Sweeter Than Honey (4 page)

L
ast in. First out. I waited until my twelve escorts were comfortably inside the twenty-four-passenger white limousine. I nodded at my bodyguards, then watched the three men routinely secure black leather blindfolds over each of my bitches’ eyes, except Sunny.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Reynolds asked. “If Valentino finds out any of the girls know his location, we’re all dead.”

“I guess you’re right. Do your job. Blindfold her too. But starting today,” I announced to the others, “Sunny is promoted to wifee. Whatever Sunny demands of any of you girls, do not question her or you’ll have to answer to me.”

Listening to the girls continue their conversations until we reached Valentino’s mansion, I had to give myself credit for hiring the baddest bitches in Nevada. Women from all around the world traveled to Las Vegas. Some for fun. Some to get married. Others looking for love or the love of money.

When Valentino hired me, I fired all of his escorts and hired my own. Girl number one was five feet two inches and barely one hundred pounds. Chinadoll had long dark hair, slanted dark eyes, a tiny waist, shapely thighs, a cute butt, and the seven-foot basketball players loved her.

Girl two, Crème-d-licious, was of African descent, grew up in London, and was five foot ten with a body like Tyra Banks’s. Big titties, juicy lips, curvaceous hips, and an English accent that made johns weak every time she spoke. Creamy, as I called her for short, was my squirter.

Girl three was my White Russian dominatrix and didn’t hesitate to beat a man’s ass. Four was my chameleon. Misty could be any nationality a man wanted and could imitate any woman from Condeleeza to Alicia to Omarosa to Little Bo Peep, but girl five was my biggest freak. I nicknamed her Bootylicious ’cause her ass made every man scream, “Damn!” A guy could lose his entire head with one booty clap.

Onyx, Starlet, and Sunny were the last hired because each of them exuded sex without trying. Onyx had raw beauty, black radiant skin, high butt cheeks and cheekbones. Her body was strong, solid, yet feminine. Starlet had mesmerizing eyes, short hair, gorgeous legs, and incredibly huge breasts. Out of all the girls, Sunny was my favorite because in addition to being beautiful with long natural blond hair that all the johns loved, she was what I wanted to be, a free spirit.

Sunny’s mouth hung open the entire trip, still in shock, I supposed, from her unexpected promotion. When I nodded again, then stepped out of the limousine, my bodyguards escorted the girls inside to their dressing room, removed the blindfolds, and then waited at their assigned stations outside the door.

As I tilted my head up, down, then up again, my girls removed their clothes, showered, and promptly returned for their inspection. They all stood naked beside their vanities. “Sunny, you check ’em.”

“But, Madam?”

“But what? Don’t think small. Think big.”

If Sunny was serious about being on the streets, I had to prepare her to become a real Madam, not a ho on the stroll begging to suck a dick for twenty dollars. Silently I stood next to Sunny waiting for her to get started.

Beginning with girl number one, Sunny spread her eyelids and checked for white crisp clarity. When Sunny nodded upward, girl number one opened her mouth wide. Leaning in close, Sunny did what I’d normally do. She probed with a wooden stick, checking for chipped teeth, canker sores, fever blisters, halitosis, and anything else out of the ordinary. Then she swiped the girl’s mouth with an oral HIV test strip before placing it inside the sterile container.

“Excellent,” I said.

Sunny circled her finger in the air and girl number one turned around, then bent over, touching the floor. Easing on a pair of rubber gloves, Sunny spread girl number one’s cheeks and her lips, then sniffed, checking for any signs of malodor that would indicate the girl hadn’t washed thoroughly. Slipping her finger inside the girl’s pussy, Sunny scooped deep inside for any discolored discharge signaling a possible yeast infection or blood to see if the girl was beginning or ending her menstrual cycle.

Damn! I was impressed. Sunny really had this shit down.

Scanning the rest of the girls’ bodies, from their hair follicles for lice to their fingernails for dirt to their toes for calluses, Sunny said, “Get dressed.”

All except one of the girls got clearance from Sunny. I was seriously considering replacing this girl because she repeatedly cost us money. This time, she had a tiny puss-filled pimple on her ass and Sunny caught that shit, understanding that our clients paid megadollars for spotless girls.

This trick was testing my patience and trying to ruin my reputation for having the best escorts in Las Vegas, but I remained silent. Sunny looked at me. I hunched my shoulders.

“Girl six, you’re dismissed. Go home,” Sunny firmly said.

Oh, hell no! I intervened, “Girl six, what’s up with your weekly breakouts?”

“Madam, I don’t know why I—”

Before she finished, I backhand slapped her in the mouth. “You are costing us fifty thousand dollars a night every time I have to send your ass home. You’ve got one more time to have a rash, a cold sore, or a pimple, and I will beat your ass into the ground, then fire you. You make me sick! Get out of my face.”

