2 comments/ 19086 views/ 10 favorites Mollie Buys a Brothel By: JimGrinsted This story doesn't fit very well in this category, but I don't know where else to put it. Suggestions are welcome. ***** Contents The Phone Call The Meeting The Visit Dancing The Negotiation ***** The Phone Call "Hello. This is Jim Grinsted, returning your call. I'm a business broker. That means I sell businesses on commission in the same way a real estate agent sells houses." "Hi. Thank you. I'm Mollie Grossman. I called you-er, this is a bit embarrassing-because I heard you had a business for sale. I can't find it on your webpage, so maybe I'm mistaken. Is it true that you're trying to sell a brothel?" Jim, nonplussed that a woman was asking, tried to hide his surprise. "Yeah. For obvious reasons we can't advertise it openly. It's in Povera. Have you ever been there?" "I've hardly even heard of it, much less been there. Tell me more." "Povera is a small, very poor country on the mainland. The coast is malarial, with no good harbors or beaches. Most of the people live on the inland plateau, where elevation makes the climate a bit more bearable. That's where the capital is-Putaville. Further up-country you have some hills. The business is located in Putaville." "How do people there earn a living?" "They barely do. There used to be mining up in the hills, but that's no longer profitable. In good weather the country grows it's own food-there are a lot of farms around Putaville. There's no tourism to speak of-nothing much to visit. Truthfully, the biggest industry is foreign aid. All the Western governments have planted the flag there-the USAID, the German DED, the Japanese, Scandinavians, Canadians, etc. And then the UN is there big time-UNDP, WHO, WFP-any acronym you can imagine. The government's relatively stable, so Putaville serves as a headquarters for a big part of the continent. You have a lot of expats living there." "What language do they speak?" "They have their own-I guess it's called Poveran-I'm not really sure. French is the language of government, but English is widely spoken." "Cool. I speak both French and English. Can you tell me more about Putaville?" "I've only been there once, so far. The city itself looks like it was built for a hundred thousand people-it's got a small, but pleasant city center. That's where all the expats hang out. Surprisingly, there are quite a few good restaurants. Once you get out of the city center it's all pretty desolate-miles and miles of shanty towns. Maybe two million people live there. For all that, the crime rate is relatively low-at least for a poor country. "The airport is 15 miles from the city. There are direct flights from London and Paris. The connections are pretty good, but it's not cheap. Among other things you have to buy a visa when you enter the country-that'll set you back $90. A taxi into town will run you about $20." "So what about the business?" "It's located in a ten-storey building at the edge of downtown. They occupy the entire building. It used to be a hotel, but then they built the big, international chain hotel and this one couldn't make it anymore. So it became a brothel. I think it's unique in the world. Their mission is pretty simple-to attract high-class tourists with luxury, state-of-the-art facilities. Nobody has any other reason to visit Putaville, so this really is the biggest tourist attraction. They get some business from the expats as well. "They charge $995 for 24 hours. That includes a luxury room, all your food and drink, and... I guess you'll have to pardon my French, and normally I wouldn't talk this way to a lady-but all-you-can-fuck as well. They have 20 rooms-suites, actually-so if they sell out at full price, they gross about $20,000 per day. Of course that doesn't always happen." "Why'd they put it in such an out-of-the-way location?" "Labor costs I presume. The dusky daughters of the poor all need to earn a living. There aren't too many good opportunities for them. The brothel pays a lot more than the $3 to $5 per day that an unskilled female can otherwise earn. Then the government is friendly, and the country doesn't attract too much attention from the bluenose activists." "So do they actually make any money?" "I can't go into details with you over the phone. But the short answer is yes. I think it is a profitable business, albeit a risky one." "And the price?" "They're asking $490,000." "Does that include the building." "No, definitely not. You do not want to own the building. Land title in countries like Povera is a murky business, and the last thing you want to do is invest in that. Some local citizen owns the building. The business does come with all the furnishings. Again, I can't go into details over the phone, but we can discuss that later if you're interested." "Who owns the business now?" "Again, I can't discuss that over the phone." "So what's the next step, then?" "To continue I need three things from you. First, I'll need a confidentiality agreement. I can e-mail you the form. Any information I give you about this business has to remain strictly confidential. In particular, the owners want to avoid any conversations with the media. "Second, as said, the asking price is $490,000. I need evidence that you are a credible buyer. You need to show that you have access to enough money. That can be through bank statements, or through a line of credit, or perhaps by ownership of some liquid asset. I will need original documents or notarized copies. "Finally, given the nature and location of this business, I need some reimbursement of business expenses in advance. Initially I need a deposit of $1000. This is non-refundable, but if you eventually purchase the property it will count toward the purchase price. If I need to accompany you to Povera, you will need to pay an additional $2000. The same rules apply-the amount is non-refundable, but counts toward the final