Panties for Sale (19 page)

Alex reached up for Mr. Nimbin’s hand to help her stand,
but Mr. Nimbin shrank away.
 
“Oh, no,
your hands are all sticky.
 
Please,
you’ll have to wash them.”
 

She reached out to grab onto the side of the bed instead,
but then sat down quickly.
 
“My leg is
asleep,” she said.
 
She looked up at Mr
Nimbim expecting sympathy, but he had already stood up and was rushing into the
bathroom.
 
Alex shook her head laughing
as she massaged her leg until she could feel it coming back to life.

“You need to get dressed, Miss Alex,” Mr. Nimbin came out
of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. He passed her a wet face cloth. “For your
hands.
 
The hour is up.”
 

“Yes, yes of course.
 
My driver must be wondering where I am,” Alex carefully stood up and
limped to the closet.
 
Mr. Nimbin sat on
the edge of the bed and watched her get dressed.
 
He followed her to the door and handed her her
shoes, then quickly closed the door behind her.

What the hell was that?” Alex shook her head.
 
“What a waste of time.
 
That man is so repressed.
 
As if!
 
As if, I don’t know what I am doing!” She grabbed her cell phone to
check the time and then tried to hurry down the hall.

“Oh shit!
 
Damn!”
Alex ran back to room 445 and knocked on the door.
 
No one answered.
 
She knocked again, more frantically and began
pacing back and forth as she waited for Mr. Nimbin to answer.
 
But he didn’t.
 
Alex looked up and down the hall.
 
He couldn’t have left already.
 
No, she would have seen him. He didn’t go
anywhere.
 
I was just there.
 
Is he in the shower?
 
Oh god, probably.
 
Washing all my horrible germs off of
him.
 
Stupid germ-a-phobe, Alex thought
as she banged louder.

“Yes, I know Ahmed,” Alex barked into the phone.
 
“I will be right down.
 
No, I am fine. Yes.
 
Just a minute.” She looked at the closed door.
“Damnit.
 
Come on, come on, open the
door.
 
Mr. Nimbin?
 
Mr. Nimbin?
 
It’s Alex.
 
Please open up.”
 
Alex looked around. What should she do?
 
Should she call Ahmed back, have him come
up?
 
But what would he do?
 
Call hotel security?
 
Yeah right.
 
What would she say?
 
Damn
him!
 
What is he doing?
 
“Mr. Nimbin?”
 
Alex kicked the door.

“Yes?” The door slowly opened and Mr. Nimbin poked his head
out.

“Oh thank god.
 
I was
afraid you went to sleep or were in the shower or something.”

“Well yes, dear, I was just running a bath.
 
Can I help you?
 
Our appointment is over.”

“Oh yes, but um, you forgot to pay me, you know, Angela’s
business.”

“Are you sure dear?
 
I don’t think I would forget that.
 
I am sure you put it in your purse,” Mr. Nimbin tried to push the door
closed.

“No, I’m sure,” Alex held the door open with her foot, “you
didn’t.”

“Oh my, well, let me see then,” Mr. Nimbin stepped back as
Alex pushed the door open and walked into the room.
  
She stood with her arms crossed and watched
while Mr. Nimbin slowly looked through the papers on the desk and then through
the pockets of his jacket. “Well, I don’t seem to see it. Are you sure you
don’t have it?”
 

Alex sighed.
 
She
opened her purse but she knew it wasn’t in there.
 
She knew he didn’t pay her.
 
In desperation, she took one more look around
the hotel room.
 
Damnit.
 
What was she going to tell Angela?
 
It wasn’t really her fault?
 
Was it?
 
Then, her eyes spotted something.
 
A small white envelope was lying on top of the TV.
 

“What’s that?” she pointed to the envelope.

“What?”

“This,” Alex grabbed the envelope and opened it.
 
It contained 4 one hundred dollar bills.
“This must be it.”

“Oh yes, there it is.
 
Wonderful eyes, dear.
 
Ok, then,”
he walked her back to the door, “thank you again.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Chieko, you are too funny!”

“No, really, it is true.
 
That is all he wanted. Just to touch my feet.”

“But he paid you, right?”
 

“Yes, of course.
 
And, a little extra.”

“That is awesome,” Alex laughed.
 
“I need clients like that.
 
Then I wouldn’t have to pay for my own
pedicures.”
 

The girls’ conversation was silenced by the arrival of the
waitress.
 
They watched as she put two
cappuccinos down on the table.
 
“And the
cake?” the waitress asked as she held up a large slice of Futures’ famous
devil’s chocolate cheese cake drizzled in raspberry and chocolate sauce.

“Oh, we’re sharing that,” Alex pointed to the middle of the
table.

