"I get paid extra for doing it with a girl."
That's how it starts.
I'm at a tech convention in Vegas. Days of meetings with potential clients and investors. Always on display, always projecting the cool confidence of an industry veteran. It's not my first rodeo, but it's the first with the potential to break big, so it's important not to screw it up.
On the last night, I get together with an old friend of mine--a venture capitalist named Ravi. We worked together years ago when we were both fresh out of school-- two young and hungry code monkeys, surviving on instant ramen and Red Bull.
At the time I thought he was kind of cute, and I think he thought the same about me, but nothing ever came of it. We were both too stressed-out and frantic.
Our professional trajectories have been very different. Shortly after we worked together, Ravi lucked into a job at a start-up that went public in a big way. He cashed in his stock options for hundreds of millions and gave up coding to invest in other start-ups and amuse himself.
Meanwhile, I've been slogging along in the tech trenches, slowly working my way up the management ladder one painful rung at a time.
Ravi has a girl with him tonight named Astrid. She's young, sexy and vivacious--stylishly dressed with big dark eyes and short dark hair. He introduces her as his "associate", but it's obvious she's a paid escort. Her entire manner around him is way too intimate for her to be anything else--fussing with his tie, allowing him to put his arm around her waist as he walks her through the lobby of the conference hotel.
The funny thing about Astrid is that she assumes that I'm an escort too. Whenever she talks to me, there's a sly conspiratorial tone to her voice, like we're both in on the same naughty secret. She also acts strangely toward my assistant Justin--like he's the one in charge and I'm just decoration.
Near the end of the evening, the four of us wind up at Ravi's penthouse suite. Astrid is wearing a cute little black party dress and high heels, while I'm in my normal conference outfit--a grey wool skirt and a green turtleneck--everything sensible and professional--nothing flashy or sexy. Standing next to Astrid I feel very plain and boring. She's the kind of girl I've always been in awe of--so effortlessly sexy and seductive. The kind of girl I'll never be. I'm always the sensible, rational one who makes sure her team has hot pizza to eat during crunch.
Tonight Astrid plays bartender at the penthouse suite minibar. When I tell her I'd like a scotch on the rocks, she drops three ice cubes in a tumbler and pours out two fingers of Glenlivet.
Her hand brushes mine as she hands it to me.
"I get paid extra for doing it with a girl,"
she says with a wry smile.
"Me too," I lie.
What the hell? Did she really just come on to me? And why did I lie to her?
Her remark sparks a weird train of thought. I've never had sex with another woman before, but it might be fun to experiment. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror behind the bar. My cheeks are flushed from the wine I had with dinner and my eyes are bright and shining. I tuck a stray lock of blonde hair behind my ear. It's not like I'm hideous or anything. I guess it's not totally inconceivable that a cute girl like her might be interested in plain little me.
Music is filtering in through the open balcony from an end-of-conference pool party going on down below, and Astrid starts dancing to the thumping beat, gyrating her hips and shaking her tits. Her energy is infectious so I join in and start dancing with her even though I don't have as much to shake as she does. Ravi is staring at both of us. In all the years he's known me he's never seen me act like this.
Justin pretends not to notice. He keeps setting up his laptop so I can give Ravi my investor pitch after we settle in.
After a few minutes of dancing, Astrid looks right at me with her big brown eyes.
"Wanna fuck?" She asks point blank.
I blink a few times, confused. "Wait, you mean like you and me? I guess maybe sometime...."
Astrid laughs. "No, silly. I mean right now!"
"But you're with Ravi," I reply. "I don't want to screw things up for you...."
"Don't worry," Astrid laughs. "He'll love it! Your dude will too. Guys always go crazy for lezzie shit!"
I'm so stunned by what she's proposing that I temporarily lose my head and say yes.
"Great!" Astrid beams. "Unzip me!"
