The Room on the Second Floor (12 page)

He waved his hand gently towards the bed and was pleased to see her sit down a couple of feet from him. After the briefest of glances in his direction, she reached out and picked up the money. If he had been assuming it would be thrust down the front of her bra, he was disappointed. It disappeared into the drawer of the bedside cabinet. She now looked much less fearful. In fact, she adopted a sympathetic, almost friendly, tone.

‘Sorry about the “weirdo” thing, but we do get them, if you know what I mean. You will too, I expect. Much better to get rid of them at the start, even though you miss out on the cash, rather than find yourself in big trouble part way through. Girlfriend of mine had to be taken to A&E a few weeks back. Some bastard beat her black and blue.’ Duggie looked and felt suitably disgusted. She continued pensively. ‘Mind you, you lot go in for that S&M stuff more than we do, don’t you? At least there always seems to be a lot of leather about. Well, if you want my advice, it’s not to get involved. On your knees or on your back, that’s my advice. Keep them where you can see them, if you know what I mean. Of course, I suppose you boys are mainly on your knees. At my last place…’

The penny suddenly dropped. Duggie moved quickly to rectify the apparent misunderstanding.

‘No, dear. When I said I was going into the same business, I meant the hetero business and in a supervisory capacity.’ Although, as he said it, he realised that there was probably a big potential market out there for those of the opposite persuasion. Another mental note: consider getting the boys in too. Even though it went contrary to his natural inclinations, business was business. She looked surprised and, clearly, she did not follow. He explained.

‘I mean, I am thinking of setting up a brothel. Sorry to use the word, it sounds so squalid.’ She was unselfconsciously scratching an itch under her right breast at the time, so then he realised he maybe didn’t need to choose his words too carefully. ‘I am going to start a place where girls (and maybe boys) can make a good living in clean, safe conditions. We will be providing sexual services to the elite of local society. I am talking about a smart, professional operation where everybody gets satisfaction.’

Her eyes bulged and she burst out laughing. ‘You know you won’t last ten minutes. The Vice will be down on you like a ton of bricks. You see, it’s like this.’ She started to repeat the advice he had already received from Mr Cardew. ‘It’s not illegal to sell it, like I’m doing here off my own bat, if you know what I mean. It’s the setting up of places like you are talking about, that they crack down on. You could try calling yourself a massage parlour, but I doubt if you’ll last more than a few weeks.’ She was warming to her role as mentor. ‘Maybe if they are all self-employed…but it’s tricky.’

Duggie was on more certain ground as far as the legal aspects were concerned. It was the nitty-gritty he wanted to learn about. ‘Yes, I know all that. Thanks for the advice. But let’s just suppose that I have found a way of getting round the legal nuts and bolts of the operation. What I want from you is an idea of what your clients want, what they are willing to pay for and how much to charge.’

She gave him a look that indicated she did not hold out much chance of his success. Then, to his delight, she launched into a fascinating, slightly scary and sometimes downright baffling, list of things that her clients ? she called them all by the name ‘Joe’? enjoyed. She did not hesitate to go into graphic physiological detail. She described a mind-boggling variety of acts she had been called upon to perform over her career. Duggie found himself wondering, for an irreverent moment, how she and Paddy the general factotum would get on in a discussion of the functions of the human body.

By the time he reckoned he had exhausted her expertise, he felt exhausted himself. He had noted down a remarkably long and detailed list of acts and services. Along with these were the concomitant accessories and equipment. He also got a notional reckoning of the relative cost to the client of each. Some of the services on offer were fairly familiar and straightforward, while others had baffled him completely. And one or two, once explained to him, had left him wondering,
why on earth
? Anyway, by the end of her exposition, she had definitely been very helpful. He told her so.

‘Thank you. That was exactly the sort of information I was looking for. You have been very kind. By the way, what is your name? Mine, as I told you, is Douglas.’

She gave him a smile.

‘I call myself Antoinette. Professionally, if you know what I mean. I chose it because I do good French. I thought it would be more suitable. I’m really called Maureen.’

