60 Minutes (3 page)

“How can I take you seriously if you’re constantly playing games Lewis?”

The hair on the back of Lewis’s neck stood up on ends at the sound of the smooth, feminine, yet venomous voice that was chastising him. For a month now, he’d been begging Jani’rah for a spot managing the underground factories. However, he kept blowing his chance with his growing addiction to gambling. Every time Jani’rah seemed to pop up, you can bet your ass his nose was in somebody’s game blowing money. She wanted someone with a lucrative attention span; someone that worked with supreme caution and Lewis did not fit the description to manage the underground world Jani’rah had created.

“H…Hi Jani’rah!” Lewis stumbled before standing, rubbing his hands on his jeans, and then stretching his arm toward her for a handshake. Jani’rah simply looked at it as if it was covered with shit.

“The club looks good Lewis. Follow me, I think it’s time you see something.”

Jani’rah led the way to the back of the club and Lewis followed suit. His heart raced with excitement as they approached a red door and entered what looked like a dressing room. One of the tall and muscular bodyguards removed a light switch revealing a keypad and then pressed four digits. A tall mirror next to the switch slowly moved up the wall revealing a pass way to red stairs. The bodyguard led the way down the stairs and the others followed. Lewis could not believe the day had finally come. He was actually going to get a glimpse into the underworld. As they approached the bottom stairs, moans could be heard throughout the place. There were two bars in the center and naked woman walking around with trays of assorted liquors. The underworld was decorated comfortably. Black and gold couches and ottomans were scattered about the waiting areas. Cages filled with girls dancing entertained the white-collar patrons waiting their turn in the back area.

All eyes were on Jani’rah as she greeted local politicians, musicians that came to the city to perform at the Webster Arena, business owners, ballers and anyone that made enough money to pay for entrance to the underworld.

“I love the new place Madame!” Mayor Finkch stood acknowledging her. Jani’rah simply nodded her head and smiled. She led the group down a long corridor of rooms. Every room was designed differently, decorated to satisfy each client’s sexual imagination. After each session, a cleaning squad, also known as housekeeping, quickly changed the sheets, bleached and
Lysoled
the room. After a thorough cleaning, housekeeping lit vanilla or apple-scented candles to prepare the room for the next guest.

Jani’rah led the way to an office in the back. A young woman was located behind a computer tapping away.

“Hello Madame.” Larisse smiled widely. Jani’rah’s bodyguards and Lewis, whom was still excited and now horny from the tour of the underworld, entered and took seats on a leather sectional. Jani’rah kicked off her shoes and sat on the edge of Larisse’s cherry wood desk.

“Lewis is ready to manage one of the underworlds.” Jani’rah announced. Larisse looked at her boss with confusion.

Lewis couldn’t contain his excitement. “I bet I won’t let you down Madame!”

“Yes you will Lewis.” Jani’rah said then walked around the desk and opened a drawer. She pulled a .22 out and Lewis watched nervously as she attached a silencer to it while humming quietly. Jani’rah pulled it up aiming at Lewis’s head and fired two shots bringing him down.

“Muthafucka always gambling! Clean this shit up please.” Jani’rah said as she lowered the gun. “What’s the numbers looking like?” She asked her accountant as a cleaning squad came and took away Lewis’s body.

“Revenue is wonderful, we outdid ourselves by over five hundred thousand since last year,” she replied.

Jani’rah nodded her head. “That’s fantastic! Send a check to Hong Lee’s Karate on Main Street, the kids need new uniforms.”

Her accountant smiled, “Sure thing!”

Jani’rah looked over at Hanz, “Home Sweet home?”

*****

Madame Jani’rah resided in the Brooklawn area. Her house was laid out. As soon as the Maybach approached the fifteen-foot black gates that surrounded her home, they opened inviting the owner in. The car drove up a smooth path that was kept shoveled, clear of the month’s snowstorms. The ten acres of land that served as her front yard looked like a winter wonderland. Christmas lights decorated every tree, snowmen and elves stood side-by-side smiling; there was even a mini house in the front, which was designed to look like Santa’s house at the North Pole.

