by Mia Moore
“Oh no.” Close Pandora’s. She had planned to make an offer to buy it in a year or two. She didn’t have enough money saved yet. There were still some business courses to finish—so much still to learn. This was happening too fast. What would the price be? If single family homes were going for close to a million, what would they want for this place? Did she have enough money? If only Poppa was here. What would he do? What would he say? You have a money tree, Annik and that’s a start, child. Don’t think of what you can’t do—think of what you can do. That’s what he’d say.
Her jaw was set. Okay then. Let’s find out. “Major, how can I get hold of the owners? I don’t even know who they are.”
“Annik, what would you say to them? What would you offer them? This place must be worth millions woman—do you have that sort of money?”
“Not yet, Major. But I’d like to know what sort of money they’re looking for. I’ve been working hard for a few years and banking most of what I’ve earned. Maybe I can find investors, but I’m going to have to know what sort of money’s involved to buy this place before I do, don’t I?”
“Lassie, you need to talk to Mrs. Byrd. She’s a tough woman and she doesn’t like sex workers. At all.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She’s mentioned to me that she doesn’t care for women who sell themselves. As she put it, “free love should be free.” It took a lot of cajoling on my part to be able to have you here for your appointments.” He sighed. “I had to tell her that, here, at least both the client and the worker would be safe. I appealed to her better angels, maybe.”
“So?”
“So, when you meet with her, be all businesswoman.”
“Okay. I understand.”
As far as she knew, she was the only Escort who had a membership at Pandora’s. Yes, many of the male members brought Escorts with them for event nights. But she was the only worker who had assignations here. Perhaps because The Major respected her? She handled her clients, and more importantly herself, with a sense of decorum. Yes, she was different.
He told her the best time to call Mrs. Byrd and they parted company.
The following day, she set up an appointment with Mrs. Byrd. Thank goodness for flattery. Telling the manager that she had a proposal for Pandora’s that could very well secure its business far into the future, and needed Mrs. Byrd’s input, had worked.
From the moment she hung up from Mrs. Byrd, she was in a frenzy. Sure, she had drafted notes on renovation and marketing plans, even a tentative budget, but nothing like a formal business plan. What the hell was she doing?
Damn it! This shouldn’t have to be so hard. It just wasn’t fair. Her life had been all planned out. Going from grad student to hooker. Then call girl. Now Escort. Working like a dog to create and nurture a dream. And she wasn’t ready. Damn it. It just wasn’t fair.
Pandora’s was a good place but it could be better. The building was tired. Sure, there were clients. But if the building and the business were improved, maybe there’d be more. She was just the woman to make Pandora’s a better place.
What was the first step?
Oh, Annik, it’s the money tree, you know that. Yes, Poppa would say that. He started as a busboy at a hotel when he was young. Then rose to food and beverage manager. Drove a taxi at night until he had enough of a money tree to buy his first hotel. Hotel? It was actually a Motel. Tired and run down, but how else could a busboy get started? He fixed it up. Treated each guest well. Developed a reputation and took it to pretty much a full occupancy rate even in the off season.
Then he sold it at a profit in three years and bought another. His first real hotel. On the beach and he did the same process. On a much bigger scale. Repeated the process and became even more successful. Once he was established—and it was harder for a man of color, he met and married a tourist from Canada. Mamma didn’t see a man of color. She saw a handsome, successful, cultured man, and was swept off her feet. A mixed marriage. He worked hard and loved hard. Paid off the mortgage on the second hotel on the day Mamma announced her pregnancy. She was their angel. Her Poppa had taught her all he knew—well, all he thought she needed to know.
“You run your dream down, girl. You chase that dream and you run it down.” He’d said that more than once.
“But don’t forget to love,” Mamma had cautioned. She’d held Poppa’s hand that afternoon on the veranda of the hotel.
“Love will abide, Annik. It will come when you need it the most. Chase your dreams, and love will be there. As it was for us.” Mamma and Poppa had been so in love…
She sat at her desk lost in the memory. Since Mamma passed on, whenever she thought of where her life was heading, the memory of her parents gave her hope.
