" So that explained Mary, I thought to myself." So that explained Mary, I thought to myself. Rachael was going on with her story. "Pretty soon I was making as much on the straight business as I was with the other stuff, so I expanded and went big-time, placing consultants like you as well as the run-of-the-mill office help. I now pull in over $10 million a year, and most of the people who work through me have no idea about the other side of the business. My contacts as a call-girl get me right to the top of most of the major corporations, and the men are happy to hire my people -- both for office services and for the other services I perform. I've had this business now for over 8 years, and although I keep busy running it, I still sometimes will go out on a sexual assignment myself. Needless to say, I'm quite expensive." "Of course," I replied with bitterness. "So yes, Al," she continued, ignoring my remark, "I _am_ a prostitute. And this gets me back to our little business deal here." "OK," I murmurred, still depressed, but wondering what she was leading up to. If it was a sex-for-money deal, I might go for it. "Well, Al, do you know what my markup is on you?" she asked. "I don't know," I replied glumly. "What? Maybe $200 or $300 a day?" "How about $600?" she replied calmly. "That's a 100 percent markup!" I exclaimed. "How do you get them to pay for it?" She smiled slyly and said, "I don't give away trade secrets. |