She remembered Peter liked to pinch. And bite. Not cute little love nips, either. Full, hard bites. A couple of times he drew blood. But Juniper didn't complain. He was a friend of her boss, Nieto. More than a friend. He said they were partners.

Juniper knew Peter ran his own side business too. She saw him take some of her friends' home. There were some she saw afterward, but a few of the women she never saw again. Later, they were reported missing. No one ever followed up on that, to her knowledge. In her line of work, no one much cared what happened to them, dead or alive.

Juniper recognized how unsustainable this was, and wanted her lifestyle to come to end. However, her boss wouldn't allow it. He was a police officer, and had arrested her for solicitation years ago. Before releasing her, he made her an offer:

-Work for me, and you won't get picked up again

-Don't work for me, and you'll rot in here

She had been in his employ ever since. On occasion, he rented her out to his friends. Peter was one of the friends who requested her out more than once.

Each time, he drove them to the Coach Inn. Juniper hated the trips more than anything. The creep played Frank Sinatra songs the whole drive. Not like she had anything against the songs themselves, but at one point in her life, she had loved dancing and crooning along to each melody. The day she had slid into Peter's car only to hear him blasting those same songs ruined them for her.

On one trip, he brought her to his home for the first and last time. Like every time, she allowed him to pinch and prod. Before things got too heated, she kissed him to established an emotional connection. Once his eyes were closed and he was centered in on thoughts of her, she projected his wants and needs into his mind, enabling her quiet deception of just look, don't touch.

Once he'd finished, Peter announced he didn't feel like driving her home. Which suited Juniper fine, because she would rather die than listen to him belt out, "Fly Me to the Moon" again. Still, she didn't want to stay overnight at his place. There were other people in his house. She could sense flickers of their emotions. Their signatures weren't strong; she figured they were upstairs, or in his basement. The feelings they emitted left her wondering what exactly he was doing to them. Hunger, despair, terror, boredom were broadcasting in various levels. She pictured the missing women, and figured they weren't really missing at all. Not for Peter.

Juniper didn't want to become another missing person. She didn't want her life, period. Running away wouldn't solve much. Nieto controlled a vast resource of informants, and she would easily be found. There was one way out of her life, and she found herself excited at the thought.

"Can you call Nieto for me? He'll pick me up."

Peter seemed annoyed at her suggestion, but nodded and ambled off to another room, presumably to complete the call.

Several minutes later, Peter called from his office, "Nieto's coming to pick you up."

Juniper was in the bathroom cleaning up. She buttoned up her shirt and ran a comb through her hair. In his fantasy, Peter constantly pulled at her hair, so she made sure to muss it appropriately to sustain the ruse that they'd actually slept together.

"Okay, thanks," she called back.

~*~

Nieto arrived two hours later. He honked his car horn, and Juniper met him outside.

Once she was in his car, Nieto held out his hand.

"Money."

She dropped three crumpled 50's into his hand.

"You really should charge him full price."

Nieto was straightening out the bills, but he stopped when she spoke.

"Excuse me?"

"He's too rough."

She recalled the pinching, hair pulling, and other ways he had imagined hurting her. If she hadn't mentally tricked him, her body would've been covered in bruises.

He shook his head and resumed counting. "You look fine to me." Then, he dropped a bomb on Juniper that caused her to recoil. "Peter wants you back next week. He's  offerin' more than full price. You're gonna be his girl now."