Červenà

Chapter
Six


I FINALLY reached Červenà a little before two in the morning. My flight had been delayed by almost three hours, following which the passengers had boarded, only for the plane to sit on the tarmac for an hour with some kind of “technical issue.” I’d been thankful for my first-class seat where I could at least be comfortable while I fretted.

Even though I’d been desperate to get to the club, I’d had a taxi take me to the condos first to get rid of my case. The driver waited outside, and within ten minutes, I’d been back in the car on the way to Červenà. Now I stood outside the side entrance, listening to the thumping music and wondering what I was going to find when I walked in. An hour to go before closing and things would still be in full swing.

I let myself in and headed along the corridor. The dressing room was empty, which was unusual. With one dancer on the podium and two or three in the private rooms, there was always someone getting changed or waiting for their turn. I checked the offices and the viewing room and found no one, not even one of the security guys who should have been watching the monitors. All the screens were switched off. I touched a button to turn on the screen connected to the camera in Room 2, and cursed at what it showed me. Marek was in the room with a customer, performing a much more intimate lap dance than was usually allowed. He was naked and hard, writhing on the man’s lap. The customer had his dick out and was jerking himself furiously, groping Marek’s balls with his free hand. I swallowed hard as I felt my gorge rising. What else was I going to find? I left the room without checking the other screens and made my way into the main part of the club.

The dance floor and the area surrounding the podium were packed. Saturday nights always saw the club filled to capacity, but I estimated there to be perhaps a hundred or more beyond that, which was not only illegal but would cause a huge problem with the insurance if anything should happen. Putting off investigating the crowd around the podium, I walked to the bar, which was manned by Kris and another barman we’d employed for a while, along with one I’d never seen before.

“Kris!” I bellowed above the music. The man jumped and almost spilled the cocktail in his hand. He passed it to a customer and leaned toward me, eyes wide.

“You’re back.” He sounded both surprised and relieved.

“Yeah. What the hell is going on here? I had an e-mail from Pavel saying he left.”

“Karel’s made some changes. You’ll see for yourself. It’s all about sex now. There are a few new boys. Fran and Andĕl left; they couldn’t stand what he made them do. No one gets to keep any of their tips. I’ve been applying for other jobs, but I haven’t found anything yet. I’m sorry, Joel. Everything’s gone to shit.”

“Don’t worry, Kris. I’ll fix it. Get back to work.”

Nauseated, I made my way through the crowd toward the podium. The applause and yells of delight could be heard above the music. I squeezed through the excited horde until I reached the front, and found Tomáš right in front of me. He didn’t see me at first. He was on his knees, back arched so that his head almost touched the circular platform. He was naked, surrounded by a carpet of money, and with so many hands on his body I could barely see his skin. One man jacked him with a large fist and his cries of pleasure were exaggerated and high pitched. I watched, horrified, as he came all over himself and several of the hands, then slumped onto his back and opened his eyes.

It took Tomáš a moment to focus, but then he scrambled up, face shocked. “Joel?”

“Yes. I’m back.”

“I… I’m….” He lowered his eyes, flushing.

“Did Karel make you do this?” I asked, aware that the crowd hadn’t dispersed and was observing with interest. Tomáš nodded. “Where are the others?”

“Upstairs.” He continued to avoid looking at me.

“Sasha?”

Tomáš nodded again and wrapped his arms around himself. “I’m sorry. Karel said you weren’t coming back. We had to do what he said or we’d lose our jobs. You know most of us can’t afford to be out of work. We’d lose our homes too. Andĕl and Fran couldn’t stand it. They left in the middle of the New Year’s Eve party. Fran got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago and said they were working at that strip bar across the river.”

“Fuck.” I took a deep breath. “Go to your room, get cleaned up, and put some clothes on. Then come down and wait in my office.”

“I’m sorry, Joel,” Tomáš repeated miserably.

