In the front of Madam Alora's brothel.
Janet said, "Come, Lara, let's go inside."
Lara responded, "No, Janet, you didn't tell me we were going to a hotel."
Janet frowned as she stood at the gate entrance to her madam's brothel. She had traveled to her village specifically to bring Lara back, hoping to help her escape poverty.
Janet replied, "Lara, I can't keep standing out here with you. Fine, if you don't want to go inside, you can continue to stand out here alone. I have a lot of work to do inside, and my madam has been calling me since this morning."
Lara frowned. She was a light-skinned beauty, very attractive, and she wasn’t foolish enough not to realize where Janet had brought her.
She knew that Janet's parents were poor and still lived in the village, but with the kind of lifestyle and beautiful dresses that Janet wore most of the time, she couldn’t help but admire it, as she mostly wore rags. Then she begged to follow Janet to the city.
Lara replied, "I need to go back home to the village. I cannot go in there with you."
Madam Alora stepped out and saw Janet standing by the gate. She remembered that Janet had asked for permission to travel to her village to bring her best friend to the city, and Janet had even promised that her best friend was beautiful and super attractive.
It was 6:30 PM, and soon most of her eligible customers, who usually patronized them, would be arriving at her brothel. She had only four ladies working that night: Janet, Sophia, Edith, and Mimi. She didn’t accept many older ladies, as they tended to be too stubborn and wanted to know her secrets. Besides, she primarily catered to young men who came to her establishment to enjoy the company of her ladies.
Madam Alora asked, "What's going on there, Janet?"
Janet replied, "Good evening, ma. This is my friend I spoke to you about. She doesn't want to come inside and has been standing out here by the gate since we arrived."
Madam Alora sighed. "Hmph. It's alright. You go inside; I am coming."
Madam Alora walked out, dressed in a black short gown that barely reached her knees, revealing her dark thighs. She wore red slippers and walked majestically toward the gate. Her eyes widened as she saw the beautiful young woman standing outside with her tattered traveling bag, which she had brought from the village.
Lara greeted, "Good evening, ma."
Madam Alora replied, "Welcome. Why are you standing out here by the gate? Come inside."
Lara replied, "No, ma. Isn't this a hotel?"
Madam Alora frowned and forced a fake smile. "No, my dear. What do you know about a hotel? Have you been to one before?"
Lara said, "No, ma, but..."
Lara peeked inside the gate and saw some ladies dressed in revealing outfits. She gulped, shook her head, and said, "Please, ma, help me call Janet. I need to go back home to the village; I cannot go in there."
Lara began to cry, and Madam Alora narrowed her eyes at her.
Madam Alora had been receiving calls from wealthy men requesting beautiful young ladies to warm their beds. Seeing the cute young woman standing outside her gate, without any makeup, she shook her head and asked, "Do you have your transport fare to go back home to the village?"
Lara slowly sniffed as she stared up at Madam Alora's face.
Lara replied, "No, ma."
Madam Alora said, "Then you will have to work for it. Are you coming inside or not? And mind you, this is not a hotel. I actually gave Janet money to travel to your village and bring you here, as she mentioned you were disturbing her to come with her to the city. Now you just got here and want to go back to your village again! How ungrateful of you to come to my home and insult me first, without even saying thank you, ma."
Lara held her traveling bag and apologized, "I am sorry, ma."
Madam Alora replied, "Keep your sorry to yourself and come inside now, before I ask my guards to lock my gate."
Lara stood speechless for a while, not knowing what to do. Finally, she pushed the gate open and walked in. She could hear the faint sound of music coming from the beautiful mansion in front of her as she followed Madam Alora, who walked majestically toward the house's entrance. They entered the beautiful living room.
Madam Alora called, "Janet!"
Janet replied, "Yes, Madam."
Madam Alora said, "Show your friend to her room and prepare her."
Lara refused, "No."
Madam Alora asked, "What do you mean by no? Aren't you going back to the village? Look, I don't have time to waste on you. You better move quickly with Janet, or I will call my guards to throw you out this minute."
Lara gulped and stared at the other young ladies standing in the beautifully decorated living room, which featured a golden chandelier, golden seats, and golden curtains. The living room was painted off-white, and Janet spoke to her, "Come, Lara, let's go."
Lara hesitated but finally followed Janet, knowing the beautiful woman wasn't joking about throwing her out.
They walked into a room painted pink, and Janet kindly took Lara's tattered traveling bag from her hand and said, "Lara, I know you're still finding it hard to believe what I do here in the city, but it's not prostitution."
Lara responded, "Liar! You're lying to me. You should've told me before. I told you I don't want to sleep with any man for money. I don't want to lose my virginity until I am married."
Janet said, "Hmph. I'm sorry, Lara, but what's the point of keeping it? You, your sister, brother, and mother can barely feed yourselves, as your father is old. Your mother knew this before she married him. And knowing he already had a family, did she think about her virginity or about any of you that she brought into this world?"
Lara yelled, "Shut up! And don't you dare insult my mother!"
Janet responded, "I'm not, Lara. I'm only being honest with you. Look, I'm using the latest iPhone, I have a car here, and do you think I have all that by keeping my virginity?"
Lara replied, "Shut up, Janet! That's you and not me. If you had told me before that it's prostitution, I wouldn't have followed you here. Now your madam says I have to work for my transportation fare to go back to the village. How will I work for it? If it involves my virginity, I cannot sleep with a man for money, so it's better you lend me the money to go back to the village tonight."
Janet burst out laughing and replied, "No, Lara, you're not going anywhere. I wish I could lend you money for free, but you see, any money I earn from going out, my madam takes 70% and gives me only 30%. It's not even enough for me to take care of myself, let alone give to you."
Lara frowned. "You should've told me before. Why, Janet?"
Lara began to sob.
Janet apologized, "I'm sorry, Lara. Let's hurry and bathe before 8 PM, so we can eat and have some time to prepare before we leave."
Lara replied, "Leave me alone. I'm not eating or preparing to go anywhere with you. You wicked fellow."
Janet smiled and walked past Lara to take her bath in the bathroom. Since the room was hers and Lara was new, her madam hadn't given Lara a room of her own in the executive mansion.
Lara continued to sob. A few minutes later, Janet stepped out, tying a white towel around her chest, with water dripping down her body.
Janet said, "It's your turn now. Go in and bathe."
Lara replied, "No, leave me alone. I'm not going anywhere with you."
Janet yelled, "What has come over you, Lara?! If you don't hurry, be ready to leave, as my madam has a bit of a temper."
Lara sniffed, and not having any other choice, she walked toward the bathroom door and stood by it.
Lara asked, "Where's the towel I will use?"
Janet responded, "There are still about five neat towels in there. I hardly use them, and although we have dry-cleaners that wash our clothes, I’m sure they’re still clean."
Lara stomped her feet on the ground and angrily walked into the bathroom to bathe.
The bathroom was beautiful compared to the outdoor bathroom they used in her village. They were truly very poor since her mother had gone ahead and married a man who was already married with grown children.
Lara had step-siblings, but they weren't close. Her mother was very fair and almost white in complexion, which made Lara fair as well. However, her younger sister, Esther, was black like their father, while her younger brother, Amos, was yellow like her.
They could barely feed themselves in the village, as her mother later sold fruits in the village square. Her aged father didn't care about them anymore and only used her mother to satisfy his sexual urges, even as it resulted in their situation.
She knew that Janet was right, but she vowed not to sleep with any man until she got married.
