by Sophia Gray
Nyssa cleared her throat and tapped her feet impatiently, annoyed that her client was taking so long to pry his ass off the bed. “That’ll be two hundred dollars,” she said firmly, finally getting the guy to lift his head up from the pillow and look at her.
“I paid for the hotel room, though,” the client said, slowly lifting himself out of bed and reaching down to the ground to pick up his clothes. “Anyway, have a good night.” He struggled into his clothes and then moved toward the door of the hotel room, but Nyssa stepped in front of him, barring him from exiting that easily.
“You’re not leaving here until you give me my money,” Nyssa said between clenched teeth, barely containing the rage that she felt spark to life inside of her chest. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled painfully, her body going on alert mode, readying itself for a fight. The client was a mushy, soft guy, but he was still a man, much bigger than her. He could take her if he really wanted to.
The client narrowed his eyes at her, his upper lip curling up into a snarl. “You threatening me?” he asked, a mocking edge to his voice.
Nyssa balled her hands into fists, digging her nails into the skin of her palm. Don’t fucking try it, asshole, she silently prayed. “Two hundred dollars. Now,” she barked out. Don’t fucking try it. Not tonight.
The client stared at her for a long moment, breathing hard, and Nyssa half expected him to tackle her to the ground, but finally he sighed deeply and reached for his wallet, throwing several twenties on the ground for Nyssa to take. “There. Happy now, whore?”
Nyssa rolled her eyes, but she still waited until the client left the hotel room to kneel down and pick the bills off the ground. She didn’t want him to have the satisfaction of seeing her on her knees. “Fuck this day,” she muttered out loud to herself as she walked back over to the dresser, bracing her hands on the smooth hard surface as she stared at herself in the mirror against the wall. She looked tired—exhausted, actually, like every drop of energy in her body had been wrung out of her like water from a damp, overused towel.
I can’t keep doing this, Nyssa thought, a little frightened at the blank emptiness she saw in her own eyes. She’d been fucking guys for money for years, but only recently was she operating alone, without a pimp or madam to depend on for protection. Every client she took was a gamble. Every time she fucked a guy, she was risking her life. God, she never thought that she would miss having a pimp, for Christ’s sake. But she did. She really did.
A sudden shrill ringing noise tore Nyssa away from her morose thoughts. Somebody was calling her on her cell phone. “Hello?” Nyssa said after answering the call.
“Hey, girl! It’s Kimmie! I’ve got a new phone!”
Despite everything, Nyssa found herself smiling, her cheeks almost aching with the unfamiliar sensation. “Hey, Kimmie. It’s been a long time. I haven’t seen you on the streets much.”
“Oh, I’m not on the streets anymore,” Kimmie said.
Nyssa was a little taken aback. Out of all the working girls in the city, Kimmie was the one that made it out alive? That was odd. Kimmie seemed to love the work more than any other girl Nyssa had ever met. “Uh, so you’re done with… the work?” Nyssa was unsure if she should say “sex work” out loud in case Kimmie was talking in a public place.
“No, of course not, silly!” Kimmie replied. “I work at a brothel now. It’s so much cleaner and easier than picking clients off the streets, you know?”
“No, I wouldn’t know,” Nyssa said, sighing deeply and pushing some of the sweaty, messy hair back from her forehead.
Kimmie didn’t seem to notice the melancholy in Nyssa’s voice. “So what have you been up to, babe?” she asked excitedly.
“Um, same old, same old,” Nyssa said, going over to sit on the unmade bed. “Working by myself now.”
Kimmie went silent for a moment before she finally stuttered out a response. “Oh, uh, you’re a lone operative, huh? Do you like that?”
“No,” Nyssa scoffed with a bitter laugh. “But I don’t really have any choice. Remember Antonio, my last pimp? He got clipped by one of the major crime families in the area. So I’m on my own.”
Kimmie fell silent again, and Nyssa was a little worried that the call had disconnected before she picked up on the sound of Kimmie’s steady breathing. “Um…” her friend said uncertainly.
“What?” Nyssa prompted her, too tired to put up with Kimmie’s coyness at the moment. She just wanted to get up, crawl into bed, and pretend that her life was much better than it actually was.
“Well, my boss told me today that she’s looking to hire some new girls. They’re run by one of the mobs in the city, but it’s totally safe, I promise,” Kimmie said. “Would you be interested?”
“I don’t know, Kimmie…” She got back on her feet, pacing back and forth across the entire length of the hotel room as she considered Kimmie’s offer. “I mean, it sounds tempting, but after what happened to Antonio, I don’t really want to get mixed up in the mob, you know?”
“You won’t!” Kimmie said enthusiastically. “It’s really safe and clean and regulated. You won’t have to deal with anything more dangerous than you already are. You could come by tomorrow night to audition, if you want.”
“I have to audition?”
“Well, yeah, but you’re gorgeous, honey. I wouldn’t worry about that. I’ll text you the address, and you can decide if you want to show up tomorrow at seven. Okay? Love you, bye!”
