“How Much Longer Are You Going to Pretend You Don't Want to Kiss Me?”

SILVER & SAPPHIRE MAGAZINE Love Younger. Live Larger. THE DIRECT APPROACH — JUST ASK! Some women wait for romance. Others make it happen. In this recurring Silver & Sapphire feature, successful, wealthy women over 50 share how one remarkably direct question to a beautiful younger woman led to an unexpected night, an extraordinary offer, and sometimes a completely new life together. This Issue: Margaret, 64 & Jasmine, 28 A ruined career. A spectacularly wealthy woman with no interest in subtlety. And a hotel elevator ride that became the most embarrassing — and wonderful — ninety seconds of one young woman's life. HER STORY — MARGARET, 64 Margaret Chen had earned her first million before turning thirty and had spent the following three decades turning investments in casinos, hotels, and entertainment companies into a fortune estimated at $240 million. She had been married twice, divorced twice, and, according to her friends, had finally developed the good sense to stop marrying men. “I like men,” Margaret told us. “As business partners. Occasionally as dinner companions. But after two husbands and several very expensive lessons, I decided I preferred women in my bedroom.” At sixty-four, Margaret was sophisticated, extraordinarily attractive, and completely comfortable with her age. She favored short designer dresses, spectacular diamonds, and towering heels that made her look considerably more approachable than she actually was. She maintained penthouses in Las Vegas and Singapore, traveled frequently, and employed enough people that she could disappear for months without any noticeable effect on her businesses. What she lacked was someone to share that freedom with. “I had lovely women around me all the time, but most were business associates, employees, or people trying to sell me something. I wanted a girlfriend. Someone who would laugh with me, argue with me, kiss me in elevators, and occasionally tell me I was being ridiculous.” She paused. “Although telling me I'm ridiculous can be dangerous. I'm usually right.” HER STORY — JASMINE, 28 Jasmine Brooks had once been one of the most promising dancers in a major Las Vegas production. At twenty-five, she had a beautiful apartment, a handsome boyfriend, a good salary, and the kind of future that made her parents enormously proud. Then a stage mechanism malfunctioned during rehearsal. Jasmine fell nearly twelve feet, severely injuring her knee and ankle. Three operations and months of rehabilitation followed, but her career as a professional dancer was over. Her boyfriend, who had promised to support her through recovery, began an affair with another dancer while Jasmine was still using crutches. By the time she discovered the betrayal, he had emptied their shared savings account and moved out. Medical bills, lost income, and an expensive dispute over disability coverage consumed everything Jasmine had left. She lost her apartment, sold her car, and moved into a tiny room in a house shared with four other women. Then came the worst blow. Her father, the person who had encouraged her dancing since childhood, suffered a fatal heart attack while visiting her during rehabilitation. “I genuinely believed I had ruined his life,” Jasmine admitted, wiping away tears. “He'd spent so much time worrying about me, and then he was gone. I know now that wasn't my fault, but at the time I couldn't stop thinking about it.” Jasmine eventually found work at a luxury hotel, assisting guests and occasionally helping with private events. The job required standing for long periods, which remained painful, but she was determined not to become dependent on anyone. “I was twenty-eight, broke, exhausted, and convinced nobody would ever find me attractive again. I wore long skirts whenever possible because I hated the scars on my leg.” On the evening she met Margaret, Jasmine had just learned that her landlord was raising the rent. She had thirty days to find somewhere else to live. THE ENCOUNTER — JUST ASK! S&S: Jasmine, where exactly did you meet Margaret? Jasmine: “In an elevator. At the hotel where I worked. I was carrying a stack of folders to the penthouse floor, and this stunning older Asian lady got in wearing the shortest red designer dress I'd ever seen, diamonds everywhere, and heels that probably cost