“So, how about you?” Chieko dug into the corner of the
decadent cake.
 
“What are your clients
like?”
 

“Mostly older married men.
 
I was nervous at first, but, oh my god, they were so easy.
 
Well, easier than I thought.
 
I was afraid it would take forever, to you
know, please them, but most of them were already excited before I showed up.
 
And they were all very nice.
 
And polite. You know, one just wanted to see
me naked and did it himself.
 
You know, I
bet he was on Viagra.”

“Really, you think so?”

“I don’t know for sure.
 
But, it was, well he was so hard when I showed up and was so eager to do
it fast, you know, before it wore off.
 
It just seemed odd to me.”

“I’ve heard of that.”
 
Maybe that’s what Carl did, Chieko thought.
 
She was surprised she hadn’t thought of it
before.
 
She had thought his new strength
was just because of her skills. But now that she thought about it, he was a lot
easier to please than before.
 
And eager
all the time. He sometimes even booked her twice a week.
 

“There was this one creepy one,” Alex leaned closer to
Chieko, “I can’t even remember his name.
 
He was gross.
 
He stunk, bad, like
dirty bad.
 
I swear, he smoked a pack of
cigarettes a day.
 
I don’t know how old
he was, late 40’s.
 
But his teeth were
disgusting.
 
Thank god, all he wanted was
to watch me get naked and then give him a blow job.
 
I don’t think I could have had sex with
him.
 
I would have to use KY for
sure.
 
Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes, ok.”

“Do you take your kit with you to every appointment?
 
I mean, do you use it?”

“The kit?”

“Yeah, you know, that stuff Angela gave you?
 
Or do you add anything extra?”

“I don’t understand.”

“You know, the condoms, KY, candles, oils. Angela gave me a
small bag for my first appointment.
 
You
know for starters.
 
Didn’t she give it to
you?
 
She told me she gave to everyone.”

“Oh, ok,” Chieko looked around to make sure no one was
listening and lowered her voice.
  
“Oh
course, I always have the condoms and the, what do you call the gel, the KY.”

“Oh good, so you use it too then?
 
I thought Angela was nuts when she first gave
it to me.
 
I couldn’t imagine needing to
use it.
 
I never had a problem, you know,
getting wet with my boyfriends.
 
At
first, I was embarrassed.
 
I didn’t want
the clients to think that they weren’t turning me on.
 
Well, they weren’t.
 
Most of them don’t.
 
But I don’t want them to know that, you
know?
 
I think they might actually make
me drier,” she laughed.
 
“No, but what I
really wanted to know is, have you added anything else?
 
Vibrators?
 
Body paint?
 
I haven’t had any
clients that wanted to do anything kinky like that.
 
Have you?”

Chieko coughed.
 
“No,
no, I haven’t added anything new.
 
But, yes,
I think maybe I could use the paint you said.
 
I have one client, I think, yes, that is a good idea.
 
But where do you get it?”
“Really?
 
You’d use that stuff?”

“Yes, it’s a good idea.
 
I have one client that likes to have some fun.
 
You know, Carl,
 
Mr. Roberts?
 
He likes to play games before.”

“Are you serious?
 
Like what?”

“Well, in the beginning we played mini golf.
 
And poker, but the stripping kind.
 
And then we play doctor.
 
Sometimes I dress up as a nurse for him.
 
He likes it.”

“Really? That’s awesome.
 
I never thought of dressing up as anything before.
 
I bet the men go crazy for that stuff, like
the naughty nurse.
 
It’s like their own
personal porn movie.
 
Maybe I should try
that sometime.
 
But isn’t it awkward to
start?
 
I mean, what do you say?”

“No, not awkward.
 
I
just say in the beginning, today we play golf.
 
Or today, I am nurse, and you are my patient.
 
And he says ok.”

“I don’t know if I could do that.”

“Yes, you can, but you are so funny already.
 
Maybe your clients don’t need a game.”

“You know, there are a few shops I know about, down on
Queen Street.
 
They have coloured condoms
and toys.
 
I’m sure they would have body
paint.
 
Wanna go and check it out after
we finish?
 
You could give me some
ideas.
 
I have to go that way anyways to
the post office,” she nodded at the large box she was carrying.
 
It was a very late present for her dad’s
birthday.
 
She hoped he liked it.
 
It was a leather Roots jacket and had cost a
fortune.
 
But she knew her dad liked
quality stuff and the jacket would look so nice on him, much nicer than the
faded old leather jacket he wore now.
 
She had told him she had already ordered it online, long before his
birthday, but they were out of stock, so she had to wait for it to arrive.
 
“I’d like the company, if you want to come.
 
I hate going to those places alone.”

“Really?
 
Yes, that
would be a good idea.
 
