Viva Las Vegas.

I stepped out of my apartment and onto the full street of Las Vegas. It was noticeably hectic, even for one of the busiest cities in America.

I tried to prevent breathing in the dirty air as I reached the city centre. My room mate, long time best friend and co-worker Emily and I chose to live just outside the main city centre in an attempt to avoid the polluted streets of Vegas.

Our efforts were in vain though, as nearly every day we are forced to trudge our way through the crowded streets to reach our ‘job’. Although it can hardly be called that. Not the most glamorous job but it keeps a roof over my head. Call-girl hardly screams professionalism but t the moment I have nothing else to aspire for then preventing myself from living on the streets. Like most young girls I dreamed of the perfect guy, the picturesque wedding, the white picket fence, the adorable kids.

But none of that matters now. I just make it through the day.

I walked into a standard looking building, dressed in a white dress with a small black ribbon tied around the waist, a pretty black hair band fixed in my loosely curled auburn hair and my favourite vibrant red flats. People could look at me and think there’s a girl going for an interview. Or there’s an intern making an effort.

They couldn’t be more wrong, for more than one reason. For one I’m not young as they think. I’m actually twenty, though to most I appear sixteen or seventeen. But for the qualifications of my job I need the ability to look as innocent or sophisticated as I needed. Now I was wearing light make-up, a little blush, some mascara and lip-gloss. Nothing too exaggerated.

I stepped in the elevator with some regular business workers, pressing my floor without drawing attention to it. No-one knows what my floor is for exactly. Except the people who work on it, of course.

I noticed one of my friends from work enter after me. She smiled at me and I nodded in return. Michelle was her name. A new girl who was full of energy, eager to learn. She had very pretty features, her eyes a peculiar blue. Deep, but not dark.

I was speaking with her about how she felt about her new job on her first day when I noticed her eyes. They had a visible purple tint in the dark blue. It was a striking characteristic, which is not unusual in my line of work. Girls often have distinguished features that set them apart from most pretty girls. They often get more work than most. I was never sure what my defining characteristic was, if I had one at all.

She stepped off at the same level as me and walked towards the office, where I was headed. She turned off into one of the rooms where a meeting was being held. Our company is one of the most prestigious ones of our trade in Vegas.

We hold meetings between girls, often discussing one or more men and what they found worked best. It’s our regulars that keep us in business though we often have calls from celebrities.

Some low profile, for a few hours or so. Some rent us for a few days. Our longest ever has been two months, I think. We pose as girlfriends, sisters, nieces, you name it; just to keep our cover.

Mr. Turner rang me up this morning to tell me he has an important job ahead for me. I knew something was up when I didn’t receive any confirmation of jobs for my regulars.

‘Lacey, there’s my girl! Have I got a job for you!’ Mr. Turner said excitedly.

‘Hello, Mr. Turner,’ I smiled through gritted teeth, ‘what’s the big surprise?’ Mr. Turner is a man I dread talking to, the disgusting pig that he is. He has used almost every girl that comes in here. He hasn’t touched Emily or I yet, but I don’t know about other girls.

‘Another celebrity wants to hire someone. He’s a rising star and has hired you for the week,’ he burst out.

I smiled cheerfully. That smile said it all. Behind it that smile held every bad choice I made, every out of control party went to and every cruel boyfriend I ever had.

The smile Mr. Turner was seeing was a well practiced and realistic smile. But he would never know. No-one could know I was not bubbly and happy as I appeared. I must remain pretty and inconspicuous, like every other girl here.

‘I knew you would be happy to see the business doing so well. Now I have chosen you in particular because this boy is young and tells me he is looking for someone to appear to be his girlfriend for the duration of his stay here. He needs someone unobtrusive but easy on the eyes. And above all normal. He told me that this girl has to be normal.

'Let me tell you now, this kid has no idea what he’s doing. You are one of our more mature and professional employees and so I know I can trust you to ace this job. It has to go well. Are we clear? Good,’ he continued, without waiting for my reply, ‘Meet him at seven tonight at the Armada Hotel, room 37.’

I continued smiling and picked up my purse, nodding goodbye to Mr. Turner and making my way home. I explained everything to Emily while I was there, packed my stuff and hailed a taxi, headed to the hotel.

I entered gracefully, heading towards room 37. I hadn’t bothered changing; I was too busy saying bye to Em. It’s always hard when we’re hired for a few days. I had applied more eyeliner and fresh lipstick on the way over instead.

Knocking lightly on the door it opened immediately, he had been waiting.

