Chapter 4

The next day, Alice had dinner alone with the kids. Tom was out with friends, playing squash (if Alice could believe such a story!).

After the table was cleared, she spent some time with the kids, a little boy of one and a girl of four. They were on the floor, playing with some toys. The nanny was sitting on a chair, playing with her phone, enjoying the momentary respite from her duties.

All of a sudden, the boy dropped a little car on his foot. Scared more than hurt, he started crying. Alice picked him up and tried to console him, but rather than calming him down, this seemed to drive him to higher pitches of hysterics.

The nanny walked up to them, picked the boy up, and the little child buried his face in her chest and instantly stopped crying.

Alice was hurt.

Somehow, all the help she had received had dulled her ability to do anything: the nannies, the drivers, the cooks, the maids. She was a useless, almost resented presence in that house. She was at once pampered and overlooked at the same time by her environment.

To her children, she was "mummy." What that meant though, they couldn't say.

To her husband, she was the impressive wife to take to parties, bejewelled and breathtaking. But the seduction was for the others: Tom couldn't touch her; he wouldn't be aroused by her. A prized possession he barely looked at.

Alice looked on, as the nanny resumed the game with the children. The were little cries of pleasure now and then, then great laughs. How much did the woman earn, how much did Tom pay her? Was she too one of those people she was supposed to find pitiful and contemptible?

Alice didn't know. She didn't seem to know many things, these days.

Just then, the door opened. It was Tom. He had come home early. Too early, but it took one look to tell he had drunk more than he could handle. His face was red, and he walked about like a blind man, feeling each step and moving his arms about looking for a surface to rest on, not to fall.

There was a terrible look on his face. He looked around the room and saw Alice.

'You! You fucking – '

He saw the nanny and the kids, and he barked at them, 'Get out! Now.'

'Kids, why don't we play in your room?'

The woman quickly picked up the boy and swiftly left the room, followed by the girl.

'You fucking whore, what did you do?' he resumed.

Alice didn't know. She didn't know she had done anything to make him this furious, but, even though she felt sure of her innocence, she started trembling: Tom looked crazy with range; he looked dangerous.

'I – don't – ' she stammered.

'I – I – I' he mocked her.

He walked towards her, wide eyed and dishevelled. She instinctively made a step back.

'I don't know, Tom…'

'Everybody knew! Everybody…' he said, spitting into her face.

'What did they know? If you tell me, maybe I can – '

'That little asshole. Vincent!'

Alice said nothing, but her face said enough.

'You fucking – '

He slapped her hard. Alice fell to the ground, looking up at the man, terrified.

'I've done nothing. I've done nothing! I don't know what he said, but I've done nothing,' she screamed.

'So, you haven't tried to suck him off last night?' he said with a laugh. 'If that's what you like, I can help you.'

He unbuckled his belt and removed it with a swish. He was a little puzzled by the gesture. He couldn't possibly perform in that state. He stood there with the belt in his hand, panting, wondering himself what his next move would be.

Alice wondered if he was going to whip her. Terror seized her. She froze for a second, but then she could speak.

'No, I haven't! I don't know what he said, but I haven't. He took his thing out and asked me to do stuff, but I didn't. I didn't.'

Tom seemed stopped, taken aback for a moment. His rage was still boiling under the surface but had nowhere to escape. He wanted to say something back, but had no way to answer what she had said.

Alice seized the moment: she stood up, stared at him with terror that was now turning into rage. She could feel her skin prickle where he had hit her.

'You did this. Remember that you did this,' she told him.

Then, she rushed out of the room, out of the apartment, down the stairs and into the street. She ran until she had breath, then she stopped and broke down.

Everything had gone wrong. Her marriage to Tom, the relationship with the kids, her friendship with Vincent. She didn't know where she had taken the wrong turn with each one. Maybe she could had been firmer with Tom and told him not to drink and be a better husband. Maybe she could have refused the help and raised the kids on her own. Maybe she could have just said yes to Vincent, after all, had things been a little different, she would have wanted to. Now they would be lovers, and he would not be slandering her with the other men. She would be satisfied. She would know someone desired her.

Now she felt alone.

She looked around. There were couples walking into a theatre, the patrons of a restaurant catching the eye of the waiter as they order their meals, the cars driving to their destinations. All those nameless faces, those different lives she had no knowledge of.

She hailed a taxi and told the man the name of a suburb out of town. The car drove on.

The moon in the night sky was a little diminished. There was a vague thought in her mind: she was not conscious of what it was; it was the feeling of a new thought emerging. Once again, the monstrous buildings. The impoverished lives she knew nothing about.

'Now, where?' the driver asked.

'Where do you take men who want a woman?' she asked.

