Madam of Maple Court (11 page)

Pam's phone rang that evening, but it wasn't Marcy. "Pam, this is Grace Banner. You remember Banner Plastics?" She was the wife of one of Vin's biggest accounts and the couple had been to parties at the DePalma house several times. Pam liked the woman very much, although her husband was a bit of a lecher and had made several passes at her, which she'd easily and gracefully turned aside. "We met several times at your wonderful house."

"Of course I remember you. Hello, Grace. This is an unexpected pleasure." She was surprised but also genuinely happy to hear from Grace. Pam had so few friends, and particularly since Vin's death she'd been quite lonely.

"I'm glad to hear your voice," the woman said, sounding on the edge of panic. "I need your help desperately."

She needs my help
? "I don't understand. What's the problem?"

"It's Belinda's wedding."

Pam had gotten an invitation to the elegant affair and had politely declined. She had no desire to spend any time with Vin's old cronies. "I received the invitation and I'm sure I RSVPed. I'm sorry I'm not able to attend." Just last-minute checking on the guest list, she assumed.

"I'm hoping that was just a polite way of saying that you're not ready to make pleasant conversation with any of Vin's erstwhile acquaintances, and I can certainly understand that. With Vin's death… Oh, goodness. There I go putting my foot in my mouth."

"Relax, Grace. It's been a long time since the accident. What's really going on with you?"

She could hear Grace begin to cry. "Oh, Pam, the place where we were going to have the wedding burned to the ground this morning."

With genuine sadness Pam said, "I'm so sorry, Grace. That must throw everything into chaos." Pam really liked Belinda Banner and was sorry to hear about the snafu.

"My daughter's in hysterics. We've got relatives coming in from as far away as Australia and nowhere to hold the ceremony and reception. We've called everywhere but it's just too last minute. I'm at my wits' end."

"I can imagine it's difficult." What was going on?

"I hope I can impose on you to let us use your house. The weather's supposed to be wonderful for the weekend, so we could hold the ceremony and reception outside. I would pay you what I was going to pay the other place, of course." She named an exorbitant figure. "The caterers will do all the cooking and the planner can arrange everything else. All you'd have to do is provide the location. I can have cleaning people come in both before and after if you need them, and the flowers are all arranged. Please, Pam. For Belinda and Keith."

Use the house? It was a silly idea, although she could certainly use the money. Grace continued talking. "All those parties you threw when Vin was… Sorry. I don't know how to say things that won't hurt you. But you really were sensational, and your house must look fabulous with all the spring flowers blooming."

Ridiculous idea. "How many people have they invited?"

"Only about a hundred."

Without consciously considering it, Pam started to plan. She'd have to get a tent just in case of rain but she could easily fit a hundred people in the backyard; she'd done it several times before. Tables and chairs would be rented from a party supply place. They could even set up a small dance floor as they had at their housewarming. The food had already been provided for. She'd have to have the landscapers in the Monday afterward to fix the damage, but the cost would be peanuts in comparison with the amount of money Grace had mentioned. She exhaled a long breath. "I guess I could do it."

"Oh my God, Pam, really? God, you'd be saving my life. You're a fabulous friend. Can we get together tomorrow morning so we can go over everything? I'll have the planner there, too. Oh God, Pam. You're amazing. I can't say thank you enough times." They talked for almost an hour and firmed up arrangements.

In the flurry of wedding plans Pam managed to forget Liza for hours at a time. The entire week was incredibly hectic but, in the end, everything went off without a hitch. The bride was beautiful and all the guests were impressed by how gorgeous the building and grounds were. Every professional who arrived to plan and then later set up oohed and aahed about the house. She thought the florist was going to have an attack of vapors as he surveyed the tulips and early blooming roses that surrounded the yard. "Can I keep this place in mind for others who want an unusually beautiful place to hold the ceremony?" both the wedding planner and the caterer asked.

