She was pretty old. Forty, forty-five maybe. There were stretch marks on her body, signs of childbirth, puberty, anything. I always got the creeps when my clients turned out to be only a little younger than my mother. Not that I had a mother, but you get the picture.
She was showering. I could hear her singing through the walls of the hotel room as I dressed. She had had a good night, she confessed to me. She was paying me extra.
Thank fucking God, was all I could think. I felt like I deserved it, after having to screw an old hag like that.
Back up, Mello. Breathe in, breathe out. You're an escort. It doesn't matter what you want, or what you deserve. It's all about what you get. I laced up my boots and reached for my jacket, slinging it over my shoulders. It was summer, not really warm enough to bother with a coat, but I had nowhere else to put the cash envelope.
The door creaked open and she stood there, a towel wrapped around her rounded figure. "Money's in the desk drawer," she informed me. "I had a wonderful night. I'll have to recommend you to my friends."
I smiled tightly as I shoved the envelope into my pocket. "Thank you, ma'am. A pleasure doing business with you."
I turned and left, without looking back. I didn't want to witness this, really. See, I've done plenty of women (plenty is an understatement), but never one this lonely. It affected me, y'know? Made me start to think. And God, do I ever hate thinking on the job.
The escort agency was only a few blocks from the hotel, so I stopped at the paper shop and grabbed a bar of chocolate. I really needed some, especially after last night. Bloody hell, was last night intense. That poor woman…so alone…
I kicked at a rubbish bin as I passed it by. Stupid lonely people.
-
"Miss Amane…Miss Amane!"
"Mm?" I called out, snapping my phone shut. My travel manager, Miss Yagami, and her daughter Sayu were coming towards me, waving their arms over their heads. I smiled, blushing. The whole freaking airport could see them. Why didn't they stop?
"Bloody hell…that's Misa-Misa!" somebody shouted.
I cringed. This was like a bad manga. People were suddenly swarming over. I reached for my sunglasses, but I knocked them off the bench accidentally. I cussed as I watched them skitter to the ground, one of the lenses cracking down the middle. Those were my favorite Dolce shades. Damn.
Miss Yagami grinned apologetically. "Sorry, sorry!" she called out, elbowing her way through the hordes gathered around me. She took off her suit jacket and slung it over my shoulders, effectively blocking my head. Her other hand reached into her pants pocket for a slender can of mace. I couldn't help laughing. Miss Y was a bit motherly and maybe a little hyper, but she definitely knew her shit. She had been dealing with different celebrities in the music business for God knows how long.
"Alright, everyone!" she called out in flawless English. "If you don't move aside, I will have to use force." She looked to the side and gave a sharp nod to a burly black man with a head full of dreads. "Rico."
He nodded back and adjusted his mirrored glasses. "Listen to her!" he bellowed.
Eventually, the throng ebbed nervously away, and Miss Y was able to lead me towards the Rico guy.
"Misa-Misa, this is Rico. He will be your accompanying body guard for the length of your stay here in England."
"'Kay." I put on my biggest, sweetest Misa-Misa smile. "Misa-Misa is so happy to meet you!"
He grinned. "You don't have much of an accent for a Japanese chick."
I giggled. "I've been using those tape things." That was a lie. I'd had an English tutor since before I could remember. If there was one thing I hated, it was not being as good as other people at stuff.
He gave a gruff chuckle. "Right. My lil' sister loves you. And she don't even know what the hell you're singing."
It was my turn to grin. "Well, tell her that I'm shooting the video today. I'll invite her to come to the premiere."
"I don't know if she'll be able to make it." For a moment, a weird look flashed across his face.
"Oh. Okay." I shrugged.
Ms. Y was here at my side. "Let's get into the car, Misa-Misa. We're going to unpack in your suite and then head over to the theatre." She motioned towards the white limo that had pulled out in front of the airport. "Come on, it's showtime."
Showtime. What a corny phrase. But I let my Misa-Misa smile stay, and followed her, Sayu and Rico to the car.