Reputational Notoriety

Melody's departure sucked all of the life out of the house. It did, however, jolt me back to normality. I sat at my desk going through emails, focusing on work to reconnect with my own world again. I smiled as I heard Debbie talking on the phone. She giggled loudly and called me.

"Barry Allison says he hasn't received a transfer yet, Billy," she said, handing me the phone.

"Can you open the Bank App on your computer for me please, Debbie?" I asked.

She had it open quickly.

"Baz," I said, "what's the story?"

"Oh, Billy, I was just telling your girl there,"

"Debbie," I said.

"Yes, sorry, Debbie, that the transfer didn't come through."

"Yes, I have it here on my screen, Baz."

Debbie was pointing at something, and I leaned in to check it.

"Ok, do you remember I told you that the first payment would only be €1,000 because of the Bank's security protocols for a new Payee?" I asked him.

"Yes, I remember that now, Billy."

"You got that grand already, according to my computer."

"Yes, I did, thanks."

"Ok, the balance will be with you in another three days, as far as I can make out," I said, as Debbie nodded her head and held up four fingers. "Debbie's holding up four fingers now."

"Ok, great. That explains it."

"Baz?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Why would you ring up and tell Debbie that you got nothing?" I asked. "That's not playing the game."

"I know, I apologise, Billy."

"Ok, let me know when the rest comes in, will you?"

"I'll do that," he said. "Have you any more work for me to do?"

"Yes, I have 180 units that I'm pricing at the moment, but they want to pay €40 less each," I said, winking at Debbie. "It's hardly worth our while, Baz."

"Are they PresandPosts?"

"Yes, all of them are."

"It's still nearly €30k worth of work, Bill."

"€28,800 I make it."

"Yes, that'd be about right," he said. "I wouldn't mind taking the hit, it's still a nice little earner for a short turnaround."

"Maybe so, Baz," I said, "but it might also be the thin end of the wedge."

"I say go for it, Billy, beggars can't be choosers."

"I know that, Baz, but I don't subscribe to being a ragged trousered philanthropist either."

"A what?"

"Have you never heard of a book by a chap called,Robert Tressell, calledThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists?"

"I can't say that I have," he said.

"Find a copy and read it," I said, "it's illuminating."

"So, are you going to take that job or not?" he asked.

"If you're prepared to take the cut, I don't mind."

"Fuck it, do it, Billy."

"Ok, but I wouldn't do it for anyone else, Baz."

"When will we know? I'll be running out of work by the end of the week."

"I'll make a call when you decide to get off the fucking phone."

Debbie was watching me with a strange look on her face.

"What's up, Deb?" I said.

She smiled.

"What?"

"Nobody's called me Deb for years, Billy, thank you."

I patted her hand.

"Can I ask you a question?" she said.

"Yes."

"I didn't see anything coming in about those 180 units you mentioned to Baz. Did I not get it in my system?"

"No, you didn't, Debbie," I said, "because therewasno email."

"Oh," she said, "what am I missing here?"

"This was your first lesson on how to deal with a knob head like Baz, Deb," I said.

"Ok, I still don't get it, Billy."

"Ok, look at it this way," I said. "Baz wasted about an hour of our time that was based on a lie. His purpose for the call was to get more work and nothing else. He's not an idiot and he's certainly not deaf. He knew there would be a delay in the second part of the payment, because he uses the same system himself. I simply got us a discount that will now become permanent."

"Is it worth a lot?" she asked.

"What did I say the number was?" I asked.

She checked her pad.

"€28,800."

"Yes, it's about half that."

She sat back in her seat.

"Wow, you're good, Billy," she said, "remind me never to get on your wrong side."

I patted her hand again.

"I'm going to make some lunch before I head out to do some actual work," I said. "Do you want a sandwich or something?"

"Yes, I wouldn't mind, thanks."

"What time are you finishing today?" I asked her.

"Is 1:00 ok?"

"Yes, that's perfect."

I made some soup, coffee and sandwiches and Debbie joined me at the kitchen island.

"Soup and sandwiches?" she said, "I could get used to this, Billy."

"I was raised on soup, Debs," I said, "Áine, my wife, used make a flask of it for me on winter mornings."

"How long ago did she pass away, Billy?" she asked.

"It was ten years ago in a car accident," I said.

"I'm sorry, you never get over that."

"No, but you make adjustments and move on as best you can," I said. "I suppose separation must also either feel like a death or a relief, one or the other."

