This whole thing has taken up more chapters than I would have liked. Anyway, this actually reminded me of something I want to put awareness to besides always reading something before you agree to it and that is sex trafficking. Some ads you may randomly see for jobs could very well actually lead to sex trafficking. These adds usually have a weird number, look for specific things like age range or gender, sometimes they'll tell you to 'bring your friends, too', and some also tell you 'ask for [insert woman's name]'. Be very careful and pay attention. You can actually look these kinds of adds up to see what they look like and what to look for.
Obviously Kouha didn't currently have twenty-five thousand dollars in cash on his person, but he did give you a check. He did say to let him know if you needed cash or card for it since he didn't know what Fatima wanted. He just wanted you out of that situation. With a deep breath, you approached Fatima's office with your waitress uniform on, since that was the uniform of the day. Your coworkers looked a bit puzzled, but they didn't ask any questions as to what you were doing. With a knock you entered to see Fatima sitting at his desk. "[Name]," he said, smiling in the way that he usually did which was kind of mischievous in your opinion, "Do you need something?" he asked. You sat down across from him and nodded.
"Yes, actually, I want to pay off my uniforms," you told him. Fatima rose an eyebrow at this, leaning forward in his seat. You noticed a slight look of shock on his face, but it was so quick that you weren't exactly sure if it truly had been there or not. He then let out a sigh.
"You haven't worked here very long to be able to do that," he simply said. You couldn't help but to nod since it was true.
"I haven't, but I do have the money," you told him, handing over the check that Kouha had given you. Fatima looked at the check. He bit his lip momentarily. You felt like you were finally about to be let free from all of this. You would be able to get a real job that suited you, and you would be able to help your current coworkers and leave all of this behind...but then Fatima smirked. He leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs.
"I can't accept this. You already agreed and signed for the money to be taken out of your paycheck after all," he said. You wanted to groan, but you refrained from it. Maybe you could get yourself fired now. It was plan B after all. "Okay then, I'll-Hey?!" Fatima tore the check in your face before throwing the shreds in the air as if it were confetti.
"You must have done some pretty degrading shit-oh excuse my language-stuff to get this money," he smirked, "I saw who the check was from though it's interesting that I don't see any cuts or burns on your body." He looked you over, "I'm sorry that your efforts were wasted."
"What are you talking about?" you said, "My boyfriend gave me that check. I'm not some whore." Fatima gave an amused look before laughing.
"You are one to me," he chuckled, "In any case, get back to work. And don't try to get yourself fired or refuse to come into work. I'll fuck- oh excuse me-screw your job record so hard up the ass that no one will want to hire you. And I wouldn't look for comfort in the Rens. The last thing you'd want to do is work for them. You may leave." You opened your mouth to say something, but Fatima just put a hand up and waved you out. You groaned, not liking how he was playing. And he was saying rude things about Kouha and his family to mess with you. You hated that. You also hated that your plans had failed so now you had to text Kouha about it. You sent him a quick text explaining what happened before you went out to do your job. You were on register duty at the moment and thank God for that. Leila was there as well. She looked at you a bit curiously before shaking her head and getting back to work.
You could tell that she wanted to know what was going on. You didn't feel like telling her just yet as you wanted to talk with Kouha about what you should do next. You hoped to get a message right away from him, but your phone stayed silent. It didn't even buzz. You sighed, wondering what he was doing. Maybe he had some business to take care of. You put your elbow on the register counter and propped your head on your hand. Leila looked at you, "So did anyone bother you while you were working the floor yesterday?" she asked.
"No," you said, shaking your head, "Luckily no one did...hey, what goes on when someone brings you to one of the back rooms?" Leila let out a sigh as she was asked this.
"Well, it depends really. I've had men make me flip through magazine pages for them while they just stared...Some people just want to check out our tapes...The worst I would have to say is a few of the more pervert men try to look under the skirt of my uniforms," she explained.
"Toto has had men ask if they could feel her chest," Toto told you as she set a box down full of new books that were to be stocked. You saw Leila nod at that.
"I've had several women ask me if they could take a picture of themselves licking my chest. It's pretty pervertive, but most do it to post the picture somewhere online," Kassim shared as he came over.
