SATISFYING SHONITA
Shonita staggered into the alley way, her breath stank of hard liquor. She had stolen one of Miss Diamond’s dresses to try to receive more attention from customers. Damn! I look better than that two dollar hoe, Miss D. I just hope she don’t catch me wearing it, Shonita thought anxiously. She draped her fake-fur coat around her to keep warm, yet still managed to reveal her smooth, cappuccino coloured legs, enough to entice a few customers.
Shonita knew from the flickering of the car’s headlights that this driver was bound to stop. Her heart beat fast; she took a quick swig from the Hennessey bottle before biting what was left of her right index nail. She allowed the coat to slide off her shoulders revealing the black ensemble she had been eyeing for weeks. It’s time to work it, Shonita told herself, trying to shrug off all signs of nervousness.
‘Hey honey, want some good loving?’ she asked leaning into the red Toyota’s rolled down window.
‘What can I get for $10?’ The young man stuttered. His eyes darted from side to side, constantly glancing in the rear view mirror.
‘Ten dollars! Nigger you lost your mind? You better go ask your mama for some ten dollar loving!’ She shouted as the car screeched down the street.
Voices came from around the corner, ‘Shonita, do you have to scare off all our customers? You know Mr Silk ain’t gonna be happy ‘bout that,’ Starlight asked shivering.
‘It ain’t my fault niggers be broke, Starlight. Tryin’a disrespect me, asking for $10 loving. I just told him where he could get it, cause it ain’t here!’ Shonita replied laughing. She eyed her colleague’s new open toe, glass heeled sandal, which would definitely look better on her feet.
‘Where’s Miss Diamond tonight?’ Shonita asked.
‘Haven’t you heard? She’s disappeared. Mr Silk is pissed off cause he’s losing out on money, and everyone hopes she’s dead cause if he finds her, he’s gonna kill her!’ Shonita glared back at her out of shock and confusion, almost forgetting to blink. She began to uncontrollably gnaw at her fingertips like she always does when she gets agitated. Why did I have to wear Diamond’s dress tonight? Her stomach churned, and she suddenly felt guilty for taking it.
‘Girl I’ve gotta get back to work,’ she told Starlight backing away.
Moments later, a blacked out Rolls Royce with shiny alloys pulled up. This customer would definitely pay her well. She began her seductive routine; slipping her coat off her shoulders, showing off her lengthy legs and sticking out her apple bottom just that bit more. The tinted window rolled down to reveal Mr. Silk’s scrutinizing face. Except for her father, Mr. Silk was the only man who terrified her.
‘Bitch, get in the damn car!’ he commanded. Shonita gasped. She obeyed, trembling. Wrapping her coat around her in a useless attempt to conceal Diamond’s dress, she knew she was in serious trouble.
‘I can explain,’ Shonita stuttered, ‘I asked Diamond for the-’
He slapped her hard across the face with the back of his hand. Her nose started to bleed.
‘Did I ask you to speak?’ He asked with a calm Texan drawl. ‘When I gave Diamond that dress, I told her not to let any other bitch look at it, let alone wear it. The fact that you are wearing Diamond’s dress two days after she goes missing raises a lot of questions. Wouldn’t you agree?’
Shonita nodded, unsure whether to speak or not. Her whole face throbbed from the pain of his hefty diamond rings which covered his right hand. She could still feel the imprint on her cheek.
‘When I ask you a question, you answer,’ raising his voice, he slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
‘I asked Diamond if I could borrow the dress and she said yes,’ she stammered. ‘When I got to her apartment, the door was wide open. I just went in, took the dress and left. I haven’t seen or heard from her since.’ Shonita said with teary eyes.
‘So you stole her dress and helped yourself to her shoes and jewelry.’ Mr. Silk shouted as he grabbed her by the throat. ‘I know how you trifling females think,’ his voice lowered as his grip tightened. He moved his face so close, she could feel the heat from his breath against her ear.