She saw his eyes quickly glancing at her on the rear-view mirror.

'Well, if you want to meet guys, there are nice bars back in the city.'

She held his gaze and repeated the question.

'Where do you take them?'

'There's this place…' he began. 'It's not a place for a lady like you, though.'

'Can you take me there?'

He dropped her off at a door at the bottom of a large, concrete building in a side square. There were rows of shops on either side. Everything was closed for the day. Alice could hear the engine of the taxi running behind her: the man was waiting for her to change her mind.

There was a doorbell and a small camera spying her from above. Feeling observed, Alice realised she had expensive jewellery on. She quickly dropped her earrings, the bracelets and the necklace in her purse.

She rang.

'Yes?' a man's voice said from the intercom.

'I want to come up.'

There was a pause.

'Do you work here?' the voice asked eventually.

'No,' Alice replied.

The taxi was still waiting. She had time to say no and go. The driver had told her there were nicer places than this, if she wanted her could have taken her.

'No. I want it here.'

Here, with the people on five percent. After all, she was one of those people; she just hadn't realised until now: she was a commodity the men around her could use. A wife for Tom, a lover for Vincent. She wasn't truly Alice: she provided services; she was mere change to them – just another one on five percent.

Her heart was beating fast.

Another pause.

A second voice, that of a woman, now sputtered through the speaker.

'Are you looking for someone? I'm sure he's not here.'

'I'm not looking for anyone. I want to come up.'

This time, the pause lasted much longer. Reluctantly, they buzzed her in.

Alice walked in and closed the glass door behind her. She looked outside and saw the taxi drive away. In front of her, a set of stairs that led up to the next floor. At the top, a man was looking at her.

She walked up.

'Yes?' he asked.

'May I come in?'

The man, a big guy with a broken face, like that of a boxer, stood in front of a door panelled with dark timber. He had dark skin and was dressed smartly, all in black: black shirt, black tie, black suit. The only touch of light came from a large golden ring. Her made a nod towards a side opening that had no door to close it off. There was a small room inside.

A woman, as big as the man, was sitting behind a small desk. There were half a dozen TV screens behind her, showing the CCTV feed of the inside of the building taken from many angles. There were people walking about.

'I want to come in,' Alice told the woman.

The woman sighed.

'Is your husband here?'

'No. I'm not looking for anyone.'

'Do you know what's inside?'

'Yes.'

'We don't have men. There's Phil,' she said pointing at the man with the broken nose, 'but I need him to check the other guests.'

'I don't need Phil. I need to go inside.'

The woman looked Alice up and down. Alice knew the woman wanted to know if she had money, if she would be trouble. Then, she decided that Alice was just another guest. Unusual as she was. She signalled to Phil, and he opened the dark timber door on the landing.

'Come in. Let me know if anyone bothers you,' he told her.

The large room had been turned into some sort of disco. It was dark and there were purple light globes that pulsed to the beat of the music. There were a few sofas around, where men sat in silence, smoking or drinking. There was a girl on a little platform, dancing, moving her breasts left and right, following the music. She was lifting a leg up, rubbing back and forth with a hand along a G-string.

Alice walked into the room, looking around. It was hard to tell the details of the space, and she was worried she might trip or – worse – touch something.

Someone took her hand. Alice's heart skipped a beat.

'New girl?' he called out over the loud music.

Alice thought of Vincent. He had taken her hand with the same intention.

She took her hand back and walked briskly away. There was a bar, and she quickly asked the guy behind the counter for a vodka with cranberry juice.

'We don't keep that juice down here. Maybe I can ask the girls if they have juice in the kitchen.'

Alice wanted to steady herself. Her head was spinning: what was she doing?

'I'll take the vodka.'

The client was standing next to her now, leaning his arm on the counter. He was looking her up and down. Half of his face was covered by a purple birthmark that made Alice recoil.

The barman announced, 'Your drink.'

He looked at Alice as she picked up her drink with a shaky hand and gulped its content down. Then he gave a look at the other man.

'She's not with us, so go back to your chair.'

'I'm sure there's a price,' the man said to Alice, ignoring the other guy, and rubbing his fingers in front of Alice's face to signify, 'How much?'

The barman gave Phil a look, and the bouncer took the customer away.

'I want a girl,' Alice told the barman.

The man poured her a second glass.

'On the house,' he said.

Then, he pointed towards the sofas and told her to wait there.

Alice did as she was told. As she waited, she felt the alcohol rush through her veins and she felt her body relax despite her nervousness.

Soon, the song was over, and the lights came up a bit. A gaggle of young women came out to some feeble applause. They were wearing negligees. Alice studied them as they walked to each one of the men in the room. Sometimes, the men nodded and followed them out of the room. Sometimes, they shook their head.