‘Ryan Ross?’ I asked tentatively. Turner was right, he is young. He looked about 16. Same as me, I pondered. And yet his face was angelic, as if he would always look like that, one of life’s mysteries. At the moment I had applied make-up to make myself look approximately 19, a year younger than Mr. Turner had told me Ross was.

‘Yes?’ he replied equally as apprehensive, eyes wide.

‘I’m Lacey. From Turner and Thompson? ’ I told him.

He suddenly pulled me into his dark bedroom. The curtains were pulled, I noticed.

‘Lacey...’ he contemplated.

I didn’t get a very good scan of his face as he stood in the dark doorway but now I could see his features clearly underneath the bright light. I had done him no justice. He looked slightly older, now I could see more than his general profile. 17, maybe. His face was more than angelic, though. It was soft somehow, features set perfectly.

But of course, no girl was allowed to get close to her client. If she did, she always got her heart broken. No ifs or buts about it. I had fallen into that trap once before, I don’t intend to do it again.

After an intense silence I decided to question him. ‘Uh... Have you ever done this before?’ I said, turning to sit on his bed. Escaping from his unreadable gaze. I couldn’t tell if he was criticizing me or not.

‘No,’ he replied softly, looking down, ‘Never.’

‘Well, don’t worry,’ I said, reassuring him, ‘I can act as normal as you like. Is there a particular reason for my being here?’ I asked, surprised he couldn’t find a girl on his own with those looks.

He turned away shyly. ‘Uh, I... Well... I d-don’t have a girlfriend and... I wanted to... Well, I was t-teased about...’ he half stuttered.

I looked at him expectantly. It helped if I could figure out exactly why I was hired for a certain job. It assisted my overall appearance.

‘I... I have never had...’ he trailed off, quieter as he finished the sentence.

But I pieced it together.

‘You still have your virginity?’ I concluded. He nodded his head shamefully.

‘It’s okay, you know. I’m not going to judge you,’ I assured him. Nor could we girls be prejudice. We had to treat our clients as flawless kings.

He just nodded shyly again.

I looked up at him thoughtfully. ‘Please, sit down,’ I said, breaking the silence once again.
He sat down obediently beside me. He was shyer than any client I ever had. It was a new experience but at least I could trust him to want the one thing they all want. I knew what he needed.

I lifted his chin to look at me, tilted my head and leaned in to kiss his neck. I felt his pulse beat faster against my lips. He moaned very gently as I let my thoughts wander. It was all second nature now.

How could this boy not have a girlfriend, I wondered, or have not even lost his virginity? But my mind flew to the present as he lifted his arms around my waist. He pressed light kisses on my jaw line. I tilted my head back the slightest bit and let out a very quiet moan.

Oops, I thought. That was not supposed to happen. I timed all my moans so the client would think I was enjoying myself. That wasn’t timed.

He reached for my mouth but I dodged and distracted him by unbuttoning his shirt and kissing his chest. Under no circumstances was a client allowed to touch my lips. Some call-girls threw themselves into their job but I needed distance to differentiate between acting and emotion. I couldn’t allow that line to be crossed.

And I felt I needed protection from this boy, although he seemed much less experienced than me. There was a charm to his innocence and I didn’t want this new feeling to distract me from my job. I was sure it was none other than lust, as I sometimes felt for certain clients when I was younger. I thought I had passed that emotion as I hadn’t felt it in so long.
He looked confused momentarily but fell quickly for my diversion and let me push him back on his bed while I crawled over him. I pulled off his shirt and kissed down to his jeans. I was sliding them off when he spoke again, after a low moan.

‘Lacey?’ he asked, sitting up and leaning against the headboard, lightly pulling me up beside him.

‘Yes?’ I asked, confused as to why he stopped me.

‘Look, I... we should get some sleep, okay? I... um, had a concert before this,’ he mumbled.

‘Sure,’ I replied. No man had ever stopped me before. I thought about if I had done something wrong. I didn’t think so. But he was different from other boys.

‘Would you like to use the bathroom to get changed?’ he asked politely. I nodded and headed for the bathroom.

Once inside I brushed my teeth while texting Em on my phone. I told her that I missed her and that the 'star' seemed shy.

I finished my night routine and pulled out my pajamas. They were all lingerie. And very revealing. I sighed and put my least revealing, black one on. I walked out and Ryan was in the bed already, eyes studying me. I climbed in beside him and waited anxiously.

