bad loan, and next thing you knew you were working as a courtesan for free.
“Fine,” said the guard. “But you’ll need to come down after you get her ready, Zahra. Can’t have whores lingering in the halls.”
“Courtesans,” she snapped. “Dickhead.”
“You’ve got five minutes,” he shot back, “or I’ll come up there and drag you down myself.”
I clasped Zahra’s hand, and the guards parted just enough to let me through. Red velvet stairs rose up before me, opening at the top into a candlelit hall.
“No riff-raff,” I heard a guard growl, and I turned back to see the line of guards, their pistols aimed at the Rough Boys.
Lost them again. I wanted to gloat, but if the Rough Boys caught the smug look on my face, they’d run through bullets to get to me.
We started climbing the stairway , where paintings of naked women festooned the walls. Near the top, Zahra turned to me and crossed her arms. For a moment, she pursed her bright red lips.
“What?” I asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Please don’t tell me you were stupid enough to borrow money from Diamond Danny.”
“Of course I wasn’t. My mum borrowed it. You know how she is.”
“Ah, now that makes sense.” Zahra leaned forward into the hall, looking left and right. Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me up into a wood corridor, dimly lit with lanterns. A red carpet lined the floor like a long, red tongue. “You know, I think this could be a terrible idea.”
“I can do a good job.” I bit my lip. “That’s not entirely true. Is there a way to do this without actually having sex with anyone?”
“Yes. Most of my clients don’t want sex.”
“Really?”
“There are cheaper girls outside for that.”
She pushed through a door into a room where racks of skimpy clothes lined two of the walls, and an enormous mirror lined another. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting warm light over red upholstered furniture. And in the center of the room stood a table with a bottle of champagne and glasses.
“Okay. So what do they want?”
“To be tied up and spanked, tortured with a feather. The feather is key. You’ll see what I mean. But it’s actually quite complicated. I’m not sure you’re up for this.”
“I’ll be grand. I’m great with a feather.” I had no idea what I was talking about. “What do I wear?”
She frowned at me. “We don’t have long. Take off your clothes.”
My nerves were getting the better of me as I untied my coat. I was twenty-five, so it wasn’t like I was a virgin entirely. But I wasn’t exactly experienced. In fact, I’d only slept with one bloke before—a posh guy who never wanted his friends to know I existed.
“Zahra, do you think customers will be disappointed when they see it’s not you?”
Already, Zahra was picking through the clothes, looking for something for me to wear. “Maybe don’t tell them. We’re the same size. We’ve both got brown curls. You’re not as dark as me, but if they ask, just say it’s cosmetics or something. Men haven’t got a clue about that, have they? I often wear a mask, so they won’t be able to see your face anyway. You just go into the vestibule, say hello to the guard. There’s a new guy tonight, just starting his shift. Then you just wait in the boudoir for the first client. And maybe no one will come.”
“Okay, good. Let’s hope for that.” I peeled off my damp black shirt. “And what if the guy is a creep?”
“You stay in control. In fact, once you get him tied up, you can tell him you’re making him wait. As soon as the coast is clear, we can do a swap.”
“You’re truly a lifesaver, Zahra.”
“And if he gets really aggressive or does anything you don’t like, that’s what the guard is for.”
I slid off my trousers and underwear, and I folded everything up on the table. Zahra dropped a pile of clothes next to my own. Delicate underthings, with crisscrossing straps that would go over my hips and breasts. The sheer material was embroidered with writhing snakes. Beautiful, really.
I started sliding on the underwear, trying to get everything in the right place. “How do I tie someone up? Like a sailor’s knot?”
“There’s too much for you to learn right now, Lila.”
“I’m sorry, Zahra. I couldn’t think of anything else to get away from them. I was between the guards’ guns and the Rough Boys’