As Sam sits in the nice restaurant sipping his wine, he still cannot believe the events over the past week. For those just joining Sam's "misery", let's recap. His latest presentation at Luvdll Corporate offices has landed him a secured marketing job for the next 2 years. Even though his mom was part of the "merchandise", they did not figure it out, and they were impressed with his personal skills. That same day, he received mandatory diversity training, due to his mix-up with the love dolls he selected. In and of itself, that is not awful, except he has to attend as Samantha, as "she" is now an employee and a paper trail is needed to cover Sam's boss' crazy idea. Sam also had to step-up his acting skills, so he has been working on forcing his voice to sound more naturally feminine.

The good news: he landed a date because of all that. While being Samantha, one of his customers for the demo room asked "her" out. Sam admits that he was attracted to the guy, but with their differing gender preferences, it seemed unlikely he would get more time with the charming British character. It seemed somewhat deceptive, accepting the invitation, but Sam decided that it would be good for him, "her", and the company. He did not get to enjoy that good feeling long, as Carl and his mom (who he thinks is Sam's sister) wants to double date one night soon. Sam wants to throw-up in his mouth everytime he thinks about his mom and Carl, but he also wants to keep an eye on him. Carl might be all talk, but Sam is not so sure. Like Idi, Carl is sworn to secrecy about Sam's double work life. In fact, Sam heard that Idi and Carl had to sign something their boss brought them, regarding their continued employment at Luvdll and Sam's secret identity.

And to bring his whole last week into one event: let's catch up with the foursome. The Three Pears Restaurant is not overly crowded this Saturday afternoon, as the foursome sit at a table with a beautiful table cloth and fine silverware. Carl is dressed better than Sam has ever seen, and he seems very nervous. Which, Sam thinks to himself, is a good thing, I don't want him too comfortable around Z, uh I mean, mom. His mom looks like a million bucks. Her red dress fits her perfectly, as does her full-bodied hair style today. She is showing no cleavage (thankfully), but her dress is rather form-fitting, coming to her knees, and her high heels currently make her taller than Samantha.

Turning to "her" date, Antoine is also well dressed in his nice slacks, button down, and sports coat. His clean bald head shines in the light, with his well trimmed beard holding close to his face. He has met Carl before, so that has helped the early dinner go more easily. From what he says, Antoine has lived in the states for the past 4 years, when he moved here for his graphic design job. Z has enjoyed chatting with him about his designs, as she is a very creative person.

Samantha, on the other hand, has been very quiet today. "She" sits "her" wine glass down, dabbing the corners of "her" mouth, smoothing out "her" cream-colored dress. I cannot believe I've borrowed one of my mom's leather skirts and cheetah print tops for this date, Sam says to himself in disgust. Admittedly, her clothes are from a name-brand designer, so they feel really good, but this is not what I wanted to wear. Seriously, he thinks with a frown, who wears panty hose anymore, right? But today, "she" sits with "her" legs crossed, "her" simple Mary Jane shoes with her dark hose showing a little more leg than "she" would want. Samantha had to excuse "herself" from the table once, when Sam had to go adjust his wig, which he accidentally bumped with "her" fur-lined jacket. Ugh, Sam thinks, this whole he-she thing is killing me...not even sure who I am at the moment. To save what little pride he or she has, Antoine was busy taking the jacket off "her", so he did not see the sudden movements of Sam to keep the wig on. Fortunately, mom...that is, Z had some bobby pins in her purse to help hold it in place better.

Normally, the restaurant is so busy that you cannot even get a reservation. However, mom knew someone and got this table for late-afternoon. It seems a little early to eat dinner, but they did not have to wait, and the staff have been very professional and friendly. Without a doubt, Sam thinks with a smile, this is the nicest place I've eaten in since prom. "That's the first smile I've seen from you in awhile," Antoine states, "Everything alright?"

Samantha nods her head and replies in a feminine voice, "Yes, sorry...been thinking about work so much that it is hard to relax sometimes." Antoine smiles, placing his warm hand on Samantha's knee, "I understand...just making sure you are having a good time." Samantha feels tingles up "her" leg, as his strong hand gently rubs "her" knee. I guess I didn't need to put much blush on today, Sam tells himself, I can feel my face getting a little hot right now. He cuts his eyes over to Z, who is talking softly to Carl. They seem happy together. This has got to be the weirdest double date in history, he chuckles to himself.

They enjoy their food and conversation for over two hours. None of them seemed in any hurry, while the foursome had never spent any time together before, they found each had something to give to the enjoyment of the meal. There was a slight disagreement over paying for dinner, but Antoine won out, and even though Carl seemed upset, I think he was secretly happy. Sam knows Carl almost lost his job recently, if it were not for Sam's added work responsibilities. Those responsibilities have led him here, so he cannot complain. Antoine returns the smile that Samantha was giving him. Oops, Sam thinks, was not paying attention again. "If it is alright with you, I can drop you off tonight."

