Trafficking (Powell Book 1)

by Bill Ward

  She needed to find out his name. “What is your real name?” she asked.

  “It’s Danny,” he confirmed.

  “I always think people invent false names when they come to see me,” she explained.

  “I guess some do but not me.”

  “That will be two hundred pounds then.”

  Danny had stopped at the cashpoint on the way so simply handed over the crisp twenty pound notes without bothering to count them again.

  “I’ll just be a minute. Start getting undressed.”

  Afina took the money into the lounge where she gave it to Stefan and told him she would be busy for two hours. Then she went to the bathroom and checked her appearance. She was wearing the lace underwear she always chose to greet customers. She decided to take an extra rinse of mouthwash but was otherwise satisfied with how she looked.

  She returned to her room and found Danny naked except for his boxers. She had learned to kiss her customer almost immediately upon re-entering the room. It made the customer feel quickly at ease and saved having to make small talk. Danny was a good kisser.

  After a few moments she started to explore the rest of his body with her hands and he bent to kiss her nipples, pulling her bra down to allow him access. She took the hint and reached behind her back to remove her bra. She loved having her nipples kissed and pinched.

  Afina followed a similar routine with each customer. After some kissing she knelt before them and took their cock in her mouth. Mara had given her a few tips and for giving great blowjobs she said you must always be looking your man in the eyes, which was exactly what she was now doing. Unlike Mara, she also enjoyed men finishing in her mouth. She definitely preferred it to them making a mess anywhere else on her body and most of her customers didn’t bother with having real sex once they had cum in her mouth.

  “Let’s lie on the bed,” Danny suggested.

  As Afina stood up she removed her knickers before joining Danny on the bed.

  Danny started by kissing her on the lips again, then moved down her body, concentrating on each nipple for several minutes before lightly kissing her thighs. As he moved his tongue to between her legs and gently circled her clit she started moaning with pleasure. With other customers she had learned they liked to hear her appreciatively moaning even if they were doing it all wrong. On this occasion her response was real.

  She hadn’t had an orgasm with any other customer and knew she was getting close but she wasn’t comfortable about letting Danny share something so personal. She had built a wall behind which she hid her real feelings from her customers. It was the way she could survive having sex with so many strangers. To have an orgasm now would send the wall crashing down.

  “That was amazing,” she said, sitting up and causing him to stop what he was doing. “I need you inside me. If you don’t mind?”

  “Sounds a great idea.”

  Afina took a condom from the bedside table. “What position would you like?” she asked, as she unrolled it on his cock.

  “Me on top?”

  Afina lay back on the bed and moaned as he entered her, another of Mara’s tips.

  She liked the way Danny moved inside her, not rushing and building the sensations slowly. If she closed her eyes she could imagine she was with a real boyfriend or even better Bruno Mars, who she adored. Instead, they kissed and caressed each other while she thought about Dimitry and the poor girl he had killed. It had the result she wanted and she lost any desire to orgasm.

  She liked Danny and encouraged him to thrust harder before holding him tight and asking in his ear for him to cum for her. She noticed he had his eyes closed as he grunted loudly and did as she had asked. She wondered if he too had been thinking of someone else.

  He rolled off her and lay next to her panting from his exertions. “Sex is so silly,” he said.

  “You didn’t enjoy it?” Afina asked, concerned.

  “I loved it,” Danny responded quickly. “But it’s kind of strange and funny the noises we make and what we do.”

  “Yes some people make a lot of noise,” Afina agreed with a smile. “But noise is better than quiet. I knew you were enjoying yourself.”

  “Is Afina your real name?”

  “Yes it is,” she responded, surprised by the question. She had never thought to use a different name.

  “And you are from Romania?”

  “Yes.”

  “You speak very good English.”

  “Not so good but enough.”

  “Whereabouts in Romania are you from?”

  “Bucharest. Do you know it?”

  “I’ve never been to Romania. Perhaps I will go one day.”

  “You should visit. It’s a nice city,” suggested Afina and put her hand to her eye fearing the appearance of a tear. She was thinking of her mama and Adriana. How long would it be before she saw them again?

  “What’s wrong?” Danny asked, concerned.

  “Sorry, I get a little homesick sometimes.” She leaned into Danny and gave him a long passionate kiss. “I feel better already,” she smiled, as she broke away.

  “I should have brought some wine to drink,” Danny said.

  Afina jumped up from the bed. “I have some in the fridge.”

  Before Danny could answer she was out the door and a short time later returned holding a bottle of white wine and two cups. “Sorry, I don’t have any glasses,” she apologised.

  “Can I pay for the wine?” Danny asked.

  “No, it will be my pleasure to share it with you.” Then she thought to add, “But it was very cheap so may not taste very good!”

  “Hey it’s wine and I’m not fussy.”

  Afina poured the wine and carried the cups to the bed.

  “Cheers,” she said, offering her cup for a toast.