"Lots of men ask Sasha to say weird things," Leila mused. Sasha sighed at this and nodded. She went over and started to stock the books that Toto had just brought over.
"Yeah, they make me say things like 'I've never had it back there before' or something like 'but I'm a virgin'," she recalled, "And a lot of them ask me to stutter while I do it."
"It's cause you have that innocent look," Leila pointed out. Kassim and Toto couldn't help but to nod. You felt like those two had it the worst since potential touching was involved with both of the stories they gave. You noticed Leila raise an eyebrow and peer out from behind the register. "Looks like our first customer for the day is here. Let's hope it's not a pervert." You looked out the window, and your expression turned confused as you saw what looked like Kouha's car. Is that why he didn't text back? Was it because he was on his way down here? But was that even him? Your suspicion was confirmed when he got out of the car. "Is that Kouha Ren? Ha! This is hilarious!" Laila laughed, putting your attention on her now. Sasha sighed when she heard that.
"Now, Leila be nice if he's a customer," she mused, "Besides, we don't know why he's here." Leila pouted.
"Let me have my fun," she whined, "It would be hilarious if the king of whores had to come here for outdated porn for some reason. Or who knows maybe he has a date with Fatima. It wouldn't surprise me if those sadists were friends." Sasha could only shake her head.
"I sleep around here and there sometimes, so I'm not saying anything," Kassim mused as he and Toto were going about working. You were kind of dazed because of what they were saying about your boyfriend. You quickly shook your thoughts from your head.
"Guys, those are just stupid rumors," you told them, gaining the attention of your coworkers.
"Please, his whole family is pretty crazy and kind of stuck up," Leila said. She could be rude at times, but she had just such a sharp personality. The Rens were all so kind, though, and you knew they were misunderstood.
"They're no-" You heard the shop bell ring signaling Kouha's arrival. Toto, Kassim, and Sasha all went back to doing their current tasks while Leila put on her 'happy assisting a customer' face.
"How may I help-"
"Where the fuck is Fatima?!" Kouha asked rather sharply. You groaned and rubbed at your head. You were about to say something, but Leila pointed in the direction of Fatima's office. You quickly stepped out from behind the register to speak with Kouha before he could go and talk with your boss. After all you wanted to move forward with an actual plan. Before you could say anything, once again you were interrupted. Fatima, who had heard the yelling, came out from his office.
"Well, if it isn't a Ren in the flesh," he said, smiling mischievously. Leila grabbed onto your arm, pulling you back behind the register.
"Sit tight, this is bound to be good," she told you, leaning forward a bit. That was the opposite of what you wanted to do.
"Now, what can I do for you? We have a wide selection of magazines that you might be interested in~," Fatima continued. Kouha looked rather pissed off, so you probably shouldn't have told him the part about Fatima ripping the check, calling you a whore, and talking shit about him and his family.
"You're a fucking pervert you know that," Kouha said, Fatima gasped mockingly at Kouha's foul language, "Look, I don't know what your fucking game is, but leave my girlfriend the hell alone, alright?! I'll pay for those cheap-ass uniforms. Now I'm trying to be civil here, just take the damn money." Leila looked really interested now as did the other coworkers, meanwhile you bit your lip, wanting this all to diffuse.
"Kouha, Kouha, Kouha," Fatima mused with a wag of his finger each time the name was said, "Our dear [Name] here has signed a contract. Do I feel bad for her? Yes. Was it foolish on her part? Yes. But rather me than some pervert, right? Besides, you should be thanking me. Once I'm done with her, she'll be extremely submissive for you." You felt a bit uncomfortable since at your name being said, the attention had been on you momentarily. You hated how sexist Fatima was being though. You looked at Kouha and saw that he looked pissed still, but now a bit uncomfortable as well because of the way you were being talked about. You let out a groan and pulled away from Leila. Kouha looked as if he was about to curse Fatima out, maybe even rip his head off, but you went over and stepped in front of him.
"Look, Fatima, please stop. This is inappropriate, and you're upsetting my boyfriend," you said, just wanting to rethink your plan for now. The last thing you wanted Kouha to do was mess things up in his rage, but you did appreciate how he stood up for you, "Now, remember, the customer is always right, hm?" You smiled slightly. Fatima scoffed a bit, but couldn't help but to give a mischievous smile.
