‘Right, just your lipstick to do now,’ said Loretta, rummaging inside the makeup bag to find the right colour. She pulled out three and tried each of them in turn on the back of her hand, finally settling on a bright red one. ‘I think this one will do. Open your lips, like this,’ she instructed, showing Amy what to do.
She quickly applied the lipstick then stood back to admire her handiwork, singing, ‘Da da!’
Amy grabbed the mirror to have a look for herself. She hardly recognised the person looking back at her and for a moment she stared open-mouthed.
‘Well?’ asked Loretta.
‘It’s… erm… a bit… I don’t know. I look really old.’
‘That’s the idea,’ said Loretta. ‘Right, now I’m gonna leave you to get yourself changed while I go and have a drink with Rick. It’ll stop him getting bored. Wear that outfit I got for you. And don’t forget the heels.’
Amy put on her outfit and shoes then examined herself in the hand mirror. The girl in the mirror looked nothing like her. The short, tight-fitting dress clung to her, emphasising her figure, and the shoes gave her instant height so that, together with the heavy makeup, they made her look much older than her fourteen years. She was pleased in a way because she looked attractive but part of her felt a little intimidated by this new, grown-up version of herself.
She took the stairs, slowly, knowing she was going to elicit a reaction when she walked into the living room. But she was unprepared for how extreme that reaction was going to be.
‘Whit woo!’ shouted Rick as she walked unsteadily into the room on her high heels.
‘Wow! You look stunning,’ said Loretta.
For a few seconds they looked intently at her, making Amy feel uncomfortable. Their scrutiny also made her more nervous as it emphasised what she was about to do.
Nathan’s reaction was a bit less enthusiastic. ‘Where are you going?’ he grumbled.
‘Never you mind,’ said Loretta. ‘It’s got nothing to do with you. Just you behave yourself while I’m out. I won’t be long.’ Then she turned to Amy. ‘Right, let’s go.’
Amy could tell by the way her mother spoke that she had drunk a fair amount. Earlier, Loretta had seemed hesitant about what they were going to do but now that she was drunk, that hesitation seemed to have disappeared. Rick also had an almost empty glass of wine in his hand but, unlike her mother, he still seemed relatively sober.
They all piled into Rick’s car. As Amy sat on the back seat, feeling increasingly apprehensive, Loretta turned around and said, ‘Don’t forget what I’ve told you: if anyone asks, you’re to tell them you’re nineteen.’
‘OK,’ said Amy and she sat in silence for the rest of the journey while her mother and Rick made mundane conversation.
As they approached Piccadilly, Amy began to sit up and take notice. She could feel her heart beating so frantically that it felt like it was rising into her throat and she tried to swallow down the nerves that were threatening to overwhelm her.
Just before they reached Piccadilly station, Rick took a right turn. ‘You sure this is the right way?’ asked Loretta.
‘Yeah, course I’m sure.’ Then he turned his head to the side and winked saucily at Loretta, ‘Been here enough times, haven’t I?’
They drove to an area in the backstreets, which was more secluded, and Amy gazed, wide-eyed, at the scantily clad girls who hung about on the street. Then Rick stopped the car next to a tunnel opening.
‘This’ll do,’ he said. ‘There’s nobody else here so she should be alright. She’s best not muscling in on anyone else’s patch. These girls can be right nasty bitches when they get going, y’know.’
‘Shush!’ Loretta warned, flashing her eyes over her shoulder to indicate Amy’s presence.
But there was no point issuing the warning. Amy had heard what he said, and her nerves shifted up a gear till she was feeling intense anxiety. She tried to latch on to what her mother had told her earlier.
‘You’ll be fine. It’s just the same as you’ve done before except most of it will probably be in cars.’
And those were the only words of advice she had given her apart from the need to pretend she was nineteen.
Amy sat there, numb with fear, until her mother said, ‘Come on then, Amy. Let’s have you out.’
Loretta climbed out of her own seat and opened the rear door for Amy to step out. She smiled at her daughter. ‘Eh, you’ll have to practise wearing those shoes. You could walk up and down a bit while you’re waiting for customers.’
‘But, Mum…’ said Amy.
Her mother butted in, ‘Now, come on, Amy, we’ve discussed this.
‘I’ve not bleedin’ come all this way for nothing,’ Rick shouted from inside the car.
Loretta cast a worried glance over her shoulder. ‘I’ve got to go. But I’ve told you, you’ll be fine. It won’t be any different from what you’re used to. Just think of the money, love; it’ll save us from losing the house. We’ll be back here at two o’clock anyway.’
She gave her daughter a peck on her forehead, but Amy could see the pained expression on her face as she quickly got back inside the car and shut the door.
Panic set in as soon as Amy realised she was on her own. She stepped back towards the car and made to grab the door handle, but Rick pressed down on the central locking. Then he revved the engine and flew off up the street.
Amy let go of the handle and jumped back in shock. The momentum of the car, together with the dangerously high heels, made her stumble, and she landed on the pavement. It took her a moment to recover and she got up, straightening her dress and wiping bits of dust off the bottom of it.
Once she was on her feet, she assessed her bruises, checking the painful areas on her legs and holding her hand