“It’s all right. You’re not in trouble, I promise.” I tried to soften my tone but it was difficult. I seethed with rage. Tomáš climbed off the podium and did his best to cover himself with cupped hands. He looked close to tears. “It’s all right,” I repeated. “You’re not going to lose your job or your home. Just do as I ask. I’ll sort this out.”

Tomáš nodded and scurried away to the door leading through to the back of the building. The watching crowd gradually dispersed, although a few men still stared at me curiously.

“Show’s over.” I waved them away and gathered up the piles of money from the platform. Tomáš had earned it and I intended to give it to him later. I doubted he would have been able to keep any of it if I hadn’t returned.

My feet dragged as I made my way upstairs to the private rooms. I dreaded what I’d find. I hadn’t seen Sasha yet, and I hoped to God he was in his studio, not taking part in this, but it was probably unrealistic of me. It sounded as if all the boys had been made to do things they didn’t want.

I threw open the first door, hard enough for it to crash into the wall and bounce back to me. I held it wide with one arm and glared at the shocked couple before me. A young red-haired boy I’d never seen before scrambled off the chair he’d been draped over, and the man who’d been rolling a blue condom onto his hard cock faced me belligerently.

“What the fuck?” he demanded. “I paid my money. Wait your turn!”

“I own this place,” I growled. “And I’m putting a stop to this right now. Get dressed and get out of here. Now.” We were the same height and he probably outweighed me by fifty pounds, but most of that was around his middle. He stood his ground for a few seconds while his erection drooped and his face colored. Then he turned away, tossed the condom into the corner of the room, and grabbed for his clothes.

“Who are you?” I demanded of the redheaded boy.

“Rosta.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I work for Mr. Doubrava.”

“As what? A whore?” I couldn’t keep the contempt out of my voice. What Karel had turned our business into horrified me, and I had yet to see what had happened to Sasha. Even if he wasn’t interested in anything happening between us, I couldn’t bear the thought of him being subjected to this.

“Yes.” The redhead lifted his chin defiantly. “So what? It’s good money.”

“And it’s illegal.”

“No, it’s not.”

“How old are you?” His baby face indicated he should have been in school.

“Seventeen. That’s old enough.”

I scowled. Damn Karel to hell. “The age of consent is fifteen, but for this kind of thing it’s eighteen. You must know that.”

The boy shrugged. “Are you going to fire me? Mr. Doubrava won’t be happy.”

“He certainly won’t when I’ve finished with him.” I took a moment to think. This boy could have been in Sasha’s position once. Perhaps he’d only agreed to do it out of desperation. I took a breath, trying to calm my temper. “Rosta, how long have you been working here?”

“A few weeks.”

“Where were you before?”

“On the streets. Why?”

My stomach churned. “And Mr. Doubrava offered you a job here as…?”

“Look, I knew what I was doing. I’ve been doing it for two years, but I get a lot more money doing it here. I got a room now instead of a doorway.”

“Surely you don’t want to sell yourself?”

Rosta shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. I’d rather do something else, but there is nothing else.”

“I can’t offer you a job here. You’re too young to work in the bar or dance.” I couldn’t turn him out and let him go back to what he’d been doing before. The thought horrified me, and I suspected his cocky attitude was just a cover. His chin had dropped and his gaze fixed on a point somewhere around the middle of my chest. “Maybe I could think of something else for you to do.”

“I’ve got enough money to keep me going for a while. I’ll go now.” He gathered his things, including the wad of cash on the table.

“Wait!” I pulled out my wallet. All I could see when I looked at him was Sasha hunting for scraps in the backyard, and the boy in the doorway whom Sasha and I had both given money to. I couldn’t help feeling guilty over Rosta losing his source of income, however unsavory it was. “Here.”

I handed him three thousand korunas, which was most of the cash I had. Not much, but it would feed him for a while or pay for his room for a couple of weeks. The boy’s eyes widened, and he reached out to take the money.

“Thanks.” Before I could say anything more, he dived through the door and thundered down the stairs.

“Shit,” I muttered. I should have done more. But I had other concerns to deal with now.