Mamma, Poppa, please be with me now. Okay, the Money Tree needed to grow. A lot.
Telephone calls needed to be made. First the bank, Toronto Trust, for an appointment with the commercial banking manager. Then Bevins and Chow, venture capitalists. Bernie was a client and one of the managers there—a decent sort of guy.
She made the appointments and the rest of the day and into the night was spent putting together the best business plan she was capable of. She didn’t intend to go over it with Mrs. Byrd, but she had better be ready for any eventuality. She had to cancel appointments with two clients of her own. The rest of the week was light, thank God.
When she finally went to bed, she knew she had done the best she could. The next two days she had meetings. Business meetings.
She was so excited.
She was so scared.
Chapter 11
Dressed in a dark blue blazer and skirt to her knees, sensible shoes and a white blouse, Annik arrived at Pandora’s right on time. Eddie pulled into the driveway and she scanned the building. It was her first daytime visit. There was so much work the building and grounds needed. It wasn’t just a coat of paint—there was some real construction that was going to have to be done. The entranceway alone needed new stonework. The steps going up needed to be replaced. Why hadn’t she noticed this before? Did the nighttime hide so much? What else would need repair? How much extra would that cost?
Shake it off girl. You need some information. Worry about that other stuff later. Tackle Mrs. Byrd. Got to get by her to meet with the owners. She headed directly upstairs.
She tapped on the door to Ida Byrd’s office. A moment later a muffled voice directed to enter. A stony faced woman with steel gray hair sat behind a large, wooden desk. Mrs. Byrd eyed her up and down with a look of disdain. Undaunted, Annik took a few steps forward and introduced herself. The older woman remained sitting, not even offering her a chair let alone a smile. That would probably crack the woman’s face anyway. Okay, so that was how it would be played. She took a seat directly across from her and got right to the point.
“Mrs. Byrd, I’m here as an agent of an investment group. We’re looking at the possibility of purchasing Pandora’s.” Okay, it wasn’t an investment group. But when the investors get on board, it would be, right?
“I see. Who else is involved in this group of yours, dear?” Ida asked sweetly. The kind of sweetly that’s anything but.
“Naturally Ida, they prefer to remain anonymous at this stage. What we’re trying to determine is if the owners would be open to an offer of purchase.” Two can play at this game. That sounded just as sweet as Ida’s bitchy comment. Sweet as vinegar. And the hell if she’d let Ida know about the investors.
She smiled, recognizing the fleeting look on Mrs. Byrd’s face. Scored a point there. Addressing her by her first name.
Ida folded her hands under her chin and leaned forward. “My child, what on earth has given you the idea that Pandora’s is up for sale?”
“Well, Ida, I didn’t know Pandora’s was up for sale,” She covered for The Major. “I’m here to explore the possibility.” Time to put this bitch in her place. “You’re not trying to tell me that you have a stake in the ownership of Pandora’s, are you? Frankly, I�
�m not here to discuss my business with… oh… staff. Confidentiality and all that, you know. I just need to contact the owners. I’ve taken the time to see you in order to learn who they are, and perhaps have you set up the meeting.”
“I’m the General Manager, madam.” She enunciated the term slowly. “I have a vested interest as part of my duties and responsibilities to the owners to shelter them from being approached by people with frivolous proposals.”
That did it. She stood up and picked up her briefcase. “This isn’t going anywhere, Ida. I’m wasting my time. I had hoped to be able to demonstrate respect for you, acquire the names of the owners, and continue with my business. Obviously, you have no respect for me or my associates. Will you give me the contact information I requested, or will we have to use other means? Trust me, it will be more of an unnecessary inconvenience, to get it.” She stood at the edge of Mrs. Byrd’s desk, the unspoken threat hanging in the air.
It was a couple of moments before Ida sighed, took a note pad and scribbled a name and phone number on it.
“You may call them, dear. If you’re planning on visiting them, that’s for them to decide whether to give you their home information or not.”
