“That is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.”  Julie sipped at her coffee and glared at her best friend.

“No, it isn’t,” Mary insisted.  She took her own sip of coffee before leaning forward and giving Julie a scrutinizing look.  “You’re thirty years old and you’ve spent your entire life practically locked up in this ridiculous mansion.  Your father is dead, there’s nothing stopping you from living your life now.”

Julie winced and stared morosely at the gleaming table top.  “Don’t soften the blow or anything, Mary.”

Mary took her hand and squeezed it.  “Listen, I get that your father had you convinced that you were worthless but the bastard has been dead for six months.  How long are you going to continue to live in his shadow?  You have no family.  I’m your only friend, and that’s just because I refused to let your father intimidate me, and you spend all of your time sitting on your ass in front of the television.  That’s no kind of life, Julie.”

Julie sighed and rubbed at her forehead.  Mary was right.  She was wasting her life, had been for the last thirty years, but she had no idea how to start fresh.  Some days just trying to leave the house felt like too much.  She’d been bullied and manipulated by her father for her entire life and even though he was dead, she could still hear his voice whispering in her ear.  She would never be pretty enough or smart enough for him and after years of emotional torment, it was too easy to believe that what he had told her repeatedly over the years was true.

“Fine.  You’re right – I need to get out more.  But I hardly think what you’re suggesting is the right way to meet someone,” she replied.

“This isn’t about meeting someone,” Mary answered.  “This is about getting your pesky virginity out of the way so that you can relax about it, gain some self-confidence, and then meet someone.”

“And you think that paying someone to rid me of my pesky v-card is going to boost my self-confidence?”  Julie asked with exasperation.  “I hate to tell you this, Mare, but having sex with someone who’s paid to tell me I’m beautiful isn’t exactly a confidence booster.”

Mary shook her head impatiently.  “That isn’t what I meant.  You think being a virgin at thirty makes you some kind of freak and, truthfully, it does a little.”

“You’re doing a bang-up job of making me feel better,” Julie said sullenly.

“I’m being honest.  The truth is – you’ll be hard pressed to find a guy who doesn’t think it’s weird that you’re still a virgin at thirty.  That isn’t going to help your self-confidence or improve your non-existent dating skills.  You need to get rid of your v-card first and this is the perfect solution.  Then you can start looking for Mr. Right who will love you for who you are, not because he’s being paid to.”

“Hiring some – some gigolo to take my virginity is not the perfect solution!  Only dirty old men hire prostitutes to have sex!”  Julie replied vehemently.

“You’re totally looking at it the wrong way.  One, they’re not called gigolo’s anymore, they’re called escorts, and two - ”

“Fine!  So, I’m going to hire an escort for a night of wham bam thank-you ma’am just so I can increase my chances of finding a nice guy?”  Julie sputtered.  “Seriously, Mary I love you but - ”

“And two,” Mary drowned out Julie’s protests, “it’s not a wham bam scenario.  These guys are professionals.  They wine and dine and will do whatever it is you want them to.  You don’t even have to have sex with them the first time if you don’t want to.  You could go on a few dates and get to know them before you sleep with them.”

“Yeah, for a cost!”  Julie snorted.

Mary rolled her eyes.  “Like you can’t friggin’ afford it, Daddy Warbucks.  Your father did the only nice thing he ever did for you in his entire life by leaving his fortune to you.  You’ll never spend all of it in a lifetime, so don’t even try and tell me a few thousand bucks on an escort is going to break you.”

“A few thousand?”  Julie’s eyes widened.  “Just how good are they at sex for it to cost thousands?”

Mary laughed.  “They’re excellent, Julie.  Trust me.”

Julie gave her a suspicious look.  “Have you hired an escort before?”

“No.  But do you remember a couple of years ago when I was hanging out with that chick, Devon?”

Julie nodded.  “I remember.  That girl was a freak.”

“She wasn’t a freak,” Mary said impatiently.  “Anyway, she had an important work function that she needed a date for.  She hired an escort and he was perfect.”

“Did she sleep with him?”

“Well, she wasn’t planning on it but the guy was so goddamn charming that she ponied up the extra cash and had the best sex of her life that night.”  Mary grinned.

Julie rubbed her forehead again.  “This is ridiculous.  I can’t believe I’m even having this conversation with you.  I am not hiring a man to deflower me so that I can get out and meet other men.  Besides, even if I lose my virginity and learn some moves in the sack, men aren’t going to be interested in me.  Look at me.”

She glanced down at her chubby body and pulled self-consciously at her yoga pants.

“I am looking at you.  I know you think that you’re fat and ugly, but you’re not,” Mary said.

“You have to say that.  You’re my best friend.” 

“No, I don’t,” Mary snapped.  “Since when have I ever said something to you just because I had to?  When your eyebrows started looking like two fuzzy caterpillars were about to have sex on your face, who told you?  When you got that dreadful pixie haircut that made you look like a fairy after a three-day bender, who told you?”

“Okay, okay!”  Julie could feel a grin crossing her face and she sipped again at her coffee.  “You’re blunt and you’re mean.  It’s what I love most about you.”

“Damn straight it is,” Mary said with satisfaction.  She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs before looking at Julie’s body appraisingly.  “You’re not fat, Julie.  I know your father spent a lifetime telling you that you were but you’re not.  You’re pleasantly plump, charmingly chubby, curvy in all the right places.  You get your idea of beauty from the internet and the TV because that’s all you see.  You never go out in the real world.  Get your ass out of those yoga pants and into clothes that fit you properly and you’ll look fantastic.  Guys will love your body, I guarantee it.”

