Angel's Story.
I'd been putting it off for ages. That is never a good thing to do but ... Now I was sat staring at the laptop in the dead of night and scared of the future. I was horrendously in debt! Too many nights out. Too many clothes and shoes bought on a whim. Add to that the joys of my first credit card. Things had finally come to a head yesterday when I was out shopping, and my card was refused. The humiliation of having to walk out of the store, no doubt watched through the raised eyebrows of the sales assistant. Now I had to face reality.
I spent the rest of that night sleepless, my befuddled brain trying to work out some sort of plan. By the morning nothing had come to me. My flatmate found me in the kitchen sulking into my coffee.
"Hey, what's up? Are you ill?"
Silvie was the sweetest person I knew, and her genuine concern tipped me over the edge. I burst into tears. Without a word she came up and put her arm round my shoulder. She pushed a tissue into my hand and simply hugged me. We ended up on the sofa in the living room. I was already late to leave for work but instead I just clung to her for comfort. Little by little she dragged it out of me. The silly over-spending, the massive debt. The problem seemed to come down, not just to curb my spending, but how to deal with the debt.
I have a lowly job working in some godforsaken warehouse, sorting out deliveries. It isn't hard work nor is it mentally very taxing which also means that it's not very well paid. I was just too lazy to look for anything better. I had fooled myself with the pretend riches that a credit card could bring. Eventually I stopped crying and wiped my eyes. I looked at Silvie.
"What the fuck can I do?"
"How much are you in for?" she asked, being practical as always.
When I told her she whistled through her teeth. "Wow, babe, that's bad."
"Okay, let's talk practicalities. This month's rent?"
I glumly shook my head and said, "I don't think I can." I could feel the tears threatening to start again but she interrupted my moment of self-pity.
"Okay, I'll cover that and you can owe me. I'm guessing food as well?"
I managed a nod.
"No probs, but no more nights out or any fancy dining. Agreed?"
I nodded again, summoning up a little more enthusiasm. If there was anyone who could help me out of this, it was Silvie. She started to ask me more detailed questions about my income and lifestyle, even getting me to bring my laptop down and looking through my finances. Gradually my faith in her grew.
We were an odd couple in many ways. We are both gay women, but we weren't 'together' so to speak. At one point in the dim and distant past we had once shared a bed together but in the morning, we had agreed that our friendship was more precious. We went our separate ways as far as partners were concerned. We would both occasionally bring a girl home and have manic sex for a couple of days before reverting to our usual routine of watching box sets and sleeping alone in our own beds.
"Right," she finally said decisively, "what you need is more income and less spending. I can't believe they pay so badly."
"Its minimum wage," I said trying to defend them.
"It's a fucking disgrace is what it is," she replied. She paused before continuing, "I have one suggestion, but you may not like it."
She looked at me quizzically, trying to work out my possible reaction to what she was about to say. For my part I perked up to think there might be a solution.
"You could come and work with me at the Agency."
When Silvie and I first met she'd been working in a call centre, a job as humble and lowly as mine. She was a friend of a friend who happened to be there on a girl's night out. We got on really well from the get-go but not in a sexually attracted to each other way. We just seemed to blend together really well. During the evening she happened to mention she was looking for a flatmate and I said I was hunting for somewhere nicer than my current bedsit. Within a week I'd moved in. After our mistaken attempt at having sex I think she was right. Instead of lovers we became very special friends. When she quit her job at the call centre and started on this new one, she was a little vague about the details, but her mood changed. She was suddenly much happier, and she was clearly earning a lot more money. She bought herself a small car for starters. So, when she mentioned the Agency, I was both intrigued and a little nervous. I found the name a little scary.
"Hey, don't look so worried, it's not what you think. The hours are good, and the money is fucking amazing. You could work off your debt in a couple of months."
"But I've never understood what you do?"
"We have the arduous task of going out to dinner and being company for professional women. And it's usually very posh restaurants as well."
"They pay for that?" I asked, feeling a little shocked.
"Okay, most of the time they expect a little more, but we've all been there, haven't we?"
