“And the kiss?”
“The kiss was a mistake.”
“And for you, it's only about the money. All I am to you is a means to make money?”
His question hurt. His words hurt. Pain was clearly written across his face. There was both pain and confusion. Confusion that she placed there, when she placed her lips on his.
“It's more than the money. This is unrealistic.”
“Why?”
“Because it is. Because of how we met. If we met under different circumstances, then maybeâbut we didn't! We can't even think about being together because it's wrong.”
“Because you're an escort?”
“Because I'm a whore!”
Â
Â
She said it. He thought it, but he wouldn't dare say it, not again. The elephant in the room was now visible. Clinically, he opened a door that he chose before now not to see. Clinically, he opened up more than her heart. The words that would follow would make their arrangement either evolve further, or fall completely apart.
Silence overtook the room.
Tears streamed down Stephanie's face.
Desperation was on his.
One of them needed to break the silence. Because he had the degree and the credentials, and because he wanted to make an argument to be with her, he broke the silence first.
“You're not a whore.”
He walked in her direction. He tried to hug her, but she kept him at arm's length.
“I made three hundred and sixteen thousand dollars last year.”
She spoke with tears in her eyes and she took a step back from him.
“I made three hundred and sixteen thousand dollars last year sleeping with men. And that's after taxes. Do you know how many men that is? Do you know what I had to do to make that kind of money?”
Her eyes were bloodshot. She stepped away from him and sat in the chair.
“Stephanie. We can do this. I'm serious. We can make this work.”
“And then what?” Her voice was filled with anger.
“What do you mean?” He had a look of confusion on his face.
“I mean and then what? Say we became a couple. What do we tell people? How do we say that we met? What would we tell our kids? Daddy got horny one night and called an escort agency and the rest is history?”
“Don't do this.”
“Don't do what? Tell the truth? Don't you think this is a bit crazy? The truth of the matter is you're a customer that pays for pussy. The truth is that I'm a woman who provides pussy for a fee. Darren, you are not the first man to fall for an escort. Thus, the rules I told you about when you first called me. Men fall in love with strippers, escorts, and whores all the time.”
He walked over to her and caressed her back.
“I care about you,” he said.
“You care about the fantasy. You don't know me.”
“I know that you want a picket fence. I know that you want two kids and a dog. I know that you want to see the world. I know that you want to see Paris, Rome, and Italy. I also know that I want to do those things with you.”
Stephanie stood up and walked across the room. She didn't want to be touched and it was clear she had a lot of her mind.
“And what would we do for money? Here's a better question: What would I do for money? You certainly aren't going to pay me three hundred thousand plus a year.”
Darren let out a sigh. “No, no, I'm not. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“No. No, we won't. Do you know how many men I've been with?”
Silence.
“Do you know how many trips I've been on? How many men I've gone out with? Hell, I'd have to leave Chicago alone just so I wouldn't be recognized. And by the way, how would that make you feel? How would you feel if everywhere we went there were men who walked up to me and spoke while I was with you? Men who have been intimate with your woman?”
“I can handle that.”
“Can you?” She placed her hand on her hip.
Reality was starting to set in. Her words were harsh, but they were real.
“No. No, I guess not. I guess . . . I just got caught up in all of this. I guess when you kissed meânever mind.”
He looked dejected. He looked hurt. She felt hurt as well. She walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. She placed both hands over his face before speaking.
“You're sweet. But you can't turn a ho into a housewife.”
He placed his hands in hers.
“You're not a ho.”
“No. I'm an escort, and you . . . you are a customer. That's all that can ever be between us.”
Her words were confident, definitive. He was just about to speak when his cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“I need to see you.”
“Who is this?”
“DeVaughn Harris.”
He said to Stephanie, “Give me just a minute. I need to take this call.”
He took the call in the next room.
When he came out, Stephanie was gone.
An hour later, a limousine was out front waiting to take Darren to Wilmette.
Chapter Thirteen
Darren stepped into the limo and let out a deep sigh. He would have loved to have driven his new Mercedes Benz CL-Class sports car, but he had too much on his mind. It was good that Mr. Harris sent his driver. Darren was too preoccupied with his situation with Stephanie to drive, let alone drive in rush-hour traffic. He used the check for a hundred grand that Mr. Harris gave him to buy a top-of-the-line Mercedes. He traded in his sports car and hadn't looked back since.
He loved his new car. He loved his new lifestyle. The only thing that could make things better would be to have Stephanie on his arm. He couldn't help feeling as if they just broke up, although they were never really a couple.
She was right, though. Escort was just another way of saying high-priced whore. Darren wondered to himself where he went wrong. He wondered to himself when things got so out of control. He thought, this must be what it's like when an addict realizes that they have a problem. This must be what Mr. Harris was going through.