purchase. Thus my services commit you to paying $1000 now, and probably $2000 later, for a total of $3000." Mollie thought for a minute. "OK," she said slowly. "I am interested. Please send me the confidentiality agreement, and I'll work on the rest. I might still change my mind, but I'll probably oblige your request. What happens then?" "Where do you live?" asked Jim. "I'm in Toronto. I'm Canadian." "That'll work. I'm based in Chicago. Once I have what I need from you I can fly up to Toronto for a day and bring all the business details with me. Then I can answer all of your questions. I'll leave the paperwork and accounts with you." With that they exchanged contact information and bid each other well. The Meeting A month later, just after lunch on a Wednesday afternoon, Jim found himself in the lobby of a Toronto Airport hotel. He scanned the room for somebody who might be Mollie. She spotted him first. "Are you Mr. Grinsted?" "Yes. Call me Jim. I take it you're Mollie?" She was a short, plump woman, perhaps 50 years old, who looked very Jewish. She wore a lot of jewelry and makeup, none of which made her look younger. She shook his hand vigorously, with a big smile. Jim liked her right away. "I've reserved a conference room for us. But we can go get a cup of coffee first, if you'd like. Or actually, have you had lunch yet?" "Coffee sounds good. Perhaps to go, so we can get started." There was a Starbucks in the lobby. Armed with refreshments they moved to the conference room, where Jim had already stashed several binders full of information. "So do you want to start with the financials or with the business model?" Jim asked. "Let's go with the business model. That's the most important." "The owner is a Swiss national named Rémy Lagarde. The place is called the Hôtel Lagarde et Spa. He advertises it mostly in Europe, and it's become especially popular in France and Switzerland. Also in Quebec. That you speak French is an important advantage. Mr. Lagarde visits the location once or twice a month. Customers pay in advance by credit card, so income is entirely under his control. There are no large financial transactions at the hotel. In that sense financial control is easy. "He does have to pay local suppliers, especially for food and drink. Most are regular vendors who extend him short-term credit so he doesn't have to trust employees with large amounts of cash. Payments to these people are handled by a local bank, who Mr. Lagarde pays in dollars by wire transfer. He has separately hired a Poveran auditor to check on every transaction. His banker also handles the cash payroll to the employees. How much each employee is paid is completely computerized-there is little room for fraud. This is a high-tech company, as you'll see. "For many smaller transactions he has no choice but to trust his general manager. That woman's name is Elizabeth, and she's worked for him for ten years. She is kept to strict account, at least down to the dollar. The auditor checks up on her daily, and the owner goes over the books in detail with every visit. If there's any theft, it's very small scale-certainly not enough to warrant Elizabeth losing her job." Elizabeth is responsible for monitoring theft of goods from the premises, especially food and booze. There is no way Mr. Lagarde can check this precisely, but he does as close a job as possible. Booze, especially, is carefully inventoried. "Why is the business up for sale?" asked Mollie? "And how long has it been under current ownership?" "The owner founded the business about twenty years ago. Initially it was a hotel. The current brothel business evolved over time, and exists in its present form only for the last five or six years. Mr. Lagarde is now 60 years old and tells me he wants to retire. He says he no longer wants to travel to Povera as often as necessary to manage the company." Jim looked to Mollie for permission to continue. She nodded. "There are three classes of employees. There are the girls-the prostitutes. They are paid only if they generate revenue-on commission if you will. We'll get to them later. "Then there is the service staff. These are all women, supervised by Elizabeth, who interact directly with customers. They are responsible for food service, room cleaning, picking up after the girls, and so on. Most of them are former prostitutes. "Finally are the support staff, who do not typically interact with the customers. Most of these are men. They include the cooks and the laundrymen, maintenance staff, some back office people, and the fellow in charge of hiring prostitutes (his name is Ronaldo). Very important is the security staff-headed by an Indian fellow named Rajiv. They're essentially a small police department, with at least ten officers on duty at all times. They carry guns. Very occasionally a customer will get rowdy, but more often one of the girls is caught stealing or otherwise misbehaving. They're also responsible for guarding the perimeter, an important task since there's no effective municipal police department. The security guards are paid as much as $10 per shift, depending on skill. "There are typically 30 service people on hand, and an additional 30 support people. The total obligatory payroll (again, girls get paid only when they generate revenue) comes to about $1000 per day. That's the payroll even if you have zero customers." Mollie made some notes. She worked the arithmetic out for herself to see if Jim's numbers matched her understanding, which after some clarification they did. "So how do the girls get paid?" "Ah, that's the interesting story. I told you this place was high tech. Each customer is checked in at the main lobby on the fifth floor. He receives an ID card with an RFID chip. He enters the club by swiping it through a turnstile, and that starts his 24 hour clock. On each purse is a card holder-as long as the customer's card is in her card holder, then