Panties for Sale

by York, Mattie

  “Forget? How can you forget to eat? No wonder you are so tiny. How ‘bout I go downstairs and fix you something?” Angela offered her a pillow for her back and then went out through the white curtains. “Here,” She handed Chieko a stack of papers, “while I am downstairs, you can fill in these forms.”

  Chieko took the forms from Angela. She squinted her eyes to read the small English typing. “And, do you think,” Angela hovered by the side of chair, “are you ready to take photos today? Maybe we can do that too. Ok? ”

  “Yes. Ok. Of course,” Chieko nodded “I am ready for pictures.”

  “Ok, well, why don’t we get started on that as well? Come over here,” Angela guided Chieko to the vanity, “you can fix your hair and makeup. And here,” Angela patted the side of the bed, still set up as an exotic love nest from the earlier photo shoot, “is where we shall take the photos. OK? Are you ok?”

  “You take photo here?”

  “Yes, you did say that would be ok. If we did a photo shoot?”

  Chieko smiled weakly. “Hai, yes. Photo is ok.”

  “Whew,” Angela pretended to wipe sweat from her brow. “Ok, then. Please, use what you need. Really, help yourself. Make yourself look beautiful.”

  Chieko sat down and looked at the pile of used eye shadows. She picked up a purple colour but then hesitated as Angela leaned over her shoulder. Angela was staring, not at Chieko. but at her own reflection. Chieko watched in fascination as Angela pulled and squeezed bits of her face, trying to smooth out her wrinkles with her fingertips. Angela rummaged through the mass of blushes, lipsticks, mascaras on the counter with her long red fingernails finally selecting a black lipstick tube. She opened it and roughly smeared a dark plum colour on her lips. She smiled too wide, opening and clamping her jaw, inspecting her yellowing teeth. Then she pursed her lips together, leaned back and smiled seductively at herself in the mirror. Laughing, she caught Chieko watching her, “OK?” she patted Chieko on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

  Once the sound of Angela’s footsteps faded down the stairs, Chieko got up and tiptoed into the sunroom. She grabbed her bag from the floor and opened the zipper, digging her hands deep, past her own small makeup bag, her big makeup bag, her wallet, her mirror, her nail kit, her handkerchiefs, her cell phone, her ‘Hello Kitty’ notebook and matching pencil until she found her half crushed pack of cigarettes. Picking out the last intact cigarette, and grabbing the plastic lighter from the table, Chieko ran over to the open window, lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply. She felt her whole body relax as she blew the smoke out through the open window. She took a few quick drags, savoring the feeling of the nicotine surging through her body, and then flicked the cigarette out the window. She watched it land in the rain soaked gutter two stories below and then tiptoed back to the mirror.

  Feeling much more relaxed and confident, Chieko sat down again. She shoved all Angela’s makeup and hair products to the side and opened her own makeup bags, spreading their contents neatly out on the table. First she delicately spritzed Evian water spray and then fanned her face with her hands. She used blotter papers to blot the excess oil from her forehead, chin and nose, and then leaned close to the mirror to carefully examine her pores at every possible angle. Satisfied that there were no blemishes, she picked up her Shiseido white lucent skin cream and squeezed out a small drop into her open palm. Using just the tips of her fingers, she rubbed it all over her face and neck in small gentle circles. Then, she took her powder and using a small cushion dabbed it all over her face, especially under her eyes and on the tip of her nose.

  Next she set to work on her eyes. She opened a small tube of glue and a box of fake eyelashes. Squeezing a thin line of glue onto the lashes, she carefully placed them on the rim of one eyelid and then the other, using her fingers to fan the glue dry. A gentle tug on the lashes ensured they were secure. She curled both her real lashes and fake ones together and lined her eyes with black. She chose a pale lilac shimmering eye shadow and brushed it onto her eyelids all the way up to the eyebrows. Midway between the eye and the eyebrow, Chieko drew a thin line of dark grey eye shadow to create the illusion of an eyelid. As she dug into her small makeup bag for her eyebrow brush, Chieko closed one eye then the other watching in the mirror to make sure the eyelid lines were even. She meticulously combed her thin eyebrows and coloured them in with a black pencil, then finished her eyes with a slow coat of black mascara.

