10
“Oh My God!” I blink over and over again. I look exactly like my mother. Except my mother has never worn such heavy makeup and that red lipstick…. “Carly,” I say in a trembling voice, “I can’t go out like this. I look just like…”
“A hooker.” She rubs her hands, so satisfied with the outcome. “But a gorgeous hooker.” She’s standing behind me, a head taller than me, and she smiles at me in the mirror.
“My breasts are hanging out.” I try to push them back inside the tight top but fail. “And my stomach is showing.” I touch it uncomfortably. The tight leggings and the tank-top leave no room for imagination. Every curve of my body is emphasized by the skimpy black leather. I feel cheap. I’m terrified.
“Don’t forget that it’s all only an act,” she turns serious. “Everyone knows it’s just an act, no worries.” She opens the door and leaves, I follow her with small steps. I am wobbling on my high heels and she holds out her arm. “Keep steady and hold your head up,” she says kindly and I really try. “But don’t stand up so straight,” she says confusingly. “I’ve never met a hooker who walks so arrogantly.”
“I can’t help it,” I answer, stretch out my neck, and straighten even more if that’s possible. We pass the girls, and they fall silent and stare at me curiously. Finally we reach the round table.
All three men stand up and look at me amazed. I hang my head feeling uneasy and embarrassed.
“Wow!” Mike says first, “How did we miss all this?” He asks sounding shocked. “Carly, look at those tits.” He raises his arms and tries to touch me and I flinch back in horror and almost fall.
“What are you doing?” I demand angrily.
“Sorry, I just don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything as natural as those before,” he answers mildly, as if we’re not discussing my own private breasts. “They're really moving like they've got a life of their own,” he’s still staring. “Not like with my girls,” he laughs. “No matter how much those girls move, their tits stay right where they are.” He sits down, but his gaze is still on me. “Believe me Elena, you should come work in my place. You’ll be the most popular stripper there.”
“Ignore him,” Tommy fusses with his bleached hair and moves his head from side to side as his eyes scan my entire body. “The big money is upstairs, in my place. And I’ve got some clients who’d pay very handsomely for you.”
“I’m going to change back into my own clothes,” I announce hysterically and try to shake free of Carly’s arm without falling over.
“Will you all just shut up,” Scarface growls at them. “Elena,” he addresses me and softens his voice. “Don’t pay them any attention. They seem to have forgotten their manners.” He motions Tommy to sit and he sits down after him. “Go and have a drink at the bar until we leave. It won’t take long.”
I pause for a moment, trying to figure out if I can get out of this, but Carly drags me to the bar and I sit down. She comes back to me after a minute, holding a cellphone. She opens one of the apps. “Play this game for a bit.” She presses a silver ball and releases it toward some other balls. When it hits they explode and disappear. “You need to look as if you’re doing something else during the meeting.” She puts the phone down in front of me and returns to the round table.
I am in a brothel and I look like a hooker. I’ve just been told to play a game meant for three-year-olds. So someone please do me a favor and kill me now. My head is spinning, and I can’t look at myself. The only thing that can soothe me now is my parallel world. I go over to where my backpack is, take out a book and go back to the counter. I open up my book and start reading. Or rather, I start photographing the pages in my head, page by page. Sometimes I take a break to think about the data, I close my eyes and absorb the letters, the words, the sentences, the formulas and equations. And then I go onto the next page.
“That’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Scarface’s voice makes me raise my head from the book and see the scars adorning his face.
“What is?” I mark the page I'm in and put the book down on the counter.
“You look like….” He falls quiet and doesn’t complete the sentence. “And you’re reading a book on electromagnetic fields.” He glances at the book and then looks back at me, his eyes still glued to my breasts.
“Liam!” I raise my voice and he smiles and shakes his head.
“That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name,” he says happily. “If that’s what makes you change the strong opinions you have in your head and call me by my name, I’ll stare at your beautiful breasts for as long as you'd like.”
“I think that you’ve forgotten your manners as well,” I say angrily. “And if this is what the whole evening is going to be like, I’d better put an end to it right now.” I stand up and he quickly tucks his arm into mine.
“I’m just kidding with you. All of this electromagnetic stuff is frying your brain cells. I guess you’ve forgotten that it’s normal to kid around with friends.”
“You’re not my friend,” I respond, and try and move away from that body of his. Even the lightest touch from him sends sweet waves of pleasure through me. “You’re my boss. The same boss who just gave me an ultimatum before firing me.”