more than my rent.” Margaret: “They cost considerably more than her rent.” Jasmine: “She was absolutely gorgeous. I kept looking at her shoes because I used to love wearing heels before my accident.” Margaret: “I noticed her staring. I assumed she was admiring my legs.” Jasmine: “I was admiring everything!” S&S: Did you know who she was? Jasmine: “Not at first. She asked whether I liked her shoes, and I said they were beautiful. Then she asked why I wasn't wearing heels myself.” Margaret: “Which, I subsequently learned, was a rather unfortunate question.” Jasmine: “I told her about my accident. Just the short version. She looked at my leg, then looked straight into my eyes and said, ‘Darling, those scars don't make you any less beautiful.’” S&S: That must have surprised you. Jasmine: “It did. Nobody had said anything like that to me in years.” Margaret: “She was blushing. Quite spectacularly, actually. So I decided to find out whether she was attracted to me.” Jasmine: “And she did it in the most outrageous way imaginable!” S&S: What did she say? Jasmine: “She leaned against the elevator wall, smiled, and asked, ‘How much longer are you going to pretend you don't want to kiss me?’” S&S: Just like that? Jasmine: “Just like that! I nearly dropped every folder I was carrying.” Margaret: “I thought she might faint.” Jasmine: “I asked her, ‘Excuse me?’ And she said, ‘You've been looking at my mouth for the last three floors. I'm beginning to feel neglected.’” S&S: How did you respond? Jasmine: “I told her she was old enough to be my grandmother!” Margaret: “Which was extremely rude. I informed her I was only sixty-four and would appreciate not being promoted to grandmother without proper notice.” Jasmine: “I started laughing so hard I had to lean against the wall.” Margaret: “Then I told her that I had a private penthouse upstairs, excellent champagne, and a perfectly respectable sofa where we could continue the conversation after her shift, if she was interested.” Jasmine: “I asked whether she was seriously inviting me upstairs.” Margaret: “I said, ‘Of course. Although if you would rather kiss me right here, I believe we have another forty seconds before the doors open.’” S&S: And did you kiss her? Jasmine: “I did!” Margaret: “Rather enthusiastically.” Jasmine: “And just as we separated, the elevator doors opened and there were three hotel managers waiting outside!” S&S: Oh, dear! Jasmine: “One of them was my supervisor! I wanted the floor to swallow me.” Margaret: “I simply smiled and said, ‘Good evening, gentlemen. Your elevators are excellent. The company is even better.’” Jasmine: “I thought I was going to die!” Margaret: “Then I handed her my private number and told her to call after work, if she wanted to see me again.” Jasmine: “I called seventeen minutes after my shift ended.” THE NIGHT — NOT QUITE WHAT SHE EXPECTED S&S: Jasmine, what happened when you arrived at the penthouse? Jasmine: “First, I discovered that the penthouse had its own swimming pool. Then a private dining room. Then a dressing room about three times the size of my bedroom.” Margaret: “She spent the first ten minutes asking whether everything was real.” Jasmine: “I kept expecting hidden cameras!” Margaret: “Which would have been extremely inconvenient, considering what I had planned.” S&S: And what exactly had you planned? Margaret: “A lovely evening with a beautiful young woman. Dinner, conversation, perhaps a little romance. I thought I'd been sufficiently clear about my intentions in the elevator.” Jasmine: “She had!” They ordered dinner, talked about Jasmine's former dancing career, and eventually moved to the enormous terrace overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. Jasmine: “Margaret asked me to dance.” S&S: With your injured leg? Jasmine: “Exactly! I told her I couldn't dance anymore. She said, ‘Darling, I didn't ask you to audition for a show. I asked you to put your arms around me.’” Margaret: “We managed quite well, didn't we?” Jasmine: “I cried halfway through. Not because it hurt, but because I realized how much I'd missed being held while music was playing.” S&S: And the rest of the evening? Jasmine: “Let's just say I discovered that being sixty-four doesn't necessarily mean being old-fashioned!” Margaret: “I shall accept that as a compliment.” Jasmine: “It absolutely was. She made me feel