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  Once, an agent had approached Melanie asking her questions about Jani’rah. They mentioned sex trafficking and an underground club where call girls were sold to rich men. Her response to the agent had been that she knew nothing about any of that. She told the agent that they did trick a little and make money off of horny men, but murder wasn’t a part of their criteria. When they asked her if she would make a statement about what she had said, she agreed to do it. In her mind, she wasn’t snitching. She was clearing the name of Jani’rah and the women that worked for her from all the rumors the streets spread about them.

  Melanie drove up a long road that eventually stopped in front of an all brick mansion with two decks in front of the house.

  “Wow, I ain’t never seen no shit like this!” Melanie said to herself. Two men walked out of the house; one short stubby olive-tanned man in a satin robe and another man who was obviously a butler dressed in a two-piece vest suit.

  “Took you long enough.” The stubby man replied as he watched Melanie step out of her car and adjust her skin-tight cheetah print dress and tight leather jacket. “You’re also dressed like a skank, I told Jani’rah to send me someone with class!” He continued then instructed the butler to take Melanie’s car around back.

  Asshole! I can’t wait till this is done.

  Melanie faked a smile and advanced towards him, I’m sorry Vincent honey, I thought you might like it nasty today.”

  He chuckled holding his round belly, “I do like it nasty, but thank the heavens I’m not going to be laying down with you. I’m not Vincent sweet cheeks!” The rude man replied. A black Lamborghini pulled up and the butler stepped out, throwing the keys to the chubby man.

  “One hell of a party last night, I couldn’t even drive! That Vincent is something else I tell ya! Good luck tramp!” he replied and got in his car pulling off.

  “Fat fuckin’ bastard!” Melanie snarled looking after the car.

  “Yes, he is. This way Madame,” the butler cordially invited Melanie inside the beautiful home. Her jaw dropped once she stepped in. There were three maids vacuuming, and about four others washing the walls, and two waxing the floors. The place was so huge it needed a dozen workers to clean it. It already looked clean, so Melanie’s guess was that Vincent must be a neat freak. She walked towards a statue of a woman’s naked body; it was disturbing to her because the head was cut off.

  “Keep your filthy hands off!” A voice boomed from the top of the stairs.

  Startled, Melanie looked up. He slowly walked down what seemed to be a hundred stairs, and he was holding a folded towel and rag in his hands.

  “Vincent?” Melanie asked. He simply nodded his head. He was good looking and not what Melanie expected. He stood about 6’3”, dark chocolate smooth skin, a bald head and a goatee outlined his thick lips.

  “Nice to meet you.” Melanie smiled warmly. “What’s on the agenda today honey, I’m here at your every beck and call all day.”

  Vincent put his hand up silencing Melanie, and then he stretched his arm forward with the towel and washcloth. “The bathroom is upstairs on the left past the master bedroom. Please scrub all your nook and crannies and please use hot water. I’ll be waiting in the master suite down the hall from the bathroom.” He said then walked away leaving Melanie standing there astonished and just a little embarrassed.

  Melanie stood in the large shower washing every crevice of her body. She lathered her washcloth with Dove body wash for the third time and ran it over her once again. She had a feeling Vincent was a neat freak and she didn’t want him to insult her anymore; it was bad enough that he had made her feel dirty in the first place. She turned off the hot water and stepped out onto a plush ruby-colored rug. She began drying with a large towel then dug into her purse for some lotion.

  “DO NOT PUT THAT ON!” A voice boomed. Startled, Melanie jumped up and glanced around the bathroom.

  “If you put that lotion on you will have to take another shower; hurry, I’m waiting.” It was Vincent’s voice and it was coming from an intercom in the bathroom.

  “Oh, this muthafucka crazy!” Melanie quietly mumbled to herself, careful not to be loud so he wouldn’t hear her.

  She quickly dried herself off then walked out of the bathroom with nothing but the towel she was provided covering her body. She made her way down a long hall that was adorned with pictures hanging on the wall of naked woman.