Should I snuggle up to him? I usually did. But I was unsure of myself now. He had his back to me so I placed an arm around his waist. My arm slipped as he turned and faced me, eyes boring into mine.

After thirty seconds of watching me he placed a hand on my back and pulled me closer to him. I snuggled into his bare chest, happy. Not an entirely new feeling, but a very old one. I remember feeling the same happy when I was with my first boyfriend. But it was also the same sort of happy like when my Dad pushed me on the swings in the park when I was younger. It felt... safe.

I sighed contentedly as I closed my eyes. I could hear his heart beat and feel him breathe in and out peacefully as I fell asleep.

Yes, I was very happy. But for me, this was the worst thing imaginable.

I awoke the next morning to see Ryan still asleep. I was still facing him and his arms were tightly wrapped around me now, as if protecting me from the outside world. Not exactly sure what the agenda was for today I watched him sleep for a while. It was very relaxing; I hadn’t watched someone sleep in quite a long time. I had never felt connected so quickly to one for my clients. And not in a long time either.

His eyes open. He looked shocked when he saw me first, like a deer caught in headlights. Then he squinted like he had a headache.

‘Morning,’ I whispered quietly.

‘Hm...’ he said. I’m pretty sure he was thinking about something though. It wasn’t a reply.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked worriedly, seeing the pained expression on his face.

‘Yeah, just my shoulder really hurts. I think I pulled it...’ he muttered quietly.

He released me and sat up, rolling his left shoulder stiffly. I leaned on my knees behind him and put my hands on his shoulders.

‘L-Lacey?’ he asked uncertainly. I moved my hands slowly, massaging his shoulder.

‘Does that hurt?’ I asked, afraid he was too shy to mention it.

‘No,’ he moaned. Clearly he was gaining confidence quickly.

I couldn’t resist tilting my head to kiss his neck again. Just before pressing my lips to his skin, I paused. I took a deep breath to clear my head.

Remember, this is for him, not you, I told myself. He is just a client.

But unfortunately I lost my thoughts when the breath filled my lungs with his scent. I craved him. And I knew it. But I had been doing this for years, I didn’t need him. I can support myself. For what? The rest of my meaningless life? I might as well die now. To him, I’m merely a call-girl.

Needless to say, none of this reasoning changed anything.

I still pressed my lips against his warm skin, feeling him jolt in surprise.

I still slid my arms around his waist from behind.

I still kissed him down his spine and back up again to his neck.

I still wanted him.

He let me kiss him. Then he removed my arms and stood up, eyeing me shyly. I wasn’t sure what to make of him. His unwillingness for me made him so much more appealing. He didn’t objectify me, or even try and kiss me first, force me do something I was unwilling to do.

‘You don’t have to... you know. I didn't want... I mean, there’s no obligation...’ he mumbled, shy once again.

‘It’s my job. I can do whatever you like. For this week, you own me,’ I explained, thinking about the contract all customers and employees sign.

It states that customers can pretty much do whatever to you in the way of sexual activities without the risk of being sued for rape.

‘But... do you not feel... u-used? I mean... no, well, I don’t know...’ he told me. He took a breath and began again. ‘I don’t want you to feel like I own you. You are your own person. I just want you to be happy.’

I smiled at his innocence. The smile was a small one, but none the less I felt the emotion. For once.

‘But Mr. Ross, it is my job. You’re really sweet to think of it like that but I’m used to it now, I swear. I don’t mind. I have to keep a customer happy.’

‘But don’t you see? Don’t call me Mr. Ross, call me Ryan! I want to be your friend. Not your ‘customer’. I want you to feel your own emotions. I’ve seen the movies of call-girls, they’re all unhappy; they all don’t want to be doing this job. You, anyone, deserves better. Deserves the right of free will and free speech. Don’t do this if you don’t want to. I shouldn’t have hired you in the first place...’

‘Ryan,’ I stressed his name, ‘I have to do my job. Look, I know you feel bad about it, but if you didn’t call, I wouldn’t be able to buy that new skirt I was eyeing, or freshen up my make-up collection. I need the money.’

‘No, you don’t. You could get another job, how do you think other girls pay for their new skirts, or new make-up?’

‘I’ve tried.’ I started crying. I couldn’t help it. We weren’t supposed to show any emotion to our customers, we had to be perfect. But I couldn’t help it. He had been so nice and understanding. But he could never understand.

‘I tried, a year ago. I tried getting a new job, in the ‘real world’. But the money didn’t pay enough. I couldn’t keep my rent, never mind buy a new skirt, or even food. By the end of the week I was back at T&T.’

