Chapter 40

Chapter 40
Kenzie

“Hello?” I answer the phone that is waking me up on a rare day that I have off from both of my jobs.

“Good morning, Kenzie, this is Bridget.  How are you?”

“Oh hi, I’m good. And you?”

“Very good, thank you. I’m calling because I have a profile for you to review. If you’re going to be home today, I’ll have a courier service bring it to you.”

“Yes, I’ll be home today.”

“Wonderful, it will arrive in the next hour. Now, just so you’re not surprised, the profile won’t contain any identifying information meaning there will be no picture. At this point, you are just reviewing the information to see if he is someone you would like to meet. If you agree to meet him, when I call you back with the date arrangements, I will provide you with his full name. He has reviewed the same information on you and would like to meet you if you are interested in meeting him.”

“Okay…”

“I’ll tell you a little about him if you have a few minutes. Unlike most of my clients, I have known this gentleman for several years now. Like most people I socialize with, he had no idea what I truly do until very recently. He is a very successful businessman who works far too many hours and as a result has zero personal life. Because of his success, he is invited to many different events including charity galas, fundraising dinners, political events and then of course, there are the dinners associated with his own business. I do want to let you know however, he is going to require whoever he decides to contract with to sign an exclusivity contract—“

“I’m sorry, an exclusivity contract?”

“Yes, I believe I mentioned it in one of our meetings. Essentially, this is a contract that states that you, if you two were to agree to enter into a contract together, would agree to only have a contract with him. Meaning, I would not be able to provide your profile to any other clients and you would not be able to accept contracts with any other clients.”

“Why would he insist on this? I don’t see why he would care…”

“In his case, he needs someone by his side for publicity. You can’t be seen with him in one picture on a website and then a week later be on the arm of another man at a different event—“

“OH! I see… that makes sense.”

“I don’t know too many specifics about what his commitments will be, but I think it’s likely to be at least weekly events with a chance of up to two to three times per week.”

“Really?  That many?”

“For men who are this successful, this is pretty typical.”

“Can I ask… what happened to the last girl he contracted with?”

“Nothing… like you, this will be his first meeting. He is a brand new client to me.”

“I see.”

“Once you review the profile, give me a call or text me to let me know if you are interested in scheduling a meeting. Be sure to look over your schedule, because I expect the meeting to occur this week.”

“Thank you, I’ll call you later.”

I decide to wait around for the courier before heading to the laundromat a few blocks away. I pack everything up, and once the courier arrives, I throw the large envelope into my bag and head out. I hate walking there, especially carrying a large bag of clothes but there isn’t really another option, considering my building doesn’t have its own washer and dryer. It’s a pain, but at least the weather is nice today. I’ve ended up walking in the rain with clean clothes which isn’t any fun.

After I throw the clothes into the washer, I take the file out of the envelope and discreetly begin reviewing it. There isn’t much to review though; like Bridget, said there was no identifying information, only his initials NP. Other than that, it’s basic information: he works in the financial industry as a manager, he enjoys spending time on his boat and he lives in Manhattan. There is really no information about him as a person which is kind of disappointing. I don’t know what I expected but I guess more along the lines of his likes, dislikes, favorite foods, etc…

There’s actually more information about the type of woman he is looking for: someone who can attend social events and business dinners, must be comfortable meeting new people, must be able to remember key players, must have an open mind in business and politics, must be willing to sign an exclusivity contract, must be willing to be photographed and must be available evenings and weekends when needed. I think I meet most of those requirements. I’m comfortable meeting new people, my experience at business functions with him required me to remember specific details about certain people, and evenings/weekends wouldn’t be a problem if I stopped working at the store.

I decided a few days after meeting with Bridget that if I agreed to this arrangement, I would stop working at the store after the first date. I enjoy working at the bakery the most and if I had to choose a job to keep, hands down it’s the bakery. Plus, I don’t like the idea of interacting with coworkers or former dates while at the store. I think it would be awkward and uncomfortable for both of us. It’s risky with the bakery because I don’t know what’s going to happen after the sale of the business, but I’m confident that if I don’t stay on with the new owners, that I can find another job at another bakery, especially with Ginny’s recommendation. Besides, the hours at the bakery are less likely to conflict with events that I would be requested to attend. I see very few business deals being done at five or six in the morning.

Taking a deep breath, I send Bridget a text message saying I agree to meet NP; I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I still can’t help but question if I’m making the right decision and if I can trust Bridget whom I barely know. She has addressed all of my concerns and I have insisted that all meetings occur in public so I think there’s less chance of getting hurt. I know if I ever want to improve my life, I need to make some changes and the only way to do that is to earn more money. I hate that I’m working so many hours and barely making ends meet.

I would love to be able to go back to school, afford a nicer place and maybe take a trip or something one day. Right now my focus is always on working enough hours to pay my bills and then to put a little money aside in the event that one day I might need to leave quickly or if one of my jobs fell through, I would have a safety net at least for a little while. I cross my fingers and hope that for once I have met someone I can trust.

