She went to get out of the car, but he gripped her arm to prevent her. “You said you wanted out of the videos, and an arrangement with Mr Baker can guarantee that…”
“So you’re saying, if I do this, you’ll cancel all future shoots?” she asked, her eyebrows rising with sardonic expectation.
“Not at first, no…” She went to leave again. “OK! Look, I’ll sort it. I’ll cancel all future shoots. You won’t have to do any more videos, if you agree to this… it’s worth a mint, Gina. You’ll be loaded…”
“Yeah, but at what cost?” She scowled at him.
He sighed. “It’s no different to what you do now… but this way, you won’t be videoed and you’ll be earning a lot more, trust me!”
Gina relaxed in her seat. Taking her hand off the door handle, she turned her body round to face Aiden once more. “How much more?” she asked with her usual greedy curiosity.
Aiden wasn’t about to relay the full extent of the money he and Mr Baker had discussed, so he replied, “Up to five hundred a night, four nights a week.”
Gina’s eyes widened a touch. She was interested and Aiden sensed that. He relaxed against the seat. The battle was over, and quickly too. It was easier than he’d thought it would be. Maybe Gina really was sick of the videos.
“Alright,” she announced after a long silence, as he expected she would. “But I want you to manage this… I don’t want Mr Baker pimping me out left, right and centre without you knowing where I am and what I’m doing.”
Aiden smiled and, despite himself, he couldn’t help but admire how brave this young woman was. “Of course, baby. I’d never allow that to happen. He wants you to start tonight…”
Gina gulped. “Tonight?”
Aiden took her face in both of his hands. “Don’t be nervous, baby. Just think of the money.”
************
Gina pulled up outside Mr Baker’s apartment in her new black Corsa. Aiden had told her, later, after she had agreed to work for Mr Baker, that she would need the car now that she was a fully-fledged businesswoman. This had made her smile, but she knew he’d really bought it because he didn’t have the time to keep running her around. Still, she appreciated the sentiment.
When she arrived at the front door, she was surprised to hear Mr Baker’s voice over the intercom, and when he let her into the apartment he informed her that Jackie was out for the night. He asked her to sit down and make herself comfortable, and she did so whilst he poured them both a drink.
Gina hadn’t been inside the apartment since their first encounter a couple of years ago, but it had hardly changed: just a few new ‘arty’ and inevitably expensive paintings on the wall. She was admiring the décor once more when Mr Baker returned with two glasses of white wine. He gave her one then settled himself on the armchair opposite the sofa she was sitting on. He smiled and took a sip of his wine. Gina did the same. She was nervous. She wasn’t too sure what was expected of her, and she couldn’t bear to think about her first punter.
She gulped hard then said out of the silence, “Um… am I working here tonight?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “When will… um… my first visitor be here?”
“He’s here.”
“Oh!”
Mr Baker gave her a subtle smile, then placed his glass on the table beside him. Balancing his ankle over one knee, he relaxed against the back of his chair. Gina noticed he wasn’t wearing any shoes or socks. She watched him for a moment, but lost her nerve and dropped her eyes. He was as alluring and as arrogant as she remembered him to be, dressed in a cream linen shirt and beige trousers. He had cut his blond hair. Now, it was short around his ears and spiked on top, accentuating his square jaw and hazel eyes.
“Are you nervous?”
She took another sip of her wine before she looked back up at him. “Yes, a little…”
“You really shouldn’t be.” Gina frowned. There seemed to be an ulterior motive in his words, but she wasn’t sure what that was. She finished her drink quickly. “Another?” he asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
“Yes, please. Sorry, I drink quickly when I’m uncomfortable.”
“You’re uncomfortable?”
She gulped. “Yes… knowing my first punter is in one of your bedrooms, waiting for me.”
Mr Baker stood and unexpectedly crouched down in front of her. “Your first punter isn’t in the other room…”
“Oh.” Gina couldn’t hold his gaze and her eyes dropped again. He was teasing her, like he had the first time they’d met. Her face flushed with frustration.
