The Tales of Ariel Brody

Everyone's over eighteen and of reasonably sound mind.

*

William Brody used to be an advertising executive with Reese & Pettibone. His biggest account was Island Creek Dairies. A nice middle level, safe account. Now he's an advertising executive with Nash Products. Now doesn't that sound important? He was working his way up the ladder, right?

Wrong! He got fired by R & P. At Nash Products he'll sell you 500 ball point pens with your company's logo on them; but he won't do it very well. They might misspell the name or maybe send the order to the wrong address.

You see, William Brody drinks; and I love him. He's my dad. If you were to ask me why he drinks the answer you'd receive would change from day to day. I suppose you could trace it back to his breaking up with my Mom, but if you asked her why they broke up she'd tell you it was because of his drinking. Chickens and eggs!

Dad probably earned enough to stay on top of all our bills, but he had a penchant for buying rounds for the bar and that took a lot off the top so we had frequently had cases of the shorts. So I wound up babysitting a lot! Since I had little else to do while sitting, I studied. Consequently I got outstanding grades, but my social life was the pits.

I hadn't been out with a boy in close to a year and although I could remember how most of

their

moving parts worked, I wasn't quite so sure about my own.

I had been baby sitting at the Thompson's and got home at close to one A.M. Mrs. Patalounis was sitting on my front porch, a stern 'your rent is late' look in her eye.

If she was on the porch, then Dad wasn't inside. "Hi Mrs. Patalounis! Is my father inside?"

"If he was inside do you think he'd be leaving an old woman sitting on his front porch? He may be a lazy drinker, but I never call him rude!

He did tell me that I would get rent today. He told me that I would get rent yesterday. I wonder what he'd tell me today. He probably wonders too and is out thinking of something good to tell me. Ariel, you know I've tried to be patient but my old bones don't need to walk over here so I can sit on some tenant's porch. You know my son Nicholas has told me not to do this. You know there is waiting list for these buildings. If I tell Nicholas that you're late again he would not be patient he would get for you eviction notice. You would be gone and I would be sad that a sweet young girl like you not has a home, but for your no-good father I would not be sad. Tell me what to do."

If Dad was gone then the envelope with the cash in the back of the silverware drawer was gone too. "Mrs. Patalounis I thought we had enough to pay you. When my Dad comes home I'll talk to him and then I'll come to see you."

"No! When I go home I want to sleep. I will call Nicholas and tell him he must not evict until 9 A.M. day

after

tomorrow. If you pay him tomorrow I will be satisfied. I give you one more day, more than that is not possible."

"Thank you Ma'am."

Dad got home after the bars closed. "Hey Honey, how was your day?"

"Hi Daddy. My day was all right until I came home from the Thompson's to find Mrs. Patalounis on the front porch. The envelope's gone, Dad. That was most of what we needed to pay her."

"Now Ariel I needed to meet with this exec over at Travers & Hines to talk about..." He could see the look in my eyes. "I'm sorry Ariel."

I had tears in my eyes and my voice was a little husky. "Daddy someday you're going to have to show me where that rule is written that says that no one is ever allowed to buy Bill Brody a drink,

ever

. The rule that says he's the only one allowed to buy. It might help me understand." I went to bed.

The next morning I pulled together every dollar I had saved up from baby sitting and retrieved $250 from Dad's pockets and was still $160 short. Oh well, time to face the music. "Dad," I yelled "I'm going over to Mr. Patalounis' office. I'll bring back something for lunch."

Nicholas Patalounis' office was one of those stainless and glass monstrosities that screamed 'sterile' at you the moment you entered its maw. Since it was Saturday there was no receptionist. I knocked on his door.

"Yeah, come on in." he shouted.

He was leaning back in his chair with his feet up on one of the drawers of hanging files in his desk. There was another man seated in one of the chairs facing his desk.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were busy. I'll come back." I started to back out.

"Bad idea! My mother made me promise not to throw you and the drunk out until tomorrow, but if you don't pay up before I leave today your pretty little ass is sitting on some curbside by the end of next week, and I'm not sure when I'm leaving today."

"Well I..." I pointedly looked over at the man in the chair."

"You can talk in front of Lou. So, do you have my money?"

