Secrets of a Gigolo

12

Brianna had come over at seven, but Zachary wasn’t home yet. She decided to wait, and after an hour Esmerelda suggested dinner. Brianna didn’t think it fair to make Eliza wait any longer so she had dinner with the child and afterward she played a video dance game before Eliza went to bed. She didn’t know what was taking Zachary so long, but he’d better have had a good excuse for standing her up.

Eventually, Esmerelda put Eliza to bed for the night, and Brianna was preparing to leave. Chino was helping her on with her coat when the front door opened and Zachary came in hugging his ribs with a nasty bruise forming at his right temple. Brianna was instantly concerned. “Oh my god, what happened?”

“I’m fine.” He lied.

“You’re hurt.” She protested coming to his side. She wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped him to the couch. She eased Zachary down onto the sofa. “What happened to you?” She asked as Chino helped ease Zachary out of his jacket. He groaned and flinched in pain which worried her. “I think you should go to the hospital you might be hurt.”

“I’ll live.” He said trying to laugh. “It’s not the first time I’ve been roughed up, probably won’t be the last.” He said as he unbuttoned his dress shirt to remove it. “Chino, I would love an ice pack.” He said shrugging his shirt off and groaning with the effort. He had nasty bruises forming on his ribcage.

“Did a husband do this to you?” She asked with concern.

He looked at her funny. “No, a drug dealer did this to me. I told him I wasn’t going to pay him anymore and he felt I was being disrespectful and had his thug friend kick my ass.” He said as Chino returned and handed him a gel ice pack which he immediately applied to his ribs.

“You should call the police and press charges.” She suggested, and Zachary laughed.

“Oh yeah. Prostitute assaulted by a drug dealer. I’m sure they’ll get right on that.” Brianna was surprised. That was the first time he’d referred to himself as a prostitute. His self-esteem must have been lower than she had initially thought, although he was probably right about the police not wanting to help him. After all, they had been completely useless when he had been robbed.

“I still think you should have someone look at you and make sure your ribs aren’t broken.”

“You’re worried, I’m touched.” He said taking Brianna by the hand and coaxing her to sit in his lap. “I’m going to be fine. In a few days, I won’t even feel it.” He smiled up at her trying to reassure Brianna he was going to be ok. “I’m sorry I stood you up.” He said sadly. “I didn’t mean to.”

She couldn’t believe he’d just been beaten by drug dealers and was concerned about standing her up. “Oh, I don’t care about that. Well, I did, but I don’t anymore.” She assured him.

Zachary sighed and relaxed back against the couch his head falling back as he held the ice pack to his ribcage. “I’ve had a long day.” He groaned.

Brianna stood up and took his hand coaxing Zachary back onto his feet. “Come on let’s get you into a hot bath. The warm water will soothe your aching muscles.”

Zachary groaned as he got to his feet. “I think I’d rather just go to bed and put an end to this day.” He looked like he was in great pain it was pitiful, so Brianna agreed to let him go to bed.

“Ok, we can try this dinner thing another night. I’ll go home and let you rest.” She offered.

Zachary slipped his free arm around Brianna’s waist and pulled her close to him. “Stay. Come to bed with me.”

“You don’t look like you’re in any condition for sex.”

Zachary chuckled and then cringed from the pain. “I’m not. I want to sleep, but I want to hold you. So, stay. Come to bed with me.”

Brianna smiled up at him. “You just want to cuddle?”

“I don’t think I can physically do much else.”

“What are you going to tell Eliza when she finds me in bed with you?” She asked knowing that all the other time she had spent the night she had gone to bed with him only to wake up alone.

“I’ll worry about that in the morning.”

Brianna smiled. “Ok, I’ll come to bed with you.” He put his arm around her shoulders, and they headed for the stairs. Zachary was leaning on her a lot, and she half suspected he was using her as a crutch. They reached the top of the stairs with some struggle and then entered his bedroom which looked just as beautiful as the guest room had.

Zachary released her and walked slowly over to the dresser where he took out a pair of grey sweats. Briana watched as he painfully changed for bed. He then took out a t-shirt and offered it to her as something to sleep in. While Brianna changed, he walked over to the bed and pulled back the comforter and painfully got into bed. Brianna walked over to the other side of the bed and climbed in next to him.