Domo, thank
you.”
 
Chieko sipped her cappuccino.
 
“Do you have any new interesting clients?”

“Well, there is one very interesting one.” Chieko looked up
Alex, surprised at the tone in her voice. “I know, I shouldn’t care.
 
But Joseph is so nice.”

“Joseph?” Chieko asked.

“Yes, that’s his name. Joseph,”
 
Alex mimicked Joseph’s accent.
 
“Exotic, eh?
 
Oh Chieko, he is so sexy.
 
Just
his voice.
 
You can’t imagine,” she
mimicked him again.
  
“He talks really
low, deep, with this French accent.
 
And,
I’ve already had two appointments with him.
 
He took me out for lunch and shopping.
 
We even walked down the street holding hands.
 
And he bought me this,” Alex pulled out the
delicate silver chain. “It’s from Tiffany’s.”

“Be careful, Alex.
 
He is a client.”

“Oh, I know, I know.
 
But he is so sexy.
 
And we haven’t
even kissed yet.
 
And, he pays me
extra.
 
I don’t know if I should tell you
this.”

“Wait, what do you mean you haven’t kissed?”

“We haven’t.
 
Not
really.
 
He does this adorable European
thing.
 
You know how they kiss on both
cheeks?
 
He does that then kisses me on
the forehead but not on the mouth, not like a good passionate kiss.
 
It’s driving me crazy.”

“But, your clients usually kiss you?”

“Yes, of course.
 
I
can’t have sex unless they kiss me.
 
How
else do you get in the mood?”

 
“You can kiss the
man, any man, you meet right away?”

“I guess so.
 
Why?”

“I don’t know, maybe we are different.
 
I don’t kiss.
 
I told Angela no.
 
I can’t.
 
No way.
 
It is too, too,” she paused, “too intimate.
 
How can I explain?
 
If you kiss, then you must have the
feeling.
 
You know, you start to
feel.
 
And then you get hurt.”

“What?
 
I never
thought about it like that.
 
I just like
kissing.
 
Wait a minute, that must be why
Angela was so surprised when I said I would kiss the clients.” Alex paused and
took a sip of her cappuccino, “Maybe I will try not kissing my next client.
 
See how it goes.
 
But not Joseph, I need to kiss him.
 
Hey, maybe that’s what he’s doing.
 
He doesn’t want to kiss me too quickly, you
know, Joseph doesn’t want to get too attached to me.”

Chieko smiled weakly and took another bite of cake.

“Or no, you know what?
 
Joseph probably thinks that I am like a real escort who doesn’t
kiss.
 
And he is just respecting me.”
Alex sat back confidently in her chair and smiled.
 
Alex looked over her shoulder and then leaned
closer to Chieko. “We haven’t had sex yet either, not even a blow job.”

“Ohma!
 
But, what do
you do?
 
Just talk and go shopping?”

“So far.
 
He tells me
he adores me, but nothing.” Alex gasped, “You don’t think he’s impotent, do
you?
 
Oh no, he can’t be!
 
I mean, he is so sexy.
 
Really, I just get so excited being near
him.
 
Ah, it’s killing me.
 
I would do it with him for free. Easy.”

Chieko laughed. Maybe Alex was right.
 
She did seem very smart and
 
maybe she understood these Western men
better.
 
Maybe this client was really
interested in her.
 
Maybe he had fallen
in love with her the first moment he saw her.

“It’s odd, when we first met, on that first appointment, I
thought Joseph was totally into me. The way he looked at me, you know that
‘hungry wolf’ look guys get when they want you.
 
And he said he would enjoy saying my name, over and over again, but then
nothing.”
 
Alex took another bite of the
chocolate cake.
 
“I talked to Angela this
morning and she said that Joseph had called her to ask for my home phone
number.
 
Can you believe it?
 
He said that he wanted to call me to wish me
good morning.”

“Did Angela give it to him?”

“No, you know her policy.
 
But isn’t that weird, I mean, since we haven’t actually done anything?”

“Do you think maybe he is in love with you?”
 

“No.
 
Of course not.
 
Don’t be silly.
 
No, I mean he couldn’t be.
 
He’s a client.
 
That’s not allowed right?
 
Plus, it’s not like, he couldn’t find a
girlfriend without, you know, paying for one?”

“He couldn’t find you.
 
Plus, you say he is rich. He must be really rich to pay you extra just
to talk to him. Maybe he is too busy to look for a girlfriend.”
 

“I don’t know.
 
Do
you think he could be?
 
Anyways, I have
an appointment with him tonight.
 
Ahmed
is picking me up at 7.
 
Ugh.
 
Do you have Ahmed as a driver?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like him?”

“He’s ok.”