Breaking Into the Business

by Hadley Knox

  I realized that this was going to be difficult to manage the business if I was the only one answering the phone. What would I do when business picked up? I still had a life to maintain and things like picking up the kids from school and grocery shopping were tantamount to keeping my household running, but it would be hard to do either of those things while trying to schedule one of my gigolos a session.

  That was just something to add to the list. I would need to consider hiring someone to come in and help me answer phones if this ever picked up.

  Greg and I headed towards the spot where we had agreed to meet Pam. While I had maintained closer relationships with my brothers, I had avoided contact with my sister whenever possible. I could never get to the source of why she seemed to hate me, but somehow I suspected that she was jealous of me.

  I don’t know why, because I was the one who had gotten pregnant and married my high school boyfriend and barely managed to scrape by enough to graduate. I had earned the eternal disapproval of my parents, even though they had stepped in to ensure that both Frank and I graduated and attended four years of college.

  Pam had the picture perfect life. She was the one who had met her husband right after college, was engaged for a year, and then had this beautiful wedding. Over the course of the next few years, she had three children, all evenly spaced one and half years apart, and all them were brilliant.

  Somehow, despite having everything, she had found something to hate about me.

  Right after Frank left, and I fell into that dark place, I had made the decision to stop caring about the fact that she disliked me and disapproved of everything I said or did. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to pay any attention to her.

  We arrived right on time, but had to park a few shops down. When we had arrived at the little eatery, she was already seated at a table on the patio, leaning back in her chair and watching our approach with her usual look of disdain. She still wore her sunglasses, despite the fact that the umbrella overhead blocked the sun.

  “Hey, sis,” I said.

  “Hello, Lana,” Pam said in her most formal tone.

  “I want you to meet my friend, Greg,” I said.

  “Nice to meet you,” Pam said. She didn’t bother raising a hand in greeting.

  Greg picked up on all of that and extended a hand to her. She looked at it and upturned her nose as if she might snub him, but then decided not to. My sister might be a bitch, but she always maintained her manners, especially in front of people she didn’t know very well.

  “I see that Lana’s good looks run in the family,” Greg said with his seductive half-smile.

  Pam partially opened her mouth to say something and I knew that the words she was prepared to say were going to be acid, but then I saw something strange. Her frown contorted into something almost resembling a smile. Her left hand went up to her chest in the same way that mine had when I first saw Greg, and I recognized that look. We sisters were more alike than either of us cared to admit.

  I tried to hide my smile and took a seat next to Pam. Greg took the chair to my right and directly across from her.

  As I reached for a menu, I started the conversation. “Thank you for meeting me.”

  “I didn’t have much of a choice,” she said quickly. “You called me in the middle of the night and bullied me into this.”

  “I didn’t call you in the middle of the night.”

  “Some people don’t stay up until four in the morning. Lana, most people operate under schedules. We regiment our lives so that we see to everything during the day that needs attending to.”

  “Like what?”

  “What do you mean, like what?” she asked.

  “Pam, I’m sorry, but every time we talk, it’s as if you want to say something to me. So I stay up late. Who the hell cares? I called you at a time that most adults are still awake. I apologize if I forgot your schedule and called you after the time you normally go to bed. I don’t see that as a reason to keep beating me up.”

  “You think I’m beating you up?” she asked in a condescending way, as if I were one of her children.

  “No, I think you’re harping on me. It’s like you’re intentionally trying to channel Mom.”

  “Maybe you could take a few pages from Mother’s book, Lana.”

  “See what I mean?” I asked. “You do this all of the time. Stop being so passive aggressive.”

  “Did you call me here so that we could fight?”

  I sighed and twisted my neck around; trying to relieve the tension those mere seconds with Pam had caused me.

  “No, I really need your help.”

  “Before we discuss that,” Pam said. “May I ask who Greg is?”

  “He is a friend of mine.”

  “Define it,” she said flatly.

  “Excuse me.”

  “I didn’t stutter. Define your friendship.”

  “What does it matter?”

  “You’re my sister for one. Now you’re about to ask me for help, which I assume has something to do with him or else you wouldn’t have invited him. I want all the facts. Who is he?”

  “Greg is actually just a friend of mine I met recently. He was present when part of my current predicament went down, and he’s helping me right now.”

  “Okay,” she nodded, but even through the dark tint of her sunglasses, I could see her eying Greg with suspicion.

  “A few months ago, I started getting phone calls,” I explained. “Now they’ve escalated and the person on the other line is demanding that I pay him a hundred thousand dollars.”

  “Lana, are you kidding me?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “This has to be Frank.”

  “Frank is gone,” I said.

  “Frank will never be completely gone until you see his rotting body. That man was trouble from the beginning. I remember coming home from college and meeting him. I told Mom and Dad that he would be trouble, and now look where you are.”

  “I don’t even know if this has anything to do with him.”

