He makes a skeptical sound. “I can still tell you’re young.”
“I’m nineteen, thank you very much.”
“Nineteen?Okay, I’m going to hang up now.”
“No! Wait!” I listen for the void of disconnection to hit my ear, but thankfully the quiet sound of him breathing is still there. “I only do the scheduling, Barry. Calm down.”
He laughs without humor. It turns into a sigh. “Look, I don’t know what I’m supposed to ask for. I have a unique situation.”
Relieved he’s talking again and I haven’t blown it with a client, I wake up my computer screen by wiggling the mouse. The color-coded calendar appears, along with our core offerings. “Well, we have a few different options. Why don’t I go over them with you? You can tell me if one of them fits the bill.”
“I highly doubt that’s going to happen.”
“You’ll be surprised.” I clear my throat. “First up, we have the Instant Gratification Package. That one has an hourly rate.” He’sa first timer, right? I should be extra clear, just so he doesn’t get confused. “You engage in sex—”
“I’ve got the picture.”
“That’s not what you’re looking for,” I surmise. “Okay. We have the Date Night Package. One of our girls is your companion for the whole evening. Take her to dinner, to a show. Even a work function. They are all excellent conversationalists and can adapt to any scenario. At the end of the night, sex is certainly on the table, but it’s an upcharge.”
Spoiler alert: they always request the upcharge.
“We’re getting warmer,” Barry says dryly. “Except for that last part.”
This guy is one surprise after another. “You don’t want sex,” I say slowly. I’m not even trying to hide the fact that I don’t believe him. “Really.”
“I don’t want to pay for sex.”
“You wanta freebie?”
“No.” He curses under his breath. “Look, this was probably a terrible idea to begin with. Here’s the deal. I’m attending my brother’s wedding this weekend. It’s taking place at a ranch outside of Vegas. It’s a really…” He blows out a breath. “It’s a really classy place, and God knows I don’t know the first thing about proper clothing or how to act. Can’t dance or make small talk, but that’s exactly what they all expect me to do. Why? I don’t know. I’ve been living off the grid for…” Another long pause. “I might have just gone and winged it, but my grandmother is ninety-five. The woman raised me. Worked two jobs to feed me when my mother couldn’t. Taught me everything I know about life.” I hear his swallow. “She’s going to be there and…it could be the last time I see her. She always said her greatest wish is to see me settled down and I thought I’d give her that. Or the illusion of that, rather.”
My heart is beating in my throat. Tears in my eyes.
I didn’t see this coming.
No one has ever called this place with such a pure motive before.
“For h-how long would you need a companion?” I manage.
“Two days, two nights.” He laughs without humor. “Just forget I called. This was a bad idea.”
For some reason I’m standing up. I’m not even sure when that happened. But there’s a determination inside of me to help this man. I’ve never been so sure that someone is genuine, and a girl doesn’t come across that every day. Not in the escort business. Not this close to Sin City. “No, wait. We have a package for that, believe it or not.”
I can sense his doubt. “You have a package for what I just described.”
“Well, I mean, not exactlyto a T. But we can…customize,” I say, trying to sound cheerful, so he doesn’t know my eyes are brimming with moisture.Improvise.“What you’re looking for is the Girlfriend Treatment, Barry. Of course! An extended arrangement. Out of town. Upscale venue.” I hum and punch keys on my keyboard, as if I’m entering data, but I’m just imputing gibberish into the calendar. “You said this weekend? Friday through Sunday?”
“Yeah,” he says, sounding slightly hopeful. “This is actually possible? Someone is going to pretend to be my girlfriend for two whole days?”
“We can’t let your grandmother down,” I say, my voice wavering a little. “Sorry, she just sounds like a lovely person.”
“She is.”
My heart squeezes. “Just out of curiosity…there are no women in your life who might have gone with you?”
“No. Like I said, I have been off the grid. I don’t see women.” A beat passes. “Or…they don’t want to see me. Youshould mention to the date you’re sending that I have, uh…some significant scarring on my face. I was wounded in combat.”
There’s a note of loneliness in his voice that tells me he’s been through a lot.
