and
focused on the sound of air escaping my lungs. As my muscles began
to relax, she quietly interrupted.
“ Akemi, listen to my voice,
let my pace calm and soothe you…feel the vibration of my tone and
the relaxed nature of my speech. I’m going to count backward from
10, and with every number I say, you will get calmer and calmer and
your muscles will become more and more relaxed. 10, 9,8,7, you feel
peaceful and serene, 6,5,4 you are in a place of observation and
understanding, 3,2,1, you are now fully calm. When I call your name
you will be back at the party after your birthday, you will remember
the sights and the faces, the smells and the conversations. When I
say the words ‘wake up,’ you will be back here, safe and sound in
my office on Venice Beach on my couch. Nod slowly if you understand
me.”
I could barely make out her
voice, and it felt as though I was under water. My body was gliding
and floating at the same time. As her voice reached my ears, I nodded
and then she said my name with firmness: “Akemi!”
Chapter 3
The room was white. The walls
were illuminated by brilliant chandeliers and decorative scented
candles burned low. The smell of cinnamon permeated the air and I
felt safe. The woman looking after me was a familiar face, Ms. Jay.
She looked like someone who should be my mother. She was pulling at
my dress and making sure I was perfect.
The dress was iridescent and in
the light it shimmered like the tail of a beautiful mermaid. It was
floor length and the bodice was held in place by thin straps. My
breasts were larger than most 16 year olds and filled out the top
nicely. Though I was still a girl, I had the feeling that I was going
to be introduced to the adult world very quickly.
The woman stepped back to admire
her work and smiled, but I on the other hand was cold. I never liked
these clothes that exposed so much of my skin. The woman was talking
now and I tried to listen to what she was saying while resisting the
temptation to shiver.
“ Now Akemi, this is your
first night as a top ranked girl. You must remember all that I taught
you these past few weeks. The people you are going to meet are very
rich, mostly men. You have to obey their instructions and make sure
you fulfill their every wish. Your English is perfect, so you can
speak if you are invited to, but please wait until you are addressed.
Do you understand?”
I was nodding and agreeing with
her; I didn’t have much say in the matter anyway.
“ I’m going to lead you out,
and you will be chauffeured to the hotel for the event. The gentleman
you will be escorting is Mr. Chanter, he’s one of the policemen in
this fine country who have ‘diversified’ their portfolio and are
into other things.”
As she walked me out, I went
over the directions in my head and hoped I would remember all of
them.
The hotel was grand, and the
sight of the men and women dressed in fancy attire made me feel a
little more secure as I believed I would blend right in. The doorman
was courteous, and held the door open as I passed through. The
security for the gentleman I was escorting took me to a small
ballroom and opened a large, grand door.
The party inside was smaller
than I expected. There were more girls there who looked like me; my
ethnicity and my age. Mr. Chanter appeared, grinning like a Cheshire
cat, and extended his hand to me. We walked to a table at the back of
the room and sat.
“ Your name is Akemi am I
right?”
“ Yes sir, that’s my name.”
“ And what are you going to do
for me tonight, Akemi?”
“ Whatever you need me to Mr.
Chanter.”
“ Call me Bill, please. We are
going to go up to the room soon, and we will see what exactly is
‘whatever.’ ”
He smiled, I smiled back and he
stroked my arm. I was getting more and more worried that I wouldn’t
be able to live up to my promise. The room was not brightly lit like
the lobby, rather, it was dark and shady with only tall, ornate lamps
shedding dim light.