Before Samantha can reply, Z says loudly, "That would be perfect. Carl has already offered me a ride home, too." Samantha turns to her in surprise, "But, you and I rode together...what about your car?" Z shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly with a sly grin. As Antoine takes care of the bill, Z leans over and whispers, "I can pick it up tomorrow morning." And again, Sam nearly loses his dinner, thinking about what Carl and his mom might be doing between now and then.

Trying to hide his disgust, "Ready to go, Antoine? Looks like you are my ride." And without waiting for his response, Samantha is standing up, reaching for "her" coat. Antoine stumbles to his feet, trying to get to her coat to help her with it. Samantha barely acknowledges the other couple, trying to get out the door, clearing his wine-soaked mind of a mental image that is trying to form in his head. Antoine shakes Carl's hand and gives Z a hug, before joining Samantha who is already at the restaurant door.

Out in the crisp air, Samantha feels better. Her breath visible, she pulls her coat around her tighter. Antoine's arm comes around her as he leans over, "My car is over here." A silver Audi four-door sedan beeps and starts up before they get close to it. As he helps her in the passenger side, she notes the seat feels warm on her butt. As Antoine gets in the driver's seat, he says with a wink, "You seem like a heated-seat person." Samantha giggles in agreement, "Thank you."

The car ride is rather quiet, with Antoine's smooth jazz playlist in the background. Samantha is not paying much attention, as she focuses on keeping her ruse up that Z is nothing more than a friend, even though she is much, much more. Her earrings jingle as she shakes her head back to reality, "Oh, you remembered where I live?" Antoine grins, "I was just here not long ago, so it was easy for my navigation system to find it again. The car practically drove itself here."

Samantha takes his hand as he helps her out of the low car. Sam's townhome is on the ground floor, which is handy to get into. At the door, Samantha says while fumbling for the keys in her purse, "Thank you for a lovely afternoon." Antoine smiles, his bright white teeth contrasting with his darker skin, "It was my pleasure. It was great to get to know you all." Keys in hand, Samantha turns to face Antoine completely. She has several things running through her mind that she might say. Before she can form them, she feels something on her face. She moves her hands but instead of coming to her face, they embrace Antoine's back. He's kissing me? Wait, am I kissing him back?

The next few moments seem longer than they really are. Antoine's strong arms hold Samantha tight. His beard tickles Samantha's smooth face. His lips are firm, but his kiss tender. When was the last time I kissed someone? Samantha does not seem to care, as this moment feels so good, as it has been so long. Work and more work has sucked all the fun out of life lately. When he pulls back slightly, Samantha whispers, "Wow...that was amazing." Antoine smiles again, his eyes twinkling in the dimming light.

Samantha is caught up in the moment, so Antoine takes the lead. "Perhaps next time, it should just be the two of us, and maybe you can see my place." Samantha's mind is already lost in his eyes, so the 'yes' commits her to another date and perhaps much more the next time. He kisses her gently again, as they say good night. Samantha steps inside, waving goodbye to Antoine. As the front door closes, Samantha's legs give out, and she slides to the floor. "Oh my...that guy can kiss!"

The next morning, Sam knows he will have to step up his game to the next level. Going back online, he finds a better, more expensive body suit. He can get the skin tone to match much closer, and it will be all one piece. I'm not wanting to make this a habit, he tells himself, but if he wants more from me, uh Samantha, I want to be ready. Besides, he says to himself convincingly, this will help me dress more sensually as a hostess, fitting what our website shows. Knowing he is dancing on a fine line, he goes ahead and orders the suit before he changes his mind. Yes, he is spending extra money, but maybe he can sell some costumes and recoop the difference. Hmm, he ponders, I wonder if I can get my boss to pay for part of the bill? It is a work-related expense.

Later that day, while cleaning the bathroom, his mom shows up. Her outfit is much more casual with her leggings and sweater, yet somehow she always looks very put together. The topic of the double date is avoided by both of them. His mom is the queen of small talk, so she manages to work herself all around it with ease. Sam awkwardly dodges what he thinks she might be saying, only to find out she was not headed that way at all. He continues to clean the bathroom sink, while she sews up another zipper from a broken costume. He looks at her while she works, as she seems exactly the same as she always is, but is she?

They move to the "harem" room to put things away. She thinks it best to have it all tidy before the start of the work week. He will admit that it seems like a waste of time, as he is about to mess it up tomorrow; however, it does make finding things much easier throughout the week. They joke and laugh, enjoying time as mother and son. While he would not say it outloud, they are very much a like, and that is okay, he smiles to himself. I would never have admitted that until recently. They have dinner together around the kitchen-counter table. She brought her grandmother's meatloaf recipe and some pan-fried potatoes. Wow, he thinks as he chews, I really gotta learn how to cook.

Both of his phones vibrate at the same time. "What is with the two phones?" His mom asks as she clears the "table". "Since I have to be two employees," Sam states, "I have to have a paper trail of being two separate people. I have two employee badges, two company phones, etc. I've been able to keep them separate so far, which makes this rather odd." He picks them both up to see a message from his boss.