“I wouldn’t really fire you,” he smirks and opens the heavy entrance door. “But it’s nice to know that your job here is so important to you.”
“Yuck,” I say quietly as he hands me the helmet. “You have to be a real piece of scum to manage a place like this.” I pull the helmet over my head, and now that he can’t see me blushing, I inspect him. He’s wearing light denim jeans and a white polo shirt. He could be a member of one of the campus’s athletic teams. If those deep scars hadn’t wrecked his face, he would have looked totally normal. Maybe “normal” isn’t the right word, because the angelic side of his face is definitely one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. But still, he manages this horrible place, he’s my annoying boss and he’s definitely not someone I’d choose to spend time with.
“Are you through inspecting me?” he asks teasingly and once again I’m grateful for the helmet covering my face.
“The opinions are strongly back in my head now,” I say with venom, and he laughs and sits on the motorcycle. I sit behind him and hold on to his hips carefully.
Throughout the ride it feels as if he’s speeding up and slowing down randomly just so that I’ll bump into his back again. My body is on fire, despite the strong wind.
He stops at the entrance to an old industrial building, helps me get off the motorcycle and I try to get my balance on my high heels.
“Now listen carefully to my instructions and don’t make any mistakes.” Suddenly he seems nervous and edgy. “You concentrate only on playing with your cell-phone.” As I stare at him in confusion, he is more annoyed. “Elena, start playing the fucking game.”
I open up the app on the cellphone and press the silver ball with a trembling finger. “Good,” he strokes my shoulder. “Put this gum in your mouth.” He pulls a pack of gum out of his pocket and shoves a piece in my mouth. “Don’t say a word,” he says and starts walking towards two men in suits that are standing at the entrance. “Every time they start talking French, exit the game and message me a translation.” He pulls me close to him and puts his arm around my shoulder. “Elena,” he whispers in my ear, “Whatever happens tonight, you need to stay calm. And most importantly, don’t say a word.” We’re standing in front of the men by now and he whispers to me again, “And I apologize in advance for what’s about to happen.”
What’s about to happen? I wonder a little scared and he pushes me away, pats my ass and laughs.
“These hookers…” He turns to the bouncers and continues laughing, “Good thing smart-phones were invented to keep them busy because when they start talking….” He pats my ass again and the bouncers burst out laughing. I press the silver ball angrily and curse to myself.
“Tell Pierre that Liam’s here to see him.” He puts his arm around my shoulder again, and one of the bouncers goes inside. I keep looking at the screen, pressing the silver ball over and over again. Oh God, please let this evening be over quickly, I pray and chew the gum vigorously.
The door opens and Scarface pulls me inside with him. I’m so nervous that I can’t lift my eyes from the screen and I just glance up quickly to see where I am. I realize that the room is not so big, and it is full of packages that look like white bricks stacked. like small towers along three walls. In the middle of the room there’s a small table with several chairs around it. Three men in suits with long, tied-back hair are sitting at the table smoking and the bouncer who was at the entrance is now standing behind me and blocking the door.
“Liam,” One of the men gets up and approaches him with a big smile. “What a nice surprise. We weren't expecting you today.” Scarface shakes his hand and I continue tapping on the screen.
“I didn’t plan on coming either,” Scarface answers coldly, “But you left me no choice.” He takes his arm off my shoulder and I start swaying. “We received the delivery today and we noticed that you got confused and forgot to add two of the packages.” He starts walking towards the table, pulling me by the elbow.
“Wait.” The Frenchman takes hold of my other elbow and I freeze on the spot. “Did you bring us a gift?” His hand moves away from my elbow and his fingers trails down my arm.
“No.” Scarface pulls me again, sits down, and settles me on his lap. I am still pressing the silver ball and chewing the gum noisily. “This is Tommy’s new girl. He asked me to check her out.” Now his hand is trailing along my arm and I’m seeing stars. Not the kind I know and like.
“I'll be happy to check her out for you,” the Frenchman says, pulling some bills out of his pocket and throwing them on the table.
“Sorry,” says Scarface mildly. “I have dibs on her.”
I can feel the Frenchman looking at me again and I’m so nervous I can’t even blink. “And what the hell is this bitch doing with her phone?” he snaps, and suddenly stands behind me. I press down harder on the silver ball. “Ah, playing a game….” he mutters to himself and starts laughing. “Beautiful but stupid.” He sits down on the chair opposite us and I realize that the thing that shocks me the most in this horrible situation is that from the moment we walked in they discussed me as if I were an object and not a living and breathing human being. As if I could be sold without having any say in the matter.
