He laughed and admitted it. “Yeah, you’re right about that. A big zit on a girl’s face is the ultimate turn-off.”

I grinned. I guess Billy was young after all.

AFTER A WHILE I became more comfortable in the carnival atmosphere, but that still didn’t mean I would agree to stay there. By the time it got close to six o’clock, I was about ready to go.

“Are you gonna try and hook up with anyone before you go?” Billy asked me. He said, “Your date is on the house, compliments of Mr. Vissel. You still want Tapioca and Cream, or you want the Brazilian with the mole and a friend?”

I looked at him and asked, “I thought you told me it’s up to them.”

“It is, but they still have to be able to hang out with you to make up their minds.”

“So they would just go out on a date with me to see if they want to deal with me or not?”

“Basically, yeah. If they do they do, and if they don’t they don’t.”

“What about them protecting themselves? You could be dealing with a maniac.”

“Well, we haven’t had any maniacs yet. We’ve had a couple of guys who left their wives for models, a couple more who became obsessive, and a few more who are no longer allowed on the mansion grounds because of a lack of satisfactory payments, but other than those few bad apples, Mr. Vissel’s been managing quite well.”

I nodded to him. “I’ll think about it and call you on it before the night is over.”

“No rush, man. Some of these girls stay up all night looking for something to do. They’ll be here.”

We began to make our way back through the crowd, and I noticed more male celebrities and athletes around the place, watching. I won’t name any names, but I looked at Billy and asked him, “How normal is this?” referring to the presence of the popular high-rollers.

“Oh, this is very normal. It’s Friday. Friday through Sunday are the best. But the girls I told you about who are strictly business, they usually come Monday through Wednesday to avoid the temptations. They just want to take the best pictures they can take.”

“Has it worked?”

He shrugged. “Well, you’re a professional model, right. And from what I’ve seen, it has all to do with what the designers are looking for, not so much with how you carry herself or your reputation. I mean, you could be a perfect angel, but if no one is buying your image, then what use are you to the designers?”

I nodded. “That’s true.”

We made our way back to the front door and retrieved the Lamborghini. As we cruised back to the airport area, I was just itching to call Andrea back. It was after eight o’clock Chicago time, so I knew I could catch her before a party or whatever. However, I didn’t want to talk to her in front of Billy, so I had to wait until I reached the hotel room for privacy.