Ruby by Heather Burnside (carter reed txt) 📗

Shelley laughed, ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘It’s no biggie. There’s plenty of places you can go round here where no one can see what’s going on. You’ll soon get used to it.’

‘OK,’ said Trina again, trying to hide her trepidation.

‘Oh, and don’t tell them your real name,’ said Shelley. ‘For the same reason that you don’t let them know where you live. If you get a dodgy client, the less they know about you the better.’

Trina stared at Shelley, stupefied, as she listened to her list of instructions: Always use a condom, agree a price up front, avoid anyone who stinks of booze or smells dirty. The list went on until Trina found herself becoming quite anxious.

‘It’s fine,’ said Shelley. ‘As long as you have your wits about you, it’ll be OK. Like I say, you’ll soon get used to it.’

This time Trina just nodded, keeping her anxious thoughts to herself.

Shelley then went on to describe the various services Trina could offer and how much she should charge for them.

‘You don’t have to offer all of them,’ she added. ‘It’s up to you, but you get more clients if you offer more.’

‘It’s OK,’ said Trina. ‘I don’t mind.’

‘You still up for it then?’ asked Shelley.

‘Yeah, course,’ said Trina, putting on a brave face.

*

The following night Trina tried to hide her nerves as she prepared for her first night on the game. She was standing in front of the bathroom mirror putting on her makeup while, in the background, the Spice Girls sang about what they really really want. Again, Shelley had offered her advice, suggesting what she should wear and what makeup to apply.

‘You should deffo wear a short skirt,’ she said. ‘And make sure it’s clingy as well. The clients love long legs and a tight arse.’

Despite her nerves Trina preened at the perceived compliment, especially coming from her object of desire. Shelley smiled in response. ‘In this game you’ve gotta make the most of what you’ve got,’ she said.

It was almost time to go and Trina could feel her heartbeat speeding up as she sprayed herself liberally with the bottle of Obsession that Shelley had lent her. Shelley seemed to pick up on her unease as she said, ‘Before we go, there’s a little something I always take. It helps you get through it.’

She pulled a bag of white powder from the sideboard in the living room and dipped a finger in it then held it to her nose.

‘What is it?’ asked Trina.

‘Coke. Try some,’ Shelley said, offering Trina the bag.

‘Oh, I’m not sure,’ said Trina.

‘It’ll make you feel better.’ Shelley smiled that wonderful smile of hers and added, ‘I promise.’

Trina didn’t know whether it was the need for something to calm her down or Shelley’s gentle persuasion, but she soon capitulated and had a snort of the coke. For a moment she didn’t feel anything. But then the rush hit her and she felt much more confident; euphoric even.

Shelley smiled again. ‘Right, I think you’re ready. Time to go.’

They walked the short distance to where the red light district was situated. To Trina it didn’t seem what she would have expected from a red light district. Unlike the area she came from, all the streets were tree-lined and some of the houses were huge.

It had once been an affluent area but many of the large houses were now being rented out to the criminal element. Where the trees had once added to the area’s appeal, to Trina they gave the neighbourhood an eerie atmosphere, acting as cover for anyone who was up to no good, their vast branches overhanging the pavements and reaching out like the tentacles of an octopus. In the darkness of night-time she kept expecting someone to pounce out at her from behind one of the huge tree trunks.

After a few minutes Shelley said, ‘Right, we’re here. You stand here and I’ll move further along.’ Trina looked at her in alarm; by now she was finding it difficult to mask her growing unease, despite taking the cocaine.

It wasn’t long until a car pulled up and the driver wound the window down. Shelley approached the vehicle and although Trina couldn’t hear everything that was said she saw Shelley nod in her direction then she stood aside while the driver looked across and shook his head as if in distaste.

Shelley stepped back towards Trina. ‘Right, this one’s mine. Don’t forget everything I told you,’ she said, stepping back up to the car and jumping inside.

Then the car sped off and Trina was alone. She was immediately beset by panic and an urge to flee, especially as the rejection by Shelley’s first client had sapped her confidence. Trina tried to calm down, telling herself that it was no big deal as she’d had sex plenty of times before and felt nothing. But then she thought about what she was about to do and what she had become.

Something about the word ‘prostitute’ struck terror into her and Trina thought about the implications. She was no longer dealing with naïve schoolboys, but was selling her body to men. Strange men. Old men. Fat men. Dirty men. She tried to shake off her negative thoughts and focus instead on the money and the list of instructions Shelley had given her.

Then Trina noticed a car pull up and as the driver wound down the window she realised he had stopped for her. For a few moments she hesitated while the driver watched her. He didn’t look too bad; oldish but not bad looking, and clean. And the car was nice too.

When she didn’t make a move, the driver revved his engine, the sound marking his impatience and prompting Trina to make a decision. She took a deep breath, crossed the pavement and prepared to do business with her first client.

33

May 1998

Trina stooped till she could see through the car’s window, and the man’s eyes