  “He is a supa’ freak!” Melanie said as she looked at the art. She reached the master suite and tapped lightly on the door. No answer. She pushed it open.

  “Hello Vincent, I’m ready for you,” she sang in a playful voice.

  The room was dark despite the fact that it was only 4:00 p.m. outside and the sun was shining. The black on black walls and dark velvet curtains were the reason to blame for the room’s darkness. A large round-shaped bed was in the center of the room, it was also decorated with black silk sheets.

  This is the fuckin’ job I do here, this nigga is a weirdo! Melanie thought to herself as she looked around in the darkness. Heavy breathing caught her attention. “Vincent?” She called out as the breathing became closer.

  Whap!

  “Agghh!” Melanie cried in pain as a sharp leather whip was slapped across her back. She looked up in agony and to see Vincent’s tall frame standing over her. He wore a black leather mask, the cause of his heavy breathing.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you!” Melanie shrieked. He bought the whip down again, striking her face. She rolled over and held her cheek as blood seeped between her fingers.

  “You’re a filthy, dirty whore! You must be punished!” He shouted as he grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her into a bathroom connected to the room. A tub was filled to the top; the steam rising from the water let Melanie know that it was scorching hot. Vincent threw her in. Melanie screamed at the top of her lungs and fought trying to get out. The water was unbearable against her skin. Vincent had on black leather gloves, so the heat didn’t bother him as he took her head and held it under water. Melanie felt herself getting light headed and her body became weak as the hot water invaded her lungs. She started choking. Vincent pulled her out of the water as she fought for air. He opened her legs and entered her roughly, placing his hands around her neck and squeezing tightly.

  As her eyes rolled behind her head and Vincent felt himself cumming, he banged her head on the bathroom floor repeatedly and said, “Shame on you, you filthy slut! Never bite the hand that feeds you!”

  Before Melanie’s soul left the earth, her brain registered his words. Instantly she knew that it was because she had said too much to the police that caused Jani’rah to purposely send her to this psycho.

  Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

  Attorney Shimerwitz worked the judge as he stood before him, fighting once again for Jani’rah’s right for a bond.

  “Jani’rah Eldamera Jean has done plenty for her community. Not to throw salt on anyone else, but she has donated and built more recreational centers, daycares and schools than our mayor! She’s helped employ half of the city with legitimate jobs that pay more than minimum wage!”

  “Yeah, selling their bodies!” An attorney seated on the side of the offense snickered.

  “Mr. Guerrero!” Judge Florentino shouted, shutting the young attorney up and leaving him with a red embarrassed face.

  Shimerwitz continued, “Yes, she makes money from a very lucrative business; she manufactures some of the best sex toys women have ever laid their fingers on! This is no crime, if it were, then stores such as VIP and Penthouse need to be under investigation also!”

  “Dammit where’s Daniel?” Ronnie, a counselor for the D.A., whispered helplessly as the defensive lawyer made valid points to the judge. He quickly hopped up; there was no way he could allow Jani’rah to walk out of the courthouse as a free woman again.

  “Your Honor please, she is a flight risk!”

  Shimerwitz chuckled; he had anticipated that the prosecution would bring that
up once again. “Jani’rah has family here that she flew in from Haiti your Honor; I doubt that she would have brought them all the way overseas just to leave them again. They are all that she has; her parents were murdered in cold blood. What’s left of her is right here, your Honor. All the State has are accusations from people; they have no actual proof that my client is the evil monster they portray her to be.”

  Judge Florentino looked from Jani’rah who sat with a smirk looking him straight in his eyes, then back to her attorney. He knew they were both full of shit. However, he granted Jani’rah a bond. His life depended on it.

  *****

  “Are you sure she won’t find out that it’s me?” Camille asked the officers that sat in her living room with files that contained pictures of Camille with different clients and a photograph of her the day an officer was murdered in the middle of Howard Court.

