Getting there

For the rest of the day, you prevent a few muggings and would-be robbers, while receiving plenty of social media attention. You had worn a suit for your first day of work, which made for good photo ops and selfies with the people you help.

You return to the Tribune offices as it's getting dark. The newsroom is starting to empty. The moment you walk into your office, Amanda comes in after you. Even though she's wearing high heels, you didn't hear her approach.

"Hi John! Laura's very pleased with your extracurricular activities today. She wanted me to check in with you on your story and see if I could help you," Amanda says, notepad in hand.

"Thanks. Um, not right now, I'm going to check out this lead in a bit, and see where we can go from there." You hand Amanda the notes on the escort service.

"Oh good, Laura thought this one was interesting and had wanted to check it out herself. She said she's heard whispers about it before and that their clientele includes major power brokers in New York and around the country. Unfortunately they only take male clients, so she's been looking for a someone to take this on. Are you going undercover as a client?"

"Yup. Don't worry Laura with the expenses, I've got that covered."

"Great, do you want me to stick around?"

"Nah, I'm not sure how long I'll be," you say, not telling her that you had made an overnight booking.

After Amanda left, you watched the news for a while, until it was almost time for your appointment and you decide to walk there.

The address provided led to a tall black building downtown. You realize you've walked past this building many times before, not knowing what it was. You had never seen anyone enter or leave the building. It looked like any other office building, with all the windows tinted black. There were no signs in the front of the building, except for a silver-plated number 5 representing the street number. There was one opaque door but it doesn't budge when you pull on the handle.

A voice through the intercom speaks, "Please identify yourself."

"David Baker."

"Please hold the QR code facing upwards, over your head."

You do as instructed and see that there is a scanner above you. The scanner beeps and you hear the door click.

"Please enter."

You open the door and you see a hallway, painted all white, leading forward then bending right. If a passerby saw you open the door, they wouldn't have any idea what establishment you were entering. You follow the hallway and walk into what looks like a hotel lobby, with a female sitting behind the counter like a concierge. She's about 30, and is beautiful and looks of middle-eastern descent. Her raven hair is wound tightly in a bun and she's wearing a light grey suit.

She smiles as you approach the counter, and you admire her pink lipstick and matching nail color. She looked more like a business executive than, well, you didn't what she did here.

"Welcome John," she says, not using your alias.

"Um, I'm David Baker."

"John, please be assured, your privacy is important to us. But for security reasons, the long hallway you walked through to get here is fitted with state of the art facial recognition cameras and software. We know who our clients are, so we're able to protect their privacy," the woman says. "My name is Nala. Welcome to your first time using our service. Here is your membership card. You can call the number at the back anytime or use the website to make an appointment."

You take the card from Nala. It's heavy and looks like one of those black platinum credit cards.

"So what is this place?"

"This is where all our appointments happen. We own the entire building, and everyone here is either an employee, service provider, or client. We have an agreement with the city's police, and the entrance is not monitored by any cameras except our own, so you have complete privacy. Before we get started, let me see if you have any special requests. This is all included in your fee. Any fetishes?"

"Uh, no."

"Anal?"

"Not today."

"Costumes or roleplay?"

"What costumes do you have?"

"Oh, we have an entire wardrobe department, so anything you name. Our most popular ones are schoolgirl, nurse, nun, and business executive."

You raise your eyebrows at the last thing Nala mentioned. You still can't figure out if she's an escort.

"Okay, schoolgirl sounds good. Actually, how about a police officer?"

"Sure thing. And don't worry, the costumes look like the real ones, not the tacky halloween types. Should I include roleplay?"

"Sure, why not."

"Would you like food or drinks? We have a kitchen. Condoms?"

"No, maybe some champagne. Do I need condoms?"

"Okay, the champagne will be waiting for you in the room. No, it's up to you if you want to use a condom, but our service providers are all tested and on birth control."

"Okay, I don't need any then."

"Great, you're all set. Use the fourth elevator on the right there. It'll take you up to the 9th floor. Your room is 903. She'll be with you in 10 minutes. I have you checking out at 9am, but you can extend it if you want. You can also extend your session with your service provider until noon, but she has to leave after that for her day job," Nala says with a smile.

You leave Nala and walk over to the elevator. It's already waiting for you and when you enter, the doors close and take you up. They must have some sort of main control at the front desk. On your floor, the walls are also white, almost blindingly so, while the doors to the rooms are black. The door is unlocked and you walk in. The room looks like a nice hotel suite, with a jacuzzi in the bathroom. As Nala said, a bottle of freshly popped champagne is on the coffee table, with two glasses poured.

You take off your suit jacket and sit on the bed, waiting for your escort to arrive.