There was a sharp knock at the door, and Kelly jumped. He was two hours early. It was still only seven o'clock in the morning, yet she instinctively knew who it would be. She had been dreading the moment since yesterday afternoon when the Immigration Officer had first called. She sat in her chair, frozen for a moment until she heard the second knock, then a third, then a forth in quick succession.
"Open up Mrs Hall, I know you are in there!"
Kelly rose from her chair at the kitchen table and forced herself to walk to the door. As she slowly released the Yale latch, a great feeling of dread swept over her. This was the moment.
"Ah, there you are Mrs Hall, it's me again, Steven Smith from the Immigration Office," he announced, fully aware that she could not possibly have forgotten who he was, or what he wanted, given the severity of the circumstances. "Can I come in?"
"I suppose." Kelly swung open the door and allowed the man to follow her back through to the kitchen."
"Have a seat - if you must."
"Thank you, that's most kind. Now tell me Mrs Hall, have you thought any more on my proposition?"
"You mean do I let you arrest my daughter and me and get deported, or do I give in to your dirty, depraved demands?"
"Well, I think that's overstating things a little Mrs Hall, or can I call you Kelly?" It was a rhetorical question. "My suggestion, under the circumstances seems entirely amicable and not in the least bit difficult on your part. Although I admit it is a little sordid."
"Disgusting and perverted is what it is!" replied Kelly.
"Well either way, what do you say? Shall we get your coat now and go down to the office, or will you β or should I say your daughter - accept my offer?"
"There must be something else we can do for you," pleaded Kelly, "some money maybe? How can you possibly ask me to make her do such things. Have you no shame?"
"That hardly comes into Kelly; it's not my shame but your daughter's that I'm interested in."
"You know we have no choice, I cannot go back. I need to stay in England. And with my husband gone...we both have to work."
"But not illegally; I can fix that for you."
"I have your guarantee that all our papers will be put in order?"
"On my word - as an agent of Her Majesty's Government."
"That's a laugh," she replied.
"Actually I have a draft of the paperwork already filled out. If you agree to my terms, then I will start the ball rolling. Should all be sorted in a few weeks. Meantime of course, you will both be at my disposal."
"Both? I thought it was just my daughter?"
"Well we'll see shall we?"
Kelly stared at him for a moment - this balding, middle aged white civil servant - so respectable looking on the outside and yet so dirty and sick-minded on the inside. But there was really no option, she had already been up half the night discussing it with Carly; they would have to agree to his blackmailing demands. Anything to avoid deportation.
"OK then. That's settled. Will you ask Carly to come in then?"
"What now?"
"No time like the present."
"But she's not ready, not prepared; not even showered yet. We didn't expect you for another couple of hours."
"I know. Hope it hasn't caused too much inconvenience, but I thought I might just catch her."
"What do you mean?"
"Well I don't want her all preened and cleaned. I want her exactly as nature intended."
"You mean..."
"Yes exactly. Call her for me will you."
" Carly!" she shouted. "Carly, can you come down for us darling?"
Carly appeared at the door almost instantly, she had clearly been listening in on the conversation.
"No Mum, no, there must be another way."
"There isn't, you know that. We talked about. Now we just have to be strong."
"Yes, come on in Carly. My...you are beautiful. I always think mixed-race girls are so exotic looking and mysterious. I suppose that's why I've given you this opportunity. You see I've never, ever seen a naked coloured girl before."
"At least let me have a shower, please; I haven't since yesterday morning, and well, you know..."
"Know what?"
"... well...I've done all sorts of things since then."
"Really," said Smith, his interested clearly piqued. "Do tell me more. What exactly have you been doing that means you need a shower so badly?"
Carly looked down at the floor.
"Tell me girl. I want to hear you tell me."
She looked over at her Mum and held eye contact for a brief moment before Kelly too dropped her gaze to the floor.
"Your Mum knows the score Carly. Now come right in, please, and tell all about why you need that shower."
Carly walked in slowly, taking very small steps, her elbows clamped awkwardly against her sides, wrists and hands out-turned slightly. At twenty six years old, she was extremely attractive, but not in the conventional sense. In her flat ballet shoes, she stood no more than five feet two inches tall and was amply proportioned in all the right places. Given her height, her hips and breasts seemed like they belonged to much a bigger girl and, exaggerated by a slight inward curvature of her spine, the cheeks of her firm round bottom protruded invitingly. Smith was enthralled.
Because her father had been white, she was nowhere near as dark as her mother, but she had inherited the course texture of her mother's hair, albeit more walnut coloured than full black. It was thick, wavy and luxurious and fell almost half way down her back, in a hastily arranged ponytail.
Typical of her generation, she was wearing a tight tee shirt cropped very low so that her tummy button was fully exposed, and a short, tight dress made of some sort of stretch fabric which only just covered her hugely pert bottom. It was gathered in around her waist, evident only as a slight indentation between her broad hips and well rounded tummy, by a wide leather belt. Below, on her thickish thighs, she wore only black tights and cream coloured shoes on her surprisingly dainty feet.