Cervena (9 page)

I checked in for my flight, wishing I didn’t have a suitcase. It would make things take longer when I had to wait in Baggage Claim at the other end. I bought a coffee and found somewhere to sit away from the main bustle in Departures. Two hours and I’d be in the air. Three hours after that and I’d find out what the hell had happened to my business.

Chapter Six

I FINALLY
reached Červenà a little before two in the morning. My flight had been delayed by almost three hours, following which the passengers had boarded, only for the plane to sit on the tarmac for an hour with some kind of “technical issue.” I’d been thankful for my first-class seat where I could at least be comfortable while I fretted.

Even though I’d been desperate to get to the club, I’d had a taxi take me to the condos first to get rid of my case. The driver waited outside, and within ten minutes, I’d been back in the car on the way to Červenà. Now I stood outside the side entrance, listening to the thumping music and wondering what I was going to find when I walked in. An hour to go before closing and things would still be in full swing.

I let myself in and headed along the corridor. The dressing room was empty, which was unusual. With one dancer on the podium and two or three in the private rooms, there was always someone getting changed or waiting for their turn. I checked the offices and the viewing room and found no one, not even one of the security guys who should have been watching the monitors. All the screens were switched off. I touched a button to turn on the screen connected to the camera in Room 2, and cursed at what it showed me. Marek was in the room with a customer, performing a much more intimate lap dance than was usually allowed. He was naked and hard, writhing on the man’s lap. The customer had his dick out and was jerking himself furiously, groping Marek’s balls with his free hand. I swallowed hard as I felt my gorge rising. What else was I going to find? I left the room without checking the other screens and made my way into the main part of the club.

The dance floor and the area surrounding the podium were packed. Saturday nights always saw the club filled to capacity, but I estimated there to be perhaps a hundred or more beyond that, which was not only illegal but would cause a huge problem with the insurance if anything should happen. Putting off investigating the crowd around the podium, I walked to the bar, which was manned by Kris and another barman we’d employed for a while, along with one I’d never seen before.

“Kris!” I bellowed above the music. The man jumped and almost spilled the cocktail in his hand. He passed it to a customer and leaned toward me, eyes wide.

“You’re back.” He sounded both surprised and relieved.

“Yeah. What the hell is going on here? I had an e-mail from Pavel saying he left.”

“Karel’s made some changes. You’ll see for yourself. It’s all about sex now. There are a few new boys. Fran and Andĕl left; they couldn’t stand what he made them do. No one gets to keep any of their tips. I’ve been applying for other jobs, but I haven’t found anything yet. I’m sorry, Joel. Everything’s gone to shit.”

“Don’t worry, Kris. I’ll fix it. Get back to work.”

Nauseated, I made my way through the crowd toward the podium. The applause and yells of delight could be heard above the music. I squeezed through the excited horde until I reached the front, and found Tomáš right in front of me. He didn’t see me at first. He was on his knees, back arched so that his head almost touched the circular platform. He was naked, surrounded by a carpet of money, and with so many hands on his body I could barely see his skin. One man jacked him with a large fist and his cries of pleasure were exaggerated and high pitched. I watched, horrified, as he came all over himself and several of the hands, then slumped onto his back and opened his eyes.

It took Tomáš a moment to focus, but then he scrambled up, face shocked. “Joel?”

“Yes. I’m back.”

“I… I’m….” He lowered his eyes, flushing.

“Did Karel make you do this?” I asked, aware that the crowd hadn’t dispersed and was observing with interest. Tomáš nodded. “Where are the others?”

“Upstairs.” He continued to avoid looking at me.

“Sasha?”

Tomáš nodded again and wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m sorry. Karel said you weren’t coming back. We had to do what he said or we’d lose our jobs. You know most of us can’t afford to be out of work. We’d lose our homes too. Andĕl and Fran couldn’t stand it. They left in the middle of the New Year’s Eve party. Fran got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago and said they were working at that strip bar across the river.”

“Fuck.” I took a deep breath. “Go to your room, get cleaned up, and put some clothes on. Then come down and wait in my office.”

“I’m sorry, Joel,” Tomáš repeated miserably.

