Booty Shorts - Sugar Daddy

"Jesus Christ, Charlie! That was one hell of an apology! So what was your plan if I took you back?"

"Well, what I want to do is to find a hotel and take all your clothes off, but I know you have to work and i don't want to get in the way of that. Is there anything I can do to help? Can I buy coffee or snacks for everyone? I can carry things, if they aren't too heavy."

"You're so cute. When do you leave for Seoul?

"Still Friday, day after tomorrow."

"Okay. I have to work, and it'll probably be late when I knock off. I'll be exhausted, but... you can have me for a late dinner tonight. Anything else beyond that we'll play by ear, okay?"

"That sounds lovely."

"One other condition to your double-secret probation."

"Name it."

"We can keep our arrangement going, the no-strings thing works for us. But I don't want your money any more."

~~~ December ~~~

"So you aren't doing anything with your family?"

"You know the story. I hardly talk to them at all. Mom made noises about getting together on Christmas Eve, but as soon as she mentioned my sister was coming too, I noped out. Dad took his new girlfriend to Vegas."

"So what are you going to do? Is your roommate there at least?"

"No, she went home yesterday. I'll probably work on my portfolio, catch up on TV and stuff.

Monica's first pilot had finished filming. She didn't think much of it's chances of getting picked up. The lead actor had shown all the charisma of a dishrag during the scenes she'd gotten to watch during production.

She and Charlie had made up, rather satisfactorily to Monica's mind, during their late dinner (and later night at Charlie's hotel.) They were back to being thick as thieves, texting most days and occasional phone calls at night.

After a long discussion they'd come to an understanding. The arrangement was working for both of them. Charlie still didn't have time for a real relationship, and Monica was still soured on the idea of commitment. But getting an envelope of cash from Charlie in exchange for her time had started to leave a bad taste in Monica's mouth, especially after Charlie's little (huge) faux pas.

And so, Monica would no longer going to accept cash from Charlie, but she'd still let Charlie pick up the tab when they went out. That was more because Charlie's tastes ran to places that Monica's pocketbook had no hope of affording than to compensate Monica.

"No job responsibilities during the holidays then?"

"Nope. I'm set dressing a pilot the day after New Year's, then the next week I'm doing a commercial for Geico and after that I have a couple interviews for set designer for another pilot and a small budget film."

"Want to come to New York for Christmas? It'd be fun to spend a week together instead of a couple of days for a change. I'll have to work quite a bit, but you can hang out or go roam around the city while I work."

"Really?"

"Why not?"

"I can think of a couple reasons. First off, it's three days until Christmas Eve. I bet I can't even get a flight."

"I'll bet you that I can. In fact, I'll make you a wager that I can get you a flight tomorrow. If I win, you have to do that thing."

"The thing that makes you bark?"

"I do not bark!"

"She-said, she-said. Okay, you're on, but no chartering a jet! That's cheating and I don't want you dropping that kind of money on me. Capiche?"

"Fine. What's the other problem?"

"The other one is, I'm not sure I want to meet your parents. 'Hi mom and dad, this is the girl I met on a sugar daddy website.' That sounds only slightly less awkward than when I walked in on my fiance and sister."

"I've already told them about you."

"What?! You told your parents you were paying someone to hook up?!"

"Yes because, as you know, I am very stupid. No, I told them that we met in a coffee shop when I was there on business and have been seeing each other whenever I go out. See? Nothing in that is a lie."

"I dunno..."

"Look, why don't you just come out and if meeting my parents seems too much, you can hang out at my apartment and watch Hallmark Christmas movies while I'm over there for Christmas dinner. I won't even tell them you're in town if you don't want me to."

"Man, I'd love to score a Hallmark movie gig."

"Really? I was joking. I've never actually seen one but I heard those things are terrible."

"They are, but they're easy money. They only film on weekdays so the actors and crew can be with their families for weekends. And I'd love to design a Christmas set."

"We're getting off track. Do you want to come or not?"

"What's the weather like?"

"It's going to be in the low twenties all week. There's even a chance of snow on Christmas Eve!"

"I've never seen snow."

"What?! Okay, now you have to come! I'm texting my travel agent now."

"I don't think I have clothes that will be warm enough."

"We can fix that. I'll take you shopping at Saks."

"Hey, we talked about that."

"Oh come on. It's Christmas. Let me take you shopping. It can be your Christmas present."

"Won't the plane ticket be my Christmas present?"

"I'm not allowed to get you two presents?"

"Hmmm." Monica looked around her empty apartment and imagined being home by herself on Christmas.

"Pleeeease?"

"Okay, you've talked me into it."

