She was sitting on the couch watching daytime television, eating a plate of raw celery and carrots and wishing that it was ice cream, when her cell phone rang.  Her heart jumped in her chest and she muted the television before reaching for it.  The only person who ever called her was Mary and she studied the strange number, her pulse beginning to pound.  She knew without a doubt that it was the escort agency and, feeling like she was having an out-of-body experience, she pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Winslow?”  A woman’s voice, warm and professional sounding, spoke into her ear.

“Y-yes.”

“My name is Meagan.  I’m calling from Vanessa’s Escort Agency regarding your earlier email.”

“Oh yes, hi.  Um, listen there’s - ”

“We’re so glad you called us.  Now, we do like to meet our potential clients in person so is it possible for you to drop by our office?”  Meagan interrupted smoothly.

“Well, I - ”

“We promise we won’t take up much of your time.  Does tomorrow at three work for you?”

“Okay, sure,” Julie replied in a soft voice.  Years of living with her domineering father, of having him constantly belittle and chastise her for her choices, had turned her into a dyed-in-the-wool people pleaser.  She should never have answered the damn phone.

“Great!”  Meagan replied.  “I’ll send you the email with our address and we’ll see you tomorrow at three.”

She hung up before Julie could reply.  Julie set her cell phone down and stared blankly at the television.  She was going to an escort agency tomorrow.  What did one even wear to an escort agency? 

She took a deep breath and called Mary.

 

* * *

 

She stood in front of the open elevator and bit her lip indecisively.  It wasn’t too late.  She could simply turn and walk out of the building. 

Coward.

She winced at her inner voice.

Do you want to be alone forever?  You may not want to admit it, but Mary was right.  Part of the reason, a big part, you’re afraid to meet anyone is because you’re ashamed you’re a virgin at thirty.  Do this.  Lose it to someone who’s anonymous, who’ll say all the right things, and make you feel pretty.  They’ll show you what to do and you can stop worrying about sex and all its mysteries, and start worrying about finding the right guy.  Do you really want to die alone, surrounded by cats?

No, she most certainly did not.  Never mind that she was allergic to cats and couldn’t go near one without breaking into hives, the principal of the thought was sound.  If she didn’t do something, didn’t change something, she really was going to die alone.  Exactly as her father predicted.

She squared her shoulders, remembering the disgust in her father’s voice when he had repeatedly ridiculed her for her weight and told her no man would ever find her attractive with an ass the size of hers.  He might be right.  Hell, she might never find a man who found her attractive or find the courage to go on a single date.  She could possibly die a lonely, sad spinster despite what she was doing, but at least she wouldn’t die a lonely, sad, virgin spinster.

“Excuse me, ma’am?  Are you going to get in the elevator?” 

She jumped and turned to give the man behind her an apologetic smile.  “I’m sorry.  Yes, I am.”

She faced forward and marched into the elevator.  The man joined her and she hit the button for the twenty-fourth floor with a trembling finger.  The man pressed the button for seventeen and they rode in silence.

“Have a nice day.”  He gave her a friendly smile and she forced herself to return it, smoothing her hands anxiously over her skirt.

“Thank you.  You as well.”

The elevator doors closed and she was alone.  She took a shaky breath and studied herself in the reflection of the elevator doors.  Mary, nearly vibrating with excitement, had helped her pick out her outfit.  She was wearing a dark navy skirt that stopped just below her knees, a pale pink tank top and a grey blazer.  She had left the blazer unbuttoned but after a quick look at the way her muffin top was visible, she buttoned the blazer. 

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open with a quiet hum.  Expecting a hallway, she jerked with surprise when they opened into a reception area.  A blonde woman, her hair pulled into an elegant chignon, was sitting behind a large wooden desk.  She looked up from her computer as the elevator doors opened.

“Hello!  You must be Ms. Winslow.”  The woman came out from behind the desk as Julie stepped into the waiting area.  She held out her hand and, wiping her sweaty palm on her skirt first, Julie shook it tentatively.

“Um, yes.  I am.” 

“It’s lovely to meet you.  I’m Meagan.  We spoke on the phone?”

“Oh right.  Of course.  Hi, Meagan.”

“Why don’t you have a seat?  Vanessa is finishing up a phone call and will be right with you.  Can I get you a cup of coffee?  Tea?  Glass of water?”

“No, thank you.”  Julie nearly fell into the oversized chair Meagan was directing her towards, and clutched her purse nervously.  The waiting room was sparse but tastefully decorated and she glanced around curiously as Meagan returned to her computer.

The minutes ticked by and her anxiety grew.  What she was doing was madness and she couldn’t go through with it.  She stood.

“Excuse me, I think I - ”

A door to her left opened and a tall, silver-haired woman stepped into the waiting area.

“Hello, Ms. Winslow.  My name is Vanessa Michaels.  Please, come into my office.”

Julie glanced at Meagan.  The woman gave her an encouraging smile and she smiled weakly in return before following Vanessa into her office.

“It’s nice to meet you, Julie.  May I call you Julie?”  The woman asked as they shook hands.