I’m still leery but so far Bridget has been nothing but truthful with me. She isn’t asking me for a crazy commitment, just one dinner to start with. She won’t have control over the dates I accept or don’t accept and it’s not costing me anything to meet one guy to see if this is something I want to do. It’s hard to trust someone I barely know but opportunities like this rarely come along so it’s a risk I have to be willing to take. I’m going to proceed cautiously; I’ll bring my mace and the knife with me to dinner and make sure my cell phone is fully charged in case I need to call a cab quickly to get me out of somewhere.

He wants to meet you, tonight 6pm at The Summit. Reservation will be in my name. Go to Stacy’s on Third, she will provide you with everything you need for tonight. It will be charged to my account.  Good Luck, Kenzie.

–Bridget

Holy crap!  I didn’t expect anything to happen so fast! I quickly throw my clothes into the bag and head back to my apartment. I only have a couple of hours to find something to wear for tonight and then get ready. Of course The Summit is nowhere near where I live, so I will need to transfer routes to get over to that area of the city. I’ve never been to The Summit, but I saw it advertised in magazines at work; it’s one of those places you could only dream of having enough money to eat there.

Less than an hour later, I arrive at Stacy’s on Third which is what I expected: a high end, very expensive, boutique. When I mention Bridget’s name, I’m immediately assisted by the owner who ushers me into a dressing room and starts throwing dresses at me. It feels very different to be on this side of the dressing room; usually I’m the one finding expensive, beautiful clothes for women who are getting ready for a night on the town. Once again it almost feels surreal to know that I’m the one experiencing all of this.  I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop or for someone to pull the rug out from underneath me. It’s one of those things that is too good to be true. Those types of things don’t happen to girls like me and if they do, I’ve learned the hard way that the other shoe will always drop.

“Oh that’s it!  It will be perfect!” Stacy pulls me from my pity party when she steps into the room just as I finish putting on a dark blue dress.

“I’m going to—“

“Bridget told me where you’re going when she called me earlier. Rest assured Miss, this dress is perfect! We will pair it with some jewelry and shoes with a small heel but you won’t need anything else. I recommend you wear your hair up, have a few pieces fall around your face and curl them. Minimal make up, you’re a natural beauty anyway so you don’t need that stuff caked on your face.”

“Th… thank you,” I’m stunned by her compliment.

“Shall I wrap everything up for you?”

“Yes, please.”

By the time I’m back to my apartment, I have less than hour before I need to take almost the same trip to head to dinner. If nothing else, I’m grateful that the electricity in the apartment has been turned back on. I don’t know how I would manage getting ready without electricity. If I decide to move forward with this arrangement after tonight, I’m probably going to need to come up with a contingency plan for getting ready when the electricity is turned off again at least until I can hopefully afford a new apartment… one at least where the landlord doesn’t randomly decide to turn off the power.

I take one final look in the mirror before it’s time to leave. I barely recognize the woman staring back at me.  On one hand she looks vaguely familiar… she looks like the woman I’ve been trying so hard to forget used to look like. But, there’s something else I see that I never saw in that woman. I’m not sure what it is exactly but it’s definitely there and it’s different from the woman who let him walk all over her. I shake my head, vowing to not think of him tonight, to not think of that life again.  I may not live in a fancy house and have a lot of material things like I used to, but I’m happier now than I think I have been in my entire life.

“Good Evening, may I help you Miss?” I’m greeted the moment the elevator doors open to the restaurant.

“I’m… I’m meeting someone, the reservation is under Bridget Wilder,” I take a deep breath desperately trying to calm my nerves.

“Yes of course, the other party has not yet arrived but I will show you to your private dining area for tonight.”

As we walk through the dining room, I can’t help but try to take everything in. The large dining room is even more stunning than the pictures in the magazines. There are floor to ceiling windows that line two full walls overlooking the city. I wish I could get closer to the windows to take in the full view but I realize if I don’t keep up I’m going to lose my guide to the room. Just before we reach the back corner of the dining room, I take a final peek around the room and send a silent thank you to Stacy who dressed me absolutely perfectly for tonight. I’m pleased to see I am neither overdressed nor underdressed which was my major concern.

“Miss, your other party should be here shortly,” he opens the door to the private dining room, ushering me in.

“Thank you.”

The private dining room is small with only a handful of circular tables throughout the room, but what captures my attention are the windows along the wall.  Just like in the main dining room, the windows line the entire small wall.  My feet bring me to the wall of windows almost on their own; I can’t help but gaze out at the beautiful view before me. Being on the top floor, the restaurant sits higher than most buildings which provides it with an unobstructed view.  I’ve never seen the city from this high; it’s truly breathtaking. I’m told the view from the nightclub that is part of this restaurant just one floor down is just as stunning. Most likely a view I’ll never see, but I try to take in as much from this view as I possibly can, vowing never to forget it.