Chapter Three

The brisk and breezy weather of an evening in Santa Monica was really getting to Axel and his companions.

They were seated in the beach bar gulping drinks and trading insults, while bragging about their escapades of course. Axel was dressed in a simple denim jeans, gray T-shirt and matching sneakers.

Rob wore black sweatpants and sky blue T-shirt, his black sneakers complimented his black sleek hair against his tanned skin. Danny wore a simple stripped blue shirt over dark pants and dark sneakers. He looked quite relaxed, as he crossed his legs, talking and laughing with his friends.

"So I took her home, and the little virgin Mary turned out to be a skank" Rob said. The other men laughed. Axel drag from his bottle, his long lean rough fingers wrapped around his bottle.

"You know, women are like that. No matter how they were raised, modest or not. Sometimes they should need to be freaky, and it takes a man who knows how to make them that way" Axel added

"Yeah" Danny concurred, he lifted his bottle gulping his beer.

"So, how did it go with the twins?" Rob asked. Rob was always the curious one amongst them. He loved talking and asking questions. Axel and Danny were much alike, and the closest of the trio. They were the ones with the highest women chasing skills. The daredevils.

Robert Henderson was a software engineer, he was quite shy around women, so he went for the shy, subtle looking types. Although he admired freaky, wild and bold women, he had never had the balls to walk up to any.

Daniel Hills was the one Axel referred to as the sex god amongst them. Axel had been attracted to his ardent womanizing skills in highschool. They called him the panty ripper in highschool. He slept with both the juniors and seniors. He was captain of the basketball team in school, and he and the cheerleaders had turned the whole centre into an orgy club. The guy was wild, and he loved sex.

After university, he had moved to Chicago with his girlfriend, Bernita and had worked as a manager in Crests Hotels Chicago, he lasted for a year; the Job and the relationship. Quite a feat for someone who could not keep to one woman, or stay at a place. He broke up with Bernita, quit his job then and moved back to Los Angeles.

He took a job as a male stripper at club Blend, and once he was back on his feet, he took a Job as an Escort. He was out of town or the country almost every week, and his clients were top and wealthy women. He was the richest amongst then, and all he did was have a good time.

"They were hot. And the bride, the Miss modest award winner, fucking freak. You know you should try it sometime. Fuck two identical women"

"Oh me? You know I can't do threesomes" Rob said waved the air dismissively "

"You can't or you won't" Axel pressed.

"I can't"

"Variety is the spice of life you know. If you're too scared to do it, someone else will" Danny said.

"I love variety, but I'm not sure I can handle a mixture if it. By the way I'm not scared. I'm just a one man to one woman kind of guy" Rob defended.

"Okay! You don't want threesomes, no problemo! But just know you're missing a lot" Axel said. They drank in silence for sometime before, watching the scantily dressed women walk to and fro on the beach sand.

Deciding and countering which looked sexier, and would fit the hue of their various beds.

"So there's something I would like to discuss with you, if you're interested" Danny said calmly

"Money related?" Rob asked

"Yeah, it's a job kind of thing" Danny replied

"Okay, hit us" Axel said

"Well, it's the Escort Job" He began in a hushed tone, pausing and watching their expressions. They looked keen, so he continued. "Five people quite, uhm they found other stuff to do. So Tif, my boss is hiring escorts" He said

"Is this like you asking us if we are interested in being Escorts?" Rob asked

"Obviously, stupid" Axel said hitting the back of his head fondly.

"Woah!"

"You might as well get paid for what you do for fun. You get to pick the client you like, decide your pay and decline who you do not want to see" Danny explained patiently

"Sounds interesting"

"Yeah, but I can't. My job at Andrews Corp is already draining, and I'm quite lazy on weekends. I'll pass"

"Well, if you're interested in earning extra and cool cash, while enjoying the other pleasures of life synchronously, then I urge you to reconsider" Danny said, pulling out two cards from his pants pocket. He placed it on the table, pacing to both men.

"Fancy card" Axel commented, scrutinizing the black and Gold card.

"That's my business Card. The moment you arrive Daxon's Agents, you give this to the secretary, and I'm in the office, she will show you in" Danny

"DA 24?" Rob read from the card

"That's my code number" Danny answered. Axel didn't day a thing, just placed the card in his pants pocket. "It's a good job, and it protects the images of both the clients and Escorts."

"Well isn't this like Male prostitution?" Rob questioned. They had not really talked about Danny's line of work before. They knew he was an Escort, but only Axel knew about the job cause he had told him about it.