She'd never thought of using her house for outsiders, but the more she considered the idea, the better it sounded. "Of course."
For a fee
. As she watched the professional wedding planner scurry around, cell phone to her ear, Pam realized that she could do most of the tasks the highly paid wedding coordinator did.

The check that Grace Banner handed her as the last guest left was much more than they'd discussed. The money would give her more time before she had to think about going to work. That was the way Pam measured money these days.

"Pam," Grace said as she slipped off her shoes and walked over the thick carpeting toward the front door, shoes dangling from her index finger, "you've created a miracle. Several of the guests asked whether you'd be interested in letting them use your house and your services for office parties and such. What should I tell them?"

She thought only a moment. "I'd certainly talk to people about it."

"Wonderful." Grace kissed her on both cheeks. "You're a genius. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart."

That evening Marcy called. "I'm sorry to have been so long in getting back to you, but Liza's been out of town. She got back last evening and I talked to her at length. Are you still sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Pam said, feeling less compelled and more curious.

"Okay. I trust you to keep confidences where necessary, and for the moment Liza will keep specifics to a minimum. She'll be happy to meet with you, but you have to be ready for whatever she tells you. You might not like it."

"I think I've come to terms with most of it, but I do need to talk with her to help me figure Vin out, if nothing more. Will you be there?"

"If you want me to be."

"Please."

"Okay. How about the same place on Monday? Liza is exhausted from her vacation and will be sleeping in. These ladies keep different hours than the rest of us." Marcy's laugh was contagious and Pam chuckled along with her. Different hours, right. "She'd like to make it later in the day, say for a drink around five? Would that work for you?"

"Done."

She phoned Gary and told him of the meeting. He'd called several times during the previous week but Pam had been too rushed to talk with him for more than a moment or two.

"Do you want me to be there?" he asked.

"Honestly, I don't think so. You presence will make everyone a bit nervous and I'd like to find out as much as I can without filtration."

"Okay, if that's the way you feel." She heard him draw in a great breath. "How about we meet for dinner afterward and you can tell me as much as you want to. You could call me when you're done and we could pick a place."

Meet for dinner. It was strange how those three words made her brain click into a different mode. Meet for dinner. It could be all business, of course, but from the tone of Gary's voice Pam thought there might be something more going on here. It had been so long since she'd thought of a man in "Let's have dinner" terms that she didn't trust her judgment. Was she interested in anything more than a business dinner with Gary? It was such a strange thought that for the moment she put it out of her mind. He was rather attractive, she thought as she forced the thought to the back of her brain. "Why don't we just have dinner there? The menu looked rather pedestrian, but what I tasted of the soup seemed fine."

"Okay, I'll look forward to it."

So will I
, Pam thought, strangely interested. What a delicious new feeling. Vin had been gone for quite a while. Why shouldn't she be interested?

When she arrived at the restaurant Marcy was already waiting for her, dressed in a soft blue blouse and a pair of black trousers. Her face was again almost free of make-up and her hair was caught back in a black butterfly clip.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little late," Pam said. "Traffic was a beast."

"Not at all. Being able to just sit without a child demanding my attention is a delight. I turned off my cell phone and didn't even bring my PDA."

Pam slid into the booth. "Isn't Liza coming?" Pam had again girded her loins, this time in a pair of lightweight toast-colored slacks and a pale rose paisley blouse.

"She called just before I left the house and said she'd be about a half an hour late. I hope you don't mind. It will give us a few minutes to visit."

Pam's shoulders dropped and she felt her stomach unclench. She'd been prepared to do battle, of sorts, but that would have to wait. What would she talk about with a madam for half an hour? After ordering glasses of white wine, both started to talk at once. They laughed and then, amazingly, they spend the next fifteen minutes with no lull in the conversation. After covering a few of the big news stories and the health of all concerned, Marcy asked, "You said you've been really busy over the past week. What was going on?"

Marcy seemed genuinely interested, so Pam told her about the wedding. "After all the panicky moments, it all came off without a hitch. I have to say I was quite pleased and so was the bride's family." She sipped her wine.

"You sound like this is easy stuff for you."

