“Would You Sleep With Me Tonight? My Friends Bet Me $10,000 You'd Say No.”

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: Patricia, 65 & Lauren, 28 Four wealthy married women, one lonely friend, a $10,000 dare, and a beautiful young stranger who had been nursing the same drink for two hours. Nobody expected what happened next — least of all the woman who accepted the challenge. HER STORY — PATRICIA, 65 Patricia Ashford was sixty-five, divorced, enormously wealthy, and thoroughly sick of hearing her married girlfriends tell her that she needed to find someone. She had spent thirty years building a chain of luxury retirement communities and had sold the business five years earlier for an amount that left her with a personal fortune exceeding $260 million. She owned a spectacular estate in Scottsdale, a penthouse in Manhattan, and a beachfront property in California, although she admitted that she spent far too much time in hotels because returning to her enormous empty house had become increasingly depressing. Her marriage had ended fifteen years earlier, and during the years that followed, Patricia had discovered that she was considerably happier dating women. Unfortunately, her most recent relationship had ended badly. Her girlfriend of four years, a beautiful woman twenty years her junior, had left after announcing that she wanted someone closer to her own age. "Apparently sixty-five is an unacceptable age for romance," Patricia remarked. "Although I have yet to discover who established that particular rule." Her friends disagreed. They considered Patricia sophisticated, gorgeous, extraordinarily generous, and far too reluctant to approach women she found attractive. "She can negotiate a hundred-million-dollar acquisition without blinking," her best friend Caroline told us, "but put a beautiful young woman in front of her and suddenly she becomes a nervous schoolgirl." Patricia rolled her eyes. "Which brings us to that ridiculous evening." HER STORY — LAUREN, 28 Lauren Mitchell had once been a happy young woman with a promising future. At twenty-four, she married her childhood sweetheart, accepted a position as a veterinary assistant, and moved into a small house that she and her husband had purchased together. Two years later, her husband was killed in a highway accident. Lauren was twenty-six, widowed, and pregnant with their first child. The stress of the accident and its aftermath was followed by a complicated pregnancy. Her baby boy was born prematurely and died after just six days. "I lost my husband and my son within five months," Lauren told us. "I don't think I really understood what had happened for almost a year." Medical expenses, unpaid bills, and a disputed insurance claim consumed much of what her husband had left. Eventually, she lost the house. Her mother offered her a place to stay, but their relationship deteriorated as Lauren struggled with grief and depression. Then her mother remarried. Her new husband made it increasingly clear that Lauren was unwelcome. She moved into a tiny rented room and found work as a waitress, but after the restaurant closed, she struggled to find another permanent position. By twenty-eight, Lauren had spent nearly two years drifting between temporary jobs, cheap accommodations, and the occasional night on a friend's sofa. "I wasn't particularly attractive anymore, at least not in my own eyes," Lauren said. "I felt old, exhausted, and completely finished with life before I'd even turned thirty." On the evening she met Patricia, she had just learned that the woman renting her a room intended to sell the property. Lauren had two weeks to leave. She had $187 in her bank account. And she had decided to spend ten dollars on a drink at a beautiful hotel bar, simply because she wanted to sit somewhere lovely for a change. "I knew I couldn't afford to stay there," she admitted. "But for two hours, I could pretend I belonged somewhere nice." THE DARE — $10,000 SAYS YOU WON'T S&S: Patricia, tell us about that evening. Patricia: "I was having cocktails with four friends. Caroline, Denise, Barbara, and Susan. All married, all wealthy, and all absolutely unbearable when they decide to interfere in my private life." S&S: And they were discussing your love life? Patricia: "Naturally. They'd been discussing it for twenty minutes when Caroline noticed a lovely young woman sitting alone at the bar." Caroline: "She was gorgeous. Long blonde hair, beautiful legs, a short black dress, and the saddest expression I've ever seen." Patricia: "She'd been sitting there for ages, looking at the same drink." Caroline: "So I said, 'Patricia, there's your opportunity.'" Patricia: "I informed her that I was not in the habit of propositioning complete strangers." Caroline: "Which was nonsense. She simply didn't have the nerve." S&S: And that's when the bet started? Caroline: "I told her I'd give her ten thousand dollars if she walked over to that beautiful young woman and asked, straight out, 'Will you sleep with me tonight?'" Patricia: "I told her she was completely insane." Denise: "We all thought it was hilarious." Barbara: "Patricia was turning bright red!" Patricia: "I was not!" Susan: "Oh, darling, you absolutely were." S&S: Did everyone contribute to the wager? Caroline: "We decided to make it interesting. Two thousand five hundred dollars each. Ten thousand total. But she had to ask exactly that question. No dinner invitation, no subtle flirting, no pretending she wanted advice about the wine list." Patricia: "Four supposedly respectable