I sat up at the edge of the bed still naked. I rubbed my sleep filled eyes waiting for them to adjust to the attack of the morning sun. Why don’t hotels have curtains that fully black out the windows? I was starting to calculate the possible monetary reasons when I figured it was too late to matter now. I was awake an hour earlier than I desired but, awake none the less. Why I chose to go out Monday night was beyond me. Luckily, there was nothing pressing to hurry me on my way.
I stood and glanced over at the other side of the bed. I smiled while admiring the naked beauty half cover in sheets and sound asleep. She had covered her eyes with one of the extra pillows. Smart girl, I should have thought of that. Her red curls stuck out from under the pillow. They were no longer as tidy as they were when the night began. I wondered if it was her true color. I really loved red hair. I always felt it made a woman look alive and happy but, allowed them to remain intelligent. Blond hair made them look dippy. Brunettes leaned toward the mean side. I knew hair didn’t dictate personality but, that didn’t matter. This redhead was paid for and last night she was alive, happy and seemed so intelligent.
I briefly thought of waking her up for a quicky. Hell, she cost enough and I was sure she would indulge me. But, then, I knew my limits. I wanted to see her again. She was fresh to me and I could quickly bore myself if I over indulge. Watching her sleep was nice. She looked so lovely and peaceful. If I had her again this morning, that image would be altered and I would begin to know her too well. It was best that I just showered and began my day.
I walked into the large bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror. My light brown hair was going in every direction and refused to conform to my natural part. I must have been tossing in my sleep. My forty year old body was starting to show signs of ware. I have put on few pounds, nothing obnoxious I thought but, more than I should be carrying. But, what did it matter. I was an average looking guy of average height with an average dick. I had long convinced myself that I wasn’t below average and no one was ever rude enough to disagree.
Luckily, I had a way above average wallet. I had more money than I could spend in 2 lifetimes and no family breathing down my neck for handouts. I liked it that way. I didn’t want to depend on anyone and I really hated having to depend on anyone else. With my wealth, many women had tried to latch on. They all bored me in time. I finally admitted to myself that I was incapable of love. Lust, on the other hand, was an emotion I felt very strongly about. I did enjoy sex and I could afford to enjoy it alot. I always knew exactly where I stood with a prostitute. It was a business transaction and I understood business. No emotional entanglements to screw up my enjoyment.
I hopped into the shower as soon as it was warm enough. I could still smell the redhead on my skin and it brought a smile to my face. I knew I would see her at least once more. My cock began to show some activity as I remembered back to last nights activities. I ignored it knowing it would keep me excited until my next date with the redhead. I washed until I could no longer smell the fantasy.
I dried off and hauled my naked body back into the main room. Darla, at least that was her working name, was sitting up rubbing her eyes. No one is immune to the vicious morning sun. She smiled when she saw me.
“You were quite the animal last night,” she said sweetly as she attempted to straighten her hair. “Been awhile for you hon?”.
Damn, she called me hon. I hate when they do that. It always reminds me of an old waitress and there is nothing exciting about that. “Nope, it’s your red hair. It is my achilles heal when it comes to women.” I tried to let the ‘hon’ pass and gave her a genuine smile.
“It was a little dark last night but, I am all natural,” she said as she slid the sheet off her torso to reveal a small patch of beautiful trimmed red hair just above her pussy. She was smiling as she glanced down, obviously proud of her main asset. “Sure you don’t want to cuddle a bit before you take off sweety?”
‘Sweety’ was bit better than ‘hon’. It was more endearing and I liked the fantasy that she cared. “You were fantastic last night Darla,” I needed to get out of there before she called me ‘hon’ again, “I have appointments to keep and all good things must come to an end.” I knew she was inwardly happy that she didn’t have to perform again. She got paid the same either way. I was glad she asked. It showed a work ethic and waiting till after I showered showed intelligence. I was inwardly proud of her. I knew I wanted to see her again so I made sure she was available.