she is his 'sex slave', if you will, and she is getting paid 30 cents per minute. That's $18 per hour! Recall that the going wage in Povera is $3/day for an unskilled worker. "There are some rules. If she has the customer's card she's required to stay within a few feet of him. She can't just run off with his card. A girl who does that will get fired, pronto." "What happens if she needs to use the lavatory?" "She has to take him with her-yes, men can enter the ladies' lavatory. Nothing is off limits to them. Or she has to give him his card back." "Okaaay." "The second rule is the customer can remove the card at any time for any reason. She can't hide the card under her arm or something. She's got to keep it in easy reach. "But with that comes the very important third rule. No man can touch a woman unless she has his card. He can't take away his card while he's touching her. Equally important, no woman can touch a man before he gives her his card. She can't sidle up to him to seduce him. The sell has to happen at a distance. "The card system transmits data directly back to Switzerland. The payroll is completely automated-there is no way anybody in Povera can fudge the books." "How many employees does Mr. Lagarde have in Switzerland?" Mollie asked. "Ha! That's a good question. I don't know. Must be at least a couple. "So there are 20 customers (if the hotel is full), each with a card entitling him to 25 hours (I can explain) of a prostitute's services at $18/hour. The theoretical maximum paid to the girls is $450 per day per customer, or $9000 total. In practice, however, the fellows don't spend all day with a girl-don't ask me why. On average they spend only about 60% of their time with the ladies-costing about $300 per day per customer. "If the hotel is full (using round numbers), $20,000 in revenue will be generated. $6000 will go to the girls, and $1000 will go to the other employees. Approximately $1500 is paid for rent for the building, and $3500 covers all other expenses-food, drink, electricity, water, etc. The latter two are very expensive in Povera. So that's $12,000 in daily expenses, leaving $8000 for operating profit. If the hotel is full it's a good business." "Of course that begs the question," interjected Mollie. "How often is the hotel full?" "You can go through this data on your own, but I calculate an average 70% occupancy rate. The break even rate looks to me to be about 50%, so they're doing ok. 70% should net them about $3000 per day operating margin. "I need to mention another important fact. Mr. Lagarde's rent on the building is $50,000 per month. He has a 10 year lease that expires in two years. A new lease will need to be renegotiated." "That will have to happen before the deal can close," said Mollie, looking through the information binders. "I need to think about this. I assume I can keep all this information?" "Yes, of course. But please remember to keep it confidential. And if you choose not to purchase the property-for your protection and mine-I would like it returned." "No problem. I'll be in touch in a few weeks." The Visit Mollie followed Jim off the plane at Putaville International Airport. With no jetway, passengers stepped down stairs to the tarmac. There was no escaping the wall of heat and humidity, especially painful for those dressed for London weather. To save money they stayed at the international hotel rather than Lagarde's. They'd reserved two adjoining rooms-an arrangement the desk clerk thought was odd. He figured they were married. The next morning the security guard escorted them to the fifth floor lobby of Lagarde's Hotel & Spa. An attractively dressed older woman-presumably a former prostitute-greeted them as the elevator opened. "Hello. Welcome to Lagarde's resort. I understand that you are special visitors. This is a card that will give you access to all parts of the hotel, including the employee spaces. It will not cover the services of any of our hostesses, nor do you have a room here. You may, however, eat and drink as a guest in any of our restaurants and lounges. Have you been to our hotel before?" "No," answered Mollie. "You may wish to look at the introductory video we show to our first-time guests. It's entitled How to enjoy your visit to Lagarde's Hotel and Spa. Would you like to watch that?" Mollie chose the English version so Jim could listen in. It was dubbed-the original was in French. [A smiling, dusky beauty, dressed in a summer skirt with matching blouse, walks into view from stage left.] Hi. My name is Linda, and I'm proud to work as a hostess at Lagarde's Hotel and Spa. I would like to tell you how you can get the most out of your stay here. [The camera zooms to her face.] Lagarde's is the elite sensual spa in the world. Our beautiful young ladies-like me-are here to serve your every whim and desire. In addition we have elegant rooms, fine dining, a superb gym, and trained masseuses. All of this is included in the price you have already paid. When you enter the hotel you will be given a card. It looks like this. This card allows you access to all our facilities. You can carry your card in one of three ways. Around your neck, on your wrist, or in the handbag of your favorite hostess. [Quick shots of men modelling the neck and wrist options. Then a view of Linda's handbag, with a close-up showing how the card fits in the outer pocket.] By sharing your card with a hostess, she becomes your faithful servant. Perhaps she can give you a massage? Or you can take her back to your room for a roll in the hay? Whatever sensual experience you want from her is available to you. Some of our customers like to dress their hostesses up in costumes. More of them prefer to have them naked. However dressed or undressed you want her, she'll go around just as you please. Oh! You want me naked? [Linda starts to unbutton her blouse. The camera cuts away. You next see her walking