Chapter 10
June
“Where the hell is she getting this figure?” Monique flipped over a paper and stared at the chicken scratch handwriting. She then flipped it over again, glaring through her wireframes. The only time Monique Warner brought out the spectacles was when it was soft audit time.
The taxes for the previous year were done and filed already, but the madam of the Manoir insisted on doing a soft audit every quarter.
By “soft audit,” that meant going through the numbers her employees submitted and making sure they added up.
While June and the others kept lots of shit off the books, there were things they were expected to submit to Monique for auditing.
June went ahead and submitted all on-the-book favors, but kept other things in her own pocket.
That was one of the things Madam Monique did not like…
even though everyone did it when they felt like it.
As head-girl of the Manoir, June helped with the soft audits.
That sunny Monday morning was spent in the madam’s office, going over figures and discussing who was doing the best. June was the only one who was ever privy to such delicate information, even though she didn’t know everything.
For instance, she had never audited Grace and had no idea how much money that woman was pulling into the business.
“Seriously.” Monique held up a paper labelled HOLLY JONESMITH in front of June’s face. “Every time I add this up, I come out three hundred dollars beneath her self-reported figures. Where is that extra three hundred coming from?”
June scanned Holly’s atrocious cursive handwriting, looking for the extra figures that apparently were not adding up. “There.” She pointed, and Monique jerked the paper back to see for herself. “Services rendered two months ago. Someone named Granith. Or Grant. Can’t tell.”
Monique growled before slamming the paper on her desk.
Someone is hormonal today. Ever since she announced she was pregnant two months ago, Monique had released the hounds within her.
Before, she had been a model of propriety, even in private.
Now, she had gained a barrel full of confidence that she didn’t know what to do with.
June was used to it now. In fact, she found it amusing. Finally, she’s on my level.
“What the fuck is NC?”
“North Carolina?”
Monique was less than impressed with that answer.
“You know what it means.”
“I was hoping it did not stand for a lack of prophylactics.”
Here we go. “She’s still new and dumb. She probably forgot that’s not allowed.” Hypocrite, hypocrite, I am such a hypocrite. “I’ll talk to her.”
“See to it that you do. I will not risk any of you spreading God knows what to everyone of means in the region.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sighing, Monique tossed Holly’s folder onto the other side of her desk and rubbed her forehead. “Here I was thinking of remodeling one of the guest rooms and getting a new girl. Not if we can’t keep the new one we have from screwing us over.”
“Really?” That was news. “Are we that busy now?”
“You’ve seen it on the front lines. Even on slower nights, most of you have one client.”
“That’s true. Still, didn’t think you would be ready to take care of six girls.”
“It would still be a ways away, but I feel like we’re leaving more money on the table by not having a bigger on-site staff. These days, I have to hire more temporary girls for the parties we’re throwing.”
June had to give her that. “Anyway, I’ll talk to Holly.” She pulled a paper from the stack in her lap. “Speaking of Trojan horses, we’re low on lambskins. Should I put in an order?”
“Go ahead.”
They went back to working in silence. Monique had expelled her frustration and was able to concentrate on figures again, her fingers flying over a calculator while little curses burst from her lips whenever she screwed up.
June ignored her while she looked over Chelsea’s figures.
Thankfully, that woman had much nicer handwriting.
And her figures added up perfectly every time June checked them.
Bless her. She and June had learned at the same time not to report certain things. I don’t want to know them.
“By the way,” Monique said, removing her glasses from her face. “I’ve heard back from a couple of regulars who might be interested in bidding on you.”
Pencil lead snapped beneath June’s firm grip. “Go on.”
“The first is Howard Dennis. Remember him?”
“Vaguely.” After a while, all the clients – especially the men – blurred together if there was nothing special about them. There had been nothing special about Howard. “Who else?”
Monique did her best to contain a snort in her nostrils. “Nicholas Mills.”
“Fuck that.” June knew her fair share of elderly men, but Nicholas Mills was old enough to be her grandfather. “Can he even afford me?”
“The Mills are wealthy.”
“I get a choice in it, of course.”
Monique pursed her lips. “Of course.” That was one stipulation the women around there had when it came to clients, let alone patronage: they could refuse anyone, no questions asked.
