Unwanted Heat

“Thank you. I appreciate you settling my fears. When we met you mentioned that some of your staff are only working for you and not working other jobs. I’m trying to wrap my head around the financial aspect of this now that you answered my questions about safety. To be honest Bridget, I need to know if this is something I can steadily rely on to pay my rent every month or if this is something that will provide me only with spending money.”

“That makes sense, especially given what I know about your current financial situation.” Why do I get the feeling her background check likely included my bank account balances? “Let me put it this way, I have a long waiting list of potential clients-more than I can accept right now because I don’t have enough staff. Staff decide how many events or dates they want to attend per week, some decide to only attend one and some attend two to three. It also depends on the requests; some of my clients have a standing arrangement with a staff member in that they request that staff for every event they attend. Many of those staff average two events per week, often bringing in close to five thousand dollars a month depending on the type of event. What it boils down to Kenzie, is how much you earn and how often you work is complete up to you. For some staff, this is simply spending money to pay off a few bills. For others though this is how they pay all their bills. What is it you want?”

“I don’t know,” I admit honestly. “I like the idea of not working so many long hours but I’m nervous to suddenly give it all up. I enjoy the bakery where I work and I could probably continue working there while I figure this out. If I signed the contract, though I don’t think I could continue working at the store. I think it would be awkward to dress men and women who are essentially my coworkers or men who I could end up on a date with. However, giving that job up is a little frightening to me.”

“Understandably so. I don’t normally do this but I’ll make you a deal. If you sign a contract with me and then find it isn’t for you for whatever reason, I will give you a glowing recommendation at one of the many stores I have accounts with or companies I do business with. I will guarantee you a job within two weeks of you terminating your contract with me.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I want to help you. I can tell you haven’t had an easy life and for whatever reason you don’t trust easily. You remind me of myself when I was younger and I guess that makes me want to see you succeed. I promise if this doesn’t work out for whatever reason, I will ensure you have a job and are not left on the street. Why don’t you try one dinner date with a client and see how it goes? If you decide after that date it isn’t for you, we terminate the contract and never look back. If you decide this isn’t as scary as the thoughts going through your head right now, then I will show your profile to other clients for potential dates. What do you say?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“One date… I… I suppose I can agree to that.”

“Good, I really think you will see this isn’t as bad as you are thinking Kenzie. What other questions do you have?”

“How will I not be tied back to your company? I mean, if I’m photographed with a date and the press runs a background check on me won’t they see that I’m on your payroll?”

“They might. However, if they look into my company they will see that we are a consultation firm working with large and small companies across the state. You will be listed as a consultant which is a very broad title. In all the years since I started this company up, I’ve never had a reporter question exactly what it is someone does for me or what exactly consultation services we provide.”

We talk for another hour or so as we finish our lunch and at the end I have decided to stick to our agreement and try one date through Bridget, figuring I don’t have much to lose. I won’t quit one of my jobs until I’m sure this is going to work out. I’m confident with the answers that she has given me: I like that I’m going to have more control over my schedule and the men I am seen with than I originally expected to have. Although there are risks, I can’t say the risks are higher than if I stay in the place I currently live. I’ve been there almost a year now and in that time I’ve seen more drug deals occur than I ever expected to, and the police have been almost a weekly presence in the building for several months now. The neighborhood itself is risky: I’m at risk anytime I leave the apartment, especially given the late hours I often work. At least with the dates I will be in a public setting which reduces my risk of being hurt significantly. Although I don’t want to put myself at risk, at some point I need to take one and change things if I’m ever going to change my life further. Leaving him and moving to New York was the riskiest thing I have ever done and so far it has turned out pretty well for me. I want to improve my life further, I want to do something with my life, and right now accepting this offer seems like the only way I’m going to get ahead.

“Thank you again for squeezing me in, Bridget, and for answering my many questions. I appreciate the time you took.”

“I have to admit I was surprised to hear from you. I was worried I scared you off with the contract the other night. I’m glad that wasn’t the case and that you decided to give this a chance. I don’t think you’re going to regret it. I’ll be in touch soon with a potential dinner scheduled and a profile for you to approve.”

The next few days go by slowly; the electricity remains off in my building but I hardly notice because I end up working even more hours than originally scheduled. Bathing is the most inconvenience of all: while I have water in my apartment, I don’t have hot water. I wash my hair using gallons of water that I let get to room temperature before using. It’s better than trying to shampoo my hair in the shower which now lasts less than a minute as I quickly wash before I freeze too much. I’m getting tired of eating tuna fish sandwiches for meals, but I would live with it if it meant being able to take a hot shower again. I think the longest we went without electricity was nine days-if it doesn’t go longer this time it should be turned back on in the next few days.