Raising my hand to strike girl six again, I glanced at Sunny. Our eyes met. Sunny shook her head. Sunny knew how to get her point across without disrespecting me or challenging my authority, but if Sunny was serious about doing this on her own, I wasn’t sparing her.

Bam!

“Madam! Please stop! Don’t! I’m sorry! I won’t let this happen again,” girl six cried. “Pleeeaasseeee, Madam, stop!”

Wham! Bam! Stomp! Kick!

Girl six balled into the fetal position, holding what I hoped was a few broken ribs. I looked at Sunny and whispered in her ear, “Is this what you want? No pimp or ho on the street is gonna call you an ambulance when some lunatic john kicks your ass. Step outside that door.” I pointed, then continued. “And instruct security to take girl six back to the casino.”

When Sunny left I said to girl six, “Put your clothes on and get the hell out. All you have to do is take care of yourself. If you’re taking garlic tablets and papaya to keep your weight down, leave that shit alone. Garlic ain’t for everybody and that shit will put pimples on the back of your thighs and your ass. Why do you keep disappointing me? Don’t I pay you well?”

Girl six nodded.

“You’ve got exactly thirty minutes to get home and if you don’t answer your home phone when I call you, you’re gonna make Madam angrier.”

Girl number ten, Onyx, rolled her eyes at me. She thought I didn’t see her. The only reason I let her get away with so much was that she was my second highest producer next to Sunny and Sunny’s friend, but Onyx wasn’t above getting her ass kicked like girl six.

Nodding again, I gave the remaining girls permission to do their makeup, hair, and select their attire for the night. “Onyx, I want you to split girl six’s johns with girl number two.”

I felt the daggers shooting in my back. It was best I left without looking at Onyx, because if I had to walk over to her vanity, I’d smash her entire cosmetic tray in her face so hard she’d have instant foundation on her chin, eye shadow on her cheeks, and lipstick on her forehead.

Exiting the dressing room, I shut the door behind me and walked over to my boss’s private study located on the opposite side of the mansion from the dressing room.

Valentino was layered in an all-white tailored suit, smoking a cigar, with his black hair slicked back underneath a matching fedora.

“This is a change,” I said, slanting Valentino’s hat. “So, where are we going?”

Blowing smoke in my face, Valentino said, “Bitch, don’t question me. I got shit to do. Keep your ass here. Watch, but don’t touch, my money. I’ll be back when I get back.”

Valentino’s hard-core attitude was a front for an empire that I’d taken over from day one, but I liked his arrogance. Waiting twenty minutes to make sure he was gone, I removed my audio recording from inside a book I’d placed on his shelf. I had to know everything that happened in Valentino’s study while I was away in case his ass was planning to double-cross me.

While listening to the tape, I observed the girls getting dressed via the monitors in Valentino’s study. Stiffening into a trance, I couldn’t believe what I’d heard.

“Yeah, man. Straight. She’s gotten too big too quick. It’s barely been a year.”

“For real, G. Fire her, dude.”

Was that the voice of my security guard, Reynolds, suggesting my boss fire somebody?

“Straight, but I have to find another bitch to replace her first.”

“What about me? I mean, I’m no female but I could be on your team. I protect your shit every night.”

I stuck my finger in my ear and replayed the tape in disbelief.

Valentino replied, “I’ll tell you what, kill her and job is yours.”

W
ords were empty unless people gave them meaning.

Deep inside I believed most people wanted and some needed to feel appreciated. When Lace placed her business card in my hand, I felt an unspoken connection. And although I didn’t need her approval to validate my work ethics, her small gesture made me feel important. But watching Lace beat girl number six scared me ’cause I’d never seen that side of my madam. Sure, she’d slapped all of us a time or two, but kicking and stomping? That was new.

After Lace left the dressing room, I sat at my vanity observing the other girls. While waiting for security to come get us, I opened the gift Lace had given me earlier. “Oh my God.” What did this gorgeous sparkling Rolex mean?
I love it!
I thought, securing the watch on my wrist.

There was no sense in having Lace delegate authority to me if I wasn’t going to use it. Outside of my parents, I cared about Onyx, Starlet, and my best friend, Sapphire Bleu, almost as much as I loved my twin sister, Summer, whom I hadn’t seen in months or spoken with in weeks.

Sapphire knew more about prostitution than Lace, but there was no way I could tell my madam that my best friend was a cop. Sapphire and I talked two to three times a day. She was my mental support person, kinda like a therapist who’d allowed me to express my feelings without judgment. Sapphire admired my lifestyle while I envied hers. She was the hottest, sexiest, undercover female that got paid to arrest the types of men I serviced. Sapphire never had to suck a dick or turn a trick she didn’t want to. But endangering our lives was the one thing we had in common. Almost every day Sapphire told me stories about missing prostitutes, generally teenage runaways, who were found dead on the streets or in hotel rooms in Las Vegas, so I was sure Sapphire would flip like Madam if I’d mention working the streets. I was no fool and definitely not serious about turning a twenty-dollar trick after watching Madam beat girl six.

I’m grateful that Sapphire has been my mentor and friend about as long as I’ve worked in this business. One day I’m gonna take her up on her offer and go with her to the firing range. Sapphire strongly stated, “Every woman needs two boyfriends: Smith and Wesson. If every woman knew how to handle a gun better than her man, I bet women wouldn’t have to worry about men beating on them. Shoot his ass, then use the one line that works in any court of law: “I was in fear of my life. It’s called self-defense.”

Being ten years older and decades wiser, Sapphire helped me understand men better. “Against my recommendation, you can keep giving up your sweet pussy, Sunshine, but the one thing you must promise me you’ll never do is give away your pussy power.”

I’d heard that phrase a lot lately. Must be some new movement toward female empowerment.

Shaking my head, I wondered,
What does pussy power really mean?

Before I asked, Sapphire had answered, “Pussy power has the same effect over men that kryptonite has over Superman. Every woman has kryptonite. It’s your ability to control every man in any situation. You’ve got to believe you possess the power, Sunshine. You’ve got to believe in yourself, lovely.”

I was glad I started talking to Sapphire at the bar that night, thinking she was one of Valentino’s girls, or else we would never have met. Funny how your future best friend can be sitting right next to you and if you never say hello, you’ll never know. Sapphire thought I was lying to her when I told her how much money I made.

“Dang, girl, you know how long it takes me to make that kind of money? Don’t tell me anything else about this Valentino jerk, not even his last name, because it pisses me off how much money these so-called high-class pimps make off of women. What you make is cool and all, but I know it’s nowhere near what he’s getting paid. I wish I could arrest all of these opportunistic assholes, johns included, but then like on that television show we’d have to lock up the teachers, the preachers, the pimps, and the parents, and then we’d end up with a bunch of snotty-nose illiterate kids dropping out of school.”

Sapphire had a sense of humor that could match her bad temperament, but Lace’s sensitivity earlier tonight had taken me aback. Indirectly Lace reinforced what I’d been thinking, to do something that I wanted. But what did I want out of life? Surely prostitution didn’t come with retirement benefits, and at my age, retirement seemed a lifetime away. In a few years there’d be someone prettier, smarter, and freakier to replace all of us.

Walking over to Onyx’s vanity, I held her hand and said, “It’s okay, O, don’t let Lace get to you. You know me. I’m the wifee now and every girl here tonight will take care of the other. We’re all picking up an extra fifteen to thirty minutes to cover girl six’s johns. Including me.”

Locking her arms around my neck, Onyx said, “Thanks, Sunny. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“O, you know what you really need to do. Leave that jealous-ass husband of yours. If he finds out what you’re doing, he’ll kill you. Then I’d have to have Sapphire kill him. Look,” I said, easing the key to my new condo in Onyx’s hand, “hold on to this. Don’t ever give your husband my address, but if you need a safe place to stay, you don’t have to ask. Just come. You don’t have to call first or let me know in advance. I want you to be safe until you buy a place of your own. Preferably outside Nevada. Got it?”

Listen to me trying to advise my girl. Maybe helping others was my calling. I was a pretty good motivator. My mother always taught my sister and me that in every situation, we had to protect one another. I felt the same way about O and Starlet. Sapphire was my only friend who appeared to be in control all the time.

Onyx’s eyes filled with tears as she hugged me tight. We didn’t need to exchange another word. I’d duplicate the spare house key hidden under my car mat. For different reasons, Onyx, Starlet, and Sapphire each had a key to my condo.

Click.

Security opened the dressing room door. One by one we piled back into the limo, where we were blindfolded again. I remained silent until we arrived at our nightly spot referred to as Immaculate Perception, but no one knew the street or the address. Once we heard a heavy gate close, the bodyguards removed our blindfolds. The cemented walls were so high the only thing I noticed in the distance was the glowing red needlepoint that topped the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino.

Inside, there had to be at least fifty horny men of varying nationalities. The moment they saw us, lust filled their eyes. As usual the mumbling and pointing started immediately as we modeled along the sparkling platinum carpet that twinkled like stars.