She picked up the paper which Ida had flicked at her across the desk blotter and read the name and phone number. Wordlessly, she left the room. Why was Ida such a bitch? She sure hates sex workers or was there more to it?
At the entranceway of Pandora’s, she paused to call a cab. Wait. Why not call the number Ida had given her and see what would happen? It was picked up on the second ring, and a woman’s voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello, this is Annik Dandridge calling. I’m trying to contact Mrs. Helen Vanderberg.”
“This is she.”
Oh boy. Into the fray now, Annik. “How do you do, Mrs. Vanderberg. I would like to discuss with you the sale of Pandora’s.”
“You would like to buy Pandora’s, Ms. Dandridge?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Well, well, well, when it rains it pours, doesn’t it?” Helen’s voice smiled over the phone. “I suppose you’d like to meet with me and my husband, then, wouldn’t you?”
This was a world easier than the catfight with Ida. “Uh… yes, I would. I think that would be the best way for us to discuss the possibility.” Oh please, please!
“Sounds like a plan to me, Ms. Dandridge. Look, we’re sort of tied up,” she said with a laugh, “not THAT way, but we have some plans for today and this evening. How does tomorrow sound to you?”
To get a price from them—even a ballpark—would sure help in the finance meetings. “I have some meetings tomorrow. Would it be possible to see you early in the day?”
“How does nine AM sound Ms. Dandridge?”
“That would work out well for me.”
“Wonderful! We’ll meet you at Pandora’s then?”
Hell no. Not with Byrd in the picture. No way. “Um… I’m very familiar with the club, Mrs. Vanderberg. Would it be possible for us to meet elsewhere? Perhaps at your home or at a restaurant nearby?”
Helen’s voice sounded somewhat puzzled when she answered. “Well… if that’s what you prefer, very well. Why don’t you come to our home? We’ll have coffee, a chat and a meeting Annik.”
She sounded friendly as hell. The exact opposite of the Byrd woman. “Then I’ll bring the doughnuts, Mrs. Vanderberg.” Where did that come from? But what else would you say if someone invited you for coffee? It was a business meeting, but after all…
“Wonderful! We’ll see you at nine.” They said their goodbyes and rung off.
Annik looked at the address she had scribbled down while on the phone. Only two blocks away from the house where she’d lived as a teenager. She probably knew the house.
****
Helen put the phone back in its cradle and turned to her husband. “You won’t believe this, honey,” Barry was sitting across from her working on the day’s crossword puzzle in the paper, “that was someone who is interested in buying Pandora’s too.”
He put his paper down and looked at his wife. They had been married almost forty years. Two kids, grown and gone, and now retirement on the near horizon. Well, for him—Helen had been retired a while now. “When it rains it pours,” he said with a smile.
Helen laughed. After so many years together, it wasn’t unusual that they thought the same things at the same time. She nodded. “She sounds young, Barry. Don’t let her turn your head, alright?”
“Yeah, right! I got my hands full keeping YOU in line, young missy. Where and when?”
“Here, tomorrow morning at nine.”
“Okay. Sounds good. We could use the money, I think. Well… kind of.”
****
The next morning, Annik rang the front doorbell at the Vanderberg residence. It was a prestigious neighborhood and quite familiar. She had recognized many homes on the drive over. She took a deep breath and smiled, waiting for the door to be opened.
“Ms. Dandridge, I presume.”
Annik couldn’t help but return Helen’s warm smile. Sure, Helen had sounded friendly on the phone yesterday. But, in person, the genuine, open warmth she projected felt like a comfort blanket. Helen’s deep blue eyes sparkled in a face that time had been kind to. There were a few wrinkles, but they weren’t worry lines. They were around her eyes and mouth, denoting a woman who liked to laugh…and often.
“At your service, Mrs. Vanderberg,” After shaking Helen’s hand she extended the box of pastries she had picked up at a bakery nearby. She hoped they were as yummy as they used to be.
“Please, call me Helen, if I may call you Annik.”