I suddenly blushed as memories came flooding back. I had once allowed myself to be chatted up in a bar by a woman who must have been knocking on the door of 60. As it turned out she was amazing in bed. She took me back to her hotel and did things to me I'd never experienced before.
"The point is that after the meal is when you make all the money."
It was slowly dawning on me what I was being offered. On the one hand a chance to get out of my current problem, on the other I was being asked to sell my body. I had no idea what that must be like, but I only had one example of it in real life and that was Silvie. Since she had started this new job, she was noticeably much livelier and, more important from my current point of view, more financially stable. What could be wrong with, at least, giving it a go.
"So ... what would I have to do?" I asked.
"Well, you could come in with me this evening and I can introduce you to Mrs B."
"Who's she?"
"She's the boss of the Agency. Not sure of her real name but I think its double-barrelled. She's a bit posh and runs it as a tight ship but she's lovely underneath. She'll like you I'm sure."
"Will I have to ... you know ... do things on the first night?"
"Don't panic. She'll want to check you out first. When she interviewed me, she took me out to dinner to try me out. She'll probably do the same for you."
"Did you ... err ... go the whole way with her?"
"Yes, we did but it's okay, she's a very sexy older woman. And very good at it," and she winked, knowingly. "You wanna give it a try? What can you possibly lose?"
It didn't take long for me to make up my mind. The job sounded fun and it offered a chance of a debt-free life. I nodded.
"Okay, first off get to bed and have a sleep. You have bags under your eyes that would suit a round-the-world cruise."
I went into the bathroom to relieve myself and saw myself in the mirror. I looked awful, my eyes puffy and my cheeks tear stained. I splashed water on my face then went to bed. I can't say I slept much but I felt better for a day in bed.
It was late afternoon when Silvie came into my room bearing a cup of tea. She sat on the bed while I sipped it slowly. I love Earl Grey, anytime, anyplace.
"Okay, I've phoned Mrs.B and she's happy for you to go in and have a chat. But first a shower," she said as I put the cup on my bedside table, "Mrs.B insists that her employees are squeaky clean. Then tart yourself up, but not too much. We are lady's companions and not whores."
With that, she got up and left me to it. Under the shower I soaped and scrubbed like never before. I was determined to make a good impression. I was just finishing my makeup when Silvie reappeared. She had a good look and nodded her approval and then took over and supervised my wardrobe. She immediately went for my midnight blue dress that I had bought in a mad moment and never worn since. It still had the label attached. It plunged down at the front almost showing off my belly button and was so short it verged on the obscene. Silvie assured me it was exactly right for the evening to come. She rummaged through my knicker drawer and found an electric blue thong. It was another impulse buy but was so minimal I'd never had the courage to wear it. The cut of the dress didn't really allow for a bra so that was one less choice to make.
It was mid-summer and still well before sunset, so she made me put on a light coat before we got into her car. We parked up in the multi-storey which was rapidly emptying. It was strange to think that most people were heading home from work while we were only just starting. Silvie guided me through the city centre and then down a small side street. I was sure I'd been down here before but had ignored the simple door and the discrete brass sign next to it. "Central Escort Agency" it read and nothing more. Silvie rang the intercom and gave her name and the door buzzed open.
The Agency was on the first floor up a narrow staircase. It opened up onto a pleasant waiting area reminiscent of a very exclusive doctor's waiting room. A young girl sat behind a desk on the far side.
"Hi, Julie, I've brought my friend to meet Mrs.B."
"She's expecting you, Silvie. Just let me call through."
The girl spoke into the phone and then told us to go straight in. Silvie led me through a door to an inner office. Sat on a deep red leather sofa was a well-dressed woman, in a cream business suit with a black shirt, who stood up as we entered. She seemed to ignore Silvie and concentrate her attention on me, looking me up and down. Then she smiled and held out a hand.
"Welcome, my dear, I'm Mrs Beauchamp-Rivage, a bit of a mouthful I know so most people call me Mrs.B. And you are?"
