by Amy Brent
I started to look forward to the evenings and my talks with Phil. I knew that he was monopolizing my time and my business but either way, I got paid and he was supporting me well now. He didn’t seem to have any financial worries at all, causing me to wonder if he was one of those rich men that liked to use phone sex operators and escorts since Phil admitted to using them from time to time. That was another incredible turn on for me since it reminded me of the day in the office. I would never tell anyone about that, but I did say that I came home and used things during the day for selfish reasons a lot. I told Phil that it was him a lot of the time as I did all the clients, though I meant it with him.
I realized that I meant every word as the days passed. I was breaking one of the rules in my line of work and personalizing it. I was beginning to care for one of my clients, and while we’d barely mentioned taking it further, I knew that it was on my mind. I knew that it was something I was considering, but then what? Was I supposed to just stop working or would he be okay with me being the source of pleasure for other men as well?
I wasn’t close with any of the other operators since we worked from home. I didn’t even know any of them to ask if they’d ever met a client in person before, but it must happen sometimes. Strippers got together with guys they met at work and more than likely, hookers as well. It was a natural progress of things, but it could change everything for me. Brett paid me generously, and I was appreciative of that, though it wasn’t enough to pay off my loans and my bills. I didn’t want to move into another apartment or change my life since it was comfortable right now. I was happy, and I’d never ask Phil to support me, should he end up being wealthy. I was too independent for that, as well as having pride in the face that I could take care of myself. I wasn’t ready to need someone that much, but Phil was edging around the subject of meeting, and I was beginning to crave.
The holidays were approaching, and I glanced at my computer at work one day to see that it was November, stunned with how quickly time passed. I didn’t feel like I did anything but work and talk on the phone, or work if I looked at it another way. It just didn’t feel that way, other than the fact that I was paying down my loans faster than I’d imagined possible.
With that, I considered stepping back from Phil for a time. I was getting too involved, bordering on obsessed and I needed to regain control of my life. I kept it separate for a long time and missed that time in my life. I was despondent over the idea, but I chose to leave my phone off after work for a full week. I might lose clients as a result, but I needed to regain the life that I had previously, one that wasn’t complicated.
I slept less than before, and I was edgy to boot, making me irritable at work and everywhere else. I could tell that Brett recognized it by the way that he asked if everything was okay with me, showing a lot of concern. I happened to notice that he seemed on edge as well, finding him on his cell more than usual when I walked into his office. He was never talking, just ending whatever call he was on as anger crossed his face. “Are you okay?” I asked as he seemed to be lost in thought for a long moment.
“Yes, I’m just trying to reach a friend. Something important has come up.” Brett looked at me, and I noticed the pale tone to his skin as if he hadn’t slept well lately. We were two peas in a pod, a saying that reminded me of my grandmother as I smiled wistfully. She’d passed when I was just seventeen and not living in Tennessee anymore, and I missed her. “What’s that pretty smile for?”
“I was just thinking of my Gram,” I replied as I shrugged. “I miss her.”
“Is she back home?” Brett asked as I pressed my glossed lips together.
“She died a few years ago. It was after we moved so I’d been seeing her a lot less than before. She got cancer, and that was that,” I replied as he stood and walked over to me, giving me a hesitant look before pulling me close for a hug.
“I’m sorry, Amy.” His voice was sincere and brimming with concern as I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist. Brett smelled amazing, and I’d always appreciate his masculinity, and there was a small part of me that longed to take back my previous decision just for one night. I didn’t have the same volatile orgasms without Phil’s sexy voice to urge me on, and I was starting to go through withdrawals. “Is that all that’s bothering you? You’ve seemed stressed out lately.”
“I…I’m fine,” I told him in a shaky voice as I pulled him closer. “Just dealing with something.” I was tempted to ask him out to dinner or drinks this evening, ending the night in someone’s bed so I could get taken the way that I longed to, but he was still my boss…and I was still dealing with my feelings for Phil, whether or not they made sense. I wasn’t the type to use one man when I wanted another, at least not that I knew of. Talking about my fantasies was one thing, but to act on them was another. It wouldn’t be right to do to my boss, someone that I saw every day and at one time had feelings for me. I pulled away abruptly and took a deep breath as I looked into his apprehensive face. “I’ll bounce back.”
“I hope so,” he told me as he ran a hand through his hair. His office phone rang, and Brett stepped forward to answer it as I started for the door. “Amy?” I turned and glanced at him. “Daniel will be in town tomorrow and wants to have lunch with us. Are you free?”
“Absolutely,” I replied with a smile. I’d kept in touch with both men and looked forward to seeing them anytime that I could. Between them and Brett, I was always reminded that I was doing a good job at work and had a future in this line of work. I left the office and pulled the door closed to go back to my desk and stare at the locked drawer where my personal and client phones were in my purse. I glanced around and unlocked the drawer to pull the latter out and power it on. I was curious and had to see if he called me if he missed me like I did him. I was staring at the screen as missed calls and texts came through one after another. There were calls from Robert as well as a few other regulars, but most of them were from Phil. There were also a few texts, and I sighed as I read the many times he asked if I was okay. He said that he missed me. I was reading them over and over when someone said my name, causing me to jump and drop the phone on the floor.
