Politics. Escorts. Blackmail. (11 page)

Tuesday—September 20, 2011

P
retty in Pink, aka Mr. 31, wore a pale pink, extra-thin Durex condom over his thrilled penis as Money went down on him at the Belvedere Hotel. Money was seated on a sea-foam-blue guest chair in the bedroom as he stood over her. She ceased her unfinished blow job and said firmly, “Move.”

He took steps back and stood before her in his pink garter, black stockings, pink high heels, and black padded bra. He wore heavy makeup, including false lashes and hot pink lipstick, but this time he didn’t wear his wig, which made him look even more confused.

“Come here,” Money demanded, as she stood. She took the few steps to the bed and he followed.

He bent over, replying, “Yes, Ms. Queens.”

“Good boy.” She popped his cheeks with her hand, first his left cheek and then his right, until he began to turn red. He shook in anticipation as her hand met his skin. She continued.

He took off the condom and took hold of his penis, squealing like a girl while she spanked him down, even tapping near his testicles.

She said, “You want it harder, don’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

She spanked him again with more force. The harder she spanked, the more he sped up his stroking motion.

“You had enough?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“You ready to come for me?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Turn around now and do it. Come in your hand.”

He turned and cupped his left hand, jacking himself with his right hand, and released his sperm squirt by squirt. He gave off a sound like he was fighting to bridle his high-pitched moans of pleasure. He sounded like a wounded animal. “Ohhhhh.”

She instructed him, looking no-nonsense. “Hush. Don’t say a word. Not a sound.”

That only made him shoot a little bit more.

Money’s cell rang just as Mr. 31 was in submissive heaven, but it seemed that the sound of the ringing phone was like an alarm, reminding him of the real world. He looked instantly ready to shift back into man-mode.

Money walked to her phone as he headed into the bathroom. She asked, “What is it?”

“It’s me, Leilani.”

“I know. What?”

Leilani spoke quickly. “I drove to my appointment. And, well, it was like only about ten minutes away and I was running late, so I didn’t catch a cab. And well, after my appointment, I was in an accident.”

“An accident.”

“Yes. A cab just totally sideswiped me.”

“Where are you?” Money turned to face the wall, placing her hand on her hip.

“I was arrested.”

Money tapped her foot. “For what?”

“Driving while under the influence.”

“Leilani. Were you alone?”

“Yes.”

“You were drinking while working…Leilani, that’s a total violation.”

Leilani only said, “I need you to come and get me, please.”

“Come and get you? You’re kidding, right?”

“No. They won’t let me drive.” Leilani’s voice was full of worry.

“Then hail a cab.” Money rubbed her forehead. Her face showed her displeasure.

“They need bail money. Cash. I only have like maybe a hundred dollars on me. Plus, I need someone to take me to get my car, but they took my license so I can’t drive.”

Money gave a small laugh. “Oh well. That part is on you. Only a hundred dollars. Where are you?”

“Manhattan Central Booking.”

Money said angrily and impatiently, “I’ll get Jamie over there to take you home.”
Click.

She shook her head, still holding on to her phone as Mr. 31 exited the bathroom. He looked up at her while applying cold cream to his face to remove his makeup.

She said, “Tyler,” calling him by his first name.

“Yes.”

“One of my girls got in trouble. A DWI.”

“I heard you talking. Where is she?”

“She’s at Central in Manhattan.”

“What’s her name?”

“It’s Leilani. Leilani Sutton.”

“Done. And I agree. She should take a cab.”

“I’ll text her and let her know. Thanks.”

He walked back in the bathroom and transformed from the feminine look he had for his play-date to the masculine look he arrived in. He left wearing a gray suit and tie, though his shoulder bag contained his other life.

It was not the first time the New York City police commissioner provided favors to Money in her time of need.

And more than likely it wouldn’t be the last.

Money caught a cab to her home and got in a quick workout, and then sat on the sofa, making herself watch old movies. She was on her second movie,
Bridesmaids
, having eaten Ben & Jerry’s red-velvet ice cream, trying to get a break in the action. She hadn’t heard from Leilani and hadn’t bothered to ask Jamie to help out just yet. He’d been fairly quiet, and she was okay with that. She’d gotten used to his distance, and his random spurts of attention.