  “Cheers,” Danny responded. “What do you say in Romania?”

  “Noroc.”

  “Noroc,” Danny repeated before tasting the wine. “It’s cold and dry so perfect.”

  Afina took some wine in her mouth and kissed Danny to share the wine. Danny then took some wine in his mouth and kissed Afina’s breasts, letting the cold wine run down them before then licking it back up.

  “Next time I’m going to bring two bottles of champagne,” Danny said, as he sat back next to Afina. “One bottle for drinking and one for playing games with.”

  “That sounds like fun,” Afina agreed. She liked the idea of Danny becoming a regular customer. He was sexually undemanding and polite.

  “Do you mind if I ask you something personal?” Danny asked.

  “You can ask but I may choose not to answer.”

  “Fair enough. I wondered who the man is that answers the phone when I call to see you girls. Is he your or Mara’s boyfriend?”

  “God no! He is Mara’s cousin and owns this building.”

  “So he is like your boss?”

  “I suppose so in some ways.”

  “So if I wanted to take you out for a meal or something, still paying for your time of course, would I have to ask him?”

  “I can ask him.” Afina liked the idea of earning money for something other than fucking. “When do you want to see me and for how long?”

  “How about Wednesday evening?”

  “So that’s the day after tomorrow?”

  “Yes. I can meet you here and we can go for dinner and some champagne, then back to my place for an hour. Say meet at seven and I return you at twelve.”

  “That will cost a lot of money, Danny.”

  “Well as I would be paying for five consecutive hours I was hoping you might give me a special price.”

  “Give me five minutes and I will go check with Stefan,” Afina said. “And when I come back you had better be ready to fuck me again. We still have an hour left.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  Danny collected Afina from outside her building at exactly seven. He had been pleased when Afina came back in the room and informed him the arrangements were fine and t
he cost would be four hundred pounds for the five hours. As he would also have to pay for dinner and drinks it was going to be an expensive evening but he was also sure it was a worthwhile investment.

  He had called her mobile to announce he was waiting downstairs and when she emerged she looked stunning in a short black dress and high heels, which accentuated her long legs. He realised it was the first time he had seen her wear anything other than her underwear.

  “You look great,” he said appreciatively.

  “Thank you. You look very nice as well.”

  Danny was wearing designer jeans and jacket, which he’d chosen for being smart but not too formal. He was conscious of their age difference and wanted them to appear like a real couple. In truth, he realised it didn’t really matter what he wore as he was paying for the pleasure of Afina’s company.

  Danny had parked right outside the house as he was only going to be five minutes, despite it being a double yellow line.

  “Shall we,” he said, opening the passenger door of his car.

  “Wow! This is a great car,” Afina said once seated.

  “It’s a BMW Z4 and with the local speed limit reduced to twenty miles per hour, I’d be better off driving something that doesn’t make me long to be on a German motorway, every time I get behind the wheel.”

  “It’s very luxurious,” Afina said feeling the leather seat.

  Danny had pulled away from the kerb and was soon heading down Western Road. After ten minutes he pulled up in front of where he had chosen for them to eat. He led the way inside and they were shown to the table in the corner, he’d especially requested.

  “Would you like some champagne?” Danny asked as soon as they were seated.

  “That would be lovely. This is a nice place.”

  Danny ordered a bottle of Laurent Perrier Rose and watched Afina as she studied the menu.

  “Have you eaten here before?” Afina asked.

  “Many times.”

  “What would you recommend?”

  “The Sea Bass is excellent if you like fish. That’s what I’m having.”

  “Okay, then I will have the same.”

  Danny kept the glasses topped up and halfway through the main course the bottle was empty so he ordered a second bottle.

  “I’m feeling a little tipsy,” Afina admitted. “I’m not used to drinking champagne. The bubbles keep getting up my nose.”

  “I used to know someone about your age who loved drinking champagne.”

  “Who was that?”

  “My daughter. This place is named after her in fact.”

  Afina look confused. “Why did someone name this place after your daughter?”

  “Actually it was me who decided on the name. I own this place.”

  “Really! Why didn’t you tell me? So your daughter is called Bella?”

  “She was. Unfortunately she was a police officer and someone stabbed her in Brighton last week. Quite near where you work actually.”

  Afina’s face went pale white. Her eyes confirmed what Powell had known since he first saw her, she was the girl in the picture being chased by Dimitry.

  “I’m so sorry,” Afina said quietly, obviously in shock. She reached for her glass and took a large drink. “I don’t know what to say,” she continued.

  “You can start by telling me who is Dimitry.”

  “Danny, what do you mean? Who is Dimitry?”

  “My name isn’t Danny, its Powell. I assume it was you who telephoned the police with his name?”

  Afina was lost for words. The shock of everything mixed with the champagne had left her reeling. “Danny, I mean Powell, I don’t know what you are talking about. You are scaring me. I think I want to leave now.” Afina started to stand up.

