Hooked

you.” Benny focused on her chest and did everything but drool down his shirt.
    What a jerk .
    He took her arm. “From now on call Charles before you come, and he’ll give you a special code to punch in. I’ll give you a key so you don’t have to wait for someone to open the door.”
    “Sounds almost furtive, like some secret organization.” Benny’s leer gave Tawny the creeps.
    “We are secret. That’s the beauty. As I mentioned, there are some clients who prefer hotel arrangements, but most think coming here is safer. Never know who you might meet in a hotel. New York is the smallest big city in the world. Word spreads. People run into other people and then, ‘Oh, guess who I saw at the Plaza?’ turns into ‘Saw Jane’s husband at the Plaza,’ to ‘What were you doing at the Plaza?’ Messy. Then there’s all the credit card bills, the IRS, nosy wives.” He snorted. “Very messy.”
    Tawny laughed in spite of herself. Benny wasn’t far off. She knew of a couple of times when something exactly like that had happened.
    “Come on, meet some of the ladies and Colin.” He directed her to an office where three stylishly dressed young women sat around chatting with a small, ferret-faced man with a cockney accent. The Monday night ladies.
    The girls were younger than Tawny and very pretty. Classy. Models or actresses. She recognized all three from the pictures Walsh had shown her the other night. They acted friendly, showing none of the catty, arched-eyebrow glares normally directed at would-be competitors. Tawny smiled and felt very old.
    A girl with café au lait -colored skin spoke first. “I’m Angie, this is Tessa, and she’s Darlene, tonight’s hostess. After your tour, why don’t you join us for a drink on the fourth floor?”
    “Thanks, I’d like that,” Tawny said.
    “And that’s Colin.”
    The man behind the computer mumbled a hello, tipped his head, and turned back to the computer. Benny took her arm and led her out of the office. “Monday night is usually quiet. Perfect to familiarize you with the setup. Fridays we have a get-to-know-you party in the fourth floor ballroom. It’s the busiest night.”
    “This is different for me,” Tawny said. “I’ve always worked alone. And to make things clear, I will not participate in Friday night parties.”
    Benny slipped his arm around her waist. “I wouldn’t expect you to. That’s my testing ground for younger, less-experienced ladies. It’s how they build a clientele.”
    There was that word again. Younger. To think thirty-two was approaching the end of the line. Sure, in competitive sports your body slows down. Movie actresses show tiny creases on the screen. But prostitution? Tawny’s price was higher than ever, even if she’d lost interest in the game. Younger, indeed.
    “The lobby, a meeting room, and the office take up the first floor. Plus my private domain where I stay when my family is on the island. I’ll take you to the upper floors and show you the rooms.” He guided her into the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor.
    Benny opened a few apartment doors. “This building was an individual residence at the turn of the twentieth century. Then a subsequent owner transformed it into separate apartments. I bought the building and remodeled the inside. Added some marble, silk wall coverings, Oriental rugs. Luxury, Tawny, beaucoups of luxury.” He breathed deeply and puffed out his chest in pride. “Nice, don’t you think?”
    “The rooms are elegant.” She meant it too. Each one boasted a different theme and color scheme. Erotic art in antique frames hung on the walls. “I’d say they vie with the best hotels in the city, without the restaurant.”
    “We have an arrangement with a French restaurant in the next block. Menus are in the rooms. Phone your order to Charles, and it will be delivered to your room within forty minutes. We don’t have much call. Not many of our clients are hungry…for food.” Benny managed a particularly wicked grin. “But occasionally, someone contracts for an entire evening and wants something to eat. Service till midnight. Actually, I’ve thought of putting the kitchen to use and hiring a full-time chef. That would take Upper Eighties far beyond any other club in the city.”
    Tawny smiled. “You’ve thought of everything. How many ladies do you have on call, and how often are they expected to work?”
    “Depends. They work as much or as little as they want.