THE WIDOWED CEO’S PROSTITUTE

CHAPTER 7

Anne Moore

It’s been 30 days since my client last appeared. He paid in advance for me to be available to him for 30 days, but he didn’t show up. He sent a message through Bruce saying that I was terrible as an escort. Well, that’s how I understood it. All the other girls laughed at me, and Bruce warned that if I couldn’t satisfy a client, I was worthless to him.

I felt bad and embarrassed, but I was relieved because I earned a lot of money without having to sleep with him again. In fact, I didn’t just make a little money. I made a lot, enough to cover over a year’s worth of rent for Valentina’s apartment. My friend didn’t want to accept it, but we needed a place to live. Thankfully, we managed to settle things, and we have a place to sleep now.

I come to the club every day since the client paid for the full 30 days. Today is the last day I’m available to him. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have to work with other clients, and I’m already scared of feeling bad. What Andrew did to me— that’s his name, Valentina told me because he’s a regular client—was incredible. I’ve never felt anything like it, but at the same time, it was humiliating. He took me from heaven to hell in minutes, and I felt worthless.

I look in the mirror and see that I no longer look like the protected girl I once was. I’m just another escort, and who would have thought I’d end up here? No one.

But at the same time, I want to succeed, to change my reality. I don’t want this forever. I’m going to go back to college, this is just an escape route for me to get back on my feet, and I will succeed.

Hope is the last thing to die, and mine will never die.

“Anne, are you feeling better?” Valentina asked, concerned.

In recent days, I’ve been feeling very unwell. I’m experiencing excessive fatigue, heartburn, and nausea.

Valentina and Madson are freaking out, insisting that I go to the doctor, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I think it’s just discomfort that will pass soon.

“I’m getting better,” I lie with a straight face.

“You can’t lie, Anne. How are you going to work tomorrow if you’re not well?” she asked.

“I’ll buy some tea, maybe that will help,” I said, shrugging.

“Tea? You’ve been drinking tea for days, and it hasn’t helped. You’re looking pale, and it’s becoming noticeable. Bruce won’t want you here sick, even if the client has paid for you,” she warned.

I sighed because Valentina is right. Bruce is quite the stickler and doesn’t like sick people. He said illness disrupts business.

“I know, but—” We’re interrupted by Madson’s arrival.

“Don’t worry, Valentina. We’ll find out what’s wrong with her now,” Madson said, pulling a box from a bag and coming towards me. At this moment, I feel my legs trembling.

“No, I can’t be—” I said, worried.

Madson chews her gum and then pops a bubble.

“We’ll find out after doing it,” she said.

“I used the morning-after pill,” I replied.

“But it’s not 100% effective,” Valentina said.

Madson held the pregnancy test in front of me, and I’m afraid to take it.

“Nothing can get worse than it already is,” she said.

I take the test and spend a few seconds staring at it.

“And if I am?” I asked.

Both of them look at me, and I don’t even think they know what to say.

“Go ahead and take the test, and then we’ll sort it out,” Valentina said.

I give a small nod in agreement and enter the nearby bathroom. I took the test out of the package and followed the instructions in the leaflet. After a few minutes, I wait for the line to appear. If it’s positive, there will be two lines, if it’s negative, there will be one.

“Are you done, Anne?” I heard Valentina knocking on the door.

I open it and see the two of them looking at me with concern.

“It’s almost ready, the first line has appeared,” I said.

“Okay, let’s just wait,” Madson said, blowing bubbles with her gum.

“This is irritating, Madson,” Valentina said, stressed.

“I’m nervous, and besides, I’m trying to quit smoking, so don’t complain, Valentina,” Madson replied.

I saw Valentina roll her eyes.

Minutes pass, and I go to get the test. When I see the result, I feel a slight drop in blood pressure and feel arms holding me.

“Calm down, Anne,” I heard Valentina say.

She held the test in my hands, and then I broke down crying. I can’t believe I’m pregnant, pregnant by a client whose name I barely know. My situation is already a mess, and now I’m pregnant by him—how could this happen? I can’t believe this is happening to me. Why didn’t I remember to use a condom? After crying a lot, I managed to calm down.

“How could this be? What do I do now?” I asked, desolate.

Both of them are sitting next to me on a sofa, and I have my head resting on Valentina’s lap.

“We need to find the father of this baby and hand him over,” Madson said.

I stop and look at her.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Anne, our life is too complicated. Imagine raising a child in our environment,” she said. “The father of this baby has a much better situation, and I’m sure he wouldn’t refuse a child,” she added.

“I’m not going to get rid of my child,” I said firmly.

“It’s not about getting rid of Anne, it’s about knowing the child deserves something better than this mess,” she said. “Besides, you won’t be able to work anymore. How will you support the child?” she continued.

“But I don’t—” Valentina interrupts us.

“Stop arguing, damn it!” she said, irritated. “It’s a child, Madson, not a doll. Do you really think that a powerful client like him will let Anne get near the child?” she asked. “As soon as the baby is born, it will be ripped from her arms without mercy, and only God knows what he might do with that child,” Valentina said.

“Valentina, we can’t raise a child in this environment, it’s too cruel,” Madson said.

I sighed.

“Look who we have here, the three cheap whores,” I heard Scarlett’s voice as she entered the room.

She stops speaking when she sees the test in my hands.

“Look, if it isn’t going to be a mom in the brothel,” she said with a sarcastic smile.

Valentina stood up, and so did Madson, and they faced Scarlett.

“What do you have to do with this, Scarlett?” Madson asked irritably, chewing her gum.

“I don’t have anything,” she said, looking at her nails. “But I think Bruce isn’t going to take this news well,” she said with a big smile on her face.

“Whether he likes it or not is none of your business,” I said, standing up.

