Cervena by Louise Lyons Page B

what he said or we’d lose our jobs. You know most of us can’t afford to be out of work. We’d lose our homes too. Andĕl and Fran couldn’t stand it. They left in the middle of the New Year’s Eve party. Fran got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago and said they were working at that strip bar across the river.”
    “Fuck.” I took a deep breath. “Go to your room, get cleaned up, and put some clothes on. Then come down and wait in my office.”
    “I’m sorry, Joel,” Tomáš repeated miserably.
    “It’s all right. You’re not in trouble, I promise.” I tried to soften my tone but it was difficult. I seethed with rage. Tomáš climbed off the podium and did his best to cover himself with cupped hands. He looked close to tears. “It’s all right,” I repeated. “You’re not going to lose your job or your home. Just do as I ask. I’ll sort this out.”
    Tomáš nodded and scurried away to the door leading through to the back of the building. The watching crowd gradually dispersed, although a few men still stared at me curiously.
    “Show’s over.” I waved them away and gathered up the piles of money from the platform. Tomáš had earned it and I intended to give it to him later. I doubted he would have been able to keep any of it if I hadn’t returned.
    My feet dragged as I made my way upstairs to the private rooms. I dreaded what I’d find. I hadn’t seen Sasha yet, and I hoped to God he was in his studio, not taking part in this, but it was probably unrealistic of me. It sounded as if all the boys had been made to do things they didn’t want.
    I threw open the first door, hard enough for it to crash into the wall and bounce back to me. I held it wide with one arm and glared at the shocked couple before me. A young red-haired boy I’d never seen before scrambled off the chair he’d been draped over, and the man who’d been rolling a blue condom onto his hard cock faced me belligerently.
    “What the fuck?” he demanded. “I paid my money. Wait your turn!”
    “I own this place,” I growled. “And I’m putting a stop to this right now. Get dressed and get out of here. Now.” We were the same height and he probably outweighed me by fifty pounds, but most of that was around his middle. He stood his ground for a few seconds while his erection drooped and his face colored. Then he turned away, tossed the condom into the corner of the room, and grabbed for his clothes.
    “Who are you?” I demanded of the redheaded boy.
    “Rosta.”
    “What are you doing here?”
    “I work for Mr. Doubrava.”
    “As what? A whore?” I couldn’t keep the contempt out of my voice. What Karel had turned our business into horrified me, and I had yet to see what had happened to Sasha. Even if he wasn’t interested in anything happening between us, I couldn’t bear the thought of him being subjected to this.
    “Yes.” The redhead lifted his chin defiantly. “So what? It’s good money.”
    “And it’s illegal.”
    “No, it’s not.”
    “How old are you?” His baby face indicated he should have been in school.
    “Seventeen. That’s old enough.”
    I scowled. Damn Karel to hell. “The age of consent is fifteen, but for this kind of thing it’s eighteen. You must know that.”
    The boy shrugged. “Are you going to fire me? Mr. Doubrava won’t be happy.”
    “He certainly won’t when I’ve finished with him.” I took a moment to think. This boy could have been in Sasha’s position once. Perhaps he’d only agreed to do it out of desperation. I took a breath, trying to calm my temper. “Rosta, how long have you been working here?”
    “A few weeks.”
    “Where were you before?”
    “On the streets. Why?”
    My stomach churned. “And Mr. Doubrava offered you a job here as…?”
    “Look, I knew what I was doing. I’ve been doing it for two years, but I get a lot more money doing it here. I got a room now instead of a doorway.”
    “Surely you don’t want to sell yourself?”
    Rosta