According to her habit Mira knocked on the office door with her knuckles and entered without waiting for the answer.
“ Shantaya, he's here. Were you expecting him?”
Mira was much more than her secretary; she was her confidant and perhaps her only true friend. The woman was bisexual and both had relationships every so often, since Shantaya was flexible in her preferences. She felt for Mira a private affection since the girl from Harlem had comforted her in the past during some of her rare depressions. In particular, Mira was aware of the stormy relationship with Boris Krupin, for whom she had great mistrust. Shantaya came out of her reverie and answered.
"Yes, Mira, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention it to you. Show him in.”
The imposing figure of the Russian dwarfed the door. As Mira let him in he stood in front of the desk. Without greeting he asked.
"Is this the lady you have as your lover?"
“That is not your business.”
"I cannot believe that a volcanic woman with your urges has sex with another woman." He paused and realizing that Shantaya was not going to answer he said resignedly. "What do you want from me?"
Shantaya was grateful to the very direct question. She would not have liked to tell Boris that she had no interest in him now and that she had another man in her mind.
"One of my girls does not show up. I think a client has hit her bad and the girl decided to leave. I have made a very important investment in her and she is one of the most requested girls in my agency. I want to get her back.”
“Who is she?
Shantaya gave the man several photos, some very provocative.
"Her real name is Adhiambo Kadima. She is twenty years old and was born in Kenya. As you can see she is beautiful”
"I think I´ve seen her around. Does she have relatives or friends in New York?"
“No. You know girls do not have a life outside this establishment. Her only friend is another pupil, a Russian named Ludmila. “She stopped and looked at the man in the eyes.
"I can pay you well."
"You know if I decide to help you it will not be for the money. I'm interested in you.”
"Well, you cannot get that."
“Is there another man?”Or just your secretary.”
"That is none of your business, either."
"Who is the client who might have hit Adhiambo?"
Again Shantaya extended a file with a photo.
"Jack Murphy?" Boris read to himself; after another thought he finally made up his mind.
"Well, tell me where I find this Ludmila."
Jack Murphy was crawling along the dark alley to which the man had taken him. His face was swollen, his mouth was bleeding profusely, and he had a fracture in his left leg. He had had to confess the ill treatment inflicted on Adhiambo and was not only wounded but furious and ashamed.
In this way, fate began to weave its subtle plot.
Chapter 7
Boris Krupin drank the last glass of the bottle of vodka he had started that morning. He tossed it away far from the bed and heard it shattering into a wall. A moan came from his mouth. The process of latent self-criticism that had begun some time ago now erupted in a turbulent form. The Russian knew from past experience the consequences of drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He rolled furiously on the bed until the light slowly returned to his mind. He had had many crises before and had overcome all of them imposing his strong personality on his weaknesses, but now everything seemed useless. At the age of forty-five Boris looked back at his life and could not help the sense of emptiness that the landscape exhibited. The Russian had had some success in his shady business since he had left the army, but the sense of purpose and meaning that the militia had once given him had not been replaced by anything. He had got the women he wanted and his inexhaustible sexual appetite for young girls of exotic races was appeased for a while. He knew that he had fathered children, at least three, but he did not have the least affectionate bond with any of them or their mothers. A new resolution took shape in his mind. He had to form a stable couple and hold it against all odds. Start something like the family he remembered from his childhood on the distant shores of the Volga.
Boris knew that this crisis and the subsequent reflection had been triggered by seeing the picture that Shantaya had shown him of the girl named Adhiambo. He remembered having seen her before in the Madame's offices and could not get out of his head her slim body, her exotic and perfect face, her peculiar slanted eyes and her gazelle walk.
Zahra heard the door of the elevator being closed and noises in the hallway and as she looked through the door peephole she noticed that, as she had foreseen, it was Federico returning to his apartment. The woman observed the slow pace of his steps and the way he avoided certain movements of his shoulders and back, probably due to injuries she immediately attributed to the woman named Shantaya. This perception had the consequence of removing Adhiambo from her mind, the girl that had arrived at her store fleeing from Shantaya; Zahra meditated about how her life was intertwined with the activities of this woman, whom she did not really know. The thought that she was the one holding captive the man Zahra wanted caused her anger and resentment.
Zahra's life was marked by the decision-making processes that other people frequently avoid because of the possible painful consequences but the Kenyan had an unusual degree of determination. Quietly and imperceptibly her mind had forged with autonomy two important resolutions; she would seize from Shantaya the man both wanted, and make sure that Adhiambo was out of the sphere of her evil influence. Zahra assumed that the Madame would retaliate somehow and given the influential circle around her she would undoubtedly mobilize important forces against Zahra that could harm her and her own business, but she was prepared to defend herself. But now ... now the first step would be to understand what means her rival was using to keep Federico tied. Zahra had tried to find that out through Kafil's reports and had later consulted the tarot cards, but her understanding was partial and unclear. She sighed and opened a drawer of the dresser, removed some underwear and drew an object beneath them. Zahra took it in her hands and squeezed it as if asking it to bring her clarity. Then threw it on the table of the living room. A necklace of seeds painted in bright colors flashed in the light of overhead lighting.
