Note from the Writer: I would first like to say how appreciative I am to the fans of this series. The positive comments and praise for this series have pushed me to continue this series, and I'm grateful that others can appreciate the story that I have crafted. When I first started writing these stories, I would type them on my phone, later copying and pasting them onto the website. As a result, my first few chapters have a number of spelling and grammatical errors that weren't corrected before submission. Also, my early work, especially the first chapter, lacks some of the in-depth story telling that I am proud to have in my later works. This is the reason I have decided to write a remastered version of the first chapter. Hopefully, this remastered chapter will better reflect the series as a whole.
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There was a coolness in the air as I walked to the bar on Friday night. This was a rarity in Los Angeles, even in the winter. My pace quickened, seeking the warmth of the local bar.
John's Keg was a Friday night staple for my friends and me. It had turned into one of the few places we got to see each other anymore. Most everyone in our group had friends since college. After graduating, we stayed in Los Angeles, but all went our separate ways. We had a doctor, a lawyer, an artist, a couple of teachers, and myself a salesman.
I often found myself regretting my business major. The feelings of regret were strongest on Friday's when the guys would talk about how much they enjoyed their jobs. I was happy with the money I brought in, but the job itself wasn't fulfilling.
Friday nights were our one opportunity to hang out each week. The rest of the guys in the group were either married or engaged. A couple of them even had kids, which seemed early to me. We were all in our mid-20s and I was still hoping to enjoy freedom while I could. I'd had a few serious girlfriends, but I had never met that person I couldn't live without.
My friends all enjoyed talking about their lives as husbands and fiancés, but seemed to also live vicariously through me. I wouldn't consider myself a player, but I enjoyed the benefits of the single life. They used my singleness as an opportunity to pick out the women they found attractive and coax me into picking them up. Most nights I'd ignore them, but when I was in the right mood I would give it a try. I scored far more often than I struck out.
Tonight, they all had their eyes on one particular woman in the bar. She was a tall tan brunette who was slim, but still had assets in the desirable areas. She wore a beautiful blue dress that found a nice balance between modesty and sexiness. The tightness of the dress accentuated her curves, but left the rest to the imagination.
We were a couple of drinks in and the woman still sat alone at the bar. Most of the normal patrons at the bar were generally with a group, having a girls' or guys' night out. It wasn't often you saw a woman sitting alone at the bar, especially one as attractive as this.
"Dude, you've got to go talk to her," my buddy Caleb said, "She is easily the most attractive woman I've ever seen!"
"Weren't you just talking about how beautiful you thought your wife was?" I joked.
"That's different. I'm obligated to find my wife attractive, but this woman is beautiful by every objective measure. We've been going to this bar for years and there has never been one like that. If you don't at least try to pick her up, my penis will be mad at you."
"Well I'd hate to anger the five inches of fury!" I quipped.
The rest of the group laughed and Caleb's face turned red in embarrassment. Caleb was right though; this woman was incredible. I wasn't a male model, but I was normally very secure in my looks; however, in this scenario I felt a tad out of my league.
I guzzled down the rest of my glass of liquid courage.
"This is for you, bud," I said, patting Caleb's shoulder as I walked toward the bar.
As I approached, the woman was scrolling through her phone. She had spent much of her time on her phone since arriving at the bar, which concerned me that she might be waiting on someone. Nonetheless, I knew she was worth a try.
"Can I buy you another drink?" I asked standing beside her seat as I approached the bar.
The woman turned and looked up from her phone. Her face of indifference turned into to a beautiful white smile.
"Sure, another martini would be great!"
I leaned across the bar and placed our order with the bartender and sat down at the bar stool beside her. The woman slid her cell phone into her clutch and seemed excited by my presence.
"I'm Joe, by the way," I said.
"Eliza," the beautiful brunette said, sweeping her long hair behind her ear.
