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  “Yeah it’s alright if you’ve got that sort of money innit? How the fuck am I gonna pay the fine?” The solicitor looked shocked and turned his nose up. He could see tears forming in the corner of her eyes and kept schtum.

  Vicky left the Magistrates courts with a black cloud of desperation hanging over her head. Looking up at the tall buildings in the city centre she wondered if she would have the courage to jump from one. She inhaled deeply through her nose. She could smell tobacco. Watching a man at the bus stop, she could see him puffing quickly at his fag before he got on the waiting bus. The cig end now lay near her feet. Quickly scanning the area she looked like she was thinking of her next move. Her head swivelled around like an owl as she bent down to the ground.

  The burning cig was now in her grip. The grey smoke from it blew up towards her face. Standing to her feet she began walking with speed. Sucking on the half smoked cig, she could feel the rush of nicotine riding through her body. She felt a bit dizzy and had to take a minute to regain her balance.

  Vicky walked through Manchester City Centre looking inside each shop window. Stopping at ‘Miss Selfridges’ her eyes focused on a red pair of shoes. She loved the colour red and sighed as she saw the price tag on them. “Fifty five fucking pound,” she huffed. Trudging away from the shop she slowly came to terms with the fact that she would never own them. Clicking her heels together she closed her eyes. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home,” she whispered. The Wizard of Oz was one of her favourite films and she giggled as she looked at the action of her feet. If only she had magic shoes. She looked happy as she was imagined the adventure and wealth brought from the red shoes she’d saw in the shop window.

  Rochdale Road was busy. Cars sped past her and didn’t give a shit that she was freezing her tits off. Holding her hand in front of her she looked at the one thing of value left in her life. Blake had said it was an engagement ring but she knew he’d being given it from some drug addict for a bag of smack. “That’s it,” she huffed. “It’s this fucking ring that’s giving me all this bad luck. Bet it was some smackhead that had nicked it from someone.” Dipping her finger into her mouth her teeth pulled at the rim of the ring, it looked swollen as she dragged it over her knuckle.

  ‘Mays’ was a well known Pawnbroker in Manchester. If you ever needed any money fast this was the place to go to trade your jewellery in for cash. Pulling the shop’s door open, she joined the queue of desperate looking people. Each of them looked eager for some cash. Vicky had pawned stuff in the past and knew it was a never- ending cycle. One minute you had your precious gold and the next thing it was sitting in the window of Mays ready to be sold. That was the thing about pawning stuff. It was alright getting the cash, but when the time came to get it back out, most items were lost due to the fact that you didn’t have a pot to piss in.

  Vicky stepped up to the glass window and shoved her gold ring under the counter. A man now picked it up and examined it with his eyepiece. “How much are you looking for?” he never looked at her directly.

  “Erm... whatever you think is the best price.” Rolling the ring around on his index finger he shot her a look that meant it wouldn’t be a lot.

  “Twenty pound is the best that I can do. I mean it’s pretty bent isn’t it?” Vicky agreed. She’d thrown the ring at her boyfriend so many times in the past and even tried chewing it in her mouth to show him that she meant business.

  “Yeah that will have to do, won’t it,” she sighed. These bastards knew how desperate she was and took advantage of her situation. Watching the man type out her pawn ticket she pulled her birth certificate from her purse and squeezed it under the counter. No one was allowed to pawn stuff without any ID.

  Vicky held the twenty pound note in her hands. She looked chuffed. She was rubbing at her finger for the missing ring and looked bare without it. Stepping outside she went into the shop next door. Goblets off license sold everything. Cigs were the first thing on her list, she was gasping. As she stood waiting to get served she looked like a junkie waiting to get a fix. “Ten Bensons and Hedges please,” she mumbled. The shopkeeper turned his back and found the brand of cigs she wanted. Handing him the twenty pound note she looked happy that she had some money in her pocket for a change. As he was handing her the change her eyes shot to a cheap bottle of vodka. Licking her dry lips she hovered in the same position debating her next move. She’d had a hard day after all and she deserved a little drink didn’t she? Eyes looking at the cash in her palm she made her decision. “Sorry, can I have a bottle of that vodka as well. Her finger was now wafting in front of her pointing to the alcohol on the shelf. The Asian shop keeper looked at her in disgust. It was only twelve-thirty, what did she expect? The shopkeeper was so used to all the alkies coming into the shop for ale and passed her the drink with a disapproving look on his face.

