To Hire a Cheerleader

Tori Banner couldn't believe it. It was barely 11:00 in the morning and she had already managed to lose two jobs. Two different jobs - at two different establishments. Now, that just had to be a record. Had it really been just a few hours ago that everything was looking good?

The day had started out promising. Tori had moved to San Jose a week earlier, and was finally settled into her apartment. In order to help her start things off right, her father had lined up a job for her with a friend of his.

Her dad told her that he thought his friend could use her help, but when Tori arrived at the man's house, things went downhill quickly. As soon as Tori stepped out of the cab, she realized that the neighborhood wasn't the kind she had expected. Some of the houses were boarded up and other stood wide open. When the door opened at the address her dad had given her, a very nervous looking little man asked her what she wanted. When she explained that her father had arranged for her to work with him, the man snickered as though they were sharing a private, nasty joke.

Tori wasn't sure she liked the looks of her new boss. However, she figured it was best not to protest too much when he pulled her abruptly into his house. After all, the man was her father's friend. Telling her to follow him, he took her to a room with several cubicles, each with a chair, a small desk and a phone. Tori could see that no one else was in any of the other cubicles. He pointed out to one of the desks and told her that it would be her station.

The desk was filthy and the vinyl on the chair was torn. The stuffing had long ago been pulled out through the tears and duct tape had been applied over the worst spots. Tori didn't even want to imagine what kind of shape the phone was in. Trying to avoid sitting down in such a disgusting place just yet, Tori glanced around the room.

Stalling for time, Tori looked over at her employer and asked, "Exactly what will I be doing?"

Again the man snickered with that same dirty sounding insinuation. He rasped out, "What's the matter? Didn't your 'daddy' tell you what you would be getting into here?"

Tori looked at the man, wrinkling her brow in confusion. Slowly, she said, "No, Daddy didn't go into detail."

This time the man had laughed out loud. Then he said, "It's phone sex, baby. It's good that you got here early. You can give me a sample of your special talking talent right now. Make me hot, baby girl!"

With all of the blood in her body suddenly rushing from her head, the best Tori could muster was, "Oh, my God. You're kidding me, right?!?"

When the "friend" realized that Tori wasn't faking her reaction, he promptly and roughly showed her to the door and shoved her out of it. Tori decided that this wasn't a good time to argue with the man about his rude manners. As she hurried out of the neighborhood, Tori made a mental note to ask her dad just how well he knew his friend.

So her first job ended before it really began. But then her luck had changed, or so she thought. Walking back to her apartment, she saw a 'Help Wanted' sign in a store window. She went inside and noticed that it was a nice clothing store. That seemed safe enough, so she went to the main counter and asked about the position. She had barely gotten the words out of her mouth before the manager handed her an application and ushered her into his back office. After she filled in the information, he looked it over and said the magic words, "You're hired!"

Tori was so excited. However, having learned from her early morning job disaster, Tori thought to ask exactly what she would be doing. The manager explained that they were an upscale clothier and her job would be to custom fit the male clients. Tori wasn't sure she understood, but when the manager showed her the garments that she would be selling, she almost fell through the floor. He called them undergarments, but Tori had personally never seen half of the items of 'clothing' lying on the table and the other half she was sure belonged in a hardware store. When she tentatively asked about the 'clothes', the manager had dropped his pants and explained to her that he would personally teach her how to measure and fit a client.

Now, Tori wasn't a complete prude. She had seen a naked man before. In fact, she had even touched one. She wasn't sure it counted since the man had been dead, but she still had done it. Moving the corpse had been expected as part of her duties as the nurse in training at the hospital where she had worked. Of course, that had been the first and the last day of her 'on-the-job' training, but just that one day had greatly expanded her horizons! And she had always figured that she had gotten enough exposure that one time to count for lots of the normal experiences she was lacking in.

But when the manager of the clothing store dropped his pants, Tori realized she was way out of her depth. Not only wasn't the man wearing any underwear, he also wasn't dead. The appendage looming from the mid section of his body indicated that he was far from dead. It only took one look for Tori to realize that dead men were radically different from living men. And she was way out of her league.

