Another lousy tip Linda thought as she scooped it off the table into her pocket. It was a very slow night at the restaurant. Tips like that were not going to pay the rent or keep her in college. She might have to drop out after the term, move home and stay with her mom to save up some money and return later. She was so close to graduating.
There was only one more customer, a nicely attired older gentleman lingering over his pie and coffee just before closing time.
Bill was looking at his coffee and trying to decide if she would be an asset to the business as she approached the table with the coffee pot.
"May I freshen up your coffee sir?" she asked cheerfully.
"No thanks miss, I have had enough. May I have my check please?" he requested.
She quickly totaled up his check and gave it to him with a big smile and received his thanks. Just then, the cook called her over so she said that she would be back in a minute and went to the kitchen.
Bill was a good judge of character and beauty. She was pleasant and very nice looking. She would do fine but she had a few rough edges that needed a little work before she would be ready. When Linda got back the gentleman was gone but on the table was the check and just enough cash to cover it. Sticking out from under the coffee cup was the tip, a green dollar wrapped around a business card. When she picked up the dollar she realized that she was off by a few zeroes - it was a hundred dollar bill! What?! The business card discreetly said "Celestial Escort Service" with the contact information. Linda put the tip and the card in her pocket and hurried to close up the restaurant with the cook.
At home that evening she counted up her tips. With the Franklin she had just enough to pay the rent. Getting ready for bed she felt lonely - Paul had dumped her just last month saying that "marriage to her was not God's will for his life." They had had an intense three month romance and she had given her virginity to him. She was all mixed up; mad at him, madly in love with him and very horny.
After school the next day, she looked in her purse and found the gentleman's card. Her job was not working out so perhaps she should find out what this was about and call she thought to herself. A pleasant woman answered the phone and Linda told her about receiving the card and was granted an interview the next morning. She would bolt if it was not a legitimate offer.
Arriving for her nine AM appointment Linda was greeted and given an employment application which she filled out and attached her resume. Some more waiting and then she was ushered into an office. Sitting behind the desk was the gentleman from the restaurant, he shook her hand invited her to sit and took her application.
"Linda, welcome to Celestial Escorts, I am Bill Phillips. We have a special business here with a select clientele, mostly older men from out of town. They are looking for an escort - a beautiful young woman to spend a Sunday going to church with in the morning then a pleasant lunch and a quiet afternoon spent in your company. There is no expectation of sex that is not part of the arrangement. It is just a friendly first date with an older man. Now with that said I recognize that you are an adult and can make your own decision about men and relationships so use your own judgment."
Linda liked what she heard and trusted Mr. Phillips candor so she asked about the work hours and the pay. It was for a full day on Sunday and paid five hundred dollars. When she raised her eyebrows in surprise Bill assured her that these were wealthy men and it was not much money to them.
Taking a big chance she accepted the job shaking Bill's hand on the deal.
"Linda you are a beautiful young woman and we want you to make a good impression on these gentlemen. Because we are trying to project a special image we have a strict dress code, call it 'the uniform of the day'. I am going to send our Mrs. Thurston over to your house tomorrow to take you shopping for some dresses and to a day spa for body work and pampering. This is a sign on bonus at no cost to you so don't worry about it," he assured her.
At the decided upon time her door bell rang and a nicely dressed older woman introduced herself as Dora Thurston. Loading Linda into her nice car they went shopping. Instead of the mall they went to Blooms, an expensive downtown women's store which she knew was way out of her league. It was the kind of store that when you looked at the display windows you never saw any prices or sales signs and you knew not to bother going inside.
Mrs. Thurston was greeted at the door by a saleslady who greeted her by name. Dora asked her to show some dresses for church to "my niece". It was almost Easter and the dresses were beautiful. Sizing her up in one glance the saleslady led Linda to the rack, pulling dresses out to which Mrs. Thurston approved or shook her head no. Linda was helped by the saleslady in trying on the dresses then stood in front of the mirrors modeling the dresses for reactions. Dora and Linda picked three dresses that they both agreed upon. They were all satin, one was all white, the second white with a pink floral print and the third was a peach hued one. Each dress was styled similarly with lace collars and a bow in the back making her look very young and feminine.
"Those are such pretty dresses and they look fantastic on you Linda. Now for some undergarments" Dora declared. The saleslady steered her in the direction of the lingerie section to a rack of white corsets. Linda had never worn a corset before and after trying some on and practicing lacing and unlacing them - a white satin corset was picked out for her. When she put her dress on over it, the corset accentuated her figure making the dress look even better. The sales lady provided white silk stockings and satin panties to match the corset. Then, moving on to the shoe department, she tried on several pairs finally picking out two pairs of dressy white high heels. She looked like a rich young woman dressed for an Easter service to which Dora joked that she was wearing "the uniform of the day'.
"Wear one of your dresses out of the store since you need practice wearing a corset" declared Mrs. Thurston, "It's time for lunch." They had lunch at Libos, a gourmet restaurant, and got acquainted. Linda told Dora about her college plans and she learned from Dora a bit more about Celestial Escorts. As Dora explained "These older men are attracted to very sweet young women like yourself and will pay a high price just to spend some time in your company. They want a young feminine Christian woman who would remind them of the old lost loves of their youth. They want a fantasy and Celestial Escorts provides it."
Now Linda understood 'woman to woman' how it worked.
"Oh, how the time is flying," Dora declared, "it is almost time for your beauty appointment." When Linda looked uneasy Dora explained that is part of the sign on bonus and not to worry. Linda had been saving money for rent and getting cheap hair cuts. Her hair told the sad story so she was ready to be pampered.
"Hello, Mrs. Thurston," the spa director greeted her "and who is this beautiful young woman with you?" he asked
"My niece Linda and she needs the works." Mrs. Thurston announced. "Linda, I will be back in a few hours." The afternoon was like a dream. She was given a sauna, a massage, a pedicure and polish, some other makeup and advice on how to apply it. Then, Linda went to the stylist's chair for a fantastic hair style. When she was picked up Linda expected to be taken home but Mrs. Thurston was not done shopping yet. At Zakeles Jewelers an expensive gold cross on a chain and simple earrings were selected to complete her ensemble. Arriving at her apartment Dora gave Linda an envelope with five hundred dollars and explained it was advance payment for next Sunday's job.
That night Bill Phillips called with her assignment for Sunday morning and he related how Mrs. Thurston had praised her manners, poise and beauty.
On Sunday morning she was dressed and ready. She picked out the white satin dress with the pink floral print to wear and fine tuned her make up with the pink polish, lipstick and blush from the spa. After tightly lacing her corset, she sat to attach the white silk stocking with the garters then slipped the white satin panties on last. Looking in the mirror she was fascinated by the undergarments and how they made her feel tightly bound - almost like she was being held in Paul's arms. He would love to see her wearing it! No stop that! She told herself - it is over with Paul so put aside those emotions. Linda slipped the dress over her head, pulled up the zipper and tied the bow in back. Then putting on her earrings, and gold cross necklace, checking her make up one last time, grabbed her purse and she was out the door.
At the hotel she used her cell phone to call the room. A cheerful voice said he would be right down! When the elevator door opened she saw a portly gentleman in an expensive gray suit. He introduced himself as Mr. Wallace "just call me Walt" he said and in return she shared her name "I'm Linda".
"Linda we have time to make the eleven AM service at First Presbyterian". They hailed a cab and were soon walking in the doors. The usher gave them church bulletins and they were seated. She was aware that some folks were watching them and she commented on this in a soft voice to Walt.
