Bill ushered Anne into the spacious hotel room.
"It's got a terrific view of the city," he said, motioning at a wall of glass. He reminded her of an eager puppy dog.
"It sure does," Anne agreed, trying to sound equally enthusiastic, but inwardly rolling her eyes.
Bill was a type of client she often saw as an escort: middle-aged, nervous, a little paunchy around the middle, and decidedly nerdy. She didn't necessarily mind the type. She felt safe with them, and they were easy to manage.
"Here's this," Bill said, pulling an envelope out of a pocket in his sports coat. He looked embarrassed, which was par for the course, and she smiled to herself at his unwillingness to use the words "money" or "payment."
The room had a small sitting area with a sofa and two chairs. Anne chose a seat at the end of the sofa. Bill sat in the chair opposite her.
He stared at her expectantly, so Anne decided to take the lead. Taking charge came easily to her. Although she was only 28, she was a poised and confident young woman. She generally got what she wanted.
"Now that we've gotten my fee out of the way, there are just a couple of logistics to go over."
Bill nodded.
"First of all, we need to stop the session on time. You booked me for two hours, so we need to stop at," she paused to check her watch, "11:30." Second, I don't do anal, so don't ask me for that, and don't try anything." She spread her hands out and smiled. "But as long as we're on the same page, Bill, I'll show you a really good time."
"I would never want you to do something unless you really wanted to," Bill said seriously, pushing his glasses back up his nose."
"That's great," Anne said. "Now why don't you get me a glass of wine from the mini-bar while I make myself more comfortable.
Bill immediately jumped up and headed to the kitchenette. He was just like a puppy," Anne thought as she pulled off her shirt and undid her bra. By the time he came back, she was sitting on the sofa again wearing nothing but a pair of teal panties.
"You look so sexy," Bill stammered, staring admiringly at Anne's full breasts as he handed her the glass of wine.
"Why thank you, Bill. I appreciate that," she replied. It occurred to her that she could wrap this guy around her little finger. She wasn't actually planning to take advantage of him, but she enjoyed the sense of power.
Bill sat down in the chair and took a sip of his wine. He looked at Anne as if he were trying to come to a decision about something.
"What you said about anal sex reminded me of this girlfriend I had a few years ago," he finally said.
Anne raised her eyebrows, wondering where on Earth this was going.
"If you don't mind, I'll tell you the story, " Bill continued. "It's a good one."
"Why not?" Anne replied, doing her best to sound intrigued. She couldn't imagine anyone as nerdy as Bill having a very interesting story to tell, but the longer he talked the less time she had to have sex with him."
"So I started seeing this woman named Julie, and the first time we were going to have sex she said to me pretty much the same thing you said to me. "I don't do anal sex," she said, "so don't ask me to try it."
"So what did you say?" Anne asked, taking another sip of wine.
"I told her what I told you—that I would never want her to do something unless she really wanted to do it. But I also made a bet with her. I bet her that if she let me engage in some minor anal play, I could make her change her mind."
Anne felt a surge of irritation. "I hope I made myself clear, Bill. No anal! If this story is an attempt to get me to change my mind, maybe I'd better leave right now."
Bill looked petrified. "No," he said, moving his hands up and down in a calming gesture.
"I get it. Like I said before, I'd never want you to do something unless you really wanted to do it."
Why did he keep putting it that way? Anne wondered, but quickly dismissed it as another one of Bill's idiosyncracies.
"I just thought you might find this story interesting," Bill went on sheepishly.