Duggie had to flick back through his pages of notes to remind himself of the meaning of ‘French’ in this context. Ah, so that was it
. Well, well. You would never know, if you met her on the bus
. An idea began to develop in his mind. His train of thought was interrupted by her voice.

‘Mind if I put my top back on? It’s a bit blooming chilly here, if you know what I mean.’ He nodded absently, as she retrieved her clothes and squeezed back into them. He took a critical look at her and decided to take the plunge.

‘Tell me, Maureen, how much do you earn in a good week, if you don’t mind my asking?’

She screwed up her face as she did a rapid mental calculation. When she told him the figure, he was surprised, having expected quite a lot more. She noticed his expression, and added in a moment of candour. ‘I’m not as young as I used to be, you know, Douglas. There’s a lot of competition out there at this present moment in time, if you know what I mean.’

He nodded sympathetically. He knew exactly what she meant.

‘Listen, Maureen, how would you like to come and work for me?’ Her ears pricked up, but she looked uncertain. ‘I’ll pay you double the figure you just mentioned, each week for the next six months. At the end of that time it is either
arrivederci
, or I’ll add a bit more and keep you on full time. What do you think?’

He saw conflicting emotions on her face. ‘What would I have to do? There’s some things I don’t do, if you know what I mean.’ He not only knew what she meant, he had a list of them in his notebook. He assured her that she would not be called upon to perform any acts to which she might take exception. In fairness, in her previous explanation, she had indicated that there was not really a tremendous amount to which she would object.

‘I don’t see you having to do a lot of,’ he consulted his notebook, ‘tricks. We’ll get other girls for that. I see your role more as our resident expert, responsible for training and supervision of the staff. Could you also get involved with recruiting suitable girls?’

This was something that had bothered him for quite a few days. How did one go about staffing a brothel? It was all very well advertising the services on offer via discreet newspaper ads, such as those that had led him here. But in the search for suitable staff, you could not exactly stick an advert in the
Guardian
. And adverts close to home would most probably bring about the sort of unwanted publicity his solicitor had warned him to avoid. This was always going to be a problem. Maureen immediately cheered him up.

‘Girls? I can find you girls, all right. Reckon I could get you some really good material, if your place is as swish as you say it is. I might even be able to find you a few boys as well, if you like. As for training, I doubt if you could do better. What I don’t know about this business isn’t worth knowing, if you know what I mean.’

Duggie had no doubt at all that she was right. Maureen was exactly what he needed. They would, however, need to be discreet. He eyed her attire. She had squeezed back into the microscopic skirt and the over-tight top. That wouldn’t do at all for the sort of establishment he had in mind. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another three hundred pounds. Her eyes widened.

‘Here, take this money. Go out and buy yourself some new clothes. I want you looking smart and businesslike, not tarty. Spend some of the money getting your hair done nicely. And, for goodness sake, get rid of the two-tone colour scheme. My place is going to be classy and very upmarket. As the First Lady you need to set and keep up standards. No mini-skirt, no tits hanging out, and tone down the make-up. Got it?’

Not only did she get it, she appeared to relish the thought. As an afterthought, he added another fifty pounds to the pile and told her to buy some good perfume but, for the love of God, to use it sparingly.

He stood up to leave. She looked up at him from the bed, her hands reaching towards his fly, which was just in front of her face. ‘Sorry to send you away empty-handed, so to speak.’ She clearly indicated her readiness to fill hers. ‘Would you like me to give you a little something, sort of like a sample, Douglas?’

He looked down at her. Tactfully, he declined the offer, with the explanation that it was not a good thing to mix business with pleasure. Also, Tina had made it abundantly clear to him that she would kill him, if he were to even think about sex with one of his future employees. Besides which, he thought happily, the way things were going at home, Tina was woman enough for him by a long chalk. Maureen gave him an understanding smile and stood up. She shook his hand formally.

‘My friends call me Mo.’