Suddenly, trying to explain her dilemma was extraordinarily difficult, due to the lack of oxygen able to get into Tori's lungs. Finally, she managed to get out a few words, saying, "You know, I'm not really qualified to touch you - to fit your - to measure - oh, never mind! I can't do this!" With that eloquent explanation, she bolted out the door of the fitting room and quickly exited the store. Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed!

So it was barely 11:00 in the morning of her first official day as an employed resident of San Jose, she had already lost two jobs. Now what?

Looking down at her watch and deciding it would be a good time to call her dad, she pulled out her cell phone. It was remarkable quiet in the middle of the day in this section of San Jose. Of course, that was because all of the people in this area worked in the technology industries and were busy working away in their offices by now.

Tori punched in the number and hit the call button. Her dad's voice greeted her from the other end. "Daddy? It's me, Tori."

"Oh, Tori!" her father said, sounding very relieved. "Tori! Where are you? I thought you were going to go over to my friend's house the first thing this morning. He just called and said that you hadn't come by. What's going on? Are you alright?"

So his friend had lied about her coming by his house. Tori frowned at no one in particular as she tried to figure out the best way to break the news of his friend's profession to her dad. "Daddy? Do you know what your friend does? Do you know what he wanted me to do?'

Her father sounded very self assured as he said, "Of course I do, sweetheart. I would never send you out to someone I didn't trust and know exactly what they expected of you. Jake assured me that he would personally work with you to make certain that the job was something you felt adequately prepared to handle."

Tori shook her head slowly, "Well, Daddy, Jake was certainly willing to get personal with me. And when I showed up this morning, he tried to prepare me alright! He led me straight to his phone booths and told me to practice my best phone sex voice!"

The coughing fit that suddenly overcame Tori's father caused her to hold the phone away from her ear until it seemed safe enough to pull it close again. Her father's voice still wasn't exactly normal sounding, but at least he was able to form words again. "Phone sex? What in the world are you talking about? Who told you this???"

"It was your friend, Daddy. I went to the address you gave me and the sleazy little man told me that my job was to perform phone sex."

At first, Tori didn't recognize the sound coming out of her phone. Then she realized that her father was laughing. Laughing hysterically.

"Daddy, what are you laughing about?" Tori asked, indignantly.

"Oh, honey. I have a feeling that I have really screwed up. What was the address I gave you?"

After Tori reeled off the location, her father again laughed loudly. "Tori, I have done you a terrible disservice. I wrote Jake's address on a piece of paper that I had been using here at work. One of my client's wife works for the sleaze you met this morning and we are trying to get proof to take into court with us." Tori's dad was a divorce lawyer and he was constantly on the move to work the best deal for his clients. Tori was beginning to see what had happened and she really didn't like the picture that was forming in her mind.

Her dad continued, "I must have torn off the piece of paper with that address on the back when I gave you the information. Do you still have the piece of paper? Is there another address on the other side?"

Rolling her eyes in disgust, Tori turned the paper over. Sure enough, on the back side was a different address. This one also had the man's name with it. Jacob Rhodes. Great. Just great.

"Yeah, Dad. It's right here. Well, if you need any information about Mr. Slimeball, just let me know. We aren't exactly on a first name basis, but I could still give you the 411 on him," Tori said, dryly.

Tori's dad just laughed some more. Tori wasn't really pleased that he was getting so much pleasure out of her misadventure, but she couldn't really blame him. Standing in someone else's shoes, her morning mishaps probably did look funny. She was sure that one day she too would laugh about them. In about 20 years. Or maybe 30.

When her father finally managed to get control of himself, he suggested that Tori go to the correct address. Tori asked if he would phone his friend to let him know that she was on the way, then she headed off in the new direction.

Chapter Two

This time, when Tori got out of the cab she had hailed, the neighborhood looked more appropriate. It was more like what Tori expected. When she knocked on the door of the correct address, it was opened by a man who was dressed like the English butlers she had seen on TV. His reserved manner was reflected in his formal tone of voice as greeted her with his seemingly well rehearsed welcome, "Yes?"