“Look, she’s learned to speak up, how interesting,” she said with irony. “I doubt your client will come back. Now, here’s the question, did you arrive here pregnant or did you get knocked up by that hottie?” Scarlett asked, and I can’t deny that the way she spoke about my client bothers me, but she continues.

“I’ve slept with him several times, and I can say that he knows what he’s doing, but he’s a powerful man. Imagine knowing that he’ll have a bastard with a cheap w***e; you can be sure that he’ll have your child ripped from your arms within minutes and sent to an orphanage,” Scarlett said, her voice dripping with venom.

“You know what, shut up and don’t call my child a bastard. He—”

“He’s what, then?” she interrupts. “Tell me, Anne, what is your child if not an insignificant being created by a prostitute, a cheap w***e who—” I didn’t let her finish and slap her across the face.

“You b***h,” she said, trying to grab my hair, but I saw Valentina dragging Scarlett by the hair.

“Don’t hit a pregnant woman, you b***h,” Madson said, kicking her several times.

“What’s going on here?” All of us stop when we see Bruce and the other girls.

“Anne is pregnant, Bruce. She’s going to have a bastard here in the brothel,” Scarlett said, irritated.

Bruce looks at me in shock.

“She what?” he asked, visibly nervous.

“She’s pregnant, now we just need to see if it’s from the client or others she might have had on the street,” Scarlett continued.

In a few seconds, all the girls start talking. They seem shocked, and Bruce approaches me. He stops in front of me, and fear takes over my body. He looked me up and down and then said, “We’re going to get rid of this child. I can’t get burned because of a cheap whore.”

At that moment, I held my belly in an attempt to protect my child.

“I’m not going to get rid of anything,” I said.

“Oh, you will, you whore.” I feel Bruce’s hand hit my face, blood trickling down, and he pulls me by my hair, dragging me in front of everyone.

I saw Valentina trying to hold him back, but his grip was too strong. He drags me, and I end up falling to the ground. Even so, he pulls me with rage, and I feel my body slam against the floor.

“Bruce, let her go,” Valentina shouts, trying to pull me from his grasp, but it’s in vain.

“This w***e is not going to ruin my brothel,” he said angrily. I’ve never seen Bruce like this. I’m scared.

I see we’re entering a room, and then Bruce throws me into it forcefully, causing me to hit my back against a bed. I feel a sharp pain, and tears stream down my face.

“I’m going to get rid of this child with my fists,” he said, advancing toward me. I brace myself for impact and cover my belly, but the blow never came.

I lie in shock on the bed, and when I look up, I see Bruce lying on the floor, with Valentina holding a piece of wood in her hand. Madson rushes to the bed and pulls me away.

“Anne, look at me. We need to go,” she said.

I’m paralyzed, unable to move.

“Is he dead?” is all I can ask.

“He’s not dead,” Valentina said, placing her hand on Bruce’s neck.

“What a pity, now let’s go,” Madson said. “Do you want to lose your child, Anne?” Madson asked.

“Guys, I made you lose your jobs. We don’t have any money, and I’m still pregnant,” I said, tears streaming down my face again.

Madson came to me and hugged me tightly. “Calm down. Valentina and I will help you. Of course, I need a place to stay too, since I was living at the brothel and can’t go back there,” she said with a smile.

“Come with us. We’ll figure something out at my place,” Valentina said.

“Now it’s the three of us, or rather, the four of us,” Madson added.

“And what if Bruce comes after us?” I asked.

“He won’t. I gave a false address when I left, and besides, we live on the other side of the city,” Valentina reassures me.

“Okay, but—” I stop speaking when I feel a sharp pain in my belly and lose my breath.

“Oh no! We shouldn’t have gone through all this stress. First things first, we’re going to a doctor,” Valentina said, worried.

“I only felt a pain, but it’s passing now,” I said.

“Even so, you need to see a doctor. Let’s go. I know a cheap one in town,” Madson said, popping a piece of gum into her mouth.

“Let’s go, Anne. We’ll help you walk, before he finds us and something worse happens,” Valentina said.

Both of them support me, and I put my arms around their shoulders. We walk slowly to a nearby hospital, where we spend several hours waiting for care until we are finally in the office of a very handsome doctor. He has black eyes and hair, is white, and has a charming smile.

“We’ll do some tests to make sure your baby is okay. As for these injuries, we could file a police report,” he said.

“That won’t be necessary. We’ve already resolved the situation,” Valentina said calmly.

The doctor looks confused but doesn’t push the issue.

“Then we need to do the exams,” he said again.

“Of course, doctor. She’ll do everything you asked,” Valentina said, seductively.

“Definitely, doctor,” Madson chimes in, and I’m mortified.

I see the doctor looking uncomfortable but maintaining his professional demeanor.

“These are the tests,” he said, handing me the test requisition, and we left the office.

“Wow, what a hot doctor,” Madson said.

“I’d definitely go for him,” Valentina added.

“We need to get the ultrasound done, it’s close to the brothel. Did you forget?” I reminded them, and both nod in agreement.

“Right, let’s go,” Madson said.

We entered the exam room. One test is a blood test, and the other is an ultrasound. I sit on the examination table while the technician applies gel to my belly.

“Look at your baby, mommy,” she said with a smile.

“Oh my God, I’m going to be an aunt,” Valentina said.

“That’s right, we’re going to be,” Madson agrees.

“Are you sisters?” the technician asked.

“No,” we replied simultaneously.

“We’re prostitutes,” Valentina said nonchalantly, causing the technician to blush deeply, clearly embarrassed.

“Let’s listen to the heartbeat,” the technician said, changing the subject.

Soon, the room is filled with the most beautiful sound in the world.

At that moment, it hit me—I’m going to be a mother. For this child, I’ll do anything. No matter what I have to face, my child will never be taken from my arms.