The interviews on my podcast are pre-recorded so I can make edits if necessary. Due to the nature of these conversations, my guests require privacy. That's why listeners are hooked to this show, because they'll learn things about society that will shock them.
The woman sitting in my studio is beautiful. She's 47 years old, dressed with expensive taste, but has the tenacity of someone who's worked hard all her life. It's our first time meeting and my producers have already vetted her story. 'Danielle' is what I'll call her.
I press the record button and a modulator slightly changes her voice to protect her identity. After giving a brief introduction on today's topic, I get the heart of this conversation started.
"Thanks so much for being here," I say. "So, a corporate woman. Tell us about that."
She flashes a warm smile. "Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure. Yes, I'm a corporate woman, I've spent my entire career in the business world. Graduating from Harvard with a business degree and having an influential father has opened a lot of doors."
"Now here's what's interesting to me -- and I'm sure listeners will find this interesting as well -- you spent a few years managing a luxury hotel."
"That's correct," she nods.
"Tell us about that. How does a corporate woman spend a few years managing a hotel?"
Danielle squirms and adjusts herself in the seat, then the smile fades and she sits upright. Dark secrets often elicit these kinds of physical reactions.
"I'll keep this part short," she replies. "One of my strengths is personality. I'm often told that I know how to charm, how to sell, how to interact. It helps that my father gave me several books on negotiation when I was young. That's a useful tip for your listeners, to read about sales and negotiations.
She continues, "Anyway, a couple years ago I was invited to lunch with corporate big shots. To my surprise, I was offered a job managing a luxury hotel, even though I have zero experience in that field. They needed someone right away. This was post-covid and lockdowns were being lifted fast. Business and travel were picking up and the company didn't want to lose valuable clients.
She continues, "They felt my management skills in the office would transfer to running a hotel because wealthy clients demand a certain level of service. They also wanted me to modernize the way the hotel operates. And they wanted me to oversee the expansion of that operation, everything from marketing to upgraded spa and entertainment services.
She continues, "I was offered a salary of $175,000 a year, plus large bonuses. I was given the option of being the permanent manager if everything worked out, but if I wanted to leave after a few years, then I was promised fast-track promotions for doing them a favor. In those days, I was obsessed with my career, so I accepted their offer."
"Was the hotel job what you expected? Better? Worse?"
"The job was... well, let's say... always exciting," she laughs. "I started the job a few months after signing the contract. It seemed easy enough, to be honest, because I already had experience managing people and keeping a tight schedule. But I was warned by my bosses and hotel staff what I'd be dealing with."
"Tell me about that. I've heard horror stories about the hotel industry."
Danielle winks. "Let me clear something up first. About 90 to 95% of wealthy hotel guests are fascinating people that I enjoy speaking with. It's one of the perks of the job, having different conversations on a daily basis. But it's the 5 - 10% that keeps me busy. They're the people that feel entitled to everything and are bored with money, so they look for new ways to keep themselves entertained."
"That sounds interesting coming from you."
"The dirty little secret of the luxury hotel business is that some wealthy clients live in an alternate universe. I'm talking about celebrities, rock stars, female pop singers, major executives, oligarchs from other countries, people who walk around with private security. They're paying big money and expect royal treatment.
She continues, "Then there's the matter of sex. Most people think rich people screw escorts on the side -- just simple sex. Sure, there's some of that going on. I've seen movie stars or business executives with escorts around their arms who look like they could be professional models.
She continues, "It's more than that. I'm talking swinging events, orgies, that sort of thing. Certain guests will rent an entire floor, and when that happens, I have to make sure we're fully staffed and particular items are ready. Towels, cleaning products, that sort of thing. Rooms will be destroyed, broken furniture, semen stains and bodily fluids everywhere. Oh, and they make sure to leave a $20 tip, maybe a $40 tip if they're generous."
"I've heard it's normal for these kinds of guests to invite hotel staff," I say. "Have you ever been invited? Ever see anything crazy?"
