“The sex just isn’t as exciting as it used to be,” he finished.
Cassie let that statement hang in the air for a moment.
“It’s not that we don’t have sex,” he said. “We still do. But it’s not very often and, when it does happen, it doesn’t have that same feeling that it used to.”
“Okay,” she said, letting him finish.
“I just wanted to feel that again,” he said. “That feeling of doing something new. God, I sound like a douche. I figured I’d hire someone for that. A professional. Plus, it’s always been a fantasy of mine to meet someone new, give them money, fuck like an animal and say goodbye to them. No strings attached.”
“Ahh,” she said. “Now I get it. But why me? You definitely saw my photos. You mean you didn’t know?”
“Didn’t know you were fucking hot?” Tony said, immediately regretting his phrasing. “Sorry. That’s weird.”
“Yeah it is.”
A few moments passed.
“So why are you here? Why are you an escort?” Tony asked.
“I already told you that’s none of your business,” she said, chuckling as she spoke so she didn’t make things tense again.
“Come on,” he pleaded. “You asked me a question. I’m asking you one. I thought we were having a heart to heart. What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Cassie asked.
“I mean,” Tony said, preparing to emphasize every word. “What. Are. YOU. doing HERE.”
“Do you really need to ask that?” Cassie sighed. “Fine. I’ll bite. But only because you were nice and answered my question first. After I leave this room we’re never talking about this again.”
“Deal,” Tony said.
“I’m here because I’m an escort,” she said. “And I’m an escort because I like being an escort.”
“Seriously?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ve been doing it for like three years. It’s crazy good money, it’s a lot of fun and most times I’m not running into people I know.”
That line got a laugh out of Tony. Cassie decided to let her guard down a little bit.
“Okay so, like, this isn’t anyone’s business but my own but I really like doing this,” she said. “I like getting paid to make people happy and I like having a job I know helps me help people.”
“You sound like a social worker,” Tony joked.
“Fuck you,” Cassie said, laughing. “Yeah. Make fun of the escort. How original. I’m not trying to be Julia Roberts or whatever. I’m not ridiculous. I know what this is and why I’m doing it. I get paid to have sex for a living and it might not be ‘normal’ or whatever but I help people.”
“Uh huh,” Tony said.
“Seriously,” she said. “I have clients I’ve seen for YEARS who treat me incredibly well and tell me every time I see them that I’m the only thing they look forward to.”
As Cassie spoke, Tony couldn’t help but notice she really sounded convincing. She was either an incredible actress or she really did believe these things about sex work.
“It’s not just about the sex,” she said. “It’s about making a connection. It’s about being able to be vulnerable with someone. It’s about having fun.”
“By fucking,” Tony said.
“Well, yeah,” Cassie replied.
“If you love your job so much, why do you charge for it?” Tony asked, genuinely interested in where Cassie would take the next answer.