  Happy with her handiwork, Chieko lowered her eyelids and fluttered her lashes, flirting with her reflection. She dabbed her favorite bright red lipstick onto the middle of her lips and smoothed it out over the rest of her mouth with her middle finger.

  “Oh you look so beautiful,” Angela made Chieko jump. She had been staring at her reflection so intently; she hadn’t even heard Angela come back into the room. “Just like a china doll. I wish I had one of those Chinese dresses to put you in. That would drive the men wild. No, I’m sorry, you’re Japanese. I always get those Asian countries mixed up.” Angela put down a can of Pepsi and plate of crackers with cheese. “What do they wear in Japan?”

  5

  Angela took a sip of her wine and stared at the pink notebook in her lap. Her house was so quiet. She sat still and listened, but all she could hear were the creaks and groans as the old house settled itself in for the night after a long day. It had been a long day, she thought as she closed her eyes and relaxed back into the couch pillows.

  “I know, I know,” she muttered, “It won’t write itself.” With a sigh, she put down her wine glass, flipped the journal open to the first page and picked up her pen.

  March 15

  Dear Diary,

  Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Yes, this is officially my new GOOD life. Turning over a new leaf. A new start.

  Ok, so, I have to write 3 pages. A day. Luann, my darlin’ therapist told me to. I don’t know why. It seems like a waste of time to me. But she said that it was important. Write down all my thoughts. My feelings. She said I needed to know what I am raging about before I can heal it. What rage? Is she insane? So, maybe, I guess my new therapist is a little nuts.

  Luann is one of those new age touchy feely freaks. She doesn’t even have an office. I go to her apartment. We sit in her living room. Like a bunch of hippies. On our asses. Well, I guess it is more comfortable than a stodgy old leather chair in a dusty office. She does have these gorgeous silk pillows to sit on and she makes this lovely chamomile tea with honey or something. Oh, she has so many pillows. Like those Indian style patterns covered with bells. You know, I think the Indian look is in now. Maybe I could get a few red ones or pink pillows for my set. Hang some of those gauzy curtains. Get the girls to wear those bells around their waists, like belly dancers. That would be sexy! Men would like that. Yeah.

  What else? Luann has tons of bells. Bells everywhere. Today, while she was talking, I counted 10 bells on her bookshelf. And one huge iron one on her coffee table. She said that one was from Thailand. She studied massage in Thailand. Wonder what university that was at? Whatever. She is so nuts. Oh yeah, she also burns incense. I don’t know what it’s called. It kinda smells like pot, but more like pot mixed with flowers. I don’t know. Patchouli or Frankincense or something?

  Adriana told me about her. One of my girls. Well ex-girls. She doesn’t work for me anymore. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. She said Luann helped her turn her life around. And now she is happy. Married! To a nice man actually. They moved to Chicago. Computer job or something. So, yeah I think that’s good.

  Let me tell you, that girl used to be a disaster. Always whining about her clients. And how hard her life was. And it’s true, she did get slimy clients. But that’s because she liked them. I swear. They kept asking for her exclusively. And every girl knows how to treat a man that you don’t like, so he gets the hint. No, I think she liked the attention. Hell, of course she did! She got her tits done for the attention didn’t she? Not that she needed it. She started at D.
Imagine how her back is going to feel when she’s 70. Whatever. Now, she’s a different person. And she dropped like 20 pounds. Ha! Can you believe it! So, basically she looks like Dolly Parton now. Huge tits and a tiny waist. And bleached blonde hair. Ha!

  So, I thought what the hell, right? I was thinking of going to a shrink anyways. I need someone to talk to about my life. My god damned husband. And this god damned marriage. And sure, I could use a stress break. No, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. But, I never really looked into it you know? Don’t want any referrals from my doctor. Don’t want anyone knowing my business. I can pay for it. Don’t need approval from OHIP. I don’t care if it’s covered with my insurance or not. I pay cash. No money trail. Plus, it’s just for me. It’s my time. Lord knows, I need my time. Need someone to sort out these crazy thoughts I’m having.

  I couldn’t go to a man. NO. What would a man do? Listen to my story and then want to have sex with me. Or want me to give him a blow job. For sure, he would. As soon as I told him what I do. No, I can afford it. I want to pay for it right and straight. No more goddamned lying cheating sex grabbing two faced men!!!!!! God. Really. Jesus Christ.

