2
A ribbon on the door meant occupied always. If that wasn't enough the sound of laughter, moaning, grunting or bed banging was enough for all to know. I moved down the halls knocking on all doors that were without a ribbon or with doors cracked.
"Shauna wants to present you down stairs." I said sticking my head into each room. There were more doors opened then closed. As I moved back downstairs, I had to pull up my pale pink gown a bit so I wouldn't fall beneath my slippers. I think it went without saying I would not be presented with the rest of the girls. Once I reached the bottom of the steps, a firm hand grips my forearm and I gasp at one of the greasy haired Natives smiling down at me with rotten teeth.
"You gonna present yourself to me love?" he asked. I couldn't hide my sharp sneer as I tore myself from his hold. The rest of the girls were starting to come down, and I took a step back, large enough for the women to separate us. The man just laughed as I quickly turned and moved down the hallway to the rest of the rooms. I made my way to the end of the hall coming upon the last door which was of Jenny Everdeane.
She was pretty with red hair and vibrant green eyes. I could tell there was some mild tension between us. I assumed because she wasn't used to being under the same roof as a Negro. She's new and used to stealing things off the street. But I didn't keep many possessions so I was sure she couldn't steal anything of mine. She's what's known as a turtledove. She dressed up mainly as a maid or some other type of worker for the rich and rob them blind.
"You're to be presented." I replied. She was putting a necklace on in front of a large somewhat clean mirror and small desk when she nodded. I was turning to leave.
"Uh Minnie… who are we being presented to?" she asked curiously. I looked back at.
"The Natives." I replied. Her eyes seemed to pop as I said this. She looked down at the desk.
"Bill." she said lightly before moving to fix up her hair. I just left not even wanting to know. I was returning to front of the brothel when I could hear Bill's voice.
"No. No! I don't want any chinks, no niggers, no Irish. We want white. Pure American born white women." he said. He was standing before Shauna as other girls were moving into the presenting room. Shauna scoffed.
"Where's your sense of adventure Bill?" she asked. I moved back onto the opposite side of the room intent on finishing up my chores of cleaning. Bill leaned forward, his eyes sharp eyes piercing into Shauna who just gave a firm stare.
"Get rid of them." he threatened. Shauna continued to sneer as she simply snapped her fingers sharply.
"All my colors leave. All my pure whites, stay." she stated. I picked up the cloth off the table and got to wiping. I glanced up to see girls passing each other. Ming one of the few Chinese women were moving back to their room along with the few other women who weren't born here. They didn't seem all too bothered. Mary, a lighter Negro who could pass for white, shot me a look as if saying "thank God". I just hid my smile.
The room was still filled with women smiling flirtatiously so the big grinning men across from them. Jenny stayed though. I was pretty sure her parents were Irish born, but I didn't dwell on the thought. As the men picked the girl or girls, just finished wiping the tables.
As the day went on more customers came in and more girls were put to use. Money was being made, but only if you used your body. I would be getting paid for still cleaning and counting the bottles of alcohol for inventory. I was also asked to ask all non-working girls if they needed dresses made. Shauna's cousin made dresses for the girls every second weekend of the month. Behind the counter of the soon to be bar, I was leaning over a newspaper, my finger connected to a line of words slowly reading them.
"Three Natives dead…brawls c-continue among Dead Rabbits and Natives." I said lowly.
"You read?" I jumped and leaned back to see The Butcher himself standing there in pants alone. He was barefoot, downing a bottle of whiskey. I definitely did not want to be alone with him. He sauntered over, his face mildly sweaty from doing lord knows what. I leaned back some as he finally stood before me leaning over the counter onto his arm.
"Never met a… woman of your complexion who could read." he mocked and I just stood there, tense, heart beating fast. I didn't have to know him to know I was looking at the Devil's face. He looked down at the newspaper. With his hand still wrapped around the bottle he slowly leaned down and pointing. "What's that word?"
I stared at him carefully for a second before looking down at his finger.
"Deadly." I replied. He slid his finger across to the next work. "Disease. Spreading. Across. New York." He looked down at the paper now tilting his head over. It was talking about Malaria.
"What disease Miss I can read so well?" he mocked once more with a bit of laughter. I stiffened at his words.