Without any further ado, Kimmie hung up on Nyssa, leaving her alone with her thoughts in the crappy hotel room.
Nyssa considered Kimmie’s sales pitch, weighing the pros and cons in her head. It’s the mob, the cautious part of her brain argued forcefully. You can’t get mixed up with the mob.
I can’t keep doing what I’m doing, either, Nyssa thought, rubbing at a few aching spots on her arms, where apparently the client had grabbed her a little too hard during the trick. I can’t keep doing this.
Ding. Nyssa received the promised text from Kimmie, telling her the exact address of the brothel and the name of her boss. “Katrina Giustini…” Nyssa said out loud. “That sounds familiar.”
It took her a second before it clicked. The Giustini family. The ones who’d ordered the hit on Antonio several months ago.
Fuck, Nyssa thought, letting her body sag against the nearest wall. What the hell was she was supposed to do? Continue what she was doing and wait for a client to get violent with her? Or go to work for the people who put her in this position in the first place?
“I’ll just go to audition and see how I feel,” she said to herself. “Then I’ll make my decision.” Her stomach clenched painfully as she forced herself into motion, leaving the hotel room and heading in the vague direction of her apartment. I’ve got a bad feeling about this, she thought. But what other choice do I have?
Chapter Two
The next night, Nyssa waited outside the arranged address, rubbing her own shoulders to guard herself against the bitter howling wind. Come on, Kimmie, she silently prayed, biting down on her bottom lip nervously. Hurry the fuck up.
As the seconds ticked by, her stomach churned more and more violently, her partially digested dinner rolling around inside of her like a huge spiky rock, making her feel like her stomach lining was being destroyed by her own anxiety. Maybe I should just leave, she thought suddenly. I should just make a break for it now and never talk to Kimmie again. I could do it. I could still get out of this situation.
But her feet remained rooted to the spot, her body frozen in place for several seconds until she finally heard Kimmie yell behind her, “Hey, Nyssa! Wow, you look beautiful!”
Nyssa forced a polite smile and waved in greeting. “Um, am I dressed okay? I didn’t know what to wear…”
“You look great,” Kimmie said, wrapping an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Oh, Katrina is going to love you. Come on, let’s go in.”
“Wait, wait,” Nyssa said, blowing out her breath all at onc
e. “I’m not so sure about this. I don’t know if I can—”
Kimmie turned around to face her, keeping her arm around her shoulder. “Nyssa. Listen to me. You’re the best sex worker I’ve ever met. Okay? We need you here. Just relax. You’re going to be great.”
Nyssa nodded, shrugging to try to push some of the tension out of her body, to no avail. She gestured for Kimmie to lead her into the building. “Okay,” she said, her voice trembling a little despite her best efforts to keep it steady and calm. “I can do this. I can,” she whispered to herself, too low for Kimmie to hear.
Kimmie led Nyssa through a side alley, taking her to an entrance at the back of the building. She knocked on the door four times and then turned to grin at Nyssa, reaching down to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
The door swung open the next moment, revealing a burly, broad-chested man with short-cropped hair. “You’re late,” he spat out, glaring down at Kimmie and towering above the considerably shorter woman.
But if Kimmie was intimidated, she didn’t show it at all. “Sorry, Max.” She flashed him a charming smile, the secret weapon of every sex worker worth her salt. “Can we still come in? I think Katrina will really regret it if she doesn’t get to meet this girl,” she said, gesturing toward Nyssa.
The guard turned to face Nyssa, and it took all of her courage not to flinch back from him as his gaze scanned up and down her whole body and his tongue poked out of his mouth to lick his lips. “All right,” he finally said, still staring at Nyssa with unbridled desire in his eyes. “But Katrina’s not happy with you, Kimmie.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kimmie said, waving her hand dismissively as she led Nyssa past the guard into a narrow, dimly lit hallway. Music hummed from behind one of the walls, the pulse of the rhythm coming out indistinct but still somehow hypnotic. Nyssa swallowed hard and willed the huge lump that had just appeared in her throat to disappear. Is this what it’s like to walk down into hell? Nyssa wondered to herself as they reached the end of the tight hallway and headed down a steep set of steps.
As they made it down the steps and entered another hallway, the music got louder, the bass pounding almost violently, making Nyssa feel like her own accelerating heartbeat was echoing within some hidden chamber inside the building. Her mouth went dry, her tongue feeling uncomfortably thick and useless, and no amount of swallowing or clearing her throat seemed to help at all. She just couldn’t seem to calm down, and it only got worse when Kimmie slid to a stop in front of a huge brass door in the center of the hallway. “Here it is,” she said and turned to flash a final grin at Nyssa before pushing the door open, unleashing the sound of the booming music that originated from somewhere inside the room.
Nyssa hesitated for a moment, her breath freezing inside her lungs. What am I doing? Nyssa thought to herself. I should fucking run. I should get out of here while I still have time.
But instead, her feet moved forward and followed Kimmie inside the room, which was full of gentle candlelight. Nyssa barely had any time to get used to her surroundings, noticing the thick black curtains that hung from every wall, before the woman waiting in the center of the room cleared her throat and clapped her hands to get her attention.
