Desperate Measures

by Stephen Leather

Sandra said she was really angry at Bee because she still owed her most of the £18,000 for the contract and she had loaned her £3,000 for her flat which meant that she still owed Sandra about £20,000 which is a lot of money. I used my phone to look at Bee’s website and actually it was quite good. The pictures were very sexy and the English was really good even though Bee does not speak very good English. I think somebody must have helped her. Sandra asked me if I would go with her to speak to Bee. I didn’t want to but I said I would. Actually I am a bit worried that Sandra will not be able to pay me what she owes me if Bee does not pay her first.

  Andy used his phone to call the number on the website and she answered. He asked if he could have two hours incall and she said yes, that would be £380 and she gave him her address. It was as easy as that.

  Her new flat is in Gloucester Place, which is near Baker Street. We drove there in Andy’s Porsche. He drove very fast and kept stamping on the brakes. People in Thailand do not drive very well but I think they drive better than Andy. I was in the back and I was a bit scared. I do not know why men like to drive Porsches. They are quite small, really.

  There was no camera outside the building but there was an intercom and Andy pressed it. Then we heard Bee ask who it was and he said ‘Dave’ which was the name he had used to make the booking. Then the door buzzed open. Sandra asked Andy if he would wait outside because Bee might worry if she saw him and all she wanted to do was to talk to her and Andy said okay.

  Bee’s flat is on the third floor so we walked upstairs and rang the bell to her flat. When she opened the door her eyes went wide she was so shocked. I think she was going to shut the door but Sandra pushed it open. Bee was wearing a very sexy red vinyl dress and had high heels and she had on a lot of make up which helped to hide the bruises on her face. She didn’t ask what had happened to Dave so I think that she knew that Sandra had tricked her.

  Her flat was very nice with tall ceilings and an old-fashioned fireplace. She had a really big sofa and a marble coffee table and there were nice pictures on the wall. I think she must be paying a lot of rent.

  Sandra kept smiling but I could see she wasn’t happy. Bee made us Chinese tea and brought some small cakes from the kitchen. Bee was asking lots of questions about Oliver and the girls, but I could see that she was a bit worried. Then Sandra asked her about the money that Bee owed her and Bee said that right now she didn’t have any because she had used £2,000 to pay for the deposit on the flat and she had to pay a farang to design her website and that had cost £1,000 and she had had to use two photographers because the first photographer had done a really bad job. So far she had had only four customers so she didn’t have any money to spare.

  Sandra said that Bee wasn’t being fair because Sandra had paid a lot of money to bring her to London and she had paid for the apartment in South Kensington. Bee said she had wanted to move because she thought Oliver wouldn’t be happy if she worked in the same apartment but I don’t think that was true. I think she wanted to move because the new flat was much nicer than the old one.

  Sandra asked Bee when she would pay her back some of the money she owed her and Bee said maybe next week. Sandra kept smiling but I could see she was not happy. Thai people often smile even when they are hurt or angry. That is why they call Thailand the Land of Smiles. But sometimes Thai people can be dangerous when they smile.

  We drank our tea and ate some cakes and then we left. Bee said that she would phone Sandra when she had some money for her. When we were in the car I spoke to Sandra in Thai so that Andy wouldn’t understand what we were saying. First I asked her about the money she owed me. She said she couldn’t pay me back yet because she didn’t have the money from Bee. Then I asked her about the first time she met me, in the restaurant in Camden. I asked her if she had gone there to eat or if she had gone there to see me. She pretended not to understand what I meant. I said I wanted to know if Cat had told her to go to the restaurant, and if Cat had told her that I worked there. I could see from the look on her face that I was right. Cat had sent her. I think she was going to lie to me but before she could speak I said she had to tell me the truth because it wasn’t fair to lie to me. Then she said yes, Cat had told her my name and that I worked at the restaurant and that Cat wanted her to tell me about the agency. Sandra said she didn’t want me to tell Cat that I knew and I said of course, I just wanted to know the truth. Sandra said that sometimes Cat saw girls who she knew would be good working girls and she asked Sandra to talk to them, the same as we did with Dao. I said everything was okay and that I was happy working for the agency. Happy with the money, anyway.