"Why don't you read it?" I asked swiftly. His face slowly froze now and his laughter died. Now I just stood there realizing why I had just done. Not only did I just get smart with the Devil himself, I got smart with a white man. My lips quickly parted to stumble out an apology.
"Minerva!" Shauna snapped, and I jumped leaning back to look at her. She was entering the room. Meanwhile Bill just watched me with a scowl before glancing down at the ground as Shauna entered. "Go to your room. One of your regulars is here."
Regular? I didn't have a regular. But I nodded swiftly and moved down the counter to the opening at the end.
"Bye Minerva." Bill says sharply. My name rolls off his tongue with ease and I glance over at him to see him wiggle his fingers at me. "Maybe you can read to me again sometime." His words scared me and I quickly hurried around Shauna and headed upstairs. My room was the last door on the left and open as it usually was. I knew Shauna was lying when she said I had a regular. I've been with men, but I've never been with someone enough that I'd remember their faces. I opened the door further to see someone was standing at my desk with his back to me. He was tall and white with dark curls and broad shoulders.
I blinked some and looked around wondering what it was he was doing here.
"I'm sorry sir, you have walked into the wrong room." I replied. The man was dressed in all black and slowly he turned to look at me. He had long side burns and a neatly trimmed mustache.
"You must forgive me, I seemed to have lost my way to the room I was supposed to be in… but it seems the woman I was supposed to be with is already taken by another man." he said glancing at the wall to his right, the sound of a woman panting in the room over as clear and evident. I looked from the room to this man and he reached into his coat pocket. "If you could hurry close the door I would greatly appreciate it."
His voice was cool and collective and Irish. Whatever he wanted he could take. I started to back out and close the door.
"With you inside." he said a bit quickly. I paused for a moment at his words and with his free hand he motioned me in. "Hurry." What? I was confused but I did what I was told. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me and he now removed his hand and held up a few dollar bills. Now my attention was immediately struck.
"I'll be honest with you, I've never laid with a Negro before never thought about it a day in my life. But I came here for two things and a woman is one of them." he said slowly approaching and I looked him over more as he did so. He stopped halfway in the middle of the room and held the dollars out to me. "All yours if you accept." I immediately took a few steps forward and looked at his hand more closely. I didn't even care to think about the other reason he was here for. The man looked bigger closer up and so I raised both my hands and gently took the dollars from him. He gave a mild crooked smile and I moved around him to my desk and hid the dollars in a small box where I kept dollars only. Of course, I'd give it to Shauna later. Finally, I turned back around and moved back over to the man who was watching me.
My jaw tightened as I looked down for a moment.
"Do you want me to be a slave?" I asked as I've asked many times before. The man looked at me with confused eyes as I looked up at him. "I have a whip if you'd like to use it." I hated that whip with a passion because I have been used for the sick minds of the men here. Shauna has had to watch out for many of us non-American born women when it came to the men here. Things do get out of hand. The man shook his head.
"I don't gain pleasure from a woman's pain, but more so her own pleasure." he said slowly raising his large hand toward my face. I noticed his knuckles were bruised and I knew he had been in a fight. Who was this man? But that's not a quest a whore should ask. He placed his hand softly over my cheek and he gently winced some as his thumb rubbed over my cheek. "Soft." His voice was low and gently as if he had come to some sort of realization. His thumb finally moved across my lips and I swallowed some staring up at him now. He gazed down at my face studying it for a moment.
"You'll have to forgive me. This is very new for me." he said. I knew what he meant. It's very new to lie with someone who society deemed as not human. I swallowed some. So very gently I raised my hand to his wrist and gently let my fingers massage his skin. I began to stare at him softly as I usually did with nervous men.
"Do you want to kiss me or do you want me to kiss you?" I asked innocently. He blinked a few times in thought before slowly leaning toward me. I stayed very still, letting my eyes focus on his lips. His scent was musty like most of the men here. Before his lips touched mine, he paused.
"What's your name?" he asked lowly.
"Minerva. Am I allowed to ask yours?" I asked. His eyes softened on my face as he looked into my eyes.
"Priest." he replied before leaning in and kissing me.