Chapter 1
The elderly British couple sitting expectantly, looked at the tieless guy in a thin-striped blue and white shirt not tucked into his pants, with a white tee-shirt beneath it entering Regis Restaurant.
Beverley said coldly, "My god Charles, tradesmen are so socially unfitting these days in not coming in via the tradesman's entrance."
"What's the tradesman's entrance?"
"The back door you fool."
At the entrance, the maître d' stared at the young man and said disapprovingly, "You're not wearing a tie?"
"No, but you are. Show me to the table of Baron Delaney please."
"Mr Delaney is a baron? Omigod, I didn't know. Come this way sir."
"Baron," said the maître d', bowing stiffly. "This is your lunch guest."
Charles appeared nonplussed.
"Are you sure?" Beverley said, adjusting her glasses to take a closer look. "You are dressed like a cleaner. What is your name?"
"Larry Logan, ma'am."
"You dress eminently unsuited for the task we have in mind young man."
Larry didn't hesitate, "Who will pay me?"
"My husband."
"The I regard him as my employer during the term of this contract. Your relevancy is therefore of little consequence in respect of my engagement."
"Charles, tell him."
"Tell him what?"
"That he can't speak to me like that."
Charles said as much as he'd like to admonish their guest, American was a country that respected free speech and it was their duty to uphold that freedom.
The maître d' asked, "What wine would you like as a starter Baron?"
"Err, I really don't know, not having sighted the wine list."
Larry said, "The Baron choses Louis Roederer Brut Premier."
Relaxing again Charles said, "Yes please and thank you Larry."
As the maître d' walked off signalling to a wine waiter Charles said, "A nice touch of bubbles will start us off well. Why am I being called Baron when my name is Charles?"
"The maître d' here likes to give his guests titles," Larry lied. "He's homosexual and a little quirky. He has honoured you with the title of Princess, Mrs Delaney."
Beverley snorted, "That's rubbish."
When the wine waiter arrived with the champagne Larry read the guy's nametag and when he was pouring Mrs Delaney's wine Larry said, "Mrs Delaney is a princess isn't she, Lance?"
Lance, believing eccentric guests paid fatter tips than regular guests, played along and said, "Yes indeed sir."
Beverley patted her hair and smiled at the waiter left.
"I most apologize Mr Logan for disbelieving you and for speaking so rudely. A Princess takes precedence over a Baron and that means when I get a little drunk tonight Charles you will recognize precedence and hold your tongue."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Much to Larry's relief, that was the end to the by-play about honorary titles. He asked the Delaney's to call him Larry and said, "The agency briefing is that I am to seduce your granddaughter?"
Charles said correct but Beverley said she'd prefer a more delicate and non-descriptive term used.
Charles: Discreet Seducer?
Larry: Cherry Picker?
Beverley: Oh god, let's just get on with it.
* * *
Larry Logan, real name Timothy Thom that in childhood had been shortened to Tim Thom to sound like an ice-cream novelty, worked at a male escort agency.
Technically, he wasn't a male prostitute because he rarely had sex with clients. That was because usually most of his clients were married and not into adultery or they were power-women, who if they required sex, it wasn't likely to be with males.
He never dated males or knowingly dated transsexuals.
The Delaney's had come to America from England to be with their bereaved granddaughter, who had survived a horrendous vehicle crash that killed her husband and her parents, sister and brother.
Granddaughter Geneva, had become withdrawn and difficult and although aged twenty-four, wouldn't allow men near her.
The Delaney's had decided to hire someone to romance Geneva in the hope that would improve her sense of self-worthiness with the prospect that might encourage her to look for a replacement husband.
They'd looked through the computerized profiles of the agency's line-up of male escorts.
At the meeting that had profiled the couple's choice of seducer, the agency's reception manager Susan Oaks had sighed and said their choice wasn't suitable for the purpose they had in mind.
"Mr Logan rarely has sex with his clients and some he rejected complained he'd told them to be loyal to their husbands, whereas their whole idea of coming to the city was to have a few nights on the wild side."
Susan sighed again when Beverley said it was a shame that all men didn't act with similar gallantry like that.
Attempting a different approach, Susan looked at Charles. He winked and she lied that she agreed with Beverley, thinking well at least one of the duo had appeared morally balanced.
Beverley analyzed details and announced, "This Logan man is the only person in the entire line-up that the management's comments include the words reliable, courteous, and has a tendency to tease and can be overly protective of his clients who wish to stray off the beaten track. Aren't they all attributes?"