It was then that Darren decided that he needed to follow his own advice. It was then that he decided that he needed a woman in his life, a real woman. As the limo drove him to Wilmette, he pulled out his phone and sent a text. He sent a text to a number he wasn't even sure existed anymore.
IS THIS STILL YOUR NUMBER
?
-DARREN
He let out a heavy sigh and his heart skipped a beat when he hit SEND on his cell phone. He closed the cell phone and tried to get his head back in the game. Mr. Harris was one of his best clients. And, considering the last time that Darren helped him, he got a 100K tip, he needed to bring his “A” game with his client.
I hope things are still okay with him and his new woman. The last thing in the world I need to be doing right now is giving anyone relationship advice. I need to get my own shit together. Maybe Korie and I can pick up where we left off. Nah, who am I kidding? She's probably sitting up somewhere fat as hell and has probably had at least two kids by now. There is no way in hell she still has the same number.
Darren dismissed the idea of getting back with Korie as quickly as he thought about it. There was probably no hope for him and Korie, but he knew what he wanted in life. Now he finally knew. Being with Stephanie these past few months gave him some insight into what he wanted. He couldn't but help feeling that he had it all before when he was last with Korie. He had all that and more. Still, Korie was his past and he needed to look forward to the future. He was sure that she had long since moved on, so perhaps he should too.
Darren resigned himself to think that the next woman he fell in love with needed to provide the same love and support and passion that he once shared with Korie. He wanted her to be as down to earth as Stephanie. He wanted a woman like Stephanie in the bedroom, and a woman like Korie everywhere else.
Darren made up in his mind that he and Stephanie would go back to simply being customer and service provider. That was the smartest thing that either of them could do. They would keep things strictly physical. Emotions had no place in their arrangement.
It was 6:00
P.M.
when Darren arrived at the Harris estate. The driver pulled up to the front door and Darren was met with a smile from Mr. Harris, who met him halfway after opening the door. The two men shook hands.
“Wow, this is an amazing house,” Darren said.
“Why, thank you. Please come in. I hope I didn't put you out by calling you here on such short notice?”
“No, no, you didn't. How can I be of help to you, Mr. Harris?”
“Let's go in my study where we can have some privacy.”
“Okay, sure. Any chance I can get a tour of the place?”
“Sure. I'm sorry, where are my manners? Please, let me show you my house.”
Mr. Harris's home reminded Darren of the rapper 50 Cent's home on MTV Cribs. It had vaulted ceilings, marble fireplaces, limestone moldings, a library, skylights, balconies, and a wet bar. He had a number of custom hot-tubs, a sauna, steam room, home theater, and a basketball and tennis court in the back. His kitchen boasted marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, art deco furniture, and a grand pool out back. Darren thought to himself, This is how I want to live one day.
When the tour was over, Darren and Mr. Harris retired to the study. Mr. Harris poured himself and Darren a glass of bourbon and offered Darren a Cuban cigar. The two men sat across from one another. Before speaking, Mr. Harris grabbed a small black remote. He pressed the sensor twice and the fireplace in the den lit up.
That's some player-ass shit right there, Darren thought.
“So, Mr. Harris. What's going on? You're not having problems with the new woman in your life, are you?”
“No, no, no. Nothing like that. In fact, things with her couldn't be better.” Mr. Harris smiled.
“Then how can I help you?”
“Well, now, here's the thing. For starters, I think I might beânot sureâbut I might be in love.”
“Okay,” Darren said, laughing. “That's a good thing, right?” He lit his cigar.
“Yes, yes it is. But here is the problem. I'm worried that I might be in love and, by being in love, losing my edge in business.”
“Why is that?”
Mr. Harris went on to tell Darren about his deal with the Japanese. There was a company called the Aichi Corporation, that was trying to move in and merge with a larger company, but couldn't raise the capital they needed. Mr. Aichi, the CEO, was looking for a partner, one with majority shares but minor input. Mr. Harris was going to back the Aichi Corporation and play as if he had little interest in the company's long-term holdings. Then, just as they began to grow, he planned on taking over the company entirely and expanding in the Asian markets.
“Okay,” Darren said. “So what happened?”
“That's just the thing. I don't know. One minute everything was cool, and the next, they backed out of the deal.”
“So . . . what makes you think that you're losing your edge?”
“I don't know. Everything was just so unexpected. I mean, they need the money. Not working with me, means this deal doesn't get done. It also means that Mr. Aichi's dream is done before it even gets off the ground. They need me. I can't figure out for the life of me what went wrong.”
“Did you ask them?”
“They haven't returned my calls. They simply sent a letter saying that they can no longer move forward with our business venture. Ain't that a bitch?”
