Chapter 3

 

“You ended early,” Valerie says, walking up to one of the cocktail tables and taking a seat across Amanda, another close friend.

 

Valerie has just finished meeting with a client with a penthouse suite a few blocks away. This part of town is known to most, if not all, as the privileged section of the city. Historical hotel landmarks and fine dining restaurants litter the streets. There are more luxury cars speeding by than the familiar sight of yellow taxi cabs. It’s one of the best places to nab a client, or sometimes, an ideal place to meet up for after-work drinks. For Amanda and Valerie, it’s the latter.

 

“What can I say, Mandy got bored very quickly,” her friend says, referring to her alias.

 

Unlike her relationship with Angel, Valerie shares stories of her wild nights and crazy requests from clients to Amanda. She knows what Valerie goes through since she’s on the same journey as well. They met when they were hired in the same private party a few years back. It was a secret party attended by wealthy businessmen and a few celebrities who wanted to add a little spice to their lives. There were lots of alcohol, loads of dancing, and more bouts of sex. The party took place in one of the host’s mansions out in the countryside. Valerie doesn’t remember the exact number rooms the mansion has, but it’s well above twenty. After that weekend, Valerie and Amanda stayed in touch. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

“That bad?” asks Valerie with a grimace, trying not to grin too much. “No round two?”

 

“He couldn’t handle a round two.” Now, Valerie’s full on chuckling with an arm around her stomach. When she cocks an eyebrow up at Amanda as if to ask ‘seriously’, Amanda nods and then replies, “I’m not shitting you. Anyway…how about you? What’s got your knickers in a twist?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Amanda lets out a soft laugh and shakes her head. “Come on. You’re usually running home to your son when you finish work. We don’t really make plans at the last minute unless it’s an emergency or someone has a birthday.” Amanda prods Valerie further. “Come on, what’s up?”

 

Valerie lets out a heavy sigh. Amanda can read her like an open book, and she knows she can’t bullshit her friend.

 

“I’m fucked,” Valerie says, taking a long sip of her beer. She feels the ice cold liquid flow down her throat. She feels refreshed even if she knows she’s going to wake up with her mouth feeling as dry as the Sahara. “I have a new client…I met him yesterday…”

 

“And…?”

 

When their eyes meet, Amanda gets an idea of what Valerie’s thinking about. She knows how Valerie talks about her clients. There’s rapid speed in her words and an unattached yet lively tone. Now, she speaks slowly and carefully. There’s an inkling of hesitance in her. Then, Amanda’s eyes widen into saucers.

 

“No…” Amanda nudges Valerie by the shoulders. “Don’t fucking tell me you’ve fallen in love…”

 

“No!” Valerie quickly cuts in, looking as shocked as Amanda. “Of course not!”

 

“So why do you have that look on your face?” When Valerie cocks an eyebrow up, Amanda continues, “That look that says ‘I know you’re going to get mad at me’?”

 

Valerie runs a hand through her hair before she tips her head back up to meet Amanda’s eyes. There’s a knot starting to form in her stomach. She never likes feeling this, the feeling of losing control.

 

“I can’t stop thinking about him,” she says, sounding a tad bit infuriated at herself. “Tell me I’m fucked.”

 

Amanda thins her lips, pondering on what to say. “Yes, you’re fucked…but humor me, why exactly can’t you stop thinking about him?” A pause, and then, “Best sex ever?”

 

Valerie nods her head and then says, “Not only that. It’s everything about him…” Amanda tries not to slap the back of her hand over her forehead. “It’s his personality. His youth…he’s much younger than my usual clients.”

 

“Don’t you have a lot of co-teachers your age?”

 

“Yeah, but then…we lose the ‘best sex ever’ part.”

 

Amanda lets out a soft chuckle and then says, “Point taken. Will you see him again?”

 

“Two days from now.” Valerie bites her lip. If Amanda were attracted to women, she would’ve leaned forward across the table and pulled Valerie’s head closer for a kiss. The woman knows how to use her beauty to her advantage. The both of them do. “And I don’t want to remove him from my client list. That’s going to be so pathetic of me.”

 

“Hmm…” Amanda hooks a finger under her chin and looks around the bar. Her eyes momentarily fall on a man leaning by the bar counter. He’s gorgeous, and he’s staring right at her. Maybe, she’ll approach him later. For now, she has more important things to think about, such as Valerie’s predicament. “Maybe it’s the expectation that you’ll see him again. You never know…after a second pump, he’s going to be like all your other clients.”

 

“I hope you’re right…” Valerie says, head bending downwards and eyes staring at the bottle of beer in her hands.

 

“Just try to focus on your priorities, dear,” Amanda then says. “Isn’t Trent’s transplant next week? He needs you more than ever.”

 

Valerie heaves a sigh, a futile attempt to calm her nerves. “You’re right. Didn’t I tell you I’m fucked?” That gets a laugh from the two women. “And yeah, I’m the ball of nerves between us two. Trent acts like he’s going to a zoo instead of a hospital…”

 

“You know your son’s adorable,” Amanda responds. “If you get too distracted with that man of yours, I can always adopt Trent and avoid pregnancy. That way I get to keep my figure.” They both laugh at the obvious joke before Amanda continues, “But seriously Val…you’ll have many more clients after this guy. You don’t even know his real name. You know the chances of us getting a relationship with this kind of job are close to none. There’s a reason we’re hired in secret…”

 

Valerie nods in agreement. Truer words have never been spoken.