Ruby by Heather Burnside (carter reed txt) 📗

showed him round but I soon put him straight.’ Then Ruby had a thought, ‘Why d’you ask? He hasn’t made a play for you, has he?’

Tiffany smiled. ‘No, I think he’s probably frightened of what you’ll do if he dares to touch me.’

‘Good, so he should be. Anyway, I think he’s more than occupied now with trying out all the girls we’ve got available. He’s like a kid in a sweet shop and he loves the fact that he gets it all for nowt.’

Tiffany pulled a face, displaying her repulsion. ‘I know,’ said Ruby. ‘Whatever turns you on, I suppose.’

Ruby paused for a moment while she took a mouthful of cereal then she became pensive. ‘Y’know, Tiffany, we’ve been banging some money away in the last few weeks, haven’t we?’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Tiffany giggled. ‘We can’t fuckin’ spend it quick enough.’

‘Well, I was thinking,’ said Ruby. ‘Why don’t we carry on saving till we have a deposit for a place of our own?’

‘Really? Is that what you want?’ When Ruby nodded, Tiffany asked, ‘D’you think we’ll get a mortgage?’

‘Course we will. It’s not a brothel as far as the bank is concerned; it’s a massage parlour. Victor’s going to make sure it’s all done officially through an accountant so we’ll have proper accounts to show the bank.’

‘Sounds good. Do you not like it here then?’

‘Yeah, it’s handy being on the premises but… well… sometimes I think it would be nice to have our own home where we can get away from it all.’

‘Where are you thinking of moving to?’ asked Tiffany.

‘Somewhere nice, maybe Sale or Altrincham.’

Tiffany beamed a smile at her. ‘Sound. I can’t wait,’ she said.

*

Later that evening Ruby, was manning the reception desk while Tiffany had a night off. They preferred to take time off on the quieter nights and manage the desk together at weekends when things were busier. Although it was a Wednesday, the nightclub was open to the public but, like the brothel, it was a quiet night for North. Ruby was enjoying the vibe from the nightclub, the beat of the dance music creating a party atmosphere. Don’t Cha by the Pussycat Dolls was just fading out when a new client came in through the door. Ruby took a good look at him as he walked over to the reception desk.

The man was around forty, tall and quite good looking and had made an attempt at casual dress although his clothing seemed a bit too new and squeaky clean to be something that he wore regularly. He smiled confidently as he sauntered up to the reception desk.

‘I’d like to book one of your girls,’ he said in an accent that was somewhere in between refined and street.

‘Come on, I’ll show you who’s available,’ said Ruby, walking him over to the waiting area where two girls were sitting. After introducing them both, she added, ‘You can have a coffee and a chat with the girls before you decide who you would like to spend some time with if you like.’

‘No, that’s OK. I’ll take Ria if that’s alright,’ said the man.

‘Good choice,’ said Ruby and as Ria stood up Ruby said to her, ‘Ria, why don’t you tell him about your special massage?’

‘Sure,’ said Ria, who then led the man to her room.

The arrival of the man had unsettled Ruby and she had a bad feeling about him. All the time he was in Ria’s room she found it difficult to relax. This man could spell major trouble for them and she dreaded to think what the upshot of that might be. She just hoped Ria was onto him.

But then she tried to tell herself Ria would be able to handle the situation fine. Ruby had seen the look of recognition on her face and prayed that it meant she would do the right thing. Nevertheless, the half hour that the man spent in Ria’s room passed excruciatingly slowly.

Eventually they came out of Ria’s room. Ruby saw the man first as he passed the reception desk and headed for the stairs, muttering a glum ‘hello’. She saw his look of disappointment; maybe it was a good sign. Ria went back to the waiting area but, once the man had left the building, she came over to speak to Ruby.

‘Everything alright?’ asked Ruby.

‘Yeah,’ said Ria. ‘He only had a massage.’

‘Good. Did he ask for anything else?’

‘No, but I didn’t offer it either.’

‘Good. Well done, girl,’ said Ruby. ‘I’m glad you had him sussed. I don’t think we need to worry about him anymore, but there might be others so you be careful.’

‘No worries,’ said Ria. ‘You didn’t think I’d forget our secret code, did you?’

Ruby went back to the reception area and smiled to herself. Thank God Ria had been on the ball and remembered what the special massage meant! Still, the situation had unsettled her and she made a mental note to remind the other girls just in case.

Ruby had figured him out as soon as she saw him walk over to the reception desk. He was too different from the other clients. His style of dress didn’t seem right, as though he was trying too hard to create a certain image. Then there was his over-confident manner; clients visiting for the first time were normally a bit apprehensive. And the final thing that had given him away was the way he was examining the club in fine detail.

He had copper written all over him. She should know; she’d seen so many of them during the years she’d spent on the street that she could easily sniff one out. Apart from those who were trying to impose the law, she had also met plenty who had indulged in the services she offered.

Although his appearance had unnerved Ruby, she still felt confident that if they had any other visits from the law, she would easily be able to handle them. In fact, she thought smugly, she couldn’t foresee any problems that she wouldn’t be capable