She felt a little uncomfortable in his bed. All she could think of was how many women he must have had in this bed before her. She knew she shouldn’t ask, but he lifted his head from the pillow when she didn’t lie down. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I know I shouldn’t ask, and I’m trying very hard to be cool with this, but I have to know. How many women have been in this bed with you?”

Zachary chuckled again like she’d said something funny and he lay his head back down on his pillow. “None.” He answered.

“None?” She repeated in disbelief. “Not one? Not ever?”

“Brianna, I never bring women home ever. In the last six years, not one woman has so much as set foot on this property let alone ever made it to my bed. When Eliza came to stay with me, I set some firm ground rules. Rules I have never broken until you came along. I bought this bed five years ago, and you are the first woman I’ve had in it.” Brianna smiled. “Feel better?” He asked knowingly.

Brianna scooted down and lay next to Zachary. “Yes.”

“Good.” Zachary wrapped his arm around Brianna and pulled her close. He buried his face in her neck and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long before she felt his body relax and heard the steady rhythm of his breathing and she knew he was asleep.

Brianna glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand and watched as the hours ticked away and the house went quiet. When she was sure, the house was asleep Brianna unwrapped herself from Zachary’s arms. He stirred slightly as she moved, and Brianna held her breath hoping he would wake up. Instead, Zachary rolled onto his back draping the arm he’d been holding her with over his stomach, but he didn’t wake.

Brianna breathed a sigh of relief and then she quietly climbed out of bed being sure not to disturb him. She quickly made her way over to her clothes and searched them for her cellphone. Finding it, she slipped out of the bedroom with it and made her way downstairs. She found the home office and went inside. She began to search the shelves and then the desk looking for Zachary’s little black book. But she couldn’t find it.

Then in the bottom drawer of the desk, she found a medium sized brown leather-bound book that tied shut with leather lace. She took it out and pulled the knotted leather lace loose. Opening the book, she realized it wasn’t his address book, but it was a journal. Zachary kept a journal. Judging from how many pages were writing on he’d been keeping it for a very long time. There were still a few blank pages in the back, but much of it was filled.

She looked down into the drawer and spotted six more similar books. She took them all out and looked in all of them. They were all full and judging from the dates on the pages they went back many years. The earliest entry went back to his first encounter back when he was just a kid. Dear god this was his whole life as a gigolo chronicled right here in these pages. Everything he’d ever done and how it affected and changed both him and his life. The answer to every question she could ever ask was right here at her fingertips.

This was even better than his little black book. Though she would still like to find that too. She wanted to read these books, but it was too much to read in one night. She couldn’t take the books with her. Surely Zachary would notice they were missing. An idea came to her. Brianna turned on the desk lamp and then she went through the books from the oldest entry to the newest using her smartphone to take pictures of each page in order. She would take a picture of every page and then print the pictures off at home and read the journal at a later date when she was alone.

As she tucked the books back into the drawer, she noticed what looked like a PDA on the desk corner. She saw Chino carry it around a lot and he always answered the calls and made the calls. Could his little black book be digital? She picked up the PDA and turned it on. She browsed it quickly and found just what she was looking for. It had hundreds of names, addresses, and phone numbers in the contacts list. It just went on and one with notations and symbols after certain names.

It would take her hours to sift through all these names, so Brianna took the whole list in its entirety and e-mailed it to herself. She’d print it off her computer at home and go through it later. She turned off the PDA and returned it to the corner of the desk and then she found her jacket in the closet by the door and tucked her cell phone into her jacket pocket.

Pleased with the information she had managed to dig up Brianna made her way back upstairs and slipped quietly back into the bed next to Zachary who was still sleeping soundly.

***

Chino walked into the study and over to the desk where he left his PDA and the house phone where he always put them before going to bed at night. He quickly checked the voicemail in case anyone called after he’d gone to bed for the night. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen from time to time.

As he listened to the voicemail, he braced the phone between his ear and shoulder as he turned on his PDA to take down the messages in the digital day planner. When the screen came on it immediately opened on to his e-mail option. Odd he didn’t remember even sending an e-mail last night.