‘You must think I’m an idiot. I don’t believe you. You’re a conniving little bitch and if I find out you had anything to do with Diamond’s disappearance, I shall kill you myself. Don’t forget you’re my bitch. BITCH!’
Shonita was frantic. Tears were flowing down her face and her whole head was throbbing. Why does he think I would want to hurt Diamond? What would I gain? She thought, bewildered. He isn’t joking, he will kill me. What the hell am I meant to do?
‘Don’t think I ain’t watching every move you make, everybody you speak to. In fact I will know when you wake up, even when you shit.’ He then let go of her throat. ‘I don’t want you on the block until Diamond turns up.’
‘No, please Mr. Silk,’ she begged gasping for air. Her face tingled as the blood and oxygen began to circulate properly. Although he had just almost killed her, she knew without a job, she could not survive and if she tried to work for someone else, Mr. Silk would definitely kill her. ‘I’ll do anything, you have to believe me. I don’t know where Miss Diamond is or what happened to her. I know I took from her but I didn’t know she was missing. I swear to you. Please don’t fire me. I need this job more than anything.’ Mr. Silk seemed uninterested, looking out of the window.
‘Alright,’ he replied. ‘It doesn’t make any sense for me to lose two employees in the same week. You can keep your job on one condition. Miss Diamond brings in three grand a week and you bring around seven hundred every weekend. Because I’m so generous, I’ll round it off to three and a half grand. That’s the minimum you gotta make me every week… until I know what really happened to Diamond.’
‘Three and a half what,’ she exclaimed. She lowered her voice because from the look on his face, her nose would not be only thing to bleed. ‘Thanks Mr. Silk I appreciate that you’re kind enough to let me keep on working, but is it fair that I have to work Diamond’s shift as well? I mean, she is much more experienced than I am and she has more contacts. I don’t think I am capable of earning that much money.’
‘I don’t care how you get my money, if you want to live, you’ll find a way to make it. If Diamond can do it, so can you. You’re all the same anyway,’ he replied.
‘One more thing. Strip.’
Although she was used to taking off her clothes, she quivered as she reluctantly followed his orders. Mr. Silk was a ruthless man. There were rumors that about a year ago, a worker did not pay him on time and the following week, he had her ‘cleaned up’ as he would say. When Shonita was down to her underwear, he snatched Diamond’s dress and shoes from her.
‘I’ll charge you the cleaning bill, as you’ve ruined it with your damn blood. You’re lucky I ain’t making you scrub the rest off my seats. Now get!’ With one swift movement of his hand, Shonita knew the conversation was over.
She broke into tears as she started walking back to her apartment barefoot, in her underwear, with only her coat to shield her from the wind. She was too embarrassed to hail a cab and besides the fresh air might help clear her head. She had been oblivious to Miss Diamond’s disappearance and now, because she’d stolen that damn dress, she could end up being the prime suspect.
The journey home took only 20 minutes but in her fragile state, it seemed like an eternity. Cotton her cat was sat by the entrance, like an anxious mother, waiting for her arrival. She bandaged her nose and jumped into the shower. Why me? She thought, washing her hair. If Diamond doesn’t show, then it’s only a matter a time before he kills me; the plaster across her nose was enough of a reminder for her. First thing tomorrow I’ll go back to Miss D’s apartment. I have to know who her regular customers are. And who knows, they might be able to help me find out what happened to her. I know she hasn’t got any family, none of us workers do so that rules them out. In the meantime I’m going to have to work my ass off, to stay alive. She decided she would work all night and day, to make Mr. Silk’s money. After feeding her cat, and massaging her sore feet, she turned off her bedroom light. Getting into bed, she dreaded waking the next day.
