"What do you say about that?" I asked with no little curiosity as I posed this question to this incredibly pretty woman sitting, but for her stockings and garter belt absolutely naked across my desk.
Ann shifted in her seat and crossed her legs. "I say that you are very generous and that you appreciate women."
I wasn't troubled by anything Ann had said. In fact I admired her tact. "How did that lead to Allie's -uh uh -" I was having a little trouble finding the words to describe just what it is that Allie had done to get the job. Ann knew where I was headed.
"When I was interviewing Allie I had an instinctive reaction that she would work out well here. I told her what I thought the base pay could be if you were anxious to have her work here which was more than double what she had asked for and when she told me that she was new in New York and having difficulty making ends meet, I added the $10,000 loan just to give her a sense of the real possibilities. And as I was explaining this to her I put my hand on her knee, all as a way of seeing how she would react. When she seemed not uncomfortable with this contact I told her that it would be up to her to convince you that she should be hired and then I added that when you and I are alone in the office I sometimes go without my top."
Ann chuckled to herself. I gave her an arched look as if to ask what was so funny? Ann motioned at herself and then said: "I guess topless doesn't describe it all."
It was getting towards five o'clock and I thought I ought to call Saundra (the girl I was then dating) to make sure that she could join Richard, his wife Ellen and I the next day for dinner and the Opera. Recognizing that I had things to do, Ann picked up her things and returned to her desk. Closing the door to my office I picked up the phone to call Saundra. She was at work. Saundra was an account executive at a public relations firm that was attached to an advertising agency in New York. We had met at a dinner party a five or so months earlier and lately had been seeing each other several times a week.
"I thought you had fallen off the face of the earth" was the friendly but pointed reproach that reminded me I had not yet called her this week.
"Everything O.K. with you?" was the best non-reply I could muster.
"Sure, I am absolutely buried in this dog-and-pony show we are putting together to try and get this new account", Saundra said. We chatted about nothing in particular for a few moments when Saundra asked: "When are you going to show me your new office?"
Click. Not quite alarm bells, but some sort of warning registered in my consciousness. "I really want you to see it when it's all set up" I demurred.
"Well how are things coming along?"
"O.K., but slowly" I said, suddenly being a little non-communicative.
"When will I see you?" Saundra asked.
"Let's try and do something Saturday," I said. "We can take a drive in the country and find some place to go for dinner. I'll call Friday with the details."
"Fine. Call me soon" she replied.
"Bye" and then I hung up.
For reasons that were not clear to me then I had chosen not to invite Saundra to dinner and the Opera with Richard and Ellen and I sensed that there were going to be some not so simple consequences to my new work environment and its impact on the rest of my life.
I opened the door to my office just as Ann was in the process of putting her dress back on. She looked at me and smiled. I saw that she had left her bra off and it had been placed on top of her handbag. She stopped wh at she was doing and faced me with her dress on but unbuttoned above the waist.
I realized then what I wanted to do. "Ann, one of my partners in one of my deals has invited me to the Opera tomorrow night. He's going to bring his wife and I was wondering if you were free to join us." As I spoke I felt my heart racing and I hoped that my voice hadn't betrayed my nervousness. I was concerned that I was bumping against a boundary. I needn't have been.
"Bob, that would be great." Ann spoke with evident enthusiasm. "I love the opera, which one is it?" "Il Trovatore," I answered.
"Oh that's great, I love Verdi." Ann continued "And by the way, I am available to you whenever you need me. A little advance notice for after-hours would be helpful, but that's my problem, you just tell me when you need me and you can count on me."
"Terrific" I said now a bit more confused than ever.
"How would you like me to dress tomorrow night?" Ann then asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Tell you what, what time are we supposed to meet them?"
"Ten 'til eight right outside the opera house at Lincoln Center. We're going to have dinner afterwards."
"Why don't you come by my apartment about 6:30 or so and you can decide what I should wear, you can have a glass of wine and then we will go."
"Fine, glad you can come."
Ann asked if I had anything else for her to do because if not she was ready to leave. I said no, I'll see her tomorrow.
Ann gave me a blazing smile, gathered up her things and headed for the door. "Ann" I called out.
"Yes."
"Better button your dress."
Ann looked down and realized her dress was still open to the waist. "Thanks" she said as she closed things up. It seemed to me that she had blushed. Slightly.
I had not resolved in my own mind just how long I intended to stay in Los Angeles and what our agenda over the next few days would be, when my attention focussed back on the previous night at Carroway's and the card that
Mike had given me. Without consulting Ann, I decided to give him a call. Mike's place of business was known as Headline Productions and I saw the name and title, Michael Boris, President, written on the business card t hat Mike had given to me the night before. I reached Mike on the first call and introduced myself again with my first name and reminded him that I had been with Ann the night before.
"Bob," Mike said, "I'm so glad you called." That girl of yours is great, even though she is not as young as some of the others," he continued "she has some terrific body and really gives people their money's worth. S he could really make a lot of money for me, and if I make money she'll make money too."
"Well I thought I'd see what you have in mind for her" I said.
"Do you know where she is, can you have her come in and see me?" Mike asked.
"She's five feet away" I answered "and yes we can come see you too." I said.
"Great I can put her to work right away tonight even."
I told Mike that we would come see him about 11:30 that morning but that we were trying to figure out whether we would be leaving L.A. or staying around for a while, but we would listen to what he had to say.
I informed Ann that we were going to go to Mike and discuss with him whether she would go to work for him in his foxy boxing/mud wrestling troupe. I did not give Ann a vote in the matter and she just nodded as I told he r of my plans.
After I finished reading the morning papers and the Wall Street Journal, I saw that it was approaching 11:00 and I told Ann to get changed in anticipation of our visit to Mike's office. I told Ann to wear the same skirt that she had on the night before and I picked out a polished cotton blouse for her to wear. I told her to leave her bra off. I also told Ann to use a little more makeup than she would usually and to use a red lipstick.
Without comment, Ann complied, and the package, when all put together, was not one of a refined, polished woman.
Mike's office was on the second floor of a two story building on Pico Boulevard. A real estate brokerage storefront was on the ground floor. Mike was very enthusiastic about the prospect of having Ann come to work as pa rt of his troupe. He explained that he and his girls worked the circuit of a number of clubs in the L.A./Orange County area and that some of his girsl worked as few as two or as many as five or six nights a week. He sai d that he paid each girl $50 a night and that they kept their tips. He said that the matches were staged and that he had a wardrobe of costumes and props that the girls were free to use.
Ann did not speak. I told Mike that Ann was something special and that she would have to be paid more. I told him that Ann would require $200 a night plus her tips and that he would have to pay for her to have a taxi t o and from wherever they were working. I found this whole arrangement to be amusing and I wanted to see how far this whole thing would go.
Mike reacted like a stuck pig. "I can't do that. All the other girls will kill me. Maybe later if she gets a reputation and I get a bigger take from the club owners, but not until she proves herself and gets a followi ng."
"Look Mike" I negotiated "You saw what reaction she provoked last night. That's the deal, take it or leave it."
"O.K., pal" Mike said, but then looking at Ann he added, "you can't tell any of the other girls what I'm giving you, got it?"