  When I got back to my flat I had three customers. I can’t even remember what they looked like because I was thinking too much about Kung and Cat. Now I think I know everything. Kung wants me to do this job because he wants money from me. He knows Cat because she is from Udon Thani and I think he sent me to London so that I would do this job. I think he told Cat where I worked and Cat sent Sandra to talk to me and to persuade me to work for the agency. It was all a plan. Now I know for sure that Kung does not love me. He sent me to London so that I would work as a prostitute. I don’t think he ever really loved me because if he did love me he would not want me to do this job. I hate him now but I am not sure what I should do. We are building the house together in Udon Thani but he did all the paperwork so I do not know if he put it in my name or his. So far the land and the house has cost about three million baht and most of that money has been from me. Now I can not sleep because I am thinking too much. Kung phoned me four times today but I did not answer the phone. I know what he wants. He wants more money.

  Chapter 45

  Monday May 25. Kung phoned me ten times yesterday but I didn’t speak to him, not one time. I am not sure what I should do about him but I know one thing for sure and that is that he does not love me. And I do not want to be his Mia Noi any more. I am not angry with Cat and Oliver because I am happy working as an escort, but I am not happy with Kung because he lied to me.

  I had a very good week and when I went to the Sloane Square flat I had £1,900 for Oliver. The big surprise was Dao. It was her first week and she had earned £4,200 and so she had £1,400 for Oliver, the same as Sandra. Cat said that she was a natural and that two customers had already gone back to see her twice. I can see why she does so well because she is always happy and smiling and she seems quite young. I think most customers like young girls. Dao seemed to have changed very quickly. She was laughing and joking and drinking beer and she lost quite a lot of money playing cards. I lost money, too, almost £700, because I couldn’t concentrate. Everybody asked me what was wrong but I didn’t say. I can’t tell anyone about my problem.

  Chapter 47

  Tuesday May 26. Chris came to see me yesterday. He had booked me through the agency and said that his name was Paul and I didn’t see his face on the CCTV and it was too late when I opened the door so I had to let him in. He was laughing and telling me that I looked very surprised which is true, I was. Chris is Nancy’s kik and he shouldn’t have come to see me. I was wearing my black stocking and suspenders and my Gucci high heels and I had spent ages getting my hair to look nice but when I saw it was Chris I put on my bathrobe. Chris took £150 from his pocket and tried to give it to me but I said that I couldn’t do anything with him because he was Nancy’s boyfriend. He said that Nancy would never know and that he didn’t love her but he really wanted to be with me. What made me really angry was that I was sure that the money he was trying to give me was money that Nancy had given him.

  Chris tried to kiss me but I pushed him away. He asked what was wrong because he had money and I told him again, I couldn’t do anything because he was Nancy’s boyfriend. He got angry then and he grabbed me and pushed me onto the sofa and he tried to have sex with me, but I scratched him and pushed him away. He said I was a hooker so why was I fighting him and I ran to the kitchen and got a knife and said that if he came near me again I’d cut off his dick and thr
ow it out of the window. He called me a lot of names but then he went away. I was so angry that I cried. I can’t tell Oliver what happened and I will have to pay him his £50 commission even though I didn’t get any money. And I am not sure if I can tell Nancy or not. Maybe she will blame me. Maybe she will think I wanted him to come to see me. Sometimes men can be really unfair. And it wasn’t fair to call me a hooker. Just because I am a working girl doesn’t mean that I have sex with everybody. And I am sure that I will not have sex with my friend’s boyfriend. Never, never, never.

  I wish all men could be more like Robert. Robert is always sweet and kind. Not long after Chris left, Oliver phoned me to tell me that Robert had booked me for three hours that evening. Oliver could tell from my voice that I was upset and he asked me if everything was okay and I said I was just a little bit tired.

