My boss Peter and I met one of our customers at a bar at the Seasons. Peter seemed to have a thing for that particular hotel. I wasn’t certain why I was there, since I had little to do with customer relations. But I was interviewing for an opening in my department and it turned out the gentleman had a relative he hoped to recommend. We discussed all that and ate a light supper before he made an exit. “Whew, that was a trifle awkward,” Peter said, “Let’s sit at the bar. I need a real drink.” I understood what he actually needed was to talk about his girlfriend – well, former girlfriend now. The bartender looked familiar for some reason but I’m not terribly good at recognizing faces. Peter, however, greeted him by name and I realized the guy had worked at the company reception I’d attended at this hotel. Todd was his name.
The air conditioning was up higher than I was used to, which, I soon noticed, made my nipples stand rigid. They must certainly be showing through my scoop top. Fortunately, I was also wearing a short open jacket that I could pull closer to hide them. Peter sometimes devoured me with his eyes but was just as likely to be oblivious. Tonight, I was glad to see, he paid no attention. The bartender, on the other hand, kept angling for a better view. I was nursing my first drink but Peter was finishing his second and ordering a third. It was looking like this could be a longish therapy session. While the drink was being mixed, he sloped off to the men’s room. Todd set the drink down at our place and leaned toward me, “You’re Mindi, right?”
I was trying to recall if Peter had called me by name. “Yes, that’s right.”
“I thought so. Derick used to come in here. He mentioned you.” I must have gone pale because he hurriedly tried to reassure me, “No, not like that. No offense intended. Just how happy he was with you.” He glanced around for anyone who might be close enough to overhear. “I make a lot of contacts here. High rollers looking for…introductions. If you want, I can direct some of them your way.”
Oh wonderful, this jerk wants to be my pimp! Okay, it is true that guy Derick did pay me for sex – twice. But the first time he left it for me without a clue on my part. The second time was a little different. But, still. Peter returned at that moment, saving me from having to reply. I took a moment to scan the room and wonder how many of the more glamorous patrons were professional escorts. I had one more drink with my maudlin boss and left for home.
_
Denise and I intermittently watched a streaming movie and hashed over Peter’s girlfriend woes. Generally, we felt sorry for him. I also told her about Todd’s business proposal.
“You’re shitting me!” She made me repeat every detail of what he’d said, then sat pensively for several minutes. “I have a better idea. I came across something the other day on the internet. So, um…it’s a kind of dating app/site. It has thousands of members all over. Men join and request the kind of date they want. But they give a donation to their date…
“It’s an escort site? They book escorts there? That’s what it is, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not like an agency or anything. Men who want a hookup for a particular period of time go there to find willing partners and women go to do the same – except they get paid. There’s the money part, but that’s…I mean, we all get something from men we date. Dinner or drinks or gifts. What’s the difference? This eliminates most of the surprises because we’d know what was happening before the date. And, besides, neither one of us is interested in a relationship with them as we sleep with.”
We looked closely at the site and discussed the possibilities and potential problems. I saw that Denise was hot to try it and I couldn’t deny that having things agreed to beforehand was alluring.
In the end, we went through the signup process. One of the best features was that women members could view the men’s profiles but the men could not look at theirs or contact them unless that woman responded to their date requests. So if I responded to a request, the guy could view me and, if he liked what he saw and read, we could chat about details.
Both of us browsed the site for a couple of days before we took the plunge and responded. We intentionally accepted dates for the same evening and in locations within easy walking distance. The fellow I accepted was older, well late-forties, but trim and good-looking, in a distinguished gentlemanly way. He was in town from Chicago.
The night of our rendezvous, Denise was like a nervous cat and I admit to a case of butterflies. Both of us had gone with out-of-town business types to avoid, we hoped, any later complications. I met my guy at a venerable but very upscale hotel – well, in the restaurant. I wondered if this kind of top-shelf venue was usual for paid dates. But at least the man was instantly recognizable when I entered, so his profile photo was accurate. He guided me to a select table in a small window alcove, with far more crystal and silver than anyone could truly need. Still, he was accomplished in putting his companions at ease. The conversation was light and effortless, even for me. He was involved in some sort of finance that I didn’t profess to understand. I kept my own work and personal details suitably vague and he didn’t press me.
The dinner was remarkably fine. We had moved beyond dessert to after-dinner drinks. I stole a glance at his watch and was a bit shocked to see we’d already been there for over an hour. It never occurred to me the preliminaries would take this long. I…of course, I’d not thought completely through any of that. But it was expected that he’d pay for time, not just sex. We’d agreed on a two-hour range. After another half hour, I was starting to wonder. Then he said, “This has been an absolute pleasure. I’m afraid I have a very early flight. May I call you a cab or…”
“Oh, thank you, no. I have transportation.” It occurred to me, for the first time, I hadn’t gotten my gift up front. Well, okay…the site has verified credit card info on each man as a backup. The men know that if they stiff a date, the site will charge it to their card. While these thoughts raced through my head, the gentleman discretely withdrew a slim blue envelope from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table near my empty glass. I rather self-consciously thanked him for the lovely evening and walked out with him, stopping at the ladies' room on the way. With my lips and makeup restored, I peeked into the envelope. There were ten hundred-dollar bills. Wow, that was easy!