Chapter 1

In the city, Lara Almond, a 20-year-old fair-skinned girl, arrived at the gate of Madan Alora's Brothel with her best friend, Janet Jackson.

Janet said, "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 home. She had previously traveled down to her village to bring Lara because she wanted to help Lara move out of poverty.

Janet replied, "Lara, I can't keep standing out here with you. Fine, if you don't want to go inside, you can continue standing out 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 was not foolish enough not to know where Janet had taken her.

She knew that Janet's parents were poor and also lived in the village, but the kind of lifestyle and beautiful dresses that Janet wore most of the time made Lara admire them, as she mostly wore rags.

Lara replied, "I need to go back home to the village. 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 from her to travel down to her village to bring her best friend to the city. Janet had even promised her that her best friend was very attractive.

It was 6:30 p.m., and soon most of Madam Alora's regular customers would arrive at her brothel home.

She had only four working ladies: Janet, Sophia, Edith, and Mimi.

She did not accept much older ladies because they proved stubborn and wanted to know her secrets. Besides, she mostly had young men patronizing her ladies.

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

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

Madam Alora sighed, "Hmph. It's alright. You go inside. I am coming."

Madam Alora walked out dressed in a black short-gown that barely reached her knee length and revealed her dark skin. She wore red slippers and walked majestically toward the gate.

Her eyes grew wider as she saw the beauty standing outside by her gate with her tattered traveling bag that she had brought from the village.

Lara greeted, "Good evening, ma."

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

Lara replied, "No, ma. Is this not a hotel?"

Madam Alora frowned and forced a fake smile. She replied, "No, my dear. What do you know is a hotel? Have you been to one before?"

Lara said, "No, ma, but—"

Lara peeped inside the gate and saw some ladies dressed in almost exposed wear. She gulped and shook her head and said, "Please, ma, call Janet for me. I need to go back home to the village. I cannot go in there."

Lara began to cry, and Madam Alora's eyes narrowed.

Madam Alora had been getting calls from wealthy men requesting beautiful young ladies. Seeing the cute fair-skinned lady standing outside by her gate without any makeup, she shook her head and spoke, "Do you have your transport fare to go back home to the village?"

Lara slowly sniffed as she stared up at Madam Alora's face. She replied, "No, ma."

Madam Alora said, "Then you will have to work for it. Are you coming inside or not? And mind you, this is not a hotel. I actually gave Janet money to travel down to your village and bring you here because she spoke about you disturbing her to come with her to the city. Now you just got here and want to go back to your village again! How ungrateful of you to come here to my home and insult me first without even saying thank you, ma."

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

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

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

Madam Alora called, "Janet!"

Janet replied, "Yes, Madam."

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

Lara refused, "No."

Madam Alora asked, "What do you mean by no? Aren't you going back to the village again? Look, I don't have time to waste on you. You better move quickly with Janet, or I will call my guards now to throw you out this minute."

Lara gulped and stared at the rest of the young ladies standing in the beautiful living room decorated with golden chandeliers, golden seats, and golden curtains.

The living room was painted off-white, and Janet spoke to her, "Come, Lara. Let's go."

Lara hesitated and followed Janet, knowing the beautiful woman was not joking about throwing her out.

They walked into a room painted pink, and Janet kindly collected Lara's tattered traveling bag from her hand and spoke to her, "Lara, I know you're still finding it hard to believe what I do here in the city, but it is not prostitution."

Lara responded, "Liar! You're lying to me. You should have told me before now. I told you I don't want to sleep with any man for money. I don't want to lose my virginity until I am married."

Janet said, "Hmph. I'm sorry, Lara, but what's the point of you keeping it? You, your sister, your brother, and your mother could barely feed because your father is old. Your mother knew this before she ran to him and married him. And knowing he already had a family before, did she think about her virginity or about any of you that she brought into this world?"

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

Janet responded, "I'm not, Lara. I'm only being honest with you. Look, I'm using the latest iPhone. I have a car here. Do you think I have all that by keeping my virginity?"

Lara replied, "Shut up, Janet! That's you, not me. If you had told me before that it's prostitution, I wouldn't have followed you here. Now your madam said I have to work for my transportation fare to go back to the village. How will I work for it? If it's with my body, I cannot sleep with a man for money. It's best you borrow me the money and let me go back to the village tonight."

Janet burst out laughing and replied, "No, Lara, you're not going anywhere. I wish I could borrow you my money and give it to you for free, but you see, my madam takes 70% of any money I earn and gives me only 30%. It's not even enough for me to take care of myself, let alone give to you."

Lara frowned, "You should have told me before. Why, Janet?"

Lara began to sob.

Janet apologized, "I'm sorry, Lara. Let's hurry and bathe before it's 8 p.m., so we can eat and have some time to prepare before we leave."

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

Janet smiled and walked past Lara to bathe in her bathroom. Since the room was hers and Lara was new, her madam had not yet given Lara her own room in the executive mansion.

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

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

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

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

Lara sniffed and, having no other choice, walked toward the bathroom door and stood by it.

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

Janet responded, "There are still about five clean towels in there. I hardly use them. Although we have dry-cleaners who wash our clothes, so I'm sure they're still clean."

Lara stomped her feet on the ground and angrily walked into the bathroom to bathe.

The bathroom was beautiful compared to the outdoor bathroom they used in Lara's village. They were truly poor since her mother had married an already married man with grown children.

Lara had three step-siblings, but they were not close because her mother was very fair in complexion, making Lara fair too. Her younger sister, Esther, was black like their father, while her younger brother, Amos, was fair like her.

They could hardly feed in the village because her mother later sold fruit in the village square. Since her aged father did not care about them and only used her mother to satisfy his sexual urge, even though it resulted in their births.

Lara knew that Janet was right, but she vowed not to sleep with any man until she got married.