"Sure, [Name], sure," he merely said, "Besides, it's not like you can quit~." You grabbed onto Kouha's hand and squeezed it at that one, hoping to calm him down since he was still aggravated. Kouha, though, merely took you squeezing his hand as an opportunity and started to tug you out of the store not saying anything more as your boss and coworkers watched. You were a bit reluctant at first, but you did just want to leave. "Fine then, I'll allow her to go for now, but she better be in on time for her next shift." Kouha still did not say anything. You knew he was holding his feelings in. He simply brought you to his car and got into the driver's side. You hoped he'd be okay to drive. He did start, though, and it was awhile before he spoke.
"Okay, I'm not just getting you out of that situation, I'm destroying that guy's business, his livelihood, and his life," he said it so scarily calm, and it did make you think of the rumors that people had said about it, although Fatima did have enough evidence stacked against him for that, though he would deny it. You weren't sure what to say, really, or if you should say anything at all. You just lightly put a hand on Kouha's leg.
"...Thank you...for caring about me," you told him, simply. Kouha glanced at you from the side.
"It should be expected that I would," he told you. You were going to reply, but then you realized that he was not going in the direction of your apartment, which reminded you that you left your car at The Joy of Books. You rose an eyebrow, but Kouha soon pulled up to his destination...It was Little Shop of Whores. You looked at Kouha a bit surprised, wondering why you were there.
"Why are you here?" you finally asked him. Kouha sighed.
"Sinbad knows everything about everyone in this city," he mused, "I'm sure he knows how we can get back at Fatima." You bit your lip, remembering how Sinbad had warned you about your new boss and yet you didn't believe him. You felt sort of embarrassed to be going to Sinbad for help. Kouha unbuckled himself and started to get out of the car.
"Kouha, wait...," you quickly said, "I don't know if this is such a good idea..." You didn't want to mention why, but you knew he would ask.
"Why?" you mentally cursed yourself as he questioned this, "Sinbad can probably help you, and I know he wouldn't mind...Or did something else happen that you aren't telling me." He gave you a skeptical look. You rubbed at both of your eyes for a second. Really, you were just so tired and sick of all of this.
"I ran into Sinbad in a grocery store a while back...He tried to warn me about Fatima, and I didn't listen to him, and then it ended badly...," you admitted. Kouha gave you a surprised look. Both of his eyebrows were raised as he looked at you. It was a while before he spoke.
"So...this whole time, you knew that Sinbad knew this guy, and yet you didn't mention it because you don't want to admit that you were wrong...?" he asked, slowly. Now that it was put into words, you realized that you kind of never really thought about it that way. You did think about talking to Sinbad at times but you had decided against it due to your pride. You nodded.
"I guess...you could say that...," you mused before looking at Kouha. He had this look of 'really?' on his face. He did not look happy, and you felt as if it was directed at you. Kouha was great at communication so it wasn't like you two ever got into it and if you did he always managed to diffuse it before it turned serious. But now, this was something that confused you. "Kouha...what's wrong?"
"Just...[Name], please just get out, I don't want to argue with you," he told you. This shocked you beyond belief. Kouha was never like this, but the situation had been pretty stressful.
"Kouha, please, let's just talk about this, okay?" you didn't want to argue either, but you didn't know why he would think that you even would argue. Kouha looked down, shaking his head.
"Just go inside the shop...I need to calm down. I'll meet you in a second, okay?" he said, slowly as if he was holding back what he really wanted to say and how he really felt.
"Please, let's just be rationa-"
"Rational?" Kouha said, "Are you fucking kidding me? After the decisions you've made? It would have been rational to contact Sinbad the SECOND things got fucked up, and it would have been rational if you read the fucking contract before you signed it! But who in their right mind would not do these things, huh? A very stupidly prideful person who would rather walk around in a cock-tease cheap ass uniform in front of a bunch of old perverts instead of getting help!" You were shocked, but you didn't know that he was just getting started.
"Kouha, it's not like that!" you told him.
"Yes it is, [Name]. How the fuck else are you in this situation? You're so fucking prideful with everything! Even in our relationship. I offered to help before, and if you would have taken it and waited then you wouldn't be in this fucking mess! Some people would consider it a blessing, but not you. Everything has to always be about you, and you know what [Name], it's not like you're this hard worker, I mean I know you just have a job because your parents cut you off, which you never even bothered to tell me why or anything about your family for that matter! So I don't understand why you can't just stop being so fucking prideful, and stop acting as if you don't need any help! But that didn't stop you from getting help from Kougyoku with finding a job didn't you? If it were me I'm sure you would have had something to say about it. I mean you never let me help you even though you have no problem with asking me to have sex with you now. And you know the girls I used to fuck in the past were all the same, but at least they let me do whatever I wanted and didn't fucking complain when it came to needing help!" You couldn't help but to widen your eyes a bit, not believing what he was saying, "You know I got out of those relationships because I wanted someone who actually would like me for me, but turns out you were only like that due to pride, because guess what taking care of people is ME! It's how I am ,and I would love to think my girlfriend knew that about me, and now I'm not sure which kind of relationship is better." Once you were sure that he was done with his rant, you unbuckled your seat belt and opened the door.
"Never talk to me again," you said as you left and went inside Little Shop of whores.
It was about fifteen minutes before Kouha went inside Little Shop of Whores looking a bit sorry about all of the things that he had told you. Him diffusing situations seemed to have their own consequences as a little arguing can be good for a couple least everything build up and then explode in a time of stress. Sinbad was at the counter of the shop, and he looked at Kouha. A few upset sounds almost like cries and sniffles could be heard from the back and Kouha bit his lip feeling worried once he heard them.
"So...something happened with [Name]...?" Sinbad asked, slowly, "She seemed rather upset when she came in here." Kouha sighed.
"We're just in this annoying situation right now, and I exploded on her, saying things I shouldn't have said," he told Sinbad, "And I NEVER yelled at her angrily before." Sinbad nodded, crossing his arms.
"Honestly, I don't like how you hurt her feelings like that. I never seen her like this before, and quite frankly I don't want to see it again," he said, "I didn't trust you, Kouha, but I saw that [Name] really liked you so I kept to myself about your relationship. If you ever hurt her again, I promise, you'll never even get to look in her direction...Alibaba either. I care for him as well." Kouha ran a hand through his pink hair.
"I didn't want to hurt her. I really love [Name]," he said, "I might not have the best record, but it wasn't my intentions to make her cry..." At this Sinbad rose an eyebrow.
"Cry? What are you talking about?" he asked. Kouha glanced at the back.
"Isn't that her crying?" he asked. Sinbad let out a sigh and leaned forward on the counter a bit.
"[Name] has always had a very calm but kind personality. She's fun to mess with and can take jokes really well...so I've never seen her angry before. Like she came in seething. That's actually Alibaba in the back crying," Sinbad explained. Kouha rose an eyebrow, trying to make sense of it.
"Well you see...," Sinbad started.
...
It had been after you left Kouha's car. You were just so angry. Hearing him say those things about you was shocking, and he even mentioned other women. You were just too angry with Kouha to be sad. You were mad. You walked in the shop, hearing the bell ring. Alibaba had been stocking a shelf out front with his eyes kind of closed since he didn't like what the item he was holding. Sinbad was at the register, and he looked up at you. "[Name]? What are you doing here?" Alibaba heard Sinbad say your name so he opened his eyes and stood up to see if it were really you.
"Hey, [Name]. It's been awhile. How have you be-OOOOF!" You just ended up punching Alibaba hard in the face as you kept walking, you knew Sinbad liked to keep alcohol in his office.
"Kouha's an asshole, and I will NEVER speak to that fucker again!"
...
"And there you have it," Sinbad finished with his story. "Alibaba is whining in the break room while icing where he was hit, and [Name] is in my office, probably going after the drinks I keep in there." Kouha was still a bit surprised, but then again he knew you had every right to be angry.