Jani’rah’s parents had always decorated their home and it was one of the most lit up houses on the block; she made sure to keep the tradition going after they were gone. The car pulled up to the house and Jani’rah stepped out, but she didn’t go inside the house immediately. Instead, she admired her home and stared around her yard. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she said to Hanz not taking her eyes off of the house.

“It is Ms. J; but it’s cold as hell out here. I’ll meet you in the house.” Hanz joked and hurried in. Jani’rah chuckled as Hanz’s three hundred and fifty pound body moved at a fast pace to get out of the cold air.

Hearing a car at her gates, Jani’rah turned to see who was trying to enter. When she saw that it was Bridgeport’s finest, she took her cell phone out and called Hanz to come outside ASAP. “What the hell are they doing here?” Jani’rah said as she pushed in a code on her device to let them drive through the gate.

When they reached the front of her house, the officers stepped out of their cars with serious looks on their faces.

“How may I help you fine gentlemen tonight?” she asked as she put on her million-dollar smile.

Hanz stepped outside of the door. “Is everything alright Ms. J?” When he asked the question one of the officers interceded.

“Ms. Jean, I’m going to need you to come with us downtown.”

Jani’rah thought something had happened in her office. “Is everything alright in my shop officers? I just left there and everything was intact.” Jani’rah said as she walked closer to them.

“I’m afraid there is a huge problem. Now please turn around. You’re under arrest for the operation of an illegal sex ring, human trafficking and the names on your murder list are too many to name right now. You have the right to remain silent…” the officer proceeded to read her
Miranda Rights
to her as he cuffed her.

“Hanz, call Shimerwitz, tell him I’m off to the station to have stale doughnuts and coffee with the popo.” Jani’rah laughed as she was put into the backseat of the cop car headed to the police precinct. This wasn’t the first time that she’d been through this. She was charged with operating a sex ring once before, but the charges were later dropped, thanks to Judge Florentino who was a recurring customer of hers. But this time Jani’rah would find out that her situation was totally different.

*****

Jani’rah sat on her bunk patiently waiting for the CO’s to tell her that her bond was set and she was free to go. Footsteps caught her attention and she stood, fixing her skirt suit. It was her attorney.
Right on time.

“Hi Ms. Jean.” He greeted her as a corrections officer opened the cell and allowed him in.

“Hi yourself, why are you coming in here with me? Aren’t we getting me out?” Jani’rah asked annoyed.

Shimerwitz looked nervously at Jani’rah then focused on his shoes. “Well, um…have a seat Ms. Jean; this is more complicated than usual.”

Jani’rah noticed his nervous expression and became frustrated. This was her attorney; he had gotten her out of tough situations before.
What the fuck is the big deal now?
She thought to herself. “I don’t want to sit down; I want you to tell me why the fuck we’re standing in this cell!” Jani’rah shouted.

Shimerwitz was used to her verbal abuse, the money was good so he did his job and never complained. “This goes bigger than anything we’ve dealt with before. This is the FBI Jani’rah.”

“So! You’re an attorney; you know how to discredit what they try to throw at me.”

Shimerwiz stared her straight in her eyes, “But there’s a rat. There are videos and recordings of everything. They even have a star witness.” Jani’rah sat on the hard bunk and took in what her attorney just laid on her.

“You have no bond Jani’rah. That was denied. You will have to wait it out in here during trial.” He added, staring away into space.

“What? I’m supposed to accept that?”

“I’m sorry Ms. Jean, there’s not much I can do at this point. We’ll have to fight it out. But…”

“But fucking what?”

“There are actually three witnesses.”

Jani’rah was pissed at what she was hearing. People that were in her circle—her staff—were possibly setting her up. “So who the fuck are they?” Jani’rah asked getting up off the bed and standing face to face with Shimerwitz.