"Yes, well, most of it. I've got all of in except $160 which I can give you when my Dad gets paid on Friday." I put the cash on his desk.

"You're short."

"Yes, but only $160."

He handed the cash to Lou. "Put this away and write her a receipt." He turned back to me.

"You're still short."

"You'll get the rest on Friday!" The desperation was creeping into my voice and I hated it. "Doesn't matter. If you were $10 short and I'd get it tomorrow, you'd still be short. What you're not picking up on is that I'd be happier with you two gone so I could re-let the place for a hundred bucks a month more.

Now, you got the rest of my money?"

I looked him in the eye hoping for some sign of compassion, and finding none I turned and started to leave his office. I put my hand on the doorknob.

"You got anything else?"

I didn't turn around. My hand was still on the doorknob as I answered "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. In lots of cultures they work on a barter economy, trading goods and services for other goods and services. You got any other services you can perform to help pay your rent?"

So there it was. I never consciously thought about his asking that question, but I also didn't allow myself to think of why, after having already gotten dressed this morning, I went back to my room to change into prettier underwear.

Attorneys sometimes objected to testimony saying 'asked and answered', meaning they objected to the question because in another form, the same question had already been asked and the answer given. I guess in the back of my mind I had already asked myself this question and already gotten an answer.

"Yes." I answered. "Yes, I do." I turned around. "What would you like me to do?"

"For starters go over there by the window and get undressed... slowly."

I walked over to the chair Lou had been sitting in and unbuttoned my shirt. I took it off and was unbuttoning my jeans when Lou came back with my receipt. I quickly grabbed my shirt and tried to cover up. "Don't stop, honey. Lou would probably like to see this too. Give her the receipt, Lou."

I took off my jeans and reached for my bra. I knew I was turning red because there were two of them in the room. When I was standing there topless with only a skimpy pair of panties separating me from complete nudity, I stopped. I stood there staring at Nicholas so that he knew that if he wanted anything else he'd have to lose Lou. My standard of where to draw a line may have been shaken up, but I could still draw one.

"I'll call you on your cell, Lou."

Lou smiled. "I think this is probably a good time for me to run a few errands." As he walked past me Lou tweaked my right nipple.

When I heard the door shut behind me and I knew Lou had left, I pushed my panties to the floor. Nicholas beckoned me to come over to him at his desk. He picked me up with his hands under my butt and sat me on the edge of the desk.

Recognizing the inevitability of my situation, I decided that it would be better for me to be an active participant rather than a slab of meat. I leaned forward, unbuckled his pants and pulled him to his feet with his belt. I looked from his member to his face. "Protection. Where?"

He pulled open a desk drawer and nodded. I took a condom and put it on him. He reached for it and I slapped his hand away. "I'd rather do this myself, thank you." I swung my right ankle onto his shoulder and with my left hand guided him into me. Swinging my left leg up completed the tableau. Holding the edge of the desk I started the rhythm going. It only took a few strokes before he became an active participant. My mind became a clock imagining how much longer my mortification might last.

As I was pulling my jeans up he commented, "You know if you want we could make this a regular thing. You'd be helping your father out with the rent."

I shook my head. "Not for a hundred and sixty dollars help."

"No, we could make it two hundred off for every time we got it on!"

"I'll have to think about it."

"Not much to think about. If it's not next month it'll be the month after. You know he'll drink the rent one of these days."

"We'll see." I walked up to him with my hand extended. "I hope you'll tell your mother that it was Dad who came up with the money."

He shook my hand. "Okay, I will. Only why you still stick up for that boozer is beyond me."

I walked home deep in thought. I should feel different somehow. Yesterday I was an eighteen year-old girl who mused sadly about how long it had been since I last kissed a boy. Today I was a eighteen year-old prostitute. No one cares about the why of prostitution, the act is everything. Nicholas was right about one thing, though. If I stuck my head in the sand and didn't face up to Dad's shortcomings I'd be on my back on his desk again at the end of the month. With nothing to show for it. That's what it was all about, really. I had turned a trick to make our overdue rent bill go away, but if I had made an affirmative action and turned the same trick the day before, the rent bill would be paid and I'd have at least $140 of my baby-sitting money back.

