‘Wow! Nice one. And how did you cop for this?’ he asked, his eyes taking in his surroundings.
Ruby laughed. ‘Probably the same way you copped for all your designer gear and gold. Hustling.’
Her two cousins couldn’t resist joining in with her laughter. ‘Nice one, cuz,’ said Calvin. ‘It looks as though you’ve done well.’
Ruby felt a sense of pride when she thought about all the times her cousins had put her down as a kid and now, here they were, admiring what she had achieved.
‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘It pays anyway, and I enjoy it.’
‘How’s the family?’ asked Calvin.
‘Good. Ellis and Jarell have left home now and got their own places. There’s only Tyler still at home with my mam.’
‘Is she alright?’
‘Yeah, fine. Same old, y’know. What about your mam and dad?’
‘Yeah, they’re great,’ said Calvin.
‘All this talk of their families suddenly put Ruby on her guard. ‘Please don’t let any of them know about my job, by the way. I’d hate it to get back to my mam. Y’know what she’s like.’
Calvin smiled, cheekily. ‘Sure. We wouldn’t want any of the oldies knowing what we get up to either.’
‘I think they’ve already got a good idea,’ laughed Ruby.
She couldn’t help thinking what her mother’s reaction would be if she knew she was running a brothel and her two wayward cousins had just called in as customers.
‘You ever get any bother?’ asked Josh.
Ruby shrugged. ‘Sometimes, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.’
‘Must be hard for a woman though,’ he commented and Ruby felt that familiar irritation from her childhood at his dismissive attitude.
‘I manage OK,’ she said. ‘Anyway, come on; let me introduce you to the girls.’
‘Oh, we’re only here to suss the place out,’ said Josh, and Calvin looked at him pointedly.
‘It’s OK,’ said Ruby. ‘There’s no shame in visiting a brothel, y’know. You’d be surprised at the men we get in here, and they’re not all seedy old men in anoraks either.’
‘Come on then,’ said Calvin to Josh. ‘What are we waiting for?’
*
Sometime later when her cousins were ready to leave, they came across to the reception desk to have a few words with Ruby before they went. Calvin had a smile on his face but Josh was looking sheepish.
‘We’re off now, cuz. See you around some time,’ said Calvin.
‘Sure, feel free to call in any time. It’s no problem,’ Ruby replied.
‘OK,’ said Calvin and, as he turned to go, Josh leant into the desk and said in a low voice. ‘If you ever do have any problems, you can always give us a ring. Let me give you my number.’
Ruby remembered her irritation of earlier. There was no way she would have them thinking she needed their help! It was about time they knew she was just as capable as any man.
‘No, it’s fine,’ she said. ‘Like I said before, there’s nothing I can’t handle.’
Overhearing the conversation, Calvin said, ‘Come on, cuz, you never know. Besides, even if you don’t need any help you can put our numbers in your phone and let us have yours. Then we can always ring and let you know if we’re coming by so you can save your best girls for us.’
He grinned lasciviously and Ruby felt a sense of revulsion, but she passed him a slip of paper and a pen. Business was business, after all. Calvin scribbled both his and Josh’s numbers down and passed the paper back to her.
‘Cheers,’ she said before they said their final goodbyes and left.
After they had gone she reflected on their visit. How times had changed! They were no longer the annoying boys she had grown up with. Instead they seemed to respect her and all she had achieved, although Josh still seemed to think her abilities as a woman were limited. Nevertheless, it was good that they wanted to help her, which was more than they had done when she had been attacked as a child. Perhaps they were growing up at last.
She punched the numbers into her phone; maybe it would be good to keep in touch. They were her cousins when all said and done. And besides, although she was loath to admit it, there might just be a time when she would need them. After all, this was a high-risk business and Ruby knew as well as most that she had been lucky up to now not to encounter any serious problems.
45
April 2011
Ruby greeted Victor with a smile as he walked into the waiting area where she was sat chatting with two of her girls. Today he wasn’t here just to discuss business. He was here for a session with Ruby and his face lit up when he noticed that she was already dressed in her dominatrix gear of black rubber catsuit and thigh-high boots.
Ruby’s Massage Parlour had now been open for over three and a half years and, although Victor paid occasional visits to the other girls, it was the sessions with Ruby that he enjoyed the most. Ruby knew exactly what she needed to do to satisfy Victor’s particular urges and her ability to meet his requirements kept him coming back for more.
Ruby got up from her seat. ‘You ready?’ she asked.
‘I need to have a chat with you first,’ he said, his expression grave.
‘OK, can’t we chat upstairs?’ asked Ruby.
‘I’m afraid not, no. I wouldn’t want anything to distract us from business.’
Victor smiled but it looked forced, unlike his usual eager expression just before a session. She led him to a spare room, guessing that he had something serious to discuss.
‘Well, what is it?’ she asked.
Victor came straight to the point. ‘We need to start charging the girls more for the rooms so we can maximise profits.’
‘But why?’
‘Like I’ve just said, we need to maximise profits.’
Ruby noticed that his whole persona had changed; instead of the meek, subservient man that entered her dungeon, he was forceful and determined, his features rigid, his shoulders back and his chest puffed out.
