I am really new to the hobbying world and there isn't a starters handbook (and i f I make it through this safely

I might just write one...LOL) I am sorry this is a long post but for anyone to give honest advise I feel you s hould see the whole picture. The first week I was working (about a month and a half ago) I had a customer who was really nice and seemed to genuinely care about my well being. He and I had similar interests and made a connection. Being new and under stress I let mysel f get too comfortable with how much I shared. In retrospect, there were many war ning signs that I was too inexperienced to catch at the time. He enocuraged me from day one to move out from under the woman who helped me into this work. He also felt that my boyfriend's support was fake and with an alterier motive. In the first meeting he even attempted to play uncovered expaining that he was cut so it was okay. I stood my ground and chaulked it up to just a guy's attempt to get a bit more and let it go. On his way out he gave me his email and told me if I ever needed anything to call him. He also suggested that I try doing an ou tcall off the radar of my scheduler to help with my financial issues. I don't honestly recall the specifics on how it came to pass but he convinced me to try an outcall the following monday. My boyfriend (Michael) and I discussed it both a bit scared at the position it was going to put me in, but I called hi m and we agreed on a period of time (an hour) and donation. Michael left after watching to make sure made it safely in. Sometimes I have lost track of time an d Michael knows that so he didn't even try to call until I was 15 minutes late. This new friend was close to completion and its important to me to make him hap py so I didn't answer the phone. 30 minutes late I finally could answer and Mic hale was rightfully worried. I reminded my friend that the agreement was for an hour. He claimed it was for two and didn't pay but 75% of the agreed amount. A bit later I ran into a personal issue that took me out of town suddenly and in an attempt to let Michael know what was going on I called my "friend" and he ev en offered money to help me fix things. I thanked him, but told him I could han dle it and asked him to relay a message to Michael. (don't get the wrong Idea..my fiencee and I have been together for almost 2 year s...I have only done this for almost 2 months...he is very supportive and only g ets involved when I ask. To use his words, "If you have to do this I understand and will do anything you need me to, but your money is yours only and all decis ions are yours.") All of this was happening just days before I was supposed to get my first real a ppartment, and with the loss of work I was going to miss the window of getting t he apartment. Michael was working hard to pull everything together in my absenc e and our new friend was calling twice daily to check on updates of how I was do ing. Michael is (sometimes to his detriment) a very honest straightforward guy and told our friend the issues. The new friend said that he wanted to help beca use he knew we were honest people and would get the money back to him. He offer ed to meet with my boyfriend the money for the appartment and to help me out of my delema. Michael and I talked about it by phone and decided we would accept it under the understanding that it would be paid back in cash...I don't like debt and never t hink it should be paid out over time through services. Michael met with this friend in person and in an effort of good faith even hande d over coppies of both of our drivers liscences and social security cards explai ning that we would pay the money back in full sand even offered to put together a contract so that everyone was comfortable. The friend at that point expressed