But Monique was a businesswoman. She only saw the numbers.
When someone said, “No, I don’t think so,” to someone with a lot of money to spend on her, Monique wanted a damn good reason.
Unfortunately, she knew June well enough to know the head-girl would take on about anyone who walked through the door, especially if they were loaded.
This is what I get for openly being a sinner.
On the opposite end of the spectrum was Yvette, who rarely had sex aside from her patron.
No one had been able to figure out what her deal was, and God knew June didn’t understand it.
“Speaking of this whole debacle…” June warmly thought of the woman who had visited her Saturday night.
Yesterday morning, when Miquela left her room, June couldn’t wait to slip her a card announcing the upcoming bidding war.
Please, for the love of Aphrodite, buy my body, you lady-stud.
Now that was a woman worthy of calling herself June’s patron.
“I think I may have a lead with that woman, Miquela Bolivar.”
Monique perked up. “Do tell. I was pleased when she was taken enough to request you the second time around. I take it she found you… satisfactory to her needs?”
June scoffed. “If you mean I was able to take that big strap-on of hers, yeah.”
The madam was not the type of woman to blush at that frank talk. “I figured you were the best for that job. I don’t judge the types that come through here, of course, but even I wasn’t sure you could handle that.”
“Honestly, any bigger and I may have had a problem. Nothing I couldn’t handle, though.” June grinned. “Always easier the second time around!” Also helps if she loosens me up with something more average first, thank you.
“Good to hear.” Monique wrote something down on a scrap piece of paper. “How certain are you of her?”
“Not 100% sure, but sure enough. We get along well.”
“You don’t think she would have a problem regarding your job?”
“No way. I already told her about that. Besides, this woman seems like the type who goes to a lot of pleasure houses. She knows how it works. I’m not her girlfriend.”
“Good. I’ll make sure she’s sent a notice, as well as any locals you’ve had this year.”
“Don’t send an announcement to Kelsey Jefferson.
I didn’t like that woman at all. Not enough to let her be my patron, anyway.
” June had a limit to the amount of verbal abuse she could take on the job.
The one night she had with millionaire Kelsey was enough to make her need a shower.
Who knew what she would think she was entitled to if she were June’s patron?
“Understood. Although, you know…” Monique tapped her pen against her lips. “It wouldn’t be bad if that doctor became your patron. Rather handy, really, considering the odd things she’s asking to use you for.”
June didn’t grimace, but she also wasn’t enamored with the idea of Sette becoming her patron.
We had fun, but she doesn’t seem the type to understand I’m not her girlfriend.
Artists. “I like her. She’s nice. Don’t think she would go for it, though.
She’s conscious of how much money she spends, unlike Ms. Bolivar. ”
“Indeed. Besides, she’s probably not asking for enough sexual favors for your liking.”
You might be surprised. “Guess you haven’t seen my last receipt, then. Let’s say I took some money. And then some.”
Monique snatched a paper from another stack behind her. After perusing it for a bit, she said, “Only fingering? Nothing else?”
“Trust me, if you were there, you’d understand. She caught me by surprise.” June’s grin assuaged all worries that the event was malicious. “She ain’t a bad lover, either.”
“Did that surprise you more than her wanting you?”
“Kinda.”
“Just fingering, though? Nothing leading up to that?”
June cleared her throat.
“Please don’t tell me you’re handing out free oral again.”
“What do you mean again?”
Monique’s visage went from humorous to serious in fewer than three seconds. “I know you handed out head candy like it was, well, candy to everyone when we opened.”
“Yes, and you chewed my ass out for it.”
“You bet your chewed-out ass I did.”
“Who had the most clients out of the gate, though? Hm? Me. So what if I gave the doctor a free lollipop lick? She came back for the main course, as I planned. I’ll charge her for all future oral, don’t worry.”
Monique’s look said she wasn’t sure about that. “How’s the modeling?”
“Fine. She loves me naked.”
“Excellent. I’m hoping to talk to her about her projects. Maybe grease a few of her wheels and see if she won’t display your portraits somewhere. Could be good advertisement. I’m assuming you wouldn’t mind your painted pussy plastered across the country’s galleries.”
“Hell, no. You can already find my real pussy online.”
“Trust me. I’ve seen it.”