A note from the author... I'm so sorry this is a really long chapter. These things all happened at once and I couldn't break them up without ruining the flow. Please forgive me dear friends and I hope you continue to ride along with me.
5 -- What the fuck was I thinking?
"Who the fuck are you?" I demanded as the pair walked in.
"Hey, no need to freak out, you're not in danger or trouble, we just wanna talk." The woman said.
"What the fuck do you want to talk to me about?" I asked.
"You really need to chill the fuck out. Can we sit?" The woman said, motioning towards my table.
I nodded, confused and frightened, I followed them to my dining table, where we all sat. My heart was pounding through my chest so hard I was convinced they'd hear it.
The woman was late forties probably, looked serious, and a little pissed off. She had short brown hair which was staring to grey. "I'm just going to level with you right now, have you heard of the Mancini family?"
Fuck! Yes, I had heard of the Mancini family -- they were well known in Woodlawn and not to be crossed, they were Mafia, fucking mob!
I nodded. "Yeah, of course I know who they are."
"I represent the family on certain matters. We have several interests across the US in businesses that supply, shall we say, female entertainment and that's what I'm here to discuss."
"You mean brothels?" I suggested.
"If you like." Kellyanne replied.
"I believe you've already become acquainted with my security escort, John." She said, motioning to the man. "Sorry if he misled you, but you, know, a horny guy needs attention."
I nodded at him too and he gave me a dirty grin. Yeah, I knew the little shit. I felt like I'd been played.
"So why are you here? Have I pissed off the family in some way?" I said, trying to figure out how much trouble and danger I was now in.
Kellyanne laughed. "No. You haven't. You were with one of our associates last night, Danny, right?"
"Yes." I replied. Realising suddenly that I'd probably crossed into their territory and that was a bad idea. "I'm sorry if I shouldn't have been, you can take the money if you like?"
"We're not here to take your money, you're a hard-working Chicago girl, right?" Kellyanne said.
"I suppose." I replied. "So, I don't understand, how did you find me and why are you here?"
Kellyanne laughed. "The website you advertise on, we own, so we got all your details easily. We have a requirement for quite a few, shall we say, high scale working women on the firm and Danny suggested you may be a good fit and so, John found you and, well, you know the rest."
I suddenly really felt stupid and scared. "You're what, asking me to work in a brothel?"
Kellyanne looked at John. "I think I'll be safe; can I have some time alone with this young lady?"
"Sure thing, I'll be in the car." John said and got up and left, slamming my door hard as he exited my apartment.
Once he was gone, Kellyanne looked over at me and explained. "While we have a series of establishments where women work, it's easy to find women for these places, they are there for a quick whatever for fifty dollars but, we found that having high class, professional girls available to the family and leadership as well as VIP guests and business associates improves morale and loyalty and keeps things running smoothly. Finding woman for the VIP club is very difficult, not many are up to it or suitable and, we are short of women right now, so we were wondering if you would consider working for us, exclusively."
OK, so, all this was seriously unexpected. I'm sitting there, expecting a threat, or some sort of coercion but, instead, the mafia were now offering me a job. You can't say that life wasn't interesting!
"Hang, on! You're offering me a job, have I got that right?"
"I'm asking you to consider it." Kellyanne replied.
"I'm not sure, I don't know, how would that work?" I asked, not really wanting to consider this but also not wanting to say an immediate no to the mob.
"Well." Kellyanne began. "We have a building downtown that functions as a private club. The whole place is designed for entertaining VIPs and business associates and their teams. There is an actual club on the ground floor that opens as needed, there's a spa and gym and then upstairs are a series of private rooms and suites where our girls perform the personal entertainment."
"Personal entertainment?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows.
"It's where they get fucked!" Kellyanne snapped back, not looking impressed with my cheeky response.
"I get it." I assured her.
"All I'm, asking of you is to come with me, meet the club supervisor and have a look around. None of this involves you working in a brothel. If you think this isn't for you, then fine, no hard feelings and you can go on your way."
"You mean, I'm really free to say no?" I asked.
"It's not like the movies." Kellyanne said. "If you're not interested, fine. That would be your loss and we'll find someone else."
The last thing I wanted to do was go anywhere with these people but under the circumstances, I thought it best to play along. They scared me more than a little and I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a look around and then at least when I turned them down, I could say that I'd properly considered it.
"OK, Sure, I'm free, I'll come."
Some day off, I thought as we left my apartment and walked around the block to where John waited, leaning on the bonnet of a dark greed sedan, smoking.
"She's coming for a tour." Kellyanne said to him. "Can you take us to Club Fourteen?"
"Sure thing." He replied and soon, I was in the back of a mafia car, being driven, somewhere.
"You grew up here, right?" John asked as we drove.
"Right here in Woodlawn." I replied.
"It's nice that you hung around here." John said, being far friendlier and more talkative than when he wanted me to blow him earlier.
They both made small talk as we headed across the city; we pulled off the freeway into Avondale and then into a road of former industrial buildings which were now shiny apartments and bars. John stopped the car in front of a four-storey stone building that looked like it was an old factory, or warehouse. It was clearly restored and in use but there was no name on it. There were a pair of green doors with a security system and the street number on a polished metal sign to the left of the doors.
"We like to be discreet." Kellyanne said. "We simply call this place number fourteen." I looked around at the trendy bars, expensive cars and priceless apartment buildings in the block. Kellyanne approached the door, swiped an access card, and we went inside. Immediately, we were faced with a wide stairway and a pair of double doors to the left.
Wait here please. Kellyanne said as she disappeared up the stairs. I was left alone for a few minutes, half convinced that something terrible was about to happen when Kellyanne returned with another woman, about the same age, dressed in a knee length green dress and boots.
"This is Beth, one of the supervisors." Kellyanne said as she introduced us. "I'll be leaving you with Beth now, she'll show you around and arrange for you to get taken home when you're finished. Maybe I'll see you again sometime, I hope so, but if not, good luck."
I said goodbye.