  “The day you testify will be the day she finds out that it was you; but by then she’ll be in custody and you’ll be in witness protection.” Detective Lavette said convincingly as she watched Camille fidget around in her seat. The detective had gotten word that Camille was a part of Ms. Jean’s team and Lavette felt as if Camille would help them if they helped her. “You’re looking at ten to twenty years for your involvement in the murder of a police officer. Do you think that she’s thinking about your wellbeing while she’s locked up? Has she reached out to you? Better yet, what if she’s saying that you’re the head of the sex ring and escort service instead of her?” The detective knew that Jani’rah wasn’t talking but that Camille didn’t know that.

  “Jani’rah isn’t like that. She would nev…”

  The male detective abruptly cut off Camille. “You don’t know what she’s saying to the cops. Never say what someone else would ‘never’ do; because when their back is against the wall, people have a tendency to crack. I’ve been doing this too long and seen the toughest men crack under pressure; so you better start thinking about yourself.” Detective Steve John was getting tired of Camille’s relentlessness and was ready to put Jani’rah under the jail.

  “Alright Steve, that’s enough.” Detective Lavette said to her male partner for interjecting his rant while sitting down next to Camille. “Now Camille, I know this may be hard for you to do, but think of your freedom for a minute. We’ll move you somewhere where nobody will find you and you’ll have a fresh start. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Lavette laid it on thick. She saw that Camille had tears in her eyes so she began to rub her back.

  Camille wiped her eyes and looked Detective John in his eyes. “Okay, I’ll do it. But please…when this is over just get me out of Bridgeport. You don’t know Jani’rah, if she even thinks someone is betraying her, they’re dead.

  Detective John took out his notepad, sat down and was ready to take down her confession. Camille sat up straight and began talking. “Okay, this is what happens…” Camille gave the officers the prices and the location of the clubs that Jani’rah used for the underworld. She even went as far as telling them some of the celebrities that used the escort service. While Camille was running down Jani’rah’s business all she could think of was her fresh start. She had stacked enough paper to survive until she could find decent work wherever the government was offering to hide her out at. She knew how Jani’rah got down and all she could do now was rely on the police for protection.

  *****

  After Jani’rah’s bond was posted she had Hanz drive her past the local daycares and recreational centers she funded. She did this frequently. The smiles and excitement on children’s faces put her at ease and made her feel better about her career choice. Unbeknownst to anyone, she had a soft spot for kids. She never really got to enjoy her own childhood. Her mom was always working and her father was barely home. They were snatched away from her; murdered in cold blood when she was only a teenager. She never knew what happened or who did it. She could only remember the day she was called into her school counselor’s office and homicide detectives questioned her about any rivalry her father may have had. She also remembered her that both her and her mother’s costly jewelry was missing. The detectives ruled the murders as a home invasion and burglary gone wrong. After losing both her only childhood friend, Daniel, and her parents, Jani’rah became cold; she lost all feelings and was only out for herself. She felt like nobody gave a fuck about her feelings so why should she give a fuck about anybody else’s?

  “Madame, you’re beautiful.” Hanz said, seeing her eyes getting teary as he peeked at her through the rear view mirror. Jani’rah smiled, he would say anything to make her feel good. She had first met Hanz in little Haiti, a small town in Miami that was dominated with Haitians. A group of stick up kids had tried to rob her, they jumped her and beat on her as if she wasn’t a woman but a grown man in the streets. One of them kicked her in her face, she couldn’t see anything but heard their screams as the tall, obese man came to her rescue; he’d been on her payroll ever since. Jani’rah’s phone buzzed in her Prada bag, she pulled it out and stared at the number grinning with relief; the second witness had been found.

  “Who is it?” she answered.

  “You have got to be shittin’ me?” Jani’rah spat through the phone as the voice on the other end told her the name of the culprit.

  “Make sure she doesn’t leave.” Hitting the end button, she then advised Hanz to drive in the opposite direction.

  “Hanz, take me to the East End quick! We have some things to take care of.” Jani’rah exclaimed. All she could think about was how she was going to get rid of the next rat. How is my circle crumbling before me? She thought to herself and then she got an idea. “Hanz, remember that trip we took to Barbados two years ago and the gift Declaro presented me with?”