~~~

Charlie had her car service pick up Monica at JFK when her flight arrived late the next afternoon. Monica was already feeling unreasonably spoiled, as she'd never flown business class before. She had, however, appreciated the luxurious seats and excellent service during the five hour flight.

The nascent duck-out-of-water feeling she'd been nursing since sitting down in her Delta business class seat really kicked in, however, when the town car pulled up to 111 West 54th Street. A doorman in an expensive suit and overcoat opened the door of the Town Car for her. She got out and craned her neck, looking up at the skyscraper. It seemed like she couldn't see the top because it disappeared into the darkening sky. She shivered in the cold wind whistling down the street. Her thin coat and jeans were not nearly warm enough for New York in December.

"Ms. Choi?" the doorman asked.

"Um, yes that's me."

"Welcome to New York. Ms.Davis is expecting you. She apologizes that she can't meet you down here, but said she would have to be on business calls all afternoon. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to her apartment."

The doorman escorted her through the lobby to a bank of two elevators, carrying her small rolling carryon bag for her.

When one of the elevators opened, he leaned inside and swiped an access card on a security reader then pressed the button for fifty-four.

"This will take you right up, Ms. Choi."

"Thank you. Which apartment is hers?"

"There's only one apartment per floor, you can't miss it."

"Uh, okay thanks."

Only one apartment per floor?

The doors slid shut and the elevator shot up at a rapid pace. Monica noted the numbers on the buttons went up into the nineties. Her ears actually popped as she arrived at fifty-four and the doors opened onto a small lobby paneled in dark, rich wood with a single door. She rolled her bag out of the elevator and tentatively knocked on the door.

It was solid wood and her knuckles barely made a sound. Looking around she saw a doorbell and pressed it. A stately chime sounded within. Moments later the door opened.

"Yay! You're here!" Charlie squealed, leaping through the doorway for a hug. "Come in! Come in! I'm so excited you're here for a whole week!"

"Thanks. And thanks for the business class ticket too, that was something I hadn't expected. I hope you didn't spend too much on it."

"No worries! I actually had enough miles that it didn't cost me anything, if that makes you feel better."

"Cool."

"Listen, I'm sorry but there's a Zoom call I have to jump back on. It's my last one of the day. After that we can sit down and plan out the next couple of days, okay?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"The media room is through there if you want to watch TV. My office is here. Kitchen through there if you need a drink or snack."

Monica watched Charlie scoot back into her office to get back on her Zoom call. Her desk had two huge curved monitors on it. It looked like a NASA Mission Control console from a movie. One of the monitors had a window taking up a third of the screen with several people's faces on it.

"Okay Takeshi, I'm back. What's the delta from the A and B models on our target's capital projections next quarter?"

Incomprehensible business-speak followed and Monica decided to wander off and see the rest of the apartment while Charlie finished up.

She peeked in the media room, then walked through the kitchen, helping herself to a bottle of sparkling water from the drink fridge, which was separate from the wine fridge, which was separate from the actual refrigerator.

She passed through the kitchen to find a vast open living room, three sides of which were glass.

"Oh... my... god..." she whispered in awe.

The sun had fully set now and the lights of New York beyond the window were stunning. As she walked slowly towards the main wall of windows, she noted a huge rectangular area of darkness below stretching away from the building.

That must be Central Park.

She got closer to the windows, but shied back after a look down caused a wash of vertigo to sweep over her.

We're so high up. This is ridiculous.

Looking around the room she noticed a telescope on a wooden tripod in one corner. Timidly walking over (it was too close to the windows for her comfort) she noted that it was actually pointing down, instead of up at the skies.

She set her bottle on a nearby table then leaned over slightly to look in the eye piece. She immediately recognized the Guggenheim museum, the white walls brightly lit in the nighttime.

