Red Collar Read online

  “Come on Kate. Everyone knows Wilder’s been trying to get your knickers off for years. All you’ve done is get him mad instead.”

  “What do you suggest then? Take them off to save my job.”

  “On the contrary, darling, quit.”

  Kate looked up at her, befuddled. “You’ve lost it Bridget. You’re not making any sense.”

  “Listen, hon. If you try and sleep with the big boss now, he’ll know you’re doing it only for your job. He’s a dick, babe but he ain’t that big a dickhead. He’ll use you and then dump you just as fast.”

  “Do you have a point in any of this, Bridget?” Kate sighed, tiredly.

  “Well…yes. There is this place. An escort service. Really professional. They pay well too. As a matter of fact, extremely well. I’ve been trying them out for two weeks now. The best decision I’ve ever made. I’m just waiting to end my term here with Wilder. Like hell, I’m gonna risk my redundancy package.”

  “That’s good for you, Bridget,” Kate said, rolling up her eyes. “So you finally realized your potential in the whoring business. I wish you the best. But no, thank you. I have no interest in joining you on this venture. Now if you please excuse me,” pushing Bridget off her desk. “I still work here.”

  “Kate, please…,” Bridget protested. “You’ll make a great escort. You have the curves, the etiquette, the skills. If you’ll only give a damn about making yourself beautiful once in a while, men will kill for you. You know you have it.”

  “It’s a …,” Kate dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. “It’s a brothel.”

  “A high-end escort service,” Bridget corrected quickly.

  “Does it matter?” Kate almost shouted out in frustration. “It’s prostitution. You give sex for money. It’s just been given a classier label. High-end escort service, indeed!”

  “Kate,” Bridget started.

  “Not another word,” Kate warned. “You’re out of your mind, Bridget. I have my values. If I wanted to do something like that, wouldn’t I have fucked Wilder a long time ago?”

  “That’s different!”

  “How is that different?!”

  “Wilder would have fucked you. Not the other way. As an escort, you call the shots. You get to keep your values and get paid for it. Tell me Kate, what did you get out of sleeping with all those loser boyfriends of yours? Didn’t they use you? This is different, Kate. People respect you.”

  She shoved a card into Kate’s palm. “Call them. At least, find out before judging them,” she said as she walked away.

  Kate glimpsed at the card. “Masseuses by Madge”, she read. She threw the card into her bag. She would never consider the possibilities of such a job. Not unless she was desperate.

  Her desperation arrived a week ago.

  Chapter 2

  “Kate,” she heard a voice call from behind her. It was Madge Harris. She was a tall, slim attractive woman in her late forties.

  “It’s such a delight to see you,” Madge said, approaching her at the lounge, her brunette hair loose and bouncing at her shoulders.

  “Hi, Madge,” Kate greeted with a small smile.

  “I heard you’ve got the position at Reid Enterprises. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” Kate replied softly. She glanced away to stare at the small prints on the carpet.

  Madge watched her carefully. “You alright, hon?”

  She raised her eyes slowly. “I’m…I’m just a little nervous.”

  Madge let out a small breath. “I understand. You’ve never done this before. Is that it?”

  Kate didn’t answer.

  “Listen hon,” Madge said. “You’re going to treat him like any of your boyfriends. Just a very rich one. You keep him happy and he showers you with gifts. You’re very lucky that such an offer came by when you joined us. To tell you the truth, I’ve never received or heard of such an absurd proposition. And it suits you too.”

  Kate gave her a small smile.

  Madge put a comforting palm over Kate’s. “You’re a beautiful woman, Kate Ripley. I would have loved you to be a masseuse. But it’s obvious you’re destined for the finer things in life. If I had another candidate for the Reid position, believe me, I would have volunteered her name as well. But the truth is I didn’t have another. You see, women of your caliber don’t often seek out such establishments as mine. I would have loved to keep you on. I can imagine the multitude of clients seeking you out here.” She let out a small chuckle. “But Bob Whitton is a very special friend of mine. And he was visibly worried of how he was going to find someone to fill that position. I mean, which educated, career-driven woman would in her right mind agree to such a contract. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen, right?”