from stage right, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Camera zooms to her face.] You can keep the same hostess for your entire stay if you want to. But we don't recommend that. Our customers have more fun if they sample a variety of hostesses during their visit. Jim whispered in Mollie's ear: "That's the nudge from the house. The resort doesn't have to pay for the shopping around time. So it saves Mr. Lagarde money if the customers trade off hostesses." Please note that there are some common-sense rules for safe behavior. You need to use a condom for any sexual contact. Your hostess will have a supply for you. Also, anal sex is not included except by special agreement with the hostess. She may ask for more money, which like any other additional fee, will be charged to your card. Finally, you may not hurt, injure, or tie up our hostesses. Your hostess or any member of our staff can explain the limits of acceptable behavior. What can you do with a hostess without lending her your card? You can look at her. You may not touch a hostess (nor can she touch you) unless she has your card. Once she has that, then you can touch her any where and anyway you want. She's got the card, and you've got the hostess. Each hostess has a number on her handbag. Please make a mental note of this number so you can keep track of her. If she has your card she is not allowed to wander away from you (unless you ask her to fetch something). You will notice some colored lines on the floor-they are red and yellow. It sounds very complicated, but actually it's pretty easy. Please do not cross any red lines. They separate our guest spaces from employee-only spaces. In order to give you the best experience we need to have some backstage areas. Please don't peek. In the unlikely event your hostess has to cross a red line, she is required to return your card to you. Mollie Buys a Brothel Yellow lines indicate where our hostesses cannot go unless they are escorted by you. In particular, all of the restaurants are behind yellow lines. Many of our guests ask how they can give their hostess a tip. One excellent way is to take her to a restaurant. As long as she has your card she can eat there as a guest, just like you. She will very much appreciate that, especially if she's hungry. Except in restaurant areas (where for sanitary reasons everybody has to be fully clothed), hostesses can be as naked as you want them to be. However, our visitors are not gay, and they probably don't want to look at you. Therefore we ask that you remain clothed throughout the property. We prefer that you wear our uniform, but you can use your own clothes if you prefer. One exception is the girls' dormitory on the second floor, where nudity is permitted for both guests and hostesses. In particular, you are welcome to use the showers and lavatories in that area, alongside the hostesses. It's a great place for blowjobs. Or you can join the hostess in her own bed. Your hostess can accompany you to the bar, but she is not permitted alcoholic beverages free of charge. You can buy her a drink for an extra fee (she receives no commission). It will be charged to your card. Beer and wine are free for you. You can purchase other drinks separately. Softdrinks are available to all for free. Some of our guests wish to have more than one girl at the same time. There are two ways you can do that. First, you can purchase an additional card from the concierge's desk on the fifth floor. Second, you may be attracted to some of our serving staff-waitresses, cleaners, receptionists. Any woman working in the building is available to you. There is an additional charge, and it may have to be scheduled to fit with her work duties. Please see the concierge on the fifth floor for arrangements. Our shift change is daily from 10am to noon. There may be fewer hostesses available during that time. The last rule is most important. You must have FUN. All of us hostesses, along with the entire serving staff, and every member of the back office is here for one reason: your enjoyment. Please don't let us down. Welcome to Lagarde's Hotel and Spa. They swiped through the turnstile into the lobby. A crush of girls sought their attention, until they realized that they weren't paying customers. "I think I mentioned that guests pay for services for 25 hours rather than 24," explained Jim. "That's because the girls get paid double during a guest's first hour in the building. He's most likely to be horny and greedy. She's more likely to get the 'wham, bam, thank you mam' treatment, i.e., a ten-minute date. Partly to encourage girls to enthusiastically welcome new visitors, and also to reimburse them for the 10-minute date, the pay rate is doubled. That's why the girls congregate in the lobby." Some unattached guests, seeking new companions, were doing their shopping. The elevator door opened, and out stepped a man with a big, stupid grin. He escorted a naked girl, whom he displayed like a trophy-his hand on her butt. The expression on her face was as if she still had cum dripping off the corners of her mouth. So that's what a bonked girl looks like, thought Mollie. How humiliating. But I guess she's used to it. The man paraded his conquest around the room for a few minutes. Then, with a kiss on the cheek for a thank you, he reclaimed his card and decamped for the elevator. She fished her underwear out of her bag and put it on. Then she walked over to a clothes rack and picked out a polka dot summer skirt. It looked charming. After that she, too, headed for the elevators-probably in search of some mouthwash. Jim explained. "The girls are not allowed to be naked unless they have an escort. For sanitary reasons they have to use their own underwear-it's barcoded and they're fined if they lose it. Outerwear is fetched from racks maintained by service staff. The staff pick it up from wherever the girls leave it when they take