‘Well, welcome aboard, Mo. I’ll send you a letter tomorrow with all this in writing. I think I will call your position,’ he paused for a few moments until the idea came to him, ‘Personnel Officer. Sounds good, eh?’ He already had his hand on the door handle, when he had a sudden thought. ‘By the way, a while ago, when you thought you’d got a weirdo on your hands, you made mention of your friend who would come along and duff me up. Is there somebody else here, or do you work alone? I don’t really want too many people in on this for the moment.’

She pushed past him out into the hall, and opened the door opposite. In front of the TV was an empty armchair. Beside it on a low table, stood a half-empty mug of tea. She gave him a shy smile.

‘I told you business was not as good as it might be. Was a time I would have had a man here, ready to come and sort out any bother. Not these days.’

He felt quite sorry for her and it must have showed on his face.

‘You are a good man, Douglas. I can see that. Let me give you a word of warning and, for God’s sake, remember that you did not get this from me. Watch out if you do get successful. There are some really bad people out there. They will come and cause you grief, if you know what I mean. They will call it protection, or help, or a contribution to the fund, or whatever. But, call it what you will, it means you pay them off, or you end up in deep trouble.’

Duggie began to feel worried.

‘Deep trouble…?’

‘The sort of trouble that has people like you on crutches, and girls like me needing plastic surgery. Got it? Know what I mean?’ She evidently saw comprehension on his face. ‘So watch your back and, when they come calling, pay them. And remember, you didn’t hear this from me.’

On an impulse he kissed her on the cheek and left. He was still wiping the thick film of face cream off his lips as he left the building three flights of stairs below.

Chapter 18

Sitting in Harvard, at a desk borrowed from a friend, Roger was miserable.

As miserable as St Bernard must have been in 1148, when the Second Crusade faltered and then collapsed? Definitely.

As miserable as St Bernard, when he heard the news of the death of his much-loved mother? Possibly.

As miserable as Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, on the day he was taken to the Ile de la Cité, and burnt to death over a slow fire? Well, maybe not.

But, still, he was really, really miserable.

And it was all his own stupid fault. The only woman he had ever loved now thought him a coarse boor, or worse. Had he really put his arm round her and kissed her, as a vague recurring nightmare seemed to indicate? But what was even worse was the fact that he had lacked the courage to throw himself at her feet and apologise. All he had done was scuttle away like a frightened crab heading for a crevice in a rock.

He should never have got so drunk. Of course, he knew it was fear that had driven him to the stupidity of trying to get some Dutch courage. But he had ended up no better than a lager lout. He was a pathetic, spineless worm and he knew it ? and now so did she. His time in the US was miserable, not just because of the autumn weather.

It was a full week before this particular spineless worm managed to summon up the courage to return to Toplingham. Unexpectedly, he managed to feel some small glimmer of happiness intrude upon his dark cloud of depression, as the taxi dropped him under the Georgian columns of his front door. Stepping inside the elegant hallway, his mood of despondency was further relieved by ferocious barking and a furry assault. Jasper would have had him on his back, but for some snappy footwork. He dropped his bag and knelt down to the dog, as Duggie appeared from his office.

‘Welcome home, governor.’ He tugged what little forelock he had left. ‘On behalf of your faithful staff, we wish you the top of the morning. Or is it the middle of the night for your body clock?’

‘Hello, Duggie. Good to see you. Thanks again for taking Jasper at such short notice.’ Roger reached out and proffered the duty free bag. ‘Here’s a little something. Hope Jasper didn’t upset your life too much.’

‘Thanks, Roger. We’ll take him any time. Tina seems to be getting more fond of him than she is of me. Apparently he smells better than I do and makes less mess.’

Together they walked into the main office. Roger noted that, in his absence, the decorators had finished. New furniture had been delivered and it all looked very smart and modern. Things were really moving on apace. ‘Looks good, Duggie. When do we open?’

‘Still on target for January, so that’s less than three months now. The golf course is coming on, and the other facilities are being installed as we speak. That’ll be the fitness centre, indoor and outdoor pools, refurbished squash courts and four spanking-new tennis courts.’