1 - Prologue:
Adjusting her clothing, Freya Dankworth stepped out of the house onto the dimly lit street. She cautiously descended the steep steps from the front door; spike-heeled shoes don't provide the best footing on stone flags made slippery by drizzle.
Freya checked the street in both directions, making sure that nobody she knew was approaching. Unlikely at half-past-two in the morning.
Her minicab, a dark blue Toyota people carrier, was waiting for her parked a little way up the road. She was happy to see it.
Despite the short distance to the car it took Freya a full five minutes to walk on unsteady legs. She had to pause a couple of times and steady herself against the wrought iron railings that fronted the terraced houses.
She managed to hold off crying until she got into the back of the minicab. Inside she buried her face in her hands and burst into tears, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.
"New on the game are ya?" the driver asked as they pulled away from the kerbside. "Don't worry, everyone cries the first time."
Freya was a student. She was in the first year of a business management degree at the University of Westminster. Studying wasn't cheap. Studying in London was extortionate.
There was no way she could live solely on her student loan. And if she wanted a few of life's luxuries, like going out for drinks or designer clothes and meals in nice restaurants, she'd have to get off her arse and earn some extra cash.