The Agency Ch. 28 (Remastered Pt. 01)

Note from the Writer: I would first like to say how appreciative I am to the fans of this series. The positive comments and praise for this series have pushed me to continue this series, and I'm grateful that others can appreciate the story that I have crafted. When I first started writing these stories, I would type them on my phone, later copying and pasting them onto the website. As a result, my first few chapters have a number of spelling and grammatical errors that weren't corrected before submission. Also, my early work, especially the first chapter, lacks some of the in-depth story telling that I am proud to have in my later works. This is the reason I have decided to write a remastered version of the first chapter. Hopefully, this remastered chapter will better reflect the series as a whole.

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There was a coolness in the air as I walked to the bar on Friday night. This was a rarity in Los Angeles, even in the winter. My pace quickened, seeking the warmth of the local bar.

John's Keg was a Friday night staple for my friends and me. It had turned into one of the few places we got to see each other anymore. Most everyone in our group had friends since college. After graduating, we stayed in Los Angeles, but all went our separate ways. We had a doctor, a lawyer, an artist, a couple of teachers, and myself a salesman.

I often found myself regretting my business major. The feelings of regret were strongest on Friday's when the guys would talk about how much they enjoyed their jobs. I was happy with the money I brought in, but the job itself wasn't fulfilling.

Friday nights were our one opportunity to hang out each week. The rest of the guys in the group were either married or engaged. A couple of them even had kids, which seemed early to me. We were all in our mid-20s and I was still hoping to enjoy freedom while I could. I'd had a few serious girlfriends, but I had never met that person I couldn't live without.

My friends all enjoyed talking about their lives as husbands and fiancés, but seemed to also live vicariously through me. I wouldn't consider myself a player, but I enjoyed the benefits of the single life. They used my singleness as an opportunity to pick out the women they found attractive and coax me into picking them up. Most nights I'd ignore them, but when I was in the right mood I would give it a try. I scored far more often than I struck out.

Tonight, they all had their eyes on one particular woman in the bar. She was a tall tan brunette who was slim, but still had assets in the desirable areas. She wore a beautiful blue dress that found a nice balance between modesty and sexiness. The tightness of the dress accentuated her curves, but left the rest to the imagination.

We were a couple of drinks in and the woman still sat alone at the bar. Most of the normal patrons at the bar were generally with a group, having a girls' or guys' night out. It wasn't often you saw a woman sitting alone at the bar, especially one as attractive as this.

"Dude, you've got to go talk to her," my buddy Caleb said, "She is easily the most attractive woman I've ever seen!"

"Weren't you just talking about how beautiful you thought your wife was?" I joked.

"That's different. I'm obligated to find my wife attractive, but this woman is beautiful by every objective measure. We've been going to this bar for years and there has never been one like that. If you don't at least try to pick her up, my penis will be mad at you."

"Well I'd hate to anger the five inches of fury!" I quipped.

The rest of the group laughed and Caleb's face turned red in embarrassment. Caleb was right though; this woman was incredible. I wasn't a male model, but I was normally very secure in my looks; however, in this scenario I felt a tad out of my league.

I guzzled down the rest of my glass of liquid courage.

"This is for you, bud," I said, patting Caleb's shoulder as I walked toward the bar.

As I approached, the woman was scrolling through her phone. She had spent much of her time on her phone since arriving at the bar, which concerned me that she might be waiting on someone. Nonetheless, I knew she was worth a try.

"Can I buy you another drink?" I asked standing beside her seat as I approached the bar.

The woman turned and looked up from her phone. Her face of indifference turned into to a beautiful white smile.

"Sure, another martini would be great!"

I leaned across the bar and placed our order with the bartender and sat down at the bar stool beside her. The woman slid her cell phone into her clutch and seemed excited by my presence.

"I'm Joe, by the way," I said.

"Eliza," the beautiful brunette said, sweeping her long hair behind her ear.

Once our drinks arrived, we began to talk. Eliza was surprisingly sharp, which was a pleasant surprise from some of the other beauties I had picked up in the past. She was quick witted and our conversation was seamless.