He quickly checked his inbox. He had many messages but nothing unusual. He then checked his deleted folder, and there was nothing new. So, he checked his sent folder, and there was something he found very suspicious. Apparent during the night his PDA had sent an e-mail to an e-mail address he was not familiar with. He checked the content of the sent e-mail and realized it was his entire contact list.

This was not good.

Whoever owned that e-mail address had not only gotten every name of every woman his employer had been with but had gotten their addresses and contact numbers as well. Zachary’s little black book had been compromised. Zachary was going to have his head.

***

Zachary rolled over and reached across the bed to find himself alone. He lifted his head and looked around to see no one. He tossed back the covers and cringed in pain as he tried to get out of bed. Once on his feet he walked over to the adjoining bathroom and washed his face. He could hear happy squeals coming from outside.

He walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains to look outside. His room was a corner room. The window in the bedroom looked out over the driveway while the bathroom window looked out over the side of the house that leads to the backyard. If he opened the window and stuck his head out, he could see a bit of the backyard.

Zachary opened the window and leaned out trying to get a glimpse of what was going on, but he could see nothing. He pulled his head back in and shut the window. Zachary returned to his room and got changed for the day. Since he was in pain, he had decided not to go out today, so he just threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Slowly Zachary made his way downstairs. He walked through the living room to the sliding glass doors and looked out into the backyard where he saw Brianna playing with Eliza in the pool. “Feeling better?” Esmerelda asked appearing at his side with a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Zachary smiled warmly and accepted the coffee. “A little.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Surprisingly well.” He would have thought the pain would have kept him up all night, but the comfort of having Brianna with him had allowed him to sleep like a rock.

“Breakfast?” Esmerelda offered.

“Yes please.” He said following Esmerelda to the kitchen.

“The Chica is good with the little one,” Esmerelda commented as she cracked some eggs into a frying pan she was heating up.

“Seems like,” Zachary said as he took a seat at the kitchen table. He wasn’t seated long when Chino materialized at his side with the morning paper. “Thank you, Chino.” He said placing his coffee down and frowning at the front page. It was a picture of Judge Donald and a grainy picture of him in the corner leaving her house. “When are they going to let this die?”

“It’s only been a few weeks. You’ll likely be in the news until someone else messes up worse.” Chino informed him.

“Well here’s hoping the Governor is diddling his secretary.” Zachary and Esmerelda chuckled, but Chino did not crack a smile. “Oh, come on,” Zachary grinned as he opened his paper to read the article, “lighten up, that was funny.” He said as Esmerelda took the eggs from the pan and put it on a plate.

“Señor, I hate to ruin your morning, but I have a dreadful confession,” Chino said with concern in his voice.

Zachary raised one dark brow quizzically as he lowered his paper. “Oh?”

Chino looked tortured by whatever he was going to confess too. “I fear I have been derelict in my duties. I put my PDA in the study as I do every night but this morning when I picked it up I…” he paused and lowered his eyes ashamed, “I believe someone has used my PDA to e-mail your contact list to an address I do not know.”

Zachary put down his paper. “The whole list?”

“Si, every name, address, and number. They have it all.”

“They?” Suddenly everyone turned to look out the window at Brianna in the backyard playing with Eliza. Even though Chino didn’t come right out and say he suspected Brianna had been the one snooping in his PDA they all knew it could only be her. No one else in the house had the motive to seek out his contacts’ list.

“When did this happen?” Zachary asked knowing e-mails had a date and time attached to each message sent.

“Last night around three in the morning.” So, the culprit had snooped in the PDA while everyone else was asleep, the doors were locked, and the alarm was on. It could only have been Brianna. Zachary didn’t want to believe she would betray his trust like this. He had opened his home to this woman, and she had been going through his office looking for confidential information to beef up her story. She had misled him. “I don’t want to say it’s the chica but who else could it have been?” Chino said sadly. “I’m sorry Señor, I know how much you liked this one. This is my fault, and you will have my resignation on your desk by sundown.”

