Thread: Lonely, (SerenityAlec1 and Hummingbird)

The hotel lobby was as nice as Danari expected it to be. She was relieved by the location the majority of clients wanted to meet in their personal homes, which was always uncomfortable for Danari. She knew that her side job was fairly safe clients had to pay for a background check to be performed before they were assigned a Cuddler, and all information went through the company first. Danari was required to check in with the company before and after every visit, and she had an app on her phone that let the company track her at all times while she was clocked in. Sexual misconduct was taken very seriously, and not only would any clients that behaved inappropriately be black listed, but the Cuddler would lose their job if they were found to willingly be having relations with a customer. It was all on the up-and-up, exactly as Danari had been assured by her coworker when she started with the company last year. Still, in such an unusual occupation, there were bound to be weirdos, and a hotel at least gave the comfort of knowing that someone would be around to hear her call for help, should the unthinkable happen. Danari's clients were mostly older people a few widows, a middle-aged divorcee, an autistic factory worker that was attempting to work past some of his sensory issues. Hiring a Cuddler wasn't exactly cheap, and older people tended to have extra money that the younger generation spent on expensive sports cars and the newest iPhone. Then there were the prank calls, the perverts, and the ones that backed out of it as soon as she showed up at their door. Danari didn't take it personally, and those sorts of customers were few and far apart enough that she could ignore them. The first time Danari was turned down after a mere five minute visit she felt like almost like she had been rejected. She wondered if it was her appearance, if her smile hadn't been kind enough, if she was too direct in her greeting. As it turned out, that customer turned down every single Cuddler in the company for some ridiculous reason--in Danari's case, it was because her eyes weren't quite blue enough. It was an odd job that drew in odd people. Most of the time, the first visit was awkward. Physical contact made people feel vulnerable, and that wasn't always an easy thing to accept. It was why Danari had work in the first place. If one could go up to any stranger on the street and ask for a cuddle then ComfortingTouch wouldn't exist. There were also expectations to deal with. Some people thought that, because Danari was being paid to meet them, that meant they were entitled to whatever they wanted from her. Some seemed to have the mistaken opinion that ComfortingTouch was really just a ruse for an escort company. It was less than pleasant to have to set those people straight, and it never ended with a tip. She stared at a painting of a forest reflected in a lake as she waited for the man at the desk to confirm that she was expected. It was just one of those cheap paintings that had been done by millions of artists over the years, hardly unique, but it calmed her some to focus on the shape of the leaves instead of the encounter ahead of her. No matter how many times she did this, the first meeting was always the worst. Her heart beat just a little too fast in her ears. Danari was given the go-ahead and she took the elevator up to the specified floor, sensible black flats padding softly on the beige carpet. She followed the signs to the correct door and knocked smartly on the shiny wood, then stood back and waited. She had only been told her client's first name, K'rin. It was easier to go over details face-to-face rather than go into an appointment with preconceived notions that were incorrect more often than not, so Danari asked only for the basics. She heard a muffled voice from inside and decided her initial impression from the name was correct definitely female. Finally the door opened and Danari was able to put a face to the name. The woman was beautiful, and younger than Danari expected. It was easier to deal with older people, in Danari's opinion. They were often just looking for companionship, someone to play the role of a listener in replace of a deceased spouse or estranged child. Sometimes, the younger people in their forties and below got their hopes up and requested something that Danari couldn't give. But Danari tried not to judge people on appearances. One of her best clients, one that she had met for one hour on Sunday evenings for the past six months, was younger than Danari and had never made a single untoward move. This client was certainly dressed well, although Danari wondered exactly how comfortable the woman could be in that tie. People often overdressed for the first meeting, like they were going on a date instead of preparing to lounge on a bed or couch for the next hour or two. Danari always dressed simply currently, flats, soft grey pants that hugged her hips but allowed for easy movement, and a long-sleeved, dark blue cotton blouse that highlighted her rather modest chest. A silver pendant hung in the valley between her breasts, a simple tree with the branches and roots forming a ring around the trunk. Silver studs decorated her ears and her makeup was understated, just pale foundation that didn't quite cover the freckles across her nose and chapstick that accented her lips a pale pink. Sometimes clients requested that she put something else on when she arrived, like a sweater that belonged to their loved one, or a particular perfume they liked. As long as it seemed harmless enough, Denari would oblige, but she always defaulted to something casual and presentable. Hello, Danari greeted with a warm smile, extending her hand for a handshake. It was a bit formal, but she found it easier to break the touch barrier before they actually got into the heart of the matter and went for full-on bodily contact. I'm Danari from ComfortingTouch. You're K'rin, I presume? She hoped she was pronouncing the name correctly. Danari considered English her first language, and people normally didn't notice her accent until they talked with her for a while. Her pronunciation was fairly standard except for a few strange vowels or stilted syllables here and there. She had been asked a few times if she was British, Dutch, Swedish, or numerous other countries that were all equally wrong. Danari learned a very long time ago that being offended when people misplaced her nationality was a waste of effort.