"Yes and yes. Before I started the job, I was cautioned by staff that hotel guests sometimes ask for help. Meaning, they'll call room service and offer a generous tip to watch. Some couples are into that, being watched. It adds spice to their sex lives. Other times they'll offer cash for participation. A husband who wants to get blown. A wife wants a new cock while the husband watches. That sort of thing.
She continues, "In my first year, I've been called to the suite or pool area whenever there's a dispute. Wealthy guests can be irritable. I'll never forget walking into an orgy for the first time. These people didn't care that I could see them. Older men were having sex with younger escorts. Wives had a line of hung men, stroking their dicks, waiting to have a turn."
Now for the exciting part, the main reason my producer booked Danielle for the show. The hotel story is half of what this episode is about, the other half is what's handwritten on a printed sheet of notes.
My producer's handwritten note reads:
"Important.
Ask about her son
!!!"
As my show's popularity has increased, I've become more reliant on my producer screening our guests and finding the most exciting parts, because I conduct so many interviews each week.
"Let's switch gears a bit," I say. "Somehow your son is involved in this story. I'm being sarcastic, but did you do any favors to help pay for his tuition? What's the deal here? Did you give him a part-time job at the hotel?"
Danielle gives a faint smile, as if she's ready to drop a bombshell. As if she's being an exhibitionist by doing so. I'm excited to hear where this leads given her corporate pedigree and sophisticated nature.
"Alright, I'll give this some context first," she says. "We'll call him Andrew -- which is a fictitious name. Currently, he's moved out and lives on his own. But when this happened years ago... he was... I think he was 22 or 23 at the time. I think it was his final year in college.
She continues, "Anyway, my son was supportive of the hotel endeavor. I often brought him gourmet food to eat the next day. I told him fun stories -- the clean stories. I never, ever told him about the sex. But everything else was fair game. I even let him use the hotel pool and spa during the weekends -- daytime, of course, when everything was wholesome.
She continues, "The downside of this hotel job -- as a mother-- is that I wasn't home most nights. I mostly saw Andrew during the mornings and afternoons. So when it was my birthday, you can imagine a potential conflict."
"Andrew came to visit you, with a surprise cake I'm assuming."
"That's actually pretty close. No cake, but he brought me gifts. This was my second year managing the hotel and I never expected Andrew to come at night. But there he was, with a stack of gift-wrapped presents, while I was summoned to deal with hotel guests. I shifted gears and went into mom-mode, thanking him profusely and showing gratitude, all the while thinking about how angry the guests will be.
She continues, "That's one of the struggles of being a working mom. The balance is precious. My son is my first priority, my love, my everything. But these particular hotel guests are friends with the hotel owner, so I'm thinking about that also."
"I like where this is headed."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't great at the time. Certain guests have the power to get hotel employees fired. All they have to do is tell the owner that service was subpar -- true or not -- and that employee is gone. Simple as that. Would I be fired from a complaint? I doubt it. But if the right people complained about me, then my career advancement would be over. The people I work for can be ruthless.
She continues, "There I was, bringing my son to my office, thanking him for the gifts, just being a good mom and showing appreciation. I was politely going to ask him to leave. The last thing I wanted for Andrew lingering around with God-knows-what happening in the hotel with those guests.
She continues, "Before I could lovingly kick my son out, [name redacted] marched to my office. Can we cut that? The name."
"Sure," I nod. "Not a problem, it'll be removed."
"Thanks, anyway, a particular man came to my office. Let me tell you about him. He's French, about mid-50's, and he's a film director. I've since looked him up. He makes critically acclaimed films that Europeans rave about. He starts ranting in a heavy accent about how the champagne and wine are subpar. He claims his team gave advanced notice about what they wanted months ago.
She continues, "I apologized profusely and felt so embarrassed being berated in front of my son. I'd say that was easily the worst moment of my hotel career. I can handle seeing wealthy people have sex, but being scolded in front of Andrew made me want to crawl into a hole.