“By all means, Helen.” She followed Helen down a wide hallway into a large kitchen filled with natural light from the solarium alcove. At the table, Helen’s husband stood up and extended his hand, (more like a mitt from the size of it) as Helen introduced her. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee, Helen setting out the pastries and coffee service was so familiar. Like any Sunday morning sitting with Poppa. While Helen fussed, they talked about the weather.
Annik sipped her coffee. Helen sat down across from her and began the meeting.
“Well now Annik, here we are. What can we do for you?” Helen smiled and patted Barry’s hand.
Right to the point. Okay… Poppa, Mamma, don’t let me blow this. “You can sell me Pandora’s at a price that’s fair for all of us, Helen.”
Helen and Barry looked at each other. They shared a look that was meaningful to them.
“Why would you want to buy a sex club, Annik?” Barry asked.
Might as well just lay it out on the table. “Because… and I don’t know how you feel about this, but it’s what I believe. Pandora’s is a place of celebration. I believe it’s a good place, and I also believe that I can make it a better one.” Momma had always said that honesty was the best policy.
Helen leaned toward her. “A place of celebration, dear? What do you mean by that?”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Helen. We have too many restrictions on how people express themselves sexually. Too many damn repressions. Pandora’s welcomes everyone. It’s got an atmosphere of ‘Live and Let Love’.”
“What did you just say, Annik?” Helen’s voice was very quiet.
Was there something wrong? Why had Helen’s jaw dropped almost to the table? “I said ‘Live and Let Love’.”
“Where did you hear that phrase, dear?”
“Nowhere. It came to me the first time I attended an event there.”
“Really?”
This was getting uncomfortable. What the hell was their problem? It’s what Pandora’s was really all about! “Yes, Helen, really. Why? Are you upset?”
Helen shook her head. “Upset!” She laughed. “I’m not upset at all. The man who built and opened Pandora’s was my Grandfather. And that was one of his favorite sayings.” She looked over at her husband. “I believe Grandpop’s spirit is still there, Barry, what do y
ou think?”
He chuckled, “I think that dirty old man would be happy to hear how this meeting started, honey.”
“Look, Annik, my grandfather came back from the First World War, not damaged, but with a sense of wonder at life. He worked hard, but played even harder. When he met my Grandma, a free spirit if ever there was one, they built Pandora’s. My Dad kept it going and Barry and I have done the same.”
“Annik, we would love to see Pandora’s continue. Our own kids aren’t interested at all.” She sighed. “We raised two conventional Yuppies, I guess. But Barry and I have a decision to make. If Pandora’s isn’t going to continue—and maybe it doesn’t need to in today’s day and age—then maybe we should just liquidate it for the sake of our children and our own grandkids’ inheritance.”
“So, you would consider selling it to me?” Annik asked. What a relief to hear them explain the history of Pandora’s. There were family ties to the place, an emotional investment.
“Honey, we’ve been offered money just for the land. It was a good offer, too.” Helen’s eyes misted, and Barry took her hand. “But we’d rather see it continue, yes.”
“We’d rather pass the torch than put it out, Annik,” added Barry.
“So, maybe we can do business?” Annik asked. It was hard to maintain a businesslike detached voice, when your insides were doing cartwheels. Pandora’s was starting to look better and better now that it was really possible to buy it.
“Maybe. We’d like to. What are you offering?” Helen and Barry sat still, looking at her. Their eyes and faces weren’t hard or greedy. No, they looked more like a good teacher who has asked a tough question and earnestly hopes the student would answer correctly.
Annik sat still. How much would they want? Would it be too much? There was money in the bank account, but would it be enough? This dream WAS possible, but what was next?
“Annik, child, ask them. ASK THEM GIRL!” Poppa’s voice urged.
Under the table, she squeezed her hands together tightly. With her heart beating hard in her chest, she took a deep breath. “I don’t know, Helen. I have two hundred thousand in cash, and I’m going to drum up more money. How much do I need? How much do you need to sell me Pandora’s?” She watched them intently, sitting on the edge of the chair.