"You're welcome sir. We'll call to confirm," Cleo said crisply before hanging up. She went over the day's bookings and saw that it was a quiet day. She noted her own appointment with Andrew scheduled for that evening. The fake appointment she had put in to keep Adelle off her back. Cleo smiled: she wondered what Andrew had in store tomorrow, on their actual appointment. Her birthday.
Almost as soon as she had accepted the booking she regretted it. She could finally admit it to herself: she loved her dates with Andrew. She loved the passion, the intensity. But more than that, she loved who she was on her dates with him. She wasn't Cleo the secretary, bookish and mousy. She was Cleo the call girl, pure sex and passion.
She just wasn't as certain about her feelings for the man himself. She definitely liked Andrew, that much was clear. Despite their age difference they had managed to click quite well, and only seeing each other about once a month was giving their relationship a fiery intensity (Cleo hated calling what they had a relationship, but it was really the only word that fit). But beyond that she hardly knew the man at all.
Finally, there were Adelle's thoughts on the matter. Her warning from a month ago was still fresh in her mind: That Andrew only liked her because she was his private whore, a whore who wasn't really one anyway. Whenever she began to think about Andrew too romantically, she reminded herself that she was one of the many whores he probably used. Not that she begrudged him that; she was hardly in any position to judge his sex life. But nonetheless, it usually stopped any romantic feelings that might occasionally pop into her head.
Cleo's daydreaming was interrupted when Adelle entered the office from the front room chatting with Gerald. Adelle's the escort service operated in the back room of Adelle's Interior Design. Gerald, an old friend of Adelle's, owned and ran the interior design business while leasing a few rooms in the back to Adelle. Gerald's work provided the necessary cover for their activities, and the arrangement had proved mutually beneficial to both parties.
"When do you need her?" Adelle was asking. Adelle paid part of her lease in, as she put it, house credit, which effectively meant that Gerald got a free girl every month or so.
"The party is on the 12th. And Adelle, seriously, I need a goddess," he said earnestly. "Ever since my brother made partner he has been just... A complete ass. I need jealousy. Biblical, visceral jealousy that I'm banging some sex goddess. I need to see his tongue hanging out."
"A goddess? You don't ask for much," Adelle teased. Cleo smiled: watching her boss flirt with Gerald was always fun. "I have a new girl, Asa... But she's quite young. I'm worried that people will suspect."
"Are you free?" he asked, grinning.
"Ah, but I'm too old for what you want. Perhaps... Allie is quite fetching. Do you want beautiful or hot?" This was a distinction that Adelle had learned to make: Many men wanted to fuck porn stars, who were certainly hot. But Adelle found that sort of rank sexuality crude. A truly beautiful woman stirred more than a man's cock.
Gerald chewed on it. "Beautiful, definitely. But hot too... That'd appeal to Chuck more." Gerald was in his early 40s and looked great. Cleo often wondered whether or not Adelle had ever slept with him.
"Oh, definitely not Allie then. Black?"
Gerald laughed. "Uh, sure. Okay."
"Lisa is gorgeous, and a sweetheart, you'll love her," Adelle said, smiling. Then she leaned close and whispered. "And if you let her, she'll drain you dry."
Gerald grinned, staying cool. "I'm always satisfied with Adelle's," he said lightly as he backed out of the doorway. "If not by Adelle herself yet." He then sharply turned to acknowledge Cleo. "Good afternoon Cleo. How are you?"
"I'm fine Gerald," she said.
"So that's Lisa for the 12th," he said, smiling.
"Got it. We'll-"
"No need to call, just check with me over coffee." He quickly turned back to Adelle. "Thanks hon."
"Not a problem Gerald," she said warmly as he headed back to the front of the office, closing the door behind him. Adelle returned to her desk with an extra spring in her step.
"Oh my god just go fuck him already," Cleo said, turning back to her screen.
"Who's to say I haven't, dear?" Adelle replied tartly. "I've known Gerald for almost fifteen years. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." She checked her watch, then checked the appointment book. "You're done for the day. I'll see you on Friday."
"What, because of my date with Andrew? It's just an overnight," Cleo replied, confused.
"Yes but it's your birthday the next day... Oh that's right this is your first birthday here. I've always given birthdays as paid holidays. It's a quiet night, go get ready for your date."
"Oh yay!" Cleo said as she hopped to her feet and started packing. "Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it," Adelle said, handing her a tiny envelope. "Happy birthday."
"Oh Adelle!" Cleo said, taking the envelope. Opening it, she found a pretty card signed by Adelle. "To my best hire of the year," Cleo read aloud. She opened the card and found five crisp one hundred dollar bills. "Adelle, Jesus... I can't accept this! It's too much."
"When I wrote you were the best hire of the year, I wasn't kidding. You're running this place like a machine. And then there's Mr. Dunn... Cleo, you've become one of my better moneymakers."
"Just by working my moneymaker a little," Cleo joked, putting on a light coat. "Thank you Adelle. Really," She said, hugging the older woman, surprising her. Cleo smiled to herself: Adelle was very English when it came to hugging.
"You're welcome, dear," she said, lightly patting her on the shoulder. "I'll see you Friday. What are you doing with Andrew tonight?"
And just like that Cleo felt like a shit for lying to Adelle. "I'm just, um, going to his hotel room. He said he just wanted a night in."
"In you, I bet. And what are you doing for your birthday?"
"Erica's taking me out for dinner and drinks. Nothing too crazy."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Lech aim!" Erica said, tossing back another shot with the birthday girl, swallowing the tequila down before biting into the lime. Cleo did the same, her face scrunching up from the sourness.
"Blech! I hate tequila," Cleo said, washing it down with her beer.
"Well then we should really stop ordering them for you," Sheila said, as if that were a very sensible argument. The three girls were at Rio Grande enjoying some very strong margaritas. Cleo had told the girls she only wanted beer because she didn't want to get too drunk. Erica declared that silly talk, hence the four tequila shots they'd bought her over the past hour or two.
"I really can't get that drunk tonight, seriously," Cleo repeated, but she could already tell that she was partway there.
"Why? You've got someplace to go?"
"Well... I've got a date tonight," Cleo said. She had kept it a secret as long as she could, but she knew she could trust Erica and Sheila.
