Unwanted Heat

As I look over my list of questions I’m satisfied that I have covered most of the key areas. Question one is a big one for me, I need to ensure that no matter what happens I will be safe at all times. I can’t see myself going to some stranger’s house to meet him for dinner no matter how clean his background check is. I know all too well, things can get left off background checks and sometimes not everything is reported to authorities, even when it should be. I could never trust someone so completely that I would take them at their word that the person I’m meeting wouldn’t hurt me. Could I ever go to someone’s house alone even, if we went out several times?

I don’t know… I need Bridget to realize that I have more trust issues than most people do and that’s not something I’m willing to compromise on. Dates in public places I can deal with, there are options. If I felt threated I would have no problem making a scene to ensure my safety. Given what Bridget has told me about her clients, they would probably be on their best behavior in public because they wouldn’t want to make a scene. Unfortunately people can put on a great front in public and become the devil in the privacy of their own home as I’ve learned.

I still have a couple of hours before I need to report to the store so I spend some time reviewing the contract and realize I probably should have done this before making my list of questions but I figure I can always edit the list if need be. I don’t know much about contracts but it seems pretty straight forward to me. The contract addresses my communication question: it specifically states all requests for dates must go through Bridget and prohibits staff and clients from setting up their own dates. I like this idea actually-it gives me the opportunity to say no without worrying about hurting the other person’s feelings. I like that I can’t be pressured into agreeing to a date. The contract confirms what Bridget told me earlier that there is to be no sexual contact between the client and the staff at any time while one or both of us is under contract. Again, this is something I like. I don’t want to be treated like a prostitute for the man to be expecting sex from me at the end of the night.

The contract further states that an addendum will be signed for every date. A sample addendum is attached to the contract which again seems pretty straight forward. The addendum lists the rate per hour for the date, the expected length of the date with a note that this may vary but if it is going to exceed on additional hour the client is obligated to inform the agency of the change and then it requires me to list what physical contact I am agreeable to.

The physical contact options are pretty neutral which is what I would expect since the contract prohibits any sexual contact. Physical contact options include: hand holding, kiss on the cheek, kiss on the lips, hand wrapped around waist, hand on hip and dancing. I prefer no kissing on the lips, however I could see if a client is trying to show that we are romantically linked they may feel this is necessary. I decide to discuss that with Bridget and determine if it’s something that can be changed after meeting with a client.

While working at the store, I can’t help but look at the clients on Bridget’s contract differently. I worked with two individuals directly tonight and then put aside items for others; the entire time I’m wondering are they clients or staff that work with Bridget? Are they getting ready for a date tonight? I wish I had the nerve to ask them about how they know Bridget but of course the NDA I signed last night prohibits me from asking plus I would be too embarrassed to know the answer. With my mind somewhat more focused on work than it was this morning, the night goes by faster than I expected. When I’m on break I decide to call Bridget and see if she is willing to meet again to discuss her proposition.

“Good evening, Kenzie,” she answers on the first ring.

“Hi Bridget… I hope I have caught you a good time?”

“Of course, I’m just in between meetings so I have a few minutes.”

“I was wondering if you would be available to meet to discuss… things further?”

“Let’s see, I’m free around eight tonight?”

“Oh, I’m working right now so tonight won’t work.”

“Ten tomorrow morning?”Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Sorry… working at the bakery tomorrow morning and the store in the evening.”

“Okay, how about we meet for lunch at one tomorrow? I’ll text you the address of a place as soon as I get a reservation scheduled.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your flexibility with my schedule.” “I look forward to our meeting. Have a good night, Kenzie.”

I feel relieved when I leave work at the end of my shift. I am confident that if Bridget can answer my questions to my satisfaction and guarantee my safety then I will try this whole earn-money-for-pretendingto-be-someone’s-date thing. I admit initially the whole concept freaked me out but the more I thought about the customers that Bridget works with, the more it made sense. There are weeks when I work more than 60 hours like some of her customers do and during those weeks there is no way I could find the time to date even if I wanted to. Thankfully, I have no desire to date or haven’t even thought about going out on a date, that is, until the meeting with Bridget last night. At least with this offer, everything is spelled out and the expectations of both parties are clear from the start. I don’t have to trust anyone: works very well for me!

The next morning I wake up to my phone ringing which is odd because my alarm is set for four in the morning so the idea that someone is calling before that awful hour is concerning.

“Hello?”

“Kenzie? Dear, it’s Ginny. Is everything okay?”

“Hmmm… what time is it?”

“Almost six dear… you’re always here-”

“SHIT! Ginny, I’m so sorry, I overslept I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

I glance at my alarm clock and immediately realize why it didn’t go off… apparently I have no power. I quickly wash up in the bathroom sink before throwing on clothes and heading to the bakery. As I’m walking down the block, it appears everyone has power except for our building. Our rent includes our electricity since the landlord is too cheap to have the building individually metered. Our building is the only one on the block without electricity so I assume that once again the landlord didn’t pay the electric bill. He does this a few times a year, leaving us without electric for a few days before paying the bill again. It makes for a difficult few days as there is no hot water to shower with and no way to cook a hot meal but considering he doesn’t live in the building, I don’t think he cares very much.