“Different from this?” I asked. “Like where?”
“It depends on what you’re looking for.” He took a swig of his beer before continuing. “Have you considered using…outside methods?”
I hunched my brow. “Like what? Dating apps? I don’t really think that’s my thing.”
Mason looked over his left shoulder, then his right, before locking eyes with me again. He leaned a little over the table and I leaned in to meet him. “There’s this club,” he started in a quiet voice. “Wishes. It’s exclusive for people worth seven figures. You go there, set up a meeting with the Wish Maker, tell her what you want, and she finds it. I haven’t heard of a failed case yet.”
A secret club that deals in matchmaking for millionaires? “How do you know it works if you haven’t tried it?” I asked.
“I did try it,” Mason responded, confused. “Why would you assume I didn’t?”
“Because you just said you haven’t heard of a failed case, but it obviously didn’t work for you because you ended up with Alaina.”
Mason’s eyes glazed over and sweat immediately started around his brow. “O-oh.”
I stared at him plain-faced. “Explain.”
He groaned. “Goddammit. I forgot how observant you are.” He took another large drink of his beer. “I did try it. A friend recommended me, and totally subconsciously, when I described what I wanted in a woman, I described Alaina.”
I crossed my arms. “Subconsciously you went to a matchmaker and described my baby sister?”
Mason’s jaw dropped. “I thought we were past this!”
“You didn’t tell me you bought her from some creepy club!”
“I didn’t buy her!”
“So it’s free?”
“Technically yes?” Mason said with a wince. “Although it’s highly recommended that you offer a donation, for the service, not for the woman.”
“What’d you pay?”
“Hm?” Mason asked innocently.
“What did you pay for Alaina?”
Mason stabbed a finger out. “First of all, I didn’t pay for Alaina. I had no idea I was gonna end up with her, and second of all, all the money is to keep the club going for the next guy,” he sighed. “Although she does make sure you’re ready to support her.”
“So it’s a sugar daddy kind of thing?!” I picked my beer up off the table and prepared to smash it over Mason’s head. “You’ve got about thirty seconds.”
Mason held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Listen. It’s a service that takes into account the fact that wealthy men sometimes struggle to find suitable partners. Donations help ensure that-”
“How much did you pay?” I repeated, losing patience.
Mason sighed. “A couple mil.” My eyes widened and he shoved my hand with the bottle in it back down to the table before I could swing. “I wasn’t buying a woman, but I was desperate for something. It was just going to be a fling, but when I saw who it was, everything changed. Some days I wake up, look at her, and think to myself, ‘I can’t believe this only cost me two million dollars.’ Your sister makes me happier than I ever knew I could be, and it never would have happened if it hadn’t been for the Wish Maker.”
I could see the sincerity in Mason’s eyes and it helped calm me down. I knew he loved Alaina and I knew he was taking great care of her. They were happy, so there was no reason for me to trudge up old feelings. Mason must have sensed I’d relaxed because he let me go. He sat back in his chair and watched me with anticipation.
“Okay, well how do I get to this place?” I asked. “If I wanted to try it.”
“Yeah, that’s not how it works.” Mason fished one of his business cards out of his pocket and pulled a pen out. He scribbled a number across the back of it and then slid it over to me. “It’s a really secretive thing. There are all these rules and stuff. Text her, tell her you’re interested, give her your donation amount, and if she feels like she can help you, she’ll give you the address and time to meet her.”
I looked down at the number skeptically. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Mason’s weird matchmaking service, but if it was between that and turning into a eunuch because no one was exciting enough for me to get it up, it was probably worth a shot.
“I have to pay two million?” I asked with my nose scrunched up at the idea.
“You pay whatever you want, but I haven’t heard of anyone going too far below that. I know a guy who did ten.”
“Ten million dollars?!”
Mason shrugged. “How much is no longer being bored worth to you?”
I didn’t entirely have the answer to that question, but I was going to need to figure it out if I was going to give the Wish Maker a try. It wasn’t like I was strapped for cash, but spending – possibly wasting – multiple millions of my hard-earned money was cause enough for pause.
“How much indeed,” I questioned, more to myself than Mason.
2
Andrew
“Good evening, Mr. Williams.”
I walked into Wishes for the third time that week. I thought back over Mason’s description of the service as I entered the upscale club and thought that I’d maybe done something wrong. He hadn’t mentioned having to make multiple trips to the club, or having to sit in a private room and entertain one of the club’s greeters for several hours on end. The text I’d received from the Wish Maker after I finally mustered up the gumption to reach out was simple if not a bit mysterious.
Have a chat with my friend at 7pm on Friday. Click here for the address.
The address to the club had been embedded directly in the message, and I got all dressed up and arrived at the club, only to have a woman that didn’t really send off any fireworks for me drag me into a private room. I started to tell her she wasn’t really my type when she informed me she was just an assistant of the Wish Maker’s sent to get a better “handle” on who I was. I had little to no idea what that meant, but I was irritated to be invited back for the same run-around on Saturday, and then again the following Tuesday. It was Wednesday and my fourth trip to the club and I’d all but convinced myself that I wouldn’t be back after this.
“Hi,” I greeted the assistant, whose name I still hadn’t received. It wasn’t that she was unattractive, but with a head of blond hair that was clearly dyed that way, and different-colored contacts every time we spoke, I wasn’t thrilled about her commitment to being anyone but herself. “How are you?”
She smiled. “I’m great and you?”
“Fine. Listen, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but this has all been kind of a huge waste of my time. I’m sure this works for some people, but I’m not really-”
“The Wish Maker would like to speak with you personally this time.”
I twisted my head to the side. “What?”
Her grin got a little bigger. “You’ll have to excuse us for our persistent meetings. It typically doesn’t take us so long to get a beat on the men we’re trying to set up, but you’ve proved to be a bit more of a challenge for us. The Wish Maker wants to speak with you personally to ensure that you’re given the best service possible for your generous donation.”