  Madge sighed and continued. “And then you came along…well, what can I say? The rest is as you know it. Now, let me see you.”

  She urged Kate to get up so she could assess her. “Open your coat, darling. Let me see what you have under there.”

  “Here?” Kate asked as her eyes nervously roamed the reception.

  Madge laughed. “Oh dear, you really need to work on that demure, baby. You’re seriously in danger of being dropped like a hot potato. There’s no one here,” she said, assuredly. “Our next client doesn’t arrive in at least an hour.”

  Kate slipped out of her ivory coat, slowly.

  Madge nodded, approvingly. “Very good. Panache. I like it.”

  Kate ran her hand nervously over her one shoulder, sequined short champagne dress. The dress had cost her a substantial part of her savings. But she understood the importance of first impressions and she couldn’t afford to lose this job.

  “And you have a sexy pair of lingerie under that?” Madge asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Umm…yes,” Kate said, slightly taken aback by her directness.

  “Well done, Kate. I’m impressed.” She picked up Kate’s coat and helped her into it. “Whatever you do, Kate, keep in mind the importance of referrals in this business. My name rides on this one and Reid Enterprises is not any small business I can gamble my reputation on, hmm?” She lifted Kate’s chin with a finger. “Undoubtedly, you are beautiful. But that’s not enough to keep you alive in this profession. You have to flaunt the attitude that the world’s at your feet. When you succeed at that, there can be no stopping you to the top.”

  Kate gave her a small, nervous smile. “Madge,” she asked, hesitantly. “Has he been here? Do you know what he likes?”

  Madge hooked her arm through hers and led her towards the reception. “No. And even if he was our client, we never kiss and tell.” She gave a light chuckle and put her finger to her lips. “Don’t worry. Men like to tell you what they want. Especially if they’re paying for it.”

  “What about your commission? We never arranged that.”

  Madge shook her head, bouncing her brunette curls. “That’s been taken care of. From this point on, you belong to Reid Enterprises.”

  Clayton Reid, corrected Kate silently. And she wasn’t sure if she liked it at all.

  *****

  She entered the lobby of her new employer’s apartment building at precisely five minutes to ten o’clock. It was the rich Italian granite floors and the imported anigre wall panels that first caught her eye. This was a world vastly different from the one she knew. There was a white gloved doorman at the entrance, a concierge service and an attended reception waiting on the residents of the building, regardless of the time. When she entered the elevator, a fresh chypre fragrance suffused the air. This most certainly was a world apart from what she was accustomed to.

  She pressed onto the button to level 22. She noticed that it was the penthouse. As the elevator rose, she mentally repeated the rising floor levels reading on the elevator position indicator display, hoping that it would ease her relatively rising nerves.

  At 22, the elevator halted with that familiar ding as it swished its doors open. Kate hesitated briefly before she alighted from it. She walked slowly to t
he only door across it. Gathering her courage, she pressed onto the doorbell camera.

  “Who is it?” someone answered. His voice was heavy, almost baritone and commanding.

  “It’s Kate Ripley,” she said, into it.

  “Who?”

  “Kate Ripley,” she repeated, a little more loudly. “I… er…was hired by Bob Whitton…yesterday. He…um… told me to be here at ten…tonight. To see Mr Reid?”

  The man, on the other side of the camera, grew quiet. His silence began to cloud a doubt into Kate and she instinctively reached for her bag to recheck the address. But the door clicked open instead.

  She noticed the contrast of the dark, ill-lit interior to the bright hallway in which she stood. She inhaled a deep breath and proceeded into the room.

  There were a few wall lamps lit and yet despite the darkness, she could tell the apartment was richly and elegantly furnished. Probably, by an expensive and popular interior designer, she surmised in her mind. She tried to recall any names she was familiar with. But she could only remember one- Clodagh, the Irish designer who worked on projects such as the Tufenkian Heritage Hotels in Armenia. No, she would not have known her either. This acquired trivia was thanks to Bridget, who was particularly fond of the designer’s talent to meld feng shui into her masterpieces.