  The bottle was cold as she placed it in her coat pocket. If the truth was known she wanted to sit on some bench somewhere and swig the lot of it down her throat in one gulp. At least then she would feel numb and not give a fuck that her life was going downhill at record speed. Vicky continued walking. Declan was on her mind and she decided when he was in bed later on in the evening she would drink the lot of it and get wrecked.

  The money she had left was jingling about in her pocket. It was all she had to feed her son. Vicky needed a miracle to help save her. She looked up to the grey skies and her mouth was moving slowly. She looked like she was praying to God for help.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Susie put the final touches to her make up as she stood in front of the mirror in the bedroom. It was an expensive mirror too. You could tell by the gold details all around the edge of the frame. Tim had bought it months before from a top retail store. It was no cheap shit. It was the dog’s bollocks.

  With her mouth open wide her hand tilted at an angle as she applied the black mascara brush over her not so long eyelashes. She’d always complained about her tiny lashes in the past and today was no different. “Little bushy bristles,” she huffed as she looked at the end result closer in the mirror.

  Tonight Susie was off to the brothel to spend the night there. She had to see how things worked if she was ever going to run it and after all it was her bread and butter and the only income she had at the moment. Susie planned to show all those dirty bitches that she was no pushover. It wasn’t rocket science really was it? And it was good to show the girls she was getting involved and showing them some interest.

  Susie knew Joan was fiddling the books. Tim had told her in the past and the sluts days were numbered now she was on the case. Ashley lay on the bed watching her every movement. “What time are you going again?”

  He knew exactly what time she was going out, and Susie hated she had to repeat herself yet again. “I told you before, deaf lugs. I’m sure you’re a bit mutton jeff.” One hand was now held on her hip as she leant in towards his face. “Fucking nine o’clock.” Her head nodded up and down slowly as she said it again with a slow voice. Susie looked like she was talking to a deaf person. Her words were so exaggerated. She smiled and Ashley looked pissed off at her attempt at humour.

  “I didn’t hear you dick-head! So that’s why I was asking again.”

  “Well I’m making sure you hear me this time that’s all,” she chuckled nervously. Her face looked mischievous and he knew she was taking the piss.

  “Well I’ll come with you for a bit if that’s alright. I wanna see how that paint has dried anyway.” Ashley and a few of his mates had taken on the task of painting the hallway at the brothel and that was the only excuse he had to go with his lover. She scowled. He was like a fart lingering around her twenty four seven. Whenever she looked over her shoulder he was there like a bad smell. Ashley was bugging her big time. Susie’s disappointment was there for him to see and he examined her face to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. His nostrils flared. She could see his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fist at his side. His voice was sarcastic. He’
d been looking for a reason to belt her all night. “Why, you don’t mind me coming with you, do ya?” his voice was shaking. Susie held her breath and combed her hair. Her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. She was cursing under her breath. He was by her side now pulling her face into view. “If I’m not wanted, just fucking say so, instead of hiding it.” Susie pulled from his tight grip with a struggle. She could see him shaking and knew she was in big trouble if she didn’t back down.

  “Fucking hell Ashley, don’t be going on one. For fucks sake,” she blew a frustrated breath. “I haven’t said I don’t want you to come have I?” She was playing with him now and he didn’t know how to react. He looked confused. He wanted her to argue with him so he could have kicked her head all over the place. His temper was boiling with the steroids racing through his veins. Rage was written all over his face and a purple vein at the side of his neck could be seen pumping at speed looking like it was going to burst.

