Rent Boy

by James Anthony Ford

  This hotel was very keen to interview me for a position in a Hospitality Traineeship and I was keen to get this job. So I went to the interview and they were very impressed and gave me the job on the spot. The arrangement was that during the day I would attend a hospitality school called William Angliss College and by night I would work in the front office. The pay was not fantastic but much better than Pizza Hut and my school fees would be covered by the hotel. I had nothing to lose and this would be my break.

  For about a couple of months I worked as a porter then was promoted to concierge which I enjoyed but the hours were long and some of the demands of the guests were sometimes out of control. Being a concierge meant that I had to basically be a ‘yes man’ to anyone and also basically become a puppet on a string and know absolutely everything about my city, Melbourne. Which I did. There were the occasional bizarre requests made by famous guests. I mean famous as in, ‘celebrity’. I will not name any celebrities as this would open up a new can of worms and I respect their privacy. As a concierge, everything you see or hear stays in ‘The Vault’.

  One particular occasion was a night working at the concierge desk just like any other night until things got a bit twisted. I received a call from a guest who was a celebrity. I will not name names but the only clue I can give is a football player. A well-known one during this time, which was the nineties. He rand my desk and asked if he could have a hairdryer. There were actually hairdryers in the room but he said that his was not working. I said that normally you would need to call housekeeping to get one but of course as a guest and being the concierge; you had to beckon at their every call. So I said I would arrange for one of my porters to deliver one immediately. But he said no. He wanted me to deliver it personally. I asked why and he responded saying that it would be just easier that way. Of course, the guest is always right so I went to housekeeping, got a hairdryer and proceeded to his room. I knocked on his door, and it actually took him a while to answer, so I knocked again. This time he opened the door and was in a pair of jeans and topless. “Your hairdryer sir” I said professionally whilst trying not to look at his body. “Can you bring it in?” he responded. I wondered why but just did as he wished. There was a difficult moment of silence as I was just standing there inside his room, he was just standing there, and we both just looked at each other and said nothing. It was strange and difficult to explain. I was just waiting for him to tell me where to put the bloody thing! Finally he spoke, ”Oh umm, yeah, just put it on the bed, that’ll be fine” he murmured. So I placed it on the bed and proceeded to walk out of the room. Then he brushed past me and I have no idea what led me to this. As I brushed past him, my heart started to beat faster and I just froze in that spot. Then he gently rubbed his hip against mine. In that moment of time I remember thinking can this really be happening. So totally breaching the professional duties of a concierge I placed my hand on his zipper and zipped down his zip. He gave me a nervous smile. He also began to un button my pants and shirt. Then he spoke. “Tell no one, ....and I mean NO one” he said directly into my eyes. I just nodded my head to agree with him. Then we had sex.

  The next day as I awoke, in my own bed at home, mind you, I thought about the events of yesterday thinking have I just woke up from a dream or was it reality. I knew either way I could never, ever tell anyone about this and anyway, I don’t think anyone would believe me. It didn’t matter, I was flattered more than anything that a man such as that wanted me in that way. It felt good so my confidence level went up. I knew I have gone into a no go zone and felt so guilty that I decided to look for a new job. It was not long until I found a job where I could transfer my hospitality traineeship into another place of employment. I wanted something less formal. So I applied for a job as a waiter and bartender in a popular cafe in Melbourne CBD.

  During the year I met new friends at the hospitality college and also at the cafe. I went to college by day, worked in the evening and we went out clubbing or to cool bars after work. It was practically every night.

  The year went so quick it flew by and by the time I knew it I had graduated with my Hospitality Traineeship. It was only a one year long qualification but I wanted to go further. So I applied for a tourism degree at RMIT Melbourne and got accepted. The year after I started the degree part time during the day and worked at night at the same cafe.

  It was not long that I started to make new friends at uni and it started to feel like high school again. Although we were adults, we still had a little innocent fun. Throwing paper planes during lecture, that sort of thing. The plan for me at that stage was quite casual as I started to relax a bit more. I didn’t overwork myself at uni, only doing a few subjects part time and only worked part time at work. The rest of my time was going out at night.

  Months roll by and just seemed to being more and more relaxed yet seeking out adventure and excitement. Pretty quickly I got bored with the cafe I worked at and I also hated the boss as well. He was a complete arsehole so I was glad to see the back of him. My waiting and bartending skills were at the point of excellence and was always commented by customers how good at my job I was. So I was very employable in the hospitality industry. Almost immediately I found a job in a very chic cafe on Lygon Street in Carlton. It was known as ‘little Italy’ of Melbourne and was a strip of very highly respected Italian restaurants and cafes. One of the many places in Melbourne to be seen. I had an instant liking to my new employer. He was quite the cool cat so to speak and we got along so well. The other staff were great too, my kind of people. So I fit in just perfectly. In fact, life itself was very relaxed, comfortable and fun at this stage. I had not a worry in the world.

