Page 6 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
“It’s not like I can change my mind, right?” I asked. “I mean, do you have a backup plan? My actual reunion isn’t for a couple of weeks, but there are a number of activities leading up to the one large party. I was hoping to have the woman make some appearances with me.”
“I don’t believe you’ll need a backup plan, but if it turns out you are unhappy with the escort I’ve chosen, I will certainly work to remedy the situation. I am very confident things will go well. Like I said, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m very good at selecting the right escort and client combination. It’s why we are the best in the business. It’s why I’m the best and my clients trust me.”
She was an excellent saleswoman.
“I hope I can join the ranks of your other satisfied clients.”
Her face lit up. “You will. My escort just replied she would be happy to take the extended version of the job for a hundred thousand dollars.”
I didn’t even blink at the number. “Fine. Do I pay now?”
“No, but let me update the financial agreement.”
I looked around the office while she did her thing. It was eclectic and not what I would have expected from a madam. The website and the documents made it very clear she didn’t run that kind of a business, but it was close enough.
“Just sign here please,” she said.
I checked the numbers and quickly signed. “Thank you.”
“Reach out if you need anything,” she said. “Anything at all.”
“Thanks.”
I left the office and walked to my rather mundane Mercedes. I preferred to spend my money on planes. People bought sports cars because they wanted to go fast and feel the wind in their hair. Those people didn’t know fast and free until they were ten thousand feet above the ground behind the proverbial wheel of a plane. Wheels on pavement had nothing over the freedom of the sky.
I headed for home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was one of the many homes I kept around the world. My parents teased me often about my unwillingness to settle in one place for long. My mother always called me her little bird. Sometimes, I did feel like I should have been born with wings. Fortunately, I had found a way to turn my passion for flying into a very lucrative career. I bought my own damn wings.
I parked the car, nodding at the doorman as I strolled to the elevator. My mind was whirring with what I needed to do. The first thing I needed to do was get the Diamond DA62 ready for flight. It was my new toy. I loved flying the airplane whenever I got the chance. I pushed the speed dial for my office at the New York hangar.
“Hello, Barb,” I said when she answered the phone.
“Hello, Mr. Jones,” she replied. She only called me Mr. Jones when she was irritated with me. Barb was old enough to be my grandmother. She managed the New York office and had been with me since the beginning. She was one of the few people in this world I trusted.
“I’m sorry to call you on a Friday night,” I said. “I hope you weren’t busy.”
“George and I were just about to watch a movie,” she said, referring to her husband of forty years. “What do you need?”
“Can you have the team get the Diamond ready for takeoff on Sunday?” I asked nicely.
“I thought you were doing this like normal people and chartering a flight,” she replied.
“Nah, I want to fly. If I don’t like the way things are going, I can get up and leave whenever I want.”
She laughed softly. “Spoken like a pilot with his own wings. It will be ready.”
“Thanks, Barb. Have a good night and tell George I said hello.”
“Will do,” she said and hung up.
With my travel arrangements settled, I headed for the kitchen to find something to eat. The personal chef I used left me an assortment of meals in the freezer. I grabbed one and popped it in the microwave before changing out of my suit and into a pair of shorts and nothing else. The wild life of a billionaire nerd on a Friday night.