  Ashley was like a ticking bomb and she had to think quickly. Susie defused him instantly. She was a clever cow. Singing her head off, she slipped her black dress over her head. She could feel his eyes watching her as her dress rolled down her slender body. She’d learnt how to deal with him now and there was no way in the world she was giving him any reason to beat her within an inch of her life. “I want you to come with me sweetheart. Why are you going all snide?” Walking towards him she draped her arms around his neck, and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheeks. “Mard arse,” she huffed. Ashley stood tall. She’d apologised and that was enough for him. He was her Lord and master again. Susie was learning fast that he liked the control he felt over her. He looked pleased as he flexed his muscles at the side of her.

  Ashley was following Susie in his car. She could see him driving up her arse in the rear- view mirror. Turning the music up, she felt happy for a change. Rhianna’s tune ‘Complicated’ now played at full pelt. The speakers were pumping as she sang along to the tune.

  Pulling into the seedy car park at the back of Delia’s, Susie turned her engine off. She could see Ashley parking up, and he looked eager to get to her side. As she opened her car door he was already there. Bending over the passenger seat she grabbed her handbag. Her ‘Jimmy Choo’ bag now looked old and ragged. “Come on stop fucking about, I’m freezing my bollocks off out here,” he moaned. Susie growled at him and chewed on her bottom lip. You could see his two nipples fully erect underneath his grey fitted top.

  “I’m coming, hold ya horses, will ya?” she pleaded. Her long legs could be seen coming out of the car. Ashley clocked them with lust in his eyes. He was a horny fucker. His sex drive was massive; all day long he was looking for a hole to fill.

  They walked to the entrance. A few drunken men seemed to be debating whether they were going inside the brass gaff. Susie could see them counting their money as they staggered about trying to hold each other up. Pressing the intercom Susie shivered. Ashley gripped her and kissed the top of her head. “Get off me ya muppet. The fucking CCTV.” He looked dazed as he looked around for the cameras. She spoke in an angry voice. “The girls can see everything that’s going on outside here, ya tosser.” He knew she was right and backed away with a deflated look on his face. A buzzing noise could be heard.

  The door opened. With a desperate grip Susie pulled at it hard to gain access. The smell of fresh painted was in the air. Susie cast her eyes up towards the top of the stairs. The place looked half decent now, and she felt proud that she’d already made changes in the joint. Pulling the last door open, she could see the reception. Susie scanned the area as Ashley parked his arse on a nearby sofa.

  Pippa came into view like she owned the gaff. Her walk was tall and every curl in her hair looked in tip-top condition. Susie gawped at her. There was no getting away from it. This girl was hot stuff.

  Susie went behind the reception desk and her eyes focused on the books. She needed to be two steps in front of Joan if she was to catch the thieving cow in action. “Is it busy tonight?” Susie asked. There was no reply and she may as well have been talking to a brick wall. Her head lifted and she shot a look at Pippa who was sat next to Ashley flirting. She repeated herself again as she watched the brass making a play for him. Susie looked stern and she held her head to the side with her eyes wide- open. Ashley clocked her gaze and nudged the prostitute in the waist.

  “What you saying?” Pippa answered with a cocky face. Susie’s nostrils flared and Pippa walked to the front of the desk. Her face told Ashley she was on to him and he looked like a small child who’d been caught with his hand in the biscuit tin.

  “I said, if you can stop throwing yourself at Ashley for a minute, you would have heard me.”

  Pippa shrugged her shoulders and turned to Ashley. She looked him up and down. He was fair game. Why was Susie bothered? Pippa reached for the cigs that she’d left on the coffee table in front of her. Tapping the box at the end one cig came out. Susie was losing patience.

  “Where’s Joan?”

  Pippa lit her cig and blew the smoke from her mouth with force. “In the toilet I think?”

  “You think? She’s supposed to be managing this place, not sat on the shitter all fucking night.”

  Pippa held her head back and laughed. “The woman has to piss yanno.”

  “Has it been busy?” Pippa shrugged her shoulders. “I have, I don’t know about the rest of the girls. You’ll have to ask Joan.”

