I pull out my phone and call my wife to tell her I will be late, only an hour, maybe two. She is not happy, hell anyone would think it is a chore to spend time with the kids, maybe she has got a hot date?

A man comes up to the bar and takes the seat next to me, he is talking to someone on his phone, from his manner I’ll bet it’s his wife, maybe his kids too, I allow myself a smile when he proves my guess correct by telling each of them goodbye. Most people do not realise how much information they can give out with a personal call.

He sits and orders a drink, before it arrives, his phone rings. I listen to him again as the caller and he talk.

“Hello darling, all good for tonight, I can’t wait to see you.”

“Never mind, can’t be helped, not like last week when your sister arrived out of the blue like that.”

“Yes I know sweetheart, but isn’t that just an example of the way he treats you, you know putting his job before you.”

“Ha ha, I thought you know his father.”

“Oh, you’ll make it up to me, that sounds inviting, maybe I should have dessert delivered to my room.”

“It is, well I’m looking forward to seeing you even more now ... Okay you see to your children and I’ll be waiting for you, bye bye, bye love.”

People like him make me sick, they need to be taken down a peg. Smiling, I turn on the charm and suggest, “Sounds like someone’s getting lucky tonight.”

He turns to face me, the supercilious smile is sickening. “Yeah, and about bloody time. Jesus Christ, I’ve had to work hard for some of bitches I’ve knobbed, but this one, hell she’s really made me work and I still haven’t cracked it, but tonight I think I’m there. It’s her old man’s fault, if he had gotten home on time she wouldn’t be so pissed off with him. I thought it was going to take a couple of more weeks, but now, I think I may be able to get there.”

“Married eh, do you always go for the married ones?”

“Not just married mate, they have to be happily married, I don’t want some bitch that wants out of her marriage, I want some bitch that desperately wants to stay in it, especially after I’ve got her.”

“Don’t want them falling in love with you, following you home.”

“Hah, they all fall in love, maybe not with me, but they fall in love with my cock.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Yeah all eleven and a half inches.”

“Eleven and a half, eh, that half inch must be really important.”

Missing my sarcasm, he answers smugly, “Hell yeah.”

“You want another drink?”

“Yeah, thanks bud, what’s your name.”

“Dave ... yours?”

“Calvin, I work as a consultant, I get called in to look at peoples businesses, find out the problem and tell them how to solve it.” He boasts after his introduction.

I summon the barman with a wave, when he approaches I tell him the same again, gesturing it is for my companion and myself.

As the drinks are poured, my new friend asks, “So what is it you do?”

Holding out a twenty for the barman to take I look at the man thoughtfully before answering. “Well ... I’m not sure what I do has an exact title, but like you it has much to do with preventing people’s problems from continuing.”

“Sounds intriguing, does it pay well?”

“It keeps the wolves at bay.” I agree.

“Come on chap, you’ve got me interested, what is it you do.”

I take a drink and receive my change before I answer him. “Well as I said, there is no real title for it and it’s difficult to explain and no offense, especially to someone such as yourself.”

“Ahh, you’re just winding me up.”

I just shake my head, knowing full well he is about to take the bait he is nibbling at. “I do different things for different customers, but the philosophy is the same. I work on a subject to get the subject to acquiesce to my customers wishes therefore solving my customer’s problem.

“You say customers not clients.”

“A client should be able to presume continued loyalty, I give no such guarantee, my services are one offs, unique to the subject, the customer and the desired conclusion.”

“How do you do that?”

I exhale loudly, signalling he is being too presumptuous, but he won’t let up, his type don’t like to be told no, but do any of us?

“Well the subject needs to know that anything I say are not just random possibilities, he needs to be sure I have the contacts and therefore the ability to make that something a reality. He then needs to understand that these new realities will happen if I do not return with a favourable conclusion for my customer. That is for my own protection.”

“You blackmail people?”

“That’s such an ugly word, don’t you think? No I don’t think so, I merely offer incentive to people, incentive to rethink things, incentive to adjust their own behaviour.”

“No ... Not getting it.”

“Sorry, but there is not much else I can say.”

“You must be able to give me an example.” He says somewhat forcefully, just shy of sounding demanding.

Gotcha ... I do not show my inner glee as I begin to reel him in.

“Okay, but you realise I couldn’t possibly go into details, you know all this modern bullshit about data protection and such, not that I care about much about that, you understand?”