We've reached the end of Cleo's tale. Thanks to everyone for their comments and support, and I hope you enjoy this latest installment.
*
Cleo burst into the apartment and rushed straight to her bedroom, walking straight past a surprised Erica. Erica was on her feet and following her before she even fully realized something was up.
"What's wrong?" Erica sad as she followed her, only to come face-to-face with Cleo's shut bedroom door. "Cleo! Cleo? What happened?" There was no response. "I ain't going away until you open this door. C'mon! You gotta get out of there sometime!" There was a slight click as Cleo unlocked the door.
Erica entered slowly, finding Cleo sitting sadly on the side of her bed. She had changed out of her date clothes and had just pulled on some sweats, her cute half-bra looking somewhat less sexy on an unhappy young woman. She wasn't crying, but Erica could tell that she had been. Sitting across from Cleo in an old armchair, Erica decided it would be better to let Cleo do the talking.
They sat there silently for a long minute before Erica became impatient.
"Hon, what happened?"
"He asked me out."
Erica's brows furrowed. "What like he wanted to book you without calling Adelle?"
"No, he asked me out. He wanted to date me. No more bookings, no more Adelle."
"Oh... I see," Erica said, nodding. She'd encountered this before: the client who wants to rescue her, take her away from her horrible life of selling herself. But that didn't exactly fit with Cleo and her special status. She wasn't so much a call girl as Andrew's private girl in New York. "What'd you say?"
"I told him no. Told him it would never work, that Adelle wouldn't allow it... I shouldn't have said yes, right?"
"Cleo, do you think you want to start dating a guy you met while filling in as a call girl?" Cleo laughed despite herself, but still looked miserable. "How'd he take it? Get angry?"
Cleo gave a half-laugh, half-sob. "He looked
so
sad. So... hurt. Erica I... felt horrible doing that to him." The tears began to flow again and Erica pulled her friend close, comforting her. "I told him he shouldn't book me again."
"That's... That's probably for the best hon," Erica said gently, rubbing Cleo's back as she would an upset child. Erica had been worried about something like this for months, but she had always assumed it would have gone the other way: that Andrew would have gotten tired of her or that Cleo's feelings would get in the way of the job. She never thought that it would be Andrew who would catch feelings and that Cleo would be the sober, professional one. "But I got some bad news for you kiddo. Now you've got to go into work today and explain to Adelle."
Cleo groaned. She knew she'd have to fess up: about her own feelings, about the fake-date trickery, and about making the possibly foolish decision to sever her connection with Andrew. She knew Adelle liked her, but she also knew that this was Adelle's business she was messing with, and Cleo had just lost her one of her highest paying customers. Cleo figured she had one chance in three of keeping her job when it was all said and done.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I should fire you. You know that," Adelle said firmly once she had finished her tale. Cleo's head dropped.
When Cleo came into work that afternoon, Adelle had immediately known that something was the matter. Cleo explained, as calmly as she could, what had happened, going all the way back to when Andrew booked her for her birthday. Adelle had listened closely, eerily calm. Cleo envied her boss' unflappability: She was sitting before Adelle's desk in abject misery, her nervous fingers playing with the edge of her blouse.
"Not to sound like your mother, but I'm very disappointed in you."
"I'm sorry." Cleo knew that she had said it before, but was convinced if she just kept repeating it she might be able to escape from this mess.
"Stop saying you're sorry."
Damn it. "I don't know what else I was supposed to do."
"Allow me to teach you," Adelle said, taking a sip of her tea. "You should not have booked him for your birthday. That suggested an emotional attachment. And you knew that, which is why you tried to hide it from me." Adelle put down her teacup and leaned back, her face unreadable. "That is the most distressing thing, that you lied to me. Except for that I'm almost proud of you."
Cleo's head snapped up. "Proud? What for?"
"I had been concerned about your feelings for Mr. Dunn. And I believe that you have some, or else none of this would be bothering you." Cleo didn't bother denying it. "But you controlled those feelings, and put them aside to do the right thing. And it was the right thing Cleo, please believe me."
"I... I felt so bad," Cleo said quietly.
"I don't doubt it," Adelle said evenly, still watching her employee. "And once you've refused such a request, you can't possibly continue to see him. He'd see it as a way to maintain contact, to woo you. It can become... an unhealthy relationship. What do you think of Mr. Dunn?" The question threw Cleo off. "Be honest dear."
"I like him. He's a good man."
"Not a nice guy?"
Cleo shrugged. "He's a man. There's a difference, you know that." Adelle smiled: Cleo had learned a lot working for her. "He's... Smart, kind, gentle, but big and strong and... And the sex is just... Amazing, explosive, devastating... But uh, tender. Like, close."