Marek was in the next room. His customer had gone, and he’d put on shorts and shoes. His mouth dropped open as I stood in the doorway.

“Oh! Joel! You’re back! Oh my God!” He fluttered his hands and dropped the cash he’d held.

“Yes, I’m back. You don’t have to say anything. Get dressed properly and meet me in my office. Tomáš will be there soon.”

“Of course. Yes. I’m going.”

“Pick up your money.” I pointed at the floor and he bent to collect the crumpled notes.

“Should I give this to you now?”

“No, you keep it. Things are going to change around here.”

“I’m glad you’re back.” Marek spoke in a whisper. He slipped past me and headed off to his studio. I closed the door and leaned against the wall for a moment. My stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot and my heart pounded hard enough to make me breathless. I hated this. I could intimidate the most determined opponent if need be, but I loathed confrontation. It was like an act I put on to accomplish what I had to.

I took several deep breaths and moved to the next door. I knew what I would find before I opened it. He had to be in there. Closing my eyes, I pushed open the door. When I forced myself to look, I was confronted by a shivering Sasha, naked and pressing himself into the corner of the room. He looked scared but determined, fists raised defensively in front of him. The other man in the room was another middle-aged overweight man paying for his fun. His shrinking cock hung from his unfastened trousers and his lip bled, presumably from Sasha hitting him. I dealt with him the same way I’d dealt with the first one. This one made only a halfhearted protest and quickly left, tucking himself away as he went.

Sasha didn’t speak. He closed his eyes and cringed, lowering his hands to cover himself. He didn’t look at me until I’d taken off my overcoat and draped it around him. Then he grabbed it gratefully, shoved his arms into the sleeves, and wrapped it tightly around his body.

“Did he hurt you?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

“No.”

“What about before today?”

Sasha shook his head. “No.”

“No one’s touched you?”

“Tried a few times.” He grimaced and seemed to shrink inside the coat, which was much too big for him.

“All of this is over. I want you to go up to your studio, take a shower, get dressed, and wait until I come up. I’m going to talk to the others in my office and see if I can get hold of my esteemed partner.” I spat the last couple of words and Sasha’s eyes widened. He stared at me for a moment, then quickly left the room.

I sighed heavily and took a moment to calm down. The boys would need a few more minutes to sort themselves out, so I went back to the club and spoke to Ralph who was mercifully still deejaying.

“Man, am I glad to see you! Karel said he didn’t think you were coming back.”

“He probably hoped I wouldn’t. Cut the music, Ralph. We’re closing a bit early.”

“No problem.”

Within ten minutes the crowds were leaving. Ralph, Kris, and I acted as doormen to get them out as the usual security guys were nowhere to be seen. Ralph explained the club no longer had security. Karel had told him we didn’t need it, as there was little trouble at Červenà.

“Fuck,” I muttered. “Look, I have a lot to do. Things will go back to the way they were, I hope, but I’m going to need your help. I want to deal with the dancers first. Will you two be willing to come in tomorrow afternoon for a meeting? Kris, ask the other bartenders to come too.”

“Sure, we’ll all be here,” Kris replied at once. “What time?”

“Two o’clock. My office. The side entrance will be open.”

“You need us to do anything else tonight?” Ralph asked.

“No, just go home and get some sleep. Do any of you know where Karel is?”

“He went home. Took one of the new boys with him.”

“You mean Gabriel?” He’d been the most recent addition before I’d gone away.

“No.” Kris shook his head. “One of the other sort. There are three of them.”

“Right. We’ll all talk about this tomorrow.” I waited until the men had collected their belongings and left the club. I checked the toilets to ensure no one was in there, then locked the outer doors. By the time I reached my office, Tomáš, Marek, and Gabriel were waiting for me, all wearing jeans and T-shirts. I closed the door and sat down.

“Where’s Sasha?” Tomáš was the first to speak. “Did you find him?”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “He’s in his room. I’ll talk to him later.”

“What’s going to happen to us?” Gabriel asked. “Are you back now?”