  For about just over a year I worked for the cafe on Lygon Street whilst studying part time during the day before I got bored. The techno rave scene was just starting to get real recognition in Melbourne and I was immediately intrigued. There was a rave coming up in Melbourne with a German DJ guest Djing called ‘Cosmic Baby’. I have only heard about raves like they were some kind of urban myth. My version of techno at this stage was top 40 studio manufactured pop bands like ‘2 Unlimited’, “Technotronic” or ‘East 17’, the ‘ravey’ sort of boy band. Embarrassing and ignorant, I know. I had to go but I really did not know anyone that was into the rave scene. My friends at uni or friends at the cafe were not really interested in it. The rave scene at that time was still quite underground. People knew it existed like some sort of urban myth. I have heard rumours about how exciting the raves are that I just had to see for myself. So I went alone.

  The night of the rave I had never felt so out of place in my life. Firstly I had the clothing completely wrong. I think people were actually laughing at me. I just wore ‘clubby’ sort of clothes. This was so wrong. This was a sub culture and the attire was brightly coloured baggy pants, sloppy t-shirts with optical illusion designs or pop art style logos on them and then there were the glow sticks. Everyone had one. I also became aware that everyone was ‘ON’ one too. I am referring to what the god of the rave scene. Ecstasy. I have only heard about ‘E’s”, or ‘Eccy’s’, but have never had one. I never heard any bad stories about them though, only that it just makes you unbelievably happy. The crowd at the rave were in complete unison of happiness and then it clicked. That night I first went to that gay club, it was the ecstasy tablets that caused such joy in the people. It all made perfect sense. But I went home from the rave, straight, un -drugged but strangely felt like I was missing out. But I knew that a rave was my home.

  After the rave I was contemplating about how I could meet others in the rave scene. I was thirsty for a piece of the action but suddenly deterred away from the gay club scene. I wanted to be a ‘raver’. This was not as easy as it sounds as the rave scene then was still quite underground. There were flyers of upcoming raves in a small selection of ultra-trendy clothing stores like in Prahran. But even then, the location as stated in the flyer was a cover up for the actual location. They were held in secret warehouses across Melbourne to prev
ent the police from closing them down. It sounded so exclusively cool that I had to be part of this scene. But most of all it was about the music. It was not just about hard hitting techno bass. There were sub genres of techno. There was house, hard house, acid, garage and so on. So I quickly built up my collection of vinyl from exclusive techno music dealers who also happened to be Dj’s as well. I became a regular customer at one of the records stores that I soon got friendly with the DJ’s and started getting invited to top secret rave parties. The first rave party I was invited to was also the first time I tried LSD, or an acid trip, as they were called. It was kind of strange. It made me feel like I was Alice in Wonderland for a whole night, not really euphoric but I loved it. What I really wanted to try was ecstasy but it was hard to get and I was too shy to ask anyone if they had any.

  I began to get so involved in the rave scene that it started to affect my job at the cafe. My moodiness set in and customers were not happy about my so called attitude. I hate to admit it but as I was now mixing in with the ‘in’ crowd in the infamous rave scene I felt like a celebrity that demanded respect. I know, it’s pathetic thinking about it now.

  Now I really don’t know why this nest event happened and I have racked my brains thinking now why I decided to take on this but I suddenly quit my job at the cafe and took up a hairdressing apprenticeship at a trendy hair salon in St Kilda. I think I had lost the plot completely at that stage. I was totally confused at where my life was heading and really did not know what I wanted out of life. I just could not discover what I really wanted to do or find any direction. My vision was fogged with wanting to just get out there and have fun. I think I was seeking attention but in reality I think I was looking to be admired in some way. But what I do remember is, is that I wanted to use my creativity again but doing something that was seen as glamorous. It was at that hair salon that I met my new friend Robert. He was a classic cool guy and we clicked immediately. He was a hair cutter, not colourist. He was one of the best hair cutters in Melbourne winning all sorts of awards and all. He was also very popular and was with the ‘in’ crowd. I knew this was going to be a friendship. At the salon I was a first year apprentice so my job really only was a ‘gopher’ style position. I answered phones, washed hair, cleaned up hair and got coffee. It was an easy day job but badly paid. I needed money not to survive, but to party with. But I also wanted my hand amongst the elite crowd in Melbourne. So I went in search of a second part time job, but with relevance. I didn’t want to do it just because I had, I wanted a job where I felt I made a difference and it made me feel good inside. It was a lifestyle thing.

