The Arrangement Duet Box Set Page 8

  “We know each other in the charity circuit, but we probably know very little about each other on a personal level.” I nod in agreement. “As you probably know, I run a successful consulting business targeting large corporations through the tri-state area. What you likely don’t know, is that my consulting services specifically target men and women in your current situation.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m not following.” I have no idea what she is talking about. If this is a sales call, I will kick her out of my office in the next two minutes and without a concern that she is a friend of my mother. I do not accept sales visits, and to do so under the disguise of a charity event is just wrong.

  “I’d like to help you with your media problem—“

  “I already have a full public relations department, Bridget,” I point out.

  “I’m sure you do,” she agrees. “But I can offer you something they can’t. You see, my client list consists of many, highly successful men and women who are often publicly criticized for their personal lives or lack thereof. These are men and women who don’t have time to date, or don’t want to date, but find themselves needing someone to accompany them to charity events, business dinners, award ceremonies, etc… That is where I can help you… ”

  “Help me how?”

  “Between us and the NDAs that we both signed, my consultation business essentially arranges acceptable dates for men and women who need someone to be by their side in the public eye.”

  “You’re a matchmaker?” I can’t help but laugh.

  “No, my goal is not love, romance, and wedding bells. Essentially, I would provide you with a woman who would attend all your events with you to get the media off your ass. She would expect absolutely nothing in terms of romance. The only contact you would have with her would be on these prearranged dates. You wouldn’t have to worry about her wanting you to call her the next day, or that she is going to start calling you every hour and demanding your attention. Think of it as a business transaction: you pay for her to accompany you to a dinner, gala, or whatever else you might need her for your business.”

  “What does she get out of it?”

  “A paycheck,” she answers simply. “The fee you pay to me covers her clothing for the event, her hourly pay, and of course overhead charges associated with my services.”

  “How would this be any different than what I’m doing now? I’ve taken women to events and the media still rips me apart… ”

  “You’ve taken women to these events. What I would propose in your situation is that you require an exclusive agreement be signed—“

  “An exclusive agreement?”

  “I’ll back up… if you agree to my services, one of the first things I would do is provide you with a profile of a woman that I think would be a good match for you. This is someone that I think would fit the look you want in the public eye but also that I think you could talk to. While it seems trivial since we’re not talking about love and romance, having a common ground to talk to someone about is important, seeing that events are sometimes long and boring.” I nod in agreement.

  “Assuming you were interested in the profile I provide you, I would schedule a private date for the two of you to meet. I recommend, especially with you being in the media’s eye right now, that this date occur somewhere private and away from the press. Think of the dinner as a get-to-know-you meeting. You are not charged for this first meeting. If you find that this woman is someone you could see yourself attending events with, then I would recommend you insist on an exclusivity agreement. Essentially, this means that this woman would not be available to any other clients. This would prevent her from being seen with someone else at other events, which would of course reflect negatively on you in the press.”

  “Mr. Parker, your nine o’clock is here—“ Melody interrupts us.

  “Ask Alex to meet with them,” I quickly dismiss her.

  “What type of women does this sort of thing? How do I know I can trust them not to run to the press?”

  “All staff sign the same NDA you signed; if they dare say a word to the press, I will destroy them legally and personally. They are paid very well for their silence. In the twenty years I have been running this business, I have never had a staff member go to the press with a story. As for the type of women who do this, you would be surprised. I have a few attending graduate school, students in medical or law school, single parents, and I have a few who are down on their luck and just want to better their lives. They all go through a very extensive background check, including information that comes with a very hefty price tag. They will stand up to any media scrutiny, so if you are concerned that the skeletons in their closets would be found out, don’t be. If I can’t find the skeletons, no one can.”

  “I would insist on my own background check.”

  “Prior to the first meeting, I will release only very basic information to protect their personal information from being known to anyone who requests a first meet with them. If you both decided this arrangement would work for you, I would then provide you with the full background checks that I completed; most clients find my checks to be more than they need.”

  “I would need to have my security team review your information, I may still need to run my own checks.”

  “If mine are not sufficient, we can discuss it at that time. There is protected information in the background check that my clients usually prefer their clients not have access.”

  “What sort of protected information? If the press can obtain the information, then I need to be able to.”

  “Mostly, their address and phone numbers, including their emergency contact information. Most of my staff prefer this information to be kept confidential so they have some privacy. It also keeps this arrangement more formal and prevents clients from being able to see or contact them outside of the agreed upon times.”

  “That wouldn’t be an issue with me, I guarantee that. I can agree that if I need to run my own background checks, my security team will exclude her address and contact information in the final report that I receive.”

  “I think I can agree to that.”

  “What are the expectations at the end of the… evening if we attend an event together?”