A few drinks later, I was feeling pretty good. Things were going well with Eliza, and I was doing my best to not seem too tipsy.

"It is starting to get late," Eliza said, glancing at the clock on the wall, "Would you like to get out of here and go to my place? It is just a few blocks from here."

I was surprised at her request, but wasn't about to object. It had taken surprisingly little flirting to get an invite to Eliza's place.

I vividly remember walking to Eliza's apartment, but once we arrived things turned to a blur. I remember kissing in her living room on the couch. The next thing I remembered was falling back onto the bed and seeing Eliza's blue dress drop off her body, revealing a sexy matching blue lingerie underneath. The last thing my memory could recall was her tan body landing next to mine on the mattress as we panted from torrid sex.

I awoke the next morning with bright light entering the bedroom. I found myself alone in bed, still naked from the night before. It was hard to recall what had happened the previous evening. My head throbbed, as the alcohol had taken its toll.

Through squinted eyes, I found my pants on the floor and slipped them back on. I made my way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where Eliza stood at the bar pouring two cups of coffee. She wore a gray pantsuit and white blouse. Even in business-wear, she looked gorgeous.

"Good morning!" Eliza said, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"A little hungover," I chuckled, which only made my head hurt more.

"Last night was a pretty fun night," Eliza said, bringing me a cup of coffee, "Why don't you sit down for a second? I'd like to talk to you about something."

I sat down on the couch we had made out on a few hours prior. It was one of the few memories that had stuck with me from the night. I took a big sip of the piping hot coffee and waited for Eliza to join.

"My full name is Eliza Monroe and last night was more than just a casual encounter for me. I work as a job recruiter, but not in the traditional sense. The company I work for is called 'The Agency', which seeks out the best talent for our high end clientele. Your performance last night was one of the best I've seen in my recruiting and I'd like to invite you to continue the interview process."

I found myself very confused. This woman had just been a hook-up from a bar and here we sat talking about a job opportunity.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused. Maybe I don't remember as much from last night as I thought. When did we start discussing my sales job?" I asked.

Eliza laughed, "We didn't. To be blunt, this job would be based on your sexual performance. If you are not interested in that type of thing, you can go ahead and leave, no hard feelings. However, I can guarantee you that this is an opportunity that you will not want to pass up. I can offer you $1,000 to just come to a formal interview."

"My sexual performance? Are you trying to pull me into male prostitution? That's illegal!"

"Joe, I can assure you this isn't prostitution and that everything is 100% legal. I know that this isn't what you were expecting and I don't want you to rush into a decision. I'll give you the day to think about. Here is my business card and I'll pencil you in for eight tomorrow morning. If you are interested, show up. If not, the offer is off the table and you can go on with your life."

Eliza's tone was very professional and she seemed to mean business. I took another sip of coffee and went back to the bedroom to grab my shirt and shoes. The pleasantries from the previous night had vanished and I took this to mean we were done for today, so I made every effort to leave as quickly as I could.

The change in tone made leaving awkward. We had spent the night together, but our conversation stole any sense of romanticism that existed prior. I opted to just wave and say goodbye as I walked out the door. Eliza gave a small smirk and a wave back from the kitchen.

I walked down the flights of stairs in Eliza's apartment and made my way to the street. It took me a moment to get my bearings, as I hadn't remembered much from the journey back to her apartment. Once I put the pieces together I realized I was about ten block away from my own apartment.

When I arrived back home, I tossed my wallet and phone on the counter. When I pulled my phone from my pocket, the business card Eliza had given me hit the floor. I hadn't looked at the business card when she handed it to me, I was still trying to process the proposition she had offered.

The business card was plain white cardstock and lacked any frills. The writing was professional, but didn't stand out as anything special. Written on the card was:

"The Agency

Eliza Monroe

Talent Acquisition/Agent

28B 3^rd Avenue

Los Angeles, CA"

It was at this point that my thought process moved from trying to understand what had occurred to what I should do moving forward. The interaction had been like nothing I had ever experienced. Most one night stands ended with an awkward goodbye, not an appointment for a job interview.