"It's a relief in one way, Billy, at least in my case. If I had my time back again... " she said wistfully.

"There's never any point in looking backwards, Debs" I said. "Things can only get better."

"I'd say Melody keeps you on your toes, though," she said.

"Melody is her own species, Deb," I said. "I've never known anyone quite like her."

"You love her, don't you?" she said.

"I do, but not in the way you think, Deb," I said, "It's a complicated one to explain."

"So you really aren'ttogether?" she asked.

"No, I think I'd go insane if we were," I said, "I look out for her, and she seeks me out for advice."

"It's gone 1:00, Billy," she said, looking at her watch and getting off the chair, "I'd better make tracks. I'll see you in the morning. Will I need a blindfold this time?"

"Hopefully not, Debs," I laughed.

I gathered my toolkit together and left to do some work. At 4:00 I had completed twenty-eight units in Mount Dillon Court, just off the Artane Roundabout. I had a hangover of about twenty unpublished certs sitting on my desk, so I decided that I'd had enough of the site for the day and would finish it off back home. I checked the fridge when I got in and I was correct to assume that it was almost empty, so I made a sandwich and a cup of tea and sat in the chair with the TV on. Less than an hour later I was fast asleep.

A pain in my neck woke me at 8:45 and I decided to go to bed. I still felt tired, but I found it difficult to sleep after such a long nap. I turned the TV on and hoped it would send me to sleep and I woke to the sound of my phone ringing at 10:50. It was Melody.

"Melody, are you ok?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm good, did I wake you?" she said.

"It's fine. What's the story?"

"I just wanted to fill you in on my meeting with Amelie."

I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake.

"Ok, go ahead."

"Are you going to keep me standing outside your house or are you going to let me in?" she said.

"Fuck, Melody, why didn't you just say you were outside?" I said.

"I just did."

I ran down the stairs, closing my robe around me. She pushed the door open as I released the latch, and she rushed me into a hug and a deep lascivious kiss. I went to the kitchen as she took her coat off.

"What are you doing, Billy?" she asked.

"I'm making tea so you can tell me what happened."

"This is a flying visit, Billy, I have an out call booked at 3:00."

"3:00AM?"

"Not here, up to bed. I need your cock inside me. We can talk and fuck at the same time."

We broke apart laughing at that one and headed up to the bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed.

"So, how did it go?" I said, as she pulled a black lace mini dress over her head.

"Fuck first, talk later."

I took my robe off as she unhooked her bra. The sight of her breasts dropping slightly and spreading outwards turned me on to max. She sashayed over to me with her thumbs inside the waistband of a black lace thong.

"Do you want to do this, Billy, or will I?" she asked with a grin.

"Are you able to without damaging them?"

"Oh, Billy, you are in so much fucking trouble right now," she said, turning her back to me and bending over, slowly sliding the thong down over her legs and stepping out of it, seductively.

She pushed me back on the bed and pulled my shorts away, throwing them over her shoulder with a smile. She threw her head back to clear her hair from her face, like a lion about to feast on its latest prey. Taking my erection in her hand she covered the head with her lips after first licking around the tip and meatus, slowly taking the entire length into her mouth, and offering a warm safe harbour to inhabit for a few wonderful moments. She began slow movements along the length of my penis, driving me to distraction, forcing me to squirm in pleasure beneath her. She swiftly lifted off and took one of my testicles into her mouth, sucking on it gently as she simultaneously stroked my penis with her hand.

"Oh Jesus, Melody, that's so fucking good." I said, my voice cracking as her thumb softly flicked across the sensitised tip.

She then took the tip of my penis in her mouth and let her tongue gently rest there as she sucked gently. I could feel myself beginning to fail so I stroked her hair and eased her head to one side as she looked into my eyes.

"I'm not coming in your mouth, Melody," I whispered.

Wordlessly she stood and reversed the position. She straddled my face as she began to stimulate my penis from the base upwards. I settled her hips into a comfortable position for my tongue to taste her. I lost myself in her vagina, it's softness, taste, and aroma a heavenly balm to my tormented penis that was completely inside her mouth again.

I felt her hips move slightly against my tongue as it penetrated her vagina. I heard her moan as I withdrew it and slid it along and through the lips of her labia. I felt her quiver when it touched her clitoris as it peeked curiously out from beneath its protective hood. A few short movements of my tongue across the head brought a heavy intake of breath. I buried my lips in her vulva in an effort to soak as much of her in as I could.

