Chapter 1 - The Brothel

Hailey's P.O.V.

Everything that happens, happens for a reason, or so they say. Would someone like to explain to me what the reason was for me to be abused by my family my entire childhood? I grew up knowing only pain and terror, waiting for the next beating from a fist, belt, or anything else my parents could get their hands on.

I know there are good families out there. I've seen them; they just weren't in my house. When my dad started looking at me as a woman when I was fifteen, I knew it was time for me to leave. He came into my bedroom and said to be ready for him the next night because he was going to take what I owed him. I knew exactly what he meant. After everyone was asleep, I packed a bag with some clothes and left.

I had some money saved that I had taken from my mom's purse or dad's wallet when they were passed out drunk. I figured they owed me for putting up with all their bullshit. It wasn't much, though. When I walked out of the house, I had no idea where I would go or what I would do, but being away from them was worth it. I went to the bus station and got a ticket to take me from West Virginia to Indianapolis. That's the most I could afford, and still have money left for food.

My final destination was California. The commercials on TV always showed it to be a bright and sunny place where people always smiled. I'm not naïve; I know that it's not like that for everyone, but it seemed a hell of a lot better than home.

When I arrived in Indianapolis, I was lucky to find a trucker willing to take me as far as Las Vegas. I was concerned that he would expect something from me, but he was just lonely and missed his daughter, who was about my age. When he dropped me off, he even gave me a little money and told me to take care of myself. Up until that point, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

Now, it's over three years later, and I'm still in Las Vegas. I had a few opportunities to leave, but when I first got here, it seemed like a good place to get lost. I worked various jobs on and off but never earned enough to stay anywhere, so I lived on the streets. I know all the places where I can go to get some rest without being bothered. I'm almost out of money, though, and I need something to get me by or at least put some food in my stomach.

I'm standing in front of one of the local brothels on the edge of town. The owner, Sheila, has been hounding me to work for her. The thing is, I'm a virgin, and the thought of letting men pay to use my body as they want disgusts me. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of other places I can go. None of the restaurants want a waitress whose clothes are always dirty. Even the fast-food places turn their nose up at me. I've tried so many places I've lost count, and now I'm out of options. Maybe if I do this one time, then I can get enough money to at least buy a new outfit so I can apply for another job. While I'm standing out front, still debating whether I should go in, the door opens. I see Sheila looking at me with a smirk. She's short and round with wild-dyed red hair. I'm guessing she's in her fifties, but I've learned you can never really tell. The streets make you look older, and plastic surgery makes you look younger.

"Well, look who it is. Are you just here to stare at the place, or are you finally ready to take me up on my offer?" She asks, walking down the few steps toward me. The brothel looks like a large old Victorian-style house. You'd think it was a bed and breakfast if you didn't know any better. I sigh and look at my feet. I'm comfortable saying lots of things in my head, but I'm extremely shy and get nervous around people.

"I don't know," I answer honestly. Shelia puts her arm around my shoulders and leads me inside.

"Let's go to my office and talk." She says softly. I glance up as we walk through the house, and I'm in shock. It's gorgeous. The wood floors shine, and the walls are covered in expensive-looking red, gold, and black wallpaper. The furniture is black and plush. I want to curl up on the sofa and take a nap.

I see several women in lingerie sitting around the room. They look at me briefly and then go back to their conversation. When we get to Sheila's office, it's completely different from the other rooms. It has pale blue wallpaper with large white flowers. The furniture is dark blue and white. She has me sit in one of the tall blue chairs, and she takes the other one.

"Why are you reluctant to work for me? I take care of my girls a lot better than a pimp on the streets." She says while offering me a soda. I take it greedily and drink it down quickly.

"I've never had sex before and don't know if I can do this. I'm not as pretty as those women out there." I reply. It's true, I'm dirty. Everything about me screams dirt.

"Are you kidding? Once we clean you up, you'll be the most beautiful one here. You have that long, thick black hair and dark blue eyes, and even though you've been on the streets, your skin is flawless. You'll have men coming from all over to be with you. As a virgin, the first man you're with will have to pay triple. A virgin is a rare commodity nowadays." My head shoots up, and I look at her. Maybe I could have sex with just one man and have enough money to leave.

"I don't know. What if he hurts me? I don't want to end up dead all because I was desperate for money." Sheila pats my hand and smiles.

"Don't you worry? I will do a special screening for your first customer. I'll make sure it's someone who will treat you with respect. Now, can I show you a room and help you get cleaned up?" Am I really going to do this? Sell my body to the highest bidder? I don't feel like I have a choice.