that he was hoping to collect by a combination of services rendered and money. My boyfriend explained that at my request all debt would be repaid with money o therwise things would get too muddy and someone will get upset. M ichael also e xplained that he does not deal with anything to do with my business and if the f riend wanted to change the deal he would have to discuss it with me and that onl y I could make that decision. This all transpired in a public fast food restura unt in front of a friend of Michaels from highschool as a witness. The friend s aid that since he was a CPA he knew best how to handle things like this and we s hould trust him. There was no need for a contract, and handed over the money fo r the apartment in cash. The money to help me directly was handled via cc over the phone. Two days later he came by the new place to check on things and saw that we didn' t have furniture. I was not around yet but this meeting was witnessed by a fema le friend of mine who was helping my bf move all our clothes and things in. My boyfriend told the friend not to worry about it because we could find free furna ture onlne and it would all be okay. At this point the friend offered more mone y to my boyfriend asking if it would be enough to get it nice for me in next 24 hours. Michael was very thankful (and a bit creeped out and overwhelmed). Not sure if this was a gift or just taking on more debt Michael asked what the frien d wanted in return. To this the friend replied, "We will work it out, don't wor ry I have no interest in coming between you and your girlfriend, I have more mon ey then I need and I can see you two are good people." On his way way out the d oor he stopped and picked up the key to new place that was meant for me and aske d if he could have the honors of giving it to me personally when I got back in t own. My boyfriend agreed. The following evening I came back to town and was overjoyed to see my new place. I called the new friend to see if he would join for dinner but the friend had plans with his daughter and instead he asked if I would come spend a hour alone with him the following night.... I was shocked and stunned... I even got a bit a ngry wondering what type of agreement Michael had made with him. It was my unde rstanding I had was that we would be paid back in money not service. Since I di dn't know what to do I agreed. Michael got upset explainging to me at that poin t everything that had happened and how careful he had been to make it clear that this was NOT for trade in service. We talked about it and since I already agre ed to the next night decided to ride it through but just be careful. Remembering the problems from last time I called ahead and was very clear that t his meeting was for one hour. Once there he had me leave my things down stairs and took me upstairs just to "show me something." Conversation turned to business and again he pressed to be uncovered in his adve ntures this time expressing great dissappointment in me for not trusting him aft er everything he had done for me. I told him I don't do that and he turned up h is music louder then the last time I was there. He also turned the lights compl etely out (looking back I can see how he did these things to seperate me from my phone and to keep me from knowing how much time had passed.) Again Michael sta rted calling half an hour over the time and I was not even aware the phone was r inging. He then called the friends phone because with the interaction receintly it seemed appropriate and as late as it was in the evening Michael assumed we m ight have just fallen asleep. The friend answered his phone and told my boyfriend "We arnt done yet. This was supposed to be two hours." I reached toward the phone and our new friend then quickly added, "We will be d one in about half an hour," and hung up the phone. I immediately jumped up and started my exit. My friend started talking to me wh ile I gathered things about the fact that my boyfriend really needed to stay out

of my business and so did my schedular. He suggested I leave them both and sta y with him and I could take a job under him and start scheduling girls out of my new place. This was too much for me to deal with and I was getting really scar ed and overwhelmed. I told him we could talk about it later and ran to explain to Michael what was going on and that the words on the phone were his idea not m ine... My new friend was setting me up to hurt my relationship. I decided right then and there that there would be no more private sessions with the friend. I expressed that the very next morning and the friend claimed to " not understand" what I ment by that. He suggested we all meet for lunch and dis cuss it. I was very uncomfortable with this meeting and really never wanted to see this m an again. I was beginging to feel very minuplated and taken advantage of. I knew I needed to get this under control and so clear that there would be no m issunderstanding. Michael wrote out a receipt for the furniture to give to him when he showed up. At the resturaunt I explained that I greatly appreciated his help but was no longer happy with the idea of paying things through service. I wanted to feel good about myself and did not want to pay him in any other way t hen cash. The friend at that point seemed to lose capability to understand the english language and kept repeating that he wanted to meet that very night. In frustration I broke down in tears and went to the car and left. Michael then as ked me if I would like him to try to talk to the man alone in an attempt to appe al to the good nature of the man. I personally didn't think it would work but a greed because honestly I was at my wits end trying to deal with this man who can 't comprehend the words "i don't want to spend time alone with you." Michael met with him a couple of days later with cash in hand as an installment and went over the nubmers with the friend so that we could all be on the same pa ge. It was at that point that our friend informed him that the two hours at his home were only half work and worth only half what he and I had agreed on for a one hour period. He explained that we were friends and that friendly conversati on was not on the clock according to the "original agreement" My boyfriend swal lowed his frustration and simply agreed to the numbers and explained that I didn 't want to perform privately for him any more and that our friend needed to unde rstand that and accept it, but we would gladly make it up in interest of 20%. A t that point the meeting closed and all were at an understanding. That very evening despite the agreement he called my scheduler and set an appoin tment under an assumed name. When he called my hobby phone before the meeting I flipped and immediately left. I contacted my schedular and explained the situa tion. She suggested that I come the next day in person to