Scarface lifts me up by the hips and puts me down on the chair next to him. He takes his own cellphone out of his pocket and places it on the table in front of him. “I apologize in advance, but I will have to answer messages. I was warned that there may be a raid tonight and I need to be available.”
“The fucking police.” Another Frenchman joins the conversation. “Instead of looking for thieves and rapists they are always looking for us.” And who are you exactly? I ask myself. Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize? Human rights activists?
“So I don’t have much time,” Scarface says coldly. “I just came by to pick up the two packages that you forgot to put in the delivery."
“Liam,” the first Frenchman says in a lighthearted tone. He pours four glasses of liquor for them and totally ignores my presence. Once again, I realize that I don’t actually exist in this room. “It's been a hard time. One of our deliveries was caught in Mexico, so we cut down on everyone’s supplies. You have to understand…”
“You didn’t cut down on the price,” Scarface replies and swallows his drink quickly. “So you either give me some money back or I leave with two extra packages.”
The Frenchman rises and signals his friends to join him. They stand in the corner of the room, talking in French. I quickly exit the game and start messaging:
Let’s take that little shit down now.
Are you crazy? We’ll start a world war.
If we don’t give him the merchandise now, he’ll talk. and we'll end up with a lot of whiners coming our way.
If we don’t give it to him he could turn the Poles against us.
We should finish this quietly.
Give him two packages from the Italians’ delivery. It’s cut powder. The idiot won’t notice.
I glance at Scarface while he’s reading my messages and see an expression of total indifference on his face. I continue typing:
Make him leave the whore here.
Yes, if he came here to screw us, we should screw this bitch.
I’m doing her first.
You keep quiet and let the big boys decide.
I comprehend what I’ve just typed and turn pale. Scarface doesn’t look shocked by the last messages. On the contrary, he looks strangely calm.
“OK,” Pierre turns to us with a smile. “We decided that our cooperation with you is very important to us. We'll give you two more packages.” He goes over to one of the stacks, takes two packages and puts them on the table. “But this has to stay between us.”
“Sure,” Scarface fakes a smile. “But as you’re in such a generous mood, I’m sure you won’t mind if I choose what to take.” He stands up and takes two brick-like packages from a different stack. The Frenchmen’s faces twist in anger and I go back to jabbing the silver ball.
“Is there a problem?” Scarface asks innocently, and one of the Frenchmen lets out a curse. “Great. So if everything is settled, I think we should go.” He whistles shrilly and I realize that that's my cue and I stand up.
“Not so fast.” The Frenchman pulls me to him. He is standing behind me, holding me by the stomach. I let out a weak moan and immediately fall silent. “We have been very generous, now it is your turn.” He puts his hand on my breasts and feels them roughly. The only thing I can do is jab that silver ball. My body is stiff, I can’t breathe. The walls are closing in on me.
“Tommy won’t allow that,” Scarface says apologetically. “But come over to us and we’ll make it up to you some other way.”
“I want you to make it up to me this way.” The Frenchman’s other hand is on my ass and he is shoving his pelvis against me. My vision blurs and the silver ball goes dull.
“You know he’s crazy.” Liam shrugs his shoulders. “But if you want to take the risk of blowing up everything between us over a hooker, good luck to you.” He turns around and my finger freezes on the screen. The door opens and he already has one foot out the door, the Frenchman’s pelvis is still pressing against me and I’m on the verge of collapsing. I look away from the screen for a moment and see the towers of packages. The stacks aren’t the same height and my head starts to rearrange the asymmetry. My finger can’t press down on the silver ball again and I realize that my panic has paralyzed me. A second before the door closes behind him I’m thrown forward. I’m sprawled on the filthy tiles and a familiar hand reaches out to me. I grab it and the only thing I can do is try to press the silver ball again.
“Good decision,” Scarface says to the Frenchmen and pulls me outside. He helps me onto the motorcycle and when my finger won’t stop pressing the screen, he pulls the phone away gently and sits in front of me. He doesn’t say a word and I can’t move. My head falls on his shoulder.
I raise my head from his shoulder and see the familiar building. I don’t notice that he’s started driving and I don’t notice when he stops. The only thing I can see in my head is the uneven stacks of bricks in the dark room and I can’t get my mind to restart. He takes me off the motorcycle, holds me close and hugs me tightly.
“You were just amazing,” he says and gives me a big kiss on my lips. I manage to get out of his grasp just in time, a fraction of a second before I turn my head and vomit.