  Angela took another sip of her wine. She looked down at what she had wrote and then flipped to the next two empty pages. Not sure what to write next, she looked around her sunroom. She liked this room. Liked the furniture she had chosen. Soft white leather. Crisp. Clean. She smiled at the small blooms of exotic orchids that grew in large china pots along the windows. Purple. White. With a faint trim of pink. So beautiful. So delicate.

  Leaning back, Angela brushed her hair against a branch of the large fig tree that hung over her chair and looked out at the night sky through the sun window. It had just started to rain. As she watched, a tiny drop hit the window pane and then slowly began to trickle its way down the slanted glass. Another rain drop splashed in its path, and joined in. Then another. And another. Soon, the rain drops fused together to create tiny streams, picking up speed as they descended connecting with other streams until they became a rushing torrent racing over the edge of the window, plummeting off the side of the house. “Oh yeah,” Angela grabbed her pen.

  My new girls. Jesus Christ. Two new girls stuck in the headlights. Maybe I shouldn’t hire them? Maybe they don’t need to get into this. Ha! Bloody hell. If not me, someone else will. At least I can keep them safe.

  I don’t know about girl number 1. What an airhead! Ok, maybe not. I told her my story. Tried to get a response. You know, gauge if she’d be OK or be a runner. Nothing. She just listened. Didn’t rattle her at all. Girls these days. In-fucking-vincible. Think it’s not going to happen to them. Bloody naïve rich bitch. She seems nice enough. Pretty too. Sexy as hell. Great body but she doesn’t think so. Insecure as fuck. Perfect for this kind of job. Men will love that because she won’t be too proud. And she’ll do anything to please. You can just tell. And those tits. And hair. I’ll make some money off of her. Wonder if she’s got what it takes though?

  She seemed cool enough today, but I wonder if I’ll hear from her again. Sometimes they just disappear. Don’t call or anything. Yeah, she could be a runner. I got the feeling that she is doing this on the spur of the moment. Like it almost sounds exciting for her. Or turns her on. I can see her doing the quick in and out appointments, and she’ll take the gifts, but I don’t know if she’ll want to comfort them, you know. The old guys might freak her out.

  How much do our parents fuck us up when were kids eh? So much that I have lists of men that will pay hundreds of dollars to some chick who doesn’t give a damn about them, just to let them suck her tits like a baby while they talk about their problems. What the fuck, eh? Yeah, I think she’s expecting some scene from a movie. I don’t know what she’ll do. My clients usually aren’t George Clooneys. These are the, well, the ones that no one else takes the time of day to even notice. The fat boys. The skinny man-boys. The fucking nut jobs that were beaten too much as a kid or were abused by their father’s friends. The perverts. The gays who don’t want to face it. I don’t know.

  It’s funny really. Men are supposed to be these big, strong, powerful business guys who run the world, but really inside they are just like little boys. Its goddamned bizarre is what it is. Sometimes, when I’m with a client, and they are all nice and relaxed, I can actually see the little boy they used to be. So cute! Just a cute little boy looking for love. I don’t know if Barbie doll can do that, though. I don’t know if she’ll have the patience to hug one of those creepy old greasy haired men while they cry. But damn it, if she could learn how to do that, see the little boy in her clients, hot damn, she’d have them hooked.

  I don’t know, you know? But there is no way that that girl’s got money troubles. She ain’t desperate. You should have seen the expensive black leather boots she had on. And a bag full of lingerie. The expensive stuff. From La Senza. All of it brand new. She probably just bought it all for this bloody photo shot. What in the world is she thinking?

  Britney Bloody Spears. Making sexy videos to make little girls think that money comes easy. That it’s fun to parade around half naked and get men to pay for you. Stupid!!! I’ll have to be gentle with this one, for sure. I’ll start her slow. Give her the nice guys. Can you believe she is going to kiss the clients? She didn’t even see anything wrong with it. Just shrugged her shoulders. Of course, why not? How gross is that? But maybe it’s not gross for her. Ugh! Some guys tongues, well, let’s just say you never know where they have been. And you don’t want that jammed down your throat, honey. But no threesomes. Damn. I thought everyone was into threesomes these days. Why is it so hard to find girls that will actually do them? I can’t believe all the calls I get for two girls. Just the novelty of it, I guess. What’s the god-damned big deal with that right now? Like it’s any better?