One person she did want to talk to, just to clear the air and check in, was Midori. She knew if she didn’t at least keep an eye on her sister, there was no telling what Romeo might do, or what Midori would let Bailey or Virgil do.

She shook out her shoulders and prepared herself to play nice, all in the name of keeping Lip Service afloat.

Money dialed Midori’s number and paused her movie.

“Yes,” Midori answered, sounding plain. “Hi, Money.”

“Hi. What’s been up with you?”

“Nothing.”

“I hear you’re going out of town again this Friday.”

“I am.”

“Good.”

Instead of speaking, Midori cleared her throat. There was an awkward silence.

Money said, “I’m just checking in with you. You, Leilani, and Kemba really need to keep yourselves straight. Make sure we’re in line at all times.”

“I know that.”

Money could still sense her distance. “Midori, we’ve got to get past this thing about Virgil. I’m assuming you’ve got him on your radar.”

“I do. And I know you don’t like him.”

“It’s not that I don’t like him. I just, I don’t want him playing Maxwell Smart and starting something we’ll all regret.”

“He’s fine.”

“Okay. And what about Bailey? What’s up with him?”

Midori said, with fast-moving words, “Haven’t seen him.”

“Good.” Money followed up with “You sure?”

“I said I haven’t seen him. You really don’t need to ask me things twice.”

“Okay, fine. I do have to ask if you’ve heard from Romeo?”

“No. Why?”

“He called.”

“Called you? Why?”

Money took the brown throw from the back of her sofa and laid it across her legs. “Just keep an eye out for him. You know, same old same old. Threatening to get you back.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. He’s got some nerve.” Midori showed a smidgen of energy.

“That he does. Said if not you, then Kemba.”

“Kemba? He’d never be able to get Kemba to stoop that low. Kemba’s got it made. There are a lot of women willing to pay for a man like him. No telling what Romeo would have him doing.”

“I agree. I think Kemba has more sense than that.” Money took a deep breath and went there, taking a trip into their past, feeling she needed to address it because of Midori’s behavior. Money knew her sister’s issues stemmed from problems with their parents—problems no one wanted to address. Money acted tough, but she truly loved her sister and was concerned for her well-being. Maybe talking things out would help Midori deal with things and let her know that if no one else cared, she did. “Listen, I want to tell you something. I keep thinking about all of the crap that happened the day you left home. About all that mess that made you leave. The day you left, Mom called and told me you stormed out, and then she told me why. I think that has a lot to do with you not being happy.”

“I knew she would. Easy for her to tell you after forgetting to tell me. I am happy. I’m fine. I don’t want you always telling me what I’d better do and not do. I’ve got enough sense to stay out of trouble.”

“I can’t help it. I’m your big sister before anything else. And I’m trying to keep this business afloat. As far as you being happy or not, I can hear it in your voice, and I saw it on your face. I’m really hoping, actually, I’m praying, you get past everything.”

“It was no big deal.”

“Midori, look, I found out what happened the day you left. You overheard Mom yelling at Dad during their argument because they thought you weren’t home. He brought up the day when she was eight months pregnant with you, and that he kicked her in the stomach hoping he would cause her to miscarry.”

Midori’s energy dipped again. “Whatever.”

Money paused and took a deep breath. “I know how messed up it is for you to realize that all the years you thought Dad was your birth father, he wasn’t. It was hard to hear him call Mom names for cheating on him back when she was modeling and to say that his best friend, Jimmy, was your father.”

Midori was silent.

Money said, “Midori. Please talk to me.”

Midori asked slowly, “You really didn’t know all along?”

“No. Not until you left. Mom called me upset, not knowing where you were. That’s when she told me everything.”

Midori was again silent.

Money waited her out.

Midori asked, “Did Jimmy know he was my father? I have to know.”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m thinking he did and that’s why Dad flipped out when he found out you and Jimmy slept together, that if he did it knowing he was your father, that was sick. That it would be bad enough if Jimmy didn’t know, but if he did, that was heartbreaking.”

