Shanghaied

"I'm here to see to the release of my husband."

Chang looked up from his desk. He was very glad he did the petite blonde woman was very much worth looking at, a regular occidental pearl.

"Mrs. Hayes?"

The trim woman nodded "Release? Out of the question! He killed my best delivery man and gravely wounded his assistant, the second man's life hangs by a thread. The penalty for his sins must be death."

The woman's eyes grew large and pleading.

"But he is an American, not a heathen Chinaman! Does not England control this part of China? Doesn't the crown protect white folks?"

Chang's expression remained unruffled. If this was the woman's idea of a charm offensive...

"What did the American Embassy and the British Consulate tell you, Mrs. Hayes?"

"Those men were of no help whatsoever. They claimed, bizarrely, that they had no jurisdiction beyond the wall. That I would have to appeal to you directly."

"They spoke the truth, Madam. The Empire and I have an agreement. The entire Royal Armed Forces could never hope to pacify all of China. The Americans are even less inclined to attempt that task. As a result, the British, the Americans, the French, and all the rest have their own small spheres of influence and rely on strongmen such as me to maintain order for them in places where their forces fear to tread."

"But Benny is an American citizen!"

"Who committed his crimes and was captured within MY jurisdiction! Since his crime was committed here, he is bound by the laws here. Is not murder a serious offense in America?"

"Benny would NEVER kill another man, no matter the reason or temptation!"

"With all, due respect Madam, he was caught red-handed. His bloody hand and fingerprints were on the dead man's satchel!"

"That simply is not true!" replied the ivory-skinned woman.

"On THAT we disagree, Madam."

"But to kill a white man, like he was one of your rabble..."

"Mrs. Hayes!" Chang put in sharply. "Doesn't your Christian church and body of laws state that ALL lives are sacred?"

"Yes! Back in America and the civilized world."

"I can trace my ancestors back over two-thousand years, can you or any other "civilized" man say the same?"

"You MUST release my husband!" It was clear that she was bordering on hysteria.

"Mrs. Hayes, the fact that you had to come to this part of Shanghai on your own, without either a British or American representative to state your case aptly demonstrates how they feel about your husband's innocence. I have a free hand and my conscience is clear. GOOD DAY, MADAM!" Chang's focus returned to the paperwork on his desk.

"Wait," said Rebecca Hayes after a long angst-filled moment, "Can I at least see him? To speak to him. To get his side of this affair."

"Visitors must submit to a search, to ensure they are not hiding contraband or deadly substances like weapons or poisons."

The already pale woman blanched, her mind considering the full implications of the warlord's words.

"Fine!" she spat at last. "I MUST speak to Benny."

Chang made a motion to one of his guards. The man exited the room and returned almost immediately with two Chinese women in western dress. The women differed in age. One appeared to be just about Rebecca Hayes's age of twenty-two. The second was a bit taller and a bit stouter and resembled the younger one enough to possibly be her mother.

"Follow these women, Mrs. Hayes. You shall receive one hour with your husband and not a moment more." He turned over an hourglass upon his desk. Rebecca Hayes wiped her eyes and tried to get ahold of herself as she fell into step between the two Asian women.

As soon as the trio had exited the room, Chang strode a few paces along the wall of his office and opened a well-hidden door behind a fake bookshelf. It was the back of a two-way mirror and Mrs. Hayes, and Chang's women were just entering the search room.

"OK, Misses, take everything off and hand it to Mei," said the younger Chinese woman. "She will search your clothes and I, Sara, will search your person."

Rebecca Hayes bit her lower lip before her hands reached for the pins securing her feathered hat. The chapeau came loose and made its way to the reaching hands of Mei.

"Hurry, Misses, your time is short," offered Sara.

The flustered housewife picked up her pace, hastily unbuttoning her butternut dress top, separating the Bakelite buttons until they reached her navel. She tugged each sleeve out of the dress revealing her white cotton blouse beneath it.

