His words are like ants crawling on my skin, and I shiver, wanting so badly to be done with this conversation now. I hop down from the desk and smooth my dress out and grabbing my clutch, I say, “You’ll be lucky if I don’t cancel this entire thing in the morning. I better hear that my girls here tonight get some extra-large tips if you want to stay in my good graces.”
Karl makes an appreciative noise in his throat as I pass him by. “You know, you could stay if you wanted. I can give you a nice big tip too.”
“Go fuck yourself Karl,” I hiss, continuing out of the office without looking back.
I bid my girls farewell, making sure they know to check in with me once they are home. I’m going to turn in early tonight. I’ve got too much on my mind to stay and play mysterious party guest anymore.
Outside, while I wait on my Uber, I pull out my phone again and even though I know it will hurt, I look at the picture again. Andries isn't holding her too close, but there is clear affectionin his body language. Tatiana, who is easier to see, looks like the happiest girl in the world, and her eyes seem to be closed in ecstasy at being near him. They’re beautiful together. A perfect fit, spending time together on that gorgeous estate, both of them looking like they could be carved from the finest marble.
And here I am on a street at night, brokering a deal to provide a virgin for an old man. What the fuck is wrong with this life of mine? I love running my business, but requests like Karl’s make my skin crawl, and tonight, it makes me realize how far apart Andries and I really are. We exist in two completely different worlds, and much to my displeasure, Tatiana lives in his world with him.
He’ll never want to be with me again. Why would he? I’m older, and an ex-escort. He has Tatiana, and now that I am able to see things more clearly, I have to agree with everyone else: They are completely perfect for one another.
The morning dawns bright and cold, and I’ve barely slept. With the heaviness of exhaustion and the increasingly uncomfortable memories of Karl’s request rolling through me, I shower as fast as I can, get dressed, and all but run to my office. If I’m going to get this Karl thing done, I want to do it soon, so I can never think about it again.
My assistant Poppy finds me at my desk an hour later, flipping through pages and pages of the resumes of current escorts I have and ones that have left the company. Of course, none of them are virgins, and only one of them is under the age of twenty, and I have no idea where to start.
Poppy hands me one of the paper coffee cups she’s holding, and I barely taste it, just happy to have the thick coffee concoction filling my hollow stomach.
“Thanks for this,” I tell her. “I was dying here.”
“When I pulled up I saw the lights were on, and I figured if you came in that early you were going to need some espresso,” she says matter-of-factly.
“Smart girl,” I chuckle. “You want to sit down and help me figure out an impossible puzzle?”
“Well, sure. You’re the boss, after all.”
I explain to Poppy what Karl requested the night before, and she wrinkles her pale nose in disgust, but she agrees that it’s an idea we can entertain for as much as he’s willing to pay. The difficult part is finding someone who meets all the requirements and also wants to be an escort. Sex work isn’t usually on the agenda for virgins, so it’s going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.
I have to keep pushing away the thoughts of how apoplectic this whole thing would make Andries. He isn’t here, and he doesn’t matter. I can’t let him matter anymore.
Poppy taps a pen on the table as she thinks everything over. “We’ve got, what, five girls on the roster now that also go to the university?” I nod, and she continues. “Why don’t we have them ask around their friend groups? If we are going to find an eighteen-year-old virgin, university is going to be our best bet. College kids tend to be poor, and too busy to be worrying about sex too much. Those variables might combine to make the perfect girl for us appear. What do you think?”
It’s the perfect approach, and I tell her so emphatically. She drafts an email for all the escorts that go to university and sends it out, making sure that it lays out all the parameters in as clear of detail as possible. Karl doesn’t have any preferences for hair, eye, or skin color; just that she’s eighteen, not a current escort,and has never had sex before. It’s going to be a tricky thing, so I tell Poppy to add that the compensation will be €10,000 for a two-hour dinner with a client. No sex involved. Did I leave the hour at his place out on purpose? Yes, I’ll get down to the gritty details later on.
Once the emails have been sent, I’m able to relax for a second while we wait for the girls to get back to us. I’m fully prepared to tell Karl to kick rocks if we can’t find the perfect girl for him, but I’m conflicted on how I really want this to go. Do I want to be paid? Yes. Do I trust Karl? No. Not really. Whoever we hire will have to be smart and forward enough to make him back off if he tries anything out of line.
Poppy leaves to pick up our lunch, and I mull over the other big event of last night; the text from Elise. At first I was baffled about how she had gotten my number, but then I remembered we swapped them in Ghent. Back when she didn’t think I was more worthless than the dirt on the bottom of her shoes.
After the way we argued when I went to Andries’ apartment to get my things, it isn’t a shock that she’d try to press my buttons, but I’m surprised she’d use her brother and her friend as ammunition to do so. She must really think that I’m a terrible choice for him, and wants me to stay away at all costs.
Well, if he’s with Tatiana, Elise doesn’t need to worry. I’d never come between a couple like that.
Impulsively, I send Dan a message, asking him outright if Tatiana and Andries are a couple. He takes a few minutes to message back, but he seems bewildered when he does.
Dan: No? I told you they weren’t. What makes you ask that question?
Instead of explaining it, I just send him a screenshot of the text and picture. This time he answers right away.
Dan: Fucking Elise. I was there with all of them last night, and when they came in from the terrace, they were actingtotally normal. I think that’s a friend hug that Elise is trying to use to manipulate you. And them too, which is messed up.
Roxanne: Are you sure things just haven’t changed between them, and you haven’t noticed? Or maybe they’re just taking things slow since she’s so… you know. She’s his ‘Flower Girl,’ remember?
Dan: Andries is too over the top and broody to hide a relationship. We all knew he was obsessed with you from the jump, so don’t worry about it. They. Are. Just. Friends.
Roxanne: Okay. okay. Thanks, Dan. Really.
Dan: No prob. By the way, he seemed more like himself last night. I wouldn’t be surprised if he reaches out to you soon.