Chapter 1

Nick sat back and contemplated the changes in his life. He was 46 years old, and was three weeks short of an anniversary. Almost a year ago, he'd been working in a small grocery just west of Salt Lake City. The pay hadn't been bad, but then, he'd been with this family business for twenty-five years. But there was no hope of advancement, just another thirty years of boredom and idiots to look forward to.

Then his life changed, with a huge Powerball payout. Everyone told him "Take the lump sum, man! Think of all you can do with it!"

But he'd often dreamed about what he'd do if the Goddess smiled on him that way, and a lump payment wasn't in his plans. He didn't plan to take the money and screw up his life. With yearly payments, if he fucked up, the next year he would straighten it out. Nope, for the next 30 years, his finances were secure. Even at his greediest, he didn't think he could spend $2,000,000 (post-IRS) in a year more than once or twice. He'd even given his employer thirty days notice. Those had been a loonngg thirty days!

This last year, he did come close to spending it all. First, he'd taken over his family's mortgages, one on his parent's condo, another one in the same area for his younger sister, then the houses of his older sister and his younger brother.

For himself, he'd signed a one-year lease on a nice 4-bedroom place, with an option to buy at the end of the lease. Because he didn't know where he really wanted to make his home yet, the lease was a good choice. He knew he wanted big water, and a small yacht, or a nice fishing boat, something ocean-worthy, but that one man could handle without too much difficulty. Maybe Washington, Oregon, maybe Northern Cali. Or maybe New England. Hell, maybe Hawaii!

Next came seven new cars, two SUVs, and a pickup truck. His family was definitely sharing his good fortune. After that, he'd taken some time to travel. New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia. Met good friends he knew only from the Internet. Spent days with two of them, and learned cyber- and phone- sex had just whetted their appetites. Then Washington and California, meeting more friends. Down to Texas, enjoying the company of the Grove, and spending some time in touch with the Goddess.

He loved to fly. It occurred to him on the way home from Texas, as he watched a flight attendant try to deal with more stupid people, he had the money to actually do something more than sit and watch. He'd learn to fly, maybe get his brother Carl and his nephew Luke to learn too. He was sure there would be times a co-pilot would be needed, why not someone he liked a lot?

But now, he needed to do something about his social skills. True, he'd seduced two women he'd never physically met before, but he'd been interacting virtually for a year with Dani, and probably seven years with Lily. They couldn't be considered new acquaintances. He needed help with face-to-face social events. Ok, he admitted to himself, he needed help with dating.

He'd never considered himself to be good looking, although once in a while he could see a trace of something a woman might find attractive. Usually if he took off his glasses and stepped back from the mirror enough that his face was blurred. He was 5' 9", and 272 pounds. His hair was a medium brown, with a good scattering of gray, especially around the temples. But it was nice and full, and the gray, hell, he figured he'd earned it all.

Then another thought struck him, something he'd read in a Yahoo forum a few years ago. Someone had been discussing the advantages of escorts over prostitutes, if he remembered right. Something about escorts in the role of teacher, not necessarily in sex, but in social interaction. True, the point of the discussion had been about young men, just beginning adulthood. But it might work for an old dude. Maybe someone to take to the Symphony, the ballet, charity fundraisers. Maybe someone to teach him how NOT to dance like a spastic elephant. He laughed at himself, 'Yeah, like that was possible'.

He thought some more, then called his bank to double check his balances. Next deposit was scheduled for twenty-one days from now. One of the first things he'd done, before even flying to Boise to collect his winnings, was open two more checking accounts. The first one was for expenses, such as home purchases and rent, and new car purchases. The second was for charity. He'd decided that after family was taken care of, he'd help others who needed it. But he only gave to recognized, organized charities. Oh, and he contributed to the Democrats.

He laughed to himself when he remembered, less than a week after turning in the winning ticket, the Bishop and Stake President of the area he lived in had shown up at his door, encouraging him to do the 'right thing' and pay his full tithe. Nick had tried to be polite, but it was hard, and he'd asked why he should begin such a practice when he hadn't been to church in 29 years? Nah, he figured the LDS church had plenty of available cash. He did contribute heavily to Catholic charities, though. Maybe he was being spiteful? He didn't care.