“It’s all right. You’re not in trouble, I promise.” I tried to soften my tone but it was difficult. I seethed with rage. Tomáš climbed off the podium and did his best to cover himself with cupped hands. He looked close to tears. “It’s all right,” I repeated. “You’re not going to lose your job or your home. Just do as I ask. I’ll sort this out.”

Tomáš nodded and scurried away to the door leading through to the back of the building. The watching crowd gradually dispersed, although a few men still stared at me curiously.

“Show’s over.” I waved them away and gathered up the piles of money from the platform. Tomáš had earned it and I intended to give it to him later. I doubted he would have been able to keep any of it if I hadn’t returned.

My feet dragged as I made my way upstairs to the private rooms. I dreaded what I’d find. I hadn’t seen Sasha yet, and I hoped to God he was in his studio, not taking part in this, but it was probably unrealistic of me. It sounded as if all the boys had been made to do things they didn’t want.

I threw open the first door, hard enough for it to crash into the wall and bounce back to me. I held it wide with one arm and glared at the shocked couple before me. A young red-haired boy I’d never seen before scrambled off the chair he’d been draped over, and the man who’d been rolling a blue condom onto his hard cock faced me belligerently.

“What the fuck?” he demanded. “I paid my money. Wait your turn!”

“I
own
this place,” I growled. “And I’m putting a stop to this right now. Get dressed and get out of here. Now.” We were the same height and he probably outweighed me by fifty pounds, but most of that was around his middle. He stood his ground for a few seconds while his erection drooped and his face colored. Then he turned away, tossed the condom into the corner of the room, and grabbed for his clothes.

“Who are you?” I demanded of the redheaded boy.

“Rosta.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I work for Mr. Doubrava.”

“As what? A whore?” I couldn’t keep the contempt out of my voice. What Karel had turned our business into horrified me, and I had yet to see what had happened to Sasha. Even if he wasn’t interested in anything happening between us, I couldn’t bear the thought of him being subjected to this.

“Yes.” The redhead lifted his chin defiantly. “So what? It’s good money.”

“And it’s illegal.”

“No, it’s not.”

“How old are you?” His baby face indicated he should have been in school.

“Seventeen. That’s old enough.”

I scowled. Damn Karel to hell. “The age of consent is fifteen, but for this kind of thing it’s eighteen. You must know that.”

The boy shrugged. “Are you going to fire me? Mr. Doubrava won’t be happy.”

“He certainly won’t when I’ve finished with him.” I took a moment to think. This boy could have been in Sasha’s position once. Perhaps he’d only agreed to do it out of desperation. I took a breath, trying to calm my temper. “Rosta, how long have you been working here?”

“A few weeks.”

“Where were you before?”

“On the streets. Why?”

My stomach churned. “And Mr. Doubrava offered you a job here as…?”

“Look, I knew what I was doing. I’ve been doing it for two years, but I get a lot more money doing it here. I got a room now instead of a doorway.”

“Surely you don’t want to sell yourself?”

Rosta shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. I’d rather do something else, but there is nothing else.”

“I can’t offer you a job here. You’re too young to work in the bar or dance.” I couldn’t turn him out and let him go back to what he’d been doing before. The thought horrified me, and I suspected his cocky attitude was just a cover. His chin had dropped and his gaze fixed on a point somewhere around the middle of my chest. “Maybe I could think of something else for you to do.”

“I’ve got enough money to keep me going for a while. I’ll go now.” He gathered his things, including the wad of cash on the table.

“Wait!” I pulled out my wallet. All I could see when I looked at him was Sasha hunting for scraps in the backyard, and the boy in the doorway whom Sasha and I had both given money to. I couldn’t help feeling guilty over Rosta losing his source of income, however unsavory it was. “Here.”

I handed him three thousand korunas, which was most of the cash I had. Not much, but it would feed him for a while or pay for his room for a couple of weeks. The boy’s eyes widened, and he reached out to take the money.

“Thanks.” Before I could say anything more, he dived through the door and thundered down the stairs.

“Shit,” I muttered. I should have done more. But I had other concerns to deal with now.

