Two's Company

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    here?”
    “I’m supposed to be meeting with a client, but I think I may have gotten
    the schedule screwed up or something. Care for a drink?”
    She glanced at her watch, and then replied, “Yes, I think I have time for
    one, but a quick one.”
    “Are you waiting for someone?” Ian asked, waving the bartender over.
    “I’ll have a Cosmopolitan,” she told the bartender, and turned back to Ian.
    “Uh, no, I’m expecting a phone call in my room. A conference call that I can’t
    take on my cell phone.”
    The bartender set Gillian’s drink in front of her. Ian lifted his glass, and
    she followed.
    “To new friends,” he said, touching her glass with his.
    “To new friends,” she said and sipped her drink.
    They chatted, laughed at silly jokes and funny stories until Gillian finished
    her drink.
    “I’m sorry, I really have to go or I’ll miss this call and be up a creek.”
    “Allow me to walk you to the elevator,” Ian said, slapping a twenty onto
    the bar.
    “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.” She took his proffered arm.
    At the elevator, Ian kissed Gillian’s cheek and said goodnight. He waited
    until the elevator doors closed and pushed the button for the one next to it. He
    didn’t want to take the chance Gillian’s room would be on the same floor as his
    client’s room. He’d check the woman’s room one more time before calling it a
    night. And he’d definitely have a talk with Bridget in the morning.
    Getting off the elevator, he checked the hall in both directions, and walked
    to the client’s room. He knocked and waited, then heard a voice from inside.
    “Just a moment please,” a female said. A few moments later, she called to
    him through the door. “Who’s there, please?”
    Ian cleared his throat. “I’m from the escort service.”
    “Oh, good,” she said o pening the door, “I didn’t miss…”
    “Gillian?”
    “You…” Gillian’s face turned crimson as she tried to cover herself.
    Wearing a black demi-bra with a matching thong and high heels, she looked very sexy.
    At least from what Ian could see before she shrieked, ran into the bathroom
    and slammed the door.
    Ian couldn’t stop the roar of laughter from escaping. What a crazy
    situation! He shut the door behind him and walked toward the bathroom.
    “Gillian, open the door, darlin’, everything is all right. I promise.”
    “Oh my God,” she wailed. “I’m so embarrassed, please go away.”
    “Gillian, I need to talk to you about this, please come out.”
    “No, I’m never coming out. Just leave, please!”
    “Gillian, I’m not going to tell anyone, but we need to discuss this.” Silence
    met his words. Ian looked around the room and spied a bathrobe lying on the
    bed. He picked it up, carried it to the bathroom and knocked. “Gillian, at least
    open the door and take your robe.”
    He waited a few moments then heard the doorknob slowly turn. The door
    creaked open and Gillian’s hand slipped out. He placed the robe in her hand, but
    she had to open the door a little more for it to fit. When she did, Ian grabbed the
    edge of the door and pushed it open.
    “Sorry about that, but we really do need to talk. Now come out of there,”
    he said keeping his eyes on hers.
    Gillian wrapped the robe around her body, strolled to a chair at the table
    and sat down. “I am so sorry, and so embarrassed,” she said, her voice barely
    audible.
    Ian sat down across from her, hoping the table between them would give
    her a sense of safety. “It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
    “You must think I’m a—”
    “And now you know what I am,” he interrupted.
    As his words sank in, Gillian looked up at him with a grin. “Oh my,
    y ou’re right. You’re a, a…”
    “An escort?” he said.
    She nodded and began to laugh. “Yes, an escort.”
    “You have anything to drink here?”
    “I think there’s something in the honor bar; I didn’t really look.”
    Ian went to the bar and opened the cupboard door. “Looks like gin,
    vodka, or whiskey.”
    “If there’s Seven-Up, I’ll have whiskey.”
    “Here we go,” he said, setting two little bottles of whiskey and a can of
    soda on the table. “I’ll get you a glass from the bathroom. Ah, and you have ice
    too,” he called out. Returning to the table, he mixed the drink for her, and
    poured a bottle of whiskey into a glass of ice for himself.
    “So, you’re an escort?”
    “Yes and my family doesn’t know.