“He’s in this room,” he added, superfluously.
Her eyes shot up to his face, her mouth dropping into a perfect ‘o’ shape. She was certain he was implying that it was him, but she was too embarrassed to respond in case he was jesting. In truth, she would be delighted if her first punter was him. If she were given the choice to sleep with the very handsome, rich and well-built man before her or some potentially ugly, fat stranger, she would most definitely dismiss the stranger.
Mr Baker left the room, leaving her in deep thought. When he returned, he placed both glasses on the table by his armchair and stood before her. “Stand up,” he instructed. She hesitated at first then she stood. “Turn around and put your arms up.” Again, she hesitated. His eyebrows rose. “Gina, I believe I’m paying you to spend the night with me.” He looked pleased with himself. Gina gawped at him for a moment, and when he continued to eye her with amusement, she turned and lifted her arms.
She felt his hands on her immediately. Taking the bottom of her vest top, he began slowly lifting it upwards. “Equally, I am, on some level, your boss, and therefore you have to do whatever I ask of you,” he whispered in her ear. He pulled her vest up her body, over her breasts, over her face, and dropped it to the floor, then his fingers found her back. He expertly unclasped her bra and brushed both straps from her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor also.
Gina concentrated on the wall before her as his hands moved around to her breasts, but she couldn’t prevent a quiet moan when he groped her, taking her nipples between his fingers. His lips found her ear once more. “You won’t always enjoy this job,” he whispered, clearly amused. “Turn around.” She turned to face him. Her eyes searched his face as his hazel eyes gazed down at her. His smile grew. “And I shouldn’t be enjoying my employee as much as I am right now,” he added.
Gina smiled shyly and said, “Then I guess we’re both bending the rules tonight.”
Suddenly he pulled her towards him and kissed her hard on the lips. She instinctively slipped her tongue into his mouth, just like Aiden always did to her. The thought of Aiden amused her. He would go absolutely ape-shit if he knew what was going on. He was happy sharing her with men he knew she would loathe. But he knew she was attracted to Mr Baker and, right then, Mr Baker was enjoying her tongue as it explored his mouth.
Gina wanted to try something. Pulling away, she stepped back. He allowed her to do so. He clearly noticed the subtle smirk on her face and she knew he’d be wondering what she had up her sleeve. Well, if she was going to start doing this for a living, she may as well start practising.
Undoing the top button of her jeans, she pulled the zip down and, tugging them over her thighs, stepped out of them, removing her sandals simultaneously. Taking the string of her knickers, she proceeded to remove them, allowing them to drop to the floor also. “Where do you want me, Mr Baker?” she asked steadily, trying to eradicate any sign of anxiety.
“Everywhere,” he replied, suddenly serious.
His expression was carnal, yet he didn’t approach her. She wondered if he wanted her to tease him and it was something she was unfamiliar with. Aiden had always been dominant in their sexual relationship, and on film, it was the same. She had never had the pleasure of making the decisions and goading her sexual prey.
Positions she had undertaken in the films she’d made flashed through her mind. She wracked her brain to think of those tha
t had been popular to her audience. Some things came to mind, but she decided to go with her instincts.
She stepped around the coffee table. Mr Baker watched her with intrigue. Pulling the coffee table to one side, she climbed onto the sofa, kneeling upright with her chest facing the wall. Spreading her legs apart, she looked over her shoulder to see Mr Baker watching her intently. “Location one: the couch,” she announced, more confidently.
Instantly, Mr Baker was at her back. He ran the palm of one hand down her spine, down to her backside and she heard before she felt the sharp sting as he smacked her hard across the buttock. She jolted forward as he reared upwards, his lips finding her neck, his hand moving from her stinging buttock to her breast.
She groaned, but as quickly as his hand was caressing her breast, he had removed it. She looked over her shoulder to see him removing his shirt. She gazed at his muscular chest, totally aware that, though this was effectively a job, her sex was throbbing for his touch. He quickly removed his trousers and his briefs and stepped up to her again.
“Hold onto the back of the sofa,” he instructed. She did as she was told, this time without hesitation. It was her job, after all.
