NOTE: This is the first in a possible series of stories based on this theme. Reader's comments and suggestions are welcomed.
The open newspaper on the hotel bed was turned to the same page it had been for the past few mornings. Every time he looked at it, his restlessness rose. He wanted to do something about it, but could he? The Excel document screen, on his laptop, began to swim before his eyes. He had been working on the new store projections for the last three hours. A break was needed. He poured the remaining coffee into his half filled cup and turned off the coffee maker. The luke-warm mixture tasted bitter. His stomach felt queasy. He was anxious. However, he knew his feelings had nothing to do with the coffee or the work.
He had read the bulletin board review 8 months ago. It had stuck in his mind. Now every time he came to Trenton, the images and urges it spawned welled up inside him. He was lonely and horny. It had been over five years since he had been with a woman. Surely, something had to be done about that. Trenton offered him the perfect opportunity. However, could he, would he take it? Screwing up his resolve, he returned to his laptop, saved the spreadsheet, and opened the browser. With a series of determined clicks, he found and opened the escort review page. After some searching, he found the review and the name that had haunted him. Then he grabbed the paper and his finger traced the columns in personal section of the classifieds. He stopped at one ad. It read.
DCUP PLEASURE. Playful, sexy & very busty. Lingerie and toys. Erotic massage & private encounters. Morning specials. Independent, private & discreet. Sasha 555-9779
The wording did not match the description in the escort review, but the name and the telephone number were the same. His stomach knotted. Now that he had found her what would he do? He tentatively reached for the phone, but it rang before he could touch it. "God damn it!" he muttered to himself. The voice on the phone ended everything he even might have wanted to do that day. Sixteen hours later, he returned to the hotel suite dead tired.
Thursday morning found him staring intently again at that one classified ad in the Trenton Examiner. The muted voice of a sportscaster came from the TV. The hockey scores were ignored and room service breakfast was consumed with little interest. The paper crinkled in his lap as he rocked back and forth in the desk chair. Indecision clouded his mind. Then he summoned his courage, seized his cell phone, flipped it open, and dialed.
"Hello?" The voice was soft and tiny.
"Hello, may I speak to Sasha, please?"
"This is Sasha."
"I would like to inquire about your rates and if it would be possible to reserve some time with you?"
"I have a 15 min..." The words all seemed to blur in his ear and the crackle of the connection made it even harder to hear her soft voice. There was a silence and he realized that she had finished talking.