Once our drinks arrived, we began to talk. Eliza was surprisingly sharp, which was a pleasant surprise from some of the other beauties I had picked up in the past. She was quick witted and our conversation was seamless.
A few drinks later, I was feeling pretty good. Things were going well with Eliza, and I was doing my best to not seem too tipsy.
"It is starting to get late," Eliza said, glancing at the clock on the wall, "Would you like to get out of here and go to my place? It is just a few blocks from here."
I was surprised at her request, but wasn't about to object. It had taken surprisingly little flirting to get an invite to Eliza's place.
I vividly remember walking to Eliza's apartment, but once we arrived things turned to a blur. I remember kissing in her living room on the couch. The next thing I remembered was falling back onto the bed and seeing Eliza's blue dress drop off her body, revealing a sexy matching blue lingerie underneath. The last thing my memory could recall was her tan body landing next to mine on the mattress as we panted from torrid sex.
I awoke the next morning with bright light entering the bedroom. I found myself alone in bed, still naked from the night before. It was hard to recall what had happened the previous evening. My head throbbed, as the alcohol had taken its toll.
Through squinted eyes, I found my pants on the floor and slipped them back on. I made my way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where Eliza stood at the bar pouring two cups of coffee. She wore a gray pantsuit and white blouse. Even in business-wear, she looked gorgeous.
"Good morning!" Eliza said, "How are you feeling this morning?"
"A little hungover," I chuckled, which only made my head hurt more.
"Last night was a pretty fun night," Eliza said, bringing me a cup of coffee, "Why don't you sit down for a second? I'd like to talk to you about something."
I sat down on the couch we had made out on a few hours prior. It was one of the few memories that had stuck with me from the night. I took a big sip of the piping hot coffee and waited for Eliza to join.
"My full name is Eliza Monroe and last night was more than just a casual encounter for me. I work as a job recruiter, but not in the traditional sense. The company I work for is called 'The Agency', which seeks out the best talent for our high end clientele. Your performance last night was one of the best I've seen in my recruiting and I'd like to invite you to continue the interview process."
I found myself very confused. This woman had just been a hook-up from a bar and here we sat talking about a job opportunity.
"I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused. Maybe I don't remember as much from last night as I thought. When did we start discussing my sales job?" I asked.
Eliza laughed, "We didn't. To be blunt, this job would be based on your sexual performance. If you are not interested in that type of thing, you can go ahead and leave, no hard feelings. However, I can guarantee you that this is an opportunity that you will not want to pass up. I can offer you $1,000 to just come to a formal interview."
"My sexual performance? Are you trying to pull me into male prostitution? That's illegal!"
"Joe, I can assure you this isn't prostitution and that everything is 100% legal. I know that this isn't what you were expecting and I don't want you to rush into a decision. I'll give you the day to think about. Here is my business card and I'll pencil you in for eight tomorrow morning. If you are interested, show up. If not, the offer is off the table and you can go on with your life."
Eliza's tone was very professional and she seemed to mean business. I took another sip of coffee and went back to the bedroom to grab my shirt and shoes. The pleasantries from the previous night had vanished and I took this to mean we were done for today, so I made every effort to leave as quickly as I could.
The change in tone made leaving awkward. We had spent the night together, but our conversation stole any sense of romanticism that existed prior. I opted to just wave and say goodbye as I walked out the door. Eliza gave a small smirk and a wave back from the kitchen.
I walked down the flights of stairs in Eliza's apartment and made my way to the street. It took me a moment to get my bearings, as I hadn't remembered much from the journey back to her apartment. Once I put the pieces together I realized I was about ten block away from my own apartment.
When I arrived back home, I tossed my wallet and phone on the counter. When I pulled my phone from my pocket, the business card Eliza had given me hit the floor. I hadn't looked at the business card when she handed it to me, I was still trying to process the proposition she had offered.
The business card was plain white cardstock and lacked any frills. The writing was professional, but didn't stand out as anything special. Written on the card was:
