"Are you here to look for a job?" exclaimed the girl.
For the moment I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. How was it possible that this girl was younger than me? Were there girls her age or even younger that worked here as well? I looked down to see what she was wearing; whatever it was, it was skimpier than mine. Although, she was actually very pretty for her age; long brown hair and these big golden eyes. Shaking my head, I looked up and flashed her a smile.
"How'd you know?"
"I just assumed the latter, because we also offer girl on girl services."
I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. Girl on girl services? They actually have places that offer something like that?
"Anyways, you're looking for a job. Seeing how the interview is pretty easy, I'm sure you'll do fine. The test could prove difficult depending on what they give you. I'll show you to the interview room…oh and I'm Lily."
I debated on whether I should use a fake name or not for a brief second, but then decided against it. Kukai wouldn't be a problem, since he was the one who told me to use a fake name. But Ikuto and Kain…they don't even know I'm here. And I'd like to keep it that way, but in case we cross paths, it'd be better not to change my story around.
"Amu."
"Well Amu, follow me."
Lily got up from around her desk and led me to the interview room. Was she a bunny girl or what? She had bunny ears on her head, and a small black bunny tail placed on her underwear. Just as we turned the corner and entered a hall, I saw Kukai enter nonchalantly. Our eyes connected for a moment, and I flashed him a small smile before another woman grabbed his attention from the counter.
I didn't actually notice until now, but the place smelled like alcohol, cigarettes and something else. The first two were pretty obvious but the last one…I couldn't really put my finger on it. Taking my mind off the last peculiar smell, I looked up to see Lily smiling at me expectantly. When on Earth had we stopped walking?
"Don't be nervous, it's fairly easy."
"Uh, thanks."
With that, she walked past me and left the narrow hall. I stared at the door in a way as if I expected it to open on its own. No such thing happened, and so I inhaled a deep breath, exhaled and then walked in. The room wasn't frightening in the least nor was it disgusting. Well maybe just a little disgusting. The walls were painted a soft apricot color and had an emerald green trim. Frames with nude pictures of the women who probably worked here decorated the wall. Near the corner of the room was a large metal pole. Besides that, the room seemed pretty normal. There was a large desk that seemed more like a judge's panel. Seated were two men in the middle and three women to the side. The women were dressed like the women/girls outside.
"Come in darling," said the man in such in such a revolting manner in made my sides squeeze.
"Lily tells us you're here for a job. Correct?" asked a woman with short blonde hair and striking brown eyes.
"Yes."
"Take a seat then," said the other man.
My heart was pounding out of my chest as I walked over to the chair and took a seat. I felt like I was completely naked under their intense stares. The man who had spoken first, it felt as though he was undressing me with his eyes. And it's not like I could get up and say anything or else my cover would be blown. I felt a shiver run up my spine then back down when the man slid his tongue over his lips. For the first time since entering this place, I actually wanted to leave. I didn't want to this anymore. How could anyone with any self respect stand to work here? I understand there are women who have been forced to work here but the others. The others, who voluntarily came here…, why would you work at a place where men only used your body?
"We're going to ask you a few questions, okay," explained a woman with olive colored skin and dark hair.
"Sure," I answered quietly.
They started from left to right. First one up was that horrid man…the one who seemed as though he was undressing you with his eyes. The last one was the woman with the olive colored skin.
"What's your full name sugar?"
"Amu Smith."
"An American last name?"
"She looks pretty Japanese to me. She even speaks it fluently," said the other man.
"My dad was American, but he left my mom before I was born. I lived in Japan till I was 10 then moved to Paris."
"My turn, why do you want to work here?"
Fuck, I should've noticed from the beginning this guy was pretty sharp. What should I tell them? That I'm an undercover cop? Please, that'll get me into more trouble than I'm already in.
"Hugo!" exclaimed the woman in the middle who had been silent up until now.
She had sun kissed skin and long, wavy brown hair. Her eyes were large and dark green. But there was a certain kindness and warmth in them.
"What Antoinette?"
She lowered her voice just a bit, but it was loud enough that I could hear.
"That is a horrible question. We all came to be here for our own reasons. Don't forget how we ended up here," she hissed.
I didn't notice it till now, but she had a Spanish accent. What I also didn't notice was how this Antoinette woman and this Hugo guy looked so much alike. I looked at Antoinette and silently thanked her. She flashed me a smile then went back to her silent mode. Hugo cleared his throat and started once more.
"Since she didn't let me ask you that question, let me ask you this. Are you on the run from the law?"
"No."
"Good."
"Marie, you're up."
"Oh goodie!" she chirped excitedly. "What's your favorite position?"
"That's hard to explain seeing how I'm good at mainly all of them," I lied. "Most of the time, I let the guy do as he pleases."
Please tell me it worked? Seriously, how the fuck should I know what my favorite position is? I'm only 21, it's not like I'd done 'it' before!
"That's a good quality! Isn't it Hugo?" she exclaimed, batting her obviously fake eyelashes at him.
"Yeah…"
"Truth be told, I've never really been a fan of this whole interview process. Anyways, I'll be easy on you, how old are you?"
"23."
"Same age as me!" shouted Marie.
I honestly wanted to duck tape her mouth. She was really starting to get on my nerve.
"Last question, you're customer wants to go for another round, but you're beyond exhausted. What do you do? A) Tell him it's enough B) Charge him extra for another round C) Just obey his wish. Think carefully."
Well obviously it isn't A. I mean maybe deep inside I'd probably want to shoot his ass for having so much damn energy, but that's a different thing. So it's just B and C left, I thought reasoning it out. Both of them have me doing 'it' with him for another round. But, if I choose C, then I get no benefit from it.
"B, charge him extra."
When she frowned, my heart sank, and then she grinned.
"Correct."
"You passed! Hooray!" exclaimed Marie running out from behind the counter and embracing me in a bear hug.
I got up from my chair and grinned.
"Thank you."
"Not so fast," said Hugo standing up as well. "You passed the interview, not the test."
"Oh yeah, Lily mentioned something about a test."
"Hugo always decides the tests. If he likes you it'll be something easy, if not…well…," said Marie losing her whole excitement factor.
Did he like me or not?
"Since your good at all the positions Amu, prove it."
Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.
"I'll give you the key to room 107, and you'll have 5 minutes to get ready. I'll have Lily grab you a customer who isn't with a hostess. Your test is you to give him one round of excellent pleasure, understand."
My heart dropped. It felt as though I couldn't breathe.
"Oh! That's easy!" exclaimed Marie once more.
Easy for you to say.
"Not for someone who's just started here, no," said Antoinette shooting Hugo a dirty look.
"I understand."
"Good, here's the key."
Nodding my head numbly, I walked over to him and grabbed the key. And if that wasn't enough, that man gave me wink.
"The elevator is in the main room, near the bar."
"Okay…thanks."
I quietly walked out, and headed towards the elevator. I didn't want to lose my virginity at the age of 21. I'm too young. As I walked to the elevator, I felt like I was being sent to my death sentence.
The door opened and I stepped in. Just as it was about to close, a hand shot in, forcing the doors open. A tall man stepped in and my eyes went wide with shock and fear. He had dark hair and eyes, along with a crooked nose and a jagged scar running along his cheek. When my breath hitched, he turned to stare at me. He sent a smirk into my direction, and I froze. The elevator doors were shut…and I was stuck in this small four wall space with him.
He walked towards me until we were close enough that I could smell his breath. The smell of alcohol immediately drifted when he opened his mouth.
"You sure are a pretty one. Have to say, I haven't seen you around before."
Did he recognize me? Calming my breath, I stared at him right in the eye. I can't blow my cover. Bringing out the sweetest voice I could manage, I batted my lashes at him and smiled.
"Sorry, I'm new here."
"Is that so? What floor sugar?"
"The third."
He pressed the number three and then the number 5 before coming closer towards me. We were now only inches apart.
"As you said, you're new here. So let me guess, you're going up to take the test. What's your test?"
In a sultry manner I slipped out from under him and stared at him innocently from under my eyelashes.
"One round of pleasure for the lucky customer who isn't with a hostess."
He walked closer towards me again, and grabbed my waist with his hand. He brought his nose to my neck then back again so he could stare at me right in the eye. Only God knew at this point how scared I actually was.
"Your lucky customer is right in front of you," he whispered in a husky voice that made me want to throw up.
When he leaned in to kiss me, I pressed my hand to his chest and pushed him back. And just to make it look like I didn't want to refuse him because he disgusted me, I bit my bottom lip and then smiled innocently,
"Don't," I breathed. "There're cameras."
"Shy of cameras sugar?"
"Very. I like my business…private."
"Shame, but how about giving me sample?"
Without an invite, he brought his hand to my bra strap and began to pull it down. I felt a shiver run down my spine, and just when I thought my world was over, the elevator rang announcing we'd reached the third floor.
I gently grabbed his hand, and slipped out from his reach.
"Sorry, but this is my stop."
"Then how about meeting me later?"
"It's a deal. Which room sugar?"
"314."