Midori gave a loud exhale. “Heartbreaking for who?”

“For Dad. For you.”

“Please stop saying ‘Dad’ like he’s my father.”

“I’m sorry.”

Midori raised her voice, sounding frustrated. “Look, I slept with Jimmy on purpose to get back at
your
father. I felt he hated me. I wanted your father to hurt. All my life he showed me no attention. I didn’t know that in trying to get the man I thought was my father to show some feelings for me, I’d end up sleeping with my real dad. It’s just disgusting. It’s all too much.”

“It’s tough. And I know it’s hard to deal with. Hard to get over. I’m so sorry.”

“You keep apologizing. You don’t owe me an apology.”

“I’m apologizing for them. I admit that Mom and my dad are a strange-ass couple. They’ve been through a lot, even though Dad cheated on her over and over, and got caught with hookers, and stepped out on her no telling how many times, not to mention her cheating, too. Since then, I think you and I learned that infidelity is a normal thing.”

“You didn’t get treated the way he treated me. You were his birth daughter. I was another man’s child. You don’t know what it’s like. You’ll never know.” Midori’s voice began to slow.

“No, I won’t. You’re right. He has always been like ice, though, very cold, even to me. I felt that and I lived with it. He just is who he is.”

Midori was quiet yet again.

Money took a deep breath and felt her emotions rumble. She said, “Aside from that, I want you to know that what I’m sorry for is getting you into this business. Really regretting the day I asked you to work for me.”

Midori seemed sincere. “You gave me a way out from Romeo and the streets. It was my choice. Not yours.”

“Yeah, but I guess what I really did was take you from the frying pan to the skillet.”

“You didn’t. I’m fine.”

“Maybe. Though sometimes, I feel like there’s no difference between walking the streets and laying up in a hotel waiting for a client to show up.” She paused. “But I’m in this too deep. Can’t let it fall apart now. That’s why I’m bringing this up about Mom. I want you to get better. Believe it or not, I want you to be happy.”

“Yeah, well sometimes it seems Lip Service comes before everything and everyone.”

Money waited in thought.

Midori waited longer.

Money wanted to tell her sister that it had to be that way. That there was no way she was going to jail. She couldn’t tell her that she was only checking in to make sure Midori wasn’t unraveling, and that she was reaching out to keep her sister from getting desperate just because of her past. Money finally said instead, “Well, listen, you enjoy yourself in Puerto Rico. And hey…”

“Yeah.”

“You know, sex to an escort is an act, not love. Don’t come back married now.” She forced a big laugh.

Midori managed a small one. “That’d be the day.”

“Yes.”

“And Money?”

“Yes.”

“You said Mom told you everything the day I left.”

“Yes.”

“Actually, she didn’t tell you everything because she doesn’t know everything.”

Money asked quickly, “Really. What else is there?”

“One day you’ll know. One day I’ll tell you.”

“Oh, Midori, you and your
one day
s.”

“One day.”

“Okay. You promise?”

“I promise. Bye.” She sounded plain again.

“Ciao, sis. Be safe.”

Money hung up, rested her head back upon the sofa, and wept.

She had to survive, in spite of herself.

Friday—September 23, 2011

L
eilani went to the arraignment, only to happily find that the DA had dropped the charges. For the last couple of days, she’d been dealing with her insurance company, trying to get the taxicab company to pay for damages to her car.

Jamie Bitters, Money’s guy and the driver for Lip Service, took her to get her car. Turned out her license was not suspended. Jamie lectured her on the dangers of driving after drinking and on the dangers of taking a drink while on an appointment.

The day she appeared in court, the judge, a middle-aged black man, heard and dismissed the case.

Today, that very judge was in the throes of licking her pussy through a sheer dental dam. She sucked his condom-covered dick, in a 69 position in the Central Park View Suite at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental Tower. Leilani figured that Money must’ve pulled some strings, and that part of those strings probably meant the judge was getting the pussy hookup.

