Ruby by Heather Burnside (carter reed txt) 📗

‘OK, calm the fuck down,’ said Ruby, whose attempt at light-heartedness missed the mark.

Tiffany giggled, ‘I’m thinking about business,’ she said. ‘Why, what are you thinking?’

Ruby smiled back. ‘That she’s a fuckin’ good catch for a new brothel. But don’t worry about the other girls. We’ve got a good selection. Don’t forget, not all the clients have got the same tastes. Some like more of a natural look.’

‘True,’ said Tiffany who giggled again. ‘She is fuckin’ gorgeous though, isn’t she?’

Ruby thumped Tiffany playfully on the arm. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous when she saw her girlfriend admiring other women. But she knew she needn’t have worried; Rose was obviously not gay as she’d mentioned a male partner and, besides, she knew Tiffany only had eyes for her.

As she sat there with Tiffany, admiring the cosy ambience of her waiting area and thinking about the imminent opening of her very own brothel, Ruby felt like her life couldn’t possibly get any better. She had everything she could ever have wished for; a partner who loved her unconditionally and her own business, which not only gave her independence but was also going to make her very rich. She couldn’t wait to open her doors to the public and get things started.

*

Aaron Gill was lying back on his prison bunk smoking a joint and chatting to his cellmate who was in the bunk below. He’d been inside for over two and a half years now and was much calmer following regular sessions with a prison counsellor. His appearance was still slim thanks to the coke that he managed to get hold of inside. But he wasn’t quite as skinny as before due to the unhealthy prison food and the large amount of time spent inactive.

He had adapted to life on the inside, disguising his middle-class accent for the street talk he had used in his role as Gilly, pimp and drug user. He was wise enough to realise that he’d fit in much better that way. Gilly had also kept his nose clean while he’d been on the inside, knowing that it would lead to an earlier release.

When he’d viciously beaten up Crystal and left her for dead, he’d really lost the plot. But that level of violence and anger, which had led to his incarceration, was no longer evident. Gilly also knew that it didn’t pay to dwell on the reasons why he was here in the first place – the fact that he’d lost the woman he adored, Maddy, thanks to that silly cow, Crystal, and her obsession with him. And the fact that her bitch of a mate, Ruby, had grassed him up.

Maddy had been perfect, and so different from the girls he normally dealt with. He had never revealed his real identity to her, knowing she’d run a mile if she found out she was seeing a pimp and drug user. But then Crystal had given the game away, convinced in her own stupid mind that he was two-timing her.

He’d already dealt with Crystal, but Ruby was another matter and the bitter feelings about what Ruby had done gnawed at his insides. Gilly recognised that it wouldn’t take much for those feelings to result in a violent rage. Every time he thought about it the adrenalin pumped furiously through his body, the veins on his neck protruding and his hands clenching in tight fists. But he held himself in check each time he spotted the signs, carrying out his mind exercises just like his counsellor had taught him.

‘Tell you what,’ Gilly said to his cellmate, ‘I can’t fuckin’ believe I’ve only been in this dump for two and a half years. It’s gonna be years yet before I can fuck off out of here.’

‘No worries, mate, it’ll come round quicker than you think. You still gonna sort out the bitch that put you in here?’ his cellmate asked, picking up on Gilly’s thoughts.

Gilly grinned to himself. ‘Sure, but I’d be mad to fuckin’ lose it again and end up back in here… Oh no, I’m gonna play it a bit more cagey this time. But, don’t you worry, one way or another, I’ll get the bitch.’

31

September 2007

‘Ruby, Victor’s here,’ said Tiffany as she led him to the desk where Ruby was taking the bookings. The club had now been running for a few days and Victor had called in to see how things were going.

Ruby looked up from her computer, pleased when she saw Victor’s reaction as he strolled through the waiting area, eyeing up the girls as well as the décor, with a beaming smile on his face.

‘Well, well,’ he said, smiling. ‘You have done a good job.’

‘You ain’t seen nothing yet,’ said Ruby. ‘Wait till you see the rest of the rooms.’

‘Sounds good,’ he said, looking over to where the girls were seated.

Ruby picked up on his thoughts. ‘Come on, I’ll introduce you to the girls first. I’ve asked them all to come in especially so they can meet you.’

They walked over to two of the Chesterfields where the girls were seated, chatting animatedly. As they approached Ruby could sense Victor’s mounting excitement. His pace had quickened and his head was twitching.

‘Girls, this is Victor, the owner,’ said Ruby. ‘He’s here to meet you all.’

A couple of the girls looked shocked. Ruby understood their reaction; Victor wasn’t exactly what you would have expected from a brothel owner, his nervous twitching belying his status as a shrewd businessman. But then the glamorous Rose stood up and held out her hand, and Victor leered in appreciation.

Ruby introduced her. ‘This is Rose. She’s come from Denny’s place so she already has her own clients.’

‘Good, good,’ said Victor as his eyes roamed over her perfect body. Then he switched his focus to the next girl along, and held out his hand.

‘This is, Ria,’ said Ruby, introducing a small, pretty, Asian girl with captivating, large