The Kiss of the Dragon

by Lilburne, Guy

  “Oh, Jesus Nok! Sure, I’ll put you up in the hotel.”

  “No, cannot. If I bar girl I stay in room on Nanai Road, like bar girl same same. If I stay in hotel they know I not bar girl.”

  “How will they know? They won’t know where you are staying. Don’t tell them.”

  “Thai people see everything. Many bar girl all know each other. All yak, yak, yak.”

  “So where can I meet you later then?”

  “Captain Morgan’s Bar at 7:00pm. Do not be late Danny. I not want other customer take me. OK?”

  “Yes, OK. I won’t be late, Nok. Where will you be if they don’t give you a job there?”

  “They give me job. No problem. 7 o’clock please.” She smiled and skipped away. Danny watched her until she disappeared into the crowded street. He looked at his watch. It was only 2:00pm. Just a few feet away to his right a group of eight smartly dressed massage girls sat looking at him. As soon as they caught his eye they gave a chorus of ‘Hello massage’ and wai’d to him. Eight pretty faces, heavily made up with lipstick and eye shadow, smiled at him.

  “No, you’re grand. Thanks” he shook his head.

  To his left was the hotel bar, which opened out onto the street. He took up a seat at the bar.

  “Give us a Jack Daniels and coke will yer?” He lit up a cigarette and wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

  Chapter 25: Work at the Bar

  Nok didn’t walk very far. She just wanted to buy some sexy and revealing dresses from one of the markets that littered Rat u Thit Road. She soon found exactly what she was looking for and purchased several items from the same market stall and got a further reduction on the price. She had a job to do and she was taking it seriously. Nok then took a motorbike taxi to Nanai Road; to the guest house area where many of the bar girls took cheap rooms. The room was cheap but she had to take it for a minimum of one month and pay in advance. Already she was seeing some old familiar faces, was greeted by many smiling faces and polite wai’s from the other working girls, with greetings of ‘Hello my sister, where have you been?’ Nok told the truth; that she had been helping her granddad on the farm and with opening the new shop. But she told a little lie, about how now she was back for a short time because she needed to get work and make some more money.

  She knew that Buddha would forgive her lie, because it was for a good reason, but she would go to the temple tomorrow and make merit. Even if she didn’t manage to get to the temple, she would at least pray to Buddha and make merit at some time in the future to make everything OK.

  The room was exactly just that; a room with one small window and the heavy wooden door leading into it. There was a shared bathroom with seven other girls. Outside the back of the building was space to hang clothes and a cooking area with a table and some old pots, but Nok could see that nobody had cooked here for a long time. Bar girls never cooked. They worked long, long hours and, when they weren’t going back to hotels with farangs, they just went back to the rooms to sleep.

  They always eat out. The room was perfect for what Nok wanted. She had no intention of sleeping in the room. Danny didn’t know it yet, but Nok had already decided that she was going to be staying in his hotel with him. This was just her cover. She had dropped her few possessions in the corner of her room on the clean tiled floor and propped herself up against the wall, before taking her mobile phone from her bag and making a phone call. She rang Moon, the owner of Moon’s Bar, who was the lady she used to work for. Moon had always been very good to all her girls and was like a sister to them all, having worked the bars herself for many years before saving enough to open her own. Moon was happy to hear from Nok, but also sorry that she was back in Patong looking to work a bar.

  “What happened to all the farang money?” she asked.

  “Nothing. It is invested in the farm and in the new shop. Everything is going well, but I just need job short time to make some more money, for new investment and to buy more land.”

  Nok hated telling lies to her old friend, but she simply could not tell anyone of the real reason that she was here, because within hours, it would be no secret. Bar girls cannot keep secrets. Nok knew that better than anybody. Moon knew that Nok was telling lies, but it would mean them both losing face if she was to let on that she knew she was telling lies. So she said nothing about that.

  “Do you want to come back to my bar? There is always a place for you.”

  “No, I don’t want to work Bangla Road anymore. Too busy, ka. I see small bar along Beach Road, very quiet. I think I would like to work somewhere like there, ka.”

  “Have you already found a bar?”

  “No. I have seen one called Captain Morgan’s Bar. I was thinking about going there this afternoon and asking about a job. Do you know who owns it, ka?”

  “No. I will make some phone calls for you and see what I can do.”

  “Thank you Moon, ka.”

  “You are welcome. I’ll ring you back.”

  Moon had always liked Nok. Even though she was sure that Nok was not telling her the truth she wanted to help her, so she made some phone calls as promised and, before very long, she managed to get the name and phone number of Fon, the owner. She spoke to the lady herself about Nok. Within the hour Moon was back on the phone to Nok.

  “A lady called Fon is the owner. I have just spoken to her. I told her that you are a very good bar girl and you will make money for her bar. She is happy to give you a chance. She is expecting you at 6:00pm. You start tonight. I hope everything is OK Nok.”

  “Yes, everything is OK. Thank you Moon. I will see you very soon, and thank you for help me, ka.”

  When Nok closed her phone she decided that she had better pray to Buddha now. The lies were starting to build up and maybe she might need Buddha on her side.

