Chapter 1
A small advertisement in the high fashion magazine at the beauty salon where Arlene Cabot was having pedicure before eyebrow arching, caught the eye of the pampered 40-year-old fading beauty:
Day/Evening companion for adventurous woman while hubby is exhausting himself on mini golf tour or trekking inland on manly pursuits. Confidentiality guaranteed. Email for references and Agendas. Casey James, Port Douglas, Queensland Australia.
Arlene smiled, wondering what Casey's recommended Agenda was: Sweaty and messy no doubt. Satisfaction guaranteed? The grubby man's advertisement suggested male prostitution was alive and well in Aussie.
One of the few things Arlene had never tried was a liaison while on vacation.
At home, she'd had the occasional fling with one of Keith's friends and had been naughty with a couple of her best girlfriends, but on vacation she tended to be circumspect, not knowing the 'natives'
Her lawyer-husband spent most of the working year sitting on his ass, so when on vacation tended to act like a young guy on steroids, feasting daily on adventure, booze and bimbos.
Well, he worked hard so Arlene was quite content to see him rip into life like that twice a year and he on returning home he always had medical check results before Arlene would open her legs for him, so why be bothered?
If an irate husband terminated Keith, he'd leave behind additional insurance to top up his normal cover and potential new husbands would line up for the attractive former model who was wealthy in her own right.
If Keith had not been taking Arlene to Port Douglas in five weeks' time, she would not have returned to re-read that advertisement.
"Kitty please hand me a pen and piece of paper."
The housemaid obliged, saying, "Here you are, ma'am."
The grubby man had listed a website so Arlene noted it, thinking if he bothered with a website he was likely to be a permanent resident rather than a transit fly-by-nighter.
That evening when Keith was working on briefs in his study, finishing off the bottle of red wine he'd opened for dinner (Arlene's preference was Champagne or mineral water), she went to her dressing room and booted her laptop.
Arlene's breath caught when the grubby Mr Aussie's website filled her screen. Tall, lean and bronze with devouring blue eyes, square jaw and a cynical look around the mouth of gleaming teeth, he'd fit in well with high society on Manhattan.
She stared, recovering from her surprise and not surprised that her nipples were pushing against her negligee.
"Hello Mr Beautiful," she purred. "Oh God, is this my dream vacation?" Perhaps not because the thought of his lean butt pushing down over female clients he didn't know was a tad off-putting, probably more than a tad.
Arlene hit the 'Agendas' button and smiled when finding Seduction was not listed.
For $600 a day his client (the opening page made it clear the service provided only for the daily needs of a solitary female clients) could choose from: Tramping, Bird Watching, Fine Dining, Golf, Beachcombing, Waited Upon in Quiet Solitude, Jet Skiing, Fishing, Crocodile Spotting, Boating, Shopping, Great Barrier Reef Adventure.
Most impressed, Arlene wondered what it would be like shopping with Mr Casey James.
The option of being waited upon in quiet solitude, suggested seduction was a choice for the client. Perhaps most if not all of the other activities suggested a bit of a romp might be available. Perhaps not on the Crocodile Spotting option.
She phoned Keith two rooms away and, checking his diary, he said the nights he'd be away on his Small Group Golfing Safari would be the 11
th
,12
th
and 13
th
.
Arlene told him she was thinking of searching the Web to see if she could be away on those nights on a Small Group Garden Tour.
"Are you sure darling? Your companions are likely to be boring elderly women."
"Whatever gave you the idea that elderly women are boring darling?"
"I was thinking of my mother and my elderly female clients."
Arlene suggested perhaps the minibus driver would be a young virile male and Keith replied she was fantasizing but perhaps she better have contraceptive protection with her.
How cynical of Keith, Arlene thought. That was one of the reasons why she'd never really loved him.
She'd decided when in her late teens she'd only marry for love but when ending her career as a photographer's model when her parents died from a gas leak when asleep in their vacation apartment in South America, she'd been left without immediate family. Keith, who'd taken over from his father as their family's attorney, arrived to comfort her and had stayed the night, beginning their countdown to marriage.
The next morning Arlene found an email had arrived from Casey James. His tone immediately repelled her:
Yes, I am available on those four days you enquired about. But first let me make myself quite clear. You sex-starved American women responding to my advertisement have this weird idea that I'm a hunk with a long dick just waiting to bang them into the vacation of their lifetime. Let me make this quite clear: I rarely dick women and when I do it's entirely my choice. Look up the appropriate pages on the Web if you are looking for a gigolo
.