“Amy?” Brett asked as he stepped closer. I was shaking, and I pressed my hands to my forehead as I breathed in deeply.
“Sorry. You scared me,” I explained as I forced a smile on my face.
“I’ll say. Is anything wrong?” He asked again, and I shook my head quickly.
“No, I was just reading some…messages. Back to work,” I claimed as he stared at me and shook his head. I picked up my phone as he walked back into his office and glanced down again. Something flashed across the screen, and I saw Phil’s name as the phone rang, set to silent as it always was when I wasn’t working. I usually didn’t even carry it with me, but I was becoming a pathetic human being these days. I didn’t answer since there was no way I could talk the way that we both liked here, instead choosing to power it down and shoving it back into my purse. Maybe I’d turn it on later.
I finished a report for him with some music playing from my computer speakers as I hummed along to the words, taking messages from my mother on my personal phone about the holidays. We spent them together at her house near me, since Mom loved to cook. She had a new boyfriend for me to meet as well and seemed excited about it as she told me about Ken. She had been mostly single since Dad left when I was only ten years old, only dating here and there. I was happy to meet the man that seemed to mean so much to her.
I finished the report and gave it a thorough read before I ran it through my trusty program that double checked my work. It looked great, and I sent it along to Brett as I leaned back and took a deep breath.
I needed coffee…again.
I stood to go and make some after a quick glance around that I wasn’t needed. The break room had a couple of people in it, and I smiled as I greeted them, stepping up to one of the machines to make my cup.
CHAPTER 8
Brett
Where th
e fuck was Cherie? I hadn’t been able to reach her for a few days, making me wonder what I did wrong. Did I offend her? Was I too pushy? I called her again, and instead of ringing at all as it had before, it went right to voice mail. It must have been on for a moment but why? I set my cell phone down and leaned back in my chair.
Amy was acting odd as well, staring at the phone that way at her desk. Was her new man sending her texts? I felt slightly jealous of him though more concerned about Cherie than anything else. I was going out with friends tonight, finally, so I’d call when I got home after a few drinks. Maybe she’d be available to me then.
I threw myself into a report and entered the data as I listened to the news over my speakers, frowning at some of the reports on stocks. I had several investments and was always considering how they were doing, even though I made plenty of money. That’s how a smart man kept his money, and I was always looking for a profit on an investment. Hell, at this rate I needed the earnings to pay my phone bill. Cherie wasn’t cheap, but she was worth every penny. I’d keep her voice in my ear every moment if I could, and looked around for some coffee as I yawned.
I didn’t sleep talking to her, or not talking to her. I was damned if I did as well as if I didn’t. Maybe some drinks and laughter with my buddies would be good for me. I stood and left to make some coffee, well-aware of the fact that I was drinking too much these days. I missed the high that was Cherie, and I idly wondered if I should suggest meeting in person, given that we were both local. There was a chance that we wouldn’t click in person, but I highly doubted it would be the case.
I walked to the break room, looking forward as I lost myself in my thoughts. Making it was automatic at this point in my life and I didn’t need to think about it at all, at least until I heard a female’s voice say my name. I turned my head with a frown, annoyed that I was interrupted and saw Lisa. She was an assistant to one of my top managers and a hookup at one point when I first moved back to the city. Lisa was a beautiful blonde woman that offered a good time back in the day, though she was the reason I didn’t repeat that mistake. “Hi, Brett. How are you?” Her voice was low and sultry, even though it wasn’t going to work on me.
“Doing well. How are you?” I kept my tone light and looked back at my coffee, since I was familiar with how aggressive she could become when she thought that a man was interested in her.
“I was thinking of going out for some drinks tonight. Would you like to join me?” There it was.
“I have plans, but thanks.” I didn’t offer up another night, needing to shut this door as soon as possible.
“Another time?” She pressed as I thought about what to say. Lisa was an employee, and I had to treat this delicately, or else HR might be all over my ass.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” I said lightly as I looked around the empty room. “Those times are over, Lisa.”
She narrowed her eyes for a moment and stood straighter, pushing her fake breasts out before she smiled. “Are you certain? We had fun back in the day.”
“I’m very sure,” I told her, looking at her with a firm gaze. Someone walked into the room, and I picked up my coffee and told Lisa to have a good day before returning to my office.
Amy was sitting at her desk typing, and I looked at her curiously as I passed. “Everything all right?” Her voice was light, but I heard the curious tone in it.
“It is,” I paused and looked around. “You’re a compassionate person. I appreciate that.” She looked up at me with a small frown, and I reminded myself to tell Cherie that she had the same quality, something that was hard to find.
“Thank you.” She sounded uncertain, and I smiled before walking through my door.
“It’s a good thing,” I assured her before I closed my door to her soft laugh. I finished my day and left right at five to meet the guys for dinner and drinks at the corner sports bar, telling Amy to have a good night before I walked out. She looked like she was finishing for the day and she smiled wistfully at me as she murmured something back. She looked like I felt inside and I hoped that Amy would end up happy with the man that she was thinking about.
I walked to the bar since it was close and beautiful out with Fall approaching. Southern California tended to stay even as far as temperature, so I always appreciated a cool night. I entered the bar and saw my friends at a table in the corner, walking over to join them. The guys were successful in business as I was, living similar lives. Colton was the only one that was in a steady relationship for two years and we all raised our beer in a toast as he announced that he was going to propose in Santa Barbara over the weekend. A few months ago, I would’ve scoffed at him being recently divorced after my own whirlwind relationship, but I understood it better now. I had the memories of Larisa in my mind as well as my fading feelings for Amy that hit me so hard from the start. Colton and Tracy were great together, showing me what life could be all about with the right person.
The idea of telling them that I was regularly taking to a phone sex girl was laughable, and I kept it to myself as I listened to them talk for a while. A trip to Belize was brought up, just the guys and all I could think about was not talking to Cherie in that period. It wasn’t like I was talking to her now and I was surviving, so some time on the beach might do me some good. We also discussed attending some games in the area as I ordered another beer to wash down the greasy burger that I’d chosen for dinner. Between the four of us, we could score tickets to any event in any city, and we used to do that a lot. I needed to get back to that, grinning as I looked at the television screens at the various scores.
“Any new women in your life?” Chet asked me as his brown eyes twinkled. He teased me the most about my random hook ups and especially the marriage. “You’ve been back a while now.”
“Nothing serious,” I responded lightly as I dipped my last fry into some ketchup.
“You’re not tapping anyone at work, are you?” Colton asked, knowing how poorly that worked out with Lisa.
“Definitely not,” I assured him, thinking back to today. I heard laughter and frowned as I looked over to see Lisa and her friends coming in. “Fuck. I shouldn’t have mentioned that I was going out.” Colton glanced over and let out a low whistle.
“Here we go again.”
“No, I am not touching that,” I promised them as I downed my beer. Lisa looked over and smiled at me as her friends dragged her to the bar, making me quickly avert my eyes. I kept my attention on my table despite her loud giggles carrying across the bar. Why the hell did I ever sleep with her?
We drank and talked for a couple of hours, and I was feeling the buzz as I stood to leave. Realizing that I drank more than intended, I made my way towards the door and pushed it open. “Brett?” Lisa called out as it closed, making me groan. She came out after me, and I looked at her with a dark glare.
“Did you come here hoping to find me?” I demanded as she shrank back with wide blue eyes. “I made myself clear today, or so I thought.”
“My friends like it there. I didn’t think I’d see you, but I did, so…what are you doing now?” She asked as I ran a hand through my hair. I wondered how good of an employee she was as I tried to think of what to say to make myself clear.
“I am leaving now,” I stated slowly, not wanting to get angry at this moment. I turned and started walking to the curb to grab a cab home, leaving her standing there. I slipped into the first car that I could find and told the driver my address. I pulled out my phone and looked at it for a long moment. Cherie never called me, but tonight, I wanted to see a message from her or a missed call.
Once I was inside of my apartment, I changed into shorts and dropped on the couch with a fresh beer. It was Friday, and I was going to drink. There were weekends that you might find me in the office but not this one.
I took my phone from the cushion beside me and dialed Cherie as I took a slow breath. It rang, and I held my breath until she answered in that sexy drawl of hers. “Where the hell have you been
?” I asked as I heard her suspire before she laughed.
“I was just…busy.” Her words were vague as I leaned back on the couch. “Did you miss me, Phil?”
“More than you’ll ever know. I’m hard right now just hearing you.” It wasn’t a lie, and I stroked myself over my clothes as she told me that she wanted me inside of her. Things progressed quickly from there, my inhibitions all but gone with the beer in my system as I talked her through an orgasm before coming in one of the Kleenex that I kept in every room now.
Once we were done with round two, I sipped some water and took a deep breath. “Are you okay, Cherie? I was worried about you,” I confessed as she sucked in her breath.
“I am great, Phil. Don’t worry. I just got busy and couldn’t spend a lot of time on the phone,” she replied as I nodded.
“Do you work another job?” I asked, pushing the boundary that she seemed to prefer to set with clients. Maybe it was too personal, but I wanted to know more about her.
“This isn’t my forever, Phil. Of course, I do,” she replied in the slow drawl that I’d grown to love the sound of.
“What is it?” She chuckled on the other end, and I waited for her to deflect the conversation.
“You know that I won’t tell you that.” I did know, and I laughed myself.
“I thought I’d try.” I didn’t tell her the whole truth about my job. Being local and something of a celebrity in some circles, I knew that my relationship with Cherie was better left a secret. I was already known as a playboy since the dissolve of my marriage, and I didn’t need the details of escorts and phone sex added to that rumor. At least with Cherie, I didn’t have to worry about her knowing my identity and looking me up on Google. We were both equals in this situation. I considered pushing her for a meeting, but I held back, for now, worried about the consequences.