What was this job all about? She had mentioned that my sexual performance was the determining factor, but that it wasn't prostitution. Was she trying to get me to do porn? How could it be? She had mentioned that she had clients. Curiosity was beginning to grow inside me.

I didn't enjoy my sales job one bit. I made a nice wage, but I woke up every morning agonizing another day at the office. A new job seemed like a decent opportunity. If nothing else, I could go to the interview and see what was involved. If I didn't go, I knew my curiosity would cause me to regret not exploring the option.

7:45 on Sunday morning, and I found myself searching for the address listed on the business card. Downtown LA was abnormally calm, as it was too early for most people to be out on a weekend. Halfway down the street sat a cluster of doors, one of which read 28B and had "The Agency" written on the door in vinyl block lettering.

I came dressed in a suit, the only way I knew to come to a job interview. I was used to wearing a shirt and tie to work, but this was the first time I had put on a full suit since my friend's wedding. My nerves began to get the best of me as I entered the office lobby.

The lobby looked like a cookie cutter version of every other office lobby I had ever been in. Large wooden reception desk with a number of chairs and a magazine rack with outdated issues of Sports Illustrated and Vogue. The lobby was remarkably unremarkable.

The receptionist was equally as exciting as the room she sat in. An older woman, probably in her late 50s or early 60s, who wore large frame glasses that were in style two decades prior. Her short dark blonde hair was frizzy and the dress she wore was dated. Yet, she still possessed a grandmotherly charm that made me feel a little at ease as I approached her work station.

"Good morning!" the receptionist said.

"Good morning," I smiled back, "My name is Joe Williams and I'm here to meet with Eliza Monroe."

"Ahh, yes Joe, we have been expecting you. Please go down this hallway and go to the first door on the left. Ms. Monroe should be in her office waiting on you."

I nodded and made my way down the hall. The long hallway was lined with doors, all of which sat closed except for the first on the left. As I approached the open door, my palms began to clam up and I could feel my heart beating in my chest. I hadn't been to a job interview in years, and not knowing the nature of this interview made me nervous for what lie ahead.

As I turned into the doorway, I saw Eliza seated in a large desk chair staring at a laptop on her dark oak wood desk. Seeming to sense my presence, she looked up and smiled.

"Joe, I'm glad you showed!" Eliza said, motioning toward a small chair that was in front of her desk.

I entered the room and took a seat. Eliza closed her laptop and slid it out of the way and grabbed a stack of papers out of a plastic tray.

"I wasn't quite sure if I should come or not," I nervously chuckled, "Our conversation yesterday morning left me confused. Although, that confusion made me curious enough to show up to find out what exactly was going on."

"I'm sorry for not giving you too much information yesterday, but that was by design. Any prospective associate I meet with can't know too much about what goes on here until they come in for an interview. The nature of our business lives and dies with secrecy. Before I can get into the details, I have to ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement. This agreement prevents you from disclosing anything about 'The Agency' with anyone. You can't tell friends, parents, siblings. No one can find out what I am about to discuss with you. If you do disclose any details, well...let's just say I wouldn't recommend trying it," Eliza said, sliding a piece of paper across the table.

Eliza's business-like demeanor had only intensified since our conversation the day before. I still had no idea what this company was about, and was now being told I couldn't discuss it with anyone, or else! I might have felt nervous before, but that was nothing compared to the nerves I felt now.

Yet, I still found myself too curious to walk away. I grabbed the pen and scribbled my name on the dotted line, sliding the sheet of paper back across the desk.

Eliza's intense stare lightened and her gorgeous white smile returned to her face. This still left me on edge, because I couldn't tell if things were going to get intense again; but, that beautiful smile brought me a small sense of comfort.