“The room is paid until tomorrow. Help yourself to room service or the spa. They know where to send the bill.” I smiled as I began to put on last nights clothes. “I understand they have a wonderful pool and jacuzzi. Ask Rick, the concierge, if you want to partake and he will get you a swimsuit.” She seemed a little surprised with my gifts. I loved giving large tips to people who weren’t used to them. “There’s $3,000 in the envelope on the nightstand,” I continued, “$1,000 for last night, $1,000 because you were wonderful and another to make sure you’re free this Friday.” I ended with a ‘I do this all the time’ tone.
Darla sat up straight and her gorgeous breasts did a little dance for me. Very lovely I thought. “Of course I’m available,” she said with new found enthusiasm, “I am available any time you need me.”
“Good, we can meet at McDewitts Friday, let’s say around six,” I was happily committed, “we’ll get a bite to eat, you can laugh at my dancing and then we can cuddle the night away.”
“That sounds wonderful. I’ll wear something that accents my hair.” Yes, she was a smart woman. She might just make it to a third date.
I finished dressing and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You have fun today, the spa is supposed to be fantastic. Rick will get you a car tomorrow when you’re ready to leave.”
“Thanks Robert, I will make sure we have a great time on Friday.” Her face was all a glow as I exited the room. I left instructions with Rick that Darla was to be pampered and slipped him a $100 for his troubles. He pocketed it quickly while informing me that all his guests get pampered. I smiled and he winked as he picked up the phone to clear some time at the spa.
I was happy driving home. I knew it wouldn’t last but, for now I was blissfully unaware of the problems of the world. Unencumbered sex did that for me. It was also pleasurable to reward Darla with much more than she expected. She never said thank you which, impressed me. She just stated that she would work harder making the next date more pleasurable. That was business, I made sure I got what I wanted and she profited well by delivering. No commitments beyond the transaction. Perfect as far as I was concerned.
My home was empty of course. It usually was. It could house a family of ten comfortably but, it only held me. I bought it because I could. It had an indoor pool, fully accessorised exercise room, rec room with a fully stocked bar, kitchen and baths that any woman would die for and more closet space than anyone had a right to fill. It was built by someone with a lot more taste than I. The tile and wood accents were obviously chosen by a designer. It was perfect, except when it needed to be cleaned.
I didn’t take maintenance into account when I purchased the property. It just didn’t dawn on me how hard it was to find people to take care of the place. I found it annoying to have to fit them into my schedule. It would have been alright if it was infrequent but, this house and it’s grounds required weekly attention. I also didn’t like having all those different people in my place so often. I had to act differently when they were around which was really annoying. My life was basically at a stand still when help arrived. If it were smaller, I would handle it myself. I just didn’t have the time to devote to the place. Unfortunately, I had become somewhat attached. It was a really comfortable house.
The solution was obvious. I needed a live in caretaker. Someone who devoted him or herself to the 24/7 care of the house. The person would have to make themselves scarce when desired, be discrete and be trusted enough to be in the house alone. I figured I could buy the trust. I wasn’t sure I could buy the discretion. I have business dealings that needed to remain private. I am also very used to living alone. If I want to run around my own house naked, than that’s what I do. If I want to fire up some porn and relieve myself, gosh darnit, I do. I really wasn’t liking the idea of giving up my freedom. I also didn’t relish the idea of someone being privy to my indiscretions. I feared I might have go the illegal route. Hire an undocumented worker who would need to keep his/her mouth shut or be deported where their words could do no harm.
First I would try finding a legal caretaker. I had a service advertise the position and filter the resumes down to five for my review this afternoon. They removed all the ex cons and verified the references. The selections were waiting in the mail when I had arrived home. I wasn’t confident I could sense the necessary level of discretion in a single interview but, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I was prepared for a day of interruptions. Luckily, Darla had me quite relaxed and nothing was going to seem overburdensome today. The first would arrive at noon, giving me a few hours to glance over the resumes.