And just to sell my act, I swayed my hips just a little extra, then turned towards him and blew him a kiss. The door then quickly closed, and then I ran. I ran as if my life depended on it to room 107. My hands were trembling as I stuck the key into the door. When the door opened, I locked it behind me and grabbed a robe from the coat rack. With much rush, I put it on me and tied the belt tight. Anything….anything to cover myself. I just sat there, rocking myself back and forth, to recover for a just a couple minutes.
Unfortunately for me however, it wasn't enough time. There was a loud knock on the door, and my heart dropped. I took of the robe with regret, and stuffed it under the bed. Taking in a soothing breath, I walked to the door and opened it. My eyes widened in shock when I saw who the lucky customer was. And trust me, he was as equally shocked as I was. Maybe even more.
"I've already explained to him your test. We'll stand behind the door for a few minutes just to make sure everything is working well."
Shoot. Me. Now.
"Listen, the first thing you will do is to introduce yourself. Invite him in, but don't just say 'Come in'. He has control over you; therefore you will call him master. But there are certain people who will want a closer connection, and so they will offer you there name."
"Hello master, my name is Amu. Please do come in maste-
"Ikuto. Call me Ikuto," he answered roughly.
I snapped my head up and looked at him, but he avoided my eye contact.
"Yes, please do come in Master Ikuto."
Hugo gave me a tight smile before turning around and leaving. I closed the door once Ikuto entered and followed him in. Neither one of us said a word, but when he began to take off his shirt, my eyes went wide. Saucer wide.
"What are you doing?" I whispered.
"Covering you up," he hissed angrily.
"Stop it! I have to do this test!"
For the first time since seeing me at the door, he looked at me straight in the eye.
"You're honestly going to have sex with me?"
My cheeks flushed at the word. Lots of people said the word 'sex' before, but when Ikuto said it…it sounded...well kind of bad.
"Well, seeing that you're not a stranger…no. But I think I might have a plan."
"Is everything okay in there?" shouted Hugo.
"Yeah!"
I quickly took off my heels, and began to mess up my hair.
"What are you doing?"
"Trust me. Now take off your clothes and mess up your hair."
He raised a brow at me, but quietly obeyed. And as he did that, I messed up the sheets and pillows a little bit. We both got on the bed, and on my cue, we began to jump on the bed. It was embarrassing, jumping on the bed with Ikuto in nothing but our underwear. Not to mention all the tension that was between us. But if this worked…then I'd be almost the happiest person alive.
"What are we doing?" hissed Ikuto.
"Making it seem like we're doing 'it'."
I leaned in close to him and held his shoulders down firmly, letting him know to stop jumping for a while. Catching on, Ikuto leaned in bit closer.
"Amu, moan," he whispered quietly into my ear.
"I can't…"
"I didn't want to have to do this…sorry Amu."
"For wh-mmh
His lips crashed onto mine hungrily and greedily. They weren't soft or warm at all; they were absolutely rough. And when a small sound escaped my lips, he used that to slip his tongue in.
"Ikuto…" I moaned feeling my knees get weak.
Once I said his name, it was like he snapped out of it. He half let go of me and half pushed me away. With his hands, he signaled for us to jump again. I jumped, but my mind was off somewhere else. I was getting dizzy thinking about what had just occurred minutes ago. Ikuto kissed me…Ikuto actually kissed me. In an odd way I was both furious and happy.
Not being finished yet, he motioned me to come closer. Only this time I was a bit more hesitant. He brought his hand to my hand and in one swift movement plucked out a strand of her.
"Ikuto!" I shouted feeling the pain of the plucked hair intensify.
And though I was hurt and angry, I understand the intention of his action. For a split second I actually debated whether or not I should pluck out a strand of his hair to get the same reaction, but a better idea came into mind. I held Ikuto down once more, and silently apologized. Ikuto stared at me with confusion. Better I thought, it'll only surprise him more. I mouthed one more word of apology before raising my foot and kicking him in his area. In the pain of it all, he collapsed onto the bed.
"AMU!" he shouted.
Okay, so maybe it was wrong of me to feel slightly amused at this right now…but I couldn't really help it. Noticing a water dispenser in the corner of the room, I jumped off the bed and ran over towards it, pouring Ikuto a cup of water. He drank it, the twisted look of pain slowly erasing from his face.
We both sat on the bed quietly, until a knock came at the door. Ikuto quickly got up and messed up his hair a bit more. He slipped on his jeans, and then turned to me.
"Take off your bra."
I stared at him wide eyed, but he merely frowned and turned around. And just to relieve me, he covered his eyes with his hands. True, I was mad at him, but I felt something warm in my heart spread. Sure I would be more than half naked in the room with him alone, but the fact that he had his back turned to me and he was covering his eyes with his hands somehow made me happy.
I quickly but sort of hesitantly took off my bra then brought the white sheet to my chest. With one hand I messed up my hair a little bit more.