“Yes, I’m back, and I’m staying. Let me make this clear—none of you are in any trouble. You’re not going to lose your jobs or your homes, unless you particularly want to leave.”

All three shook their heads.

“I have no idea what Karel’s up to or why he’s done all this. I suspect he’s in some kind of trouble and is trying to make extra money.”

“That would make sense,” Tomáš put in. “None of us get to keep half of our tips anymore, including the bar staff. He makes us dance naked and let the customers grope us because they pay more for that. I’m sorry for what you saw. I probably looked like I was enjoying it, and to be honest having that many guys falling all over me made me feel good. But it’s not what I signed up for. I’d rather just dance.”

Marek nodded in agreement. “The stuff we have to do in those rooms… I hate that.”

“What have you had to do?”

“Let them touch. Give them hand jobs if they ask. Blow jobs if we want to. Sasha got a guy who didn’t want to take no for an answer. Sasha pushed him off and hit him and ended up being punched in the face. He had two black eyes for a week. He—”

“Marek, shut the fuck up!” Tomáš hissed and slapped his friend on the arm.

I took a couple of steadying breaths again. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this as soon as I can speak to Karel. All I wanted to see you boys for is to tell you things will go back to normal on Monday. You’ll dance, but I don’t want to see your dicks out. Whatever tips you collect, you keep half as before. That reminds me….” I pulled the wad of cash out of my pocket and passed it to Tomáš. “You left this on the podium.”

Tomáš took the money with a grateful look. He offered me half of it back but I shook my head.

“One more thing. I don’t think any of you received your Christmas bonuses?”

“Um, no. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not your fault,” Marek answered.

“Yes, it does matter, and it is my fault because I usually arrange the bonuses personally. This year I didn’t. I trusted Karel when I shouldn’t have. You’ll need to bear with me for a little while, but you’ll get them soon.”

“I’d barely worked here five minutes before Christmas,” Gabriel reminded me.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll still receive something.” I gave him a small smile. “Okay, you can all go. Try to get some sleep, and I’ll see you on Monday in the dressing room before we open.”

The three boys thanked me and left me alone. I remained there for a few minutes, pondering on what to do. I had to talk to Karel, but as he hadn’t returned to the club, he’d probably be in bed, fucking or sleeping. It was three in the morning and I was exhausted. And I didn’t want to leave Sasha fretting in his room for any longer than necessary. I decided to talk to him, then go home for a few hours. I would confront Karel in the morning before he’d had the chance to wake up properly.

I turned off all the lights and made my way up to Sasha’s studio. When I knocked on the door, he opened it immediately, as if he’d been waiting the other side of it. His wet and ruffled hair indicated he’d toweled it briskly and not bothered to comb it. He said nothing, but stood aside to let me in. I closed the door behind me and hovered, waiting for an invitation before I took a seat. Sasha stared at me for a moment, then flushed.

“I’m sorry. Please, sit down.” He waited for me to sit on one end of the worn sofa, before he joined me and perched awkwardly on the edge of the cushion.

“You said no one hurt you.” I met his eyes but he dropped his gaze away immediately. “Marek told me someone hit you.”

“It was nothing. At least he didn’t do… anything else. It was because I refused. I hit him first.”

“And there’s nothing else you should tell me?” I couldn’t stand the thought of some man making him do things he didn’t want to. He seemed capable of taking care of himself, but I needed to know for sure. He looked up again.

“No. I had to do some lap dances but only in the last couple of weeks. Karel threatened to fire me.”

“Because you didn’t want to do it?”

“At first. But then when I did it, I got complaints. I wouldn’t do… other stuff. I wouldn’t touch them. The customers didn’t like it when they paid for more than they got. When I hit that other guy, I thought Karel would fire me for sure, but he didn’t because I… I’m… popular.” He whispered the last word as if he were ashamed to admit the men liked him.

