Page 11 of Kings of Desire
And here it came. The sensitive part that I knew she willingly left out ‘What am I supposed to actually do on a job?’
‘Whatever your client desires, as long as you are comfortable doing it. The initial Pleasures aren’t of a sexual nature. I don’t allow them to be, and if the client decides to raise the game they also have to raise the paycheck. That usually means adding another zero to the sum. But it’s your say so where you go from there on.’
‘If I accept or not?’
‘Yes, if you accept to let the Pleasure be of a sexual nature or not. I’m not going to lie and tell you that my clients don’t usually want to go further. Most of them do. You’re all attractive and it’s a part of human nature, trying to satisfy a primordial need. But you’re the only one that decides if you go on, or not.’
I inhaled all the air that I could, hoping it will manage to calm me down and help me remain in my seat to listen to all she had to say.
‘The jobs can differ. Some of our clients just need company because they feel lonely and need someone to talk to. Others want you to pretend to be somebody they need you to be.. and some of them just want to take pride in having a pretty girl on their arm.’
Everything the woman said sounded like danger to me. Even the thought of having contact with these people was sending a cool shiver down my spine ‘Is this legal?’
‘The mayor and a few judges are amongst my top clients. It’s legal. Very legal, but also very private. Our clients usually like to keep their identities unknown from all others besides me and the person who they actually hire for The Pleasure.
And since we reached the legal part, we also sign a contract that stipulates the requests and our limits. No one can reveal the nature of your job, and at the same time, you get to keep your mouth tightly shut about anything that could happen at a Pleasure and about the person who requests it.
I think there’s another aspect I should mention. Our clients are only from the elite society, so they spare no expenses to make sure their Pleasures come to life. You can easily earn in an hour what you used to make in a couple of days, maybe even a week of working in the Pit.’
‘What if I want to back out of a job?’
‘After you’ve accepted a job, you can’t back off unless the one who solicited the Pleasure tries to harm you in any way. But that usually doesn’t happen because the compensation they’d have to pay in case of any event cuts deep even into the largest of pockets. Plus, we have a few bodyguards that you can call on at any time.
To sum things up, usual Pleasures can’t be declined. If you refuse a Pleasure after initially accepting it, you are required to pay our agency the price of the contract, even though the client won’t pay you.’
Her words began settling in my mind, yet I was far from seeing myself involved in any of this. Still, my curiosity was pushing me to know more about this strange place ‘You mentioned something about the Pleasure possibly requesting a certain person.’
Vanya took a long drag out of her cigarette ‘Usually, it only specifies if they’re looking for a man or a woman, but we do have clients that ask for some of our employees in particular. Most of the time, the clients that require a specific person have worked with that employee in the past. And to make things clear, if the letter asks especially for you, then the rule in which you have to wait for your turn no longer applies.’ She finished her sentence, raising to her feet and leaning forward on the desk, supporting her hands on the counter ‘I need a decision now! I’m two girls short since two of my employees left without a warning, and as you may have realized, I can’t just put an ad in the paper for this job, so my time frame is very limited.’
The walls seemed to be closing in on me and no matter what I may answer came across as being the wrong decision ‘Can I have a moment, please?’ I ran out the door, unsure if she answered, and even if she did, I didn’t manage to hear anything. My heart was pumping loudly in my ears, covering all thoughts and making room for over-the-edge adrenaline.
I wasn’t the right person for this job.
But was it the right job for me?
I woke up in the street, trying to breathe in the thick smoggy air. Nothing and everything made sense.
That, until reality hit me!
What was I going to do since nothing awaited me back there? I had run all the streets, exhausted all possibilities. This was the only chance I had. Maybe I could even get enough jobs to bring Nat and Sebastian here to live with me... that, without having to break my dignity.
It wasn’t even a choice to begin with, and I was just starting to see things clearly.
With lightning speed, I was back, sitting in Vanya’s chair. I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity ‘I’ll take the job,’ my voice trembled so hard that it sounded like an old cassette stuck into a playing mode.
Vanya’s palms glued together while her forehead was frowning in annoyance ‘Never walk away from me again when I’m talking to you. Got it?’
I had rushed out in desperation and made a mistake. ‘Got it,’ I answered, hoping that my rude action wasn’t enough to make her withdraw her offer.
‘You’re lucky I’m in a difficult situation with not enough personnel on my hands, I would have locked the door behind you if the times were different,’ she muttered, searching through a thick stack of files that were placed in a corner of her desk. ‘You’re hired. Go towards the end of the hallway and wait for a Pleasure. I’ll prepare your contract by the time you’re ready to go.’
What?
Now?
As in today?
‘Go, you’ll know which room when you get there,’ Vanya didn’t raise her eyes to look at me, continuing to search through the files - and I didn’t give her the chance to get mad at me again.