Diamond was always so predictable, Shonita thought. Her keys were always placed under the right flower vase which had a dozen red roses, and the left vase, a dozen white. That’s strange but romantic, Shonita thought smiling. She glanced over both shoulders to make sure no-one was around, and then let herself into Diamond’s apartment. The room looks much different during the day, Shonita thought, scanning around. There was more than enough space for all of Diamond’s shoes, bags, belts, rings, thongs and whips. Shonita examined various objects puzzled as to what they were let alone how they were meant to work. Miss Diamond liked to call herself a ‘tri-sexual.’ That is, she would try anything, literally. This stuff must actually work, Shonita thought, she is the highest paid worker after all. Opening the wardrobe she gasped at the amount of shoes there were, she picked up several pairs, and noticed that they were all of a minimum of 5 inch heels. Every couture label was stocked in this wardrobe; however it was evident that Fendi was Diamond’s favourite label.
Shonita was looking for the ‘little black book.’ The unspoken rule that every worker knew, was to keep the book hidden, never let it leave your house and most importantly never show it to anyone else. The diary contained the contact number of every client a worker has encountered. If Shonita finds it then she would know which clients they both use, how much they pay, and most importantly, when and with whom Diamond was last with
‘Wow!’ Shonita shouted, reaching for the deep purple, velvet jewelry box. No wonder she’s called Diamond. At least her valuables are not missing which means nobody has broken into the apartment. The box was as big as a refrigerator with different shelves and compartments. The must be worth a fortune, Shonita thought, trying to stop herself from taking anything. She was amazed by the size of the apartment, the bathtub, the bed, the kitchen; everything seemed huge she even had an oak antique grandfather clock, which Shonita had only seen in films. It all looked fresh and crisp. I wish I was Diamond, she thought.
Whilst searching for the diary, her thoughts began to stray and she was thinking of home. She wondered if she made the wrong decision to flee. Perhaps her life would have been easier back in Jamaica where she would not have to go through this stress; except, in place of Mr. Silk controlling her life, it would be her father. She hardly thought of him. She loathed him. Because of him, she learnt at a young age how to shut out pain, after years of physical and sexual abuse. She remembered the evening she arrived home after her first day of secondary school. She was so excited to tell someone that she had actually made friends. Other kids were greeted with a smile and asked how their day went. She found her father, in his favourite chair in the living room, surrounded by eight cans of beer, a few bottles of red wine and he was staring at a blank television with a half empty bottle of rum in his hand.
‘Daddy,’ she said reaching for his hand, ‘my teacher is called-’ The pain of his fist smacking her across the jaw was the last thing she remembered. Her small body flew a few feet across the room and she hit her head on the corner of the glass coffee table, which branded the scalp behind her left ear. Shonita learnt that sex was not an act of pleasure. She did not trust any man, and that is why she finds it easy to lay with different men each night.
Only the men are ever satisfied. Satisfaction, she thought. That’s a feeling I have never experienced and I doubt I ever will.
‘Bingo!’ she shouted, immediately snapping back to reality. She found the black suede diary with Diamond’s birth name imprinted in bold gold. She smashed the lock with the heel of a Gina sandal. Flicking through its pages, she realized it was a new diary, with only a few contacts scribbled in the first three pages. Of all the names in the book, Mr. Silk and the letter “A,” appeared most frequent. She had never heard of this person, but she was had a feeling Mr. Silk knew who they were. The problem was she could never ask him and there was no contact number or address for this person, only the date of which they last met, which was a week before Diamond disappeared . She wiped down all the surfaces to remove all traces of her prints, she gathered up her belongings and quietly left the apartment.
After weeks of constantly working day and night, Shonita felt sore everywhere. Her left eyelid would not stop twitching from lack of sleep. And on top of all that, the men seemed to get worse as each night passed, either their breath smelt of sewage, they were constantly sweaty or just plain weird. Under normal circumstances she would have told the cheap skates where to go but now she had to take all she was offered. At the end of each week, on Sunday she met Mr. Silk. He always came to her; no matter where she was, he found her.
She could always hear the sexy growl of the car’s engine, getting louder as it approached. The matt black Rolls Royce pulled up next to Shonita at 8.30pm like clockwork.