By the names, I figured the first four were two women and two men. They all seemed to be ex-nanny types with various job histories that seemed relevant to the task. Some of them had worked for wealthy family names I recognized. They all seemed a bit on the old side which I began to think might be a good thing. Maybe they had seen it all and could care less about my personal indiscretions. I had used the headhunter service before and they had always come up with good solutions for my businesses. It could be that they sensed what I was looking for and once again found good matches. I was feeling a bit more confident.
The fifth resume was the strange one. It referenced two females; Samantha and Rebecca Jones. I had never seen a resume for two people in all my years of business. A caretaker team I laughed to myself. I could barely force myself to accept one intrusion in my life much less two. I humored myself by reading further. They had no job history but, had quite the educational background. Both had done undergraduate work at Vassar with masters of business from Harvard. These two should be working on their first million for a fortune 500. Why would the service send me anyone with these qualifications without a job history? Why would they send me a resume with two people in the first place? I got to salary requirement portion of the resume and did a double take. This was the true definition of sticker shock. All the other applicants were asking for between 25-35k plus room and board. This pair wanted 150k plus room and board and full medical.
I began to think that someone screwed up and I received the wrong resume. This wasn’t an entry level position and I certainly wasn’t looking for two people. I especially wasn’t willing to go way over the going rate. I was considering calling the service to clear up the issue when I hit the references section. It was a page right out of the who’s who list of the rich and powerful. These two were obvious pedigrees. This was an obvious mistake.
The first name Thomas Thornbird, a man I have recently had some very successful dealings with. His wealth made me look like a panhandler but, then again, he had about 20 years on me. All though the address was his business offices, I thought I recognized the phone number. I grabbed my phone and scrolled the contacts. Sure enough, it was his private mobile line. A man like that didn’t give out his private line unless there were millions at stake. These two must be very close friends of the family.
I scan the list further and saw a General, a Federal Judge and the Secretary of State for these United States among other well known figures. None of this made any sense. I no longer thought this was accidental. I could smell business tactics a mile away. I was meant to see this resume but, for what reason? Obviously, someone wanted me to meet with these two. I really don’t like being maneuvered without knowing the end game. Looking at the list of names again made me feel way out of my league. I was an orphan who made good, not old money and power like this list. I was being set up for something. I disliked being in the dark.
I tapped on Thomas Thornbird’s entry on my phone. Might as well call someone I have dealt with before. Not sure the Secretary of State would even take my call. It rang a couple time before he answered.
“Robert, I was wondering when you were going to call.” Caller ID was all the introduction he needed.
“Hi Tom, I guess you know I am calling you about this resume I have in my hand.” I left it an open question. I didn’t want to sound too ignorant with a man like this.
“Kind of took you by surprised did it?” I could hear the humor in his voice. Why was he playing with me? Our last dealings were cordial but, very business like. He didn’t really seem to want the relationship to go past the millions we were making.
“Yes it did. Not quite what I was expecting but, your name made me question discounting it immediately.” I wanted him to know that I respect his opinions. If there were future deals between us, I didn’t want to alienate them here.
“I appreciate your confidence in me Robert. Your business acumen is quite close to mine and I figured you would appreciate meeting Samantha and Rebecca.” I was being butter up for something and I feared I wasn’t going to be able say no. “I am the one who made sure that resume was in your stack.”
“I would really like to know how you knew there was a stack to put it in.” I tried to sound relaxed but, I suddenly felt kind of raped. Who else knows about my private business?
“Don’t take it personally Robert. I was impressed with that oil deal you brought me in on. Not many people could have put together that regulatory side step. All my lawyers and accountants told me I was going to take a bath. Instead, we made quite a tidy profit.” He let the compliment sink in before he continued. I was still waiting for how he found out my business. “I watch people like you Robert. The staffing company you use is a wholly owned subsidiary of one of my acquisitions.”
“You have been spying on my activities.” I was flabbergasted. I knew men like him liked to have their advantages but, this leaned a little too far onto the wrong side of the ethical divide. “I’m not even sure what side of legal you’re on.”