“That bastard,” I muttered. Exhaustion, delayed by anxiety and anger, hit full force, and I blinked rapidly and rubbed my temples. When I looked at Sasha again his head was low, but I didn’t miss a tear glistening in the corner of his eye. I wanted to reach out to him, to take his hand or touch his face, but I didn’t know if we were in the right place for me to do that. Instead I clasped my hands together and pressed them between my knees.

“I, uh, I wanted to tell you what was happening.” He paused and cleared his throat. “Tomáš gave me your number, but no one wanted to bother you after you lost your mother.”

The fears I’d harbored returned. I had to ask, although it probably wasn’t the best time. Pausing, I took a deep breath. “I thought maybe you’d changed your mind. You know, after our dinner?”

Sasha shook his head. “That was the first time I’d enjoyed myself in forever.” He glanced up at me and bit his lip, then lowered his head again. “I kept thinking about it and hoping one day you’d come back. But Karel said he thought you were staying in England. I thought it had been a one-off for you.”

My heart lifted at his words and for the first time in two months, it seemed I might have something to look forward to. “It wasn’t. I tried calling you that first day. Tomáš said you’d gone to the supermarket. I would have called again, but the text you sent me was cool and distant. I didn’t want to push you, if you’d decided you didn’t want to see me again.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to keep in contact with me when you had so much to worry about.”

“Look, I have to sort out this situation with the club,” I began.

“I know. It’s fine. I didn’t expect you to come back and continue from where you left off.”

“Let me finish.” Finally, I reached out to touch his shoulder. “I was going to say I’d like for us to start this again, if you want to. But I need a few days to deal with everything first.”

“I do want to.” Sasha’s gorgeous green eyes lit up as he smiled. “And I can wait.”

“I’m glad.” I lifted my hand from his shoulder and touched his face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to prevent all this. I hate the thought of what might have happened.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m okay.”

He didn’t look okay, but I let it go. Reluctantly, I rose from the sofa. “I’ll be here tomorrow. I asked for the bar staff and Ralph to come in and meet me at two o’clock. Perhaps we could have a late lunch afterward and talk some more?”

Sasha nodded and stood too. “I’ll be ready. Let me know when you’ve finished with your meeting.”

I lingered another moment, longing to give him a kiss. Even if it were only a peck on the lips, it would have been something. But I felt as if we needed to start at the beginning again. There’d be plenty of time. I was delighted he still wanted to see me.

“Wait. Your coat.” Sasha stopped me as I opened the door. He grabbed up my overcoat from a chair.

“Thanks.” I took it and left him alone. I shivered as I left the building, and I quickly found a taxi to take me home. As soon as I sank into the warm interior of the car, the adrenaline that kept me going for the past few hours deserted me. I could barely keep my eyes open and was only blearily aware of the driver stopping the car. Mumbling an apology, I pulled out my wallet to pay him. When I reached my penthouse, I merely stripped down to my underwear and fell into bed. Everything else could wait a few hours.

Despite my exhaustion, I found it impossible to fall asleep right away. Everything that had happened that day went around and around in my head. The missing money, Karel’s behavior, the prostitutes, the treatment of the staff. One thing I hadn’t considered was the trouble the club could have been in if anyone reported sex workers being on the premises. At least one of them, Rosta, was a minor. My instinct was to report Karel for everything he’d done, but in doing so, I’d probably bring myself down with him. I couldn’t be held to blame, but what about the staff? There’d be an investigation and the club would probably have to close for a while. They’d temporarily lose their jobs and perhaps look for others. The club’s and my own reputation would plummet, and business would suffer in the future.

All those thoughts made me toss and turn, rubbing my throbbing temples as I struggled to make the right decision. I hadn’t even spoken to Karel yet, but it seemed that whatever I did, I was going to have to do it myself. It would be the best thing for everyone. With Rosta gone and the other two boys to be dealt with the next day, perhaps that part of it could be forgotten without any comeback. I had yet to decide what to do about Karel’s betrayal.

Eventually, I slipped into a fitful sleep, my dreams haunted by what had happened already, and what was to come.