Chapter 19

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Jake felt Leanne nudge his arm. He looked around. They were in the parking lot of the brothel.

“Have I told you lately that you are my favorite woman in the whole world?”

“Jake, you’ve just brought me to a whorehouse. Why are you sweet-talking me?”

“I know this is a stretch for you, but you never fail to impress me with your strength and character. I love you for doing this.”

“Don’t make me cry on the way into your whorehouse.”

“I’d like you to help me today.”

“Doing what?”

“In addition to taking a look around, I’d like you to help me interview two prospective employees.”

“Employees? Do you mean whores?”

“I believe the going euphemism is the talent. Harris would screw the girls. If they were presentable and not frigid, he would give them his approval. Then he would jack up their libido. It seemed to work out okay.”

“Jake, I love you, but I’m not going to watch you screw whores.”

“I’m looking for different qualifications than my father. I want to know if the work will hurt these girls. The talent here makes a lot of money, but I want them to be good for the business and vice versa.”

“What kind of girl isn’t going to be hurt by being a prostitute?”

“It would have to be girls who don’t see themselves as being forced to do degrading work just for the money. There may be more to it. We’ll find out when we meet the girls and see what they’re like.”

“Are you serious?”

“If the only way I can staff this place is by hiring people who are demeaned by working here then I will close it down. I don’t have a problem with wealthy men paying to have sex. I don’t have a problem with pretty young women making good money accommodating them. But I do have to convince myself that I’m not fucking up their lives in the process.”

“You are serious.”

“And then I’m probably going to screw them. But I’ll ask Diana to show you around if you don’t want to help me with that part.”

Leanne looked at him coldly.

“Leanne, how can I not? It will be expected of me. Basic quality control. I’m not doing this just to have sex with women I don’t know. I would enjoy it with you ten times more.” Jake took her hand. “Please, Leanne, I’ve got to find out how to do this. Ultimately, I may learn that good hiring decisions can be made based on personality, intelligence, and achievement tests, but I won’t know that until I get my hands dirty.”

“I don’t believe it. You really think that this can be just a business.”

“What else would it be?”

“An adolescent boy’s sex haven.”

Jake frowned and looked her in the eye. “I might have expected that from you a week ago, but you have no excuse anymore, and I won’t put up with it. I didn’t turn you into a mind reader just to have you project your insecurities onto my motivations. I certainly don’t expect snarky accusations when it would only take you two seconds to see how I really feel.”

Leanne began to cry quietly.

“You are the woman I love most in the world,” Jake said. “I want you a hundred times more than the women in that building. I desire you just the way you are — thirty-eight years old, slender and beautiful and elegant and haughty. I love those several strands of gray hair. I love the way your breasts show that you’ve nursed three children. I’m excited that a year from now, they will be nursing one of mine. That is how I feel about you. I’ll tell you the same thing again every day if it will make you feel better, but I expect you to look into my mind and my heart and see it there, too.”

“I’m being silly about this. I’m sorry. I let myself get jealous and insecure. I’ve fallen back on old ways of thinking.”

“Please, check my thoughts often. I won’t always be thinking things that you like, but when you don’t like it, it’s better that you know so that we can talk it out. That’s going to be the best part about you becoming a mind reader. We can each be what we really are without fearing what the other will say. You’ll see, love. It will soon become second nature for us to accept the other one for who he really is. We’ll save the confrontations for stuff that’s really important.”

Leanne blew her nose, released the catch on her seat belt, and opened the car door.

“Let’s go in there and see your whorehouse. I still think this is going to be a mistake.”

Jake offered her his arm and walked her toward the front entrance.

“You could be right. Tell me where you see problems after you’ve had a good look around.”

Jake opened the front door and stepped aside for Leanne to enter. He heard her inhale sharply.

“It’s gorgeous here. Someone with real taste did the design and decorating. Gus and I spent pretty good money on the furnishings in our house. Some of these pieces are things we looked at but couldn’t afford.”

Footsteps sounded from a side hall and Diana appeared, walking briskly but gracefully. She frowned slightly when she saw Leanne.

“Diana, I’d like you to meet Leanne DeRizzo. She’s an advisor. I asked her to come with me today and familiarize herself with the business. I’d appreciate it if you would show her around while I’m occupied.”

