Chapter 1
The bell rang on the office door alerting her of the arrival of her very first client. She stood from her desk and walked to the full-length mirror on the back of her office door. Giving herself a quick glance, she adjusted her blouse and blazer, smoothed her jeans, and opened the door to her new office.
She extended her hand to the handsome man standing in the reception area of her small office suite. “Hello,” she said, smiling, “you must be Kyle.”
“Yes, ma’am. Kyle Carnes,” he said grasping her hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Kyle. I’m Cassandra Wilcox, but most people call me Andi. Welcome to The Social Cougar. Would you like to come into my office?” she asked, tilting her head toward her office door.
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you for seeing me.”
“You’re welcome, Kyle. I’m happy to help. Of course, this is just a consultation. If you decide you’d like to hire me, we can talk about scheduling our first work session at the end of this visit.”
“Sure, yeah.”
Andi pointed to the padded chair in front of her desk, motioning for him to sit, “The point of our meeting today, is to decide if we can work together toward a common goal. That goal depends on you and your needs.”
“Yes, I understand that,” he said, nervously adjusting himself in the chair.
“Great, let’s get started. Shall we?”
“Yes, ma’am. Sounds good,” Kyle said, rubbing his sweaty hands on his thighs to dry them. This was just one of his embarrassing flaws.
He wasn’t sure about this type of business, but Andi’s slogan was ‘Social help for the socially awkward man,’ and he was somewhat on the socially awkward side. Kyle had been in relationships before, but they’d all ended badly.
The last two relationships he’d been in had ended because of his lack of self-confidence. One of them was due to him being too needy and clingy; the other was from excessive negativity toward himself.
When he’d seen the ad in the newspaper at the fire station, he thought, ‘Why not?’ and made the appointment. He hadn’t told anyone about meeting with Andi. He'd seen the guys he worked with taunt and tease each other about their personal choices and thought this was better kept private.
Now, he was here, wondering what this beautiful, voluptuous woman was going to do to help him.
He looked around the room at the various art pieces on the walls. On the wall behind Andi’s desk was a large painting of a naked woman draped across a chaise lounge, legs slightly spread with one foot on the floor, her arm above her head staring seductively at the half-naked man admiring her. The wall to her right had some sort of stone sculpture of a man and woman intertwined mounted on it. To the left, there was a table with different smaller roughly molded statues of men and women from different cultures around the world.
Andi reached into her desk drawer and took out a questionnaire. “I have some questions for you to start with. This will help me decide if I can help you. I’ll be asking the questions as I’d like for us to talk about the answers as we go along.”
“Okay, that sounds fair,” Kyle responded.
“The first question… What are two social areas you know you need help with?” Andi asked.
“Two?” He questioned and Andi nodded her head. “Um, I know my self-confidence is lacking, and I have trouble beginning conversations. I just don’t know what to say.”
“Okay,” Andi said, “those are good places to start.”
“How are you at taking direction from others? Especially, a woman.” She rested the pen on her bottom lip and rolled it slightly, transferring the color from her brownish-red lipstick onto the cap.
Kyle looked into her green eyes and said, “I have no problem with that. I’m asking and will be paying for help. Why would I pay and not do as I’m told to obtain the help I want?”
“That’s a great answer, Kyle,” she said scribbling something down onto the paper. Then she asked, “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a firefighter.”
“Here locally?”
“Yes, just down the street actually,” he pointed over his shoulder.
“Oh, so you’re close, huh? Do you like being a firefighter?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little boy. I even had a Dalmatian as a kid. I’ve been a firefighter for the last five years. I love it.”
“What do you love about it?”
“The excitement, helping people, being part of something bigger than myself.”
Andi liked his answers thus far and wanted to move along a little faster with the questions. She needed to know if he’d be okay with the examinations. If he wasn’t, that was a deal-breaker and there would be no further need to waste her time.
She told him, “Tell me two things you like about yourself.”
“Well, I’ve got good hair and polar white teeth,” he said smiling.
“Yes, you absolutely do,” Andi laughed. “Okay, name two things you dislike about yourself.”
“Besides the self-confidence thing that brought me here, I hate the extra 10 pounds I’m carrying, and my hairy back.”
“Okay,” Andi raised her eyebrows and wrote on her page. She continued with the next question, “What are two hobbies you enjoy?”
“I like to go hiking and fishing.”
Andi quietly made another note.
“Well, Kyle. There are just a couple of things we need to go over and if you agree, we’ll sign the contract and it will be official.”
Andi sighed, “The first thing we need to go over is payment. I work in sessions. The price for six sessions is $3,000. There is no time limit on those sessions. I only request that the first five take no longer than four hours each and our last session must be done on Friday or Saturday, with you having no plans for the following day.
