I was out on a date when my phone beeped with that special pattern that belongs exclusively to Sly, my agent. Yeah, you heard right. I said a date. No, no, not the professional kind of date that I've written about before. I think of those as a part of my job or an assignment. I mean just an ordinary everyday boy-meets-girl date with a very nice guy I'd met out jogging one day last week. Yeah, I do date. Socially, I mean. In fact, I even have a life outside my day job with the law firm and my night job with Sly. I gotta admit it's occasionally a bit of a challenge keeping my alternate lives separate, but it's worth it to me. I like all of them (well, the law firm one isn't near as much fun, but it's a reliable income).
I know, you probably assume that I have plenty of dealings with men as a part-time hetaira (my classical word for it), and generally that's true, but those are professional gigs. Hey, at heart I'm really just an ordinary girl, and I sometimes enjoy simply being one, without all the trappings that go with my professional role. So, every so often when the opportunity arises, I like to go out on a plain date with a nice guy who has no idea what I do on other nights. Hell, sometimes I might even have sex with the guy. It makes his night, and I enjoy it, indulging myself without the pressure of my professional performance standards. The main difference is that I'm doing it just because I want to, and just for fun.
So anyway, here we were at this lovely cocktail lounge, one of those high-up ones that slowly rotates, giving spectacular views of the city at night. In the background was a pianist, gently tapping out soft tunes. At the moment she was playing a slightly jazzed-up version of the old standby "Since I Fell for You". Very pretty. Very romantic. Romantic. That's me. Can't help it. Sly says it's what makes me so good at my profession. Could be, I suppose.
I smiled apologetically to my date and said "I'm really sorry, but I gotta take this. I'll be right back."
He looked puzzled but smiled and said "No problem. You're worth the wait."
Like I said, nice guy.
I got up and made for the ladies' room. I felt his eyes follow me. With the aid of my scandalously expensive but well-fitted little black cocktail dress, dark stockings and high heels, I gave him a show. Set him up for later. I'd already decided on that. He'd earned it.
"Jesus, Sly," I said when I answered the phone. "What the hell. Can't it wait 'till tomorrow? I'm out with a friend."
"Yeah. 'friend', hunh? Y'know, Babe, I still can't get used to the idea of you givin' it away for free."
"Fuck you," I said, mildly nettled. "My life, my business. Has it ever interfered with my work?"
There was a pause.
"I guess not," he finally said reluctantly. "It just don't feel right, that's all. Business is business."
"Tough," I said. "Deal with it. Look, I haven't heard you complaining when you've been on the receiving end, anyway. Now, why are you calling me at this hour?"
"It's because I need an answer tonight, Princess. I got a potential here as needs an answer about a possible date for tomorrow night, and I didn't want to commit you on that short a notice."
Hmm. That helped. I appreciated Sly's consideration. He's my agent, as I said, and generally I've given him the freedom to make dates for me without consulting me on those occasions when he doesn't have time to clear it with me. He's been good about not abusing that because he respects me as a partner and as a person. Usually, too, when he does make a date without clearing it with me, he gives me enough notice to let me free up a day or an evening.
He and I are pretty much co-equals in our little partnership and have been since the time he extorted me into having sex with him and some of his buddies. I know how weird that sounds, but I'd never done anything like that before, and once I got over the anger, I realized that both the sex and the adventure appealed to me and that I was pretty good at it. Sly had been in the sex business before and knew talent when he saw it. Y'know, when somebody who's supposed to know tells you your good at something you like doing, you'd be advised to listen. So It didn't take much on his part to convince me to partner up with him. It's been a fun and profitable ride ever since, and I've never looked back.
"Okay," I said, somewhat mollified. "What's the deal?"
"Married couple. Tired of the same old same old. Lookin' for thrills. Can do?"
"The old 'three-body problem', hunh?"
"What the fuck is 'the old three-body problem'?"
"Three bodies interacting gravitationally. Generally thought to be insoluble. Leads to unpredictability, even chaos. I learned about it in a science requirement once."
"Jesus Christ, Princess! The shit you come up with. What the hell did you do in college, anyway?"