  Men are so stupid. It’s always about their pricks.

  Alex, that’s her name. Yeah, she’s a trip. She refused to be with handicapped guys. Jesus Christ. That’s like half my morning gigs right there. I mean there ain’t nothing wrong with them. Everything works down there. Where the hell else are they going to get girls? And they are nice men. Nicer than most other man I know. They pay well too. Easy job, actually. Yeah, I’ll have to keep my eye on Alex. Spoilt little daddy’s girl.

  Girl number 2? She’s Chinese. No. No. Japanese. I’m not sure that I need another Asian girl. I’ve already got three from the Philippines. I guess that’s different. I don’t have any Japanese girls. But do I really need one that doesn’t speak? Can she even speak English? God damned. But she’s beautiful. Yeah, that was odd. When I first saw her, I didn’t even know what she was doing here. Shy, quiet, flat, tiny and plain as day. Not ugly. No, but just well, unnoticeable. But then when she put all that god damned makeup on. Lord Halleluiah. Bloody Lucy Liu in my office. Japanese right? Wait a minute, she might a gold mine.

  6

  TORGUY71: u sound sexy!!!?!?! wanna chat?

  Sassygirl: ok…... how ru?

  TORGUY71: horny ;)

  Sassygirl: oh really?

  TORGUY71: can I see your picture?

  Sassygirl: only if I can c u first.

  TORGUY71: playing hard to get? I like that... here ur.

  Sassygirl: ur cute.

  Sassygirl: here is mine.

  TORGUY71: WOWOWOWOW!!!! You are SOOOOO HOOOTTT.

  Sassygirl: LOL

  TORGUY71: having any luck here on lava? u must be CRAZY busy?

  Sassygirl: im still a bit of a virgin with all this.

  TORGUY71: mmmmmm.. me like…..

  TORGUY71: u looking for online

  TORGUY71: you want to meet?

  TORGUY71: ???

  Sassygirl: not sure

  TORGUY71: your profile says ur looking for adventure.

  Sassygirl: yes

  TORGUY71: and you like sex talk? oral sex?

  Sassygirl: yes……

  TORGUY71: do you like giving?

  Sassygirl: yes

  TORGUY7
1: mmmmmmMMMMMM……have you met anyone yet?

  Sassygirl: no, have u?

  TORGUY71: a few.

  Sassygirl: and?

  TORGUY71: they were nice. no love matches though.

  TORGUY71: so sexy.. what are u looking for?

  Sassygirl: fun. chemistry.

  TORGUY71: mmm….me too!!!

  Sassygirl: sounds like a good match.

  TORGUY71: i think we should meet.

  Sassygirl: u think?

  TORGUY71: ooooh YES. i want to meet ya bad…

  Sassygirl: when did u have in mind?

  TORGUY71: i am free tonight.

  Sassygirl: tonight? that’s a bit soon

  TORGUY71: if ur not comfortable, i can wait.

  Sassygirl: ok….

  TORGUY71: we could just meet for coffee………to check our chemistry?!?

  Sassygirl: coffee would be good.

  TORGUY71: tonight?

  TORGUY71: be adventurous…. ;)

  TORGUY71: ???

  TORGUY71: hello?? u there?

  Sassygirl: OK.

  TORGUY71: OK what?

  Sassygirl: OK.. coffee.. tonight.

  TORGUY71: what time?

  Sassygirl: 9:00.

  TORGUY71: where?

  Sassygirl: your place?

  TORGUY71: WOOWOWOW.. OK. u r adventurous!! :P

  Sassygirl: OK? where do you live?

  TORGUY71: 275 Avenue Road.

  Sassygirl; is that an apt?

  TORGUY71: yes.

  Sassygirl: do you live alone?

  TORGUY71: yes

  Sassygirl: what apt?

  TORGUY71: 2705

  Sassygirl: OK.

  TORGUY71: what is your name, sexy?

  Sassygirl: susan, urs?

  TORGUY71: David. nice to meet you.

  Sassygirl: you too.

  TORGUY71: so sexy susie, what are you into?

  Sassygirl: huh?

  TORGUY71: do you like giving blow jobs?

  Sassygirl: i do…..

  TORGUY71: what would you do first?