The Cunning

12

Sam poured the rest of his coffee down the sink.

"She'll soon behave herself when she starts working," Adam said, referring to Madison. Jase pursed his lips, looking at him across the kitchen table.

"I'm not making her work yet. Not after last night. I'm not having her try to fight every man that goes in there." Sam and Adam looked at him, their brows furrowed in common confusion.

"What do you mean 'not making her work'?" Adam asked. "Why the fuck do we have her here then?" He was already getting wound up. Jase ignored it.

"What I say. I don't want her trying to gauge the eyes out of anyone we send up there. It's more hassle than it's worth."

"Then we'll make her behave-" he pressed on, but Jase was shaking his head,

"We were paid to bring her in, and he wants her in one piece. We can't go around marking her up. It's like buying a painting and drawing all over it before you sell it on. She'll come around in her own time, judging by how scared she was after head-butting Charlie last night, it won't be long," he said. Adam grumbled in response, and Jase left the kitchen, heading back upstairs before Madison got out of the shower. Sam looked at Adam,

"She leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don't like her," Adam said, curling his upper lip.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, but you don't like anyone. Jase knows what he's doing, if he says wait her out, then we wait her out, and he has a point. We're not losing money. There are still four other girls. She isn't the first that's caused a little trouble." He played it off, but he knew what Adam was getting at.

There was something about Madison, and he couldn't quite place it. Whilst they'd had aggressive girls in the past, none of them had outright attacked anyone. None of them had been either brave or dumb enough. Not having her work was no skin off his nose, mind. Adam was only mad about it because he loved the power that came with controlling the girls, but it wasn't as big of a deal as he was making out. So long as she did eventually roll over, that was.

Sam left Adam to simmer, heading upstairs to Janine. Smoke billowed out of her room when he opened the door. She rolled onto her back on the bed, looking at him upside down.

"Please don't tell me I have a customer this early," she sighed.

"No, I just can't be bothered with Adam's moaning about Madison." Janine laughed in her throat, taking another drag on the joint she had rolled.

"I've gotta give it to the girl, she has balls of steel." Sam shot her a warning look as she sat up, to which she responded with a roll of her eyes. "Don't look at me like that."

"Is that my weed you're smoking?" he asked. Janine shrugged,

"Only a little bit."

"You know you're not supposed to smoke without asking." She smiled, standing up and walking over to him, revelling in his eyes gliding over her semi-dressed body only his t-shirt was covering.

"Don't be a grass." She held the joint out to him. He took a long pull, stepping past her to sit on the bed. "What was Adam saying about Madison, anyway?"

"That's none of your concern," Sam replied, even though he had brought it up. She didn't bother trying to get more out of him. He only divulged her in house matters when he was ranting and didn't notice. When he did notice, he was quick to shut up and tell her not to repeat anything. Janine complied with ease, never wanting to get Sam in trouble. She joined him on the bed, resting her head across his lap. Her usual fruity fragrance enveloped him, penetrating the strong scent of the marijuana.

"Can you make sure I don't have any customers for a few hours so I can sleep for a while?" she asked, staring up at him with her big amber eyes. Her chocolate bob-cut fanned out across his legs. When Janine had first arrived at the house, her hair was burnt red. She'd grown it out and had it chopped off since then.