Pointing out ten different men, I inquired about their preferences, paired them up with the girls of their choice, then listened to Reynolds instruct the remainders, “Make yourselves comfortable in the casino area, gentlemen, or at the bar. If you want to walk around, you are welcome to observe other couples, but you cannot participate unless invited. You are also restricted to activities on the second floor. The third floor is off-limits and reserved for private, top-paying
regulars
. If I catch you in unauthorized areas”—Reynolds flexed his biceps, then continued—“I’m throwing you out permanently. If you need a picker-upper of any kind, see me.”

Utilizing the word
regular
was one of our incentives to have those egotesticle johns pay more for our services.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back to fuck all of you too,” I said with a wink, sashaying up the staircase. “At Immaculate Perception you get what you pay for.”

Those idiots stood down there cheering like they’d won the megalottery.

Making my way to the Presidential Suite on the third floor, I entered a room so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.

“I swear, the more money these guys pay, the stranger they are.” Sometimes I wished I had normal johns like the other girls instead of servicing the highest-paying clients.

I tapped the light switch. “Oh, shit.” This was a first. That fool had a black satin bag over his head gathered with a drawstring around his neck with a hat on his head. Two tiny holes were cropped so close all I saw were his dark pupils. Probably some preacher or deacon from my parents’ church or a big-time baller with a wife and kids.

“I want you to dance for me,” he said, reclining on the sofa while setting the white fedora next to him. Fingering his single-breasted jacket with one hand, he opened his white jacket, spreading his long-lean thighs, then massaged the crotch of his white pants.

Pressing the power button on the remote, I turned on the music and began swaying slowly in the space in front of him. Biting the tip of my nail, I lowered my gaze, then moaned, “Mmmm. I can’t wait to taste you.” Gliding my fingers over his slick bag, I wanted to yank it off.

“Don’t touch my head, bitch. Just do as I say.”

Relinquishing my kryptonite in exchange for my salary, I seductively straddled his lap, rotating my ass on his hard dick. “Tell me how hot you’d like me.”

Sliding my thong to the side, he released his dick from behind the zipper and rubbed the head on my ass. I prayed,
Not another night of anal penetration.

“Turn around. I want you on your knees, bitch. And I want you to take all of this dick,” he said, squeezing his shaft at the base, then continued, “inside your hot mouth. I miss you, baby.”

Whatever, freak.

Kneeling before him, I reached for the gold and black condom packet on the coffee table.

“Uh-uh. That’s not how we do it. I want to feel you,” he said, stroking his engorged head on my glossy lips.

Leaning my forehead into his stomach, I began licking, spitting, and groaning while working my hand up and down his shaft. Proudly I’d learned how to master giving a blowjob without letting them cum in my mouth.

He pulled my hair, lifting my head. “I said suck my dick. And lick my balls. I want it all. You’re not clever, bitch. I want you hotter than a summer day in July. I paid fifty thousand dollars for five hours and I want you all to myself all night long. I want to feel my dick against your esophagus and I want you to swallow every drop of my cum. I’m gonna fuck you doggy-style, upside down, and I’m saving that swing over there for last or maybe I’ll have you put those hot stones in my ass, then fuck the shit out of you on the balcony so everyone in North Las Vegas can hear you scream while I shoot this cream up your ass. I’m your daddy now, bitch. You do as I say.”

Sadly enough I was immune to the profanity as it was part of many men’s fantasy to call a woman a bitch while having their dick sucked.

Hmm, North Las Vegas, that’s where I lived off Martin Luther King and Ann Road. They say most accidents happen within a one-mile radius of your home. Was I passing where I worked on my way to the strip?

Hmm, there was something about the way he said “summer” that made me think of my sister. Five fucking hours? So much for me helping out Onyx. This was gonna be one long-ass night. I knew what to do to his ass.

“Mmmm,” I moaned, softly, kissing his plump head oozing with precum. “You have the prettiest dick I’ve ever seen.”

“Then lick it, bitch,” he said, palming the back of my head.

“Like this?” I said, twirling my tongue around his balls. “Or like this?” I asked, slowly trailing a line of spit up his shaft. Desperately I wanted to snatch that bag off his damn head so I could see his face. I lowered my mouth over his head, sucking gently, then harder, then a lot harder.

“You want it rough and fast or slow and succulent?”

Before he answered, I eased my mouth over his entire shaft and swallowed hard several times.

“Oh, shit! Bitch, you making me cum without my permission. Back the fuck up.”

Tightening my throat, I lifted my head, drawing all the cum out of him. His body shivered. I trickled his sperms back onto his dick as I continued stroking him.

“You taste so good,” I lied. “Relax, you’ll get your money’s worth. I’ll get him back up in a few minutes with this,” I said, placing his hand on my bare pussy.

Making my way to the bathroom to spit out the sperms that didn’t make it to my stomach, I heard him say, “Damn, baby, you’ve learned a lot.”