either I would have quickly thrown on a pair of panties or I would have told him my secret way too early in the night and we might not have made it out of the room at all.

Jackson pulled up to the curb, and I hopped into his truck before he could even get out to open the door. “Hey,” I greeted him breathlessly.

He looked at me oddly before leaning over to give me a kiss and buckling up my seatbelt. I knew he liked to do little things for me, but I also couldn’t help but notice that he always managed to sneak little touches into it. Like just now, when his fingertips skimmed my boobs as he drew the belt across my body.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yup. I’m starving. Where are we headed?” I replied, hoping to divert his attention away from my nervousness.

“I thought we’d just grab some burgers if that’s okay with you?”

“Sure, burgers sound great. Whatever you have planned is fine,” I said as I made a waving motion so he knew it was okay to leave.