I turned right instead of left at the next corner, went to the end of the block and went into the Hyatt. I found my way to the concierge station. I said to him "I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes to talk about a possible business relationship."

He looked me straight in the eye for three or four seconds. "Yeah, I could do that. Fifty-fifty split."

I shook my head. "No thank you sir. I'm sorry I disturbed you." I turned to leave.

"Wait up! That's a fair arrangement."

"I'm sure it is for shopworn hookers. I'm fresh, I don't do drugs, you won't find any tattoos, and I could easily pass for sixteen. Those factors promote satisfied customers who increase your income. I

would

be willing to pay a $75 referral fee."

"Well, I don't know." I could see he'd take it; he just needed his ego stroked.

"I'll tell you what," I smiled "after four referrals I might let you have a free sample."

His face lit up. He probably hadn't been laid since the Ice Age. "Okay, it's a deal."

I kissed him on the cheek and gave him my cell phone number. I didn't make it to the corner before my cell rang. I could hear how smug he was. "How's this for service? The guest in 483 just asked for a young lady for some companionship. Can you come back?"

"Sure, give me five minutes." I went across the street to a drugstore to buy rubbers and rubbing oil. It was embarrassing.

I knocked on the door to 483. It was answered by a man in his forty's. He looked like a caricature of an accountant. "Hi! I'm Anna." I acted bubbly.

"Please come in and excuse me, I'm on the phone."

He went over to the night table and picked up the receiver. "It was room service. I ordered some lunch in while I'm working on these reports. Look I'll talk to you later Arlene, do whatever you want about the electrician. I'll be back on Saturday. Kiss the kids for me. Love you!" He hung up the phone. He looked sheepish. "That was my wife."

I smiled. "I figured."

"How much for your services?"

"For $400 I'll give you the best nude massage you've ever had."

"Massage, You mean that's all?"

I put on my most coquettish face. "Why you certainly don't think I'd do anything nasty for money, do you?" I lowered my eyes and continued in a softer voice. "I guess I should warn you though. When I get naked sometimes I get very horny and lose control. So if I start to come on to you or attack you physically, I want to apologize out front."

"Don't worry, if you act in an unseemly manner I'll chalk it up to an upwelling of passion and forgive you." He counted out the money.

I kissed his cheek. "I'm going to warm the oil a little in the microwave. Why don't you get undressed?" I put some oil in a drinking glass and while it was warming I got undressed. I actually knew a couple of massage principles, if not the specific strokes. I knew that if you confined your strokes to the direction of the venous flow, you were 80% of the way home. I straddled him sitting on his ass as I rubbed him. When I flipped him over I was surprised to see he wasn't hard yet. I started to confine my efforts to creating a penis hard enough to do the job. Between rubbing him with my hands while kissing and licking the head I finally succeeded; sort of. He finally came, again sort of, but he was happy." I couldn't wait to get home to my shower.

After I got home and showered, I lay on my spread naked and softly crying.

Hooker, prostitute, call girl, whore, I had never pictured a time when any of those titles would apply to me. I felt I owed myself ten minutes of self pity, but only ten minutes. I had always had hopes of going to college and studying to be a large animal vet. My grades were good, excellent in fact. I had always known, however, that it was all a pipe dream. Even with a good scholarship there were still living expenses and I knew I couldn't rely on Dad to help. I cried myself to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning I was actually kind of chipper. We didn't owe any rent and I had a few hundred in my pocket. I knew I'd nail the Earth Sciences exam today. All things considered I guess I couldn't complain.

We weren't allowed to have our cell phones on in class so I checked for messages at lunchtime. There was one from Luis at the Hyatt. I returned the call. When he knew it was me he got angry. "Listen you; I called over two hours ago. What kinda shit is this?"

"Look Luis, I go to school. Very rarely would I be able to take a call before three o'clock. Live with it. Now, if you have a client that can wait until four o'clock set it up and leave a message on my cell. If he can't or won't wait, you'll have to get someone else." I hung up.

My last class was my ES exam. I really nailed it as I expected. If I didn't get an 'A' I'd be shocked. I was finished ten minutes early and my teacher 'excused me to study hall', which meant I could leave early. I called Luis at 2:30. He picked up right away.