‘Get in’ Mr. Silk said, with the same relaxed but rough tone. ‘You’ve got my money.’ It was not a question but a statement. Shonita nodded her head and began to open her purse. Without hesitation he dipped his hand in, took out the bundle and put it in his pocket, not even bothering to count. She wouldn’t dare short change him.
‘Mr. Silk, I can’t go on doing this anymore.’ Shonita told him desperately. ‘My body hurts, no-one has heard from Miss D. I ain’t slept or eaten well for the past three weeks.’
‘Why are you telling me?’ he asked coldly.
‘I was wondering if we could come up with another plan otherwise I’m going to pass out.’
‘If you do more than just lie on your back all night, maybe you’ll get more money. Try something new, bondage, candle wax all that kinky stuff. It will get you more money for less of your time.’ He replied, rolling his eyes.
Without thinking, she replied, ‘I’ll do anything,’
It was weird to see Mr. Silk smile, Shonita thought. He handed over to her a piece of paper with a name, phone number and address.
‘He’s a special client and only deals with the best of my girls. You have to look really sexy when you meet him because he’s really fussy and make sure you buy a new outfit, he likes black dresses.’ He said serenely. Again he motioned with his hand, that the conversation was over and she was to leave the car.
This was the first time Shonita met the man to whom Mr. Silk had referred her. Sitting on the bed she noticed he was a smooth talking, tall black Jamaica man. His name was Dameon. She felt comfortable in his bedroom which was painted a deep red, the carpet was thick black and velvet, the vases were elegantly decorated with red and white roses and the four poster bed was draped in silk. In fact the whole room was filled the most incredible sensual aura, including the lights which were dimmed. And he actually spoke to her for longer than five minutes.
‘I like your black dress, it really shows off your figure,’ he said, passing her some rosé champagne and fruit.
‘Thanks’ she replied, avoiding eye contact. She was suspicious of every one Mr. Silk introduced her to, but after talking to him for a few hours, she encouraged herself to believe he was different.
He seemed genuinely interested in her life; her hobbies, her talents, her background and especially her family or lack of.
They talked about everything, especially sex.
‘What’s your favourite position?’ he asked.
‘I don’t have one, sex ain’t a game to me. It’s my job’ she replied blandly.
‘Don’t sound so bitter, I bet I can change your mind about that. If you really want mind blowing, totally consuming sex, you know I can give it to you.’ He leant forward and began kissing her neck. He was gentle, caring and trusting, humble even.
‘If you don’t enjoy sex does that mean you’ve never had an orgasm?’ he asked.
‘No, never,’ she replied.
‘If you can trust me, I know ways to make you climax, beyond your wildest dreams. Not only will you climax physically but mentally you will experience a moment of clarity. Your mind will feel sharper, and your body will feel really light for a few seconds.’
‘What makes you so confident, you can accomplish all this?’ she asked, pouring herself another full glass.
‘That’s why you have to trust me. I only do this to special people and you have to believe, I’ve never had any complaints. All I do place my hand around your neck during sex, and as I apply pressure, I will restrict the blood flow to your head. It will make you light-headed. But at the end you will fill sexually fulfilled,’ he explained.
He was different from any other clients she had ever with. He could never hurt me, Shonita thought.
It was Thursday evening and so far Shonita had been to his house everyday that week. She told him more during the few times they met than she had told anyone in the past four years, and they had not even had sex. His dreadlocks reminded her of her father but the two men’s characters were nothing alike. She felt at ease with him, the only thing that bugged her was her black cowl neck dress which kept riding too far up her thighs.
‘Does that feel good? Are you comfortable?’ or ‘Do you enjoy that?’ were simple questions that no man had ever asked Shonita. She was beginning to appreciate the pleasure of a man’s touch. For the first time in her life she felt that he was more interested in pleasing her than himself. She noticed the softness of his kiss and the attentiveness of his hands. Her thoughts were interrupted by his deep voice.
