S.: Sure. And you may call me Sue.

M.: Then, let’s begin. First things first. And what I’m going to ask you, in the beginning, is – when and how did it all start?

S.: You mean… When did it begin?

M.: Exactly. I mean, when it was that moment when you might say you felt your life began to change. Just tell the first line of the story.

S.: Well. It all began as I suppose… when Jane appeared. When Jane appeared in my life and at our office.

M.: And who is Jane?

S.: Jane is a girl who worked with me. She is not from our town. As I know, she lived in the other city. She worked for our company for some years, and when she moved from her hometown, she got a place in our city.

M.: Can you describe her? What was she like? Tell us something about her personality.

S.: Jane – If I would try to describe her in a single word – I think I would just spell her name. Jane [soft laughter]. Well, when I saw her for the first time, my only thought was that she is a pretty woman. Maybe it is better to say that she is almost striking… beautiful. No. She is. Striking beauty. Jane is a little taller than me. And she has red hair. And she is very good-looking.

M.: What were your relations when she just appeared at your office?

S.: From the very beginning, we did well. And after a week I would say we made friends. Yes, I think we were friends on a second week after we met. We were doing some similar stuff at the office. And after the first week, uh, we always spent coffee breaks together. We mostly were chatting about different things. I found out that Jane was not only good-looking but also a lovely, smart, and well-humored person. She was a fantastic company. She was fun.

S.: And then, one day, she told me some story. I could believe it or not. As I wish. She said it was my choice to believe it or not because a story was, no matter, an interesting one. Just she kinda tells me I better do not tell it some other people, at least as a true story. She tells me that there is some funny, unusual work she has on the side. There is some Agency that does not advertise its services too much. It is some kind of private entertainment company – a nice little company. And it helps people to diversify, to widen one’s sexual life. But actually, it is nothing like an escort agency. It is just different.

M.: But then, what did the Agency offer to customers?

S.: It offered some different things. It offered some sort of private entertainment. It was not necessary for someone from the Agency to make love to customer… That could be different. Me, I am not that conscious about prostitution. It is quite a regular thing in our society. Just me, myself, I am not sure I can do it for money. Of course, I like sex like anybody else, but it is a bit different [laughter]. But I don’t have anything against the sex workers. Sure. As Jane told me, the difference is that they try to give an adventure to a person. Some kind of sexy adventure, if you want. The major principle is that they organize it all only when they know well enough what the person really wants. Yes. That’s the thing. But the scenario should be somehow unexpected for her or for him. And yes, there is a scenario. It is an important part of it. I mean how they do it. There is the scenario, and it is prepared according to this person’s unrealized desires.

E.: So, do I understand it correctly? There is some kind of stage show?

S.: Well, no. It is not like a stage show. Maybe in something. A person is involved in some story, adventure. And the Agency makes this person feel good in the way.

M.: Person? – You mean a customer?

S.: No. Actually, not. This person is almost never the customer. I mean it is not the one placing the order. Services… are ordered by someone who knows this person well, who is close to him or her somehow. This one helps us to know about a person. In some exceptional cases this person – the Lead Hero…

M.: Lead Hero?

S.: That is how this person is called. The Lead Hero. It is just another specific term to make a long story short. So, this LH is almost never the one who contracts the Agency personally. It is this way only in some rare, exceptional cases. It is possible, but it is not a rule.

M.: All these things, did Jane tell about them all at once?

S.: No. I actually revealed it all after, in process. I mean, she told some general things. I was a bit intrigued by it. I did not know why she told it to me. Of course, she was always able to entertain me with her stories during a break and after hours, when we met in some cafe or at a nightclub.

M.: And what did happen next?

S.: She asked whether I wanted to fill the vacancy in the Agency.

M.: She did it the same day as she told you… the story?

S.: No. She did it after a couple of days. She said there would be nothing tricky, nothing I was not able to do. And she said for the first time I would not need to do something special. And also she said that they would teach me everything I needed to know when indeed there was not a lot of it. And also she said if I didn’t like it, I could quit at any moment. She said I was possibly a good fit for them. I didn’t know what to answer. Usually, if she took me somewhere to do something funny, I would agree immediately, because it is always a nice time with Jane. I mean she knows how to have fun. But in this case, I was not sure. For a couple of days, I was considering her proposition, and then I just decided to see what it was like. I mean, to see the place and what it was. I was not that sure I would agree. Though, Jane was always the most persuasive person. She easily can persuade anybody.

Nov, 5. Evening. Private Audio Diary of Elise. by Elise

When Martin said that there would be an interview this evening, I did not know who would be our guest. I only knew that her name was Susan. Martin asked me whether I could stay for one more hour at the studio. We supposed to record an interview with someone. When this someone arrived, I had a feeling that I probably saw her somewhere before. And then I understood that it was that blonde girl from a strange videotape. I mean… there was nothing strange about the videotape, but it was strange that the footage seemed so useless. I thought maybe then I would be able to understand at least a little what it all was about. And then when I saw a girl, at least I knew her looks clearly. But that isn’t much. I was actually unprepared for an interview. She entered the door and at first exposed some little indecisiveness when interrupting her way through the room. Then she laughed and tried to look really self-assured and made a few quick motions approaching a stool. As she was sitting there… At the first moment that made me think that she was probably infantile, maybe a little infantile, but not too much. Though maybe it was her looks that made me feel so. She is not very tall, and her face is a little childish you may say.

As I wasn’t prepared to take an active part in the interview, I thought maybe Martin would like me to be present just to have some kind of witness. Or something. Maybe he needed to have someone else there in the room to break a possible intimacy. I mean… to be not tet-а-tet with this girl. And most probably these both reasons applied for my presence. An interview isn’t anything like a date. So, when you happen to talk with a young blonde girl who likes to talk about sex, there should be some additional requirements. At least there should be someone else present. Better a woman. Despite the fact that I still can’t clearly understand what fun it can be in this matter for me, I became curious about some of the things. As Martin sometimes uses to say – and I would quote him not because he is a great philosopher, but only because this time the phrase really fits in – journalism is probably a kind of illness. On my side, I would add that it is an illness of brain and sometimes a strange one. And first of all, I became interested in what we will reveal in the next chapter of the Blondish Tale. Let’s call it that for a while. And also I am curious about what is the degree of stupidity – or probably, smartness – of our leading character. Just to practice my ability to recognize the human qualities. My intuition. Kinda. As Martin said, we will meet her again after a few days. I think I will have a chance to know. And also I remember how Martin asked her whether I could be present. And the blonde doll took a short pause, and her eyes widened a little. And then she permitted it, and she was looking at me in some way. Call me Sue. She said so after a pause still having this gaze. My intuition gave me a hint at the moment. What I think about it now is that the girl is definitely bisexual.