Bad Luck Black Money Read online

  Noi was saying something to the valet as Junior walked up to her car. "May, I help you with your bags?" asked Junior.

  Before Noi could answer, a bellhop ran from the hotel yelling, "I get bags! I get bags!"

  "OK," Noi said. "I guess he'll get the bags, and you can escort me to our room."

  Junior really liked that Noi would call it 'our room'. They walked arm and arm up to 'their' penthouse suite.

  "Wow! This place is awesome," said Noi as she walked over to the full picture window overlooking the city. "And look at this view!"

  "Yes, it is nice," replied Junior looking at her long, sleek legs.

  "What would you like to do first?" Junior asked. "We can go see a show, or do a little shopping. Have you eaten, yet? I could order up something from room service, or we could go to any restaurant you want?"

  "Well," said Noi taking off her high heels. "We could give this king-size bed a little dusting off, if you're 'up' for it."

  Needless to say, Junior enjoyed the day immensely, and Noi sounded liked she was having a ball as well. Their first day together was spent entirely in Junior's penthouse suite and most of it on the king-size bed.

  The next day, Junior was insistent that they get out of his room and go experience the real world. Noi made sure that he understood it would be fine with her to just have a repeat of the day before. But, if the truth were known, Junior didn't have enough energy left in his fuel tank to repeat the previous day. Plus, he was a little sore and wondered if she might be the same. Then again, she was a professional, and he a mere amateur.

  While having lunch at an upscale bistro beside the river, Junior took out a small, velvet box containing the diamond necklace and slid it across the table to Noi.

  "What is this?" asked Noi.

  "Why don't you open it and find out?" Junior said playfully.

  Noi slowly opened the box and saw the diamond necklace inside. "What is this for?"

  "Just a little present for being so nice to me," answered Junior.

  "No, I cannot accept this," said Noi as she closed the box and slid it back across the table to Junior.

  "Why not?"

  "The diamonds in that necklace are real. It has to be worth, at least, twenty thousand dollars."

  "It’s my money, and I want to give you something nice.... Come on, take the necklace."

  "No," Noi said crossing her arms in a subconscious defensive pose. "I am not your girlfriend. This is not a date. You paid for my company. You paid thousands of dollars for my company."

  "Can't we be friends, too?" asked Junior, with a puzzled look upon his face.

  "Mister Junior, you are confusing lust with love. You love my body, not me. And I respect you as a man but love only your money."

  "OK, that really puts things into perspective.... So, you don't like me at all? Not even a little bit?"

  "I don't even know you, Junior. All we do is fuck."

  "... Whoa," said Junior. "I guess I'm starting to creep you out. I apologize."

  "No, don't apologize,” Noi said. "I must be doing my job really well to make you think the sex is real."

  "Well, could you ever see a time when you could love me for real?" asked Junior.

  "Oh, Junior, why do you want to complicate things? True love is hard; this is easy."

  "So, your answer is 'no'. All I can do is buy your time, but your heart is not for sale?"

  Neither of them said anything else through the rest of lunch. Junior didn't want to press the subject, and Noi didn't want to upset Junior any more than she already had.

  They rode back to the hotel in silence, until Noi said, "Do you want me to go? I can tell Cookie to send a different girl."

  "No, don't be silly," Junior said. "I'm just processing what you said. You spoke the truth, which needed to be said, and I thank you for it.

  The truth is that I really like being around you. There is something special about you. You are different from the other women at Club Swish and different from my past girlfriends. I just hope I'm able to find a girl like you to settle down with one day."

  "... Do you really mean that?" asked Noi, looking at Junior so deeply that it seemed like she was staring into his very soul.

  "Yes, of course, I do."

  "... I don't date customers." Noi said as she looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "... But if you would like to get to know the real me, then I can come stay with you during my menstruation. They won't let me work when it’s that time of month."

  "That would be lovely," Junior said.

  "There will be no sex," Noi said in a quite voice.

  "Of course," answered Junior.

