by Love, Kimmy
“Glad it all worked out for you,” Max said waving to the waiter to come and take their order. “But hold on. I detect there's more to this story than meets the eye. Okay spill, Hedley. You slept with her didn't you?”
The waiter appeared with his notepad and pencil. The men ordered their usual.
“Look, keep your voice down, okay?” Damian said. “Remember, I'm a reformed character. I don't kiss and tell.”
“Go to hell. This is me you're talking to. You screwed her, didn't you? And she was good. Right?”
A large grin appeared on Damian's face. Yes, he had enjoyed the sex and flew back to DC with a large bulge in the front of his pants just thinking about the sex with Sonia.
“What did she look like?” Max cut into his thoughts.
“She was beautiful. The agency did well. But she was a bit nervous; it was her first job.”
“An escort virgin. I like what I'm hearing,” Max said. “Well, don't stop there. What was she like in the sack?”
“I … er. I dropped her off at her place. We went upstairs, and …”
“And what?”
Their meal arrived and was served.
“Why are you being so bashful, Damian?” Max goaded him on. “Don't tell me – she was a fucking freak, right?”
“Stop it, Max. don't talk about her like that. I never should have opened my mouth. Just forget I mentioned the part about sleeping with her.”
“Good God, Damian. Am I detecting a conscience? Are you no longer into the kiss and give graphic details later thing?”
“Not where she's concerned, no.”
“Oh … my … God. Damian Hedley, you slept with a woman you actually want to see again. Was she that good?”
“I told you. Don't talk about her like that. She's a nice girl. It's a shame she has to earn her money that way.”
“There's nothing wrong with being an escort, old man.”
“Not the escort part,” Damian said, uneasily. “I mean the sleeping with the guy later.”
“That agency is classy, Damian. If she slept with you, it wasn't for money, you dumb bastard. It was because she chose to.”
Damian's eyes opened in shock.
“What?” Max asked. “What did you do?”
“I left her cash on the night stand before I left.” Damian hit his head with his palm.
“You dumb bastard. I bet she's really impressed with you right now.”
“Jesus,” said Damian. “She thinks I think she's a hooker. I have to call her.”
“You have her number?”
“No, but I can call the agency and get it. I can apologize for my mistake.”
“Dude. I think you're far too late for that.”
Just then, Damian's cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw Mr. Merriman's name appear. He smiled as he answered the call.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Merriman. How are you and your wife?”
“Oh pretty good, thank you. I was just ringing to say, I had the meeting with the other investor early this morning. It was short but sweet and quite promising. I'm still erring on the side of your proposal, but for one last time, I'd like to set up a meeting.”
“Of course. When did you have in mind?”
“How about Friday? I know you want an answer and I want to get this arranged too. I wonder if you and Penny could join Gloria and me for dinner at our house.”
“That would be wonderful.” Damian flashed a look at Damian. “But I'm not sure Penny would be able to make it out again.”
“Mrs. Merriman would not forgive me if Penny didn't come. She was really taken with her. Sort of the daughter she never had. That kind of thing, you know what it's like. Penny has the knack to brighten up any dinner party, I must admit.”
“Yes, Penny is beautiful. I'll make sure she's there.”
Max looked at him, wide-eyed
“Just have your secretary contact mine with the details, Mr. Merriman, and Penny and I will see you there.”
Max shook his head from side to side.
“Don't tell me you just arranged a dinner with the Merrimans and promised to bring the girl you insulted?”
Damian nodded.
“Well, she might have acted like the perfect wife on Saturday, but with the way you must have pissed her off, I can't believe she or any girl would forgive you. Good luck, my man.”
“I'm going to need it.”
When Damian got back to his office after lunch, he called the owner of the escort agency, Candace, so he could re-book Sonia. He'd have to swallow his pride and beg for Sonia to be his escort again. He knew she'd be unhappy with him, but he had his apology ready. He was about to get a shock when he dialed the New York agency.
“I'm afraid Candace has left the office for the day,” a voice from New York said to Damian. “I'm her assistant. Can I help you at all?”
“It's a pretty difficult situation,” Damian said. “I may have angered one of your escorts but I also desperately need her to escort me on Friday.”
“Well, who is the escort in question?” the assistant said.
“Oh, that would be Sonia. Sonia Wright. I'm Damian Hedley and she posed as my wife on Saturday. She did a really amazing job, as I told Candace this morning. But I'm going to need her for a repeat performance.”
“Well, I'm afraid that's out of the question.”
“What do you mean?” Damian said, loosening the knot in his tie. “Has she already told you about the terrible mistake I made?”
“It was Sonia's mistake and we had to let her go.”
“What do you mean? You mean you fired her? I was the one who left the money.”
