Excerpt from The Hired Man:
Excerpt from The Hired Man:
"So tell us, Mr. Hardesty," Mrs. Glick said as we drank
our coffee, "what was it you wanted to ask?"
I glanced quickly at Mr. Glick and thought I noticed
just a flicker of…what?… discomfort? …cross his face, but
it was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual expression of complete
composure. I felt suddenly very awkward, not really knowing what to say.
Gary caught on instantly. "Perhaps I should excuse myself,"
he said with a small smile, but making no effort to get up. Mrs. Glick reached
out and touched his arm.
"Nonsense," she said. "I'm sure whatever Mr. Hardesty
has to ask isn't privileged…" she glanced at me, "Is it, Mr.
Hardesty?"
"Well, no…it's just a general question about the
escorts' services."
"Please," Mr. Glick said, "ask."
I took what I hoped wasn't an obviously apparent deep
breath. "I understand that each of the escorts is selected partly for their
ability to cater to…specific…client requests, with each one providing
a different area of expertise."
Jeezus, Hardesty! You want to try that one again,
in English? my mind asked.
Mr. Glick gave a very small smile of amusement. "That's
true, yes."
Oh, to hell with pussyfooting, I decided. "Are
any of your escorts bisexual?" I asked.
There was a long silence, until Mrs. Glick said ,"Steve
is, of course. And, we understand that some of the other escorts have had
heterosexual experiences, yes."
Which doesn't automatically make them bisexual,
I thought.
I recognized sidestepping when I saw it, and pushed ahead.
"Yes, and I realize that a large number of your clients are themselves bisexual,
but do any of your escorts specialize in requests for bisexual activity involving
women?"
Another awkward silence, until…
"That would be me," Gary said with a smile, his eyes
fixed on mine.