Chapter 34
I had no doubt in my mind that she would show up when I told her to, but I hadn't expected her to be five minutes early. It was a feeling I couldn't describe...still can't. But there she was, dressed in a silky white gown that left very little to the imagination. She was a goddess. It was like a dream come true. I watched silently as she stared at the fireplace in the room, so I clicked it on, surprising her. She turned around, eyes growing wide as she saw me. I told Hector to get some champagne; I knew she would need it as I watched her nervous ticks. Her knee was bouncing rapidly, and I could practically hear her heart beating against her chest.
“You know, beautiful girl, I have been following you around for quite some time. You have several men and women who are very taken by you.” I watched, as her eyes grew wide, I knew I had scared her some, like a frightened kitten.
“That night at the bar was the first time I had ever seen you." Her voice was timid, even though she was trying to sound strong. I could see through it. I could see right through her.
“It was the first time I allowed myself to be seen. I realize that you like your privacy, which is something I admire and respect. You don’t have many friends. They’re more like acquaintances, another trait that I look for. You wear your sexuality on your sleeve, and unlike most women, you know that when you walk into a room, people turn. You thrive on that attention, which I admire also. Although, I am concerned about your boss. Is Devon going to be a problem?” I wasn't worried about Devon...The Madam doesn't worry about anyone. It was her response, "not at all" that made the sky open and the rays of sunshine shine down on her. She was perfect. I couldn't wait to try her out to see just how perfect she was.
“Well then, I am sure you’re wondering why I asked you to my home today. I want to begin by saying that you look beautiful. Almost, like a sacrificial lamb in that white dress. Is that what you think this is, Bella Rosa, am I the big bad wolf? Are you trying to tell me you’re an innocent, little virgin?” She didn’t say anything and it irritated me a little; I wanted her to respect me, not fear me.
“You know, I’m not fond of this cat and mouse game, I feel like you’re playing with me. You are free to speak your mind, ask me anything you would like to know.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Why am I here?” I laughed internally, Ysabelle didn’t like to be pushed, and if she was, she would push back. That’s a quality that I have always admired about her.
“Hmmm direct, I like that about you. You don’t like to putter around; you want to get to the point and that’s that. In my line of work, that’s a very good quality to have. Would you like to know what I do?” She nodded.
“I am a Madam. Do you know what that is, Bella Rosa?” I asked and she shook her head no. This was practically a scene I could have played out without a script. All the girls always responded the same. It didn’t matter to me, though it made my job easier.
“Well…it’s a French word for a lady. It could also mean queen, or a mistress, or it could mean a woman who owns a brothel. Do you know what that is?” My mother's words spilling from my lips as if they were mine to begin with.
She looked down at her lap. “Like a place of prostitution?” That response pissed me off but I couldn’t show her that. My girls are never to be called prostitutes and I would bury whoever tried to say so.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, prostitution is such an ugly word, and it’s highly illegal,” I said in a high pitched voice.
“What I run here is very much a legitimate business. I pay my taxes like any other American citizen. Nevertheless, I’d like you to call this place The Cathouse; I have some very important high society sets of clientele, who are looking for only the best. My little black book is filled with names from all around the world; politicians, celebrities, sheiks, princes, kings, doctors, men, and women, all looking for the same thing.” I cocked my head to the side. “You name it and I probably have it. My place of business provides services of all kinds, Bella Rosa, not just sexual. We provide companionship, you escort a client for a duration of time and they pay.”
“Ok…what does that have to do with me?” she asked with piqued interest. I had her…I could have stopped there and she would have come back, but I didn’t want her to just come back. I wanted her to live, breathe, and love VIP.
“It has absolutely everything to do with you, Bella Rosa. You are what makes me so successful. You could be powerful! Do you know what kind of power you hold with that tight little thing between your legs?”
I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. She couldn’t process everything that was happening all around her. Her mind wasn’t processing what she heard me say as fast as she would have liked. She stood up and walked over to the fireplace. I would give her a minute to think about what I was propositioning her with and let it sink in. I didn’t want her to think too much about it and I knew subconsciously her mind was already made up. Society can fuck you up with what they think is acceptable and what is not. I wanted her to know that she could make her own rules, and not give one damn about what people thought.
What’s life without a little controversy…
She turned when she heard the clicks of my heels coming up behind her. She froze when she felt the tip of one finger stroll up and down her spine. I watched her throat work hard to swallow the saliva that had built in her mouth.
People say they see their lives flash before their eyes just before they die...I saw mine just before I felt alive. I saw my mother with Taylor on that fateful day. The day I realized how it all worked. I saw it as vividly as I saw Ysabelle in front of me. I didn't need to think about my words. I didn't need to plan my next moves. They just came to me as if I was meant for this one moment in my life. As if I was born for this one purpose.
“Bella Rosa, do you understand what I am telling you? I want you. I want you more than I have ever wanted any other woman.”
She was too frightened to turn around. “You want to fuck me?” she asked nervously.
“Yes I do, not for the reasons that you think.” I continued to rub her back as I kissed the left side of her neck. “I want to fuck you in order to teach you.” I kissed the center of her neck. “I want to fuck you to please you.” I kissed the right side. “I want to fuck you to taste you.” I whispered in her ear, “More than anything, I want to fuck you…to make you.”
She closed her eyes, trying to soak in my words just as I had seen Taylor once do.
“Make me what?” she managed to ask.
Moving my fingers from her back, I cupped her chin, beckoning her to turn toward me. She did. I looked deep into her eyes and spoke with more conviction than I ever had, exactly like my mother.
“I want to make you a VIP.”
<>-<>-<>-<>
She called the next morning. I didn’t even have to be told it was her on the line when the intercom spoke, I felt her in my bones. It was as if we were one person. Ysabelle was my means to an end. I would stop at nothing to get her, and keep her.
Remember that…
“Bella Rosa,” I said. She was caught off guard that I knew it was her. She didn’t say anything.
“Are you there?” I asked. She still didn’t say anything.
I had to calm her nerves, ease her fear and trepidation. I was her Madam with or without her consent, but I would much rather have her hand it to me freely.
“My Bella Rosa, I can hear you breathing, my beautiful girl,” I declared.
“I’m here…I thought about it last night and I want to do this,” she blurted out. Her words came out rushed as if she was saying them before she had a chance to change her mind and hang up. That hurt and offended me.
“I know that I could make you proud.” And just like that, it went away.
“I know that you can, too. I never had any doubts. Do you work tonight?” I asked.
“I quit, before I came to see you yesterday.” She didn’t have to tell me, I knew the moment she walked into my house that she was a VIP.
“As I knew you would. I’ll see you at six this evening.”