"Amu, I'm opening the door."
"Okay."
His back was still to me when he was to the door and opened it. Hugo stood there with his arms folded across his chest.
"How was she?"
"Well…she was perfect. Yes, I know this test of hers is over, but you don't think it would be a problem if I kept her longer."
Hugo looked through the door and shot me a smile.
"She's all yours."
"Where do you want me to pay?"
"Whenever you finish, just come back down to the reception."
"Thanks."
Ikuto made sure until he disappeared into the elevator before he closed the door shut and locked it. His back was still to me.
"Amu," he addressed me emotionlessly. "Get dressed."
I scrambled for my bra and hooked it on.
"Okay."
Ikuto turned towards me, frowned, and then turned back around.
"Didn't I tell you to get dressed?"
"I didn't bring any clothes."
"You came here dressed like that?"
"Yeah…"
"Oh for God's sake, put on my jacket!" he snapped.
I grabbed his leather jacket from the floor and hurriedly put it on.
"Okay."
Ikuto made his way over to the bed and sat down next to me. I'm not sure whether it was whether the current events just dawned on me or not, but I suddenly felt a bundle of emotions unwrap itself in my heart. And just like that a single tear traveled down my cheek, and then soon it was followed by countless others. At the sound of my sniffle, he turned to me and stared at me with a loss of words.
"Hey, don't cry. I'm sorry for kissing you like that. I honestly didn't want to do it."
Since no words were able to escape my throat but the mere sounds of my cries, I merely shook my head.
"Not the kiss…well then I'm sorry for snapping at you."
I shook my head once more.
"I'm sorry for every stupid thing I ever did to hurt you."
"Kyou…" I whispered.
"Kyou? Is that why you're crying? It's okay, we'll find him."
"I saw him Ikuto! W-when I was coming up here…he was in the elevator with me and he-
"He what?"
"He started to touch me," I exclaimed with greater sobs erupting out of my body.
"What room?"
"314."
I wiped my tears with the sleeves of his jacket, as he sat there quietly. We both just sat there until he grabbed me by the arm and forcefully pulled me to his chest. His arms were wrapped around me tightly. I stared at his chest for a moment before beginning to cry once more.
"Ikuto! I'm sorry…Ikuto I-I'm sorry! I should've listened to you…I-
"Sssh," he soothed rubbing my head. "It's okay. I've got you now."
Later
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. The small window in the corner of the room that I had never noticed until now pointed out that it was night out. I looked down to see a pair of legs. It didn't take me long to realize that Ikuto had let me sleep on his lap. This brought back so many memories…like the time he let me sleep on his lap in this shack at Kamikaze beach. A day before he asked me to be his girlfriend.
"You're finally awake."
"I've been asleep for that long?" I exclaimed astonished.
"Pretty much."
"Sorry," I replied getting up from his lap from the awkwardness.
"Stay," he ordered keeping my head down with his hand.
"He's escaped, you know."
"Kyou?"
Unconsciously, at this I attempted to bring my head back up but he only brought it back down.
"The minute you fell asleep, I called Kain and Kukai and told them to check out room 314. He'd packed his things and left – the bastard."
"No way…he was here though! I saw him with my own eyes!"
"I never once said you were wrong or accused of lying. All I said was that he's gone."
"What are we going to do? We don't have any more leads – do we?"
"We have one and that's directly from TaeYang. An opera house in Agen."
"How can you trust him?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm going to trust him on this. Now come on, let's get you back to the hotel."
"Okay."
I was about to get off the bed, when Ikuto quickly got up and picked me up bridal style.
"Ikuto put me down this instant. I can walk myself!"
"And have all those men ogle you like some football trophy. Sorry, I don't think so."
He grabbed a folded sheet and placed it over my legs before bending down to pick up my heels. We got into the elevator, and he led me out of the brothel.
"Have a wonderful night master, hostess," smiled Marie.
Without as much as a single look in her direction Ikuto nodded and went outside to hail a taxi. He placed me on his lap once we were inside, and I once again felt my eyes get heavy when the car started.
"Ikuto," I mumbled half asleep.
"What?"
"I think I'm going to try to forgive you, okay?"
"Yeah…," he whispered rubbing my head once more.
A/N
Voila! Another chapter just for you. Reason: I just had to get this idea out. And I couldn't even think about doing anything else until I wrote it. Quality: Horrible Why: Because I rushed to get it done today.
Yes, there you go fellow readers. I wrote you another chapter, back to back. However, you'll have to wait longer for the next one. Haha. This story is nearing its end…I'm going to have to say 8-10 chapters left. But who knows. No promises made.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Neko~Meme