Zahra lay for a long time throwing the beads on the table and taking note of the ones that remained on the concave side up and which fell on the convex side. The woman tried to remember the different meanings and processed them in his mind. Then she bent her head and spent some time meditating with her eyes closed. When Zahra abandoned this semi-lethargic position a smile was noticeable in her lips. She had finally outlined a plan to carry out her purpose. The woman went to the toilet with some elements to put it into practice.
Zahra took the strands of cut pubic hair and the collected vaginal fluid and poured it into a black glass jar she had reserved in case one day she would require it for that purpose. Then she recited an old ritual phrase in Yoruba whose meaning she did not understand and let the jar stand in a cool dark place with the intention to keep it there for three days.
Zahra had assumed from the beginning that the tie that held Federico to Shantaya was of sexual origin and that there were elements of black magic involved in it, but the necklace of beads had revealed an additional reason; the physical punishment to which the woman submitted Federico was not supported by him with resignation but was itself a source of additional pleasure. It was clear that both were united in a sadomasochistic relationship, which was in accordance with what Adhiambo had narrated about the characteristics of the woman.
Zahra thought for a moment; if that was what the young man longed for, she was willing to give it to him. But first thing first. She had to earn his attention now.
Adhiambo closed the door of the flower shop behind her. Imani and Kafil would not come to open the store until nine o'clock in the morning and had asked the young woman to do the food shopping for the week in a Chinese supermar
ket in the vicinity. The woman appreciated the trust that had been placed in her by giving her the store key and some cash for the purchases. She went directly to the market trying to avoid being seen in the vicinity, since she assumed that Shantaya had sent thugs to fetch her and drag her back to her brothel after giving her a scolding. The Madame was surely needing to send a clear signal to the other pupils to prevent them from escaping.
Someone was observing indeed the beautiful girl from a bench in the neighboring square. Seeing her out with some shopping bags in her hand was a good indication that the young woman would be back shortly.
Zahra remembered the jar with the filter she had left in a dark place in the bathroom, took it in her hands and opened it carefully. She added a powder made of ground roses leaves that she had prepared with flowers brought from her store and half a spoonful of sugar. She sniffed the potion and smiled. The next day the concoction would be ready and it would be time to use it.
Mira knocked on the door and entered her boss's office. She found Shantaya tidying her desk that was already in order, but obviously the action of reorganizing her belongings responded to some neurosis from her childhood and youth, which had been extremely volatile and required an extra effort to achieve a tranquilizing dose of predictability and security in the immediate surroundings. At that moment the woman was evoking scenes in which she had Federico's head between her legs, a position that gave her the essential sense of control. When her secretary entered the office Shantaya stopped short of her task.
“Yes Mira. Tell me.”
"The Ethiopian girl that has an appointment with you this morning is here.”
"Oh! Yes. Bring her in.”
Shantaya was not sure she would get Boris to bring Adhiambo back and even if he did, she was not sure that the woman would still be physically attractive to her demanding clients. So she had spread her nets among the usual traffickers to get a young and beautiful African woman.
“ Shantaya. Let me introduce you to Amhara.” Mira led the newcomer in and left closing the office door behind her.
The Madame sighed deeply at the exotic beauty of the Ethiopian. She stood up and approached her with a clear decision in her mind.
Adhiambo returned to the flower shop with her arms loaded with packages and bags and with difficulty extracted a key from her purse. She was opening the door when a sixth sense revealed a near presence. She turned her head and her heart shrank as she recognized the face and figure of the man watching her.
"Let me carry your market bags while you open the door." Boris said in an unexpectedly friendly voice.
Adhiambo was a prey to mixed feelings. On the one hand she was frightened by the appearance of the character that she associated with Shantaya and a priori supposed to have been sent by her. On the other hand, his feminine intuition had always indicated that the Russian liked her. Every time they had met before she had also felt a great physical attraction for that strong, tall, blond and clear-eyed man who doubled her in age. Something like a male ideal with which the girl had always dreamed.
Chapter 8
When the noise of the elevator door reached her ears Zahra was already ready. The Kenyan was a meticulous woman in all matters that really interested her, and she had prepared a plan based on the information provided by Kafil, her own observations of the boy's schedules, and the hints supplied by the seed necklace. The woman was confident that she would get the expected results. She opened the door of her apartment and went out into the hallway. Zahra walked resolutely towards the young man looking directly at him and thus forcing him to look at her.
"Hello!" She said without preamble. "Long time we are neighbors and wanted to introduce myself. I am Zahra.”
The man removed the earphones and after a moment of hesitation and surprise replied.