  "I mean it," stressed Noi. "It might sound strange, but we can do sex when you're paying for it, but when we date, no sex of any kind.... I'm not easy!"

  "Hey, I don't care about anything except spending time with you. If you want to bring a chaperone to make sure I behave myself that would be fine, too."

  "No I trust you, Junior. Also, I don't have any family to chaperone me."

  "That's sad. Are you an orphan?"

  "Sort of, my parents died in a house fire five years ago. My grandparents all died long ago, and the rest of my aunts, uncles, and cousins won't have anything to do with me because of the shame my profession brings to the family. However, I do have a little sister, but she's married and living in the Middle East."

  "That is so sad," Junior sympathetically said. "I'm sort of in the same boat as you. My mother passed away a few years ago, and my father is a not worth talking about. The rest of my blood relatives are like strangers to me."

  Noi leaned over and hugged Junior. While resting her head upon his chest, she said, "Then we are both alone in this world, so much sadness. But lets not talk about this anymore. There will be time for heartfelt conversations when you are courting me. For now, lets try to have fun."

  The rest of the day, they acted like teenagers in love. They went sight seeing, window-shopping, and ice-skating in an ice rink inside of an affluent mall. That night they shared a level of intimacy that Junior had never experienced up until then.

  Chapter 4

  A little more than a week later, Noi pulled up to the valet at Junior's hotel, once again. This time she wore a pink jogging suit, white tennis shoes, no makeup, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Junior thought she was even more beautiful than the time before and told her so as he walked her up to his room.

  Noi was radiant but different than usual. She was still sweet and kind and sexy, but missing was her streak of subservience. No longer was it, 'whatever you want to do', instead it was, 'what I want to do'.

  She went straight from the door and plopped herself in the middle of Junior's bed. She kicked off her shoes, and grabbed the remote control for the TV.

  "Can you unpack my luggage and put my stuff away," asked Noi, although it wasn't really a request. "Thank, you."

  As he hung up her clothes in his closet and placed her underwear in a couple of drawers, Junior definitely noticed the changes in her. He watched her flipping through channels and resting her feet on the same pillow that he slept on, but it was OK. It was a new experience taking care of someone. Usually, it was the other way around.

  He ordered a banana sundae from room service at Noi's behest then spoon-fed it to her as she watched some Thai soap opera in bed. She only ate a few bites then Junior finished the rest. Later, she wanted a foot massage, which Junior proceeded to do with gusto. Then she wanted him to draw a warm bath for her with scented soap and bubbles.

  When the bath had the perfect amount of bubbles and the temperature was absolutely perfect, he called Noi into the bathroom. She was pleasantly surprised at all the candles, which Junior had lit. The candles gave the room a more relaxing/sexy atmosphere.

  "Thank, you so much," Noi said. "You're a doll."

  "It was my pleasure. Anything else, madam requires?" asked Junior in jest.

  "No, that will be all," Noi replied as she started to pull up her sweats
hirt.... "This is the part where you leave and pull the door shut behind you."

  "Oh," Junior said downhearted.

  "You can't see me naked," scolded Noi. "We are on our first real date. We really shouldn't be sleeping in the same room, but this suite is like a whole floor so we'll just have to make do."

  "Whatever you say, my dear," said Junior as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

  It seemed bizarre in Junior's mind how they were going through the normal stages of dating backwards. Since they had sex before going out on a date, they missed out on all the little things that normally led up to having sex. So now, he had to act in a way that would eventually get the sex that he'd already had?... Anyway, it was fun.

  Later that evening, Noi wanted to cuddle in bed and watch a Thai drama. She would relate to Junior what was going on, even though he was getting more proficient in the Thai language and could follow most of it on his own.

  The plot involved a woman wronged by her husband and struck down with a sickness. A ghost appeared in the show at various times for unknown reasons. In the end, the woman died, the husband went to prison, and mental illness befell their children. Noi cried during the show and then even more after the show.

  "Why do you watch this stuff?" asked Junior.

