Unwanted Heat

Kenzie

“I have a reservation with Ms. Wilder,” I inform the server when I enter the Italian restaurant Bridget texted me the details for earlier this morning. Thankfully I had enough time to run back to my apartment and change into something more suitable for a place like this after my shift ended at the bakery this morning. Of course the electricity was still turned off at the apartment, not that I expected anything different. I had already left a voice mail for the landlord about the electricity, but I don’t expect to hear back from him anytime soon.

Luckily I’m more prepared than I was the first time the building lost electricity for three straight days when the landlord chose not to pay his bill once before. Now I have several candles, a flashlight with extra batteries, instant coffee (which tastes gross but at least will give me my caffeine fix until I can get to a store), canned tuna fish, bottled water and frozen bread. It doesn’t make for the most appetizing meals, but there’s only so much you can prepare without electricity.

“Yes, she is in our private dining room already,” he leads towards the back of the main area to a much smaller room than the one we met in the other day.

“Kenzie, so nice to see you again,” she greets me the moment I walk in.

“You too, Bridget. Thank you for squeezing me in, my schedule was tight today.”

Unlike our last meeting, we both spend a few minutes looking over the menu before placing our orders with the wait staff. I feel much more at ease today than I did the last meeting. I have an agenda for today’s meeting, unlike the other day when I was blindsided.

“You had some questions?” Bridget starts as we wait for our meal to be served.

“I did. My first question may seem simple but it’s a deal breaker for me. I need to know that I will be safe on these dates. I mean no offense, but I can’t just take your word that these men aren’t dangerous and won’t hurt me.”

“Kenzie… ” She sits back in her chair, clearly caught off guard. I’ve thought a lot about this over the last day and a half, my safety absolutely must be my first priority. I may not live in the safest of areas, but those are dangers I can handle. I cannot and will not be put in danger by Bridget’s offer. I will not allow the past to repeat itself.

“I can certainly understand your reservations about the natural risk involved when you meet someone you don’t know. If anything, the way I handle things puts you in a much safer position than if you met some random guy on the street or online and decided to go on a date with him. I do not advertise my services, meaning the average Joe on the street cannot walk into my office and request a date with one of my staff. Clients are by referral only and their net worth must be over five million dollars or I won’t even speak to them. All clients go through the same background checks as my staff, and I expect nothing less of them because they have a ton of money.”

“I won’t agree to meet someone in a private setting,” I note. “I don’t mind meeting someone in a room like this, but it absolutely must be in a public setting. I won’t agree to dates in someone’s apartment or in their office after everyone has left.”

“Is this firm or is it something you are willing to negotiate after you have a few dates with someone?”

“I’m not sure. I guess for now its firm but maybe later I would feel comfortable negotiating?”

“That’s fine. I only ask because sometimes clients ask for someone to accompany them on a business trip. For example, I believe you met Mr. Thompson the other day?” I nod remembering meeting him. “He was picking up clothes for the woman that I arranged to accompany him on a trip to the Virgin Islands. This is not unusual, but I will say that very rarely will these trips be a first meeting. Typically both parties have met each other several times before hand and feel comfortable enough with each other to go on a trip like this. We insist clients reserve suites at the hotel and provide us with confirmation of the reservation. Each suite must have at minimum two separate bedrooms and bathrooms giving each person their privacy.”

“I hadn’t considered business trips. I suppose that’s something I would be willing to consider later, but I think other than those, I would prefer meetings to occur in public places.”

“Perfectly understandable.”

“How much control do I have?”

“You have complete control. You may decline a request once it’s presented to you. You can terminate the contract at any point and walk away without any repercussions. I will not force you to go on a date or to a social event; you need to decide if the person requested your company is a potential match for you in a social situation. You have the final say.”

“What are my options if something goes wrong during a date?”

“I am available at all times to both my clients and my staff. I have never received a call that something was wrong on a date or that the client acted inappropriately. But in the event something like that does happen, you simply call me and I will handle the situation even if it means I come to where you are.”

“Good.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“What other questions do you have?”

“I don’t want clients knowing where I live; I prefer to have that private-”

“Clients are not given your address, phone number and key information is blacked out of your background check that is given to them. All communication goes through me; dates are scheduled through me. Typically both parties agree to meet at a certain location, sometimes it’s even my office if it is an event that the client wants to arrive with the date to. They will not pick you up at home or drop you off there at the end of the evening. Not only does it protect your privacy but it saves the chance of lines getting blurred especially at the end of the night.”