“Spying is the wrong word Robert. I would use the term studying. I wasn’t trying gain an unfair advantage. I was trying to vett a future business partner. You only seem to hire the best and your retention rates are high. All good indicators of strong leadership and business savvy. Your caretaker position just happened to cross my desk with the rest.” He sidestepped the legal insinuation, complimented me and dangled future deals all in a few seconds.
“I’m not sure if I should feel complimented or insulted.” I didn’t want to fully let him off the hook. I was miffed at the intrusion.
“You asked how and I answered. There are very few people in the world who would have gotten that straight of an answer. If I didn’t respect you and your skills, you would have never received that resume.” He was complimenting me again and drawing me back to the original issue. He was a master at negotiation. The problem was, I did feel a bit proud that he singled me out. Ego is a bad place to negotiate from.
“I don’t quite understand why you felt that two obviously highly educated women would be a good fit for this position.” I dropped the personal intrusion issue. He was done talking about it and pushing it would only cause problems that were no help to anyone. I added a new staffing company to my mental todo list.
“They are more like personal assistants then caretakers. You will find them invaluable in all aspects of your life.” I found myself questioning his sincerity. Could he be imbedding spies or someone to control me? I didn’t like feeling paranoid but, I was always wary of people with power. He continued, “They are intelligent, discrete and fiercely loyal. Before you ask, that loyalty would be to you. I know you may doubt that now but, I assure you, I am not trying to get another tentacle into your life.” I believed him. Using the word ‘another’ he was admitting that he knew that the staffing service was intrusive.
“Tom, I wasn’t really looking for a PA, much less two of them. I am just trying to find someone to take of the house and grounds. I’m not sure this a good fit. Do they even know what they are interviewing for?” I was trying to lay the groundwork for disappointment. These ladies obviously meant something him and I didn’t want this to create a lot of friction between us.
He laughed. It felt kind out of place. “They are more aware than you are. Just meet with them Robert. As a favor to me, meet with them and hear them out. If you don’t hire them, so be it. It won’t stop me from making money with you in the future.” Good, he left me an out. I didn’t quite understand why they would be more aware than me but, his last statement made me feel much better. It was time to seal the deal.
“For you Tom, I will give them a fair hearing.” Let’s make sure this is me doing a him a favor. “I am not all that certain it could work out but, I am intrigued.” I just gave him a big qualified maybe. I really hope he meant what he said and won’t hold any rejection against me.
“I know you won’t regret it, Robert.” That is about all the thank you I will ever get out of him. “On another note, my pipeline guys have a proposition you might be interested in. I would appreciate you taking a look at the deal and see if you would like a piece. I would appreciate another set of eyes and a share of the risk.” He really wants me to meet these girls.
“If it’s that northeast alignment, than I would be very interested.” Paybacks a bitch I thought. I wondered if he was just feeding me a bone.
“Now who’s spying on who. We need to have lunch so I can find out how you know anything of my supposedly secret alignment.” I could almost feel the smile across the phone. My ego was pumped again. “I’ll have them put together an informational packet send it over next week. You have a nice day, Robert.”
“You too, Tom.” The call ended and for some reason I felt like I won. I know he maneouvered me into doing what he wanted but, he let me feel like the victor. The pipeline was a long term deal with many hurdles and lots of risk. The payoff would be immense if it could be completed. It is just wise business to seek out multiple investors to share the risk. Why did I feel special when he asked me to jump on. I really had to learn to not be so impressed with people like him.
The first four interviews went as well as expected. Two of the applicants were more impressed with me than the job. I think they were just looking for a nice place to be for a couple of years. Not quite what I was looking for. Finding someone to trust is hard enough, I certainly didn’t want to repeat the process every couple of years.
One of the ladies, Pam, seemed a bit more permanent. She had run a large house for many years and only left when the family downsized and moved south. She did seem a bit controlling. That is a good feature when dealing with third parties but, I felt we might clash. I asked her if she would have any problems keeping anything she might see or hear private.