“May I ask what the problem is then?” I asked. Something must be wrong. There was something in his voice that made me feel like a but was coming.
“Do not sleep with the clients. We want to watch out for our girls, and we can’t do that if you are contracting sexual transmitted diseases. There are plenty of men that would pay to have you by their side without the sex,” Ms. Robinson explained.
That helped calm my nerves. I didn’t have any intention of ever doing that.
“We would like to also know your preferences. This will only work if we can set you up with someone you will enjoy being around. Do you have an age limit?” she asked.
I hadn’t thought of that. Did I? Surprisingly, I didn’t think I would be given an age option. My expectations were that I had to go out with whoever paid me, with no say so in the matter.
“Max would be forty-five, I think. I hadn’t given much thought to that.”
“Since we have gone over most of the rules and what you want, let’s move on. Usually, we invite our newcomers to an event where we finish the interview. We like to see our girls engage the clients in a business setting to make sure you have what it takes. Would you still like to continue?”
I took a second, trying not to sound too eager. “Yes.”
“I will pick you up at six p.m. Wear something elegant. This will also be your chance to show off. You can show them you can handle light conversation and what you look like. Come looking like you do now, and they won’t be disappointed,” he said, then escorted me out of his office.
Ms. Robinson took me to the exit and gave me an address for the pickup location. It wasn’t too far from the college campus, so I could just walk.
The car dropped me at campus. I raced inside to quickly get ready since it was already four p.m. I wasn’t sure what to wear, so I raided Angela’s closet. Angela had been my roommate since freshman year. Her long blonde hair and killer legs got her into every party on campus. Needless to say, she wasn’t home much. In her closet was a long maroon dress with a high slit on the side. It was classy yet sexy. Exactly what Dr. Shepard wanted. It hugged my curves perfectly, accenting my small waist. I left my hair in curls down to the small of my back and applied ruby-red lipstick. I decided on my strappy black heels to go for a more formal but daring edge to the outfit. I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing down the dress, looking at myself. I bit my lower lip, realizing I felt bare. This wasn’t me.
Dr. Shepard arrived at the given location around five fifty p.m. in a limousine. I slipped inside the limo with a smile. He looked at me like he was surprised. Boy, was I. He looked yummy wearing dress pants with a light-blue button-up shirt; only the first two buttons were left open. I could see a glimpse of his chest.
“Are you ready for tonight?”
I was screaming at myself inside. I’m not that confident girl. There was no way I was going to pass this test. “I’m always ready.”
The rest of the drive over was spent in silence, not really knowing what to say or ask him. Silence would be better than awkward blabbering.
We arrived at a hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows. I took a deep breath as he opened the door for me. He took my hand and held it as we walked inside. My gaze kept falling to the floor. How was I going to pull this off?
When I thought about this job, all my mind could invoke was nasty old men. I was wrong. Most of them were under forty and looked damn good. Don’t get me wrong, some men looked to be in their fifties, but the one good thing about this job was if I got hired, the clients would request me.
As he walked me around introducing me, my confidence level was slowly rising. It wasn’t so much about confidence in my looks but in my words. Dr. Shepard introduced me to a man appearing to be in his late forties.
“What’s your favorite symphony, darling?” he asked me, his eyes widened like he didn’t think I even knew what a symphony was.
It didn’t upset me; rather, it made me want to wow him with my knowledge. “I would have to say Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. He was the first composer to include a chorus and vocal soloists. What about yours?” I rattled off with my head held high. The one thing I prided myself in was my intelligence in a vast variety of subjects.
He wrinkled his forehead and stuttered, “Uh...My…favorite would be Brahms’ 4th Symphony.”
“Great choice. I’m a huge Beethoven fan myself, but Brahms has some great works too.”
Dr. Shepard tapped me on the shoulder, advising it was time to move on.
“Nice to meet you. Maybe I’ll see you at a symphony sometime,” I said, smiling politely as I followed him to the next group.
“Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Gita.” He introduced me as we approached three men huddled, talking about politics.
My personal rule was never to talk about politics with anyone. It led to many heated arguments, and it just never ended well. The difference was I knew how they felt already so I just had to tailor it to match. Sure, I completely disagreed, but they couldn’t find out who I voted for.
“I agree, gentlemen. We need someone who is authentic. A leader who puts their country over party no matter the consequences.”
They all seemed speechless at first with my response. They all looked at each other like I wasn’t real.
“Wow, it’s nice to hear a lady speak intelligently for once. What else? I’d love to hear more.”
“I think it’s time to have someone in office that takes into consideration the values of our past but still looks forward toward what we want to accomplish as a country. We can’t continue to look backward in hopes of moving forward. That’s just not how it works,” I explained in a little deeper detail. My feelings toward the candidates for presidency was known, but I wouldn’t reveal who I voted for even if asked.