"Not just fucking. I understand. So you're fond of him?" Cleo nodded. "So why did you turn him down?"
"I just couldn't... There's the age thing, obviously. And, I mean, I hardly know him, really. And I knew you would kill me." Adelle smiled at that one. "And, I mean, Pretty Woman notwithstanding, I don't think that's really the way to meet someone."
"It can be hard..." Adelle began, trailing off. She shook her head gently, forging ahead. "It's very hard to build a... healthy relationship that starts as a commercial transaction."
"I can imagine."
"You lie to me again you'll be out on your ass, period. If I so much as suspect you are up to something, you are gone. Understood?" Cleo nodded. "And that includes anything that might happen with Mr. Dunn in the future. Are we clear?"
"Yes, yes Adelle we are perfectly clear."
"Good. Do you remember when I told you to stop seeing Mr. Dunn and you convinced me otherwise? I asked you to remember that conversation? I was looking to avoid something very much like this."
"I... I see that now," Cleo said, standing. "I really am sorry Adelle."
"Don't be sorry, just make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
~~~~~~~~~
"Thank you sir, we'll call to confirm," Cleo said.
"Thank you, Cleo. Perk up dear! It's a beautiful day out!" Mr. Daniels said, chiding.
"I will, thank you sir," Cleo laughed, shaking her head as she hung up. As she called Diane to tell her she had a job that evening, she thought about her attitude the past month. Was she in a funk? It had been six weeks since her last date with Andrew, and Cleo was starting to wonder if she would ever hear from him again.
A small part of her was happy that she hadn't. She had been worried that he would call and make a stink, or that she'd have some emotional confrontation with him, and she was pleased that neither had come to pass. But she couldn't deny that another part of her, a large part of her, missed him deeply. They may have only seen each other once a month, but their meetings had been so intense, so passionate, it felt like much more. Whatever else you might say about him, he was warm and kind, and she missed her time with him.
And then there was the sex. Whenever Cleo found herself horny, late at night, she couldn't help it as her mind turned to memories of her time with Andrew. With her rabbit buzzing away in her pussy and, occasionally, her butt plug stretching her open, she would fantasize about him until she came, shuddering, her pussy yearning for that amazing cock of his. Erica said she needed to go out and get laid, but Cleo wasn't one for one night stands. Between that and her unhappiness with the bar scene, she had been left with nothing but her fingers and toys to satisfy her. And it was starting to turn her into a bit of a crabby bitch.
It was looking like a busy day, unusual for a Saturday in August. Most weekends the city's wealthy elite fled for the Hamptons or the North Fork, which left few of their clients around. But this weekend something must have been up: the wealthy and horny seemed to be staying in town and ordering their women in.
"What's going on? Last weekend we were dead, and today we're running at a good clip."
"Could be a few things," Adelle said, taking off her glasses. "First off, the weather's shit: no one wants to drive two hours out on the island just to have to sit around inside anyway. How'd the market do this week?"
"Uh..." Cleo said, flipping to her stock widget, "Dow's... up for the week. C'mon, you think because Wall Street had one good week-"
"That all their new hires decided it was time to spend some of their hard earned money on the high class whores they know their bosses have been using? Yes, yes I do." The phone rang. "And here's another one. A very good weekend indeed."
"Adelle's, Cleo speaking, how may I help you?" Cleo asked, smiling at Adelle.
"Hello Cleo. How are you?"
Cleo's smile faltered, draining away. "Hello Mr. Dunn. I... I'm fine. How are you doing?" Adelle quickly stood and came around to Cleo's desk, asking with her hands if Cleo wanted her to take the call. Cleo held a hand up: she could handle this.
"I've been alright. Pretty busy with moving in, getting settled."
"No more travel? That must be quite a change."
"It really is... I'm used to bouncing between two homes in different states, with hotels scattered in between. A month solid in one apartment is... Different. But nice. And think, this winter I won't have to travel to see snow."
Cleo smiled, remembering their first date on that snowy night. "You just have to make it through the summer first."
"Right. I think it's actually hotter here than it was in Texas."
"How can I help you today, Mr. Dunn?" Cleo asked, remembering Adelle was watching and that she was supposed to be the consummate professional.
"I was uh, hoping to make an appointment for next weekend, the 26th. A five to nine."
"Of course."
"Are you, uh, available?" Andrew asked, the quiet hope in his voice like a dagger in her heart.
"I'm sorry Mr. Dunn, but I'm no longer... involved in that way."
"I see..."