“The money has nothing to do with this matter, Mr. Hedley. Sonia broke the rules when she took you to bed and policy says -”
“Policy? So it's against policy to find someone attractive and to want to sleep with them?” Damian protested.
“I'm sorry. There isn't anything I can do to change what's happened, Mr. Hedley,” the assistant insisted. “Could I arrange a different escort for you?”
“No, you can't.” His voice was sharp now. He'd lost his charming manner. “I need you to give me Sonia's number. I have an apology to make to her and it can't wait.”
“It's against policy to -”
“I know! You can't give me her number. Damn it,” he said and hung up.
Damian sprang to his feet, shoved his fists into his pockets and paced his office a few times. His teeth ground together. What had he done? He stormed out of his office to speak to his secretary.
“Penny, I need you to get me a flight out to New York tonight. Book me into the Carlton for the remainder of the week.”
“Yes, Mr. Hedley.”
Damian had a first class seat on his flight to New York. He gripped the arm rests of his seat the whole way and when he wasn't doing that he was tapping the it with his fingers or knocking back a whiskey.
He could not remember exactly where Sonia lived but he had a general idea. He had a big task on his hands. First, to find Sonia and apologize from the bottom of his heart about paying her for sex. He truly meant that part of his mission. He was so full of regret, he'd do anything to make it up to her.
If only it had occurred to him that a woman could desire sex just for the sake of it, like a man could. He was naive in thinking she went into it because it was what he alone wanted. When he thought about it, Sonia was full of lust and abandon. That kind of behavior in the bedroom couldn't have been an act. She desired him as much as he did her.
Next, if she could find it in her to forgive him, he'd pay her any price she'd like to join him for dinner with the Merrimans so they could pull off the act of being married one more time. This part he was very doubtful of.
In the back of his mind, burning deep within him was the desire to ask her out on a proper date when all of this was over, but he couldn't dare ask. He liked her, not only desired her sexually, but he wanted to get to know her better.
In the first place, he'd h
ave to track her down and then he'd see if he had the nerve to ask her to see him on a serious level. But, for now, he just had to find Sonia.
Chapter Three
Sonia tried her best not to dwell on what was the worst weekend of her life but it wasn't easy. She had hit on some hard times before. When the modeling jobs she'd hot-footed to New York had dried up, which was the reason for going there in first place, something unexpected happened. A wild and curly haired blond, in the form of her now best friend, Bibi, came to her rescue. Needing models for her seductive line of lingerie, Bibi wanted full figured girls for her on-line catalog and had found Sonia sobbing outside the modeling agency in Brooklyn.
They had been best friends since then and moved in together and stayed friends even when Sonia decided that modeling was no longer for her. She wanted to pursue her secret dream of becoming an actress. The actress side in her was never encouraged when she was back home with her folks, which was one of the reasons it was so easy for her to up sticks and leave when she received the modeling opportunity.
Even though she was still in shock from being fired by the escort agency the day before, she was hoping something unexpected would come up again. She sat in a coffee shop on Monday morning, looking to see who was hiring, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
“I knew it was you,” said a tall slim girl with two long braids of platinum blond. She wore a broad smile. The two of them had worked in a bar together some time ago.
“Millie, hi,” Sonia beamed. “I haven't seen you in forever. What are you doing these days?”
“Still working in a bar,” Millie sighed. “Don't say it – I know I vowed I'd become a famous screen writer, but I still haven't gotten my lucky break. How about you? Taken the acting world by storm yet?”
“Well, have you seen me in any blockbusters?” Sonia pulled a face.
The girls both laughed and Millie sat opposite Sonia and drank her latte.
“You working, Sonia?” Millie noticed the help wanted page in the newspaper was open.
“I'm in between jobs right now.” She closed the paper. “I thought I was all set with a new job and everything but then the unexpected happened and I'm out on my ear.”
“I'm really sorry to hear that.”
“I think it's just me. I mean, I've been taking all these jobs like modeling, waitressing, stuff like that, but only because I think I'll get a job on stage someday. I'm beginning to think I need to give up my dream. I told someone I was a kindergarten teacher the other day and it didn't seem like a bad idea.”
“I could see you as a teacher, actually.” Millie sipped her latte.
“Maybe that's what I should do – teach,” Sonia said. “Sometimes I think I'm going to give up on these casual jobs, quit any hopes of becoming an actor and go back home with my tail between my legs. I go to auditions every now and again, but no one is really looking for my type.”
“You mean black and beautiful?” Millie gave her an encouraging smile. “Don't look so down, Son. Look, you may not like it, but I know there are a couple of slots where I am. And yes, I know it's a bar, but the owner had to get rid of a couple of people he found screwing in the back room when the place was filling up with customers.”