‘So my dear, have you thought about what I said?’ he asked.
Unsure of what to say, she resumed kissing him. He gently pushed her away.
‘You know what I’m on about…you can do it back to me. I’ll teach you how and I promise you, that you have never experienced a sensation like this in your life,’ he said.
She was bewildered and curious about this new approach to sex, all she expected was to be whipped and tied up.
‘I did not imagine I would be strangled, it seems like risky game to play, and I’m not sure if I’m…’ he placed his palm over her mouth to stop her from speaking, and whispered in her ear.
‘You know I’ll never hurt you and just to show you how serious I will triple your pay. I am doing it for your benefit, because I care so much for you. I think you’re really special.’
When he told her how much he would pay, greed finalized her decision.
‘Fine,’ she replied. The only thing she was worried abut was the blacking out stage. What if I don’t wake up, she thought.
‘I promise you, I’ve done this many times and nothing has ever happened. Believe me Shonita, let me make you happy, you have to trust me with your life.’ He told her, as if reading her thoughts. She nodded back at him in agreement. She loved the reassurance he constantly provided her.
Their clothes fell to the floor, sweaty hands running through each others’ hair and every section of bare skin was caressed. She noticed the tattoo on his back by his left shoulder; it was of a black ace playing card.
She screamed with true delight for the first time during sex.
‘Yes! Don’t stop!’ she shouted with joy. He moaned in response as each thrust felt even deeper and more pleasurable. Her abdomen tingled, it was an unusual sensation. It excited her. She took his hands in hers and wrapped them around her neck as he had described earlier. She indicated for the strangling to begin, he was now in complete control.
His moaning and grunting grew louder and louder, then he exclaimed, ‘Yes Danielle!’ Shonita was confused. Less oxygen was entering her brain and she was unsure if she had heard correctly. Danielle she thought, who the hell is that? She tried to take her mind off his name calling, by holding her breath for as long as she could; it was to intensify the experience she was told. Her head began to feel light and everything from her neck up tingled as if she had pins and needles. Simultaneously the welling sensation in her stomach increased, her toes curled and buttocks clenched together, her back jolted forward and she felt a trickle of warmth spread through her body starting from her abdomen.
Trying to control herself, she moved her head from side to side, she could only scream with delight although she was frightened of this new light-headed sensation. Looking towards the door, she noticed the two vases, the one on the right with a dozen red roses and the left was filled with a dozen white. How romantic, she thought. Suddenly she remembered where she recognized the name, Danielle. It was Miss Diamond’s birth name. ‘Danielle Thompson,’ was imprinted in gold, in the diary she found in her apartment. She must have trusted him like I do, to reveal her real name. Shonita thought. Finding it harder to breathe, she tried to struggle, but even opening her eyes seemed impossible. He was on top of her and his body weight pinned her to the bed. She was helpless. Just like he described, her mind felt sharper, she realized that the arrangement of the roses, they were the same as those outside Diamond’s apartment. She thought that when you die your life flashes before your eyes- she had thoughts of the diary that said Diamond last met a man named “A.” This must be him, the tattoo of a black Ace. Of course it’s him, she thought. She had never experienced such an awesome sensation, and he was now to ensure that she never will.
It was too late and her thoughts were fading fast, her body was overwhelmed with adrenaline caused by the orgasm. He must have killed Diamond, she thought, now he’s going to kill me too, she thought calmly. She was too weak to struggle, but her mind did feel sharper; Mr. Silk must have known this would happen because he must have given Diamond Ace’s number. He had even known what type of dresses he liked and they knew both the girls had no family. Nobody would miss us, she realized. She knew her pulse was weakening beneath his hands, and there was nothing she could about it. Shonita’s body was still tingling, her toes were still twitching with life, and she smiled.
Her final thoughts were, that’s the greatest sex I’ve ever had.
Her body became limp.