A few of the girls passed before Alice, giving her odd looks. First, a woman with short hair, gelled back, and died bright red. Alice noticed the tattoos on her arms and legs. Then, it was a tall, brown-skinned one with a long face and woolly hair. Alice thought her nice but said nothing. Finally, a young blonde came up to her.

Alice noticed the long blond hair. Almost like her. She raised her hand, and the girl, looking a little surprised, took it.

The walked out of the room, into the bowels of the building, up one flight of stairs. They walked through a poorly lit corridor into a small room. It was some sort of office. The girl took out a light.

'I need to check you,' she explained.

Alice didn't know what she meant.

'I need to look in your pants, miss,' she explained. 'Warts and rashes, you know.'

Alice nodded. She lowered her jeans.

'Those too.'

The girl looked between Alice's thighs, prying her open. Did men always put themselves through this, Alice wondered?

'I'm not too sure: I normally look at the guys, but you seem clean.'

'I am,' Alice said, wondering if she could say the same thing about her.

Then, the girl took her to a room. It was a regular bedroom. Larger than Alice had expected. Oddly enough, there were no windows. The air smelled of sugar soap, and the sheets seemed to have been just changed. From a little door, Alice saw a bathroom. Everything looked clean: Alice thought of hospitals and how they didn't have the smell of their dying patients, and she thought of the beds, always clean, with taught sheets well tucked in, where someone had just died just an hour before.

Alice looked at the girl. She was in her early twenties, probably, but looked a little older, with lines stemming from her heavily made-up eyes. There were bags, either from lack of sleep or from constipation. Under the thick layer of concealer and rouge, she noticed cheeks raised with pimples.

But only a woman would have noticed those little signs of an unhealthy diet. A man would have found her attractive.

The girl was a little plump, with big natural breasts. The edges of her nipples were peeking from the top of her nightgown. She had plush lips that were often arranged in a wide smile. Had Alice met her casually, away from this place, she would have found her approachable. She was probably the type that Tom found attractive: eager to please, ready to laugh at every little joke, constantly awaiting orders.

'What's your name?'

'Crystal.'

'Because you're bubbly?' Alice joked.

But Louis Roederer was not a familiar reference to the girl, who quipped back, 'Crystal because I'm pure.'

Alice's face must have looked incredulous. She checked herself quickly, but the girl noticed and for the first time her lips lost their habitual smile.

'So, what would you like to do?' she asked briskly.

So, we're enemies now, Alice thought. All the better. I don't have to care for you – just like a man.

'What do men do to you?' she finally asked.

'Well, they like different things,' Crystal began.

Alice shook her head. Her eyes looked at the girl with determination. They were saying, 'You're on my dime, now.'

'Don't tell me, Crystal. Show me.'

Crystal thought about it for a moment. She took her nightgown off and put on some music.

'A little dance, sure,' said Alice.

Alice sat on a chair that stood next to the door and looked at the young woman. She noticed the shaved pussy and the top of the labia that peaked through when Crystal swayed. Then, the girl started to touch herself, right before Alice. She showed her ass and spread her cheeks, opening her ass and pussy to the view.

The room was cool, but Alice smiled to herself as she felt a wave of heat raise from her stomach. She had wondered, as she was climbing up the stairs with Crystal, if there was anything here that would excite her.

Crystal then walked to a little cabinet and took out a dildo. She squirted a little lube on it from a tube, and she went back to the bed and lied down. She started rubbing its head on her pussy.

Alice unbuttoned her pants and slid a hand inside. As she started stroking her hair, tormenting it, delaying her pleasure a few more minutes, she felt the familiar tingling sensation. Crystal had already inserted the dildo and was now moving it in and out. Alice quickly took off her pants. She started rubbing her clit, then she put her middle finger inside her, mimicking Crystal's movements. Alice went back to rubbing her clit with her wet finger. She was rushing to finish it: the novelty of the situation was too much for her, and she couldn't resist any longer.

Then, she stood up.

'Keep going,' she ordered, seeing that Crystal had stopped, wondering if that was it for the night. 'Don't you like it when a man fucks you?'

It wasn't a question: it was another order, and Crystal started moaning.

Alice started walked about the room. She liked to know that the girl behind her was following her orders as she investigated the little details of the room. Then, she explored the contents of the cabinet. There were plastic boxes with various objects. Balls, pear-shaped plugs, vibrators, dildoes of various sizes. Alice knew Crystal had picked the smallest one, thinking Alice wouldn't know one from the other.

Alice found what she was looking for. A tangle of leather belts with a metal bolt at the end: she knew what it was, but she found it awkward to handle. She searched among the toys on offer, looking for the right one, with the right attachment and a size that pleased her.