"Now that we have that out of the way, I can start filling in some of the plot holes for you," Eliza said, "Here at 'The Agency', we work with men and women that are in the entertainment industry that are looking for no-risk companionship. I'm sure you have seen videos of celebrities walking the streets with paparazzi surrounding them. The public nature of their careers make it difficult for them to find the same releases that you and I might seek out sexually.

"For instance, if an Oscar-award winning actress leaves the club with some guy, within minutes their picture is all over the internet with a variety of stories surrounding them. Are they dating? Is she a slut? Those are the types of questions that will be asked in the tabloids, which can significantly hurt the public image of these celebrities.

"The purpose of The Agency is to offer an alternative that allows celebrities to enjoy sexual relationships outside of a 'relationship', without the worry of drawing negative attention to themselves. The Agency provides safe and certified associates, both men and women, to meet the sexual and non-sexual needs of our clients. Our clients range from C-listers all the way up to the biggest stars in the business.

"We have clients in all forms of entertainment. Singers and actors are our primary client base, as singers spend months at a time on tour and actors spending months at a time on location for filming. Some of our clients are married and others are single. For some, the stakes of getting caught are higher than others, which makes it even more important to be discreet.

"Due to the level of discretion and skill level required, the base pay for our associates is high. I can tell you that the minimum salary is $300,000 per year, with a minimum contract length of a year. Your actual salary will vary depending on your determined skill level and what type of clients we decide to place you with. Also, you will receive tips from your clients that are left to their discretion. Some of our best associates make more from one tip than they make in an entire year's worth of salary.

"A great deal of travel will be required for this position. In all likelihood, you will be disconnecting from your friends and family as you begin this secret life. This is a full-time position, which will require you to leave whatever job you currently have.

"At this point, I think I've laid out as much information as I can provide. If you have any questions, I can address those right now. Otherwise, I have a contract that you can sign if you want to come on board with us. Salary will be negotiated after our evaluation process, but we can guarantee you our minimum as a placeholder. Anything you need me to clarify?"

My mind was in wonder of everything Eliza had just presented to me. She was offering me an incredible sum of money, that more than tripled my current salary, to go and have sex with celebrities. It all seemed too good to be true.

I asked, "Do you mind if I take a night to think it over?"

"I'm sorry, but we need an answer now. An opportunity like this isn't something we like to play with. I know we want you as part of our team. However, we need someone that is going to be all-in and can't afford to wait around for an answer. This contract is void if you leave this office," Eliza responded, losing some of the friendliness she had shown earlier.

As if I wasn't nervous enough already, now I was being presented a deadline. Did I really want to give up the comforts of everything I knew, with such little thought put into it? I knew I hated my job, but could this opportunity that seemed too good to be true be just that?

Looking across the desk at Eliza, her stern business look had returned. However, something in her blue eyes seemed softer. I'm not sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me, but I could sense her encouraging me to sign the contract.

Possibly against my better judgement, I signed the contract.

"I'm glad you signed," Eliza smiled, filing the contract into her desk drawer, "In my years of recruiting new associates, I've never been as initially impressed with a guy. I think you'll do great things here."

Eliza stood from her desk and walked toward the office door, "Come with me. We need to take you down to the evaluation room."

I rose and followed Eliza out the door and down the long hallway. It appeared as if most of the doors belonged to other agents, both male and female, who I assume did similar work to Eliza. We arrived at a door that read 'Evaluation Room'. Eliza opened the door and showed me inside.

The Evaluation Room was small with a lone chair seated in the middle. On the wall, a big screen TV was mounted. Beside the TV was a large piece of glass. The glass wasn't see-through but had a dulled mirror finish. Based off years of watching police shows on TV, I assumed it was a one-way mirror.

"Please step inside and remove your clothes. One of our technicians will be in shortly to get you ready for evaluation," Eliza said.

The door quickly shut and I stood alone in the room. I was generally very comfortable in my own body, but began to feel a little shy, not knowing who could possibly see me on the other side of the mirror. I removed my suit and placed it on a hanger that rested on a door hook. Now, completely naked I stood and waited for the technician Eliza had mentioned.