married women behaving like schoolgirls." Caroline: "And our lovely Patricia finally stood up." S&S: What convinced you? Patricia: "I looked at that young woman and realized that I genuinely did find her attractive. And frankly, after three cocktails, ten thousand dollars seemed like a perfectly good reason to embarrass myself." THE ENCOUNTER — JUST ASK! S&S: Lauren, did you notice Patricia approaching? Lauren: "Of course! She was stunning. This elegant silver-haired woman wearing a short black designer dress, spectacular diamond jewelry, and the most beautiful heels I'd ever seen." Patricia: "That is an extremely flattering description." Lauren: "It's true! She looked like she'd stepped straight out of a luxury magazine." S&S: What did she say? Lauren: "She asked whether the seat beside me was taken." Patricia: "I thought I should at least introduce myself." Lauren: "Then she said, 'My name is Patricia. I'm sixty-five, divorced, and I think you're absolutely beautiful.'" S&S: And then? Lauren: "Then she took a deep breath, looked straight at me, and asked, 'Will you sleep with me tonight?'" S&S: Just like that? Lauren: "Just like that! I stared at her, then looked down at my nearly empty glass and thought, Good Lord, whatever was in that drink must have been stronger than I realized!" Patricia: "I wanted the floor to open beneath me." Lauren: "I stared at her and asked, 'Are you serious?'" Patricia: "I said, 'Unfortunately, yes.'" Lauren: "Then I started laughing." S&S: Did that embarrass you, Patricia? Patricia: "Terribly. I was already trying to work out how quickly I could return to my friends without dying of humiliation." Lauren: "But then I noticed the four women at the table behind her trying desperately not to laugh." S&S: You realized something was happening? Lauren: "I asked whether they were her friends." Patricia: "I admitted that they were." Lauren: "Then I asked, 'Did those women dare you to ask me that?'" Patricia: "And I confessed everything." S&S: Including the money? Lauren: "Especially the money!" Patricia: "I explained that my friends had bet me ten thousand dollars that I wouldn't have the courage to ask a beautiful stranger to spend the night with me." Lauren: "So I asked, 'And do you get the money just for asking, or do I have to say yes?'" Patricia: "I told her the wager only required me to ask." Lauren: "Then I said, 'That's a pity. I was about to suggest we split it.'" S&S: Oh, that's wonderful! Patricia: "I nearly fell off the barstool." Lauren: "Then I asked whether she really wanted to spend the night with me." Patricia: "I said that I found her very attractive, but she was under absolutely no obligation to accept an invitation simply because my friends were behaving disgracefully." Lauren: "So I asked, 'Are you married?'" Patricia: "No." Lauren: "'Do you have a girlfriend?'" Patricia: "No." Lauren: "'And you're actually sixty-five?'" Patricia: "Yes." Lauren: "Then I looked at her and said, 'Well, Patricia, I don't think I've ever been with a woman more than twice my age, but I suppose there's a first time for everything.'" S&S: And? Lauren: "I told her yes." Patricia: "I thought I'd misheard her." Lauren: "Then I leaned over and kissed her." S&S: Right there at the bar? Lauren: "Absolutely!" Patricia: "I heard one of my friends shriek." Caroline: "That was Barbara!" Barbara: "It was not!" Susan: "It was definitely Barbara." THE TEN-THOUSAND-DOLLAR SURPRISE S&S: What happened when Patricia returned to her friends? Patricia: "I took Lauren by the hand, walked back to the table, and introduced her." Lauren: "Four extremely wealthy-looking women stared at me as though I'd just appeared from another planet." Caroline: "We were absolutely astonished!" Patricia: "I told them, 'Ladies, I'd like you to meet Lauren. She has accepted my invitation, and I believe you owe me ten thousand dollars.'" Denise: "We were laughing so hard we could barely speak." Lauren: "Then Caroline asked whether I'd really agreed to go home with Patricia." S&S: What did you say? Lauren: "I told her, 'Yes, and frankly, I think she's getting the better end of the bargain.'" Patricia: "Which was when I fell completely in love with her sense of humor." S&S: Did you actually collect the money? Patricia: "Every penny." Caroline: "She insisted!" Patricia: "Naturally. A wager is a wager." Lauren: "Then Patricia did something lovely." S&S: What? Lauren: "She told them that she'd already decided where the money was going." Patricia: "I said I was donating it to a local charity supporting women who had lost their homes." Lauren: "I nearly cried, because at that moment I was one of those women." Patricia: "I didn't know that yet." THE NIGHT — MORE THAN A DARE S&S: Lauren, where did you go? Lauren: "Patricia had a penthouse suite at the hotel. She told me we could have dinner, talk, and decide whether we wanted anything more." Patricia: "I was suddenly very aware that I'd asked an extraordinarily personal question of someone I barely knew." Lauren: "She kept apologizing!" Patricia: "I did not!" Lauren: "You apologized four times before we reached the elevator!" S&S: What was the suite like? Lauren: "Absolutely magnificent. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a private terrace, a huge bedroom, and a bathroom that looked like something from a palace." Patricia: "She asked whether I lived like that all the time." Lauren: "I couldn't believe it. I'd been worrying about whether I could afford another week in my rented room, and suddenly I was sitting on a sofa that probably cost more than everything I owned." S&S: Did you tell Patricia about your circumstances? Lauren: "Eventually. She noticed I became uncomfortable whenever she mentioned my job or where I lived, and she asked if something was wrong." Patricia: "She told me about losing her husband and baby, her financial troubles, and her fear of becoming homeless." Lauren: "I was so embarrassed. I thought she'd assume I'd accepted her invitation because she was wealthy." Patricia: "I told her that I wanted her company because I liked her, and that her financial circumstances had nothing to do with my attraction to her." Lauren: "Then she asked whether I'd like to stay in the guest bedroom." Patricia: "I wanted her to feel safe and comfortable." Lauren: "And I said, 'Darling, you asked me to sleep with you. I've already said yes. Are you changing your mind?'" Patricia: "I nearly choked on my champagne." S&S: And the rest of the night? Lauren: "Wonderful. We talked for hours, laughed about the dare, kissed, and eventually went to bed together. I had expected to feel awkward with someone so much older, but Patricia was incredibly affectionate and romantic." Patricia: "Lauren made me feel young again, although I'm quite sure she'd object if I suggested she was responsible for that." Lauren: "I would. You were gorgeous before I met you!" Patricia: "And she made me laugh until my stomach hurt." THE MORNING AFTER — THE REAL WAGER S&S: Patricia, apparently the next morning you decided that ten thousand dollars was a rather insignificant amount? Patricia: "It certainly seemed insignificant compared with what I was contemplating." Lauren: "I woke up around ten. Patricia was already awake, sitting beside me in a beautiful silk robe, drinking coffee." Patricia: "I had ordered breakfast." Lauren: "She asked whether I'd enjoyed the night." S&S: And your answer? Lauren: "I told her it was the first truly happy night I'd had in almost two years." Patricia: "Which was when I realized that I didn't want to say goodbye." S&S: What did you ask her? Patricia: "I said, 'Lauren, would you consider spending another night with me?'" Lauren: "I said yes immediately." Patricia: "Then I asked about the next weekend." Lauren: "I said yes again." Patricia: "Then I asked whether she might like to spend a week with me in California." Lauren: "I started laughing and asked whether she was planning to keep asking until I said no." Patricia: "I told her that I was actually hoping she'd eventually agree to become my girlfriend." Lauren: "Then she became very serious." S&S: What did you say, Patricia? Patricia: "I told her that I had enjoyed the previous night enormously, that I found her beautiful and delightful, and that I wanted to get to know her properly." Lauren: "And then she asked the question that really shocked me." S&S: Which was? Patricia: "'Darling, would you like to move into my home and let me spend the next few years trying to make you as happy as you've made me?'" S&S: After one night? Lauren: "Exactly! I thought she was joking." Patricia: "I told her I wasn't asking for an immediate commitment. She could stay in my guest suite, and we'd see how things developed. And if our relationship didn't work, I would still help her find somewhere safe and comfortable to live." Lauren: "I asked whether she really wanted a girlfriend who was twenty-eight, broke, and had spent the previous two years being miserable." Patricia: "And I said, 'Darling, I'm sixty-five, rich, and have spent the previous five years being miserable. It seems to me we have quite a lot in common.'" Lauren: "That's when I started crying." Patricia: "Which rather spoiled my attempt to be funny." Lauren: "No, darling. It was the nicest thing anybody had said to me in years." S&S: And your answer? Lauren: "I told her I'd love to try." Patricia: "Which was the best answer I'd received in a very long time." WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Nineteen months later, Patricia and Lauren are still together. Lauren moved into Patricia's Scottsdale estate after several weeks of dating, initially occupying one of the guest suites. According to Patricia, the arrangement lasted thirteen days. Lauren has since returned to work in veterinary care, although she now works part-time and volunteers with an animal rescue organization. Patricia has encouraged her to complete additional professional training, and Lauren is considering returning to college. The couple have traveled together to Italy, France, Hawaii, and several Caribbean islands. Lauren says she still occasionally finds the luxury overwhelming. Patricia says she has never been happier. And the four friends who started everything? They remain thoroughly delighted with themselves. Caroline: "We consider it the best ten thousand dollars we've ever spent." Patricia: "They've been absolutely insufferable ever since." Lauren: "They keep reminding Patricia that without them, she'd still be sitting at the table being lonely." S&S: Do they still dare you to approach beautiful women? Patricia: "Certainly not. Lauren would be furious." Lauren: "Not necessarily!" Patricia: "Darling!" Lauren: "If they want to bet another ten thousand dollars, I'd be delighted to watch you ask me all over again!" Caroline: "Oh, we're absolutely doing that!" S&S: And what would your answer be, Lauren? Lauren: "I'd tell Patricia exactly what I told her that first night." S&S: Which was? Lauren: "'Yes, darling. But this time, let's make it twenty thousand!'" 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.