He let out a gulp. “You know I can’t disclose that type of information.” Jani’rah sneered which caused his knees to buckle and he said just a little above a whisper, “But I can send the statements over to Hanz if you’d like.”

Jani’rah smiled. “Thank you.”

Bad Date

Melanie sat in front of her vanity applying
Mac
lip-gloss to her perky pink lips. She played with the curls in her hair one last time before her phone vibrated and her client informed her he was waiting for her.
Let me get this done and over with…ugh! Madame is always putting me with some old son of a bitch with wrinkled balls.

When Melanie first woke up that morning, there was a note taped outside of her bedroom door that she was specifically to take this date and treat him with the best service. He was an important client of Jani’rah’s and was worth millions. Melanie looked over herself one last time then exited her room and walked down the marble stairs that lead to the foyer.

“Have a good one Ms. Melanie.” Hanz said as he held open the front door for her.

“Yeah, Yeah, ain’t nothing fuckin’ good about this.” Melanie rudely replied and stepped out. She jumped in her smoke grey Bentley and hit the highway to Greenwich. She was already on strike one. It was a thirty-minute drive and her phone was buzzing with calls from her impatient date.

“Hold your horses dammit!” Melanie said to herself. She turned on her GPS once she got off the exit. He was from Captain Island and she wasn’t familiar with that territory. She drove past rows and rows of beautiful houses and mansions.

I can’t wait for the day when I won’t have to suck dick to live comfortably in one of these!

She loved working for the escort service, but she knew there was more to Jani’rah’s background then just being her Madame. She’s heard the rumors, but never dared ask her boss about any of it. Jani’rah was strict, but very professional, and the money was right. The cold-blooded monster the streets portrayed her to be just didn’t sit right with Melanie.
You never know though!

Once, an agent had approached Melanie asking her questions about Jani’rah. They mentioned sex trafficking and an underground club where call girls were sold to rich men. Her response to the agent had been that she knew nothing about any of that. She told the agent that they did trick a little and make money off of horny men, but murder wasn’t a part of their criteria. When they asked her if she would make a statement about what she had said, she agreed to do it. In her mind, she wasn’t snitching. She was clearing the name of Jani’rah and the women that worked for her from all the rumors the streets spread about them.

Melanie drove up a long road that eventually stopped in front of an all brick mansion with two decks in front of the house.

“Wow, I ain’t never seen no shit like this!” Melanie said to herself. Two men walked out of the house; one short stubby olive-tanned man in a satin robe and another man who was obviously a butler dressed in a two-piece vest suit.

“Took you long enough.” The stubby man replied as he watched Melanie step out of her car and adjust her skin-tight cheetah print dress and tight leather jacket. “You’re also dressed like a skank, I told Jani’rah to send me someone with class!” He continued then instructed the butler to take Melanie’s car around back.

Asshole! I can’t wait till this is done.

Melanie faked a smile and advanced towards him, I’m sorry Vincent honey, I thought you might like it nasty today.”

He chuckled holding his round belly, “I do like it nasty, but thank the heavens I’m not going to be laying down with you. I’m not Vincent sweet cheeks!” The rude man replied. A black Lamborghini pulled up and the butler stepped out, throwing the keys to the chubby man.

“One hell of a party last night, I couldn’t even drive! That Vincent is something else I tell ya! Good luck tramp!” he replied and got in his car pulling off.

“Fat fuckin’ bastard!” Melanie snarled looking after the car.

“Yes, he is. This way Madame,” the butler cordially invited Melanie inside the beautiful home. Her jaw dropped once she stepped in. There were three maids vacuuming, and about four others washing the walls, and two waxing the floors. The place was so huge it needed a dozen workers to clean it. It already looked clean, so Melanie’s guess was that Vincent must be a neat freak. She walked towards a statue of a woman’s naked body; it was disturbing to her because the head was cut off.