  “The end of the evening?” She looks confused. I do really not want to spell it out to her, but if I have to, I will. “OH! There is a clause in the contract that both parties sign indicating there will be no intimacy between the client and staff member. Any physical signs of affection, such as hand holding, kissing, dancing, etc… are agreed upon and noted in the contract. It is expected those signs of affection would only be shown when other people are present, since this would likely be for appearances only.”

  “So, how would this work? I would pick her up at her house, bring her to dinner, then drop her off at the curb at the end of the night?” I can’t help but think it all seems rather cold, but at the same time, I find myself considering the proposition.

  “You would never pick her up at home or drop her off there. Assuming you needed to show up together at an event, you would have a prearranged meeting location where you would pick her up. This could be my office, your office, or any other public place. You would drop her off at the same location at the end of the night. If arriving together is not as important, she could meet you there.”

  “I see.”

  “The arrangements don’t have to only include charity events and business dinners: if you wanted companionship—“

  “That won’t be necessary,” I interrupt quickly.

  “I understand. This is a sample contract, including a price list for your review. As I stated, any clothing and accessories that are required for an event are at your expense. I would send you a bill, which would include the receipt from the store where everything was purchased. These items do not come cheap, as anyone seen with you would be expected to wear certain things—“

  “The cost wouldn’t be an issue.” I get what she’s trying to say, and I know she’s
right. The media expects that if I’m seen in a high-end designer tux, then my date for the evening is also seen in an equally expensive gown.

  “Do you have any other questions, Nicholas?”

  “How would the women not be tied to you if the press dug into them? Certainly their financial history would show you as their employer? How would they not tie me to you? I would expect questions would be raised.”

  “Yes, they would. And if they dug into my business, they would see that we are a consulting agency providing a variety of services to successful businesses up and down the east coast. All of those companies will verify my relationship with them should anyone ask. As far as your relationship with me, it could be played off as a business relationship.”

  “I don’t want PFS to be tied to your services,” I quickly decide. While it seems like she has thought of everything, I can’t risk PFS’s reputation on finding a solution for my personal life.

  “Normally, I don’t give clients another option,” she pauses as she thinks. “However, since you and I have known each other for so long, I will provide you with an option I don’t give other clients. I have an offshore bank account set up. If you decide to sign the contract and we go further with this arrangement, you would transfer funds into that account. Since it is an offshore account, you’re aware that it is nearly impossible to track any money in and out of such an account. Even the account holder information is held in confidence.”

  “That would be acceptable.”

  “So, tell me, are you interested in signing a contract with me? If so, I have a profile of a woman available right now for you to review…”

  “I’d like to have my security team run their checks on your company. No offense, but I need to be sure that any information about what you really do is truly buried. If it checks out, I will sign the contract, but I’m only agreeing to the initial meeting. If I don’t like how it feels, our contract is terminated at that moment.”

  “Of course, I’ll leave you with this file to review as I’m sure when your team performs their review, you will sign the contract. This young woman is newly signed to my company as well and has not yet met with anyone. I warn you though, I expect her to be signed to an exclusivity contract very quickly as she is a natural beauty that I think will appeal to most of my clients. You will note the file does not include a photo or any identifying information. Her basic physical description is provided, however the other information is kept confidential until your first meeting. This is protection for both of you, neither of you can have preconceived notions of the other or start searching online for one another. Her background check is included in the file for your review as well.”

  “Thank you, I will review the file and will be in touch.”

  “I appreciate your time, Nicholas, and I look forward to doing business with you.”

  HOLY FUCK is the only thing I can think when she leaves my office. I need to have Asher dig into this because if anyone can find anything he can. This almost seems too good to be true; it’s the perfect solution for getting the press off my ass about my personal life. I read through the contract, expecting to find a catch, but everything seems very cut and dry. The prices are high, higher than I initially thought, but given the arrangement, I can’t say I’m surprised. On one hand, I can’t believe I’m considering this, but on the other hand, the thought of having the focus back on the success of PFS and off my sex life is very appealing. I could be seen with a beautiful woman in public, one that wouldn’t expect romance being with me. I wouldn’t have to worry about her developing feelings for me after accompanying me to a few events.

  After reviewing the contract for the third time, I decide to take a look at the profile Bridget provided me. Although there is no picture of the woman, I can at least learn about the type of women who would do something like this. I can only imagine what Bridget must pay them for their services which just reinforces to me that they are money hungry like most women I meet. Although, for once I don’t care; the expectations of the evening are laid out in the contract. Hell, it even says that they cannot request I pay for anything outside of the actual date itself and the items I reimburse Bridget for. I don’t have to buy gifts or feel pressured to do so.