All my emotions were washing over me at once, after being suppressed all those years. I couldn’t stop crying. I hadn’t cried in years. I hadn’t cried since my mother and father gave up on me and kicked me out.

But here I was, crying in front of a stranger who owned me legally for the next week. That thought made me cry harder. He’s going to send me back, and as soon as he does I’m out of a job. But as one of my tears rolled down my cheek I felt a hand wipe it off gently.

I opened my eyes and looked to my left, where he was sitting. I hadn’t even felt his weight on the bed. He clasped an arm around me and pulled me to his chest, where I cried for about ten minutes. He just rocked me back and forth, sliding me onto his knee, resting his chin on my head.

I regained a bit of self control and stood up, still wiping my tears away with a tissue.

‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered. He looked shocked.

‘Why?’ he asked, still in amazement.

‘For... that. Look, I’ll pack my bags now, okay? Then I can ring T&T. Look, I know you’re a nice guy, so if you could please say that it was something else? Like you decided you wanted a blonde instead? Because I’ll be fired if they know I cried in front of you-’ I blurted out, all in one breath.

‘What? No! Wait, what?’

‘You’re going to fire me, right?’

‘No!’ He was so surprised. ‘Look, you seem adamant that you want to keep your job – I can’t control your life, I’m practically a stranger. But please, while you stay with me, will you just be natural? Even when it’s just me. You aren’t forced to kiss me or hug me or anything.’

I stared at him intently in the eyes.

‘And what if I want to?’

His mouth fell open in shock. I filled the space between our faces quickly, connecting our lips quickly. Realizing what I had done, I pulled back before it went further than touching lips.
He looked at the clock as we pulled away. I think he was more surprised at me than the clock but it must have been important. Because he grabbed his clothes together quickly.
‘We have to get to the recording studio,’ he told me quickly, ‘in 5 minutes we have got to be ready...’

I grabbed my bag, searching for clothes suitable. I found my black string top, my denim skirt and my converse and got changed in the hotel room while Ryan was in the bathroom.
He came out in a red shirt and jeans.

‘I can fix my make-up in the car,’ I told him when I had washed my face and brushed my teeth.

‘Cool,’ he said, grabbing my hand, ‘the guys are probably waiting at the studio.’

‘The guys?’ I asked, climbing into the cab.

‘Oh, um, my band? Spencer, Brendon and Jon.’

‘Got it. Do you want to give them a story on the spot or would you like to choose a particular profession?’

‘Um, no. I told you, your own life. Tell them whatever you like.’

‘I see. Served you coffee it is then. Do you like Starbucks?’

‘Um, yeah.’

We sat in silence the rest of the way while I put my make-up on. Again, it was light, I had to be completely normal.

The meeting at the studio went as planned, I was more than convincing. I spun them a story about how I accidentally spilled coffee on his lap, and it was love at first sight. When they were chatting I was thinking about how I should have been an actress.

Their names were hazy, I wasn't exactly concentrating. They were all nice and welcoming, as well as childish. When I excused myself to go to the bathroom I heard one of the boys say 'Score!' Overall, I would deem them politely inappropriate.

They of course had some recording to do, where I found that their music was quite good.
When they were done I had a quiz from a boy who re-introduced himself as Brendon.

'So, who are you?'

'Lacey,' I replied, wondering why I had to repeat my name for him.

He laughed. 'No, I mean... Okay, easy questions first. What age are you?'

'19,' I said, without missing a beat.

'And your job is?'

If he only knew. 'I'm a waitress at Starbucks.'

'And did you quit or... Why are you here?'

'I did quit, yes. And I came here because of Ryan,' I told him, glancing at Ryan in the process. I didn't need to force the longing look on my face.

'Something about your story doesn't make sense. I just don't know what it is. You're pretty, and Ryan is... Ryan. And you appeared from nowhere. What Starbucks did you meet at?'

'We met in the one on 3rd St.'

'Lacey? We can go now,' Ryan called to me.

'Goodbye Brendon,' I said, walking towards Ryan and intertwining our hands.

Ryan seemed shocked but he couldn't say much in front his friends. Instead he just said his goodbyes. 'I'm sorry about Brendon harassing you,' he whispered, 'he can be blunt sometimes.'

'No, it's fine. But he was determined to get the truth out of me.'

We hopped in the cab outside.

'I'm just not sure how far he'll go to get it,' Ryan replied thoughtfully.