"What makes Prescott hotels different from Clay's motels is the structure, the high class services, the obvious features that spells luxury in bold letters The bottom line is that you get a bed to lay your head for the night, and whatever you plan on doing at night, but the way the room as are structured and services presented makes it different" Danny answered.

Axel smiled and just nodded in understanding, placing the card in his pants pocket.

"Now, those girls over there have been staring at us with obvious interest. I don't know about you guys, but I'm sure as hell not sleeping alone tonight" Axel said, finishing his drink, he got up.

*******************

"Daddy I'm trying, but Axel is just too stubborn" Ariana complained. Her father had called her earlier today with so much urgency she had run from work, thinking something was wrong.

She had arrived their family house in Malibu Cove, and as the other times, he was curious as to why she and Axel weren't married. She sat in his study, explaining for the tenth time that the problem was Axel not herself.

While her father had chosen to believe she was the reason while Axel was dragging his feet concerning their marriage, she had tried to explain it wasn't because of her. Not that she cared about what people thought, but she loved her father, and she didn't want to disappoint him.

But the bastard was hellbent on frustrating her, a making a caricature of the Union their parents wanted. It was not as though she was dying to be his wife or anything. He was a chronic womanizer, and she knew he was prone to cheat if they ever got married.

But, she was willing to risk it. She also knew why she wanted to marry him. Why she chose him. If only he could just agree and then they struck a deal to make living together quite easy.

She had planned it all. They could live they way they wanted. He could fuck the entire Los Angeles if he so wished, she would not make a fuss. But she would just go about her life.

Then they will come together when they needed a child or two. Give both parents grandchildren and be free of their constant nagging.

But no, that jerk would not listen to her.

Instead he made her feel unwanted. She could not understand why he didn't find her desirable. It was as though she repelled him.

"Try harder" her father had pushed. She was trying her possible. Couldn't they just understand that it was not going to work? That Axel didn't see her that way?

She was a woman after all, expecting her to throw herself at a man who clearly wanted nothing to do with her was self disrespecting. In her quest to make Axel see her, she was losing herself and her pride.

"I have contacted his mother. We are planning your engagement party. My late friend and I have envisioned this bond and I plan to grant wish"

Who in this century still practice this crap called an arranged marriage? They were basically trying to sell her to that asshole, and the man was obviously not interested in buying.

She sighed, nodding meekly like a lamb "yes father" Racking her brain for any excuse to leave his study, she was was already exhausted with their plan.

The house keeper cane just in time to inform her that her food was ready. Seizing the opportunity, she got up, pretending to be famished even though she had lost her appetite.

**********************

"Have you thought of actually getting a permanent lover" Lisa asked her friend. They were seated at the poolside of Catalina's Hotel

"For what exactly?" She questioned.

"Changing them is quite tacky, don't you think?"

"I get bored easily"

"Find someone who will always interest you then. Someone you can trust. These men might go rogue and cause issues for you. You don't want a scandal do you?" Maya reasoned.

"I have been quite careful with them. Marlene does the check and presents me with the best. I'm fine with the way things are" She said

"Babe, you need to find a consistent lover. All these changing and replacing is quite strenuous and risky for a person of affluence like you. You don't need the media digging up a scandal, now do you?" Maya reasoned.

Although she didn't need to tell her that Brandon has successfully eliminated all her past lovers, she nodded. Maya was right though. She didn't need a media scandal, so far she had maintained a clean record, scandal free and all.

Lisa was also right, she needed a consistent lover. Someone reliable. Someone she could trust, share stuff with, connect with and rely on for moral support. She needed a man she could call her own, a man she could own.

Brandon was automatically a free lanced husband. He was not consistent, he was barely a lover or friend. He was just basically a money bank. And albeit she didn't want yo give up on her marriage, she wasn't blind to the huge loopholes in her marriage.

"So what do you suggest I do?" She asked her friends, her gaze pointed and zeroed on Lisa. The lady placed her heard in her purse searching, until she brought out a pink card.

"Here" she passed her the card. Catalina stretched collecting the card.

"What is this?" She read on the information on the card, her eyes meeting her friends.

"Escort services" she shrugged.

"I can't" she dropped the card on the table.

"Yes sure, if you want to stay celibate. But if you're going to continue getting lovers, then this is your best option. They are really discreet and all transactions are between the Escort and yourself. The most interesting part is that they appear to be a bodyguard and security agency on the surface." Lisa expatiated on the concept of the Escort services.

"I can't risk it" Catalina continued doubtfully.

"This is your best shot at getting a rational lover, babe. Sleep on it"

Catalina stared at the card, picking it up. She stared at it some more, and at her friends were nodding in approval, she placed the card in her wallet.

Some day, she thought, she might actually need it.