"Good, it's you. The guy said four o'clock was okay. He's in the Suite up on twelve, 1204."

I answered. "I'll be there."

I knocked on 1204 exactly on time. The door was answered by a guy who looked like an actor. Over six foot tall, trim build, a shock of silver white hair, really expensive hand stitched suit, he looked to be in his middle sixties, all in all very patrician.

"Please come in. I'm so pleased and impressed about your punctuality."

"Thank you."

I sat on the sofa in the huge living room of the suite. He looked me up and down and said "I apologize for staring but you're quite extraordinarily beautiful, and so very young." Again I thanked him. "Originally this was to be an afternoon's diversion. It occurs to me now that after we have our session I'd very much like to take you to a dinner party I'm going to this evening. I know it's rather last minute, but can you fit me into your schedule?"

I answered honestly "I'd really love to but I didn't come prepared. I don't have anything appropriate to wear."

He sighed an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose I'll have to postpone my carnal desires and take you shopping, all right?"

I grinned. "It sounds divine."

He picked up the phone. "Good afternoon. I'm delighted to say that my grandniece dropped in for an unexpected visit. It does, however, create a bit of a complication for dinner. What time does the ladies spa normally close? Well I'd be most appreciative if they could delay their closing until after six. She'll be needing a make-up and hair stylist to prepare her for an eight-thirty dinner... Really! Thank you

so

much." He hung up the phone and turned to me. "They don't want to keep the shop open so they're sending some girls up here to help you out. I hope you don't think of this as my being pushy."

"Of course not."

"Fine, let's go shopping."

He introduced himself as David Knowles and took me to a boutique where none of the outfits bore price tags. We settled on a royal blue diaphanous strapless that we both agreed made me look like Grace Kelly, sort of. I loved my dress. I loved it so much I didn't have a heart attack when I saw the credit card receipt for $2,800. When we got back to the hotel there were three girls waiting in the suite. They asked David to leave and settled for his promise to confine himself to his own bedroom. They bathed me and then settled me into a salon chair on wheels they must have brought up to the second bedroom. One girl worked on my hair, another my makeup, and the third confined herself to my nails, giving me a pedicure while my hands were soaking for my manicure. At eight fifteen one of them went to fetch David. I looked in the mirror and felt beautiful. I told the girls how pleased I was.

When David entered the room he looked at me and turned to the staff. "Lovely, absolutely lovely." He turned to me. "Well, my dear, we really must run." He handed cash to each of the girls. I couldn't see how much it was, but from the looks on their faces they looked appropriately pleased. We took the elevator down to the lobby floor and as we walked through the hotel to the cabstand every male eye was on me. If I could have, I would have purred. I headed for the cab, but David steered me toward a black stretch Lincoln. The driver held the door for us. It turned out that the dinner we were going to was in a private residence in the Kalorama section of Washington. It didn't take me very long to realize that David was some kind of mover and shaker. Our table seated eight. There were two U.S. Senators and their wives, Frank Wright, the owner of one of this year's Kentucky Derby hopefuls and his wife Kathleen, and the two of us. The dinner conversation was about which Congressional races would be most affected by the recent rise in oil prices;

boring

. I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. I turned to Frank Wright "Are you headed through Florida this spring?"

He looked questioningly at me. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well three years ago you took

Freeze the Moment

through Florida winning the

Holy Bull

and the

Fountain of Youth

before encountering traffic problems in the

Florida Derby

. I still feel that that unfortunate misstep in the

Wood

cost you a

Kentucky Derby

. The rest of that field wasn't in his class.

Last year you started along the same route with

Sterling Intentions

until you scratched him before the

Fountain

. The media was never very specific about what his injury was but I have my own theory."

I had the entire table's attention now. Mr. Wright was hanging on my every word. "Miss Brody I'd love to hear your theory. What

was

wrong with

Sterling

?"

I was having fun. "If I get it right will you tell me?"

"I promise. Cross my heart!" The two Senators wives laughed at that.

Mrs. Wright spoke for the first time. She had been staring at me. "Frank, I'll bet you a hundred dollars that she gets it right."