Their bare bodies were intertwined upon the king bed. The curtains were wide open, exposing the floor-to-ceiling views of the park and Manhattan skyline.

His expensive suit rested on the gold lounger and her dress was tossed on the carpeted floor, as he’d stripped her down with body kisses and carried her to bed.

Her head was along a black pillow as he lay above her in reverse. She knew he was trying to please her, but the latex between her skin and his lips always seemed to limit her pleasure. He, on the other hand, was having a hard time concentrating. It was obvious that the 69 he was receiving was distracting him from giving, mainly because he was being served up by the best head-giver in town, who was taking him deep.

He backed his face away from his pussy-eating duties, looked back, and said, “Wow. This is one helluva thank-you, here.”

She kept working on him.

He started grinding his penis into her mouth like it was her vagina. “You can take all that. Damn.” He was of course impressed.

He didn’t have a large dick, but it was big enough to keep her focused on her technique of breathing and extending her tongue.

She began stroking him with her hand and he said, “No hands. Don’t use your hands.”

She moved her hand away so he could have it his way. But she knew, either way, he wouldn’t last long.

He seemed to forget he was supposed to be the 9 and she was the 6. Being lazy, he asked while still looking back at her, “If I could just take that condom off…”

She shook her head in reply, with him still in her mouth, making sure to suck that magic tip, the part of the dick that makes it all happen. She knew what she was doing. She knew the male anatomy very well.

He resumed his pussy licking for a moment and then spoke again. “I’ve never done this before with the plastic. If I could take it off of you, I could really show you what I do.”

Before she could reply, he bucked his hips in a fast motion and looked up at the ceiling, tightening up and giving off a sound like he was losing his ever-loving mind: “Awww, awww, ungh, nnnnnnooooo. Ughhhh.” He pumped a final, deep pump while she tightened her lip grip and took him deep so he could feel her throat swallow against his shaft, and he filled up the condom inside her mouth, yelling, “Oh yeah. This is the shit, here. Hell, yeah.” He stayed right where he was, even after she removed him from her mouth. It seemed he was fighting off come spasms. His crotch and behind were in her face. He said, as though in a trance, “Yeah. That was amazing.”

He moved his left leg from beside her shoulder and adjusted himself to sit on the edge of the bed and catch his breath. He used his hand to keep the filled condom in place.

She sat up and said, “I’m totally glad you liked it.”

“That’s an understatement. We’re gonna have to do this again.”

“An escort newbie, huh?” she asked, seeing the obvious wonder on his face.

“You could say that.”

She laughed. “I see.”

He asked out of the blue. “You wanna have lunch with me sometime?”

She grinned. “Oh, no. But thank you.”

“I understand. Sorry if I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No. It’s totally fine. I’m flattered, actually.”

He looked at her as if lust was playing tricks on his heart. “When I saw you in the courtroom, I was like, my, my, my. And now, wow. I’m just amazed that I’m here with you.”

“That’s very sweet of you to say.” Leilani gave a soft grin and crossed her arms. She wondered if they were done.

He asked, “How much more time do I have?”

Looking at the clock across the room, she said, “Your time is just about up, actually.”

He turned to face her. “Okay. So, how does this work? Can I pay for more?” He looked in awe.

She stood. “Next time. You can request me. As you know, my name is Manhattan.”

“Okay.” He stared at her fit, curvy body without blinking. He slowly stood and went into the bathroom, and disposed of his condom, then turned on the shower. “You want to take a quick shower with me?”

Before she could refuse, she heard:
Knock. Knock.

“Who’s that?” he asked loudly, stepping to the doorway of the bathroom.

She put her finger to her lips. “Shhhh,” she said softly. “I don’t know.” She tiptoed to the door naked and looked through the peephole, hearing a voice that matched the face she saw.

“Leilani. It’s me. Shawn. Open the door.”

Her heart raced and she said in a whisper, tiptoeing back, “Oh shit.”

He wrapped a towel around his waist, asking, “What’s going on?”

“Umm. I’m sorry, but that’s someone I know.”

“Someone you know?”

She hurried to get dressed as she spoke. “Yes.”