  “How could I forget, she gave us a demonstration of how it worked. I put it up so no one would try it!”

  “I’m going to need that.” Jani’rah said with a sinister smile.

  Thirty minutes later, Jani’rah was with Camille looking at potential escorts who had come from the Dominican Republic, they were in the second underworld that Jani’rah had put together on Stratford Avenue.

  “Oh my God, she’s beautiful Jani’rah.” Camille said as she watched a short, dark-skinned young-looking girl with long jet black hair dance in the cage that was in the center of the room.

  “I know; that’s why I picked her. But come with me, there’s a couple of other females that couldn’t make it tonight that I took pictures of.” Jani’rah said as she stood up and made her way to her office leaving Hanz to tend to the rest of the ladies in the room. As they walked towards Jani’rah’s office, Camille felt as if something wasn’t right. In the years that she’d been working with Jani’rah they’d never recruited anybody based on pictures alone. Potential new women to the team had to work the room so that Jani’rah could see how the men would react to them. Against her better judgment, Camille continued to follow Jani’rah into her office. When they got in the office, Jani’rah picked up a bottle of Ciroc and poured two glasses.

  “Camille, get that folder off that cabinet for me.” Camille turned her back to Jani’rah and grabbed the files without opening the folder. “Here, have a drink.” Jani’rah said and handed the glass over to Camille. “Toast to new beginnings.” Jani’rah said as she raised her glass to Camille’s.

  “New beginnings,” Camille said and swallowed her drink and sat down. “Damn that Ciroc got stronger since the last time I had it.” Camille chuckled. Jani’rah also let out a laugh.

  “Camille, you’re so smart but dumb at the same damn time. You thought you were off the hook didn’t you?” Jani’rah stood up from out of her seat and walked over to Camille. Camille tried to speak but her mouth wouldn’t move. The poison that Jani’rah had slipped in her drink instantly paralyzed Camille. She tried to move her arm but she couldn’t, her stomach started growing hot.

  Jani’rah blew a sigh, “Well, let me make this quick before you die on me!” She picked up the folders and pulled out a stat
ement and shook her head. “I hate rats Camille; you knew this! Why would you go against the grain?” Jani’rah was disgusted with Camille; she felt more than just betrayal. She would have taken her out in the same grimy way she had taken out Melanie, but she actually had love for Camille so she spared her the same torture. Camille’s dishonor hurt Jani’rah to the core; it was poison to her soul. That’s why poison was the choice for the death of her once loyal escort.

  Camille dropped to the floor as the poison began to burn her insides, killing her slowly. Saliva escaped the corners of her mouth as she tried to speak. She wanted to tell Jani’rah that she was sorry, but she couldn’t.

  A knock at the door made Jani’rah jump. “Who is it?” she yelled.

  “Housekeeping.” A Spanish voice replied from the other side of the door. Jani’rah smiled knowing Hanz sent for them. She opened the door and walked passed two short Hispanic women.

  “Madame, can I recommend some home time, maybe a warm bubble bath, some wine and good rest?” Hanz asked approaching Jani’rah.

  “Good idea my good man.” She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. Her fate would be sealed. Two witnesses were down so far. She had one more to go, but she couldn’t figure out who the hell the last rat was. The countdown for her fate would begin and Jani’rah had big plans to ensure her freedom.

  1:00:00

  “I can’t believe you are even allowing this monster to take a recess! I mean, it’s obvious she knocked off the first witness, and then we had to delay justice for a second time because more than likely this bitch knocked off the second witness as well! Don’t let her leave! She’ll go after the star witness next!” A distraught looking man shouted and pointed his finger at Jani’rah. He was an older, handsome looking man dressed in a crisp double-breasted Boss suit. His presence screamed “money” but the way he acted let everyone know that the way he felt about Madame J was personal. He continued, “You are all in on it, she has all of you on her payroll! Either that, or you’re all a bunch of fucking idiots!”