  “I’m sure it does. That man was as shady as they come, Lana. This reeks of some hair brain scheme he got himself into.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’m a cynic, Lana. I’ve never denied that. And my cynicism is like a special power I have. Trust me; this has everything to do with Frank.”

  “Okay, well whatever the reason is behind these strange calls, I have to address it.”

  “Do you need me to go with you to Mom and Dad to ask for the money?”

  “You would just love to see their faces when I asked them, huh?”

  “I have to admit that would be nice. But what other options do you have? I know you don’t have that kind of money anymore.”

  “I’m going to stand up to him. I’m not giving him the money.”

  “How do you know he won’t retaliate?”

  “How do I know he won’t take the money and then ask for more next week?”

  “True,” she said. “But aren’t you worried he will try to harm you or the children?”

  “That’s where you come in,” I said.

  “I don’t want to get mixed up in this.”

  “I’m not asking you to.”

  “Of course you are. In fact, you already have. If you brought Greg here with you, it means that you’re scared he might actually follow you. The fact that we’re meeting in public means that I’m involved now. I should have known an encounter with you would bring unsavory things.”

  “Pam, cut me some slack.”

  “For what?” she asked. “For being a promiscuous teenager who got herself pregnant and then leeched off of our parents so that you could get your education, and for agreeing to marry the father of your children out of some sense of moral obligation?”

  “I’m not going to get into this with you here,” I said. “The only thing I wanted to ask you was if you would let the kids stay with you for a few days.”

  “What about their school?�
��

  “They get out for the weekend at three thirty and don’t have to go back until Monday morning. I’m hoping to have all of this resolved by then.”

  “And if it isn’t?”

  “Then they can miss a few days of school. This is important.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve called in a few favors from some friends. They’re going to be staying at the house with me in case something happens.”

  Pam laughed. “Pearl and Betsy won’t be much help if a guy tries to attack you in the house.”

  “Greg will be there and a few other guy friends.”

  “Of course, you would have a lot of guy friends.”

  I chose to ignore her comment.

  “I’m only asking you to take the kids for a few days.”

  “You know I will,” she said finally. “I have a soft spot in my heart for your children. They certainly can’t be blamed for their mother’s mistakes.”

  “So you will take them?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  “So why didn’t you just say that? Why take me through all of that?”

  “Lana, you may expect everything in life to be easy, but I will not make myself available like everyone else in your life. Just because Mom, Dad, our brothers, and everyone else fall down on themselves when you call, doesn’t mean that I have to as well.”

  “So you’re making me work for this?”

  “Exactly,” she said.

  The creepiest part of the exchange came then. When she uttered that word, she actually smiled; a sadistic grin that showed a glimmer of her black soul.

  What was wrong with that woman? How could we have possibly come from the same parents? My brothers were nothing like her. Sure, my mom passed judgment, but only in the way, that overbearing mothers usually did. Pam was something else altogether.

  “So are we ready to order?” Greg asked, in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood.

  “When do I pick them up?” Pam asked, ignoring the escort.

  “There’s a plan to minimize your seeming involvement in this,” Greg said. “At four o’clock, you are to arrive at Lana’s and pull in through the back. We’ll open the garage door and you should pull in next to Lana’s car.”

  “Why?” Pam asked.

  “Trust me,” Greg said. “We’ve worked out the details.”

  “Trust you? I just met you, and you ask me to trust you?”

  “Yes,” Greg said flatly. “This will be for the best. Can you handle that?”

  “Are you being serious? Can I handle that? Are you trying to insult my intelligence?”

  “Pam,” Greg said softly. He reached across the table and set his hand lightly on hers.

  I turned to watch my sister’s reaction and was surprised to see her frozen in place. She kept her gaze fixed ahead, staring at Greg, but I could see her eyes drift slowly to where he was touching her. Every muscle in her body tensed, and I knew that she was fighting the ability to pull away from him, but she was stuck.

  Greg just had that effect on women.

  “I will be there at four,” she finally managed. Her breathing was a little heavy.

  I hid my smile behind my hand. “So are we ready to order now?”

  Greg pulled his hand back, releasing my sister. She reached down for her purse. “I’ve suddenly realized that I have to stop by Pete’s office to bring him some lunch. I really should be going.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Thank you for agreeing to this.”

  “I’m doing it for the children,” she reminded me as she stood up and started to walk off. She took a few steps before turning around. “I’ll see you at four.”

  When she was sufficiently out of earshot, Greg turned to me. “That went well.”

  I chuckled. “It went better than I thought it would.”

  “What’s her problem?”

  “Honestly, I have no idea.”

  “My first thought is that she is jealous of you, but it’s tough to say. There’s no rhyme or reason to the things she picks on you about.”

  “Well, I know one thing,” I said. “She never would have agreed to this if not for your charm.”

  “So you’re saying that I’m charming?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  “You know we have about four hours until we have to pick up the kids. My apartment is not far from here.”