This is incredible.

She started slowly panning the telescope around the city. She didn't find anything else she recognized, but the sight of all the buildings and lights and streets full of taxis driving over the dragon's breath steam trails coming from the manhole covers mesmerized her.

"See anything cool?"

Monica jerked her head back from the telescope, startled.

"Charlie, this apartment is ridiculous! How rich are you?"

"I told you, I'm rich enough," Charlie said, joining her at the window. "I actually leveraged myself pretty good to swing this place, but when it came on the market my agent insisted I come up to see the view and I couldn't pass it up."

"You really have a thing for views, huh?" Monica said, recalling Charlie's usual hotel suite at the Centurion.

"My parents have a very nice brownstone on the upper east side, but my room was on the back of the house and the view from my window was twenty feet of alley and the neighbor's kid's bedroom window. Can't tell you how many times I caught him trying to peep on me."

"So you spent a hundred million dollars to have the best view?"

"This apartment didn't cost anywhere near a hundred mil. Just under a quarter of that, in fact. I got it a little below market because the guy who owned it was heavily into restaurants and when Covid hit, he lost his shirt and needed a quick sale. Fortunately for me, my team spotted the trends coming and I moved us into health care and telework technology very early in the pandemic. Like, before it even made it here from China."

"Lucky you."

"I say make your own luck."

"Wait," Monica looked around the living room. "Where are your Christmas decorations?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't have time for stuff like that. I just enjoy what I see on the streets. There's plenty of Christmas in New York to go around."

"That seems kinda sad," Monica said, thinking of the little tree she and Hailey had decorated in the corner of their living room the week before.

"If I need to get into the Christmas spirit, I just go to my parents for dinner. Mom has the brownstone looking like a Victorian Christmas wonderland. Speaking of dinner, are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Okay! Let's go get some dinner. Where did you put your coat?"

"This is my coat," Monica said, pinching the collar of the light fleece jacket she'd worn, which was the closest thing she had suitable for cold weather.

"Oh dear. Okay, let's put your stuff away and check my closet. I think I have one or two that should fit you. They might be a little roomy in the chest, but will be warm enough. We'll grab a bite, then go take care of your wardrobe problem."

Monica had expected Charlie to take her to some Michelin star bistro, so she was surprised when they walked a few blocks then stopped at what could only be described as a hole-in-the-wall pizza place with a half dozen stand-up tables.

"What is this? Best pizza in New York?"

"This? Oh, heck no. This is adequate. The best pizza is a place down in The Village, though I acknowledge that topic is one of the most hotly debated in the city."