Julie snorted before glancing at Mary’s slender body.  “Says the girl who wears a size four.”

“So what?  Who cares?  You think guys will like me better because I’m a size four and you’re a size sixteen?  That’s bullshit.  Sure, there might be guys out there who prefer skinny chicks but there are plenty of men who like their women with curves.  They like a little something to hold on to during the pushin’.”

Mary made a rude gesture with her hips and Julie blushed hotly, a nervous giggle escaping from between her lips before she looked away. 

“See!  That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”  Mary said triumphantly.  “Sex is even mentioned in front of you and you turn into a giggly thirteen-year-old girl.  You need to get sex out of the way, learn some things, before you even try dating.  Trust me on this, Jules.”

“Mary, I - ”

“Listen – you go to the escort agency, find a guy that floats your boat, and tell him the truth.  Tell him you’re a virgin and you’re looking to lose it and gain some valuable sex tips.  Easy-peasy.”

“It’s not easy-peasy,” Julie protested again.  “Besides, what if someone found out I hired a prostitute?  I’d be humiliated!”

“Who’s going to find out?  I’m your only friend, remember?  And I’m certainly not going to tell anyone.  Who does that leave?  Your dead father?  Who cares what that son of a bitch thinks?  Besides, he’s too busy burning in hell to even notice your new life.”

“Mary!”  Julie gave her a look of shock and Mary shrugged.

“It’s true and you know it, Jules.”

She jumped up and headed out of the kitchen and down the hall to Julie’s father’s study.  Julie, muttering under her breath, followed her.  She entered the study and tried to ignore the immediate twinge of guilt.  Her father’s study had always been off-limits to her and, even now, she felt uncomfortable standing in the room.

Mary plopped down in the black leather chair behind her father’s desk and turned on his laptop.  Julie crossed the room and peered over her shoulder as Mary typed.

“Vanessa’s Escort Agency?”  Julie scoffed.  “That’s original.  Seriously, isn’t prostitution illegal?  How can she even be in business?”

“I don’t know how it works,” Mary replied.  “I mean, being an escort isn’t illegal, I’m sure they call the sex part something different.  Like, maybe they refer to it as ice cream.”

“Ice cream?” 

“Yeah!  Like there’s a cost for a perfectly legal dinner with the escort and if you want ice cream after, there’s an additional cost.”  Mary laughed.

She clicked the link to the website and immediately clicked on the “our escorts” link.  Despite herself, Julie stared with interest at the pictures that popped up.

“Wow,” Mary said appreciatively.  “These guys are friggin’ dreamy.”

She scrolled through the pictures of men.  “Ooh, I like this one.  His name is Robert and he’s a ski instructor.”

“No way,” Julie said immediately.  “He’ll be way too fit for me.”

Mary rolled her eyes.  “They’ve all got rock-star bodies, Jules.  That’s the appeal.  How about this guy?  He’s twenty-seven, enjoys outdoor activities and is co-owner of a gym.  Nice.”

“Nope,” Julie replied.  “Definitely not.”

“Oh for the love of Pete!”  Mary gave her an exasperated look.  “Just pick one, Jules.”

“What for?  I have no intention of…”

She trailed off as Mary scrolled further down.

“What?  See something you like?”  Mary wiggled her eyebrows at her and then followed Julie’s gaze.

“Wow…he’s hot.”  She clicked on the man’s profile.  “Let’s see.  His name is Cal.  He’s thirty-three and he likes walks on the beach, romantic dinners, and fine wine.  Huh.  A little cliché but he’s gorgeous so we’ll let it pass.”

Julie didn’t reply.  She was staring mesmerized at the man on the screen in front of her.  He was smiling easily into the camera and he had an air of rugged confidence about him.  He had short dark hair and green eyes and a small cleft in his chin.  She studied the hard angle of his jaw and the broad shoulders clothed in an expensive dark suit.  He was beautiful.  She couldn’t even picture approaching a man that looked like him, let alone imagine herself naked in front of him.

Mary clicked a different link and the man’s face disappeared.  Julie felt a tug of disappointment that turned to horror when she realized Mary was typing an email. 

“Mary!  Stop this right now!”  She squeaked.

“Nope,” Mary replied.  She finished typing and Julie read the short message.

Hello,

My name is Julie and I’m interested in hiring an escort for the evening.  Please call me at the enclosed phone number.

Sincerely,

Julie Winslow

Before Julie could stop her, Mary had clicked on the send button.  She gave Mary a look of fear.  “What did you just do?”

Mary grinned at her.  “If you don’t want to speak to them, ignore the phone call, Jules.  But if you want to change your life for the better, then answer the damn call.”

She stood up and kissed Julie on the cheek.  “I’ve got to go.  I’m meeting Gary for lunch at Oasis.  I love you, Jules.”

“I – I love you too,” Julie answered.  She was still stunned at what had just transpired and she followed Mary to the front door in a daze.

Mary paused on the doorstep and gave her a hug.  “Take a chance, Jules.  You deserve to be happy,” she whispered.  She kissed her on the cheek and ran down the front steps to her car parked in the driveway.

Julie watched numbly as she drove away before shutting the door and leaning heavily against it.  What the hell just happened?