Her hips rose slightly as she groaned in pleasure just before her entire body shook with a powerful tremor as her orgasm crashed through her and she flooded me with a delicious clear viscous fluid that flowed warmly and seductively over my face and down on to the bed cover. She lay, face down, on top of me as the shaking of her limbs reduced and eventually ceased. She rolled on to her back and then curled up in my arms as her lips sought mine and took me away to a kind of heaven.

"I needed that, Billy, thank you," she whispered.

"You were certainly on edge when you got here, Melody," I said, "did something happen?"

"No, I was just horny, and I missed you."

"What had you horny?" I asked.

"You did."

"Fuck off! How?"

"I was telling Amelie about your skills, and it just got me all fucked up," she said.

"Ok, Melody," I said, "what's the fascination in telling Amelie about what we do together?"

"It's my little piece of perfection, Billy," she said. "I told you before, we don't get to have any orgasms during work and very few of us are in any meaningful relationships, for obvious reasons. Amelie is just another escort, if a highly paid one, so she's just as interested in it as all the other girls would be. By the way, I gave your number to one of the Czech girls this morning and she'll be contacting you this week. Make room for her, she's so pretty. She was actually Escort of the Year four times and Escort of the month a gazillion times. Her name is Sofia VIP on the site."

"I'll put her in the Eyelash Diary," I said.

"Youdon'thave an Eyelash Diary, do you?"

"No, but I might just get one."

She laughed and nuzzled my face with her nose.

"I can smell myself on your face," she said.

"I can taste you."

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"I love it."

"Billy, will you fuck me please?"

"Oh, if I must," I said, and we both laughed.

We made beautiful gentle love and fell into a light sleep, after which I woke with her still in my arms. It was 1:15, so I shook her awake.

"What?" she said with a croaky voice.

"It's 1:15, love. You'll be late," I said.

"Fuck! I'd rather stay here."

"You're welcome here any time, Melody," I said.

"I know, Billy, you spoil me."

"Do I?"

"Yes. You, your cock and your fucking tongue."

"You forgot about mymagickingof your underwear, Melody," I said, "I'm not being precious or anything, but either something is a superpower or it's not."

"Ok, I'll give you that one," she said.

"So tell me about little Miss Elite."

"Say her name."

"What?"

"Say her name, Billy," she insisted.

"Amelie?"

"Big fucking cheers. You finally got it right."

"Well?"

"Yes, it worked out well, Billy. I stood my ground, as you said, and she upped the fee to €14K and gave me a €4K deposit. In cash. The only thing is, I have to stop advertising on Twitter, Insta and the Escort site."

"That's to be expected."

"I suppose, it's a bit of fuck up though. I also have to change my hooker name."

"To what?" I asked.

"I don't know yet. Any suggestions? I was thinking something likeLaura Cox."

"Laura Cox?" I asked. "That's unusual."

She stared into my eyes. I ran the name through my mind.

"Come on, Billy, get with it. I haven't got all night."

"Laura Cox," I said, laughing as it finally hit me. "You little minx, what am I gonna do with you?"

"How about you let me suck you off?" she said.

"It'd be Laura Lips then."

"So, what do you think?" she asked, becoming serious.

"I'm fucked if I know, Melody. What about something refined and sophisticated?" I said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, something upper class English. Isobel? or Penelope?"

"Penelope would sound crass don't you think?" she said.

"What about Emily? It's not a million miles off Amelie."

"You clever little fucker," she said, enthused. "Emily Elite," she said, trying it on for size.

"I like it," I said.

"I do too, Billy, thank you."

And so,Emily Elitewas born.

"So, who pays the balance of the fee?" I asked.

"Amelie."

"When?"

"The next day by Revolut."

"So, she's still probably getting in the region of six or seven grand out of it."

"That's for an eight-hour shift," she said.

"What time do you start?" I asked.

"I get picked up at 11:00, the clock starts at 10:30."

"So, you could be finished by 6:30?"

"No, he's booked into a reception out in The Crowne Plaza at 8.30 until midnight, so I get six hours guaranteed for that."

"You should be getting the full shift, really," I said.

"Well, I will, Billy," she said. "But the best part of it is that the Crowne Plaza is only over in Santry, Billy."

"I know where it is."

"I was thinking you might pick me up from work, so to speak."

"What's in it for me?" I said, trying to stifle a laugh.

"I can tell you what's in it for me."

"Go on."