He spat on the tips of his fingers and wiped the spittle across her vagina. She responded instantly to this fleeting touch, then he was deep inside her with one thrust. His lips found her ear again and he whispered urgently, “I’m going to fuck you hard and fast, Gina,” and before she could respond she felt him pull his member out and thrust it back into her. He groaned and wrapped his large hand around the back of her neck. “Hold on tight and don’t fold!” he instructed urgently.
Gina gripped hold of the back of the sofa as hard as she could whilst he pounded into her, one hard thrust quickly followed by another. She slipped as his grip tightened around the back of her neck, and she was jolted forward once more. His thrusts gradually grew harder, faster, so much so that it was almost painful, and she reminded herself over and over that this was her job. She was here to please him, do whatever he wanted. Her arms were already shaking from his weight, but she tensed her whole body and lifted her backside higher, listening in satisfaction as he groaned with approval. She was pleasing him and this pleased her. She could only hope she felt the same satisfaction with her other punters, but she knew in her heart that that wouldn’t be the case.
Mr Baker finally came, his moan reflecting his contentment. When he pulled himself from her, she turned slowly into a seated position. Her legs were stiff and aching, and, without thinking, she began to knead them.
“Would you like a massage?” Mr Baker jested as he pulled on his suit trousers, commando, and fastened them.
“No, thank you,” she replied, smiling to herself. “Sorry, you are just very strong.”
He sat beside her and placed his hand upon her knee. Moving it upwards slightly, he squeezed her leg. “I’ve never had a massage before,” he whispered.
“Oh… would you like one? I’m pretty good!”
“Later,” he replied, adding, “We have to choose our next location.”
Chapter twenty-nine
Aiden puffed loudly as he pushed a bar loaded with 95kg in the spare room of Reggie’s flat. When he finished his final set, he set the bar back in its rack and sauntered off into the bathroom next door, whistling cheerfully. Reggie had been cooking his favourite jerk chicken before he’d gone out and left him to his own devices. The aroma filled the bathroom and he inhaled the familiar smell and smiled. He was famished, and a generous helping of Reggie’s best was just what he needed right now.
He turned and admired himself in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. He had always known he was a handsome man, and every year he got better and better looking, more and more solid, defined and, more importantly, strong.
Deep in self-satisfied thought, he almost missed the sound of the creaking floorboard at the top of the stairs. Silencing his breath, he listened for a moment and heard nothing of Reggie’s usual clambering about. He hadn’t come home.
He was immediately poised for action. It was his job to expect the unexpected, and he and Reggie were always going to be in danger of potential trouble. However much they were feared, there was always going to be some arsehole who thought they could seek revenge over punishment for an unpaid debt or some drug-related issue that wasn’t really their problem.
He opened the bathroom door slowly and cautiously stepped onto the landing. When he passed the spare room, he saw Gina sitting cross-legged on the weights bench and he discreetly sighed with relief. However much he could handle himself, he never enjoyed unplanned confrontation. “Where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks,” he said brusquely.
Gina ignored his natural incivility and took in his shiny, bare chest and his oblique muscles, exquisitely carved beneath the waist band of his grey baggy jogging bottoms. She smiled, and there was a twinge of smugness there when she replied, “Mr Baker has been keeping me busy, as you well know.”
She looked different. She had cut her hair. It was layered, so that its natural kinks gave even more body to it, and her face was made up with expert precision: her large, green eyes were enhanced by thick eyeliner and brown eyeshadow. She was dressed smartly too, in a sleek and expensive ivy-green chiffon dress.
Aiden noticed these subtle changes. She almost resembled the well-to-do women who frequented the cocktail bars up the West End, the middle-aged wives of the wealthy who he frequently bedded after a night out, as and when he took it upon himself to be sociable. But Gina did not affect him as much as she used to. He had so much skirt tossed at him nowadays – mature, rich and experienced skirt – that Gina did not have the same allure she once had.
“So, what you doing here, then?” he asked, making no attempt to hide his indifference.
