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My cousin, my escort
This following is a work of fiction but represents a fantasy I've had for years. It is not a fast read and is character and dialogue driven. If you're looking for a quick piece to breeze through, this might not be for you but if you stick around and get to the action (roughly halfway through), I think it's worth it. Thanks for rea
ding and please let me know what you think below. Special thanks to my editor RandyD1369
for his work on this story. It was beyond helpful.
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It's amazing what little details a person notices when they're trying to think of something, anything, to take their mind off of a stressful situation.
As Tony sat in an unfamiliar bed roughly an hour away from his home, his brain scanned the room around him looking to find something to focus on besides the lump in his throat, his elevated heart rate and the thoughts about why he was there.
He could hear the low hum of a muted television to his left. A half hour or so ago, he was watching a replay of a fairly boring episode of Modern Family and trying, unsuccessfully, not to stare at the clock on his cell phone.
To his right, there was a hint of an orange or yellowish light coming through his hotel room's blinds. It looked like the headlights of a passing car.
"Was that her? Is she here?," he wondered to himself as he got out of bed and looked through the blinds. "No. It's not her. Not yet."
Even though Tony knew this was a tourist hotel, and assumed it would be busy on a week night, he looked around at the cars driving in and out of the parking lot around him and couldn't help but wonder if perhaps this hotel was TOO busy.
Maybe he made a mistake booking it? What if someone he knew saw him check in?
The questions swirled through his mind as the minutes passed. He was nervous, and with good reason.
After 38 years of leading what some would call a "boring" life----one where a person goes to college, meets their partner, gets a job, gets married and buys a house----Tony was about to do something he never thought he'd have the courage to do: He was going to pay for sex.
For over a decade, he's had this particular fantasy and, in just under 20 minutes, he was set to experience it for the first time.
Whenever he pictured this moment, he assumed he'd be excited. He thought he'd find it erotic. But now that it's here, all he can think about is finding a way not to throw up.
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Three hours earlier, in a room far warmer and more welcoming than Tony's, Cassie stood in her kitchen and had only one thing on her mind: Text notifications can be a real pain in the ass.
Standing in her kitchen wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and a pair of black leggings, Cassie had just finished washing the last of her dishes from dinner the night before when she heard the familiar buzz of her phone going off.
She was always conflicted when the sound came.
On the one hand, that little black box on the counter that she feels chained to at times makes it possible for her to live in this house. If she doesn't answer a potential inquiry fairly quickly, someone else might and when you're working in the sex industry, the only thing more frustrating than being on the clock all day is being on the clock all day and having nothing to show for it.
This lead was promising. This might actually happen.
Finally.
Thumbing her password into her phone, Cassie jumped over to her email and saw the reply she was waiting for.
It was him. It was Roger.
Roger? What a stupid name.
Well, okay. It's not
THAT
stupid a name but it's a stupid name for someone to make up as an alias and there's just about no chance the person she's been communicating with for the last week is actually named Roger.
Not that she has some moral high ground to stand on, of course. As far as "Roger" knows, her name is Alyssa. Yeah, it's not terribly creative but in an industry where everyone is named Candy, Fantasia or Destiny, it's easier to be subtle than creative when picking out an alias.
Cassie had run through her screening process dozens of times now and you can just tell when someone is using a fake name. But this guy sounded sweet.
Right from his first email, a bashful inquiry asking for more information on her booking process, she could sense "Roger" was her ideal client. He was well spoken, patient while he waited for her to reply and his requests were about as mundane as you can get in the sex-for-money trade. It's a far cry from what she's used to, she thought as they communicated back and forth.
Maybe that's why she let him get away with the made up name. Maybe that's why she didn't press him to send her references from other escorts or a photocopy of his ID with a link to his Facebook profile and LinkedIn page.
"You're making a mistake." she said to herself, more than once.
If Cassie had followed any of the regular steps of her process, she might have avoided the awkward situation she'd find herself in later tonight. But this guy seemed genuine and, hell, if things went sideways she could just knee him in the balls and take off.
Overconfidence was her second mistake.
Her third was taking his money.
When Roger was hesitant to give her his ID, Cassie told him she wouldn't continue their conversation without a 50% deposit. It was sent moments later. He hesitated to give her too much information but had no trouble sending her half the money up front?
"Yeah," she thought. "He's definitely married."
And that's how she got here. The phone chimed just as Cassie thought it would. He'd just sent the rest of the payment.
A cop wouldn't do that. Someone who might be a risk to your safety wouldn't leave that kind of paper trail, even if it was just electronically. Hell, anyone who knew anything about the sex-for-money business would know paying in advance is just asking to get burned. Clearly, this guy hadn't done this before.
Paying for her services meant there was no turning back for Roger, or whatever his name was. All Cassie had to do was show up.
They could proceed. She was willing to take the chance.
As Cassie looked over at the outfit Roger has requested she wear, she couldn't help but think this would be a good night. Sometimes it's important to build trust with a new client. It's how to create regulars and regulars are a lifeline for girls in the sex trade.
So what if he was married? Her job is to please her clients, not play marriage counselor.
If she knew who she was talking to on the other end of those emails, she might have played things differently.
Then again? Maybe not.
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Tony looked down at his clock again. Barely five minutes had passed since the last time he checked.
He closed his eyes and let the feel of the room overtake him. The hum of a busy parking lot was both comforting and concerning but it was the smell that really stood out.
Even though he knew from the minute he walked into this hotel that his room was clean but it almost felt ... too clean. Like it was too sanitized. Like someone came in and wiped down every inch of the room with Lysol and took any sense of personality with it.
Those were Tony's thoughts as the clock ticked closer to 8 p.m. He looked at his hands and could see beads of sweat forming on his palms. He was nervous.
Tony was trying, and failing, to do whatever he could to stop from focusing on why he was in this room.
Tony was a married man, happily married in fact. And he's not proud of what he's doing here but, honestly, it's for the best. Spiritually. Mentally. Physically.
Kayla would understand.
Tony's wife knew he would end up doing this one day -- he'd been open about this fantasy for most of their marriage -- and while their relationship might not be as physically satisfying as he wanted it to be, it's otherwise absolutely perfect. He loved her. She loved him. But he needed something different.
When you'd been together with someone for close to two decades, that's just the way it was. You could still love each other and be there for each other but, physically, you couldn't expect the excitement to still be there the same way it used to. And if you hadn't lost your need for sex, but your partner had, it's impossible to bury that thought forever.
He's not cheating.
No, really. He's not.