by Eric Asher
My mother was just as good. She carried herself with such prestige and grace that one wouldn’t think twice about her—until you met her in the courtroom. She could argue with the best of them. Most of the men she battled feared her, and the women wanted to be her. So when I got the phone call on a cold night in December that my parents had been in a fatal car accident, it changed my world forever. My grandparents were gone and my parents, as smart as they were, didn’t have life insurance. So I lost everything that day except my mother’s car. My father’s law firm paid for the double funeral, but other than that, I was on my own.
So there I was age eighteen with no way of supporting myself or even paying my next semester’s college tuition. The great thing was, I was on a partial scholarship so I wouldn’t have to come up with the entire amount. Lena, my roommate, offered to help me get a job at the café she worked at, but I declined knowing it wouldn’t be enough to make my payments. I needed to make some quick cash without having to pay taxes. That was when I met my mentor, Zena.
Zena was my roommate’s sister. She always looked so stylish and high-class, something I had always admired. My parents were very modest with my monthly allowance only giving me enough for the basic necessities. I always thought they were very cheap. You’d think by them being so cheap, they would have left me something. But no, they left me to my own devices. Anyway, getting back on subject. Zena was always going out on dates with the richest guys. Always wondered how she got her dates and why she hadn’t married one of them by now. So I basically asked her if she had any rich friends I could date. Maybe if I married rich, my problems would be solved. Yeah, that was me trying to take the easy way out instead of working for it.
“Where do you get all of these men?”
She smiled at me. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“Actually, I do. I need to make some quick cash.”
“Oh, honey, please,” she had said in a mocking tone.
“Please, tell me, Zena.” Her eyes widened at the realization that I really wanted to know.
“Do you really, sweet pea?” Ugh, I hated it when people used those condescending nicknames.
“Yes, or I wouldn’t have asked.” I crossed my arms hoping she’d hook me up. She rolled her eyes at me and tried to move past me. “Please, Zena. I’m pretty desperate.
She rounded me as though she was studying me. “Meet me at this address tomorrow at noon.” She pulled out a card with a club address written on it. Before walking out of my room, she turned back and said, “Oh, and dress like you’re not in high school.” With that, she left, leaving me to analyze my dress.
What was she talking about? I was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans paired with a baby blue button down shirt with black flats. I liked dressing this way. It was me, my style. She should see me on days I just rolled out of bed in enough time to make it to class. There was actually a time or two I showed up to class in my pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt. So she had better thank her lucky stars this was one of my better days.
That night was a sleepless night. I kept thinking what could possibly be going on with Zena. The way she carried herself and never being seen with the same man twice. Maybe I’ll find out tomorrow.
The next day, I arrived at Club Breeze a half hour before she had told me. I had to look at the address several times before settling on this being the right place. The building looked like it should have been condemned from the outside. The letters on the sign were all but faded. The building had long, narrow cracks running through it. I pulled on the door handle to enter the club to find it locked. Just my luck, stupid hoe was messing with me. Just as I was beginning to lose hope of meeting Zena, the door flung open. I was standing eye to eye with a very pissed looking man.
“You’re late,” he snapped. I looked down at my phone making sure he was incorrect.
“No. It’s only eleven-forty-five. Zena told me to be here at noon.”
“When you’re meeting with me, you had better be an hour early. Otherwise, you are late.” He snatched my arm pulling me inside the dilapidated building.
“Excuse me,” I said as I snatched my arm away from his grasp. “Who do you think—” He cut me off.
“I’m your new boss. From this point on, I own you and everything you do,” he snapped again. He again grabbed me pulling me through the building that I hadn’t noticed was absolutely gorgeous. The vaulted ceilings were at least ten feet tall with the walls painted a dark green. The place reminded me of the medieval era.
“Wha… Who…” I found myself stuttering over my words. “Stop!” I screamed. He stopped, looked me up and down and proceeded to walk away leaving me in the middle of the building. A bright light opened up in my eyes making me shield them.
“What the hell is going on?” I whispered
The man walked back to me and took my arm again. This time it was more gently. “Come with me.” He led me to a back office and opened the door. Sitting behind the desk was Zena.
“Zena, what the hell?” I gave her a questioning look. The man stood there scowling at me with his arms crossed.
“Nykoda, do you know who I am?”
“Ummm… how would I know what you do? What is this place, Zena, and why is this man grabbing me?”
“His name,” she said as she enunciated each word, “his name is Roger. You will address him as Mr. Roger.” She still hadn’t answered any of my questions.
“Whatever. I’ll ask again.” I freaking hated repeating myself. Roger, I mean, Mr. Roger stood there with a stupid smug look on his face. “What is going on?”
She got up from here black wingback chair and walked around the oversized desk to me. “SIT!” She growled at me. She actually growled. “You want to know what I do, Nykoda. I run an escort service. The most popular one in the city. You asked what I did. There, now you know.” My eyes must have been bugging out of my head. What had I gotten myself into?
“Listen, I must have made some type of mistake. I’m not into this sort of thing. Sorry I wasted your time.” I began to rise from the chair when Zena pushed me back down.