He whispered, too. “No one can know I’m here.”

She nodded. “What I need to do is go out there and talk to him. I’ll get him to go downstairs with me. You just make sure you lock the door as soon as I step out.”

Knock. Knock.
“Leilani.”

“Are you sure that’ll work?” he asked.

“Yes. I can handle him. You just leave as fast as you can.”

He shook his head and dropped the towel, stepping into his pants and following her to the door.

She grabbed the key card and stepped close to the door. “Coming.” She opened it and closed it in one split second. She could hear the judge securing the inside latch so she said loudly, “What in the hell are you doing here?” storming away so he would follow.

Shawn, a blond, handsome white man, six feet tall, said, “You tell me you got in an accident, then you don’t return my calls. You tell me I can’t come out and see you but you act like I’m really going to move on, just like that.”

She only asked, “Why are you here?”

“I had a meeting out here. I wanted to surprise you at first, then I thought I’d ask if I could come out. You said no.” He stood behind her as she pressed the elevator button, trying her best to ignore the sight of him. He continued, “But I came anyway and booked myself into this hotel, and bam. There you were going toward the elevators while I was heading to the business center.” He pointed back to the room. “Who’s in there, anyway?”

“The question is, how’d you get my room number?”

“The girl at the front desk told me.”

She gave the sound of a single laugh. “Well, she’s about to get fired. What’s up with this elevator?” She looked up at the light and saw that it had stopped three floors above them.

He asked, “Leilani. What are you doing here? Catering?”

She still looked forward. “I live in New York. I have a right to be here. Plus. I’m single and available. But that’s not the question. The question is, what are you doing sneaking up on me instead of calling me to say you’re here? You totally should’ve called to say you saw me, instead of just coming up and knocking on the door, unannounced. I’m not having this. If this is, like, your way of getting me back, it’s totally not working.”

He looked at her from head to toe. “What is wrong with you? You look like you just woke up.”

“Stop with the damn questions. Just leave.” She looked toward the hotel room and then up at the light, seeing that the elevator car was one floor above.

“I can’t leave. I’m staying here at this hotel. I already told you.”

“Good. Well then, go to your room.” She shooed him away with her eyes.

He took a deep breath. “Leilani. Wait. Have dinner with me. Please. I’ll be here for a few days at the least.”

“No.”

“Just call me.”

“Good-bye, Shawn.” The elevator chimed. The door parted.

She stepped inside, and he followed.

He kept talking as she repeatedly pushed the button to the lobby. “You think I don’t know you’ve got somebody in there?”

The doors closed.

“I don’t care what you know.”

He said nothing, looking forward.

She said nothing, looking down at her feet.

Then as the elevator door opened she said, “Good-bye.”

He stepped off, but she stayed on and pressed the button to her floor. Shawn stood there and watched her, looking lost. Just as the doors joined together and shut him out of her sight, she saw a glimpse of the judge exiting the stairwell, walking fast, wearing his suit, without giving a second of eye contact. The elevator went back up.

She arrived at her floor and hurried from the elevator back into her room. She sat on the bed and said, “I’ll be damned. He’s got some nerve.”

She took a moment, just thinking about how he showed up out of the blue.

She checked her phone but he hadn’t called, so she turned on the TV. The shower was still running from when the judge had turned it on.

Just as she turned to go into the bathroom, she saw Senator Darrell Ellington with his wife on Headline News. He stood at a podium and she stood behind him, smiling lovingly. He addressed a group of supporters in Florida. He was now one of the five remaining Republican candidates.

She picked up the remote and turned up the volume. Senator Ellington spoke about family values and how his fellow candidate, Robert Sally, hadn’t paid child support for ten years. He spoke of the importance of the sanctity of marriage, and how parents need to be devoted to their children.

She gave a smirk and took off her clothes, then picked up her phone, texted,
Done
, and stepped her high-class body into the shower to clean it up for the next stranger’s pleasure. A man who was having impotency problems. She’d need to work hard to get him up.

She said aloud, “Damn. If the world only understood the power of the pussy. It can make a man lose his ever-loving mind.”