“Sounds rude.”
“It's damned rude.”
“Let me ask you a question. What was the last thing that happened before the deal was severed?” Darren's clinical skills told him to trace Mr. Harris's steps.
“We were in the middle of talks. I had my people on one side of the table, and he had his people on his side. I received a phone call and I asked him politely if we could caucus. You know, have a short recess.”
“And did he cancel the deal after your phone call?”
“No.”
“Did he seem offended by the call? Not to be racist, but it's my understanding that the Japanese are very particular about business.”
“They're damned particular, but he was fine after my call. In fact, negotiations were in full swing.”
“Then what happened?”
“The deal was moving forward; we shook hands. We were scheduled to celebrate that evening, and about forty minutes after our meeting concluded, I got a phone call and then a letter.”
“Sounds to me like you need to find out what happened between the time that the deal was closed and the forty minutes that they cancelled the deal. It also sounds like you are due an explanation . . . face-to-face, if you can manage it.”
“Face-to-face, huh. Not on a conference call?”
“If it were me, I'd do it face-to-face. You can hide emotion on a conference call. Body language in person is something altogether different.”
“Hmm. I like the way you think.” Mr. Harris took a sip of his drink. “Those little motherfuckers do kind of owe me an explanation.”
“If you don't mind my asking, why did you think you were losing your edge?” Darren sipped his drink and took a puff of his stogie.
“Well, Mr. Howardâ”
“I thought we agreed you could call me Darren.”
“We did. I also thought we agreed you would call me Vaughn.”
“You're right, I did. So, Vaughn, what happened?”
“Well, Darren, I have to admit . . . the phone call that I took, it was from her. It was from the new lady in my life. I put off a multimillion-dollar deal to talk to my woman on the phone. I've never done anything like that before. I never even did anything like that when I was married.”
Mr. Harris finished his drink and got up to pour another.
“Sounds serious.” Darren got up and had a second drink himself.
“That's just the thing . . . it is. I love her. It hasn't been a long time and I already know that I love her.”
“Well, time has nothing to do with it. You can't put a timetable on these things. If you feel it, you feel it, you know?”
“Yeah, but . . .”
“But what?”
“I can't help thinking that it's hurting my business. When I took her call, my chief advisor and my board of directors, my lawyersâhell, everybodyâgave me these . . . these looks.” Mr. Harris took a long sip of bourbon.
“And what did you see in their faces as you looked at them?” Darren asked.
“Fear. Lack of confidence. And on some faces, jealousy.”
“Hmm.”
“Yeah. I've never seen those looks before from my people.” Mr. Harris downed another drink.
“Let me ask you a question, Vaughn. If you didn't get this deal done, would your company go under?”
“No.”
“Is there any danger of your company going under any time soon? I mean, is your company in any trouble?”
“No.”
“How are your stocks?”
“Stronger than ever in a failing economy.”
“So let me ask you another question.”
“Shoot.”
“How did not making this deal happen affect them?”
“They would have seen nice commissions across the board by the beginning of next quarter.”
“So this deal would have fattened their pockets then, huh?”
“Yes. Yes, it would have.”
“And on their faces, what was it that you said you saw again?”
“Fear, lack of confidence, and jealousy.”
“Because you acted improper?”
“Because I acted irregular. Because my actions that day were . . . uncharacteristic.”
“Hmm. One last question.”
“Okay.”
“You're still the boss, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Fuck 'em.”
Mr. Harris laughed. Darren laughed as well. The two men sat back across from one another and talked. Darren began first.
“Vaughn, you're in love. There's nothing to apologize for. Now let me ask you something. Could that phone call have waited? What would have happened if you let your phone go to voice mail?”
“She would have left me a message and I could have called her back later.”
“So why did you answer the phone?”
Mr. Harris took another drink and another puff on his Cuban.
“Man, look. I just . . .” Mr. Harris started to say something and then he stopped.
“You just what?” Darren said, smiling.
“I don't know how to say this. I just wanted to hear her voice.”
Darren laughed a little.
“Man, you got it bad.”
Mr. Harris laughed.
“Yeah, yeah, I do. Putting off multimillion-dollar deals to talk to my woman? Yeah, I do.”
The two men continued to share a laugh.
“So what did she want?”
“That's just the thing . . . she didn't really want anything. She just wanted to hear my voice and you know what?”
“What?”
“I don't mind.
“Well, Vaughn, it sounds to me like you have something really special there.”
“I do. I do. She keeps me grounded, she makes me humble, and when I'm with her, I just want to be a better man. I can't wait to see her, I hate it when she leaves, and not a moment goes by that I don't think about her. I fact, she's on her way here now and I can't wait till she gets here. Darren, man, what should I do?”