  “We need to get back to the house. I can’t leave Ben too long to man the phones.”

  “He’ll do fine. He’s a really smart guy.”

  “But it’s my job. I can’t pawn that off on him.”

  “It won’t take that long,” Greg said. He stopped himself when he realized what he said. “I mean, it won’t take too long.”

  I shook my head, but couldn’t hide my amusement. As I looked at Greg, I wondered what I was going to do.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  On the way back to the house, Betsy and Pearl three-way called my cell to check in. I realized I hadn’t caught them up on things, so I spent the car ride filling them in. It took a while, and I was still on the story when we arrived at the house.

  Like any conversation with my two best friends, I got loads of input, questions, and suggestions, and I hadn’t even finished the story before they started interjecting.

  I would have choked them if they were in person. They had not shut up during my story, but when I had finished, they both sat on the line wordless. What the hell?

  “So what do you think?” I asked them after a few seconds of nothing. I had to check my phone’s display to make sure they hadn’t hung up.

  “Girl,” Pearl began. “Are you telling me that you have five gigolos staying at your house all weekend? And the only time they leave you is to go to have sex for money and come back?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Oh shit,” she said. “I think you need some added protection over there. I get off work at five today.”

  “We’ve got it covered.”

  “No, Pearl’s right,” Betsy said. “We can’t let you stay there all by yourself. I’ll leave in a few minutes, stop by my house and pack an overnight bag.”

  “Please don’t do that,” I said.

  “Why not?” Pearl asked.

  “That will just make things uncomfortable.”

  “What makes it uncomfortable?” Pearl asked.

  “Um, let me think,” I said sarcastically. “It’s already weird enough that I have five escorts at my house, and now my two best friends want to come over to gawk at them.”

  “I won’t be gawking,” Betsy said. “Well, maybe at first. But once I get one alone, gawking time is over.”

  “See what I mean? You’ll be trying to sleep with them.”

  “You don’t think they’d charge us, do you?” Pearl asked.

  “Oh, my god!”

  “Stop being so selfish,” Betsy said. “You’ve got all these beautiful men in your house and you’re not sharing.”

  “Can you two take this seriously?” I asked.

  They must have picked up on my frustration, because joking time was over.

  “I’m going to lay this out for you honey,” Pearl said. “I know I’m joking about this, but the truth is, I’m still coming over. My best friend is being threatened, and now she’s got five men staying in her house that she doesn’t know that much more about than she does the man threatening her. I’m worried about you, Lana.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about. They’re all great guys.”

  “You know that, but we don’t,” Betsy said. “I don’t know any of them. I would expect this same thing from you if I were in this position.”

  “The irony is that you would never have put yourself in this position,” I said.

  “Now don’t go feeling sorry for yourself,” Pearl said. “Whatever this shit is, it isn’t anything you brought on yourself.”

  “Okay, you can both come over, but make sure to wait until after four when the kids leave. I don’t want
to give them any more to get excited over. I’m trying my best to keep things as normal for them as possible.”

  “If you’re trying to keep things normal, then why are you sending them to stay with your bitch sister?” Pearl asked.

  “She loves my kids. Don’t ask me why or how, but even though she hates me, she loves them. They will be in very good hands with her.”

  “You’re right,” Betsy said.

  “Oh shit,” Pearl said. “I’ve got to go. My boss is coming down the aisle and he’s staring daggers at me. I hate that asshole.”

  “See you this evening, girls,” I said as the line went dead.

  Poor Pearl. Her boss was the biggest jerk in the world. Former military, the man had ruined the name Victor for me. He was literally the biggest prick I had ever met. Twice, I had picked up Pearl for lunch when he was walking by. The first time, he had approached my car and lectured me on the importance of Pearl not taking more than her time for lunch. The second time was when Pearl’s grandmother had passed away and I had to go to her office to pick her up. When I passed his office to go to her desk, he stopped me to tell me to make sure Pearl understood that she was only getting one day off of work, including the time for the funeral.

  While I was gone, Ben had taken three calls for the business. Between the time of my return and leaving to get the kids, I had taken five more. Finally, each of the guys had a session booked and prospects looked promising.

  Ben was most excited and nervous about his session the following night. His had a three-hour block, and he spent the hour after the call talking to Greg for different ideas he could do with his client.

  When I picked the kids up, I told them about the fact that their aunt would be by soon after we got home and that they didn’t have much time to pack some clothes. Neither were pleased nor tried asking several questions, none of which I was willing to answer.

  I watched them through my rear view mirror, and as I did, my certainty in the decision to send them to Pam’s became stronger. Those two were my pride and joy and everything I did was for them. If anything happened to them, then I had failed as a mother.

  By the time we arrived, Jake wasn’t too happy with me for avoiding all of his questions, but he still obeyed and went upstairs to gather his clothes. Mallory was a little less irritated, but judging by the way she was furiously typing on her phone, I knew that she was letting all of her friends know that she was going away for the weekend.