  A buzzing noise could now be heard. Pippa nodded at Susie with instructions. “Just press that button on top of the counter. Some punters are at the door.” Susie located the button. Looking at the CCTV she froze, peering at the screen she looked closer. Susie was biting her nails; a large smile appeared over her face. Pippa urged her to let the punters in. “Will you hurry up before they fuck off. I’ve got a living to make yanno.” Susie pressed the button and a buzzing noise could be heard. She left Ashley sat on the sofa and made herself scarce.

  Susie hid in a small office at the side of the reception; she could see two men entering. Joan came through the other door and greeted them. Watching the two men sit down Susie peered through the gap in the door. Was her mind playing tricks on her, or was it him. Watching the man she examined every inch of his face. Her lips curled up at the side. She smiled and nodded her head. “Gotcha Jenkins ya bastard,” she muttered.

  Joan sorted the men out with the girls they desired. Pippa stood slowly and looked the punters up and down. She grabbed the good-looking one by his hand and led him through the door to her place of work. “Fuck shagging the minger,” she whispered to the other girl who’d copped for the ugly guy. Once the other male had gone through the doors, Susie came out of hiding and told Joan she wouldn’t be a minute. She held a devious look on her face. Creeping down the corridor she came to Pippa’s love nest. A small glass panel was in the door and she could see the punter taking his clothes off. Susie dipped her head back out of sight. She looked like she was thinking about her next move. Fingers tapping on her teeth she looked fidgety. Digging deep into her coat pocket she searched for her mobile phone, it was one of the latest ones out and the camera on it was top of the range.

  Two bodies could be seen lying on the bed. Pippa was sucking her client off. Without any hesitation Susie brought her phone to the glass window and started to take pictures of the two of them. Her finger was moving rapidly trying to capture the shot. She needed these photographs more than anything if her plan was to work.

  Minutes passed and Pippa was straddled over her guest. You could just see his face. He looked pissed as a fart. Susie angled her hand at the door and made sure she got more evidence of the goings-on. Nodding her head slowly she left the side of the door with a cunning grin spread across her face. Shoving the phone back inside her pocket she headed back to see Joan. The shit was about to hit the fan.

  Joan looked wrecked. Dark circles were visible around her eyes. She looked tired. Susie knew her manager had dabbled with crack in the past and by looking at her face tonight she
’d been on it again. Joan looked uneasy as Susie came bouncing back into the room.

  “Where have you been?” Ashley moaned.

  “Just checking a few things out, that’s all. Why did you miss me?” Susie giggled with a cocky face. His head sank back into the ‘Playboy’ magazine that he’d picked up from the table. Tugging at his crotch it was obvious he was getting aroused. He continued to look at the pussy shots holding the magazine up to his face to get the best view. Joan looked hot and uncomfortable. Small droplets of sweat were visible on her forehead, and she was constantly licking at her lips.

  Drugs were a big part of brothel life and Susie knew that more than anyone. After all these women were having sex with anything that moved, so they needed something to help numb the pain didn’t they? Susie was in Joan’s face. Their noses were nearly touching. You could see Susie was making her feel uncomfortable and she looked like she loved every minute of it. Head tilted to the side, Susie looked directly into Joan’s eyes. “You’ve been smoking crack again haven’t you?”

  Joan became defensive and waved her hand about in front of her face. “Get a grip woman. Those days are long gone now. I don’t touch the stuff no more. I haven’t for months.”

  “Lying twat,” Susie thought. Joan’s pupils looked like saucers and she looked on another planet. Joan’s words were shaky. She tried to change the conversation. She hoped Susie would back down and not be onto her seedy little secret.

  “This place looks miles better now that it’s had a lick of paint, doesn’t it?” Susie was looking at the books again. Standing up straight she cast her eyes over each figure. Heavy breathing noises could be heard. Susie scraped her long fingernail down the white piece of paper. She could feel Joan at the side of her breathing down her neck. Her breath stank of alcohol. “You’ll find all the books are in order love. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”