Chapter 3

The clock ticked away, with the short end on the digit “7” and the long end on the number “6”. It was probably time for us to leave soon. Shirley was helping me to apply makeup as I adjusted the gaping neckline of my dress. It was the type that zipped at the back. Despite wearing the dress, I felt naked without my undergarments.

My fair complexion meant I didn’t need much makeup. 

“Ally, this will be your first seduction, I am correct?” Shirley glanced at me, admiring my figure. I knew I didn’t have the most significant bust, but Shirley had told me I had a bottom that most men would want to grab from behind. This embarrassed me since I was naturally this way, but she gave me some general tips in seduction.

She showed me a photograph of Tyler Banks in a pair of sunglasses. “This is your target. He normally doesn’t go anywhere without his men, but tonight might be an exception. Men always want the same thing.”

I looked sheepishly at Shirley. “I have no idea why none has succeeded in the mission. I feel you are all experts in seduction, unlike me.”

Shirley smiled. “You’re still very innocent, Ally. Maybe what Tyler Banks likes is a pure, innocent lamb. From our experience, we can say that Tyler Banks doesn’t even look our way.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“He will. Have confidence in yourself, Ally.”

I bit down on my lip nervously. The Zeus bar was one of the most populated bars in the city. I was sure there would be a lot of rivals contending with me for Tyler Banks. What did I have to compete with them?

“Shirley, could you show me how you seduce your targets?” I was pretty sure we were reduced to prostitutes in a brothel now. But we had little choice in the matter.

Shirley got up from the bed we were sitting on swiftly. She was wearing a thin nightgown that revealed her small tips slightly through the sheer material. With a crafty smile on her face, she pulled down the straps of her gown, allowing it to reveal more of her cleavage.

I observed her as she temptingly poised herself, teasing an imaginary client as she sat with one leg crossed over the other. Fluttering her eyelashes, batting her eyelids and behaving provocatively, all these were seduction, I realised.

To be honest, I could not see myself doing that. 

“I overheard you tell Adrian that you’re having your period. Are you able to…” she began.

I shook my head. “He would have done atrocious things to me if I hadn’t lied.”

“So, I take it as you are considerably good at lying?”

I nodded. I had to attribute the fact that I had grown up in a broken family to my ability to tell enormous lies. The situation had conditioned and trained me very well. I lied and stole to survive. Although this was taxing to my soul, I had to do it for the sake of my family.

“I’ll… I’ll try my best,” I said as convincing as I could. 

“I’m sorry, Ally,” Shirley looked apologetic. She knew I was a virgin and was not ready for this kind of thing. Nobody knew how Tyler Banks was in real life and if he had any weird fetishes. I gritted my teeth. I had to do what I could to keep my family safe, even if it meant surrendering my innocence in that one night.

What was virginity to me? I wondered. I didn’t understand my own physical needs or why one kept herself for marriage. If it meant protecting my family and loved ones, I didn’t mind betraying my body to that stranger. After all, it was just one night, I told myself. 

“Shirley, why are you worried? It’s just one night, right?” I appeased myself with the fact, even if I knew I was lying. I would probably never be able to escape Adrian Tank’s clutches even if I succeeded in this mission. Even worse, I might even be, like the others, made to serve other men to obtain scoop.

“Ally, I’m sorry, I am.”

She was so ashamed by what Adrian had made me do, but the sudden banging of the door startled me as we were talking. Could it be Adrian?

“Go hide,” Shirley beckoned. “Go! Don’t come out until I tell you to!”

I found a gap between the bed and the wall that I slowly eased myself inside to hide. Pulling up the straps of her nightgown, Shirley took a deep breath and opened the door.

I heard her voice uttering loudly, “What are you doing here? You already have Tomas; what else do you want?”

It wasn’t clear who she was talking to, but I could smell the anger and hatred she had for the person. Finally, the person spoke in a fiery tone. I had never heard this person’s voice before, but my instincts told me that he had to be her ex.

“I told you before, Shirley Mills, that what you have is mine. Every part of you and your body, Shirley. You can’t avoid me. I know everything about you. Including your dirty secret.”

Shirley gasped. “Leslie Jonas, can’t you just let me live in peace? You have your life and your wife. I have my own life.”

“No,” his sharp voice uttered. “So what if you work for Adrian Tank? He’s no more than a lackey working for his boss. And you, I own you, in case you didn’t know.” I heard a sneer.

“Please, Leslie. Don’t do this,” Shirley pleaded. 

I heard the faint sound of clothes unzipping and some tearing noises. Was Shirley in danger by this man? I remembered that she had ordered me not to come out no matter what. Emerging from my hiding place, I pressed my ear to the door. 

“Shirley, you whore,” the man was snickering.

“Please, no,” I heard her whimper. “No, Leslie.”

“Shut up,” the man said, followed by a loud smacking sound. She groaned in pain again. This made my blood boil. Even if it was risky for me to head outside, I knew I couldn’t leave my friend in danger. Two heads were better than one. Noticing a baseball bat in the corner, I opened the door as silently as possible, leaving a crack in between that I slowly crept through.

“I don’t want this, please, Leslie. We were already over long ago,” Shirley begged. Her eyes were puffy, probably from crying. I snuck behind the man’s back while he concentrated on the naked figure on the couch. 

“You’re no more than Adrian Tank’s whore. To think, those days, I was stupidly in love with you, whore. You have no existence other than to satisfy me on those days my wife isn’t in the mood-”

I aim hard at Leslie’s head, battering it again and again. To hear such sickening words from a man’s mouth was more than I could handle. I burst out with vulgarities, cursing him to hell for treating women like trash, but his bloodied body just slumped downwards on the ground motionless. I had struck out at him a total of eight times.

Shirley’s eyes streamed with tears as she pulled herself up and dressed in her torn nightgown. A sea of silence ensued without either of us saying a single word for goodness knows how long. The noise of the ceiling fan spinning encompasses the entire room.

Finally, Shirley opened her mouth to speak.

"Ally, you haven't killed him, have you?"

I trembled at the reality behind her words. I was so absorbed by rage that at that juncture, I only acted on impulse. I fathomed in my mind that I had to aid my friend, but to murder, a person was beyond me. Had I just turned into a monster in that one second of confusion?

I fell backwards in terror.

"I… I didn't mean to…." I stammer.

Beads of sweat covered Shirley's forehead. She immediately reached over and picked up the cell phone lying on the messy floor, dialling a number rapidly. Her calmness drew panic inside me.

"Babe, you need to come now to my apartment. I'll explain later. Most importantly, Ally needs to get to the club."

She put the phone into the pocket of her gown. A few minutes had barely passed when I heard a tap on the door. Sandi looked concerned, asking what had happened.

The clock struck eight. Shirley rushed us to go to the club before we missed the golden chance to meet Tyler Banks. Shirley calmly walked to the bloodied bat beside the man and grabbed it, smearing the dried blood on her hands and clothes.

“What are you doing, Shirley?” I cried out. When she didn’t answer, I turned towards Sandi, shivering as I felt goosebumps on my skin.

Then we saw her retract her phone from her pocket and dial three digits. It didn’t take an adult to know who she had just called. 

“This is 919 Bloomsville Avenue. Please come quickly.”

“Go!” Sandi screamed. I ran out of the apartment hurriedly in a panic, guessing what Shirley had just done.

She was waiting for the police to apprehend her for murder.