Tori wondered if she should make some snappy response, but, after the morning she had lived through, she just wasn't up to it. Short of calling him Lurch and asking if the butler did it, she was fresh out of wit. She opted for a simple answer instead, saying, "I'm Tori Banner. Mr. Rhodes is expecting me."

Although Tori heard the man say, "Right this way," she didn't see a single muscle in his face move. But he did step back to allow her to walk through the doorway. Following his outstretched arm, Tori entered the house. After shutting the door, the butler said, "Follow me."

Tori didn't notice too much about her surroundings as she walked down the hall. If the truth be told, she couldn't see too much of her surroundings. As they progressed down the hall, the walkway got darker and darker. By the time that they reached the door at the end of the hall, there was barely enough light to keep from tripping. Tori wanted to ask the butler if they had forgotten to pay the power bill, but she figured her attempt at humor wouldn't be appreciated. Instead, she concentrated on not knocking him down when she suddenly realized he had stopped moving.

The butler opened the door and stood to the side to allow Tori to enter. Normally, she would have thanked him for the gracious act, but since she couldn't see where she was going, she wasn't sure he was doing it to be polite. Maybe he just wanted to see her fall and break her leg - it would certainly fit with how the rest of her day was going!

A voice from the other side of the room interrupted Tori's morbid thoughts. "Ms. Banner, please come in," the voice said. It didn't sound very pleasant or particularly patient.

Tori sighed loudly and gave up on trying to look like she knew what she was doing. No one could see her anyway - it was too dark. Without wasting her words, Tori replied somewhat sarcastically, "I would love to come in, but I really don't know where I'm going."

The chuckle that greeted her ears only reminded her of how much of her day had been amusing for everyone but her. She snorted in response.

The voice spoke again, "Please, keep walking straight ahead. There is a chair immediately in front of - "

"Humphhhh-" was Tori's reply, as she stumbled into the backside of the afore mentioned piece of furniture. "Yeah, I think I found it," she said, rubbing her shin.

This time, the laughter was uninhibited. "Well, if you had waited for me to finish telling you what to expect, you wouldn't have had to find out the hard way," the voice said.

"Well, if you would turn on the lights, maybe I wouldn't have to stumble around in the dark!" Tori replied testily.

"NO!" came the harsh reply from the darkness in front of Tori. "We do not turn on the lights in this room, or any other room where I am. Is that understood?"

Tori was taken aback by the bitterness and anger in the voice. She pondered turning around and heading out the door at that very moment, but something held her back. Wondering what strange attraction she could actually be feeling about a man she couldn't see and who she had just met, Tori decided to stay to figure it out. As she moved tentatively around the chair to sit down, she answered carefully, "I'll agree to your terms as long as I am in your house."

There was a barely audible sigh that sounded a lot like a sigh of relief that came from the butler, who was still standing in the doorway behind her. With only a minimum amount of movement, the door was pulled shut and the dim light from the hallway died away. Now Tori was sitting in total darkness with a man she had never met. Well, what else would make sense given her day so far?

After a moment's pause, the person in front of Tori said, "I'm sorry for my outburst. I have grown accustomed to being around people who are used to my problems, and I forget that not everyone is acquainted with my particular disabilities. I have a . . . um . . . ahem . . . a visual problem that requires me to exist in darkness."

Tori knitted her brow in confusion. She said, "I thought Daddy said that he worked with you. . . "

There was a heavy sigh, then the man said, "Yes, I work with your father, but not in the traditional sense. My job is much like that of a paralegal crossed with a detective, only I, too, am a lawyer. Given my . . . ailment . . . I am not able to work out in public. Instead, I work here at home and send the information to your father. My life is made easier by the use of the internet to do my research. Your father and I make quiet an impressive team. In fact, I understand that you ran up against a bit of my handiwork earlier today."

