When Alex saw the ad in the adult publication, something about it affected him. It was by no means the typical posting. He had seen all those before. Ads like: Stacked blonde, 23, seeks generous stud for weekend fun or Kinky Asian coed needs immediate coital attention. No, this ad simply said: Men in need call me. That was it. It stopped him not only because it was completely open to interpretation, but because of the way it was expressed with such terseness. Was he still feeling needy, he asked himself? He was young and handsome and fucking several girls at once at that time, so did he really still have unfulfilled sexual needs? He decided to laugh it off, but then the thought preyed on him to such a degree that he pulled the publication out of the trash the next day and called the number in the ad.
"Hello?" an accented, older woman's voice responded.
"Ah, hi, I saw your ad in Bluepages..."
"Oh, okay. What can I do for you?" she asked with a customer service-like casualness.
"Ah, I don't know. What do you offer?" he almost stuttered.
"So- you're not really sure what you need?"
He was embarrassed by this question.
"No, I mean...
"That's okay, these things are hard to talk about over the phone. Would you like to make an appointment to come over?"
"Appointment?"
"Yes, how is this Friday at 2pm?"
"Well- I work that day..." he started.
"Come after work then. How is 5.30?" she suggested.
"Ah, yeah- I guess I could do that." he replied haltingly.
"Fine, call me Friday afternoon and I'll give you the directions."
That Friday he called and got the directions and drove to the poorer side of town with a feeling of nervousness he'd never felt in his dating career. What if she was a fat, ugly crackhead? Or the bait in a shakedown operation? Or a cop?! The rundown apartment building he ended up in front of didn't relieve his suspicions much, but he parked and got out of the car, anyway, and walked up to the far unit's door. What was this woman really selling? Was the thought that came to him as he knocked. A delicately built woman with dark, eastern European features opened the door moments later.
"Please come." was all she said as she smiled demurely and invited him to enter.
He stepped in and perused the incense scented living room with its dark curtains before turning back to her. She closed the door and walked up to him with her palms pressed together.
"So you are the one who is not sure what he needs?" she asked, her accent now definitely betraying her foreignness.
He squirmed and was tongue tied momentarily.
"Yeah, I'm Alex." he finally blurted.
"You're a handsome man, Alex. I'm sure you have many women- so why come here?" she asked.
"I guess- just- curiosity." he posited.
"So- you want me to tell you what it is? Is that it?"
He felt his confidence slipping away now.
"Well, no, I mean... how would you do that?" he asked.
She put one of her hands on his chest then. His body quaked.
"By reading you." she told him as her dark eyes locked onto his.
Her hand was warm on him and she moved it to different spots like a doctor checking for a heartbeat. Then she leaned into him and pressed the side of her face against his sternum. She gathered the material of his shirt and smelled it. Then her other hand moved to his thigh and squeezed at the quadricep muscle. He flinched.
"Is there something you are afraid of?"
"Why- why would I be afraid?" he stammered.
"You tell me." she said as she moved her left hand from his heart to his waist, "Hasn't a woman ever touched you like this before?"
Alex's body shook.
"How much do you want?" he suddenly asked, hoping a discussion of money would make him feel more in control.
"No, dear one. We're trying to find out what you need, not what I want."
She reached up and stroked his cheek and kissed him on the chin.
"Were you afraid when you were a boy?" she asked.
He thought for a moment.
"I guess."
"Of what?"
"I don't know- judgment."
She moved her left hand from his waist down to the peak of his ass. He let out a puff of air.
"Was it because of something you did?"
"No, not really."
"Or something you let someone else do?"
Alex's face flooded with blood. He felt like he had been exposed now. Her hand started to move down into the crack of his ass.
"I won't judge you. Just tell me." she insisted.
He felt the weakness and lameness of his youth return.
"It was just the typical crap that happens when you're a kid." he explained nervously.
She drove her fingers up into his ass then and closed her eyes. His legs trembled.
"Someone took off your clothes." she stated as if she were reading his ancient emotions.