  Powell took the grainy photo of Afina from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to her. “We have cameras everywhere in Brighton. We have one of Dimitry as well.”

  “I want to leave,” Afina insisted.

  Powell reached across and took Afina by the wrist. “If you leave here before I’m finished with you, it will be to visit the police station,” he said sharply.

  Afina sat back down. “Please, I can’t help you,” she pleaded. “I don’t care what they do to me but they will kill my family. I have a mother and sister.”

  Powell hadn’t considered that Afina might have family who were in danger. “Why do you think they will harm your family?” he asked in a gentler tone.

  “Someone twice visited their home in Bucharest. The second time he scared my sister and threatened her. He said next time he would rape her and she is only sixteen. I know what these men are capable of.”

  “I don’t understand why they don’t just kill you?”

  “I have some insurance and also I earn them good money.”

  “What insurance?”

  “I have written down everything I know and left it with a friend.”

  “You are playing a dangerous game.”

  “What choice do I have?”

  “Where is Dimitry?”

  “I don’t know for certain but probably in Romania. Why did you bring me here?”

  “I needed to get you away from where you work so we can have a proper conversation.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “So start at the beginning and tell me everything you know about this Dimitry and why he was chasing you down a Brighton street.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  Powell had been shocked by everything he learned from Afina. It had made it even more difficult to let her go back to the house after they had finished talking but there was no other viable option for either of them. It was going to take time to devise a strategy to find Dimitry, while at the same time keeping Afina and her family safe. Powell had no interest in locating Dimitry if it led to the deaths of any further innocent people and neither Afina nor her family, were in any way responsible for what happened to Bella.

  Powell also now understood why he had been able so easily to locate Afina and the police had achieved nothing. While she had been staying with her new friends, the police may very well have knocked on the door where she had been working but by then she was gone and when she returned they had finished their door to door enquiries. Afina also confirmed what Powell knew, her picture wasn’t on the web sites advertising services. Stefan used a picture of Mara and a couple of girls who didn’t exist. When customers booked a different picture but saw Afina, they never complained when told the girl was busy but Afina was available.

  There had been no time or inclination for sex after their discussion. Powell was very attracted to Afina but would never have sex with her again while she was forced into having to provide sex because of her unfortunate circumstances. He was already feeling guilty about their previous sex but he was pragmatic enough not to beat himself up about something he could do nothing about. On the positive side, though he had been using Afina to get to Dimitry, now he knew her story, he was possibly the only person who could truly help her find a way out of her current predicament.

  Powell recognised what Afina had told him about the trafficking and selling of girls wasn’t something he could just ignore. Stefan also had to answer for his part in Bella’s death because had he never brought Afina into the country, she would not have needed to escape and Bella would still be alive. Many of these girls were similar in age to Bella and that thought made him determined to do everything in his power to put a stop to the trafficking.

  Powell had stayed up late after Afina left, thinking about whether he should involve the police. In the end he decided they would be likely to simply take Stefan into custody, which would put at risk any chance of finding Dimitry. Powell had promised Afina he would do nothing that would endanger her family but at the same time he needed to think about the other girls Stefan was still importing and selling. Powell didn’t want to delay to such an extent that it resulted in many more girls passing through Stefan’s hands and being distributed around the country, possibly
never to be found again. With Dimitry in Romania and no idea if or when he might return, Powell was going to have to take action and urgently.

  He had arranged to see Afina again at three in the afternoon, supposedly for a one hour session at her apartment. She had been fairly certain Stefan would be in the next room at that time and it was him, Powell really wanted to meet. Stefan would know how to find Dimitry.

  Afina showed Powell to her bedroom as normal. He noticed she was less welcoming than usual and once inside the room she wrapped a towel around her body, suggesting she was suddenly self-conscious around him, wearing just her underwear.

  “I have a plan,” Powell announced, seated on the edge of the bed. “Here is my hundred pounds and tell Stefan I wish to speak with him.”

  Afina looked nervous. “What about?”

  “Just tell him I wish to discuss some business.”

  Afina looked doubtful. “What business?”

  “Look Afina, you have to trust me. I promised last night to do everything possible to protect you and your family and I keep my promises. So please go tell Stefan I wish to speak with him. And remember my name is Danny.”

  Afina hesitated for a second before taking the money from Powell’s hand, then removed the towel and left the room. She was back just a minute later.

  “Stefan is waiting for you in the lounge,” Afina confirmed.

  Powell smiled at Afina as he passed her before shutting the bedroom door behind him. He approached the man that was standing in the room with a slightly quizzical expression on his face.

  “I’m Danny,” Powell said, offering a firm handshake that was reciprocated.

  “Stefan. Afina says you wanted to discuss some business with me.”

  “I do. I’m looking to broaden my business interests. I’m thinking you might be able to find me some suitable Romanian girls a bit like Afina. If you don’t want to actually supply me directly with the girls, perhaps you could give me an introduction to someone in Romania who can help me find the right type of girls.”