"Okay," I say. Sheila claps her hands and stands up.

"Follow me. I'll have Karina help get you settled." Shelia leads me to the other room and walks up to the women out there.

"Ladies, we have a new addition to our family. Meet Hailey." I'm surprised when they all smile and greet me kindly. I was expecting hostility. I guess that's because it's all I'd ever known. "Karina, can you please show Hailey to a free room and help her get cleaned up? We want her to look nice. It's a big day."

Sheila winks at me, and I turn to the other women. A beautiful blonde dressed in white lingerie and a pale pink see-through robe walks over with a smile. She's petite like me but so stunning I can't believe she's real.

"Come with me, sweetheart. I'll take care of you." Her southern accent takes me by surprise. I haven't heard many who have an accent similar to mine. I follow her up a large flight of stairs to a room down the hall. She opens a door, and I'm speechless. The room is done in emerald green with white accents. The bed looks so comfortable I want to lie down and never get up. Karina shuts the door and turns to me.

"So, what brothel were you with before?" She asks while leading me into the accompanying bathroom. There's a clawfoot bathtub that I would love to sink into.

"I've never done this before," Karina begins, removing my clothes after turning on the bathwater. I take over and do it myself. I'm ashamed for anyone to see the rags I'm wearing. My jeans are so dirty they're no longer blue, they're gray. She looks at me in surprise.

"Seriously? You've never had sex or never worked in a brothel?" She asks. I feel a little uncomfortable standing in front of her naked while she walks around, looking at my body. I hear her gasp a few times, but she doesn't say anything. I know what she's seeing: the scars from the past. I move my arms to cover my breasts, but she pulls them away.

"Neither," I reply when she returns to standing in front of me.

"Interesting. You have an amazing body. The men will love you. Go ahead and get into the bath, and I'll grab everything you need." Karina leaves the room, and I step into the warm bathwater filled with bubbles. It feels like heaven. I sink into it and close my eyes. I've only been able to wash in public bathrooms since I left home. I see the dirt already making the bubbles disappear, but I don't care. This is wonderful. Karina walks back in with towels and several bottles. She holds up a black lace teddy that makes me blush.

"This will look amazing on you. Relax, I'm going to wash your hair." Karina goes behind the bathtub and turns on the sprayer attached to the facet. She gently sprays my head. When she starts massaging my scalp as she washes, I want to moan. She then rinses and does the same with the conditioner. I already feel better.

Once she's done, she hands me a bottle of body wash and has me stand up and wash myself while the dirty water runs down the drain. She keeps the sprayer on and rinses me as I wash. I feel like a farm animal being hosed down by the farmer to get the mud off. I guess I am basically a piece of meat.

When I'm all clean, I get out and dry off. Karina has me sit at the small table in the bathroom while she dries and styles my hair. She puts large curls in it and then pulls it up in a partial twist, letting the curls come to my shoulders. Afterward, she waxes my legs and underarms. She was going to do a bikini wax, but I refused.

She begins my make-up next. I was worried she would do something over the top, but it doesn't look bad when she's done. I'm assuming this is what they call smokey eyes because it makes my blue eyes look even darker. The red lipstick is a little bright but not horrible. Now it's time for the teddy. Karina sees me looking at it doubtfully.

"Don't worry, honey, you'll look beautiful. Trust Sheila to find you a nice man for your first time. She's very good to us and never lets anyone hurt us." She pats my shoulder, and I smile slightly. I'm still nervous, but if I can get through this one time, hopefully, it will be the last time.

"Okay," I answer with a sigh. We've barely spoken, and I know that's my fault. I'm not good at small talk. Karina helps me into the teddy. It's all lace and leaves nothing to the imagination. She hands me a see-through black robe to go over it. I look at myself in the mirror and can't believe what I see. I look glamorous. She hands me a pair of heels, and I look at them, unsure.

"I've never worn heels," I tell her. She squats down in front of me and puts them on my feet.

"Don't worry, they won't be on long." Once I'm ready, she helps me walk in the heels around the room. Just as I'm getting the hang of it, there's a knock on the door, and in walks Sheila. She stops and stares at me with excitement.

"You look even better than I imagined. I came to give you the good news. I had a man call and request a virgin. He's bringing a friend who's celebrating his 21st birthday. His friend is also a virgin. I think this is the best thing we could have hoped for. You will both be nervous. They'll be here in an hour. Are you ready?" Sheila asks. I'm grateful she's asking and not demanding. It does make me feel better that the man is a virgin, too. I'm terrified, but I don't let her see it as I smile and nod.

"I'm ready."