“Of course, Mr. Fielding. I have the prospects in rooms six and seven. If you want to interview them, I will show Ms. DeRizzo around.”

“Not just yet. Ms. DeRizzo will help me interview them before I have sex with them.”

Diana glanced quickly at Leanne and then back at Jake. “With Glen, the interview was an exercise of the owner’s prerogative. The hiring decision was always mine. Glen never turned down any of the prospects I presented to him.”

“I think you’ll find that I’m a bit choosier about personnel. I do expect to reject some of them. We’ll learn just how many over time. Perhaps you’ll be able to get a sense of what is important to me, and I won’t have to turn down anyone else.”

“You’re the boss, Mr. Fielding,” Diana said, very little of the irritation she felt showing itself on the surface. “Ms. DeRizzo, I’ll be waiting in the management suite when you are ready for your tour. It’s down this side hall, on the left. You can’t miss it. Mr. Fielding, rooms six and seven are on the second floor at the end of the east hallway. Please call me if I can be of assistance. Dial zero on any phone and ask the operator to connect me.”

She turned and went back the way she had come, her gorgeous backside swaying gracefully as she walked.

“She’s beautiful,” Leanne said. “She seems very capable. Her poise is amazing.”

“She was stealing from my father. If I’m not mistaken, she’s tempted to start stealing from me, too. I’ll follow up on that when I’m finished talking to the prospects.”

Jake and Leanne climbed the stairs and went to room six. He knocked on the door and then entered. A college-aged woman was sitting in a chair by the window. She rose and stared at Jake in surprise. When Leanne followed him into the room, she frowned.

She looked confused but then began to pull off her top.

“Hold on a moment,” Jake said. “Why don’t you leave your clothes on.”

“I was told this was just an audition. Sex only.”

“There was a misunderstanding. We’d like to talk to you for a while.”

“No sex?”

“Maybe later. Let’s see how the talking goes first.”

“But Diana said this was just a formality.”

“That was with the old owner. For me, you’ll have to answer some questions. First, tell me your name.”

“Amber.”

“How old are you, Amber?”

“Nineteen.”

“Where did you work before you came here?”

“Diamond Escorts.”

“Why do you want to work for Diana?”

“The money, of course.”

“Other places pay good money. Why here?”

“The money’s great. The place is classy. The number of hours is less than it is in other places.”

Amber was a very pretty girl. She had natural platinum blond hair. She was slender and of medium height.

“How much schooling do you have,” Leanne asked.

“I’ve got my diploma.”

She didn’t, Jake read. She had dropped out when she became pregnant in eleventh grade.

“How were your grades?” Leanne asked.

“About average.”

They had not been quite that good, but she had not been failing either.

“You’ve got a child to care for, don’t you?” Jake asked.

“Yes, but it won’t interfere with work. I’ve got childcare set up for the evenings.”

“What happened to the child’s father?”

Jake felt anger rise up in her. It showed on her face though she tried to hide it.

“He left me and the baby.”

“How long ago?” Leanne asked.

“It’s been a year now.”

“Why did he leave?” she asked.

“I’m not sure that this is anyone else’s business.”

“There’s no need to talk about it if you would rather not,” Jake said.

There had been mutual infidelities and money problems. He had stormed out after catching her in bed with a friend and had moved to California. She hadn’t heard from him since.

“How do you feel about having sex with men for money?” Leanne asked.

“It’s okay. The money is good.”

“But if you didn’t need the money, you wouldn’t do it, would you?”

“Of course not. Who would?”

“Does your mother know that you are working as a prostitute?”

“No, I haven’t told her.”

Jake read that she would have been mortified if her mother found out.

“If you could get a great scholarship to go to school,” Jake said, “one that would pay enough to take care of you and your child, what would you like to study?”

“I don’t really know. I wasn’t that good at anything in high school.”

“How about a trade like court reporting or design or beauty school?”

“I might be able to do something like that.”

“Even though the money won’t be as good as this when you graduate and got a job?”

“That makes it harder, but nobody wants to be hooking all her life.”

“I could get you one of those scholarships,” Jake said. “Are you interested?”

“Instead of working here?”

“Right. It would pay you two thousand dollars a month starting immediately and lasting until your training is finished. Plus it would pay all the expenses of your schooling.”

“What’s the catch? What would I have to do?”

“You have to call the scholarship plan administrator, decide on a course of study that she agrees is worthwhile, study hard, and give her a copy of your grades.”