“You,” the woman said, looking directly at Nyssa, “are abominably late.”
“I know, I’m sorry. It was my fault,” Kimmie said. She stepped in front of Nyssa like a shield. “Please, just give her a chance to audition. She deserves a shot.”
The woman, who was dressed in a deep purple robe that revealed her ample cleavage and long, supple legs, narrowed her eyes, her gaze darting back and forth between Kimmie and Nyssa for a few moments before she finally gestured toward the line of women waiting against the wall. “Go. Stand with them. Hurry up.”
Nyssa rushed to comply, leaving Kimmie’s side to go stand with the lineup of other women who were facing the woman in the center of the room. Katrina, Nyssa realized. That’s the daughter of the mob boss. She was imperiously beautiful, her features sharp and incredibly distinctive. Nyssa knew immediately that even if she never saw Katrina again, she would never forget that face. She looked so powerful that it was almost unattractive. It certainly made Nyssa feel even less secure than she had mere moments before.
“Take off your clothes,” Katrina said, her eyes still focused directly on Nyssa’s. “Now.”
All of the women rushed to obey her order. Nyssa hesitated for a minute. I fucking hate being naked, she thought to herself, tempted to run out of the room and keep running until she was safely out of this building, out onto the street.
“Do it, or leave,” Katrina said, her tone sounding bored, like none of the naked bodies in the room impressed her at all.
Nyssa steeled herself and then shuffled out of her clothes, folding them neatly at her feet before straightening back up, breathing hard as she forced herself to stay still for Katrina’s inspection.
Katrina started at the other end of the line, pausing before each silent, shivering woman, her almost vacant eyes scanning up and down their bodies. “Hmm,” she said halfway down the line, clicking her tongue from behind her teeth. “Interesting.”
She finally got to Nyssa, and it took all of her energy to stay still, letting the other woman stare at her for several excruciatingly long moments. “Huh,” Katrina said, narrowing her eyes a little before snapping her fingers at Nyssa. “Turn around.”
Nyssa did as she was told, a little relieved to be facing the wall so that she could let her calm façade fade from her face, at least for a few moments. “Hmm,” Katrina said from behind her. “Interesting.”
Nyssa felt two streams of sweat drip down from her armpits, and she silently prayed that Katrina couldn’t see it, but there was no way the madam couldn’t tell she was trembling. She inwardly berated herself, silently cursing herself for being so weak and nervous and afraid. She’d faced much worse than this in her life. She could survive this.
Katrina stayed longer in front of Nyssa than anyone else. Nyssa didn’t know if that was a good sign or not. Maybe she was just shocked at how much uglier Nyssa was than any of the other girls. Stop that, Nyssa told herself, forcing her shoulders back so she was standing up straighter. You know you’re beautiful. Fucking act like it.
Still, she breathed a small sigh of relief as Katrina finally moved on, although she didn’t know if she had permission to turn back around or not. She remained facing the wall, focusing on the thick black curtain as Katrina made little “Hmm” and “Huh” noises in front of each of the other girls next to her in line.
Finally, after what felt like at least twenty minutes, Katrina clapped her hands again. “Thank you, ladies, for your time. Good evening.” With that, she exited the room, slamming the door hard as she left.
Nyssa finally turned back around, her eyes landing on Kimmie, who was beaming at her like she’d just achieved something major. Nyssa smiled back at her friend, if only to be polite, but as she slipped back into her clothes and followed Kimmie back out of the building, she told herself not to get her hopes up. She’s not going to pick me, Nyssa thought, tugging her jacket tighter around her shoulders to protect herself from the cold. I’ll just go back to the streets. It’s fine. It’s my home, anyway. It’s where I truly belong.
Chapter Three
Knock. Knock knock knock. Nyssa bolted upright in her bed, all the hairs on her body springing up as adrenaline poured into her system. Who the hell was knocking on the door at three o’clock in the morning? Nyssa slowly reached into the drawer of her bedside table, pulling out a knife she kept there in case of emergencies. It could be an unhappy client, Nyssa thought as she carefully put her feet on the ground. That guy from the other night who didn’t want to pay… he could have tracked me down here and brought friends or a weapon to get back at me.
Her heart thundered in her chest like a horse-drawn chariot as she slowly approached her front door, gripping the knife so hard her knuckles hurt. There was another knock at the door, harder and more insistent this t
ime. Nyssa blew out her breath and forced herself to dash the last few feet to the door, keeping her knife ready as she put her hand on the knob. “Yes?” she asked. “Who is it?” It was times like these that she really wished she had a peephole in her door. Dammit.
“Girl, it’s me, let me in!” Kimmie’s familiar voice called out from the other side of the door. “I’ve got news!”
Nyssa let her body sag against the door in relief, allowing the knife to hang limply in her hands as she collected herself. She unlocked and unlatched the door, opening it to let Kimmie inside. “Kimmie, you almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here so late, and why didn’t you just call?”