Pandora's Box Cover
Pandora's Box Excerpt

The handsome young black man wearing a Roca Wear jacket, matching knitted cap, and Timberland boots chose Victoria. His equally handsome and well-dressed buddy picked Jonee. The pair resembled urban-wear models, or rappers. Or, as Victoria strongly suspected, drug dealers.

Jonee had been right; their luck had changed. The young man was Victoria's fourth customer and it was only 3:30 a.m.

She wondered why two good-looking young guys would come out in the middle of the night, in the freezing cold, to pay for sex?

He introduced himself as Kareem.

"My name is Pleasure," she said, liking the sound of her alias. "How are you Kareem?" The money in her purse had changed her mood from somber to gay.

"I'm doing all right," Kareem said, looking her up and down and nodding with approval as he dug into the pocket of his baggy jeans.

"Two Benjamins should cover it, right?" Kareem grinned confidently as he handed Victoria two one hundred dollar bills.

"What's the extra hundred for?" Victoria instantly wanted to take back the words that Jonee, her self-appointed mentor would certainly frown upon.

"For your pleasure, Pleasure," he said with a wink, which made Victoria blush. She couldn't get over how long and dark his lashes were. Damn, he was fine! Not at all like the sad-looking patrons she was accustomed to. His good looks influenced her to behave demurely. Speaking softly, Victoria excused herself and took the money to Dominique.

Today's youth were a mystery. The crude street jargon and the thuggish behavior were disgusting. Victora viewed them as angry, disrespectful hellions, and she made it a point to steer clear of them, avoiding places where they gathered, such as the corner deli in her neighborhood where 40 ounce bottles of malt liquor were the most frequenly purchased items. That lack of respect was apparent in the way they dressed and in their music. Profanity had become acceptable speech in rap music--and the way women were referred to as bitches and hoes was unconscionable. To think that her music was deemed unacceptable, dated, non-commercial, while recording companies rolled out the red carpet for hoodlums who's music boasted of criminal activities: selling drugs, robberies, killing sprees...Oh, but let me not go there, she reminded herself. The music industry's lack of good taste was of no concern to her.

Who was she to pass judgment, she asked herself? It wasn't as if she had room to talk, working in a bordello and all. So Victoria allowed her thoughts to return to the handsome client who was waiting for her. He seemed different. Maybe he wasn't a drug dealer. For all she knew, he could be a professional athlete, or...the hell with stereotyping, he could be a medical or law student, a Congressman, or Senator, a teacher, a preacher or any damn thing he wanted to be. Why, she chastised herself, did she label him a drug dealer?

Victoria avoided the eyes of a surly Reds when she went to the lounge. She gave the money to Dominique and rushed back to her cute customer.

Kareem had stripped down to his wide-striped boxers. He looked relaxed, as if he were lounging on his own bed. His jacket hung from a hook on the back of the door, his cap dangled from the doorknob. Seeing his cap made Victoria take notice of his hair. It was well groomed, cut close with neat, tiny waves trained to stay in place. The rest of his clothing was folded neatly on the chair. Though she couldn't see the label, Victoria supposed that his jeans sported the Roca Wear label also.

Ready to take charge, Victoria said, "So tell me, Kareem, what brings you out in the middle of this cold, wintry night?" Her demure demeanor was gone. She was feeling playful. Flirtatious. Happy!

"I came out and in this treacherous weather," Kareem said with a teasing grin, to meet the woman of my dreams."

Unprepared for his quick come back, Victoria cast her gaze downward, she felt her face flush.

She recovered and though it was difficult, she looked Kareem in the eye, determined to hold her own.

"Well, I'm glad you did. Seeing you has made my night. Look at you! You're so cute..." She paused, enjoying watching him squirm. "With those pretty eyes...and mmm I love your lips."

It was Kareem's turn to blush. Victoria watched as he involuntarily lowered those long lashes and self-consciously moistened his lips. She had disarmed him!

Her eyes ran the length of his body. His chest and arms were developed. Boldly, she placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. Not bad, she thought, blaming Evander Hollyfield's beautiful back for her appreciation of a man's posterior view.