Marketing Division: mandatory meeting Monday morning at 9am. ALL must attend in-person or through Zoom.

Looking over his shoulder, Zerah says, "Hmm, that does not sound good, does it." Sam shakes his head, "No, it does not. I just got a contract for two years, so it can't be specific to my job. However, why everyone?" His phone buzzes, and it is a message from his boss. As he reads it, he asks, "So, mom, are you busy in the morning?" She turns to him with a quizzical look on her face. "If I send you the link, could you Zoom into the meeting as Samantha? We can turn your camera off, so you only have to pretend you are participating."

Zerah looks back at him, "That does not seem right. He knows you are two people, so why make you fake attend?"

Sam shrugs his shoulders, "He says he wants to keep appearances of me being two people. Idi and Carl know, but no one else does. Idi might have suggested you helping, because I don't think you've met my boss before." Zerah turns away to dry another dish, remembering the one time she "met" Sam's boss. Misinterpreting her body language, Sam presses on, " You could even do it while you are on the treadmill. All you have to do is take Samantha's phone tonight, open the link, turn off the camera, and mute the mike. Easy!" Zerah gives him a long questioning look. Crossing her arms in front of her, she says seriously, "I cannot tell if you are making fun of me, or you are serious." He reaches out to hug her. "Look, you are just as much to blame for my success as me. All that you do, you should be hired as Samantha and not me." Hugging him back, she laughs, "Yes, that is true, but I don't think you could afford me." They both laugh at her joke, as they finish cleaning up. He sends a quick text from his phone to Samantha's, detailing how and when to log in.

Next morning, Sam decides to drive into the office. He does not get to go often, and while he does not need to go often, occasionally there are some things easier to do at work. Besides, he needs to sell that Sam and Samantha are two different people. He drops off an expense report, highlighting what he bought. He then pokes his head in the Rental Department to see how they are doing. He casually asks if Samantha has been by lately, but they said no. He responds he has a Zoom meeting with her later today, so no big deal. Keeping up the ruse in his questions and actions, he tops off his coffee in the lounge before heading to the conference room. Someday, he would like to make it to Corporate HQ. He hears they have whole floors in their building devoted to research and design.

This conference room is much smaller than the one he was in at the Corporate Branch Office. It seems silly to have the Executive Suite in a different part of town, but they did not ask Sam. In the conference room, Idi, Carl, Tina, and Sam all sit and make small talk as they wait for their boss. None of them has a clue what is going on, but Tina said she heard that the company is starting something new, and supposedly, a game changer.

Idi pulls up the screen and "sees" Samantha in the waiting room. With a quick wink to Sam, she lets Samantha in. "Hey, Samantha," Carl says too loudly, "How are you today?" The chat window pops up with: Good morning! I am doing just fine. My camera and microphone is not working today, though." Samantha then adds another chat of " *are not is" with an emoji of a winking face. Tina sighs, "I wish my camera and mike weren't working. I had to get dressed today earlier than I usually do." Sam jumps in quickly, "I know, right? You are the lucky one, Samantha." The text window shows a smiling emoji.

At that moment, Wilton, their boss, comes in. He is dressed in his usual suit, and he seems agitated in some way, but then he seems that way regularly. His secretary breezes in behind him, holding a large coffee mug and a stack of what-looks-like catalogues. "Thank you for coming in, or joining online. Let's cut to the chase, alright with you?" He does not wait for an answer before diving right in.

"Corporate has just purchased the display marketing company: Still Life. They keep saying how strapped for money we are, but then they go off and buy a whole company. Anyway, they are a small company that uses real women and men that pretend to be mannequins for marketing events. It seems very niche and unlikely to make any real money. However, they think it will boost sales if a mannequin markets a love doll."

The faces around the table look dumbfounded. How can an inanimate object sell another inanimate object? Wilton lets that sink in, making sure everyone has come to the same conclusion: what a stupid idea! Shaking his head, he motions to his secretary.

"Here are some promotional prototypes. Take a look and welcome to the insanity." The co-workers around the table start sifting through the high gloss pictures. One shows 'Cindy' wearing a cow costume, while two cowgirl 'mannequins' attempt to rope her up. The 'mannequins' are clearly real women, but their poses are made to make you think they are not real. They have the classic tilted head, stiff posture, and blank stares. The Zoom window chimes with a message from Samantha: "what is that thumping sound?" Idi says out loud, "That is Sam banging his head against the table." No one laughs, because that is exactly what is happening. Idi puts her hand on his shoulder, as he says with his head still buried in the table, "What a nightmare...am I awake...tell me this isn't real."

Wilton continues, "Oh, this is very real. Starting this week, Still Life will be moving their offices into ours. Their models will still be available for local events as always, but now they will be helping market our product. So, Sam, it looks like you will be getting some new co-workers in your Zoom calls." There is a long pause, then the Zoom chat window chimes again. "Is Sam hitting his head against the table again?"