Chang watched with keen interest. It was not often that he got to spy on foreign women while they were being searched. Those he did get to spy were usually slatternly streetwalkers and the like who had worn out their welcomes in the more sedate neighborhoods of Shanghai. Rebecca Hayes stepped out of the rest of her almost floor-length dress. With scarcely a pause, she unbuttoned the long cotton blouse that fell to the top of her thighs.

As far a Chang was concerned this is where things really got interesting. The buttons parted, revealing a lacy bandeau concealing a moderate bust and a trim toned figure. Mrs. Hayes had a delightful navel. The dress was off, leaving the young wife in just her bloomers, bandeau, stockings, and shoes. She bent and unbuttoned her shoes before stepping out of them. The hose came off next revealing lovely dainty feet with delicate high arches. Chang had to adjust his trousers.

Rebecca Hayes removed her bandeau, flushing with embarrassment as she did so. Behind the glass, Chang had trouble remembering when he had seen a finer pair of breasts. They were firm half-melons with light brown areolas and chance pink nipples. Lastly, she slid out of her silken bloomers, revealing to the world that she came by her golden locks naturally. Chang was dazzled. Mrs. Hayes's legs were well-turned and her figure hourglass. Stripped down like this, she resembled nothing so much as a captive wood nymph.

Why would a man run the risk of committing a crime when he had such a creature for his very own? Chang asked himself. The Chinese crime lord knew that if Rebecca Hayes was HIS wife, he'd get nothing done ever because he would never allow her out of bed except to eat and relieve herself!

Sara made the prisoner's wife endure the final humiliating steps. The young Chinese woman ran her fingers through the westerner's hair, had her open her mouth and raise her tongue and turn slowly with her arms extended, before donning surgeon gloves and probing her vagina and anus.

"You are clean, Misses," announced Sara.

Rebecca just harrumphed in response. Mei had finished with her clothes. Knowing that time was of the essence, Rebecca threw on her butternut dress, not bothering to put anything on under it, and said, "Now, take me to my husband!"

The concrete floor felt like ice beneath her bare feet. The Chinese women turned her over to a male guard who escorted her to a row of cells, where her husband, Benny sat forlornly in the middle one. His eyes grew large when he saw who was approaching.

"Honey! What are you doing here?"

Rebecca broke away from the guard and rushed up to Benny's cell. Her arms and hands embraced him through the bars. They exchanged a passionate kiss.

"I had to come, darling," replied Rebecca. "I had to hear what happened from your own lips. That foul man, Chang, and others have said that you killed a man. Surely there is some mistake?"

Benny had considerable trouble meeting his wife's inquiring look.

"My God! Then it is true?" she sputtered.

Benny turned red with shame and replied. "I didn't want to tell you. The business dad left me is failing. I don't need all that much to get out of debt. Only a few thousand to buy off my biggest creditors. I didn't tell you before we left on vacation because I didn't want you to worry. I wanted to protect you. On the ship over, I heard from some of the crew about Chang and his illicit currency exchange. I figured if I could just divert one package from one courier, I'd have enough money when we got back home to erase all my problems and give us both a fresh start. I never intended for things to get violent."

For a long moment, all Rebecca could do was stare. It was as if some magician had waved his wand and replaced her familiar, loving husband with an identical, perverse stranger!

"That explains why you were acting so strangely our entire time here. Darling, you killed a man! I don't know how to react, and that vile Chang intends to kill you!"

"Yes, I know. The embassy sent a lawyer. He gave me an encyclopedic history of western occupation in China and why all the western governments leave men like Chang alone. They keep the lid on this powder keg of a country. The fact that I'm guilty means there is nothing they can do for me. I've been written off by my own people to be left to the hands of the stinking Chinese horde!"

"Darling, it can't end like this! I'll talk to Chang, bargain with him. I refuse to believe that our marriage ends this way. You have made a mistake, a grisly one admittedly, but you were not right in the head. Money troubles fogged your thinking. Once you are out of here, we can work on this situation together. Even if you lose the business. Bankruptcy isn't the end of the world."

