Arthur Turner:
Not so long after I finished talking to the staff I was shown to the room I'll spend the night in.
I'm not sure about any of this and to be honest I gave in just because of my friends' pressure. I understand their worries for me and everything but you just can't force something like this.
It is out of line by any standards.
As I entered the room, the first thing that came to my attention was the bed, one single bed, queen size, and then the girl sitting on top of it, facing the opposite direction from where I entered.
The room has a shade of red attached to it, a dark red, and powerful red, lamps set in very convenient places, soft ambient light coming from the ceiling, thick and heavy curtains to block out the outside light.
But the curtains are wide open, the moon shining light is reflecting on the floor, giving it a sense of mysticism.
Other than that the furniture is pretty minimal, a table, a mirror, and a few personal items, but nonetheless the atmosphere is... intimate.
I took a look at the back of the girl my friends chose for me.
Long blonde hair, falling down her back like a cascade, I can't see it quite clearly but her attire is a black nightgown very minimally decorated.
Looking at the back of this person I can't help but get a feeling that something is wrong, and after I observed a bit more, I found out the reason.
She is shaking.
Not wanting to just stand there, I glanced around the room and spotted a chair, next to a table a bit further from the bed.
I took down my coat and hung it, then took steps towards the chair and sat down.
Her hands tremble. Shoulders tight. Eyes fixed on nothing.
Yea… she is terrified.
Changing the position, now I can see her face a bit more clearly. She has to be in her twenties, with very delicate features, dark black eyes.
Little by little with the passage of time the moonlight moved from the floor onto her. But I know better than to bother a person this nervous and even if my friends paid for this I'm not comfortable laying my hands on a woman in such a state.
I'm not comfortable doing it regardless but now it's even worse.
I'm not sure if I should even approach a subject and let the night pass on it's own to be honest. I'm not bad at dealing with people of the opposite gender, but this situation is rather, ahem, special to say the least.
I can't go outside and leave her like this either, it would remain on my consciousness forever, and it's night already, taking out my phone would feel disrespectful...
Pondering and pondering that's what I did for the next couple of minutes until the solution came to me. The easiest way to solve an issue is to simply talk about it.
But before I even had the chance to say something, she took the initiative.
"Aren't you gonna do me?" She asked me, the latter part of the question said clearly in a lower, shrunk voice.
...
"I'm not gonna lay my hands on a scared woman, if it would be up to me I wouldn't be here in the first place, but my friends decided I need some 'assistance', due to how great my love life has been going recently."
I took a pause and laughed the latter part off, like it was a joke and then I continued.
"I'm not gonna do anything to you... what is your name?"
Her expression relaxed a bit more and the shaking started to disappear, and with a more lax expression she turned to me and said a name that at that time I thought it would be nothing more than a passing moment.
"Clara... My name is Clara Uriel. Pleased to meet you..."
"Arthur, Arthur Turner, the pleasure is mine." I said, giving her a reassuring smile, my demeanor completely relaxed and giving a sense of security.
The girl looked at me and sketched a small smile on herself, clear as day that she's still wary of me.
"You're a weird one, Arthur, I don't want to flatter myself but I'm pretty good looking, and I'm sure any man would just jump on me at first sight." She said, probably trying to make a joke.
But I raised an eyebrow in exchange and said my own part.
"I'm not any man, perhaps I already told you my reasoning. And even without it at this point I still wouldn't do it."
"But I'm not as scared anymore, so aren't you tempted? Or would it tempt you more to say that I'm a virgin?" She said with a rather curious expression, her worry now completely gone.
So that's what the two assholes meant at 'special'... a virgin prostitute.
"You already know I'll not lay my hands on you but since you brought it up I'm rather curious about how you ended up in this predicament to begin with. Sorry if this is blunt, but… a virgin? In a place like this?"
She sighed, giving herself in and just collapsing with her back on the bed, now completely relaxed.
"I was so tensed up I feel like I could pass out at any minute... but since you asked, it's a rather long story, if you want to hear it."
Curious now, I've put myself in a position ready to listen.
"We do have all night, Clara."
Getting up from her back, she put her slender legs under herself and looked me straight in the eyes.
"I'm an orphan, my parents... I've never met them. I've been with the orphanage for as long as I know. I've never wanted to be in foster care so I decided to stay and help the headmaster with everything I could."
She took a pause, and signaled me to hand over the water that's been sitting on the table.