  I had two customers before I went to see Robert. One was a nice young man called John who only wanted oral and who pulled my hair really tightly when he came. He said he worked for the council tax department and if I ever needed help with my tax he would help me and he gave me his phone number. I wondered if he knew Tony, the agency customer with the moustache who worked for the council tax department, but I did not ask him because it would not be professional to talk about another customer. He was wearing a wedding ring so I think he was married. The other customer was older, about sixty, I think, and he couldn’t get hard no matter what I did. I gave him a bath and then a massage and then oral but he just would not get hard. I felt a bit sorry for him. His name was Martin and he said his wife had died two years ago and that he had loved her very much. He said that he hadn’t been able to have sex since she had died, but that sometimes he just wanted to be close to a woman again. Actually it was a very sad story. I almost made him come but then his hour was up so he had to go because he said he didn’t have enough money to stay any longer.

  After Martin went I showered and put on my make up and my school uniform because Robert always likes me to wear school uniform when I go to see him. Robert is such a nice man, and always so kind to me. He made me peanut butter sandwiches which now I quite like to eat, and a strawberry milkshake because I like it better than milk on its own. Then he gave me a bath which I also quite like. Usually I give the customer a bath but Robert likes to bathe me and he is very soft and gentle. His bathroom is bigger than my whole apartment and the bath is huge, big enough for three people but he never gets in the bath with me. Then he dried me with a fluffy towel that he said came from Egypt and then he carried me into the bedroom and kissed my feet and licked my toes until he made himself come. I am always so relaxed when I have been with Robert, he actually makes me forget that I am a working girl.

  Chapter 46

  Thursday May 28. Dao phoned me yesterday afternoon. She was crying because someone had stolen her money and she asked me if I would go around to her flat so I said that I would. It was quiet and I hadn’t had any customers though Simon had booked me for three hours starting at 8pm so I knew that I would be watching a movie and eating either Chinese food or a pizza.

  Dao was still crying when I got to her flat. The customer who had taken her money was called Ronnie. She said he was quite nice and wearing an expensive leather jacket and nice shoes and a gold ring and a thick gold chain on his wrist. He had booked her for two hours incall and as soon as she let her in he had given her the money, £300 in an envelope. She had put the money in a kitchen drawer which is where she keeps all her money. Then she had given him a drink and they had sex on the sofa in the sitting room and then they went into the bedroom and they had sex again. Dao said that he was quite funny and made her laugh. After they had sex for the second time she went into the bathroom to shower. When she came out he had already got dressed and he seemed in a hurry to go. He told her that he had a meeting and he went. It was only when Dao’s second customer came that she realised that Ronnie had taken all the money that was in the drawer. Yes, he had taken the £300 he had brought but she also had another £2,400 in the drawer and he had taken that as well. She was so upset that she gave the second customer his money back and told him to go because she was too upset to work.

  Oliver said it was her own fault and that she still had to pay him the £100 commission from Ronnie and the commission from the second customer, even though she hadn’t had sex with him. Dao said that it wasn’t fair but I could understand why Oliver wanted his money because really it wasn’t his fault. I felt very sorry for Dao but really it was her own fault for leaving all her money in the kitchen and for letting the customer see where she kept her money. I know that stealing is wrong but that doesn’t mean that people don’t steal. People do steal so you have to be careful with your money.

  I never let a customer see where I hide my money. In fact I never hide my money while a customer is there. When the customer gives me my money I say thank you and give them a kiss on the cheek and then I put the money on the coffee table. That is when I phone Oliver to say that everything is okay. But then I leave the money on the coffee table so that I can see where it is. Then if the customer tries to take the money I will see what he is doing straight away. Then when he has gone I hide it in the kitchen drawer where I keep my book. Then when I have a thousand pounds in the drawer I put it in an envelope and hide it under the carpet behind the sofa. Do you know I have more than £25,000 now? In Thailand you would have to work for more than four years to earn that much money and I have it in cash under my carpet. All the girls are careful where they hide their money. Nancy puts it behind a panel under the bath and Sandra keeps it in the freezer compartment of her fridge. I don’t know where Alice keeps hers because she won’t say.