"In the real world, yes Mrs Delaney. But many of our female clients, as I had said. wish to walk the wild side and perhaps do drugs, strip while dancing and experience very rough sex."
"Omigod spare me. Please do you best to have Mr Logan accept us as clients on behalf of our granddaughter."
* * *
It was early summer, and Geneva's main activity of the day was to sit in the summer house reading or inside the house to stare trance-like through the windows at the rain.
Whenever the pool boy, the lawn mowing man or the gardener arrived, Geneva retreated into the bowels of the large house. She saw nothing irregular about this behavior; it was just her way of wanting to be alone to deal with her grief. It worried her though that her grief showed no sign of abating.
On Saturday evening, Geneva's recently deceased mother's younger sister Erica Butler arrived with a tall man with dark curly hair who was introduced as Larry Logan to Geneva and her grandparents.
Larry appeared most impressed at the sight of the beautiful blonde with a splendidly shaped body that had made his mouth water. He swallowed and was unable to see if Geneva had blue eyes because she kept them lowered.
At dinner, when Geneva asked him for the salt, Larry pretended not to hear.
Geneva looked up, her blue eyes flashed a warning that either signaling 'Don't mess with me buster' or more likely 'Are you deaf?'
Erica's husband Roscoe was in hospital, having had surgical sculpturing that went wrong corrected and had received cosmetic liposuction done at the same time.
"How did you and Roscoe get to know Larry?" Beverley asked, verbalizing the suggested dialogue the three conspirers had agreed to follow.
"Larry's father and Roscoe went through college together and they meet twice a year to go fishing."
Geneva appeared disinterested in the attempted subterfuge.
Charles fluffed his line but recovered. "Where are you flaying ... err, I mean staying during your vacation, Larry?"
"At the Oasis."
"Oh, I know that hotel, its five-star and looks quite new," Beverley said. "It must be quite expensive?"
"Four-twenty a night."
Charles stumbled again. "Jesus... err, I mean gee, that will keep you poor."
Larry grinned sheepishly. "My PA booked thinking it was company business."
He noticed a smile flicker over his target's face.
He swallowed again when looking at Geneva's boobs.
"Oh Larry, look why don't you come and stay here with us?" Beverley smiled. "We have loads of room and Geneva just sits around all day twiddling her thumbs and so you'd have company whenever you stay in."
"Gran, out to the kitchen please," Geneva said, pushing her chair back with a screech on the polished wood floor and she marched off.
As Beverley hurried past, Larry whispered, "Be firm, don't buckle."
Erica and the two men at the table agreed so far so good. But that changed as they listened to the explosion in the kitchen.
"How dare you invite that creep to stay here to ruin my privacy."
"Creep? That is rather rude of you, dear."
"I asked him where he worked and he said at an escort agency and tacked on he was the manager."
"Oh," Beverley answered and after a brief pause said, "But that escort agency services only retired people. Many are visitors in wheelchairs."
"Oh, well that's an odd vocation for a guy so young. He told me he was twenty-nine."
"The agency has 200 on its payroll dear. He's not just a manager, he's the operations manager."
"Two hundred? Well that's a large outfit to run."
"Yes. Now get used to the idea of him staying here if he accepts my invitation."
"Aren't you forgetting this is my property?"
"No, but I'm your grandmother. Let's see how it goes. If he snoops and spies on you, I'll ask him to leave."
"He's unlikely to do that except to watch me undress, I suppose."
"Darling he's unlikely to be interested in you. Erica warned him you are in a depressed state and possibly a danger to yourself."
"What!"
"Cool it darling. Erica is a former registered nurse and is entitled to her assessment of you."
"The bitch, but I have to say I've always liked her."
"Please accompany me back to the table."
Larry jumped up and pulled out Beverley's chair and helped seat her.
Geneva watching that, scowled.
"Geneva wanted a quiet word with me Larry because she's worried if you stay here you might spy and on her when she's dressing or undressing or if she is using the toilet you might snoop through her lingerie drawers."
Geneva looked horrified.
"Why would I be interested in her when this city is full of fun-loving women?"
"Well, she wouldn't be aware of your tastes."
Larry laughed and said he liked his women to wear their hair long and skirts short, to wear bras two sizes too small and be particular about personal hygiene and contraception practice.
"Ooh, that leaves Geneva well and truly out," Erica said ad-libbing. "You sound a very modern and exciting young man Larry. As for you Geneva, it would appear she won't even notice you exist."