  "It was a good program. You didn't like it?"

  "It was horrible. Everybody ends up in jail, crazy, or dead. And the ghost tripped over a coffee table. How can a ghost trip over a coffee table? It’s a freaking ghost; ghosts can float right through walls. What on Earth could you like about it?"

  Wiping the her tear stained cheeks Noi said, "You don't watch it with your brain; you feel it in your heart."

  "I'll take a comedy or action movie any day over that."

  "Oh yeah, like they're more real," Noi said pulling out of his arms and sitting up straight. "The good guy gets shot at like a thousand times and doesn't even get hit once. How's that real? You let me get just one shot at him, and he's dead."

  "You can shoot?" asked Junior.

  "Yes, of course. My father taught me how to shoot skeet. I can also hit a can with a pistol at fifty yards every time.... Why? Are you scared of me, now?"

  "Ah, yeah, a little bit."

  "Good," Noi said tugging Junior by his shirt collar. "Because if you were to someday marry me, and you cheat on me.... I'll have to kill you."

  "You're joking, right?" implored Junior as he looked at the fire in Noi's eyes.

  Noi let go of his collar, got out of bed, and walked over to a chair where she'd thrown her purse. She opened it and pulled out a butterfly knife, which she expertly opened in less than a second and a half.

  "I have to be able to protect myself. There are some real creeps out there."

  "I, I, I, I... I know," stuttered Junior with eyes wide as saucers.

  Noi put away the knife, strolled back to the bed, and jumped on top of Junior. She straightened out a few strands of his hair, which were out of place and said, "You don't have to be scared of me. I'll never hurt you.... But if someday you marry me, you have to stay faithful to me forever, OK?"

  "... OK, that seems fair, I suppose," Junior managed to squeak out.

  "I will treat my husband like a king. He will be the happiest man on Earth. And all I ask in return is for him to love me and NOT CHEAT ON ME!"

  "Noi, there is no way I'd ever cheat on you if we were married."

  "What if I get fat after having so many of our babies? Then you might cheat?"

  "So many? How many children do you want?"

  "I don't know, but more than two."

  "I would never cheat on my fat wife.... But you don't have to get fat if you don't want to."

  "What about when I'm old and the hot, young women want to sleep with you, will you cheat then?"

  "Never!"

  Wrapping her right leg over both of his legs, Noi said, "You'd better not.... Thank you, for being so nice to me while I'm not feeling so great."

  "You are welcome," Junior said while wiping a small tearstain off Noi's chin, which she'd missed earlier.

  "You're still not getting any kind of sex tonight," Noi said.

  "Yeah, I kind of figured as much," Junior said as he tried to get as comfortable as possible for the long night ahead with aching, blue balls.

  Two minutes after Noi left his penthouse suite, Junior headed straight to Club Swish and prepaid for a month's worth of Noi's time. Noi wasn't scheduled to begin her shift at the club until that evening. So, Junior took his time getting back to the hotel, stopping to look at this and that and just being happy in general.

  When he got back to the hotel, Noi's BMW was parked haphazardly in front of the entrance. Inside, he found half of the hotel staff trying to stop Noi from getting on the elevator. She was screaming in Thai and knocking anyone back who got near her.

  "What's going on?" shouted Junior.

  When Noi saw him, she ran full speed at Junior, but was held back by a couple of the staff before she could get within striking distance of him.

  "Have you lost your fucking mind?!" screamed Noi at the top of her lungs. "Who buys a whole month at a time? Are you insane? You psychopath!"

  "Whoa, whoa, calm down," pleaded Junior. "We can talk about this in a civil manner. No need to get so upset."

  "You can let her go now," ordered Junior to the two men, who were holding Noi back.

  "Are you sure that's a good idea, boss?" asked the smaller of the two guys. "This one's strong like ox."

  "It'll be fine," Junior said as he gently pulled Noi out of their grasp. "We're just going to talk. Right, Noi?"