"You mean you are the one who uncovered the phone sex operator? I thought you said you couldn't work except in darkness. How did you manage to pull that one off?" Tori asked.

After a split second hesitation, the voice said, "You don't need light to dial a phone and the phone company is very helpful for tracing calls that you might need to prosecute. A few well placed suggestions and you can get all the help you need. I am sorry that my work resulted in your unfortunate experience, but I'm still pleased with that little bit of detective work."

Tori sighed, "Look, I know I didn't make the best entrance, but I am feeling a little uncomfortable since I didn't get to introduce myself. I'm sure that you already know that I'm Tori Banner and I already know that you are Jacob Rhodes, but what do you want me to call you? Your voice suggests that you are about 30ish, but you could be 60 for all I know. I don't know if you want me to be all formal or not. Do you want me to call you Mr. Rhodes or Jake or Peter Pan or what?" Tori asked, in her typical dry humor.

"I'm not much for fairy tales, Ms. Banner - Jake will be fine. You will be working fairly close to me, so it would be best if we didn't try to be overly formal. And I'm 37," Jake said, teasingly, not sounding at all like the angry man who had informed her that she couldn't turn on the lights earlier. Making a mental note, Tori considered the possibility that the man was bi-polar or else he was just plain moody. One never knew these days.

After a few moments of silence, it occurred to Tori that Jake might be waiting for her to tell him how old she was. Tori hated this part. She always dreaded telling people how old she was because she always felt like she had to apologize for all the things she hadn't done during her lifetime. Taking a deep breath, Tori blurted out, "I'm 30 years old."

A quiet laugh came from Jake. He said, "Now why did that sound like it was the hardest confession you have ever made?"

Tori grimaced at his perceptiveness. She said, "I just don't feel like I have made the most of my life and I wish I . . . never mind, my issues really don't concern you. I'm sure you aren't interested in hearing them."

Jake surprised Tori by not dropping the subject. He said, "Your father has told me a little bit about you, Tori You sound quiet remarkable, if you don't mind my saying so. Not many people would have done what you have done."

As the silence grew again in the room, Tori grew uncomfortable. She wasn't sure what her father had told Jake. Finally, Jake answered her unspoken question.

In a voice that made Tori realize that Jake was a detective by nature, he said, "Do you know what he told me, Tori? He said that he never married your mother. That they met in high school and dated a few times. But then he moved away before your mother realized she was pregnant. She never told him about you.

"He said that not long after your birth, your mother was diagnosed with cancer. And even though she lived for ten more years, she was sick the whole time. And you were her only caregiver. Then, when you were 10, she died and you went to live with your grandparents. First your grandmother and then your grandfather both died after long term illnesses. So, after 29 years as a caregiver, suddenly no one needed you.

"Then in some circumstantial fluke, you came across a letter that your mother had written to your father, but never mailed. And, totally unexpectedly, you found out who your dad was. It must have been hard to call him that first time.

"Paul said that the first time he heard your voice, though, he knew, in his heart, who you were. He insisted on flying you out here and the rest, as they say, is history. Does that sound about right?"

Tori had not made any sound during Jake's accounting of her life. While she truly hated having not done more with her life, she hated even more the fact that people always thought she had done some angelic, really sweet thing by helping her family. It wasn't like she had ever had a choice. She had done nothing except live out the life that had been dealt to her.

Meeting her father, Paul Weaver, was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. And she didn't want to blow her chance to be with her dad. Especially not by offending his friend. With a carefully controlled voice, she answered Jake the only way she knew how, "Yes. That's about it."

Jake seemed to sense her hesitancy. For a few moments he didn't speak, and when he finally did, he graciously changed the subject. He asked, "So what do you think of California?"

Tori breathed a sigh of relief. "I like it so far. Well, that's only partly true. My apartment is astronomically expensive, I can't have a car because I can't afford a garage unless I want to pay a huge deposit and yet another monthly fee. Then on my first day in the job market, I have inadvertently offered myself as a phone sex operator and I have seen a whole new side of men's underwear. But other than that, it's been great!"