“I don’t have to sleep with anyone?”

“Nope. This isn’t a way for someone to take advantage of you. It’s an opportunity for someone who is motivated to take charge of her life and make a good home for herself and her child. It’s a chance to work at a job you are proud of. Are you interested?”

“And I would be paid right away?”

“The first check will arrive within a week.”

She looked over at Leanne. “This is for real?”

“If Mr. Fielding makes a promise, it’s as good as done.”

“You promise, Mr. Fielding?”

“I do.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Jake got a cocktail napkin from the wet bar and wrote down his cell phone number.

“Call me tomorrow. I’ll get you the contact information for the scholarship administrator.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

“You can go ahead and leave. Can you find the way out from here?”

“Yes, sir.”

Amber scurried out of the room, confused but excited.

Leanne looked over at him.

“That gesture will cost you over $100,000 if she figures out a way to stretch out her studies for three years.”

“If she does then she’ll have finished three years of school. I’ll consider it money well spent.”

She pulled Jake to his feet, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him thoroughly.

“You surprise me, Jake Fielding.”

“And you are ten times the woman that she is. How could you have felt insecure?”

“Jake, she’s young and pretty. What woman wouldn’t feel insecure?”

Jake growled. “One who would just take a moment to read my mind. I’m going to start putting you over my knee when you assume things about me that you could easily see are false.”

“Yes, Jake,” she said, looking down humbly, but Jake could feel that she was a bit intrigued by the idea of Jake manhandling her.

And I’ll be reading your mind, too. I think I see a spanking in your future.

“You wouldn’t dare. I’m a grown woman.”

“Yes, you are. Very nicely grown, too. I’ve looked closely and I know.”

She slapped his arm.

“If I hadn’t made her that offer, what would you have thought about her working here?”

“She is just a little girl. Her body is grown up, but she should still be in high school with teachers keeping an eye on her.”

“What would it have done to her to work here?”

“I can’t say for sure. She’s already doing this kind of work after all. But she would have been humiliated if her mother had known. I don’t care how good the money is. It’s obvious she doesn’t want to be a whore.”

“I agree. And if I were a customer, I wouldn’t have been that impressed with her mind, no matter how pretty the wrapping was. Shall we see what’s behind door number seven?”

Jake went out into the hall and knocked on the next door. Jake opened it, let Leanne enter, and then followed.

An exceptionally pretty woman was sitting on the bed. She was wearing a short-sleeved sweater and a modest skirt. She stood and smiled widely when they came in.

“I’m very sorry you had to wait,” Jake said.

“We job seekers have to accept that we are operating at the convenience of our prospective employer, not our own.”

“You are kind to say that, but it still makes me uncomfortable to keep people waiting.”

Jake found himself half smitten with her. He read in her a sense of amusement and a playful attitude.

“Diana told me that I would have to entertain the owner. She didn’t tell me that he’d be so young.”

“Aren’t young men entitled to invest their money, too? Or do we have to leave all the best business ideas to old guys?”

She laughed. “Oh, no, sir. You know what I mean. It’s very unusual to have someone so young running a big, illegal business.”

“Fortunately, Diana runs it for me. Owning it is easier than managing it. Let me introduce you to my adviser. This is Leanne DeRizzo. My name is Jake Fielding.”

“Diana didn’t mention that I’d be taking on a woman either.”

“You probably won’t, unless I can coax her into being more open to the possibilities than I’ve been able to so far.”

“Jake!” Leanne snapped and blushed.

The woman laughed. “That’s a wonderfully ambiguous and suggestive sentence.” She extended her hand to Jake. “My name is Alice Cunningham.”

“Can we chat with you for a while, Ms. Cunningham?”

“That would be delightful. It’s always nice when you can break the ice before you hop into bed. And, please, call me Alice.”

“Thank you, Alice. Please call me Mr. Fielding. I regret the formality but Diana tells me that at my age I need to foster a respectful attitude in the staff. I hope I can ease up in a few months when everyone is sufficiently cowed by my commanding presence.”

She smiled. “Yes, sir.”

“Diana may have told you that this is the obligatory romp in which the owner gets to sample the pretty new girl and that Diana has already decided to hire you. I’m afraid that that’s not quite the case. The former proprietor would have done exactly that, but you’ll have to get past one more interview before we consider putting you to the trial of an audition.”