She fastened the belt around her waist, with the shorter straps wrapped around her thighs. The dildo hung erect at the front.

'Why don't you come here?' she told Crystal.

The girl obediently came off the bed.

'Do you like it? Do you like my body?'

Crystal caressed the smooth skin, her eyes lingered over the small breasts, the flat stomach. Alice felt the warmth of her hand, as she explored her torso. The girl was curious about this foreign, expensive creature, and Alice felt a pleasant tingling sensation under the girl's touch.

'Do men like it when you kiss them on their private parts?'

'Yes,' answered Crystal, still looking at Alice as if she was a much-desired doll that had been gifted to her.

'Why don't you show me?'

The girl knelt in front of Alice and put the glans of the rubber penis in her mouth. Her tongue was running around it, leaving shining streaks of saliva. Alice looked at the girl: even though there was no physical contact between them, Alice felt a kind of pleasure from the power that she had over Crystal.

Five percent…

Alice, legs apart, watched as the girl worked on her strap-on. For a few moments, the woman toyed with her anus, moving her pinkie around its opening.

'That's a good girl. Now, please stand. There. Hands against the wall. Spread your legs for me: let me look at you.'

Then, she inserted the tip of the dildo in Crystal's pussy. The girl gave out a little moan. Without waiting another moment, Alice pushed in until her tummy touched Crystal's naked rump.

'Is this what they like, eh?'

The beat of her thrusts was slow, but relentless: one, two, one, two. In and out, in and out.

Crystal was leaning against the wall, with her back arched, in a position that accentuated the roundness of her ass. Alice could hear the noise of the girl's breasts hitting her flesh with each push. Pearls of sweat were appearing along her back.

The woman moved forward a bit and held Crystal's breasts, pushing her fingers into the soft tissue. She was picking up pace. With her mouth close to the girl's ear, she asked, 'Do you like it?'

Crystal could only mumble feebly.

Alice picked a small vibrator she had put on the bed next to her and reached for Crystal's pussy. The moans were turning into a long scream, now and then interrupted by broken words.

'Ahhh! So – Good! Aaah… Please…'

'See, isn't it better if we're friends?' Alice asked. 'Men don't often worry about a woman's pleasure.'

Crystal's muscles tightened. Alice squeezed the flesh of her hips and pushed harder and faster, crying, 'Go! Go!'

From behind, it looked like Crystal's body was shaking with great sobs. The girl's scream turned into a word, said in two great robs: 'Com-ing!'

Then, with a powerful thrust, Alice lodged the phallus deep into Crystal. The two women paused. Only the music from the radio and the buzzing of the vibrator disturbed the stillness of the moment. Then, then moment was gone, and Alice heard the sound of Crystal breathing fast, trying to catch some air. She caressed her back, her shoulders, her hair, her ass.

She slowly backed away and looked at the dildo, shiny with the traces of Alice's orgasm, as it came out of the small opening.

'Come to bed with me. Now, do something for me.'

Alice wanted to come again. She removed the straps and lay on the bed.

'Come,' she told Crystal.

The girl, unsteady on her legs, complied. She lodged herself between Alice's legs. Without saying a word, she started to lick the little clitoris, avidly. She stopped for a moment to whet two fingers in her mouth; she inserted the fingers in Alice's slit and kept on licking.

Crystal was moving her fingers back and forth with force, faster and faster. Now and then, she changed her angle and would move them around, looking for new spots to tickle.

Alice was rocking her hips quickly, following the rhythm the girl had established.

The woman was trying to hold her pleasure in: she didn't want to cry out, to let the girl know how much satisfaction she was giving her, to come too soon. She was clasping at the sheets, closing her fists, digging into the flesh of her palms with the lacquered nails.

Alice's breathing was deeper and faster. Crystal kept going, tormenting Alice's clit with her tongue and her lips, sucking and licking with force.

Finally, she came. It started like a silent earthquake, with a tremor that started from her core and that spread to her body. She arched her back and stretched her legs, almost paralysed. Then she gave out a deep growl.

'Ahhhh!'

Crystal was still going, but Alice couldn't take it any longer.

'Stop! Stop, now. Please.'

Alice's cheeks and neck, normally pale and cool, were full of colour and glowing with sweat. The girl stared at her eyes wide opened, in an odd expression, and seemed incredulous and in awe of this lady, how she had given her so much pleasure, and how the lady had been able to pleasure her in turn.

Alice dressed up quickly. Now she just wanted to leave. The girl quickly put on a fresh robe and, almost apologetic, showed her the little electronic reader for the payment.

'It will not show where you spent it.'

'I wouldn't care anyway,' Alice replied coldly.