"Your tongue and your cock. Plus, I'll be wearing something that will have you creaming yourself."

"Book me in my dear. I can hardly wait."

She left me, having showered, and changed, at 2:15. I fell asleep shortly after and woke to the sound of Debbie closing the hall door at 8:30. I quickly jumped out of bed and dressed in whatever was on the floor. I ran downstairs and found Debbie holding a black, lace thong.

"Morning Debs," I said, looking at the thong in her hand.

"Did you have a visitor last night?" she said, with an inscrutable smile.

"Yes, Melody came by on her way to work," I said, checking my phone so I wouldn't have to look at her. There was a text from Melody on it.

I left a new thong for you to give to Debbie. Tell her it's from me. XX

I showed the text to Debbie, she blushed, thanked me, and almost ran to her office.

Thanks for that, now poor Debbie is mortified.

No, she isn't. What's she wearing today?

I walked into Debbie's office as she hung her coat up. She was wearing a pale blue dress. I had a few items of mail that I wanted to give her, and she took them silently, looking down at the floor as she walked away.

A pale blue dress. Why?

She'll be jumping your bones by lunchtime.

Have a lovely day, Laura.

I will, Eyelash.

I was smiling as I walked back into the office.

"She's funny, isn't she," Debbie said.

"Who?" I asked.

"Melody."

"Oh, yes, she's hilarious," I said, "you need to be on your toes to stay ahead of her."

"What does she work at?"

I looked straight at her like a deer caught in the headlights. What do I say?

"Come and sit with me for a second, Deb," I said, buying some time to get my thoughts straight.

She followed me into the kitchen.

"Coffee?" I said.

"Please."

"Toast?"

"Thanks, I will. I didn't have time to eat this morning, Billy."

I put some bread in the toaster and switched it on.

"What's wrong, Billy?" she asked.

"Right, what does Melody do for a living?" I said. "As you know, she is in college at the moment, and to subsidise that she works as an escort."

"Oh, that's grand, I had a feeling," she said.

"Please don't judge her, Debbie."

"Oh, I'd never do that, Billy," she said, "I admire her."

"Yes, I do too."

"I'd say she's quite good at it," Debbie said.

"Yes, she is."

"She told me about you and her," she said quietly.

"What did she tell you?" I asked.

She turned pink and looked away.

"That toast is ready, Bill," she said quickly. "Let's just say that she wasverycomplimentary towards you."

I retrieved it from the toaster and put it on a plate. She picked a slice up and buttered it slowly.

"She tends to exaggerate, Debbie, but it's all in fun."

"She's very helpful, though," she continued, "I love her attitude. She's so down to earth."

"In what way?"

"Well, in the ways of women," she said, looking anywhere except at me. "She has a more direct view of things, and she speaks her mind."

I laughed.

"She certainly does that, Deb."

"We had a long talk and, I have to say, she put a few things in perspective for me."

"Now you say it, Deb, I have noticed something different about you this past couple of days."

"In what way, Billy?" she asked.

"I can't place my finger on it. You seem more assured within yourself."

"You think so?"

"Nobody is infallible, Deb, and I could be wrong. I don't think I am, though."

She smiled and picked up her coffee cup.

"Well, I'd better earn my keep, Billy. Thanks for the toast and the chat."

"Anytime, Deb."

I ran upstairs and jumped into the shower. Forty minutes, or so, later I was ready for the day, if a little behind time. I was coming down the stairs when I felt a hunger pain in my stomach, so I decided to scramble some eggs. I remembered Debbie saying she hadn't eaten that morning, so I made double the amount and added some bacon to the Air Fryer as the eggs cooked.

"What's this?" she asked with a huge smile as I brought it to her desk.

"You said you hadn't eaten this morning and we can't have you doing that. It's my famous Billy eggs with bacon and toast."

"I don't eat at my desk, Billy," she said. "I'll take it to the kitchen, are you having some too?"

"Yes, mine is inside."

I carried it in for her and she followed along. She sat down and peered at the eggs.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"They're a strange colour."

"Bad strange?"

"No, just a little less yellow than I'm used to seeing them."

"That'd be the mustard, Debs," I said.

"What?" she said. "You putmustardin them?"

"Yes, a little Colman's English mustard."

"I've never heard of that."

"It's in a little yellow jar."

"I know what Colman's mustard is, Billy. I've never heard of using it in scrambled eggs."

"You can never saythatagain," I smiled. "Try it, if you don't like it I'll make fresh ones."