  I explained to Dao about hiding her money and she listened and said that I was very clever at this job. Actually, she is right. I have only been doing this job for three months but I do know many things. I think now I am quite professional.

  Dao kept crying and saying that Oliver wasn’t fair. Ronnie had stolen £2,700 from her and £900 of that money was for Oliver. So she had lost £2,700 but she had to give Oliver £900 so really she had lost £3,600. And she had to give him £50 for the customer she had sent away. Dao said it was Oliver’s fault because Oliver had sent her the customer. He had sent her the man who had stolen from her so he was to blame, not her. I didn’t want to argue with her but really I thought that it was her fault, not Oliver’s.

  Dao said that Oliver should check on the customers, but he can’t really do that. Oliver never gets to meet them, he only talks to them on the phone. Oliver told Dao that he had called Ronnie’s number but the phone had been switched off. I think he probably threw the SIM card away. Dao started crying again and asked me what she should do. I said there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t go to the police so she would just have to work hard to make more money. She started crying again and said that she owed money to Cat and to Oliver and she had to pay her council tax and her electricity bill and she needed more condoms and shampoo. I said that I would lend her £1,000 and she stopped crying and hugged me and said that I was a good friend. Then Oliver rang me and said that I had a two hour booking so I had to go back home.

  My customer was called Tim and he was an estate agent, tall and quite good-looking. Everything was okay until he asked me if I would do anal, and I said I wouldn’t. Some of the girls do but I never have. I think it would hurt too much. Tim said he would pay me an extra £50 if I did anal with him but I said that it wasn’t about money, it was about not wanting to do it. I told him that I wasn’t a trisexual, and he said that he didn’t understand. I said I wouldn’t try everything sexual and he laughed and then it was all okay. He asked me for my number when he left and I gave it to him because actually he was a good customer.

  Simon came with a pizza and we ate it and watched a Netflix movie. When the movie was finished we had sex in the bedroom and then I gave him a massage. Simon said that if I married him and stopped doing this job he would buy me a house in Thailand and take care of me for ever. I
said I was happy to take care of myself but that he was my favourite customer and that made him a little bit happy.

  Chapter 47

  Friday May 29. I thought a lot about Dao and the money she lost. I think I am stupid to keep all my money in the flat, but I am not sure what to do with it. I have an account with the Kasikorn Bank in Udon Thani. Kasikorn means Thai Farmer. Actually the bank used to be called Thai Farmers Bank but the owners of the bank thought that the name confused farangs so they changed it but now I think farangs are even more confused because they don’t know what Kasikorn means. The problem is I do not know how to get the cash from my room into my bank account in Udon Thani. I was going to ask Kung to help me but now I know that he is only using me so I can not ask him. I think the best way is to send it to my mother so that she can put it into my bank account. I think what I will do is to put fifty pound notes into a DVD case and send it to my mother. I can get £2,000 into one case so I will put two cases into a padded envelope and send it to my mother. She can then put the £4,000 into my bank account and they will change it into Thai baht for me. I think it is a good plan.

  Yesterday I had three customers. One was a young man in a suit who was so nervous that he kept stammering. He was quite cute. I think it might have been his first time with a working girl because he didn’t know what to do. And he came so quickly that he was very embarrassed. He said that he had always wanted to try an Asian girl and I said it was okay, we were the same as any other girl. After he came I gave him a massage and then oral and he got hard again and the second time was much better. Afterwards he said that actually it was his first time with a girl, that he was a virgin before he came to see me, but I am not sure if he is telling the truth or not. His name was Phillip and I gave him my phone number.