off their clothes. It's laundered at least daily." Mollie and Jim walked over to the coffee shop for some breakfast, and to lay out a plan for the day. Nearby a guest had just lent his card to a girl-he asked her to do a striptease for him right there. She did a pretty sexy job of it. Mollie noticed some icons on her handbag. "What are those symbols for?" "There's a poster on the wall over there that explains. The icons mark girls with special skills. The pair of hands means she's a trained masseuse. The ballet slippers indicate a dancer, and the musical notes a singer. The stripper is a dancer-you can tell." Ronaldo They decided to start their tour on the first floor-for employees only. They were introduced to Ronaldo, the hostess manager. "We use showbiz language here, like they do at Disney World. Employees are on stage when they're in the hotel. We also say they are part of the cast. When the hotel is full, we need a cast of 40 to 50 hostesses-at least two for every guest. "We have a roster of around 100 to 120 girls. We are very careful to ensure they are all at least 18 years old. One underage girl could destroy the entire business. We give applicants a thorough health check. All this costs us about $200 per applicant. "We select based on age, looks and personality. Young women are hired even if they're less attractive. Older women are accepted if they still look pretty. I interview them for charm. Once they are put on the roster they are given an RFID card similar to what the guests carry. This is their passport to the hotel. "To work on a given day, they need to show up for audition by 10:30am. They put their name in the hopper by swiping their card. Typically I have 50 or 60 girls showing up daily, along with some already on stage who want to work a second shift. A third to a half of them won't make the cut and will go home unhappy. "A computer in Switzerland decides who is cast for the day. The decision depends on recent earnings, on credits or demerits awarded for behavior, and on how many days in a row she's tried to get work (diligence is rewarded). New girls are given preference. Some hostesses already on stage are awarded a second shift-we don't want a complete turnover in the cast. Hostesses are rarely allowed to work for three consecutive shifts. "I have no say in who gets cast. That's all decided by the computer. The girls can't bribe me. "Those who make the cast are given a numbered handbag (their RFID card goes inside), clean underwear, a pair of shoes, a bunch of condoms, and disinfectant. They label their bag with their stage name, and attach any icons representing skills. They can carry with them anything that fits in the bag-makeup, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, jewelry, etc., but no phones or computers. They pick outerwear according to taste before they go on stage. "They must be on stage no later than noon. The shift lasts for 24 hours. "Hostesses who continuously underperform are eventually dropped from the roster. The average hostess books $150 per shift. A hostess who over time can't average more than $50 per shift is usually dropped. Even though we keep the hostess/guest ratio approximately constant, the hostesses are very much in competition with each other. There's a lot of backbiting." Roxanne Most hostesses begin their shift by taking the elevator to the fifth floor lobby, but Jim and Mollie instead took the stairs up one flight, the the Girls' Dormitory. The top of the stairs emptied onto a small foyer, with a hallway leading back to the dorm. A naked man pranced up and down the hallway, proud of his endowment and happy to show it off. That nobody paid any attention to him bothered him not at all. "This is one of the few places where men can go naked," said Jim. "And the girls, too-they can be naked down here without an escort." A cleaning lady named Roxanne spoke good English and happily spent a few minutes showing them around. "The hostesses all prefer to spend the night in a guest's room. Then they get to sleep in a comfy, king-sized bed with a private bath, and also get paid for it. But only about half of them can do that-the rest of them try to catch some shut-eye down here. Usually that's early in the morning, ending just before shift change. "This is where the 'dirty stuff' happens. Some guests like getting blow jobs in public-that can happen here. Some want to watch the girls pee and poop-this is the place for them. "Here's the women's washroom. Guests can come in here with a hostess escort. The showers are over there. Once the shift has started this is the only place the hostesses have to wash up. Many guests come down here to shower with the hostesses. . "Over there are the toilet stalls. They're big enough to accommodate two people. You'd be surprised what people like to do in there. "And here are the makeup tables. That's important for the hostesses, but for whatever reason the guests find it less interesting." "It's all very clean," noted Mollie. "Yes. It's staffed full time. Here she is-this is Mary." Mary greeted them. "Her sole responsibility is to keep this room clean. She scrubs and disinfects it from one end to the other, and then she starts over again." Leaving the washroom, they walked toward the girls' rooms. They were large closets, big enough for a bed and a nightstand. The doors closed but didn't lock. "A lot of hostesses sleep naked with the door open. If a guest wants to bother them, well, that's just money in the bank. This is really the only floor where the girls can let it all hang out. No reason to keep the door closed. We have thirty rooms here-not really enough when the hotel is completely full. Some hostesses end up sleeping on sofas in the lobby upstairs. But they can't be naked up there. "Some guests like to come down here and fuck them with the door open. I guess they enjoy doing it in public. That's the most public it can ever get around