Gina tried to disguise the pang of hurt she felt from his aloofness and plastered on a large smile, but it didn’t touch her eyes. “Ash sent me to find you. He had the last of our money from the videos.”
“Where is it?”
Smirking seductively, she swung one long leg over the bench and spread her legs apart. “I’ve put some of it somewhere I think you might like to find it… the rest is in the bag,” she glanced down at the black sports bag beside her.
Aiden took a half-smoked joint and an ashtray from the shelf by the door and slumped down on a wicker chair opposite the weights bench. Lighting up, he balanced the ashtray on the arm of the chair and inhaled deeply. He held onto his breath for a few long seconds before exhaling, all the while watching Gina as she eyed him lustfully.
His eyes fell to the black lace of her knickers showing beneath her dress and, placing his smoking joint in the ashtray, he stepped over to the bench and sat open-legged opposite her. Pulling her roughly to him, his hand moved up her back to her neck and gripped a clump of her hair, tugging her head back. Plunging his free hand deep inside the front of her dress, he slid his fingers into her bra and pulled out a large wad of fifty-pound notes.
Gina’s breath hitched. The sensation of his fingers brushing over her nipple generated the usual need in her and she wanted him to take her, then and there. But he immediately pulled his hand out from her dress and, releasing her hair, stuffed the notes into the pocket of his jogging bottoms and slid off the bench. He stepped back over to the wicker chair, slumped back down and relit his joint.
“What’s your problem?” Gina spat, feeling the impact of rejection as hard as if he had just whacked her across the face. “So, I’m used up now, am I? Everyone else has been there, so you’re not interested in me anymore? Is that it?”
Aiden didn’t answer her. He rarely did when she had a point to prove. It was one of the many things about Aiden that lit the flame of her fiery temper. “That’s it, isn’t it?” she screeched. “Now that you’ve got me on the bash, you don’t want me anymore!”
Gina felt hot tears sting her eyes as she stared at Aiden in disbelief. Her heart pounded and sank all at once. He wasn’t lo
oking at her now. He simply concentrated on the sizzling end of his joint as he sucked on it casually. It was as if she wasn’t even in the room with him.
“You bastard!” she screamed, standing up in her rage, fists clenched as she tried to stop herself grabbing the heaviest object in the room and launching it at his head.
“Don’t lose your temper, now, G,” he instructed impassively, flicking his ash into the ashtray. “It’s just business… ‘Do not consume your own product’,” he muttered dispassionately, reiterating the mantra that Reggie frequently preached and something he had learned, over time, to take on board.
If he wanted success, he had to stop abusing his own products. He had already stopped consuming the drugs he collected debts for. He would stop racing around in his own stolen cars, and he would stop sleeping with Gina. She was now a product of his. It was too personal. Sleeping with her was like shitting on his own doorstep.
Gina was too involved with him, always had been. He needed to sever that connection sooner rather than later, like he had attempted to do once before. He needed his and, more importantly, her head to be straight. He couldn’t have her dropping in on him all the time as if they were some kind of partnership. He owned her now. There was no mutual relationship left – if there ever had been one.
Anguish enveloped Gina. All of a sudden she felt dirty and used. Aiden had just torn her limited self-respect into shreds. He had called attention to what she was, what she had become: a pawn, a thespian on the grand stage of Aiden’s world… an employee, not a partner and contributor to his wealth, not a master of her own self. She was a number, a convenient subordinate. Ultimately, she was a nobody.
She snivelled and, mustering the strength to speak, she blubbed. “I don’t have to do this anymore, you know… remember, you need me!” She stabbed her chest with her index finger. “Me, Aiden. I’m the one who’s enabled you to have what you’ve always wanted…” she whimpered, wiping her eyes with her trembling fingers.
Aiden stared at her intently. He did not like where she was going with this because, deep down, he knew she was right in many ways. The money he had earned from Gina far exceeded the money he earned from Reggie, Kamal and the cars put together. That Gina was conscious of this fact did not sit well with him.
Human Conditioning Page 21