  It had come to my mind that I had extraordinary bartending and waiter skills but the thought of doing that with no recognition seemed pointless and tiring. If you wanted to build up a reputation as being one of the best at what you do, in this case it was bartending and being a ‘barista’ ( Italian for coffee maker), I had to be amongst the cool crowd and play ‘the part’. There are so many jobs in Melbourne for bartenders and waiters and so many choices, but there was a huge demand for talented and professional staff. But I was not about to work in some shopping centre food court. This was a lifestyle choice and I wanted to work somewhere where it was ‘hip’ work there, ‘hip’ to be a bartender and just ‘hip’ to be seen there. As long as you could prove that you were good, then the demand for you to star in your own role would be waiting for you. For example comparing a bartender at the local pub in Dandenong that really only pulls beers whereas working on Chapel Street, South Yarra they would shake, throw and toss glasses in the air, really was a show act and an attention drawer. The comparison in ‘coolness’ is obvious. There are many fashionable places to work in Melbourne and only the best of the best get recognised as professionals, thus seen by the public as ‘cool’. I had the skills but was very modest about it and approached several cafes in several fashionable areas in Melbourne with huge reputations as being ultra-hip. I was offered a job in all the cafes and area’s I approached. Then I came across an established trendy cafe with a good reputation in one of Melbourne’s many but more fashionable precincts and then became part of the scene. So enough said, “I’ve got the part”. The opportunity was a perfectly fitting lifestyle choice. Work in the salon by day, few hours at a pumping cafe amongst the elite crowd, and then partying till dawn. That’s what life was back then and I never felt tired. But I was a bloody good bartender and the owner’s treated me like their investment or an asset to the business. It fed my ego but I was building my image.

  When I joined the new cafe I met a girl, who also happened to be at the end of her arts degree at uni and she took quite a shine to me. Her name was Emily. She seemed to take great interest in me with such a curious approach. Her personality shined and we always had a laugh together. We always had a good time working together either behind the bar or on the floor waiting tables. She was such a warm a lovable young woman that we just clicked and before you knew it we became the best of friends and started going out together to raves and nights at exclusive restaurants. There was nothing sexual between us as she knew I was gay but I sensed that she had some sort of attraction to me. But I could be wrong. I just had a gut feeling but it didn’t matter. We became best buddies and we loved each other’s company. We had so much in common. I loved her so much, she was fabulous and so much fun.

  One day at the salon one of Robert’s friends came in. His name was Edward or Eddie or Ed as everyone called him. Robert introduced him to me as a ‘party boy’, a bit of a socialite. Edward seemed very reserved to me but had a very kind of cool attitude without being pretentious. He was a good looking guy, not very tall, had kind of brownish hair, I think, and reminded me a lot of Hugh Jackman. Edward came in to get his hair cut by Robert. Robert introduced me to him and ended up chatting away as Robert was cutting his hair. We had an instant connection, nothing sexual though, he was straight anyway and I think he mentioned he had a girlfriend. Edward also said “I’m not really a party boy, I am actually do art stuff”. He said he was an artist, a painter, I think he was. He spoke very passionately about his work and sounded so familiar to me which is why I think we got along so well. I also got the impression that he was a hard worker and made a good living from his artwork which I found very inspiring. But Eddie was my type of guy I terms of friendship. He acted so super cool and so very, very hip. He was the type of guy that other guys wanted to be. He also happened to know people, and I mean, a lot of people, famous and all. He mentioned he was having a party on the weekend and he asked me if I wanted to go. I was flattered. The way he described the party was that it was ultra-cool. He lived in an industrial but trendy warehouse, like some kind of oversized art studio somewhere in the inner city suburbs of Melbourne. He said that he knows just about everyone in the rave scene without sounding like a big head. He was quite modest. He was my man. My new friend in the rave scene and someone I could be inspired by in terms of art expression. I just loved his character, he was genuine, down to earth and there was nothing seedy about him at all. I was also yet to discover that he was a very talented artist and lived for his art and that’s all that mattered. The parties just came with the territory. I trusted him and liked him a lot. He was the ‘it’ guy. I was so glad I met him, it was like it was meant to be.

  That night of the party I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I caught a taxi to the secretly hidden warehouse and followed the noise of the bass. The warehouse was impossible to find that you just had to follow the noise of the thumping bass of the music. I soon got there and noticed that this warehouse, close to Edwards home, was in fact a rave happening in the background. There was a crowd of people lining up waiting to get in. This was going to be impossible and I thought I have been fooled. But I went up to the line and noticed that there was a separate entry with a card stating ‘guests only’. I thought this was only for the elite crowd but something told me to just go up there. The security guy put his hand out to say stop and said “What’s yer name?”. I responde
d quickly “Jay”, “Jay Andrews”. I had the urge to say “Bond” but I resisted. He took a look at his clipboard that had a list of names and said. “No worries”. Then he un -clipped the velvet red rope and let me through, detouring around the crowd and instantly giving me looks of admiration. My immediate reaction was ‘WOW”, I’m now with the elite crowd. I had made it.

  I walked up the leading stairs only to be greeted immediately by Edward, “Jaaaaaay!” he shouted with glee. “Ediiiiiiiiiie!” I responded back. “I’m so glad you could make it, come with me, I’ve got a present for you” he said. So I followed him into his apartment where there were about five or six people lying around a couch chatting and snorting white substances. Two of the people I recognised but I can’t tell you who they were as they were Australian celebrities and I respect their privacy. But this was the ‘in’ place to be. Eddie then huddled me into a corner and opened up his hand and there was a small plastic bag with a white tablet in it. “It’s for you” he said with a cheeky smile. “Is it an E?” I replied. “Of course! Enjoy!” he gasped. I knew straight away that this party was gonna be good!