“Oh my God, are you serious?”
“Completely,” Millie said. “Listen, the bar is in Queens. It's no great shakes, but if you're desperate, I could put in a word for you.”
“I really ought to jump at the chance. I've got rent to pay and I can start straight away. It'll get me out of my slump, if nothing else. Give me some thinking time to plan my next move.”
“Like I say, it's nothing great but it's a job and you never know, a top director might come in and spot you.”
They both laughed out loud.
“Stranger things have happened,” Sonia said, brightening up.
“Look,” continued Millie, finishing the last of her latte. “I'm working tonight. Why not just come along. Meet the owner before he has a chance to hire anyone else.”
“Okay, Millie. Let's do it.”
Sonia finished the rest of her coffee, which had gone cold, and they rushed to jump on a bus to Queens. But as they approached the bar, Sonia's smile slipped. On the corner of the road was a homeless man with an empty, plastic cup beside him. The road the bar was on seemed more like an alleyway and was dark and dingy even though it was summer.
“There it is.” Millie pointed at what Sonia thought was a deserted building.
“You work here?” Sonia said, trying not to look too disappointed. She felt like she was going back to the days of taking any job she could so she could get closer to her dream to act. But the truth was, it was hard to give up the acting bug. A few months ago she had heard about an amazing acting course with a great teacher and had been saving to take it. She needed the money. She needed a job. So she took a deep breath and turned to Millie with a little smile.
“It's not as bad as it looks, Sonia, I swear,” Millie returned the halfhearted grin. “Some of the staff are great to work with. Come on. I'll introduce you to Hal. He's the owner.”
It was almost pitch black inside the bar which had no windows looking out to the street. They were painted in and Sonia's eyes had to adjust to her surroundings. It was a few hours to opening and Sonia followed Millie inside, her shoes almost sticking to the floor as she walked.
“Hey, Hal!” Millie called to a skinny man at the end of the wooden bar. There was plate of pasta in front of Hal but he was busy hugging a glass of whiskey and letting his food get cold.
“You don't get any extra cash for coming in early, Millie,” Hal grunted.
“I came to introduce you to Sonia,” Millie said, ignoring his gruff manner. “You need staff and Sonia knows how to serve a drink.”
Hal pulled the glass away from his lips and stared at Sonia.
“Turn around,” he said to her.
“I beg your pardon?” Sonia said, looking at Millie.
“I said turn around,” he said, curtly. “I want to see if you'll fit the uniform.”
Tentatively, Sonia spun around and turned back, quickly, to face Hal.
“You're hired,” he said.
“Just like that?” she asked.
“Millie here has vouched for you and that's good enough for me. We pay just over minimum rates for a two week trial period then you'll be making more than any barmaid in Queens. You keep your tips. When can you start?”
“Tonight?” Sonia said, looking at Millie who had a huge smile on her face.
“Six o'clock,” Hal said, picking up his whiskey glass. “Millie will show you the ropes. Go get her a uniform, Millie.”
“Thank you for the job, Mr. …”
“Meadows. Hal Meadows. You just call me Hal, without any associated expletive, and we'll get on fine.”
“And my name is Sonia.” She put out her hand for Hal to shake. He looked at it, grunted and gave her a limp handshake, the type her father had told her never to trust.
Millie grabbed Sonia's hand and dragged her to the back room. It reeked of cigarette smoke and fried food, even though the door to the alley was wedged open. A scrawny looking cat hovered by the back door and Millie shooed it away.
“That's Hal the Cat,” she said. “The real Hal doesn't know we call it that. Comes mooching for food every day.” She banged the door shut, it locked automatically and immediately Sonia noticed what a stuffy little room it was.
Millie rummaged in a large wicker basket on the floor and pulled out a pair of cut off denim shorts and a minuscule t-shirt.
“This looks like it'll fit.”
Sonia took hold of the shorts that were bound to show most of her ass, and a t-shirt that would leave nothing to the imagination.
“You call this a uniform?” Sonia said with a frown. “What do the guys have to wear?”
“They get to wear a t-shirt that doesn't show their navels and full-length pants. But they don't make the kind of tips you'll make when you get this on.”
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“Millie, I'm not so sure about this. I think I made a mistake.”
“Well, you're the one who needs the job, right?”
Sonia held the short shorts against her hips. “I guess it'll do for now.”
“Well, thanks a lot.” Millie looked put out.
“Sorry, Millie. I didn't mean to be rude. Here, let me try this on. How bad could it be? And thank you. I mean it.”
Before she knew it, Sonia was working her second night at the bar. It was easy to learn her way around and the staff on the whole, were good fun. None of them saw this as the be-all and end-all to their lives and Sonia knew she'd get out as soon as a possibility showed itself.