Benny sighed heavily, "Honey, it is hopeless. My insurance will probably payout. Look up my friend Todd Frederick from college. Remember him? I'm sure he fancies you. He's not much to look at but he's loaded."

"Darling! Don't talk that way!"

"I'm just being practical, 'Becca. Just because I've made a botch of things that doesn't mean I have to drag you down as well."

"Benny, stop this! You are NOT going to be executed. That is a promise!"

"It's you against the entire western world and the orient, Honey."

"It'll work out, Darling, you will see."

The guard loomed into view. "The boss says your time is over." He stated simply.

Rebecca kissed Benny deeply before allowing the guard to take her arm and lead her away. "I love you, darling, more than anything!" she cried as she blew her husband a kiss.

"I love you too, Honey!" he shouted back.

Rebecca was returned to the search room where only Sara waited. In a much-appreciated gesture, she found that the clothes she had removed were all laid out nicely on a bench.

Chang watched the beautiful woman redress herself. It was akin to watching a butterfly return to its chrysalis; decidedly anticlimactic. He was back at his desk well before Sara returned her to his office.

"Mr. Chang, what must I do to garner my husband's freedom?"

"His fate is sealed, Mrs. Hayes."

"There must be something I can do to make that possible. Neither Benny nor I have much money but..."

The Chinese gangster in charge of the area beyond the Shanghai wall took another long look at Mrs. Benjamin Hayes. Her loveliness was truly remarkable. The image of her exquisite young body in his bed came to mind unbidden. Chang had had his share of western women, but none compared to the woman standing in his office now. As soon as he allowed his mind to linger on that thought he dismissed it. Miscegenation was a step too far for a sedate American housewife, no matter how dire her current predicament. However, she could most probably be persuaded into a liaison that would greatly benefit Chang's operation. Killing her husband might, in fact, open a hornet's nest but here was an opportunity that could curie increased favor with the British government and ease the tension between his foot soldiers and those of the crown. It would be foolish of him to not exploit it.

"How much do you love your husband, Mrs. Hayes?"

"I would climb the highest mountain and swim the deepest seas for his sake!"

"Hold that thought, Mrs. Hayes, and return tomorrow at nine A.M. Alone. I will have a proposal for you to consider. Remember that your husband's fate hangs in the balance."

"I don't suppose you would give me a hint as to what you expect of me?"

Chang returned a stony silence. He read the emotion in Rebecca's clear blue eyes, she truly feared that Chang was after her virtue. "If she only knew!" he thought contentedly.

One of Chang's guards escorted Mrs. Hayes out of his office and placed her in a rickshaw with a reliable driver. The same one would be sent for her in the morning.

As soon as she was gone, Chang's office turned into a beehive of activity. The Chinese gangster dictated a telegram and Mei quickly rattled off the sizes of all Mrs. Hayes's clothes. An expensive order was dispatched to Shanghai's most elite department store. Before the evening was concluded there was an answer to the telegram. Chang practically purred. He'd buy off the dead courier's widow with a lush stipend and pray to the gods that the second one made a full recovery. Benjamin Hayes would find that he had wriggled out of one noose to find himself in another. Rebecca would never forgive him. Benjamin could never risk divorcing her. They would remain at odds but with no place to go, trapped with each other until the end of their days. "A lifetime of torture beats a quick, painless death every time!" said Chang to his underlings as he lit an expensive cigar.

The rikshaw returned Rebecca Hayes to Chang's office on the dot. It was clear that the woman had not slept well. A little beauty sleep would erase her haggard appearance.

"Ah, just in time, Mrs. Hayes!" offered Chang brightly.

"Don't toy with me, Mr. Chang. How must I debase myself?"

"Ahh coming right to the point. Shall we discuss this over tea?"

Rebecca nodded and Mei brought forth a teapot, scones, and two china glasses.

Rebecca took a sip of the tea, took a bite of her scone, and looked impatiently at Chang.