Adequate turned out to be the best slice of pizza Monica had ever had.

~~~

"Sorry I have to work today. I'm taking off Christmas Eve and Christmas, I promise." Charlie was watching Monica wind her new scarf around her neck, preparing for the cold outside.

"It's no problem, I can entertain myself. I got a guide book!" Monica held up her pocket guide book to Manhattan, which Charlie met with an eye roll.

"Where are you headed first?"

"Times Square!"

"Oh n-o-o-o-o!" Charlie groaned, "that's such a tourist cliche! No one who lives here actually goes to Times Square!"

"News flash, genius, I'm a tourist."

"I guess it's good you're going there today, because there's no way you'd get me to go with you."

"I hope you make a lot of money today, after all you spent on me yesterday," Monica said, zipping up her new purple winter parka.

"I'll do my best."

Charlie walked her out to the elevator and they shared a kiss, then she headed back to her office and a day of Zoom calls and spreadsheets.

She looked up when she heard Monica let herself in that afternoon. Charlie had given her a spare key for the door and keycard for the elevator. She muted herself on the Zoom call.

"Hey," Monica whispered.

"Hey, it's okay, I muted. Did you have fun?"

"I did! Saw some stuff. Did a little shopping too." She held up a canvas shopping bag.

"Well I have at least a few hours left. I can probably go to dinner around six, does that work?"

"Sure. Why don't I close your door? I might watch a movie and I don't want to bother you." She hooked a thumb towards the media room next door.

"Sounds good."

Monica closed the office door as Charlie went back to her call, then let out the grin she'd been hiding and tiptoed back to the front door, easing it open as quietly as she could.

"Okay, bring it in," she whispered.

When Charlie finally signed off she stood up and stretched, then looked at the time display on her monitor, which said seven thirty. She hoped Monica wasn't going to be too pissed.

The media room was empty, the apartment quiet. Charlie checked the master suite but the lights were out, so she padded through the kitchen and into the living room, then gasped in surprise.

In the corner of the living room, next to the telescope, stood a modest Christmas tree. It seemed like hundreds of warm white lights glowed in its branches and it was covered with what looked like birds for ornaments. As she got closer, she realized the birds were origami, made of colorful paper.

A soft noise made her turn away from the tree and she saw Monica asleep on one of the nearby sofas, a chenille throw pulled over her. An open package of construction paper in a rainbow of colors lay on the coffee table in front of her, along with a pair of scissors and a messy pile of colorful scraps.

She turned back to admire the tree again, then knelt next to the sofa and kissed Monica's forehead.

"Hey sleepyhead," she whispered.

Monica stirred, then opened her eyes.

"Oh, hey," she said softly, half asleep.

"You got me a tree."

Monica blinked, then came fully awake and sat up.

"I did! Your apartment needed some holiday cheer. Did you know there's little stands on the streets all over Manhattan where you can buy Christmas trees?"

Charlie laughed, "Yes, sweetie, I know. Did you make all these ornaments?"

"I didn't like any of the decorations left at Target off Columbus Circle, so I just bought the lights and supplies."

"This might be the sweetest, most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten. How did you get it back to the building?"

"I started off dragging it down the street, then a guy offered to help poor lil' ole me."

"Did he now?"

"I flirted pretty hard when he asked if I needed help. I think when I got to the lobby of this building he felt like I'd pulled a fast one on him. He probably thought I could have afforded having it delivered. After I got it here, your doorman Rodrigo helped me bring it up."

"You are so sweet. And funny."

"You've done so much more for me."

"Well now, I'm going do something else for you and make love to you right here on this couch."

Monica looked at her Apple Watch.

"The heck you are, it's almost eight o'clock! You need to feed me first!"

~~~

"I made a huge mistake," Monica said.

"Yippie-ki-yay, mother fucker!"

"I'm so b-o-o-o-o-o-r-e-d!" Monica yelled back at John McClane. She got off the sofa in the media room and went looking for snacks.

Charlie had tried hard to talk Monica into coming to her parents on Christmas, but Monica couldn't get past the awkwardness she thought she'd feel.

Yes, hello Mr. and Mrs. Davis, so nice to meet you. I think your daughter is amazing. Oh for sure, I'm so lucky that she thought I was worth five grand a month to bang whenever she came to town. I really hope I've given her her money's worth!

But now, after spending the entirety of Christmas Day alone, Monica was very much regretting not going.

She found a bag of microwave popcorn in the walk-in pantry (which was bigger than her closet, naturally) and after several minutes of pondering over the controls on Charlie's space-age looking microwave, managed to get it started. She watched it turn for a minute, then pulled out her phone.

Monica: Did you fall asleep in the recliner after all the turkey?

Charlie had left at nine for her parents. The clock on the oven told Monica it was almost six. Her phone buzzed in her hand.

Charlie: My sister has a new boyfriend. She's been air-casting all the videos of their trip to Europe to the TV.

Monica: I'm regretting my decision not to come. I'm going stir crazy.

Charlie: Sorry. Did you go out today?

Monica: I had lunch in Chinatown. Nothing else is open.

Charlie: Will try and get out of here soon. Put on a Christmas movie.

Monica: I did. Watching Die Hard

The microwave chimed and Monica carefully took the bag out and tore it open, cursing as the steam burnt her fingertips. She found a big bowl under the counter and dumped the bag into it.

Charlie: That's not a Christmas movie

Monica stared at her phone in disbelief.

Monica: ...I'm sorry but I think we need to see other people

Charlie: Sounds like we're going to have a debate when I get home

Monica: There's no debating this

Charlie: She-said, she-said

Monica returned to the media room, flopping down on the big leather sofa. She unpaused the movie, watched thirty seconds, then paused it again, deciding she needed to start it from the beginning when Charlie came back to show her it was the greatest Christmas movie of all time.