“No,” Zachary said with great annoyance. “This is not your fault this is mine. I should have never let a reporter into my house. I should have gone with my instincts and never spoken to her. You are not quitting. I am refusing your resignation. You are going nowhere, Chino.” He said looking back out the window at Brianna. “However, she is.”

Zachary stood up and walked through the house to the sliding doors and opened them. He stepped out on to the patio and walked up to the edge of the pool. Briana was shooting Eliza with a Super-Soaker making his niece squeal. She looked up at Zachary and turned the water gun on him but didn’t fire. “Hands up.” She ordered playfully, but Zachary only glared at her. Sensing he was not pleased Brianna put the water gun on the edge of the pool. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Esmerelda,” Zachary called for the older woman who came rushing out of the house, “take Eliza inside and get her dressed it’s time she practiced her violin.”

“Si Señor.” Esmerelda came to the steps of the pool and held her hand out for Eliz who was making her way through the water to the stairs. “Come little one let’s get you dressed.” She said taking Eliza by the hand. Esmerelda draped a towel around Eliza’s shoulders and walked the child inside and closed the glass doors, so the conversation to follow would not be overheard by Eliza.

Brianna waded through the water to the steps and got out of the pool. She picked up a towel and wrapped it around herself. Zachary was glad she had it was hard to stay focused when she was standing in front of him wet and half naked looking amazing. “I sense something is wrong?” Brianna asked using a second towel to dry her long hair.

“Chino informs me someone used his PDA to e-mail themselves my entire client list.” He saw her cringe and he knew she was guilty. That knowledge hurt. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that would you?”

“No, why would I?” Now she was lying to him. His hurt became anger.

“Do you think I’m that stupid? I know you did it. You stole my client list. Why would you do that?”

Brianna lowered the towel in her hands and looked at him with guilt. “Zachary I’m sorry.”

“I took you into my home… in to my bed. I trusted you, and you betrayed me and for what? For your story? So, you could sell magazines? Is that all you’ve been after this whole time? Is that why you called me? You didn’t miss me at all, did you? You didn’t want to hang out with me you just wanted access to my study so you could steal my little black book. It’s never been about us it’s always been about your stupid story.” He was yelling now. He couldn’t contain the outrage he felt.

She was looking at him with sad eyes while he yelled at her. Well, he didn’t care. He was furious, and she deserved to be yelled at. “Zac, I’m sorry.”

“So am I. I’m sorry I ever met you. Get out of my house and don’t you ever come back.” She looked wounded as she moved passed him. “Oh,” he said turning to look at her again, “and if you print even one name or call even one number, I’m going to sue you for everything you and your wretched little family has. By the time my lawyers are done with you, I’ll have everything you own, everything your family owns, and your great grandchildren will still be paying off your debt long after you’re buried and forgotten.”

She then opened the sliding glass door and disappeared inside. Zachary walked over and sat down on the lounge chair next to the pool. He felt horrid. He felt betrayed. Many women used him for many reasons but never had he felt more used than he did at that moment. Never had it ever hurt him. He didn’t want to go back inside. He knew Brianna wouldn’t leave immediately. She had to get dressed first. So, he would sit out here until he was sure she was gone.

***

Brianna raced passed Chino as she made her way upstairs. She entered the bedroom and quickly dried off. Tears are forming in her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. It was ridiculous to cry, but the look of betrayal in Zachary’s eyes had cut her deep and made her feel terrible. She wished she could go back and have never sent that e-mail. She regretted it now.

She got dressed quickly and looked at the bed. The bed he’d never let anyone but her sleep in. All they had done was sleep, but she still felt a great loss knowing she’d never sleep in it again. Brianna made her way back downstairs where Chino was waiting with her jacket. He held it up and helped her on with it. Ever the gentleman even knowing she had gotten him in hot water with his employer.

“I have taken the liberty of calling you a taxi. The car is waiting outside.”

“Thank you, Chino.”

“You are welcome Señorita.” He said opening the door for her. “The driver has Señor Cooper’s credit card, so the fare is taken care of.”

That only made her feel worse. “Please thank Zac for his kindness.”

“Si, Good-bye.” He said holding the door open for her.

“Where are you going?” Brianna paused and turned at the door to see little Eliza looking up at her.