  At exactly 6:00pm Fon looked up at the motorbike taxi that had stopped outside her bar. She saw the beautiful girl sitting side saddle on the back in the short, tight, gold sparkly dress. She watched her hop off and pay the driver 20 baht. The dress was cut low and displayed her big breasts heaving underneath as she breathed. Fon knew it was Nok. She was exactly as Moon had described and she instantly knew that she would increase business in her bar. When Nok walked in, beamed a huge wide smile and gave her a ‘high’ respectful wai, it was a done deal. She had a job. Nok also wai’d to the Buddha shrine sitting high up behind the bar.

  The bar was small, just a narrow building with a small wooden bar and some tables and chairs. It opened out onto the pavement. The only trade it got was a few passing farang from the few hotels even further south along Beach Road, as they walked past the bar to head towards Bangla Road. The only people in the bar now were Fon and two girls, who she introduced as Neung and Om. The girls and the bar looked tired, but almost instantly, Nok brought new life and energy into the place. It was smiles and excited, quick chatter all round as Nok was shown the ropes. Instant new friendships had been made and Fon had a good feeling about the new girl. Fon even turned on the little coloured lights that hung behind the bar and put some music on, as well as the TV. Something she hadn’t bothered with for weeks. Nok started waving and smiling to the men walking past.

  “Hello, welcome” she sang out. “Where you go, handsome man?”

  Before long the bar stools filled up and the drinks were flowing. The Thai bar girls laughed and giggled at the crude comments and bad jokes told by the old men now filling the bar. Fon made some phone calls and soon another two girls were on the way to the bar to work the night.

  By the time Danny arrived at Captain Morgan’s Bar the place was full. He hardly recognised the place from the lifeless, soulless place he had been to before. It was obvious that Nok was the life and soul of this party. When she saw Danny she left the group of three men who were vying for her attention and walked out to greet Danny.

&nb
sp; “Hello, handsome man. Welcome.”

  As Danny walked into the bar she linked her arm through his and walked him to the one remaining bar stool. As he sat down she ran her hand along the inside of his thigh and over his penis.

  “You like drink?” she said in a loud voice.

  “Jesus! What the feck are you doing?”

  She leaned into Danny, pressing her breasts against him. She kissed his neck and whispered in his ear.

  “I don’t want to go with farang customer. There are at least six men all about to pay my bar fine. So you now have to spend a lot of money very quickly time and ask to pay my bar fine quickly time, so I can choose you.”

  “And how do I do that?”

  “See the bar bell hanging up over the bar in front of you?”

  Danny looked up and saw a big brass bell above the bar with a short multi coloured rope hanging down. On the bell was a paper notice which read ‘Ring the bell, buy everyone in bar a drink’.

  “Jesus! You want me to ring the fecking bell, do you?”

  “Yes and quickly time. You have to spend some good money, so easy choice I stay with you. Not make suspicious anyone. Please do quickly time Danny. I do this for you.”

  Danny reached up and rang the bell hard. The men around the bar raised glasses and cheered. The girls whooped with delight and two trays of shot glasses were placed on top of the bar, filled with liquor and passed around to everyone in the bar, customers and staff. Nok held hers up in the air and counted out.

  “One, two, three” and rang the bell again and everyone emptied their glass in one go, to more cheers, whoops and claps.

  “You handsome man. You buy me lady drink?” she continued to stroke Danny’s leg.

  “Sure, knock yourself out, and I’ll have a JD and Coke.”

  “You buy lady drink for my sisters?”

  “What?”

  Nok flashed Danny a look that told him she wasn’t messing around.

  “Yes, sure.”

  Nok spoke in Thai to the girls in and behind the bar. They each in turn wai’d to Danny.

  “Khob khun ka” (Thank you) they all sang.

  A little wooden cup was placed in front of Danny alongside his Jack Daniels. Yellow paper bill slips were rolled up and placed inside for the bar drinks, lady drinks and his own drink. Nok continued to wrap herself around Danny giving him her full attention. She leaned into him again.

  “Please put your arm around me now and put your hand on my ass. You have to look as if you want me. I tell them now you want to pay my bar fine. It only 300 baht but I’m going to charge you 500 for bar” she laughed.

  “Oh, thanks.”

  Danny slid his arm around her tiny waist and cupped the cheek of her bum in his hand. It was noticed by most of the men who had been eyeing Nok for themselves.

  Nok spoke again in Thai to the girl behind the bar. Another bill was written and rolled up into the wooden cup, this time on pink paper. Nok kissed Danny on the cheek.

  “You just bought me, Darling. Now smile please and ring bell again. You are on holiday, remember, and now you have beautiful lady. If you spend a lot of money nobody suspicious that I want to be your tee rak (Darling) all week on your holiday.” She kissed him again beaming her usual wide happy smile. Danny reached up and rang the bell again, to more cheers and whoops.

  They stayed in the bar for another hour and Nok coaxed Danny into spending more money than he wanted to, buying more lady drinks for the girls than he wanted to, just like any good bar girl would do with any unsuspecting customer. Fon was delighted with Nok’s nights work. The bar was buzzing and everyone was spending money. Nok told Fon and the other girls that she liked this customer, because he spends a lot of money and maybe he will marry her. They all laughed.