The third account was his 'Do as I will' account. He'd decided to budget himself $10,000 a week. He bought food, toys (his new computer and home furnishings) and what he thought of as 'fun'; movies, music, books and travel. He'd also used the leftovers from each week's budget to purchase nearly $100,000 worth of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Right now, the balance of the three accounts still totaled $158,000. More than enough to start a makeover.

He needed to get into shape. His old job had kept him moving probably 40 of the 48 hours he was scheduled, and probably kept him from getting even bigger than he was. Time to join a gym, and maybe Weight-Watchers again. Then he looked in the newspaper classifieds. Yup, under "Entertainment", escort services competed with phone-sex lines and exotic dancers.

He made a few phone calls and sat back with a sigh, dissatisfied. That was a bust. All they had really offered were prostitutes. He already had two very nice young women that he visited regularly, and he'd been flying to one of the Nevada brothels every couple of months. No, sex wasn't what he was looking for in this case. Then he thought about it some more. Did he know anyone who might have used such a service? Nope. Hmm, maybe Carl would. His brother Carl was a mortgage banker, and his company did a fair amount of business with out of town clients. But did he want to involve his brother? He considered this for a moment.

He was single, and didn't have to answer to anyone. His parents were cool, as were his siblings; and he wasn't going to go out of his way to embarrass them. He wasn't a public figure, per se, and didn't really give a damn about anyone's opinion besides his immediate family. He picked up the phone and called Carl's cell phone.

"Hey Carl, what's up?"

"Hey Nick, not much, Steve has a cold and is making Gina nuts. You know how she reacts to every whine and whimper."

Gina was Carl's significant other, and Steven was their four-year-old son. Nick adored both of them. "Carl, got a weird question for you. Do you know anything about Escort services? Not prostitutes or dancers or whatever, but that actually provide women to attend social occasions?"

A short silence followed the question, and Nick thought he might have offended his brother.

"Umm, sorry, you're right, definitely a weird question. Ok, can I ask you some questions, without twisting your shorts? I assume you want someone attractive, but probably fairly sharp and well read. No bubbleheads, right?"

"You said you weren't looking for prostitutes, but I suspect you'd be willing to 'negotiate' for special services, if she appealed strongly to you. I mean, if you just wanted to get laid, I know you, you'd have asked me for that. Never mind, I've noticed your little trips to Vegas. Nuff said."

"No comment," Nick answered, but Carl heard amused confirmation in his older brother's tone.

"Alright, tell me what you are looking for: Companionship, obviously. What else?"

"I want someone to increase my social skills. Teach me to dance, what to wear. You've seen my wardrobe; tee shirts and jeans, with a pair of sneakers. Some one that I could date, you know, 'Dinner and a movie', the Symphony, a concert, hell, maybe the ballet. Someone to take me clubbing, after she teaches me to dance. She'd have to have an eclectic taste in music, though. You know my radio's always set on 107.5. I like classical though too. Hell, I like trance and electronica! With the right girl, I'd even try line-dancing. Oh, and she can't be a vegetarian or major health-food freak. I'll be damned if I can't spend my money on good food. Hmm, maybe she could teach me to be a better cook, too. Oh, and moderate to liberal in politics," remembering the invitation he'd received to a Democratic fund-raiser coming up in about six weeks.

Carl's laughter filled the phone. "Ok, does this have to be all rolled into one girl?"

Nick thought about that. "Actually, no. I don't mind having a dozen women seeking my company." Carl laughed out loud at that. "Have some thoughts?"

"A couple, actually. Let me make some calls. Oh, when's the next flight class?"

"Saturday at 11:30. I'll pick you and Luke up in the morning. You know, the more research I do though, the more I think we should take the jet course too. Some of the older jets are cheaper than a big turbo-prop."