  Chapter 9

  Kenzie

  “Hello?” I answer the phone that is waking me up on a rare day that I have off from both of my jobs.

  “Good morning, Kenzie, this is Bridget. How are you?”

  “Oh, hi, I’m good. And you?”

  “Very good, thank you. I’m calling because I have a profile for you to review. If you’re going to be home today, I’ll have a courier service bring it to you.”

  “Yes, I’ll be home today.”

  “Wonderful, it will arrive in the next hour. Now, just so you’re not surprised, the profile won’t contain any identifying information, meaning there will be no picture. At this point, you are just reviewing the information to see if he is someone you would like to meet. If you agree to meet him, when I call you back with the date arrangements, I will provide you with his full name. He has reviewed the same information on you and would like to meet you if you are interested in meeting him.”

  “Okay…”

  “I’ll tell you a little about him if you have a few minutes. Unlike most of my clients, I have known this gentleman for several years now. He is a very successful businessman who works far too many hours and as a result has zero personal life. Because of his success, he is invited to many different events, including charity galas, fundraising dinners, political events and then of course, there are the dinners associated with his own business. I do want to let you know however, he is going to require whoever he decides to contract with to sign an exclusivity contract—“

  “Why would he insist on this?”

  “In his case, he needs someone by his side for publicity. You can’t be seen with him in one picture on a website and then a week later be on the arm of another man at a different event—“

  “OH! I see… that makes sense.”

  “I don’t know too many specifics about what his commitments will be, but I think it’s likely to be at least weekly events with a chance of up to two to three times per week.”

  “Really? That many?”

  “For men who are this successful, this is pretty typical.”

  “Can I ask… what happened to the last girl he contracted with?”

  “Nothing… like you, this will be his first meeting. He is a brand new client to me.”

  “I see.”

  “Once you review the profile, give me a call or text me to let me know if you are interested in scheduling a meeting. Be sure to look over your schedule, because I expect the meeting to occur this week.”

  “Thank you, I’ll call you later.”

  I decide to wait around for the courier before heading to the laundromat a few blocks away. I pack everything up, and once the courier arrives, I throw the large envelope into my bag and head out. I hate walking there, especially carrying a large bag of clothes, but there isn’t really another option, considering my building doesn’t have its own washer and dryer. It’s a pain, but at least the weather is nice today.

  After I throw the clothes into the washer, I take the file out of the envelope and discreetly begin reviewing it. There isn’t much to review though; like Bridget said, there was no identifying information, only his initials NP. Other than that, it’s basic information: he works in the financial industry as a manager, he enjoys spending time on his boat, and he lives in Manhattan. There is really no information about him as a person, which is kind of disappointing. I don’t know what I expected, but I guess more along the lines of his likes, dislikes, favorite foods, etc…

  There’s actually more information about the type of woman he is looking for: someone who can attend social events and business dinners, must be comfortable meeting new people, must be able to remember key players, must have an open mind in business and politics, must be willing to sign an exclusivity c
ontract, must be willing to be photographed, and be available evenings and weekends when needed. I think I meet most of those requirements.

  I decided a few days after meeting with Bridget that if I agreed to this arrangement, I would stop working at the store after the first date. I enjoy working at the bakery the most, and if I had to choose a job to keep, hands down it’s the bakery. Plus, I don’t like the idea of interacting with coworkers or former dates while at the store. I think it would be awkward and uncomfortable for both of us. It’s risky with the bakery because I don’t know what’s going to happen after the sale of the business, but I’m confident that if I don’t stay on with the new owners, that I can find another job at another bakery, especially with Ginny’s recommendation. Besides, the hours at the bakery are less likely to conflict with events that I would be requested to attend. I see very few business deals being done at five or six in the morning.

  Taking a deep breath, I send Bridget a text message saying I agree to meet NP; I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I still can’t help but question if I’m making the right decision and if I can trust Bridget, whom I barely know. She has addressed all of my concerns, and I have insisted that all meetings occur in public, so I think there’s less chance of getting hurt. I know if I ever want to improve my life, I need to make some changes, and the only way to do that is to earn more money. I hate that I’m working so many hours and barely making ends meet.

  I would love to be able to go back to school, afford a nicer place, and maybe take a trip or something one day. Right now, my focus is always on working enough hours to pay my bills and then to put a little money aside in the event that one day I might need to leave quickly, or if one of my jobs fell through, I would have a safety net at least for a little while. I cross my fingers and hope that for once I have met someone I can trust.

  He wants to meet you, tonight 6pm at The Summit. Reservation will be in my name. Go to Stacy’s on Third, she will provide you with everything you need for tonight. It will be charged to my account. Good Luck, Kenzie. –Bridget