  “So, you’re Kate Ripley,” said the man, interrupting her thoughts.

  He was standing by the dark windows, overlooking the Hudson River. The distant lights of the city managed to outline his figure as he stood watching her, his hands in his pockets.

  “I am,” Kate answered as confidently as she could.

  “You know why you’re here?”

  “I do.”

  “You accept the terms of your contract, then? I’m not going to go through them again, Ms. Ripley. But if there are any doubts as to why you are here in my apartment at ten in the night, I suggest you leave and get them sorted first with Bob Whitton tomorrow. I have never forced myself on a woman and I do not intend to start tonight.”

  Kate gulped.

  “If you’re shaking your head, must I remind you that it’s dark and I can’t see you? So do you understand Ms Ripley, why is it that you’re here?” he continued.

  “I understand,” she said, quietly.

  But she knew he had heard her because he then added. “Take off your clothes.”

  Kate paled, her eyes widening in panic. She searched the darkness to see him but she saw nothing but his dark outline. Reminding herself of how much this job could change her life, she reached for her back zipper. Her hand shivered as she tried to pull the zipper down. She slid the shoulder strap off. She felt the dress loosen about her and let it fall to her ankles. Her eyes welled with tears. She tried to hold them back but one escaped, rolling down her cheek.

  In the darkness, Clayton Reid watched her. The wall lights were enough to lighten the outline of her face but it was her eyes that captivated him in a way he had never known. And when that tear escaped, cascading down her cheek, he tensed.

  She heard him move closer until she could smell his cologne. She closed her eyes, hoping that this was all just a bad dream. But she felt him move behind her and when he placed his hands on her shoulders, she stiffened.

  “You’re not comfortable, Ms Ripley,” he whispered hoarsely in her ear. “You’re having second thoughts about this?”

  “I… no,” her voice quivered.

  But when he ran his hands down her sides slowly, her body instinctively pulled away.

  “You’re repulsed, Ms Ripley,” he stated, firmly. “Why?”

  “No, I...,” she started.

  “What have you heard? What do you know about me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing? Are you sure?” he said in a low growl.

  He stepped back and ambled towards the window, his hands in his pockets. “Put your clothes back on.”

  Her eyes rounded in surprise. “What?” she asked, unsurely.

  “You’re fired, Ms Ripley,” he put simply.

  Stunned, she stared at him in disbelief, unaware that she was walking towards him. His words sunk into her soul as she began to realize what the loss of such an exuberant income would do to her life.

  She had planned her life, assessed and reassessed it all of last night. Three years was all she needed to make a turn around and then she would find a respectable job, in a respectable business . An occupation that would not require her to perform illicit services.

  Needless to say, Clayton Reid left a remarkably poor impression on her. She imagined her new employer to be a disgusting, immoral womanizer steeped in debauchery and lewdness. She was certain he had no respect for women. Why else would he advertise for such a contemptuous position in hush social circles?

  She had taken a deep breath as she thought of herself being caressed in his arms or held under him as he would press himself against her, moving into her… She had shivered at the mere thought, a taste of nausea regurgitating in her throat.

  She would never kiss him, she had declared to herself. She would never drop her self-respect to such lowly levels. He could have her as he pleased but she would never let him kiss her. Kissing was all about touching hearts and binding souls and there was no way in which she could give her heart away to such a despicable man.

  But now her head spun from the words he had uttered. You’re fired, she repeated to herself. She couldn’t afford that. The torturous hours she had spent each day over the last few years, calculating her bills, trying to keep up with her mother’s medication and now the responsibility of her siblings ran through her like a storm.

  “Fired?” she said aloud. “Why? What have I done wrong?”

