Chapter 2

I heard a soft conversation near me as I woke up. I was still on one of the pool lounge chairs, but now there were a pair of umbrellas providing shade. I shifted and looked over my shoulder to see who was where.

"Oh! He's awake." Juan told his Bluetooth. "Gotta run." He clicked the button. "Hi Papi." He got up and popped around the bar giving me a chance to see that he was still delightfully nude. He came back with a drink that looked cool and fruity and I noticed how distracting his tan line was. "Here, Ivan made this for you. Do you want anything else?"

I had to smile. "Is that a joke?"

He grinned. "Nope. Any 'thing' you want, any 'where' you want to put it."

I must have heat stroke, I thought. There is no way this is real.

Juan sat next to me. "Ok, so no rush. When you're ready to talk about it, we have some ideas about this harem."

"Ideas?" I laughed. "I think I'll pass. The three of you was more than I could take."

He waved the comment off. "That's because you're rusty. A few weeks and you'll be wearing us out!"

"Bullshit."

"So, should I get the guys now, or do you want a little more recreation?"

I looked at him. "You idiots are serious?" He nodded. "Fine. But let's go in. It's too damn hot out here."

We met in the kitchen. Ivan was already starting on dinner. Yann had a copy of the house blue prints and was making notes at the kitchen table. Ivan was fully dressed; Yann was only wearing pants. They both smiled as I came in.

"Recuperated yet?" Yann leered at me.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" I asked.

"Dumped him right before I had lunch."

"Right." This was looking less and less like heatstroke. "Ok. Look. I've had time to reconsider this harem thing and -"

"And, yes, from outside it's going to look a little suspicious." Ivan interjected. "That's why we're going to be very careful about who we let in."

"And they have to be here for the long haul." Yann agreed. "I don't think anyone should be popping in for a month and then leaving."

"So here's what we've come up with." Juan flipped a few pages in his notebook. "A five year contract to work in Housekeeping, Maintenance or Administration - we're the Department Heads, by-the-by - at the end of the contract they can re-up or leave. Since we really don't have much need for cash, most of what they need they can buy out of the expense account. Salary of $30k a year is paid into an escrow account monthly with a $10k annual bonus. If they leave at the end of the five years, they get the whole $200 thousand plus interest. If they leave early, they get the accrued salary less a 10k per year penalty for -" he snickered "- early withdrawal."

"200 thou per person?!" I nearly jumped out of my chair. "Are you nuts? I'm not that rich!"

"I wouldn't worry." Ivan shrugged. "You'll never actually have to pay it to anyone. We've all been here at least five years."

"Anyone who leaves after four years will get $140k. After three years, it's $90, after two, it's $40 and if they leave after the first year, they get $20."

"You're kind of fast and loose with those numbers, Juan. And is it even legal to write a contract like that?"

"Papi, please." He rolled his eyes. "I am an accountant! This is what I used to do all day."

"Really?" But then I remembered that I had advertised in the Post for the positions and chose the best looking of qualified applicants. Ivan graduated from culinary school, Yann was certified for electrical and plumbing work, and yes, Juan had a degree in Accounting. "Oh right, I keep forgetting that there's a brain in that pretty little head."

"So." He went on, ignoring me. "We do a three month trial to see if a candidate fits in. No sex." The other two snickered. "If the candidate still wants in for the contract period, they get a night with us. If the three of us agree, then we present him to you for final approval. How does that sound to you?"

"It sounds like you guys want a harem and I'm the bank roll."

"So the first thing we need to do is get applicants." Ivan picked up the thread as if I'd agreed to the idea. "I figure run a standard ad in the paper directing people to complete an application online. We can get the standard stuff - name, resume, whatever - and eliminate everyone that doesn't meet the first qualifier."

"And what's that?" I had to ask. "Age?"

"Age is second." Yann grinned. "First, he has to be a 'john'."