Marek was in the next room. His customer had gone, and he’d put on shorts and shoes. His mouth dropped open as I stood in the doorway.

“Oh! Joel! You’re back! Oh my God!” He fluttered his hands and dropped the cash he’d held.

“Yes, I’m back. You don’t have to say anything. Get dressed properly and meet me in my office. Tomáš will be there soon.”

“Of course. Yes. I’m going.”

“Pick up your money.” I pointed at the floor and he bent to collect the crumpled notes.

“Should I give this to you now?”

“No, you keep it. Things are going to change around here.”

“I’m glad you’re back.” Marek spoke in a whisper. He slipped past me and headed off to his studio. I closed the door and leaned against the wall for a moment. My stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot and my heart pounded hard enough to make me breathless. I hated this. I could intimidate the most determined opponent if need be, but I loathed confrontation. It was like an act I put on to accomplish what I had to.

I took several deep breaths and moved to the next door. I knew what I would find before I opened it. He had to be in there. Closing my eyes, I pushed open the door. When I forced myself to look, I was confronted by a shivering Sasha, naked and pressing himself into the corner of the room. He looked scared but determined, fists raised defensively in front of him. The other man in the room was another middle-aged overweight man paying for his fun. His shrinking cock hung from his unfastened trousers and his lip bled, presumably from Sasha hitting him. I dealt with him the same way I’d dealt with the first one. This one made only a halfhearted protest and quickly left, tucking himself away as he went.

Sasha didn’t speak. He closed his eyes and cringed, lowering his hands to cover himself. He didn’t look at me until I’d taken off my overcoat and draped it around him. Then he grabbed it gratefully, shoved his arms into the sleeves, and wrapped it tightly around his body.

“Did he hurt you?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“No.”

“What about before today?”

Sasha shook his head. “No.”

“No one’s touched you?”

“Tried a few times.” He grimaced and seemed to shrink inside the coat, which was much too big for him.

“All of this is over. I want you to go up to your studio, take a shower, get dressed, and wait until I come up. I’m going to talk to the others in my office and see if I can get hold of my
esteemed partner
.” I spat the last couple of words and Sasha’s eyes widened. He stared at me for a moment, then quickly left the room.

I sighed heavily and took a moment to calm down. The boys would need a few more minutes to sort themselves out, so I went back to the club and spoke to Ralph who was mercifully still deejaying.

“Man, am I glad to see you! Karel said he didn’t think you were coming back.”

“He probably hoped I wouldn’t. Cut the music, Ralph. We’re closing a bit early.”

“No problem.”

Within ten minutes the crowds were leaving. Ralph, Kris, and I acted as doormen to get them out as the usual security guys were nowhere to be seen. Ralph explained the club no longer had security. Karel had told him we didn’t need it, as there was little trouble at Červenà.

“Fuck,” I muttered. “Look, I have a lot to do. Things will go back to the way they were, I hope, but I’m going to need your help. I want to deal with the dancers first. Will you two be willing to come in tomorrow afternoon for a meeting? Kris, ask the other bartenders to come too.”

“Sure, we’ll all be here,” Kris replied at once. “What time?”

“Two o’clock. My office. The side entrance will be open.”

“You need us to do anything else tonight?” Ralph asked.

“No, just go home and get some sleep. Do any of you know where Karel is?”

“He went home. Took one of the new boys with him.”

“You mean Gabriel?” He’d been the most recent addition before I’d gone away.

“No.” Kris shook his head. “One of the other sort. There are three of them.”

“Right. We’ll all talk about this tomorrow.” I waited until the men had collected their belongings and left the club. I checked the toilets to ensure no one was in there, then locked the outer doors. By the time I reached my office, Tomáš, Marek, and Gabriel were waiting for me, all wearing jeans and T-shirts. I closed the door and sat down.

“Where’s Sasha?” Tomáš was the first to speak. “Did you find him?”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “He’s in his room. I’ll talk to him later.”

“What’s going to happen to us?” Gabriel asked. “Are you back now?”

“Yes, I’m back, and I’m staying. Let me make this clear—none of you are in any trouble. You’re not going to lose your jobs or your homes, unless you particularly want to leave.”