The girl raised her eyebrows. 'I wasn't…'
Sabatino held up a hand. 'Don't fuck with me, okay? Just don't fuck with me.' He picked up one of the small bags and threw it in her face. 'You wanna do some blow in the John, that's fine.
You wanna shoot up, that's fine. But you don't deal. If you get caught dealing, my place gets closed down. Am I getting through to you?'
She looked as if she was going to argue again, but Sabatino glared at her. 'Yeah. I hear you.' She started towards the door.
'Hey! Where do you think you're going?' Sabatino barked.
'I was gonna go.'
Sabatino smiled. 'You were gonna go? You're not going anywhere until I say so.'
'Yeah?'
Sabatino leisurely reached over to his intercom and pressed a button. 'Come back in here, Vincenti,' he said, his eyes on the girl.
The office door opened and Vincenti reappeared. Sabatino nodded towards the girl. 'This bitch is giving me a hard time,' he said.
Vincenti said nothing. He simply walked up to the girl and punched her in the stomach. The breath exploded from her lips and she doubled over, her hands clutched to her midriff.
Her chest was heaving as she gasped for air and she slowly dropped to her knees. Sabatino watched the brunette on the video monitor. So young. Sabatino loved the texture of young flesh. The tautness of it. The smell of it.
Vincenti stood over the black girl as she slowly recovered. He leant down and with one huge hand pulled her to her feet. 'You do as Mr Sabatino, says, you hear?' he said.
The girl nodded, then coughed. She massaged her stomach with her gold-ringed fingers. Vincenti held on to her long enough to make sure that she could stand unaided, then he went outside again.
Sabatino tore his gaze away from the screen. 'Anyone who wants to buy anything in The Firehouse, they come to me, okay?'
The girl nodded. 'Okay,' she said.
'Usually if we catch someone dealing, Vincenti takes care of it.
He takes care of people for me. He especially likes taking care of young girls. Am I getting through to you?'
'Yeah,' she gasped.
'The only reason he's not taking care of you right now is because he thinks I might have a good time with you. Do you know what I mean by that? I'd hate there to be any misunderstanding.'
'A good time? Yeah, I know what you mean.'
'So are you gonna give me a good time? Or do I get Vincenti back to take care of you?'
The girl swallowed. She nodded slowly.
'I can't hear you,' Sabatino said.
'Yeah. I'll give you a good time,' she said.
Sabatino smiled. 'Good,' he said. 'Now, take your shirt off.'
The girl undid the buttons of her shirt and slipped it off her shoulders. She wasn't wearing a bra but she made no move to cover her breasts, as if she knew instinctively that to do so would only annoy Sabatino. She looked around for somewhere to put the shirt.
'Drop it on the floor,' Sabatino ordered. She obeyed instantly.
'Now the boots. And the pants.'
Sabatino leaned back on his chair and watched the girl strip.
Her skin was a glorious brown, the colour of milk chocolate, and it was totally unmarked. In Sabatino's experience, black skins tended to scar easily and heal badly and the contrast emphasised any imperfections, but this girl's skin was perfectly smooth and even. She was wearing red panties, cut high up the legs and low at the front. Through the flimsy material he could see her pubic hair, trimmed into a neat triangle.
'Take them off,' Sabatino ordered. He stared as she slipped her thumbs either side of the panties and eased them down her long, smooth legs. They fell to the floor and she stepped out of them, naked except for the jewellery. The gold only served to emphasise her nakedness. Sabatino rubbed the palms of his hands on his trousers. It wasn't just her looks that turned him on, it was the power. The fact that he could compel her to stand naked in front of him. He wondered how many men she'd taunted with her beauty, how many men she'd refused to go out with. He could imagine her leading on would-be suitors, then turning them down with a snide remark and a sneer. Not Sabatino, though. She'd do anything for him, anything he wanted. Sex wasn't about looks or personality or even money. It was about power and fear.
'How old are you?' he asked.
'Eighteen,' she said.
Sabatino kept looking at her, up and down, and eventually she averted her eyes, staring down at the floor.
'Get your black ass over here.'
She looked up sharply and for a second it seemed that she was going to reply, but she could see from Sabatino's face that it wouldn't be a smart thing to do. She walked slowly over to his desk. Sabatino looked at the bank of screens. The brunette was next to go into the cubicle.
Sabatino pushed his chair back so that there was space between himself and the desk. He pointed between his legs.
'Kneel down.' The girl hesitated. Sabatino sneered at her. 'Hey, if you don't want to do this, we can get the guys back here and they can take you for a ride. It's up to you.'
The girl knelt down. Sabatino grabbed her right breast and squeezed it savagely. Her mouth tightened, she grunted but refused to scream. 'Smile like you're fucking enjoying it or I'll really hurt you.'
Tears welled up in her brown eyes and she nodded. 'Okay, Mr Sabatino. Okay, whatever you say.' She smiled. Her lower lip was trembling. Sabatino stroked her cheek with his right hand and ran a finger along her soft lips.
'That's better,' he said. 'Unzip my pants.'
She pulled down his zip in one smooth movement. 'You've done this before,' he said. She looked up and nodded. She looked scared. Sabatino felt himself grow harder. 'Do it,' he said.
She opened her mouth and licked her lips, but he wasn't looking at her; his eyes were on the video screen. A tall, thin redhead was climbing out of the shower cubicle, her enormous breasts barely confined by her wet t-shirt. The brunette stood by the empty cubicle, staring at the stream of water pouring from the shower head. Sabatino wondered if she was going to change her mind. He felt the smooth wetness -of.^'.e black girl's mouth envelop him. She moved her head up and down but there was little sensation. She wasn't trying.
Sabatino grabbed her hair and pulled up her head. 'Don't tell me that's the best you can do,' he hissed. 'Mouth like yours, you can give better blow-jobs than that. I know you can. Don't try to cheat me. Okay?'
'Okay,' she said quietly.
Sabatino sat up and she flinched. He smiled at her reaction, then reached for one of the small cocaine-filled packets. He ripped it open with his teeth. 'Maybe this'U give you an incentive,' he said. He sprinkled the white powder over his genitals and tossed the empty bag on to the floor. He didn't have to tell her what to do. She opened her mouth and began to suck him again, this time with much more enthusiasm.
Sabatino moaned and ran his hands around the back of her neck. He felt her tongue run up and down his shaft, searching for the drug she craved and intensifying his pleasure at the same time. The telephone rang. It was his private line. He picked it up with his right hand, leaving his left on the girl's neck. Her head bobbed up and down and he could feel the inside of her mouth all the way along his length. 'Yeah?' Sabatino said.
'Mr Sabatino? Mr Sabatino, it's me. Maury.'