"Would you like a massage?" She asked reaching for the baby oil. She wanted to touch his hard, young body. His taut, smooth chocolate skin looked edible.

"Nah, that's okay. I just want to look at you. Kareem gently pulled Victoria onto the bed.

"Hey, I like that," he said, indicating the red crushed velvet teddy she wore. "Red is definitely your color." Kareem touched the fabric lightly and ignited a spark. Victoria flinched. Without a word, he drew her into his arms, inhaled her. "You smell good too," he whispered into her neck. His lips moved to her face. Victoria stiffened as she recalled one of the top rules of the working girls' code of conduct: never kiss a trick.

But throwing caution to the wind, Victoria offered her lips and clung to him. Her hands, with a will of their own, traveled Kareem's wide, muscular back--caressing, kneading, massaging, and all the while soothing her own aching heart.

The sexual encounter was intense, yet tender. And when it was over, instead of jumping up and darting out the door, Victoria nuzzled next to Kareem. Like lovers, with their bodies entwined, they lay together in the dark. She listend to his even breathing, feeling his chest rise and fall. And for this intimacy, shared with a stranger, Victoria would be eternally grateful.

There were three thumps on the door.

Kareem stirred. Victoria jumped.

"Time's up," Dominique said gruffly.

Victoria felt embarrassed. As if she'd done somethng wrong. Feeling unsure of what had transpired between them, she smiled weakly at Kareem. She hoped she hadn't made a complete fool of herself.

Victoria noticed that Kareem no longer had the self-assured look he had earlier. There was no way to exit graceully, so she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her naked body and began gathering her belongings.

"Thank you Kareem. I hope you'll come again." Her normal closing spiel sounded awkward and inappropriate.

"Yeah, I'm definitely coming back to see you again." Kareem nodded his head as he spoke, as if to reassure her.

Victoria detected tension when she returned to the lounge. Dominique and Reds mumbled under their breath, and Jonee wore a stony expression that suggested she too, was in a foul mood.

"What's up, girl?" Victoria asked Jonee, playfully speaking in street vernacular, but enunciating clearly.

"We got some mad hoes up in here tonight," Jonee announced.

"Angry at me?"

"Yeah, and I don't blame them. You can't be in there for a whole hour, with the room on lock-down. You wouldn't believe how many customers walked out because all the rooms were tied up."

"Was I supposed to kick my customer out to accommodate someone else?" Victoria snapped, rolling her eyes.

Jonee had not been introduced to the feisty side of Victoria and was visibly taken aback.

"And furthermore," Victoria raised her voice, turned and glared a Reds and Dominique, "if a customer is paying, I can spend the entire night in the room if I so desire and I don't need permission from any of you."

The women fell silent. Reds looked shocked as if she'd just been falsely accused.

Kareem appeared in the doorway of the lounge and beckoned Victoria. The lounge was stricly off-limits to customers, but with her eyes, and wearing one of her Nana's stern expressions, Victoria defied any of the women to say a word.

"Is it possible to see you outside" Kareem asked as Victoria walked him to the lobby. "Can we go out sometime?"

She wanted to shout an emphatic yes, but realized that an involvement with Kareem could only add more confusion to her already complicated life. Victoria smiled sadly and shook her head no.

"I can respect that," he said. "I understand. So, uh, I guess the only way I'm gonna get to see you is if I come back here?"

Victoria nodded.

"When are you working again? Will you be here tomorrow?"

"No. This isn't my regular shift. I'll be here Monday night after five," Victoria said, while thinking: Damn, Kareem must have money to burn.

"Okay. I'm gonna try to get back on Monday." He brushed his hand across her face. "So...tomorrow is your day off?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Just wondering." Kareem touched her chin with his finger. "Wanted to know, just in case you change your mind about going out with me."

"Yo, Kareem," his friend called from the lobby. "Come on man. Let's roll! I've been freezing out here in this lobby while you're in there trying to fall in love."

Kareem kissed Victoria on the cheek. She watched as he and his friend disappeared out the door.

Victoria made careful steps as she returned to the lounge. Trying to stay grounded wasn't easy for someone who was walking on air.