Starbucks should have a statue of me outside of their HQ, Alexa thought. It felt like she was in a branch at least once a day. This time it was one located in a shopping mall in Long Island, New York. At least the trip for the booking she was about to start hadn't been a long one. It was a three day booking too, the least purchased of all the packages A Moment of Bliss offered.
The Starbucks was where she had arranged to meet the client. Based on the conversation they'd had on the phone, she knew that at any moment now she would spot a young man walking in wearing a black t-shirt with 'You know it' on the front in orange writing.
Alexa passed the time sipping her coffee. She was sat at a table directly facing the entrance, so she couldn't possibly miss her client when he showed up. The mall outside was packed, which slightly surprised Alexa. It was early February, not a time that she would have thought was a prime shopping period. Maybe Valentine's Day was one of the reasons, she pondered. It reminded her that she needed to buy a gift and a card for Clementine.
A man walked into the Starbucks wearing a black beanie hat and a dark grey jacket. The jacket was open to reveal the t-shirt that Alexa was looking out for. She raised her hand to signal him.
A nervous-looking smile appeared on the client's face as he started walking in her direction. He was trying his best to grow a decent beard, she saw, but at only twenty-one years old, it was far from impressive.
"Hi. Alexa?" he asked when he reached the table and sat down opposite her. He already knew who she was of course, it was simply his way of trying to start the conversation.
"Yes, I'm Alexa. Good to meet you, Zack. Can I buy you a coffee, or would you like to head off straight away?"
Seeming shy about talking to a woman, let alone a beautiful one, let alone one he was paying for her time, Zack gave his coffee preference and said that he wanted to run over his request with her again before they left. Alexa didn't need the reminder, but she was happy to go along with it if it was going to make him feel more comfortable with his booking.
Returning to the table a couple of minutes later with Zack's coffee, Alexa flashed him one of her best smiles when she handed it over.
"Thank," he said shyly. "You are even more sexy… I mean more beautiful in person than on your website."
"Thank you," Alexa said sweetly as she sat down, thinking that his chat up game was some distance from on point. It was no surprise, given the nature of his request. It was also something she was used to, and was capable of taking it in her stride. "So, we're heading back to your parent's place when we're done here?" she asked, steering things along smoothly.
"Yeah. This is embarrassing to say to you in person, but I've been telling them I'm in a relationship for a while now. It was a lie I got into and couldn't find a way to get out of. I'd have felt ashamed to say my girlfriend broke up with me. Now it's got to the point where mom and dad keep asking me when I'm going to bring her to meet them."
"Which is where I come in," Alexa said in a relaxed tone. She was hoping that he would settle into the conversation and his nerves would begin to dissipate.
"Right," Zack said, fiddling with his coffee cup. It was another sign of nerves. "I need you to pretend we've been together for like six months. You're a hairdresser from over in Long Beach. I mean, that's what I told them about my girlfriend."
"I understand," Alexa said comfortably. "Long Beach, that's what, an hour from here?"
"Something like that. Look, Alexa, I know this all seems lame to you, a guy pretending to have a girlfriend at my age. But I need my folks to feel proud of me for once. I feel like they think I'm a loser."
Alexa reached over the table, took his right hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I don't judge. I'm simply here to fulfil your request. I'll make a convincing girlfriend, trust me. I read your booking thoroughly, and I know exactly how you described your girlfriend to your parents. Try to relax and enjoy yourself. Remember you'll be introducing your girlfriend to your parents. You should be enjoying it. If you're not, it'll look weird. Once they see us happy together, they definitely won't think you're a loser."
"Good point. I'll do my best when we get there. The last thing I want to do is ruin this for myself."
"You won't. We'll look like a happy couple, apart from me, as your girlfriend, being understandably nervous to meet your parents."
"Sounds great," Zack said, managing a smile. It showed Alexa that she was getting through to him.
"Chelsea. That's your girlfriend's name," she recalled from the booking form. "Why did you pick that?" she asked, using her tone to encourage him to open himself up a bit.
Zack drank some of his coffee and shrugged. "It's just a name I like."
"I'd better have a surname ready, just in case I'm asked for any reason."
"Chelsea Green. That's the name I told them."
For the next fifteen minutes they established a thorough backstory for both Chelsea Green and her relationship with Zack. Alexa was used to committing extensive details like those to memory.
"Alright, shall we go?" Zack said, pushing back his chair after finishing his coffee. His early nerves had somewhat subsided during their chat, as Alexa had hoped they would. Her ability to get people to relax was well-practiced and almost never failed her.
She got up and put on the red trench coat that had been on the back of her chair. It was the perfect thing to wear against the cold weather outside.
"That's a really nice coat," Zack said, standing there waiting for her.
"Thanks," Alexa smiled. "I can tell your parents you bought it for me today if you like?"
Zack laughed. "Sure, but you'd better tell them you chose it. They know I wouldn't have the first idea how to pick out something that suited you that well."
Alexa chuckled as she took a pair of black leather gloves out of one of her pockets and worked her hands into them. "You see, those are the little details that we'd have a laugh about as a couple. This is good. I can make a joke about that now, and your parents will find it funny. On the way over there, I want you to tell me some of your most memorable moments. I'm talking famous people you met, big events in your life, stuff that I would know if I had been with you for six months."
"Got it," Zack said seriously.
Alexa took a black scarf off the back of the chair and arranged it around her neck. With that, she was finally ready to depart. They left the Starbucks and walked out into the busy mall, heading for the parking garage.
"There is the other part of my booking we've not talked about yet," Zack said awkwardly, keeping his voice down.
Alexa hadn't forgotten. In addition to wanting her to act out the part of his girlfriend, Zack also wanted her to take his virginity during his booking. She had been surprised when she had seen his picture, and again when she had met him in person, that he hadn't managed to hook up with a girl at some point. He was a perfectly normal looking guy, not outstanding, but certainly not ugly by any means. There was also the fact that he obviously had money, an attraction to many a shallow woman. He had afforded a three day booking, which didn't exactly come cheap.
"Don't worry about that," she replied, matching his volume. "I'll make sure the experience is everything you've imagined and more."
"I don't doubt that. I'm not feeling confident about it though. Obviously I've never been with a woman before. I don't really know what I ought to do, you know, to pleasure you."
"I'll guide you through the whole thing," Alexa promised him.
"Okay," Zack said, trying to sound like her assurances had helped. "I don't know if I'll want to do that tonight. I might feel better if I just slept with you first. As in actually slept with you, not having sex."
"I know what you mean. We can kiss and cuddle tonight if that's what you'd like, then we can have sex tomorrow night."
"Thanks for not treating me like I'm pathetic," Zack said.
If anything showed his lack of self-confidence it was that. Alexa had taken a liking to him, and decided that by the end of their three days together she wanted to leave him in a much better place in that regard.
"You're not pathetic, Zack, you're shy, and there's nothing wrong with that. Again, like I said earlier, try to relax and enjoy yourself. These three days are going to be a great time, I promise."
A/N: Thank you to everyone who left a review last time.
So, there were have our latest 'meet the client' chapter. Alexa is going to be spending three days as a guest of the Ryder family. How do you think things will go in her role as 'Chelsea Green'?
As ever, a reminder that I am still considering requests. If you have anyone or anything you would like to see, let me know. You could also request another booking for a client we have already seen, if you have an idea for one.