“Oh, sweet pea... You’re not going anywhere.” She sat in the chair next to me folding her hands neatly in her lap. “You and I are now connected. You will work for me. You’ll make more money than you’ve ever dreamed of making.”
“No. I won’t. I don’t sell my body for money.” CRACK. She slapped me across the face.
“Wrong, Nykoda. We don’t sell ourselves. We provide a service of company to men who need dates. Once you learn this, the sooner we will get along.” I sat there shocked rubbing the place she’d slapped. It hurt like a living hell.
“All right, Zena. Tell me about this business of yours.” She spent a better part of three hours explaining the job to me. And what do they say? The rest is history. I haven’t looked back since.
NYKODA
The ways of being an escort weren’t easy at first. Zena took me under her wing, making me her prize protégée. She took me to the best shops in town making me over into something I no longer recognized. My jet black hair was now a darkened brown, and my caramel skin was touched up by the finest makeup. Don’t get me started on the attention. Zena made me dress up every day, even when I had class.
“You must dress the part.” She drilled that into me. “Always look your best; you never know who you’ll run into.” It explained why she always looked like a runway model. I used her as a role model for myself, copying all her mannerisms.
One of the things the men seemed to like was when she would gently bite her bottom lip. The men simply went crazy for it showering her with gifts.
I’ll never forget my first date. He was a tall drink of water, very handsome. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he needed to hire a date. He was that good looking. Chiseled jaw, milk chocolate skin, and an ass you could bounce a quarter off. I was a complete nervous wreck. I hadn’t slept a wink the night before and couldn’t concentrate on anything. Apparently,
the man requested me by name claiming he’d seen me at an event with Zena. My palms were sweaty and my mascara kept running due to my eyes tearing up.
“Nykoda, you’ve got to calm down,” she had said. “I can’t keep reapplying this makeup. Sit. Breathe. Everything is going to fine. Mr. Leeds is going to love you.” She sat down beside me. “You have my pager number and my home telephone number if anything should go wrong.” Yeah, you heard right. Back then, we didn’t have the luxury of cell phones.
“I know. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. You and I have been out a dozen times together. I should have the hang of this.”
She smiled at me. “You have nothing to be nervous about. It will go swimmingly. My first date made me a nervous wreck as well. What I did to get through was to think of something I loved. My thing is butterflies. I love butterflies, the way they are so colorful and free. The thought made me calm instantly. Do you have anything you can think of?” She was nice for the first time since she made me work for her.
“Yeah, I think so.” I breathed. “I think I’ve got it. What time am I supposed to meet him?” She wrote down the instructions for me again leaving me to finish getting ready. I opted for a short but elegant black dress paired with black stiletto heels. My red shrug gave it the pop of color to complete the outfit. I grabbed my clutch and headed out to meet Mr. Leeds.
Mr. Leeds didn’t disappoint me in the looks department. When he first set eyes on me, I could have sworn he undressed me right then.
“Mr. Leeds, I’m Nykoda, your date for the evening.” I held out my hand for him and I was doomed from the moment he took it. From that moment on, it was only him I saw. He never would allow me to see anyone else or do anyone else. The sex was fantastic—better than I had ever had before. And let me tell you, I was no virgin so I had people to compare him to. About a year into my job with Zena, Mr. Leeds asked me to marry him. I had enough money to pay for the rest of my college tuition and even law school.
“You can’t marry him.” She smiles a sadistic smile. “I thought he would be through with you by now. Do you know how much money I’ll lose if you leave? You alone make more money than three girls put together.”
“That’s only because Greg pays more than your asking price. I love him, plus he says I won’t have to work anymore.”
“Oh, you stupid, stupid girl. Do you think he really loves you?” She laughed right in my face. She began to pace her office floor burning a hole in the carpet. “Trust me when I say, he doesn’t love you, and he will not take care of you like I will.” She stopped and turned to me.
I hunch down in my chair as she hovers over me. Never in a million years did I think she’d be so mad at the arrangement Greg and I had. I do love him. It’s complicated with him though. Another time and place for that story.
“First, stop hovering over me. Second, I don’t need or want either of you to take care of me. I can take care of myself. Look at what I’ve accomplished in the past year. I have enough money for the next several years without working another job. I learned from you and put that knowledge to use with Mr. Leeds. Now he wants to take care of me and for me to finish out my dreams. And I for one am going to let him. There is nothing you can do or say that is going to change my mind. So shut up and let me go.” She looked complacent.
She sat in the chair next to me contemplating what she was going to say or do next. “You know I never thought of it that way.” She ran her hands through her blonde hair. “You, my dear, are much smarter than I give your credit for. Let’s talk about this over lunch. Maybe we can find a happy medium.” With that, she took me to the four seasons for lunch. That was just like Zena to have the best of everything.
“Well, here is to your new found happiness.” She held the glass up to me. “I hope you are very happy with Mr. Leeds. He seems like a nice fellow, to say the least.”
“Greg is very good to me, and I think we will be excellent for each other. I love him and that’s all that matters to us.”
