with you.â
Sitting up in my chair, I defended myself in a childish voice.
âNot at all! I understand everything perfectly!â
I was wearing a pair of old jeans Iâd patched myself and worn ballerina flats. I hadnât been to the hairdresser in ages, and I looked awkward and penniless. I didnât need Sophiaâs help in that department. Rebecca scrutinized every square inch of my body before launching into a monologue she clearly knew by heart.
âListen, I donât know what youâve heard about us, but I am sure much of it is wrong. There are a lot of preconceived notions about what we do. A lot of bad-mouthing. In truth, what we offer here is very simple. And I want to be clear, it is perfectly legal: our clients are rich, single men who cannot, in all decency, show up alone to the various events they are obligated to attend throughout the year. If you join us, your role will be to wear your prettiest dress and smile for a whole night without hurting your jaw. You must also be able to speak competently if someone asks your opinion on the latest Woody Allen. As you can see, it isnât rocket science.â
âWhat did I tell you?â said Sophia, with an eloquent wave of her hand.
This was my same friend who, not so long ago, had told me about a hot rendezvous set up by Belles de Nuit. A mission without the slightest social justification. At the time, the episode had given me good reason to reject Sophiaâs offer to join Rebecca Sibonyâs agency.
âA booty call and a blind date all mixed together! It was just crazy!â
âReally? And how did you . . .â
âWell, like in the movies, hon. I had an appointment at the Raphael at three p.m., sharp. Above all, I was to be on time. The roomâs curtains and blinds were already drawn. I imagine he had given the personnel instructions. Then I was to put my naked self on the bed and turn out the light.â
âAnd then?â
âThen the guy arrived. Maybe about ten minutes later.â
âYou didnât notice when he got there?â
âNo, it was a suite with a separate entrance hall that made the room feel hermetically sealed. Iâd only just noticed his shadow when he pushed open the door to the bedroom.â
âIt wasnât kind of . . . creepy?â
âNo! The opposite!â sheâd cried. âAt first, I was just a little cold, waiting like that, completely naked and not moving. But he got undressed and took me in his arms to warm me up.â
âDid you make love right away?â
âNot immediately. We kept still, our bodies touching, for a while before he started to caress me.â
âAnd he didnât say anything?â
âNot a thing. He had really soft hands. I swear, no one has ever touched me like that. I got wet crazy fast.â
âYou didnât try to see his face? What if the guy looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame?â
âI donât think so, not from what I could tell by feeling his features. But honestly, seeing how he touched me, he could have been E.T. and I would have said yes.â
âSeriously?â
âSeriously. He spent at least fifteen minutes massaging me down there. With his fingers, his nose, his tongue . . . I couldnât take it anymore! I was completely drenched. I think I came at least two or three times like that, before he even entered me. And that was just an appetizer! We spent three hours in bed.â
âTwo, three times,â I repeated, panting.
âWhatâs more, the jerk smelled good!â
âReally . . . how?â
âUmm, I donât know, something really sweet. And I swear to you, his cock tasted like strawberries or raspberries . . . I could have spent all day eating it!â
âSoph!â
âWhat? It was amazing . . . like eating caviar blindfolded. When you canât see, all the other senses go into