Chapter 0001

At the gate entrance of Madam Alora's brothel home, Janet urged, "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 to bring Lara, hoping to help her escape poverty.

"Lara, I can't keep standing out here with you," Janet replied. "Fine, if you don't want to go inside, you can stay here alone. I have a lot of work to do inside, and my madam has been calling me since morning."

Lara frowned. She was a light-skinned beauty, very attractive, and she wasn't foolish. She knew where Janet had brought her. She knew Janet's parents were poor and still in the village, but with the lifestyle and beautiful dresses Janet wore, Lara couldn't help but admire her, as she mostly wore rags.

"I need to go back home to the village," Lara replied. "I cannot go in there with you."

Madam Alora stepped out and saw Janet standing by the gate. She remembered that Janet had taken permission to travel to her village to bring her best friend to the city, as Janet had promised her that her friend was beautiful and super attractive.

It was 6:30 p.m., and soon most of her eligible customers, who usually patronized them, would be arriving. Madam Alora had only four internal ladies working: Janet, Sophia, Edith, and Mimi. She didn't accept older ladies, as they were too stubborn and wanted to know her secrets. Besides, she mostly had young men coming to her brothel to patronize her ladies.

"What's going on there, Janet?" Madam Alora asked.

"Good evening, ma," Janet replied. "It's my friend I spoke to you about. She doesn't want to come inside and has been standing outside here by the gate since we arrived."

Madam Alora sighed. "Alright. You go inside; I'm coming."

Madam Alora walked out, dressed in a black short gown that barely reached her knees, revealing her dark-skinned thighs. She wore red slippers and walked majestically toward the gate. Her eyes widened as she saw the beautiful girl standing outside with her tattered traveling bag from the village.

"Good evening, ma," Lara greeted.

"Yes, welcome," Madam Alora replied. "Why are you standing out here by the gate? Come inside."

"No, ma," Lara replied. "Isn't this a hotel?"

Madam Alora frowned, forcing a fake smile. "No, my dear. What do you think a hotel is? Have you been to one before?"

"No, ma, but..." Lara peeped inside the gate and saw some ladies dressed in revealing clothes. 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's eyes narrowed at her. Madam Alora had been getting calls from wealthy men requesting beautiful young ladies to warm their beds. Seeing the cute girl 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 and looked up at Madam Alora's face. "No, ma," Lara replied.

"Then you will have to work for it," Madam Alora said. "Are you coming inside or not? And mind you, this is not a hotel. I gave Janet money to travel to your village and bring you here, as she said you wanted to come to the city. Now you want to go back to your village? How ungrateful of you to come here and insult me without even saying thank you."

Lara held her traveling bag and apologized, "I am sorry, ma."

"Keep your sorry to yourself and come inside now," Madam Alora replied, "before I ask my guards to lock the gate."

Lara stood speechless for a while, not knowing what to do. She finally pushed the gate open and walked in. She could hear the faint sound of music coming from the mansion in front of her as she followed Madam Alora toward the house. They walked into the beautiful living room.

"Janet!" Madam Alora called.

"Yes, Madam," Janet replied.

"Show your friend to her room and prepare her," Madam Alora instructed.

"No," Lara refused.

"What do you mean by no?" Madam Alora asked. "Aren't you going back to the village? I don't have time to waste on you. Move with Janet, or I'll call my guards to throw you out."

Lara gulped and looked at the young ladies standing in the living room, decorated with a golden chandelier, golden seats, and golden curtains. The room was painted off-white. "Come, Lara, let's go," Janet said.

Lara hesitated but finally followed Janet, knowing the beautiful woman wasn't joking about throwing her out.

They walked into a room painted pink. Janet kindly took Lara's tattered traveling bag and said, "Lara, I know it's hard to believe this is what I do in the city, but it's not prostitution."

"Liar!" Lara responded. "You should have 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'm married."

"Hmph. I'm sorry, Lara," Janet said, "but what's the point of keeping it? You, your sister, brother, and mother can barely feed. Your father is old, and your mother knew this before she married him. Did she think about her virginity or about you?"

"Shut up! Don't you dare insult my mother!" Lara yelled.

"I'm not, Lara," Janet replied. "I'm only being honest. Look, I'm using the latest iPhone, I have a car, and do you think I got all that by keeping my virginity?"

"Shut up, Janet!" Lara replied. "That's you, not me. If you had told me it was prostitution, I wouldn't have come. Now your madam says I have to work for my transportation fare. How will I work for it? If it's with my body, I can't do it. So, it's best you lend me the money to go back to the village tonight."

Janet burst out laughing. "No, Lara, you're not going anywhere. I wish I could lend you money, but any money I get, my madam takes 70% and gives me only 30%. It's not enough for me, let alone to give to you."

"You should have told me before, Janet," Lara frowned, beginning to sob.

"I'm sorry, Lara," Janet apologized. "Let's hurry up and bathe before 8 p.m. so we can eat and prepare."

"Leave me alone," Lara replied. "I'm not eating or preparing to go anywhere with you. You wicked person."

Janet smiled and walked past Lara to take her bath. The room was hers, and since Lara was new, her madam hadn't given her a room in the mansion.

Lara continued to sob. A few minutes later, Janet stepped out, tying a white towel around her chest, with water dripping from her body.

"It's your turn now," Janet said. "Go in and bathe."

"No, leave me alone," Lara replied. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"What has come over you, Lara?!" Janet yelled. "If you don't hurry, be ready to leave. My madam has a temper."

Lara sniffed, and with no other choice, she walked toward the bathroom door.

"Where's the towel I will use?" Lara asked.

"There are about five clean towels in there," Janet responded. "I hardly use them. We have dry-cleaners, so I'm sure they're clean."

Lara stomped her feet and angrily walked into the bathroom. The bathroom was beautiful compared to the local one in her village. They were very poor since her mother married a man who already had a family.

Lara had step-siblings, but they weren't close. Her mother was very fair, almost white, making Lara fair too. Her younger sister, Esther, was dark like their father, while her younger brother, Amos, was light-skinned like her.

They could barely feed in the village. Lara's mother sold fruits in the village square, and her aged father didn't care about them, only using her mother to satisfy his urges. Lara knew Janet was right, but she vowed not to sleep with any man until she got married.