“That was indeed my impression, Mr. Fielding,” she said with a smile, “but I’m more than glad to discuss my qualifications with you.”

“Tell us about your education, dear,” Leanne said.

“I’m going to be a senior at the Methodist college just up the street. I’m studying business.”

“What classes have you taken outside your major?” Leanne asked.

“Some of the required courses like government, physical education, and composition. My electives included art, art history, and a couple of upper-division literature courses.”

“Why not major in one of the liberal or fine arts if you are so interested in them?”

“I love to talk about art and literature, but I don’t think it would be easy to make a living in either area. Business is very practical, and provided you avoid certain dreary areas like accounting or human resources, it can pose interesting challenges.”

“So if I were a stuffy, rich man trying to impress you with my expensive art collection, you’d be able to discuss it with me intelligently?” Jake asked.

“Yes, I would be able to, and I would enjoy it, but I wouldn’t.”

“Why not?” Leanne asked.

“If he’s trying to impress me then what he wants is to talk about himself. I’ll let him have his way. He might even be intimidated if he found out that I could hold my own talking about art. These men pay a lot of money to be entertained. It’s not unreasonable for us to do our best to help them feel good about themselves.”

“How does it feel to be a whore?” Jake asked.

He felt her shock at the question. It was followed by anger, which was quickly tamped down.

“It feels fine, Mr. Fielding,” she said coolly. “I don’t just come out and tell people what I do, but I’m not ashamed either. I like sex. I like men. I like what they do for me. If I didn’t need the money, I probably would never have gotten into this line of work. But having chosen to do it, I approach my work determined to do my best. Most of my customers appreciate my attitude, and I enjoy their company.”

“Does your mother know you do this? Your father?”

“No, and I won’t tell them. But that’s to protect their sensibilities, not because I’m ashamed. I would rather that they looked at what I do as something morally neutral and socially beneficial because that’s how I view it. But since they don’t, I’ll keep my silence to ensure that Thanksgiving dinners don’t become uncomfortable.”

“Enough, Jake!” Leanne said. She turned to Alice. “I apologize for Jake. He thinks he has to ask blunt questions to find out how you deal with the social stigma that comes with prostitution.”

“Why would he care?”

“It’s his peculiar sense of how the modern, socially-conscious proprietor of a house of ill-repute should behave.”

“Perhaps we can critique my human-resources strategies some other time,” Jake said. “I apologize on my own behalf. I regret my questions even though I think it is important that I ask them.

“Accepted.”

“I’m pleased and impressed to find that your attitude is so healthy. Please let me change the subject. You are a student of business, I’m interested in your opinion about what percentage of my expenses should come from labor costs.”

“It would make more sense for me to ask you that question, but I’ll do my best to answer you. I believe that traditionally prostitutes in an in-call establishment receive twenty-five to thirty-five percent of the gross. You are marketing yourself to the high end and can charge top prices. That reduces payroll as a percentage of revenue.

“On the other hand, you will have to pay extra to ensure that you have attractive, well-spoken, and talented girls who satisfy the top-end market. My sense is that you only have to pay toward the high-end of the labor market but you can charge well above normal prices. So, you can probably keep your labor costs for prostitutes below thirty-five percent. I wouldn’t think that labor costs for overhead items like maintenance, security, and the like would be that significant.”

Jake nodded. “For what you know about the services we offer, that’s pretty good. How can we protect against employee pilfering and theft?”

“I wouldn’t think you really had to. The housekeepers might take off with a couple of towels occasionally, but it can’t be significant. I would think the bigger problem is embezzlement. An illicit business can’t insist that the customers pay with credit cards. A lot of your revenue must come in as cash. That’s a big temptation for whoever takes it in.”

“So how do I protect against that?”

“You’ve got to ensure that the employees who provide the services also make good records that can be matched against receipts. Don’t let the people who track what the girls do also accept the money. Don’t let the right hand know what the left is doing. At the end of the day, ensure that money received matches the memoranda of services provided. If not, have a long, hard talk with the money takers.”

“What are your plans after graduation?” Jake asked.

“I have to decide soon if I’m going to stay in school and work on an MBA or try to get an entry-level management job. That’s a big part of why I applied for this job. If I can get the money together, I’ll probably stay for graduate school.