Kyle looked suspiciously at Andi.
“I assure you my time will be worth your $3,000.
There are five rules I’d like to go over with you now if you don’t mind, just so we both understand the agreement,” she continued.
He nodded, “Alright.”
“Rule One,” Andi began, “payment is required in advance and there are no refunds. The nature of the services I provide cannot be taken back as if they were merchandise.
“Rule Two, you must follow my instructions exactly, never questioning my judgment. Even when it’s uncomfortable or when it may not seem so, I will always have your best interests in mind, from the time you sign the contract. A happy client tells their friends, and I strive to please my clients and show them results. However, that will only happen if you follow my instructions.
“Rule Three, romantic attachments, currently or during the duration of the agreement, are not allowed and will void the contract. I’m here to help you with your social life, not become the talk of it, or to be thought of as ‘the other woman.’
“Rule Four, you must undergo psychological and physical examinations within 7 days of the signing of our contract and provide sealed copies of those to the agency. We will be working under very close conditions mentally and physically. I can assure you I have a clean bill of health and I expect nothing less from you.
“And lastly, Rule Five, illegal drug use is prohibited during the duration of the contract. Because, more than likely, we’ll be working on emotional issues, it’s best that anything that alters those emotions or your brain function be left out of our working relationship. Using drugs or even too much alcohol could possibly mask those emotions and will not help solve your problem.
“One more thing, there can be no romantic emotional attraction between us. We will be working closely, as I just mentioned, but this is a professional relationship, and just as excessive alcohol or drugs can fog the emotions we need to work with, so can a romantic emotional attraction.”
Kyle looked at Andi, what exactly was this beautiful woman going to do to him? She was all business, but the way she talked about working closely made him wonder just exactly how close they’d be. Especially, since he needed a mental and physical exam. He was intrigued.
He took a breath and before he could think another thought said, “I agree to your terms.”
“Wha-,” Andi cleared her throat, “What did you say?” Had she really just stuttered after not missing a beat with all those rules and explanations? She had. She wasn’t expecting Kyle to accept. He’d sat there looking puzzled at her the entire time she’d read over the contract.
“I said, I agree to your terms. That’s what I’m supposed to say, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes, but you looked like you might not be ready to accept. Like maybe you needed more time. You can think it over and call me in a few days if you aren’t sure.”
“I’m sure." Kyle looked down at his hands, and pressing his thumbs together he said, "Look, Ms. Wilcox, I know I need help. That’s why I scheduled this appointment. I don’t want to be this insecure for the rest of my life. I don’t need more time to think, I’ve had enough of that. Where do I sign? And, when’s our first session?”
“Please call me Andi. Sign here and date here,” she pointed to the blanks on the page, “and I’ll sign under you.”
Kyle’s mind wandered then, and he thought to himself, ‘I’d like for you to do more than sign, squirming and moaning under me would be more fun.’ He’d never have the courage to ask her out even if he'd met her outside this office. Fantasizing about her or any other woman was about all he was going to do until he felt better about himself.
“After you bring me those sealed exams, we’ll schedule our first session,” she told him.
“That sounds like a plan,” he said, and she escorted him to the door. “I like your décor.”
“Oh, thank you. These are paintings and sculptures I’ve collected from my studies around the world.”
“They’re very interesting,” Kyle said, raising an eyebrow.
He followed her to the door and told her he’d be in touch after the exams. She thanked him, they shook hands again, and she closed the door behind him.
The next day, Andi received Kyle’s sealed physical exam with the all-clear from his physician. Then, two days after that, she received the sealed psychological evaluation, also with passing results. The last thing you needed in this business was to be dealing with a psychopath.
Andi had a system of checks and balances in place for her safety, but you can never be too careful. She’d be dealing with a man’s mentality and his emotions, and some men didn’t like being reminded of the things that made them feel weak.
She picked up the phone and called Kyle but got no answer. She left a message telling him that she had received the exams, and everything was in order. Both of his doctors had given him a clean bill of health. She told him they could schedule their first session when he called her back.
Five minutes later, Andi’s phone rang. “Good afternoon, The Social Cougar. This is Andi.”
“Hey, Andi. It’s Kyle, Kyle Carnes.”
“Yes. Hey, Kyle. You got my message?"
“I did. When did you want to schedule that first session?”
Andi looked over her calendar, “What about tomorrow afternoon at 4? Can you meet me at Preacher’s Point? I think we should go for a hike.”
“A hike? Really?” he sounded surprised.
“Yes, really. It’ll help me get to know you better and see you in your element.”
“Absolutely, that sounds like fun.”
“Good, I’ll see you at 4 tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Andi. See you then,” he said, and hung up. He wondered how a private hike would help him socially, but was more than willing to find out.