beautiful, desirable, and completely comfortable with myself. I hadn't felt like that since before the accident.” Margaret: “And Jasmine reminded me that romance should be fun. We laughed so much that night I genuinely wondered whether the neighbors would complain.” THE MORNING AFTER — THE SECOND SHOCK S&S: Margaret, apparently the elevator invitation wasn't your most outrageous proposal? Margaret: “Oh, heavens, no. That was merely the introduction.” Jasmine: “I woke up in this enormous bed, wearing a beautiful silk nightgown Margaret had lent me, and discovered that she was already awake, sitting beside me with coffee and the most mischievous smile.” Margaret: “I'd been thinking.” Jasmine: “Which, I have since learned, is usually dangerous.” S&S: What did you ask her? Margaret: “I said, ‘Jasmine, how would you feel about never having to worry about rent again?’” Jasmine: “I thought she was offering to lend me money!” Margaret: “I explained that I had rather more bedrooms than I needed and had grown tired of sleeping alone. Then I asked whether she'd consider becoming my girlfriend.” Jasmine: “I stared at her and asked, ‘After one night?’” Margaret: “I said, ‘Darling, at my age I don't have thirty years to decide whether I like somebody. I know I like you. The question is whether you'd like to find out if we could make each other happy.’” S&S: But there was another part to the offer? Margaret: “Naturally. I told her she could stay in my guest suite while she made up her mind. And if we became a couple, I'd be delighted to share my homes, travel with her, and help her build a future she could be excited about.” Jasmine: “I asked what would happen if she changed her mind.” Margaret: “I told her she wouldn't lose her home overnight. Whatever happened between us, I would make sure she had a reasonable opportunity to get herself established again.” Jasmine: “That's when I started crying.” S&S: And did you accept? Jasmine: “Not immediately. I told her I didn't want to be somebody's charity project.” Margaret: “Which was rather insulting. I have perfectly respectable charities. I wanted a girlfriend.” Jasmine: “Then she asked another question.” S&S: Another one? Jasmine: “She said, ‘Would it help if I kissed you again before you answer?’” Margaret: “And I believe she said yes.” Jasmine: “I said yes to the kiss. Then I said yes to the possibility of becoming her girlfriend.” WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Two years later, Margaret and Jasmine are still together. Jasmine moved into Margaret's Las Vegas penthouse after several weeks of dating, although she initially insisted on keeping a separate bedroom. According to Margaret, that arrangement lasted exactly eleven days. Jasmine has since completed additional rehabilitation and now works with a nonprofit organization supporting injured performers and dancers who can no longer continue their original careers. She also teaches occasional movement classes for women recovering from physical injuries, something Margaret describes as Jasmine's greatest achievement. The couple divide their time between Las Vegas, Singapore, and Margaret's beachfront property in Hawaii. Jasmine has developed a taste for beautiful clothes, expensive jewelry, and spectacular heels, although she still chooses lower heels or flats on days when her ankle troubles her. Margaret says she has never been happier. Margaret: “I used to believe that being wealthy meant having every possible comfort. Now I know it means having someone wonderful to share those comforts with.” Jasmine: “She gave me back something I thought I'd lost forever. Not my dancing career, not my old life, but the belief that I could still be happy.” S&S: And how do you feel about your rather outrageous elevator encounter now? Jasmine: “I still blush when I think about it.” Margaret: “And I still kiss her in elevators.” Jasmine: “Last month we were in Singapore, and she asked me the exact same question all over again!” S&S: What did you answer? Jasmine: “I told her, ‘Darling, we've been together two years. Stop asking and kiss me!’” Margaret: “Which is excellent advice, actually.” THE DIRECT APPROACH — JUST ASK! Another love story from Silver & Sapphire Magazine — where successful women discover that sometimes the shortest distance between loneliness and happiness is one simple question. Love Younger. Live Larger.