Casey James
Livid at being brushed off in that manner, Arlene stomped around the house looking to find something to point out to the housekeeper, dusting, unable to believe that any male could be so arrogant and rude. She finally was settled enough to sit down and write a courteous reply.
You arrogant and rude man. I shall not require your companionship for my little adventures while in Port Douglas. Please flaunt that tiny dick of yours at the crocodiles you disgusting man.
Arlene Cabot
She read her response, counted to fifty and reread it, satisfied that's how she wished to tell the grubby man exactly what she thought of him. She sent it off. Two hours later she was reading his response.
Dear Mrs Cabot
Your response indicates the type of right-thinking woman I seek as a client. Please confirm the days you require x $A600 a day including all travel, meals and any fees and list the activities you desire and your address here in Port Douglas and the time you'd like me to call on the first morning. Fill out the client schedule on my Web Page and use the secure payment option to pay by credit card. That way confirms your bookings. Alternatively wait until you arrive and pay at the end of each day that I accompany you on Your Adventure but that can only occur if I have no bookings for those days.
Casey James
With a finger over the Delete key Arlene paused to reread the last sentence of JJ's response: 'Your Adventure.' How could she have a twosome adventure without JJ or someone like him? Would it matter if sex wasn't on the agenda? She decided to book the uncouth man. Well, at least she had a good idea of what she would be getting -- a guy with an ego as big as his boots.
She booked Day 1: 36 holes of golf at the Mirage Resort course with a light lunch between the two rounds. Day 2: Great Barrier Reef. Day 3: Shopping. Day 4: Waited Upon in Quiet Solitude.
She paid the $2400, thinking the service would have to be of professional quality standard to justify his fees.
Next morning his reply was in her mail box, thanking her for the booking and payment but suggested switching the reef trip to the first day because she could be exhausted after two rounds of golf in one day which could spoil the reef adventure.
She smiled, thinking he would picture her as a fat rich New York woman rather than how she saw herself, a fit gym bunny.
Not having worked for six years, Arlene had worked hard on her fitness to shape her body for life providing she also kept largely to her healthy eating regime. She replied to Casey James she accepted his suggestion although he should not doubt her ability to engage in high-energy outdoor pursuits.
* * *
Casey James, who worked remotely as a manuscript editor for Daydreamer Books International, heard the incoming email alarm and finished working the chapter he was editing technically prior to sending off.
He smiled when he read that the dame from Manhattan classified herself as being fit. Well, that would be a change from some of her New York contemporaries he'd taken on adventures, most of them choosing adventures beyond their capabilities.
When this Cabot woman had given him a brusquely rude dumping, he'd thought she'd not be run-of-the-mill because there had been no demand for an apology or mealy-mouthed groveling for him to fit them into his scheduled.
He'd had three rotten encounters with women from the Eastern states recently, hence his brush-off.
The Cabot woman was the first to receive that ill-advised email. Casey had been considering limiting Americans to Californian women in future as his diary was pretty full with clientele of preferred origins from South Africa, New Zealand, France, Scandinavia, Germany and Australia of course, and with careful screening, Asia and Britain.
The problem with American women arriving with great expectations had arisen from a good-looking and horny Chicago magazine journalist who went on the croc spotting day with him and then lived with him for three nights before going back home and writing about her 'fabulous month in Australian', being very indiscreet about the men who'd balled her.
The Cabot woman sounded okay. If she were horny, he'd find her a bedroom partner, not that it was part of his usual service but she'd obvious wanted professional service and expected to be lonely while her old man was doing his thing.
He'd though she was genuine when she requested 36 holes of golf. That had indicated to him she had endurance and believed she could cope with tropical heat. He hoped she was a good golfer and drank cool water rather than alcohol otherwise she'd be a washout on the reef trip. So, she thought he had a small dick. Perhaps if he liked her, he might adjust her thinking about that!
Casey grinned and returned to his editing work.
* * *
Arlene spent a few mornings reading up about Port Douglas, noting it was about 45 miles from Cairns International Airport. Their near-beachfront accommodation villa appeared very roomy and classy and the pool looked wonderful. It was just a short walk to the small town that was studded with restaurants.
She had high expectations for this vacation because it was a long way to go for just nine days with an elapsed flying time to get to their destination of around twenty-five hours.
Then she virtually forgot about the vacation until with six days to go, Keith advised he'd confirmed everything. They would fly out on Sunday.
