Prologue

Frank was a fit, good looking 45 year old divorcee. His wife who left him because of another woman, but it was the wife who wanted the other woman, not him. He had found them in bed together and it turned out they had been having an affair for five years. He then realised why his sex life had been so disappointing.

As luck would have it, just after his divorce was finalised, he won a massive Powerball jackpot and was now a multimillionaire. The best part of that, he thought, was that she got none of it.

Frank decided to use his newfound wealth to travel the world for twelve months, doing everything first class, but soon realised he needed a travelling companion and naturally wanted the girlfriend experience.

As his wife of over 20 years had been his only girlfriend, he didn't know how to go about finding someone easily. So, after considerable deliberation, he decided to employ a companion.

Uncertain about what to do, he engaged an employment agency, but decided to choose one in Sydney where he thought there might be potentially more interested girls. Because he lived in Canberra, he was worried that it was too small and in any event, didn't necessarily want his friends to know. Worse, he thought, what if it turned out to be the daughter of someone he knew who applied?

He ended up interviewing eight applicants, the woman from the recruitment agency sitting in on each interview and helping him. Four of the applicants were invited to have dinner with him and he ended up taking them on dates a couple of times each, trying to get to know them better. Eventually he selected three of them to take away for brief holidays so that the two of them could see if living together for a year was feasible.

Frank didn't just want a bed companion, he was keen to have someone to share the highs and lows of travel with, to be able to discuss and debate activities and exhibitions and most important of all, be able to just sit and talk over dinner or when travelling.

During the interviews, it was explained that he was offering first class travel, tourist activities and accommodation, but was economising in just one area: there would only be one bedroom for them to share.

The financial arrangements were, he thought, quite generous. He'd pay all expenses while they were away as well as travel insurance. He would also provide money to buy travelling outfits and each week $500 would be put in the girl's account, while at the end of every three month's a further $5,000 would be deposited and if the girl stayed twelve months, an additional $10,000 would be given to her – a total of $56,000, all tax free as it was a gift.

Sharon, a 27 year old nurse, he took to New Zealand, 24 year old Sandy, a law student, he took to Norfolk Island and young Helen, who was in her last year of college, he took to Hobart. Each of the girls had decided where they wanted to go for this brief holiday.

Eventually, after considerable vacillation, Frank decided on Sharon to be his travelling companion, so he rang and asked her "do you want to be my travelling companion next year?"