here. "My job is to make sure the bedrooms are always clean. I change the sheets on each bed three or four times a day sometimes. Right now it's quiet because many of them are still sleeping." Sure enough, open doors revealed naked women sound asleep. I'd have a hard time sleeping naked with the door open, hoping some guy will come by and molest me thought Mollie. But they must be used to it. They really are asleep. "We sound an alarm at 11am so they can get off stage in time if they need to. Then Betsy and I will be really busy-we have to change all the sheets and mop all the floors. But I still have twenty minutes." Gloria One flight up from the dormitory is the Fitness Center, including a gym and a massage studio. Mollie and Jim were introduced to the lead trainer, a middle-aged woman named Gloria. True to type, she looked remarkably fit. During shift change Gloria had some time to talk. "We'd love to have a pool. But apparently those are impossible to maintain in this country. The international hotel has one, but I've heard it's in pretty bad shape." "I certainly wouldn't go swimming there," agreed Mollie. "Apart from a pool, we've got most of what you need. We have a hot tub over there-the men have to keep their shorts on, but the hostesses are usually naked. Then there are weight machines, elliptical machines, and a short, indoor track. All of these have to be flown in from Europe. We have a repairman from Switzerland who comes down two or three times per year. "Most of our guests are getting elderly. We've toned down the fitness room accordingly. We assume the typical visitor is sixty years old and somewhat overweight. "Over here is the massage studio." It was a large room separated into cubicles, each with a massage table. There were five or six stations. "We have about 15 hostesses on our roster with a massage icon. That means they've had some formal training and at least a year of experience. I'm the one who awards the icon. "I'm also responsible for the dancing icons. Those ladies can dance, and they can also teach dancing. We have quite a few guests who really enjoy dance lessons. Though I gotta say, White guys can't dance. But we don't tell them that." Mollie thought that having the hotel double as a fitness resort might make sense. Lose weight, get healthy, learn how to dance, improve your sex life. That pitch might convince people to stay for a week instead of just a day. Dancing That evening, after dinner, Jim and Mollie attended to the nightclub on the 6th floor. Maxine, a plumpish, matronly lady, served as music mistress. "I'm the DJ by night and show producer by day. I got my start singing-and that's still what I love to do. My favorite room is the Karaoke room, over there. I'm the one who awards the singing icons to the hostesses. I also host the dance contests. These icons are sort of like scout badges, thought Mollie. "I love this place! I've been working here for over eight years. I don't much care for the brothel business, but it pays the bills. I know it's necessary. Otherwise it's just a blast and a half. The guests have monkeys of fun, and the hostesses show off their skills. Some of them are super classy entertainers-a lot more than just prostitutes." A hostess joined the conversation. "This is Rose," said Maxine. She pointed to the icon on her bag. "N means 'novice,' a word that's the same in French and English. This is her first shift at the hotel. She's pretty nervous." "I haven't had a customer yet," said Rose. "I hope I make some money-otherwise they won't let me back. But I love dancing, and I'm hoping Madame Maxine can help me out." She smiled at her mentor. Jim and Mollie settled down for a drink. A few guests walked in with their hostesses. They weren't up for dancing yet, so Maxine put on some mood music. A man with a woman on his arm walked into the room. He was looking for company, and settled on Mollie and Jim. "Hello, folks. Do you mind if we join you?" "Not at all," said Jim, rising to shake his hand. "I'm Jim. And this is Mollie." "My name's Eric. And this is my dance teacher, ..." The name apparently slipped his mind. He looked to her for help. Mollie rose from her seat in greeting, and realized the woman was Gloria, the fitness trainer. "Hi, Gloria," she said, smiling. Gloria looked embarrassed, but mustered up a hello. The two women exchanged cheek kisses. "We met Gloria this morning," Jim told Eric. "You're a lucky guy! How'd you get a date with the fitness guru?" "All I did was pay money. Gloria, can you explain how that works?" She answered reluctantly. "Any member of the staff is available for personal services. Mister Eric arranged a date with me through the concierge. He's paid for three hours of my time." And then with more enthusiasm: "Of course I'm very happy about that, not just because of the money, but also because he's a good dancer. Hey-I taught him myself!" They were all comfortable with each other now. Eric ordered a round of drinks on his nickel. "I'm from the UK," he offered. "I own a limousine service in Lincolnshire. Have you ever heard of Grimsby?" Mollie had. "It's a suburb of Toronto. Probably named after your home town." Maxine put on a fast tune-Benny Goodman playing 1930s Jitterbug. "Hey, let's do it babe," Eric said, taking Gloria's hand. They moved to the dance floor. And jitter they could. They danced for the audience, not just for each other. The music was fast, but the dancers faster. Though not strictly choreographed (no time for that), they both had the steps down pat and could improvise off the partner. Mollie couldn't recall a sexier, more entertaining swing dance. By the end of the song the room was full. "Encore, Encore!" yelled the crowd. Eric didn't need convincing. Maxine spun an inviting tune-the Count Basie Boogie. Gloria wore a flouncy skirt, one that didn't impede motion. Modest enough when she sat or walked, with dancing her underwear