"It is, actually. I used to entertain several times a year for Vin and his business contacts. I've gotten pretty used to it."

"You're so well organized. You said they paid you quite a sum to do the party."

Pam couldn't help but smile. "That they did, and the money will come in very handy." She very quickly told Marcy of all her financial problems, then wondered what it was about this motherly woman that made it seem so natural to confide in her.

"Are you interested in doing more of this kind of thing? I have lots of contacts, businessmen who are always looking for someplace different to entertain."

Was she interested in taking referrals from a madam? She had already told Grace Banner that she'd be interested in talking to folks looking for places for weddings and summer affairs. Marcy's offer gave the word affairs a whole new meaning. "Only if it's strictly business," Pam said, then with a chuckle added, "I mean real business."

With a hearty laugh, Marcy said, "Not my kind of business, you mean. I understand, although you'd be fabulous doing what I do. You're organized, well spoken, classy looking, and charming. My instincts have always been right and I got good vibes about you from the start."

Pam actually felt herself color. "I don't think so."

"I'm going to stop the hypothetical nonsense. My two partners and I each make more than your husband did in his best year."

Pam gasped. "You're kidding."

Marcy grinned, then shook her head. "Not at all. They don't call it the world's oldest profession for nothing. It has been around forever, and the club started almost five years ago. We do very, very nicely. And I share."

From what she knew of Vin's expenditures, she didn't doubt that Club Fantasy was a gold mine. But not for her. "Not interested, but thanks for the vote of confidence. You seem to be very well paid for what you do. How many clients do you have?"

"About three hundred."

Pam's jaw dropped. "Three hundred men pay the kind of money you get for sex?"

"There would be more if I were less selective and had more time and space. My client list includes many of the best people, men, and women, too, who are looking for my kind of entertainment. Our clients include politicians, CEOs, rock stars, sports types, just about everyone you might imagine. We give them things they can't or don't get anywhere else and we're totally confidential and discreet. Men and women have needs and wants and we cater to them."

"You mean to tell me that women pay for sex, too?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Pam's mind couldn't quite grasp the concept of women paying for sex. In the last several years she and Vin had made love from time to time, and most of the time it had been enjoyable for her. But she didn't need it, or want more than she had. Women paid for it? "I don't know why not. I just thought that women didn't need or want sex the way men do."

"Many don't, but lots of women have discovered how fabulous great sex can be. Most get it at home, but more than a few come to us for, well, let's say diversion. Actually, that's what my husband Zack used to do."

Pam gasped. "Okay, you finally shocked me. Your husband used to be a male prostitute?" She had to be saying that to make a point. She couldn't be married to a man who'd done
that
.

Marcy smiled indulgently. "Listen, Pam, there's a lot more in this world than you can imagine. Yes, Zack used to entertain women. He doesn't anymore, of course, not since we got together."

"What do these women want?"

"We live in a couples-oriented society, and women often outlive or outlast their partners. We cater to recent divorcees, widows, and just plain lonely women. Some merely want companionship, someone to take them out to dinner, the theater, or a concert. Others need a man to take them to a special event. Eye candy for the female set. They can introduce a good-looking stud to their friends and watch the envy show on their faces without ever letting on that the guy is being paid. Our gentlemen are cultured and well read, not to mention good looking. And the fringe benefit is sex afterward, if the woman is in the mood, and most of the time she is. She knows she'll get the best, too."

Pam kept her jaw locked to keep it from falling open. She must be the most naive woman in the world. "I can't imagine wanting sex that much."

"Then, my dear, you've never had great sex." Marcy's eyes lit up. "You know, I could introduce you to someone…"

It was Pam's turn to laugh. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said quickly.

Marcy had been watching the entrance and suddenly her face brightened. "There's Liza," Marcy said, motioning to a tall, well-built woman who was just walking through the restaurant's front door. When she waved, the woman waved back and headed for the table, stopping briefly to talk to the waiter. Pam looked her over, wondering what this woman had that she didn't.