“Does he love you, I mean really love you? Like the ‘everyone disappears in the room’ love.” Her voice cracked as she sipped her wine glass.
“Yes, he does. You should see him, Zena. The man literally caters to me. What more can a girl ask for?” Now, if she asked me if I’m head over heels in love, the answer was flat out no. Now wait before you judge me. I had that love once, and I don’t care to discuss it now. Just know I had it once and will never have it again.
“Well, then, I’m sure everything will be okay. I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. This little revelation of yours sort of caught me off guard. I sincerely hope you are happy.” We finished our meal in silence. We said our goodbyes. I didn’t see or hear from her business again until Zena tragically died in a car accident. And that’s when I took over the business, of course, with Greg’s approval. He was fine with it as long as I wasn’t working. He wasn’t having anyone else touch me besides him.
So let’s skip back to where we are now, cleaning up Faith’s mess and having to deal with Ronin. My patience is running thin with him, as I have entrusted him with my most prized possession. He had better get his act together or I will send in someone to do his job for him.
RONIN
That night, I couldn’t get comfortable for the life of me. All I wanted to do was sleep; the day had been an utter mess. I felt Faith stir in her sleep making me wonder if she was having a nightmare. The sight of the dead body was getting the better of me. I mean, it wasn’t the first time I had seen a dead body, but not one this bloody. And to think that it aroused me. It took all my strength not to rip those clothes off her back and take her right there in that room. I know—I know you’re thinking what a sick bastard I am. It can’t be helped—Faith and I bring out the inner animal in each other. We light the fire that was once dim and, boy, does it make me feel alive. You know the feeling as if you are flying high in the sky? The one, no matter what anyone else does, they can’t bring you down? That is what she does for me.
Nykoda once lit that fire for me until she got so busy with her practice she didn’t have time to indulge with me anymore. Her practice was one of the fastest growing in the city. So what does she do? She all but hands me the business. Grooming to take over so she can focus more on her career. What choice did I have other than to involve her in this mess? Only she had the resources to clean it up.
Faith stirring again drug me from my thoughts. I pull her close to me so that I can breathe her in. She always smelled so divine, like a roasted chocolate and wine. Sometimes I have to ask myself why I can’t just be normal. Be like any other man with a stable job, a wife, a house, and the 2.5 kids. Then I think how boring my life would be.
When I was in college, my major, as ironic as it is, was law. It was the only thing that thrilled me in life. The fact that so many people could bend the law, manipulate it. Basically, made it their bitch.
You see, nothing is ever what it seems. I mean, really, how do you explain how OJ Simpson got away with murdering his ex-wife and boyfriend? I suspect that would be how Nykoda feels about it, and why she’s so good at what she does. She would always make me second guess myself, even if I knew what I had done was correct—which, in this business, there is no room for second guessing.
“Stop! Stop! Stop! Please, stop!” Faith yelled bolting straight up. I instantly pulled her into an embrace. Her hair was soaked with sweat.
“Shhhh, Faith. It was only a dream.” She sobbed into my shirt making my heart ache for her. I’ve never seen this woman cry before, not even when she killed the first girl.
“I don’t...” She stopped and pulled herself from me. “Ronin, I can’t understand this. He was choking me and hitting me with that belt. There was nothing I could do to stop him.” She leaned back into me.
“You were only protecting yourself. Something I should have been doing and failed. This is my fault. His background check came back clean. Nothing in it gave me red flags.” The sobs started again. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry this ha
ppened.” All I could do was hold her as she cried.
“It isn’t your fault, Ronin. How could you have known he was a monster? I just have to get over this. I guess it will happen in time.” She was so brave, so strong.
“Yes, in time. The boss is going to make this go away. Things will look better in the morning. You wait and see. Do you want something to drink?” She nodded yes. I walked into the kitchen, pulled a cold water bottle from the fridge, and headed back to the bedroom. When I arrived back to my room, I found Faith hunched over in a corner rocking back and forth. Shit, what had happened in her dream that would make her break down like this? I leaned down next her scooping her up into my arms.
“What’s wrong, Faith?” I asked brushing her hair away from her face. She said nothing as she buried her head into my chest. This was so unlike her to be so afraid of something she did. Usually, she faced up to anything she’d done. But now she was like a small child that needed to be cared for. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.” I lifted her face to meet mine as I sat on the edge of the bed. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
“I... I...” She stuttered trying desperately to form a word, any word. Instead, she just pulled her face from my hand and rested back into my chest.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence between us, she spoke. “It was horrible, Ronin. Everything I ever loved was gone. My apartment burned down, my family was dead and worst of all, you were dead as well. I looked down at my hands, Ronin, and they were stained with blood. I was so scared and had no idea what to do.” She began to sob again.
“I’m here now, sweetheart. Look at me, Faith.” She then turned her eyes to meet mine. “I’m alive and so is your family. It was just an awful nightmare.” I stroked her cheek to relax her. “Here, drink this. It’ll help you feel better.” I handed her the bottle of water and she gulped it down in one swoosh.