"Hello, Federico Ferrari." He reached out and shook the woman's hand. From the outset, she had the certainty that events were going well and that her audacious presentation had been well received. To this end she had dressed appropriately in such a way that her outfit emphasized her spectacular silhouette but without being excessively provocative. She used no make-up knowing that the beauty of her face required no enhancements. The woman had taken care of her Afro hairstyle instead to make sure it offered a proper frame to her features. Zahra looked at the boy in the eyes and he held her gaze, admiring her large slightly slanted gazelle black eyes, beautiful and exotic as only those of an African woman can be.
The talk was brief, Zahra invited the man to have a coffee in her apartment after dinner, and Federico accepted the offer. Then each one entered home.
The woman was happy. Her risky initiative had been crowned with success, which was however not yet definitive since she knew of the firmness of the bond with which the other woman had bound the young man but the brief talk had at least shown that this dependence was not permanent either.
As he entered his apartment, Federico closed the door and leaned against it. He had set eyes on his neighbor since the first time he had seen her, but indeed Shantaya's psychological restraint had held him captive up to that moment. Zahra was a beautiful woman who satisfied all his expectations and her spontaneous presentation had overcome his reticence so now he had mixed feelings. Although the acceptance of the offer produced a sense of guilt on the other hand there was a feeling of liberation. He stepped into the bathroom to take a shower and for the first time since he had arrived in New York he found himself singing under the stream of water.
"I'm going out for a while. I'll be back in about two hours." Adhiambo's announcement surprised Imani and Kafil. The girl had until then been reluctant to leave the store outside of a restricted schedule in the morning, when she had little chance of being detected by her eventual pursuers. Imani's questions about the change in her attitude did not get satisfactory answers and in fact beyond being Kenyans like the young woman they had no attribution to control her movements. Imani said to her husband.
"In the luxury brothel where she worked before Adhiambo had all her movements restricted. No wonder she now wants to enjoy her regained freedom.”
They were sitting at the narrow table in the cafeteria in front of coffee cups. Both had already shared the feelings they had experienced for each other on the rare occasions when Boris had visited Shantaya's offices and had circumstantially seen Adhiambo. The Russian laid his huge hand on the girl's black skin and felt its softness. A number of sensory messages were exchanged since that friction of one skin with the other and produced a real hormonal whirlwind in both. They were in front of a window of the room overlooking the street and watched the few passers-by run to escape the torrential rain that fell at that time.
Boris said bluntly.
"My hotel is two blocks from here. Do you want to come?
The Russian had traveled with his hands and his mouth all the exquisite body of the girl and every corner of it had felt his caresses. Both were in a high degree of excitement so that when the man lifted her from the bed and sat her on his erect penis the girl exhaled a sigh of pleasure. The movement of both bodies on the bed lasted a long time until they climaxed in unison.
Shantaya had enjoyed her new pupil with her fingers and mouth. Now it was her turn. As she dissolved into the pleasure of the new woman's body her senses anticipated the meeting she would have the next day with Federico in the same narrow bed where they both lay.
Zahra had crossed her shapely legs in her chair. Although she knew that Federico could not get his eyes off her knees she was actually waiting for the boy to drink the tea she had prepared in which she had poured the potion prepared according to the old recipe of old African women. She would allow it to take effect for a while, and then proceed according to the symptoms she perceived in the man´s attitude. The posture of her legs gradually changed as she showed more and more of her thighs which seemed to be the part of her body that had the most attraction to him. While monitoring Federico's reactions, the woman
also watched the heavy rain through the window and thought.
The rain and the electrical storm on New York unleashed extreme passions in all the characters of this plot that was becoming more and more intricate.
Chapter 9
Following a hunch Zahra called Kafil and asked him to control Madame Shantaya's offices building door every time Federico visited her. The Kenyan had deployed all her gear to lure the man during the rainy night of the previous day when she checked the effectiveness of the love filter to achieve a torrid sexual relationship that the boy would surely not forget, but she doubted it was enough to break the spell that the owner of the escorts agency wielded on him. Zahra was determined to erase Shantaya from the boy's nervous and hormonal system, but she did not know if she had already done so.
After an hour of waiting in front of the building Kafil called his boss with the cell phone.
"Zahra, I'm sorry to bother you; the boy just entered the building and as usual went up to the second floor.”
The woman thought for a while and finally answered.
“Well, stay there until he leaves and then let me know.”
Shantaya had made big plans for that erotic meeting with Federico. She wanted to get filled of him but before that she needed to get excited to the degree that only she could accomplish with the boy. She mounted on his face swinging her hips at an initially slow but steady pace. The whip vibrated in her hands flogging the skin of the man's chest and leaving its red streaks on him until soon the blood began to sprout. Seeing the damage inflicted on her lover Shantaya felt the degree of excitement that pre-announced an orgasm. Finally the climax came flooding the young man's mouth. Shantaya let out a cry of pleasure and ceased her frantic agitation.
The Sorceress Page 4