might have shown. Were she wearing any, that is. Even during the first set, many of the guests caught a glimpse of ass or a glimmer of pussy. With the Boogie they stepped it up a notch. Eric wanted to show off his Lady-Throw. That's the term Molly used to describe the move in swing dancing where the lady does a somersault over the gentleman's back, or even over his head. That brought the skirt up over her head, and it worked just super sexy. Despite the continuing clamor from the crowd, after the second song the dancers were tired and sat down for a break. Rose stood shyly nearby. Molly thought she'd do her a favor. "Have you met Rose?" she asked Eric. He shook his head. Rose approached, smiling. "This is Rose's first day here, and she wants to learn how to dance." Eric sized her up. "Well, I've paid for Gloria separately, but I still have my card. Do you think we can teach Rose the jitterbug?" he asked Gloria. "We can try." So Maxine queued up every big band swing tune she could come up with. Eric and Rose took center stage, with Gloria coaching. "Don't grab his hand," she told her. "Just rest it lightly. You need to keep your own balance. Otherwise it won't work." Then they started on the basic steps. Eric was a patient partner, while Gloria demanded a lot. "A little more fluid at the waist." "Put more weight on your heel on that step." The first tune didn't go too well, but by the second Mollie thought Rose did better than Mollie ever could have. By the third tune you couldn't tell she was a novice. Mollie thought Rose had talent. So they stepped it up a level. Instead of holding hands and dancing to the audience, they faced each other. The idea was to jitterbug around the stage as partners-the man's hand on her back, and her hand on his shoulder. It's harder 'coz you can't step on your partner's feet. Rose had obviously done some dancing before, and it didn't take long for her to get the rhythm down. "He's not going to hold on to you. You have to keep your own balance. His hand on your back is not for support, but instead for balance. Likewise, don't put weight on his shoulder. "Don't worry about where you're going. That's his job. If you bump into somebody then slap him in the face. He's gotta guide you." Five tunes later she got it mostly right, and so did he. But by then they were exhausted and needed a break. Eric bought another round of drinks for all. "Hey, you're pretty good," he told Rose, pulling her onto his lap. The girl was out of breath and sweat through, not that Eric minded. "Did anybody tell you that exercise makes you beautiful?" he teased. She laughed. He played with her while shooting the breeze with Jim and Mollie. "So I'm looking for a Pas de Deux," proclaimed Eric. "You want her to be a ballerina?" Gloria asked, confused. "No-none of us have that skill. And besides, I'm not gonna be the other half of the pair." Mollie thought maybe he wanted Jim to dance. He didn't look like he was volunteering. "Gloria, I want you to dance with Rose. And the dance I want is the best, most artistic, striptease ever." Both girls looked nervous, especially Rose. "You've got fifteen minutes to choreograph it among yourselves and with Maxine. Then we want a show. Come back in your birthday suits." It took them more like 30 minutes to work it all out. Mollie could see that they took the task seriously, and apparently so could Eric. He didn't rush them. They reemerged in matching clothes-a modest blouse and skirt outfit. The music was Benny Goodman's Sing, Sing, Sing. Mollie Buys a Brothel First they danced separately, mostly in sync. A fast tune, it lent itself to jitterbug. Then Gloria played the man's role and escorted Rose around the floor. But they got closer and closer, tit to tit, with Gloria's hand on her butt instead of her back, pulling up her skirt. Soon they were kissing, lezzie style. Then they separated, faking a fight. For a few bars they pretended to hit each other, before the goal turned to removing each other's blouse. Gloria lost a button, and then Rose and then Gloria again. On the final bar they separated and in sync tossed the blouses to the floor. Maxine came to collect the clothes. The girls waited for the next song wearing their bras. The second song was Do A Dirty Dance With Me, by Black Cat Zoot (a German group-look them up on Youtube). With a slower beat, it didn't demand the fancy footwork. The girls formed a short conga line, with Gloria's hands on Rose's hips, following her around the dance floor. She gradually pushed Rose's panties down through the waistband of the skirt. They dropped to the floor and Rose stepped out of them. On the second verse they turned around, and now Rose had her hands on Gloria's hip. She slowly unzipped Gloria's skirt. By the third verse both the pantie and the skirt dropped to the floor. Gloria stood in her undies, while Rose wore a bra and skirt, but no pantie. Gloria unfastened Rose's bra, but before she removed it Rose lifted the waistband of her skirt above her bosom. What was a midi-skirt to mid calf now became a short dress barely covering her bare bottom. The dance again became a simulated fight, where Gloria did what she could to raise the skirt and expose Rose's ass and pussy. Rose pretended to be shy. They hugged close. Gloria pulled the skirt above Rose's butt, while Rose pushed Gloria's pantie off her hips. They turned to face the crowd, naked pussies proudly posed. In the final bars Rose removed her dress, and Gloria her bra. They stood naked in time to take a bow. The girls returned to their seats naked. "I only have Gloria for another half hour," said Eric. "They say that dancing is the vertical simulation of the horizontal activity. I guess I want to sample the horizontal activity before my time is up. Can you watch Rose for me?" He handed Rose's bag, with his card, to Mollie for safe keeping. "Keep her naked. I'll be back within the half hour." And he left