“Say good-bye little one, Señorita Parker is leaving,” Chino told the child.

“Why? Don’t you like it here?” Eliza asked coming over to Brianna and taking her by the hand.

Brianna felt the tears in her eyes again. “It’s just time for me to go.” She told the child as she craned her little neck to look up at Brianna.

“When are you coming back?” Eliza asked.

Brianna knelt bringing herself down to the child’s level. She brushed a dark lock of hair behind her ear. “Oh honey, I’m not coming back.”

Eliza looked suddenly upset. “No! Why? Don’t you like it here? Don’t you like us anymore?” She rattled off with tears filling her green eyes, and she began to cry. “Did I do something wrong? Why don’t you like us anymore?” The sound of Eliza’s sobbing brought Zachary back into the house he made his way over to the door, and Brianna stood up, but Eliza tugged on her arms. “Don’t go.” Eliza sobbed tears are streaming down her cheeks.

Zachary stepped between them and pried Brianna’s hand from Eliza’s hand, and then he lifted his niece into his arms. “Eliza honey, it’s ok, come on let’s go have some ice cream.”

“No.” Eliza sobbed. “Don’t leave. She’s going to leave.” She cried as she struggled against her uncle’s hold. “Why? What did we do wrong? Why don’t you like us anymore?” She heard the child yell as Zachary carried her out of the room to console her somewhere else.

Unable to contain her own emotions tears finally fell. Rolling down her cheeks, Brianna looked at Chino. “You should leave.” He told her. “Staying any longer will only make things all the harder on her.”

Brianna left the house and got into the backseat of the taxi. She gave the driver the address of her apartment and then lay her head against the window. She closed her eyes trying to stop from crying. That had been harder than she would have ever imagined.

***

Zachary carried Eliza to the kitchen and sat her down at the table where she continued to cry. He knew this was hard on her. He hadn’t been the only one to have grown attached to Brianna. Eliza had never had a mom. She had no female role model in her life but Esmerelda.

Though the old woman tried to make Eliza’s life as rich and as full as possible, she couldn’t be everything to the child. Eliza knew her life was different from other kids. She knew that all the other kids had moms and dads, but she didn’t. She had Zachary, but it wasn’t the same as having a father. He tried to make it up to her by loving her with all he had, but he couldn’t give her that female bond that was lacking in her young life. He had kind of hoped Brianna wanted the job, but clearly, he had been wrong.

Now he felt terrible for allowing his niece to get attached to the lying conniving woman. Now he sat with his niece watching her cry her little heart out because she didn’t understand why Brianna could no longer be a part of their lives. She sat at the table with her face buried in her folded arms crying while he took the ice cream tub from the freezer. He took two spoons from the drawer and sat down at the table next to Eliza.

He stroked her dark hair, and Eliza looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. He offered her a weak smiled and held out the spoon to her. She took the spoon and Zachary pried the lid off and took a spoonful. Eliza propped herself up on her knees and took a spoonful. “Why doesn’t Brianna like us anymore?” Eliza sniffled as she put the spoon in her mouth.

What did he say? “Honey sometimes people have to leave. It’s nothing you did. Besides we don’t need her.” He said with a forced smile. “It’s just you and me kiddo.” He said tapping her on the nose with the end of his spoon. “You’re the only girl I need in my life.” She smiled up at him and stuffed another spoonful in her mouth. “Come on give me some love.” He said leaning in and turning his face to present her with his cheek.

She put her spoon down and took his face between her little hands and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Uncle Zac.”

Zachary smiled and kissed her forehead. “I love you too. What do you say we go to Disneyland today?” He suggested.

“Yeah!” It was good to see her smiling again. He’d do whatever he must to keep her smiling. He didn’t want her to feel like she had lost something even if he felt he had.

“Ok, you run along and tell Esmerelda and Chino we’re going out today.” He watched Eliza jump down from her chair and made to leave then she stopped and came back to him.

She wrapped both arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. She tilted her face upward to look at him. “It’s ok Uncle Zac, Brianna might not like us anymore, but I will like you forever.” Then she released him and ran off. Zachary smiled sadly. At least one woman would love him.