  “See if you can keep him coming back to the bar” laughed Fon.

  “After a night with me he’ll keep coming back.”

  They all laughed again.

  Danny went to add up all the bar bills in his wooden cup, but Nok took it from him and handed it to one of the girls behind the bar. She used a calculator to tot up the bills and wrote the total on the reverse side of the last bill. She put it in front of Danny in a closed black plastic wallet. Danny opened it.4000 baht. (£80)

  In just over an hour he had spent £80; a small fortune by Thai standards. ‘No wonder they’re all smiling’ he thought to himself. Nok looked at the bill and pretended to check it.

  “Leave 200 baht (£4) tip” she smiled.

  “Jesus!”

  Danny put 4200 baht inside the plastic wallet and handed it to the girl waiting behind the bar. She took it between her hands and wai’d to him.

  “Khob khun mak ka.” (thank you very much)

  Nok went behind the bar and picked up her bag and cardigan from the pile of bags and clothes piled up by the other girls. She turned and wai’d to the Buddha shrine high up in the bar and then wai’d to Fon and the other girls before walking out with Danny. Even though it had already been dark for two hours, it was still extremely hot and Danny started sweating as they walked along Beach Road, north towards Bangla Road. Nok linked her arm through Danny’s as they strolled along.

  She felt very happy to be with him.

  “Did you find out anything?” asked Danny.

  “Yes, I find out, but we talk back in hotel. Can we get something to eat now, please? Remember, you take me to restaurant along here first time we meet?”

  “Yes I remember. What do you mean back in hotel?”

  “I have to come back to hotel with you. Maybe nobody ask and maybe nobody check, but Thai people see everything. Here everybody know everybody in hotel, in bar, in taxi, in shop. No secret in Patong. We go to hotel. Not have sex. Do not worry. I know you love Ling.”

  That was the first time Nok had said her name.

  Danny looked at Nok and she smiled back at him. She was beautiful and she had an open honest face. He liked her and she was already a very special friend to him.

  “OK. Let’s eat in a nice restaurant and go back to the hotel. You can tell me what you found out then.” He gently squeezed her hand.

  Chapter 26: In a hotel with Nok

  Nok got out of the tuk-tuk outside the Lamai Hotel and headed straight for the Family Mart shop a few doors further along Rat- u- Thit Road. Danny paid the tuk-tuk driver the overpriced 100 baht and gave him a 20 baht tip. The driver held it between his fingers as he wai’d to Danny and thanked him. Danny followed Nok into the 24hrs store and watched her gathering up an armful of provisions; everything from tooth paste and tooth brushes, to sweets, chocolate, snack food, drinks and magazines. Danny didn’t know if she was still maintaining her cover, or was it simply a case of old habits die hard. He followed her around and when they got to the counter she picked up two packets of condoms and added them to the pile of stuff she had already placed on the shop counter. The young girl behind the till bagged the items up as she punched the amounts into her till. Nok picked up the bags and Danny paid for them.

  They went into the hotel and Nok had to leave her national registration card behind the reception. They went to Danny’s room. The room was basic, but it was clean and air conditioned. There was a TV and a big window that opened out above the street below. The bathroom was bright and had a good shower. Nok dumped the bags on the bed and found some Thai soap opera on the TV. She turned the sound up to near full volume before telling Danny that she was going for a shower. As soon as she closed the door to the bathroom Danny turned the TV sound down again and flicked it over through the channels until he found a music channel. He poured himself a brandy and lit a cigarette. He opened the window and stood there smoking into the night, watching the people and vehicles passing in the street down below him. With the window open it was making the room hot so he turned the air conditioning f
an up high and the temperature setting down low.

  Nok came out of the shower after a good 15 minutes. Danny was already on his second drink and second cigarette. She looked beautiful wrapped in the short towel and her hair glistening wet. She put her folded clothes in a neat pile on the chair in the corner of the room. She took a hair dryer out of the dressing table drawer, plugged it in and sat on the end of the bed combing and drying her hair in the mirror above the dresser.

  “You shower now?” she said.

  Danny nodded and finished his drink in one go. He stubbed out what was left of his cigarette and flicked the end out of the window. When he came out of the shower wrapped in his own towel, Nok was sitting up in bed wearing one of Danny’s Tee shirts as a nightie. The TV was back on the Thai soap programme. She smiled at Danny and patted the bed next to her with the palm of her hand.

  “OK, we talk now.” She beamed him one of her dazzling wide smiles.

  Danny went to the wardrobe and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts underneath his towel and Nok laughed as he tried not to let her see anything under his towel. He got into the bed and sat up next to her.

  “So what did you find out?” he asked.

  “I be careful, not to ask much. Just ask normal thing that any new girl would ask in new bar with new boss.”

  “That’s good Nok. What can you tell me?”

  “And I have rest of week to find out more secret. Tomorrow I start work in daytime. I go in afternoon to clean bar and get ready for night. Tomorrow I find out more, I think.”

  “Did you find out anything at all tonight?”