"I should go talk to her," Kouha mused, looking towards the back where Sinbad's office was. Sinbad just nodded, not feeling the need to say much else. He felt as if he had gotten his point across, and he also felt that you would probably hit Kouha if he ended up doing something to you that you didn't like. You were slightly happy in this upsetting situation of yours because, yes, Sinbad had a variety of drinks in his office. And thanks to a mini fridge, they were all cold. So you sat on his gaudy couch in his gaudy office trying to calm yourself by drinking a sort of screwdriver. He mostly had liquor and vodka, and since you didn't feel like getting plastered you found some apple juice in there and mixed it with the vodka. You were slightly interrupted by a knock and you rolled your eyes from that.
"I don't want to talk about it, Sinbad," you grumbled, thinking he probably wanted to know what was up. You figured you telling him that Kouha was an asshole was enough at this point. The door slowly opened making you feel extremely annoyed.
"It's not Sinbad." You felt yourself flair up when you noticed Kouha walking into the room. He closed the door and walked over to the couch, where you were, sitting down next to you. You had felt a roller coaster of emotions that day, so you did not want to deal with this. You didn't want to feel anymore. Perhaps you should have drunk the vodka straight. You looked away from Kouha, slightly crossing your arms as you drunk your makeshift screwdriver. Kouha let out a sigh. "[Name], I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have said any of that." He looked over at you. You did not look back at him, and you chose not to say anything at all. So, Kouha continued on, "Look, things just all piled up, and I was really stressed and angry. I should have been more understanding. You can take all of this at your own pace if you need to. And I mean everything, your current job situation, telling me about your family, just anything that you need. I really care about you, and seeing you upset in any way really isn't something I want to see." He moved closer to you, "[Name], I love you. Just please, talk to me. I'm really trying here." He reached over to touch you, but you slapped his hand away.
"Kouha, I just can't with this right now, alright? With you, with us, with any of this shit!" you let out a breath trying to calm yourself, "The things that you were telling me in your car hurt me. I'm aware of your track record. I'm aware that you're sadistic, and I'm aware of what you did in the past. But when I went into this relationship, I didn't even consider that or care, because I trusted you. I trusted that none of that mattered to you anymore, and that you just wanted me. But you brought all of that up again, and if you want a woman that's just going to do anything you say, then I'm not the one for you. You're right, I'm prideful, I make stupid decisions, but I thought being in love was about helping each other with our issues. I mean, I let you hurt me when we have sex." Kouha rubbed at his eyes a bit.
"[Name], I don't want you to do everything I say. I don't want a woman like that. I just want you, okay?! I love you, just please understand that? Look, I'm really sorry, and I promise I'll make it up to you." You glanced at him before taking another sip of your drink.
"I agree that I should have sucked up my pride and talked to you or Sinbad early on. Though, one of the reasons I never come to you about my financial affairs is because I don't want to be in a situation where I'm stuck. I realized the importance of independence when my parents cut me off. Incidentally that was the reason why. They wanted me to learn responsibility and for me to make it on my own. A while back I would think what if something were to happen where you and me wouldn't be a thing anymore? Like now. I couldn't depend on you. You and I are only boyfriend and girlfriend." Sure you had faith in your relationship with him, but you knew you couldn't stake your livelihood on that.
"I understand that," he told you, "And I probably should have considered that before, but [Name] this whole thing is due to stress. Let's just forget about it. I regret everything I said, and I didn't mean it." You just shook your head.
"In any case," you said, mowing over everything he just spoke, "I thought about it, and I need to be more mature about things. And knowing when to ask for help is being mature." You put your cup down and turned to fully face Kouha, "Can I get your help and resources to get my coworkers and myself out of this awful situation?" Kouha looked rather shocked, by this, mostly because you didn't seem like you were going out anymore. He would just take this as it is for now and help you before focusing on your relationship.
"Alright," he sighed, "I'll do whatever I can to help." He reached over and grabbed onto both of your hands, making you raise an eyebrow, "but I need you to contact your coworkers and see if one of them can get a copy of your contracts. I'll call Mei, and we'll all meet here tonight and talk this over with Sinbad." That plan didn't sound too terrible.
"Okay," you nodded before slipping your hands from his and leaving Sinbad's office. You would make sure to go and apologize to Alibaba about what happened.