to take Gloria to his room. "Are you uncomfortable being naked in public?" asked Mollie. "I feel kinda vulnerable," answered Rose. "But I want to dance. Whatever I have to do to dance, I'll do it." "So the striptease made it easier?" "Definitely. That was kind of fun." "You're still up for prostitution?" "Yes. I need to earn money, and I want to dance. Here I get lessons. I want one of those dance icons. That's my goal." "Do you like Mr. Eric?" "He's a good dancer. So the answer is yes. Besides-I'll have his card for at least two hours-that's $36 for me. I've never had that much money before in my life!" I barely took Eric twenty minutes. He returned with Gloria for the trophy-walk. She looked screwed over-naked, humiliated, and smiling wanly. He escorted her around the room, introducing her to the other guests, making sure that everybody knew he'd just fucked the dance teacher. Then, his time expired, he kissed her good night and let her go. Gloria reclaimed her clothes from Maxine. She walked back to her seat, kissing Mollie on the cheek, and shaking Jim's hand. She whispered a few words to Rose. She paid no attention to Eric as she left the room. The Negotiation A few weeks later Mollie and Jim met in a conference room at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. "I'm going to make an offer on the brothel," she began. "But it's complicated so I wanted to go through it in person. I have a written copy of the offer that I'll give you when I'm done. "First, there's no way the business is worth $500,000, or anywhere close to that. There is no real estate, or any other substantial property. The furnishings are worth something, but they're probably not sellable in Putaville. So I couldn't get much for any of that. All I'm really buying is the name and the software. "Frankly, the software is the most valuable part of the business. The card system, and the way that data is collected by wifi and then transmitted to Switzerland is very clever. Unfortunately, I don't think the data connection from Putaville to the outside world is very reliable. I've learned that some data goes missing, and then Mr. Lagarde is at the mercy of Elizabeth's or Ronaldo's memory. Still, it probably works 90% of the time. "In our previous meeting you estimated the breakeven point at 50% occupancy. That's way too low. That doesn't include the employees in Switzerland (there are two of them), nor a lot of the other costs. Healthcare for the hostesses runs about $10,000 per month, and that's a crucially important expense. Clothes are bought used in Japan and then shipped to Putaville. Clothing probably runs about $1,500 per month. Finally, he's got to fly in repairmen from Europe, first for all the IT infrastructure, and then for gym and kitchen equipment. That expense comes to about $2,000 per month. So the breakeven rate is more like 65%. With a 70% average occupancy rate, they're just barely making it. The Lagarde name is valuable, and I want exclusive rights to that name for any hotel, sex, or entertainment business worldwide. "So I'll offer $150,000 for the software, and $40,000 for the rest of the business. That's $190,000 total for the business." "He's asking for $490,000," said Jim. "I'm not sure he'll be interested in that offer." "So I'll listen to a counteroffer. But his original asking price is way out of line. If he insists on that or anything close to that, there's no deal. "There are some contingencies. Do you want to hear them now, or are you not interested?" "Let's hear it," said Jim. "First, a new lease has to be renegotiated before this can close. The terms have to be cheaper than what Mr. Lagarde now pays. As said, the business is already breakeven, so there's no way I can cover a rent increase. "Second, Mr. Lagarde needs to spend as long as a month with me in Putaville to show me the business. Ideally this happens before closing. "Finally, he needs to assist in the transfer of all data collection to Canada. This needs to be ready to go so that by closing the transition can be made by flicking a switch. "Please tell Mr. Lagarde that after closing I expect to invest an additional $300,000 in the hotel, to upgrade the facilities. The rooms look pretty run down-way below standard for the $1000 per night cost. I will also remodel some of the restaurant areas. That's another reason why I will need a discount on the rent. "Here is everything I've said in writing. Do you have any questions for me?" Jim looked over the signed offer. "What are you putting down as a deposit?" "Oh yes, I forgot. You'll see on the back page I said 10% down. That's $19,000. I've already paid $3,000 in nonrefundables. So here is a check for $16,000. As clearly stated in the offer, that amount is refundable unless I welsh on my end of the bargain." "OK," said Jim. "I think he'll want more money, but I'll forward the offer to him. Looking through this it seems you've been pretty clear." "I've had my lawyer draft it for me." "Just out of curiosity," asked Jim, "why do you want to buy a brothel in Putaville?" "I want to do good in the world, but I also don't believe in charity. At the end of the day, people need to earn a living. There aren't too many other ways for poor people in Putaville to put bread on the table. And it's better than that. Remember that Rose wants to be a dancer. So she's gonna get paid a whole lot (for her) AND get quality dancing lessons to boot. The downside is she has to be a prostitute, but there's no doubt that her life will be improved by this opportunity. "And I think I can run it so it makes some money. It'll be fun." There was some back and forth on the price. Eventually they agreed to $210,000. Mr. Lagarde and Mollie spent about three weeks in Putaville, during which a new 10-year lease was signed at $40,000 per year. The other terms of the offer were satisfied. Two months later Mollie was the proud owner of the Hôtel Lagarde et Spa.