“Of course.  It’s nice to meet you as well, Ms. Michaels.”

“Call me Vanessa.”  She sat down behind her desk and Julie perched nervously in the leather chair in front of the desk.

Vanessa folded her hands on the desk and stared at Julie for a moment.  “So, tell me a little bit about yourself, Julie.”

Julie blinked at her.  “Oh, well my name is Julie Winslow – I guess you already know that – and I’m um, thirty years old.  My father passed away recently.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.  I, um, I live by myself and I uh – I’m um – I’m looking for an escort,” she finished lamely.  She realized with dismay that she couldn’t think of a single, interesting thing to say about herself but the woman was still staring at her silently, waiting for more.

“I – I like to read,” she said desperately.  She was struck with sudden inspiration.  “And knit!  I’m very fond of knitting.”

Vanessa smiled at her.  “I myself, never learned to knit.  I always wanted to but I’m afraid I’m rather hopeless at crafty things.”

She opened a file folder that was sitting on her desk.  “Are you looking for an escort for a particular event?  A wedding, perhaps?  Or maybe a high school reunion?”

Julie shook her head.  “No.  I just wanted a date.  A regular, um, date.” 

She wondered if that made her look even more pathetic and desperate but Vanessa nodded. 

“Very good.  I assume you’ve seen our website.  Was there someone in particular that caught your interest?”

Julie wiped her hands down her skirt again.  “Yes.  I think his name was Cal?”

Vanessa nodded.  “Excellent choice.”

She pushed some papers across her desk.  “There is a bit of paperwork to go over.  We do a background check, of course, on all of our clients.  The safety of our employees is our utmost concern.  If you pass the background check, we will email you information about the escort of your choice.  All of our escorts are personally recruited by myself and extensive personal background and criminal checks are completed on them before they’re hired to work for my company.  You don’t have to worry about mental illnesses, sexually transmitted diseases, or anything of that sort.  You’ll see all of their medical history and the information from the background check in the documentation we email you.”

She turned the page on the stack of papers in front of her.  “We also ask that you sign a confidentiality agreement.  It’s a standard agreement but I suggest you take it home and read through it carefully.  If there’s anything you don’t understand, give Meagan a call and she’ll explain it to you.  All right?”

Julie nodded as Vanessa handed her a pen.  “Why don’t you get started on filling out the information for the background check while I explain a little about the company?”

Julie nodded again as she took the pen.  She filled out the paper in front of her as Vanessa leaned back in her chair.  “I started this company eight years ago.  We employ a small group of men who are dedicated to ensuring that a woman not only enjoys their date but is treated with the utmost respect and courtesy that she deserves.  If, after your date, you are unhappy in anyway, we will refund your money no questions asked.  That’s a guarantee.”

She crossed her legs and brushed away a piece of lint from her skirt.  “Unlike other escort agencies, we also provide a free-of-charge ‘getting to know you’ appointment.  You’ll meet your escort at a location of your choosing for a half hour meeting.  It gives you a chance to get to know them a little better and decide if he’s the appropriate one for your event.  If it doesn’t work out, we’ll set you up with another escort of your choosing.”

She paused.  “Of course, as you’re not looking for an escort for a particular event, I’m sure Cal will be more than appropriate for you.  However, we still believe the introductory meeting is a good idea.”

“Do uh, do many women use an escort for a regular date?”  Julie asked. 

“Of course.”  Vanessa smiled at her and Julie wondered if the woman was lying.  “Our clients utilize our services for many different reasons, Julie.”

“Right.”  Julie bent her head and finished filling out the background check before handing the papers to Vanessa.

“So um, how much does this cost?”  She asked awkwardly.

Vanessa gave her a thoughtful look.  “We have a flat rate fee of five hundred dollars for the first four hours.  Anything over four hours is charged on an hourly basis of two hundred per hour.”

“Al; right.”  Julie, mentally calculating the cost of losing her virginity, didn’t respond when Vanessa spoke to her.

“Julie?”

“I’m sorry.  I was woolgathering,” Julie said.

“That’s fine.  I was saying that payment is made directly to the company.  You are not, under any circumstance, to give your escort money.  All expenses will be paid by your escort and if the event lasts longer than four hours, your escort will notify us how long the event lasted, your credit card will be billed the following business day and a new invoice will be given to you.  The charge on your statement will show as a numbered company, not Vanessa’s Escort Agency.  Clear?”

“Yes,” Julie replied.

“Excellent.  Take home the confidentiality agreement, read it carefully and if you agree to the terms and conditions, sign it and email it back to us.  Once your background and criminal check have been cleared, we’ll contact you to arrange your first meeting with Cal.  All right?”

“A-all right.”  Julie gave her a weak smile and Vanessa patted her hand. 

“It’s okay to be nervous, Julie.  It’s natural.  If at any time, you change your mind, let us know.”

She stood and Julie stumbled to her feet and gathered the papers and her purse.  Vanessa shook her hand and walked her to the elevator.  Julie let out her breath in a trembling sigh and stared at the papers in her hand.