Not wanting to get close to her, and invade her space I threw the bottle at her, gently.
"Are you insane? What if you hit me?" She asked in a rather irritated tone.
"But I didn't, did I?" I said, in a playful voice.
Her irritated expression is funny. I gotta admit that.
"Anyway, my adoption is something I refused on my own, thankfully to the laws we have I can do that, but there have been plenty of families trying. I remember one family specifically, they seemed great, really great, they already had a son but they wanted another kid… only that life plays tricks on you sometimes, and they told me they couldn't have one.. and that I was just perfect and what they are looking for." She paused "But I knew I wasn't."
Her body trembled a bit, eyes fixated on her own legs, looking down.
"My life hasn't been easy so far, my education only went up to high school. And I managed to stay a bit longer in the orphanage, training for a job there."
Her expression changed from this point, to a more saddened, angry one.
"A job I didn't get, in the end, the one who got was a big politician's daughter, so I was left out of options. I was given a month before being forced to leave, and in that time I couldn't find a job. Believe it or not, if you only have high school education in today's day and age even a cashier is impossible. Ha...haha..."
It's not so hard to believe, the society we live in has some harsh rules, and it's true that even with a college education it is hard to land a job, let alone a good paying job. With the rise of artificial intelligence this will only get more difficult with time, I can understand what she's saying, but I can't say I related to it. I've been lucky finding the job I currently have.
"Left without options when I got kicked out I looked for a place to stay and then the manager from here saw me, listened to my story and offered me a job here... and you were supposed to be my first client. He arranged this room to be more intimate with it being my first time and everything."
...
"I'm honestly surprised he didn't try to lay his hands on you to begin with. You know, it's a common standard, from what I heard."
She shrugged at my affirmation and then said "He's gay, so"
Now that makes more sense.
Having self control as a man, especially around someone as beautiful as Clara, knowing she didn't even have her first time, it takes... a lot.
She is well proportioned, not only her face is beautiful, but her body too. I shouldn't be looking at her like that… but I am, I am also a man in the end.
"Sorry to disappoint, you got stuck for a night with someone who would rather talk than do. I'm sure your expectations must be broken." I said in a rather joking manner, which she seemed to understand.
"Oh my yes, couldn't you see my excitement when you walked through the door, and how I almost threw myself at you?" She said, smirking.
"Yes I definitely could, your shaking was clearly out of excitement, but too bad for you. I can assure you that I like women in case you're wondering." I shrugged.
"Damn, and I didn't even get to ask the question myself, you must be some mentalist or something." She said while smacking her own leg like she missed a good opportunity.
I smiled, and then started laughing, this interaction... It's been a while.
I had female friends, or coworkers I guess... I've been around the opposite gender okay, but this closeness... this... this interaction... I missed it... I truly missed it.
"I gotta thank my friends for this, but I'm not gonna tell them we didn't do anything, they would say I wasted their money."
"So it truly was your friends sending you here?" She asked, this time serious.
"Yes, they said I've been off my game for a while, and that I might need 'professional assistance' and stuff, and it's very hard to refuse them. But I don't regret that I accepted. I got to know a great person today."
She was shocked a bit by my affirmation, clearly startled.
"I didn't mean to startle you"... I said and then continued "I know we've just met but I can tell, Clara you're a great person."
"Mentalist!" She exclaimed, pouting.
... "You know," she continued... "I'm fine now, and it's not like I can avoid it forever, if you want... we can... and you won't have to lie to your friends that we did nothing."
...
She's forcing herself I can tell, thinking a bit more about it, this is inevitable indeed, it will happen, if she keeps working here. I just happened to be an exception but the next guy I'm sure…But the next one will probably be worse.
This is insanity… No one should be forced into this, and for what reason, what did she do to deserve this… Can I do something to help her? But I just met her… is it right for me to help her?... Why am I overthinking all of this…
…Do what feels right.
"You are right, we don't have to lie to my friends so please excuse what I'm about to ask of you..."I stood up, and started moving closer to the bed.
I stopped just in front of her… This is insane… but walking away would be worse
She doesn't back away, she is facing me directly, looking straight at me, tense.
I extended my hand to her "Clara Uriel…" A breath… "Do you want to come live with me?"
I don't know what happened to me at that time... why I did ask such a question, out of nowhere to a girl I've just barely met, but a feeling of urgency entered me... I have to protect this woman.