  “You’re clearly repulsed by me, Ms. Ripley,” he said. “Why drag this on any more than it should? Unlike you, I wish to retain my self-dignity.”

  Her eyes suddenly raged; anger coursed through her veins. “Self-dignity? Oh, that’s right now. Because I decided to stoop to your level and accept this abominable contract, I have, of course, lost my right to any self-respect and dignity. But you, Mr. Reid, to even make such an offer in the first place, do not only repulse me! You’ve, in fact, undermined my opinion of you, sir. You’re revolting!”

  His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Get out,” he growled.

  “No, I won’t,” she seethed. “I took off my dress, didn’t I? I was all prepared to bare my dignity to a man as vile as you. But that’s my personal opinion. How does that render any violation to the contract?”

  “Get out,” he growled again.

  “If I do,” she warned. “So will this contract. I’ll take this to the media. I’m sure they would be keenly interested to hear what the CEO of Reid Enterprises…”

  She didn’t finish.

  He had marched over to her in two angry strides and grabbed her by her elbows. He was surprised by how frail she felt. Quite unlike the temper she carried.

  Her threat had riled him to his core. No one had done that to him in a long time. He had meant to shake her roughly. But now even as he stood holding her, he felt an awakening stir inside of him.

  She writhed in his hands, struggling to free herself.

  “Let me go!” she screamed.

  He smiled. “But I did. Not so long ago. And you wouldn’t leave. So no.” He pulled her against his chest. Her lacy brassiere rubbed against the nakedness of his chest in the unbuttoned opening of his shirt. An arm held her tightly at her waist; the other braced the nape of her neck.

  She thrashed violently against him, beating his chest wildly with her fist.

  They moved in unison across the floor as he pulled her ever more closely to him. And there in the dim lights of the wall lamps, his hand brushed over her hair chignon, loosening a bobby pin. She shook her head vigorously to release his hand from her head but instead it only unwound her chignon. Her hair came loose, falling to her waist.

  Clayton stilled, mesmerized. His tight hold on her waist, turned into a soft caress, his fingers movin
g gently on her bare skin. He hardened against her as he breathed in her perfume, his eyes peering into hers.

  He leant forward to kiss her but she lurched back from him. Surprised, he released her. She staggered a little, trying to steady her wavering legs.

  “You’re treading on dangerous grounds, Ms Ripley,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t like being teased.”

  She flushed. “You fired me, remember? You can’t blame me.”

  He nodded, thinking.

  They stood in the dark, silently watching each other until he spoke again. “Very well. You’re re-hired, then. As my mistress.”

  Her spine stiffened as a shiver ran up it. “What?” unsure if she had heard correctly. “You can’t do that. I contracted to be your secretary.”

  “Yes. And a position from which I fired you from a few minutes ago.”

  “But you hired me again,” she insisted.

  “Yes, as my mistress,” he clarified.

  “I never agreed to that.”

  “Well, that’s all that’s available at the moment. Take it or leave it.”

  Kate puffed. “You are the most despicable man I’ve ever met!”

  Clayton grinned. “So, I take it that you’re accepting?”

  Kate lowered her head, her hands across her chest as she picked at the carpet with her toes, thinking. “Yes,” she mumbled, at last.

  He stooped so he could meet her at eye level. “Yes? Let me remind you Ms. Ripley, a verbal contract is just as binding as a written one.” He was though aware that it was unlikely to ever stand in court due to the immorality of their association. A knowledge he was determined to retain to himself, should she decide to accept.

  She glared at him. “I know.” She bit her lips. “So, when do you want me to start? Now?”

  “No,” he replied. “You are safe today, Ms Ripley. Tomorrow, I have a dinner scheduled with the executives of Alastair Group. I expect you to escort me. So make sure that you have a proper dress and cool that fiery temper of yours.”

  She started to protest but he interrupted her again.

  “And whatever opinion and prejudice you have against me, I anticipate that you will have them put aside. Because I warn you, Ms. Ripley, should you embarrass me, I will make certain that you pay for it. Have I made myself clear?”