"Okay, I‘ll see what I can find out," she assured the manager.
"Check the footages on the CCTV camera as well. He's been here so often, you can probably get a photo of him, too."
Cassidy was only too happy to oblige. At least the assignment would give her something else to think about. After yesterday's bombshell from Brian, her mind had been in a constant fog. She wanted to scream that none of it was true. That Tristan was just an ordinary man who happened to have rich parents. That all he did was take beautiful photographs of ordinary people on the streets. When Brian whipped out his cell phone and Googled Tristan, however, there was no denying the truth. It was there for everyone to see. She couldn't wrap her head around it. He never told her, never once mentioned what he did outside of his photography.
She tried to understand what motivated him to keep it a secret. He had every right to keep his life private. But for Christ's sake, they'd been together for almost two months now. He could have said something like, "Oh, by the way, I'm really a billionaire."
It didn't help matters that everyone at the coffee shop was now giving her strange looks like she did something wrong. No one believed that she didn't know about it. She could almost imagine what everyone must be thinking about her. How did she do it? What did he ever see in her? Was he serious, or was he just toying around with her?
The other staff gave her a wide berth when she came near, like she was a pariah and not someone they had known for a long time. She even felt guilty that he was so wealthy. As the day wore on, Cassidy could hardly wait to leave the café and go back to her quaint apartment. She had so much to think about, but mainly that she was pregnant with Tristan's baby.
She was glad she had to report to the agency today. Hopefully when she returned to the café on Saturday, the furor over her billionaire boyfriend would have died down. Although a sinking feeling in her stomach told her that this wasn't going away any time soon.
Cassidy returned her attention to the ledger and noted that John Smith often came during the day. There was hardly any record of him asking for an escort at night.
Strange … she thought.
Next, she made a note of the girls he went out with.
"Melissa, Anastasia, Kimberly, Anna, Tiffany … " she read, going through the names on the list.
Hmm, he never asked for the same girl twice. Who are you, John Smith? You pay in cash and only go out during the day. What do you do at night? What do these girls have in common since you ask for a different one each time?
Cassidy studied the names once more, hoping to get a clue. There was something there. She could feel it. She was familiar with most of the girls on the list and knew some of them quite well. Then it suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. It was staring her right in the face the entire time. All the girls' names on the list were black.
"Oh my God," she muttered to herself.
She had no idea what John Smith looked like. Was he dark-skinned or Caucasian? There was only one way to find out. She could check his arrivals with the CCTV camera. She picked up the ledger and headed towards the basement where the TV monitors were located.
She passed a hallway with a series of changing rooms. This was where most of the girls would hang around, doing their makeup or simply gossiping with one another. She spotted one of the girls whose name was on the list.
Casually, Cassidy sauntered over. She knew most girls were reluctant to talk about their clients. Their turf was sacred territory and fights often ensued over choice clients. It was a policy never to send the same girl twice to an elite client unless the client expressly asked for it. Cassidy had to be very careful and not seem like she was being nosy.
"Hi, Kim," Cassidy greeted a tall, svelte girl smoking a cigarette. "How's your little brother? Is he responding to medication? It's ALS, right?"
Kim nodded and blew smoke into the air. "He's fine, thanks, but I had to buy a new wheelchair for the kid. you know, those types that can move by themselves since his arms are too weak to push. And I had one of them lifts installed on the stairs so he can go up and down by himself. Mom's gettin' too old to carry him. I don't want her getting sick too, y'know?"
Cassidy nodded her head sympathetically. She knew the stories too well, but she needed information and Kim could help. She listened attentively and consoled the girl, making sure not to exaggerate her kindness.
She placed a reassuring arm around the girl's shoulder and said, "Hang in there, Kim. Gotta go, the boss man is giving me hell … even threatened to fire me if I can't come up with background check for a client." She gave a sigh of defeat and added, "You know how it is. Some of these guys don't give their real names."
"Wait … " Kim called out, "Maybe I can help. What's his name?"
Cassidy pretended to look through the ledger and replied, "Um, John Smith? He's probably on the up and up, but you know Ed. He wants to make sure you girls are protected."
"I know him," Kim replied, pleased to be able to help.
"You do? That's great!"
"That dude is hot and so sexy! Threw money like he owned a bank or something. Treated me really good and gave me a huge tip. I really thought he liked me and would ask for me again, but he never did."
"Err, treated you well, like he was respectful and all that stuff?"
"Yeah … yeah … made sure I ate and was comfortable. You know the type?"
But Cassidy didn't know the type she meant.
"Err … um... did he ask for anything out of the ordinary?"
"Sure did. It was surreal. Some of those positions were hard to do. And you know what? The guy was tireless. He went on and on and on … "
Cassidy blanched. She didn't want to hear anything more about that part of it.
"Okay, thanks, Kim! You've been a great help," Cassidy replied, running out of the room.
She composed her thoughts as she descended to the basement floor and entered a room where banks of television sets were mounted on the wall. She chose the CCTV with a view of the reception area. This was where clients waited for the girls to make their appearance.
Cassidy checked the ledger, searching for the first entry when John Smith began coming to the agency. When she found the date and time, she picked up the remote and pressed the rewind button. This was going to be a while since the date was almost six weeks ago.
Hot and so sexy … Threw money like he owned a bank … Different positions? Tireless? The guy must be a sex addict! Cassidy concluded.
There couldn't possibly any other explanation. He was careful to choose a different girl each time. That meant he was smart … and a potential problem for the agency if he flipped.
She pressed the ‘pause' button seconds away from the actual entry on the log before pressing ‘play.' The image on the screen was blurry. The camera was positioned in a corner of the reception area with a view of the doorway.
She saw John Smith come in. He wore a baseball cap low over his face. He took a seat with his head bent until an escort came through another door. John Smith removed the baseball cap, looked up at the approaching girl, and stood up to greet her.
Cassidy froze.
It was Tristan. There was no mistaking him. She would recognize that face even in the dark. Her body went numb with shock. A remote part of her brain told it this couldn't possibly be true. There must be some mistake somewhere. There was no way this John Smith and Tristan were one and the same.
Fighting the urge to throw up, Cassidy pressed the fast-forward button and checked the next entry. And the next … and the next …
Powerless to fool herself any longer, Cassidy shut off the monitor and slumped backwards into the chair. Her mind finally gave in to the shock her body felt. She was numb all over and yet she was shaking like a leaf.
How did all of this happen without her knowledge? Surely he would have slipped up somewhere. She tried to remember how he was when they were together. He always seemed eager to have sex with her. She did too, but only with him.
Tristan went out with all these women from the agency. And if Kim were to be believed, he had sex with all of them. "Tireless … went on and on … ," the words rang in her head.
If he had a sexual addiction, what else did she not know about him? He could afford to spend money that much was clear, and Brian's revelation about him being a billionaire confirmed that fact.