  Noi jerked herself away from Junior, and hissed, "Yeah, we're going to talk alright. You can count on that."

  "Nothing to see here, people," said Junior as he walked ahead of Noi to the elevator.

  "You want security to wait outside your room, Mr. Junior?" asked the hotel concierge.

  "Won't be necessary," Junior said as the elevator doors closed.

  The ride up to the penthouse was silent except for the smooth jazz playing over the speakers inside of the elevator. They walked the hallway in complete silence. Junior opened the door to his room, and Noi walked past him into the suite.

  "What's the deal, Junior?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Why did you book me for an entire month?"

  "... Because, I think I love you, and I don't want you to be with anybody else."

  For what must have been several minutes, Noi stood there with her arms crossed in front of her chest looking at Junior, who was staring back at her in silence.

  Finally, Noi said, "OK, then, we'll have to get married."

  Junior stood there frozen in place until he managed to smile and say, "... Great!"

  "So you agree to marry me?" asked Noi getting right in Junior's face.

  "... Sure, absolutely," Junior said.

  "This is your last chance to back out, Junior. If the next word you say is 'yes' then I consider us already married."

  "Wait!" Noi said putting her hand over his mouth before he could speak.

  "That means no more Club Swish girls. It means no more women, period. You are stuck with me, forever.... So, what is it going to be?"

  She moved her hand away from Junior's lips, and he said, "Yes."

  "OK, then," said Noi. "And just so you know that I'm serious."

  Noi grabbed Junior's crotch and squeezed, applying more pressure by the second. At first, it seemed like a sexy little treat for him, but when she didn't relent, pleasure became pain.

  "Ouch! Ow, Ow, Ow!!" squealed Junior. "What are you doing?"

  "This is mine now, understand?"

  "Yes! Yes, yes, ouch! Your nails are cutting me!"

  "You cheat on me; you're dead, understand?"

  "Yes, ohhh! Please, let go..."

  Noi released her kung fu like grip, and Junior fell to the floor, grabbing his package. He groaned like a boy who'd just been beaten by a full-grown man.

  "Oh, quit being a drama que
en. I didn't squeeze them that hard."

  "... I didn't do anything," wheezed Junior. "Why did you do that?"

  "You had to know that I'm deadly serious. I'm your wife now, and I won't be cheated on."

  "I believe you," Junior said as Noi helped him to his feet. Then she kissed him passionately.

  "We are going to be so happy together," said Noi. "I'm going home to get some of my things and bring them over here for our honeymoon. You are such a lucky man."

  "Oh yeah, tell that to my balls."

  "Don't be silly," said Noi as she playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Besides, they are my balls now. I'll take care of them when I get back."

  "Fine, whatever you say," said Junior as he managed to collapse into a chair.

  "Have you already paid for the month on this hotel room?"

  "... Yes, why?" asked Junior still in shock from before.

  "Now, that we're married. You can move into my condo when the month's up. That way we save our money."

  "Our money?" Junior asked.

  "Of course, what belongs to you belongs to me and what belongs to me, belongs to you. We are one person."

  "In that case, I hope you know that you just broke your own balls," said Junior as he checked to see if they were indeed still attached.

  "Drama queen, I'll be back in a flash," Noi said as she left.

  "What have I done?" thought Junior. "I've just committed my life to a crazy woman. And I didn't just happen to fall into it; I begged for it."

  He looked through the exterior glass window at the city below and considered running away. But where could he run: America, Russia, India, South Africa, or Brazil? Where on Earth could he hide where an international, beautiful hooker with a high IQ and a mean streak couldn't eventually track him down?

  Junior stumbled over to bed and lay down on his back, keeping his testicles as still as possible.

  Looking up at the ceiling, he thought, "I'm screwed worse than a brand new Soi hooker, who just walked into a room full of Indians." (Some men from India, while vacationing in Thailand, have a reputation for hiring a Thai prostitute, taking her back to his room, then demanding her to service many men hiding in his room, all for the price of a single customer.)