"I will not sleep with you, you vile man. Know that now. The idea of my person sullied by one of your sort, and your race, makes my skin crawl. I will do anything else to save my beloved Benny."

Chang's smile did not fade in the face of the insult. "Very good Mrs. Hayes for I have no carnal designs on you."

The beautiful blonde housewife emitted a sigh of relief.

"However," he quickly followed with, "This man feels otherwise."

Chang slid across the table a photo of an older distinguished-looking man in a British military uniform.

"This is Colonel Whitemarsh, the newly arrived commander of the British garrison. So far, our interactions have been respectful, almost formal. There is pressure upon him from his superiors to "bust some heads" in my section of town to demonstrate the superiority of the crown. Neither the colonel nor I want this as it will lead to weeks of unrest that does neither side any good. He is most amenable to a peace offer on my part; an entire evening and morning with a spectacularly beautiful and completely compliant western woman who is up for anything between the sheets, followed by a phony show of force that will give his superiors what they want without compromising me, and will, incidentally, liberate your husband while he is on his way to my gallows. The latter does not happen without the former."

The color drained from Rebecca's face. "Damn you!" she sputtered at last.

"That's not quite a "no," now is it Mrs. Hayes?"

The young wife stared at the floor for a long time before meeting Chang's eyes. The gangster watched the emotions dance across her face. She'd been prepared for everything, short of becoming a whore that much was clear. After a bit, Chang noted resignation overcome her countenance. Apparently, she really did love her husband more than her own life or her own virtue.

"I'll do it!" she spat in a bitter voice. "I MUST save Benny, no matter the cost."

"Excellent!" replied Chang, "You should soon begin to feel drowsy. I have a cot for you to lie down upon. A bit of rest will do you good. When you awake, my girls will prepare you for a night out on the town with an ever so proper British officer and a gentleman."

Rebecca yawned and the room spun around her.

She woke up several hours later on a cot, Sara was gently shaking her.

"You need to wake up, Misses. It is time to get you ready."

Rebecca sat up and stretched. She felt genuinely refreshed. Almost, but not quite, to the point of forgiving Chang for drugging her. She was in a corner of Chang's office but the man himself was nowhere to be found. Hanging nearby on a clothes tree was a lovely black dress and all the accessories, including pearls and lovely earrings.

"Follow me, Misses. First, we see to your bath."

Sara led Rebecca into an opulent bathroom where a steaming tub filled with bubbles was already prepared.

"You get undressed now, Misses," stated Sara softly yet firmly.

Rebecca realized that she had little choice. She knew that nothing of this day would be under her control since she awoke in the morning. She began to shed her conservative attire, a simple gray dress, hose, sensible shoes, bandeau, and bloomers.

Mei entered the room just as Rebecca was stepping into the tub. Over the next two hours, the Chinese women transformed the simple American housewife. They ran a straight razor over her legs from her toes to crotch and under her arms. Lastly, they tidied up and sharpened the angles of her blonde intimate triangle. They applied a lurid red lacquer to all twenty nails. They washed and dried her hair and brushed it until it glistened.

The clothes were brought in from the adjoining room. Rebecca had never seen underwear like this before. It consisted of one of the newfangled brassieres, fashioned out of black lace and matching panties cut in the French style. A garter accompanied these. Over this, she slid an incredibly thin but wonderful feeling full slip. The French silk stockings with the seams in the back went all the way up her thighs. The only time Rebecca had worn anything like them was at her wedding to Benny two years ago. Benny's mother, noting that Rebecca came from a poor family, had sprung for a wonderful imported English wedding dress inspired by those in vogue on the continent. That all seemed so long ago to Rebecca. For a transitory moment, as she studied her figure in the glass, she wished that Benny could see her now. Then she realized that she was being gussied up for a complete stranger's pleasure and chills ran down her spine. It was as if she was living in some macabre fantasy penned by Edgar Allan Poe! "Forgive me, Benny!" she said sadly as Mei produced the dress, and Rebecca stepped into it. The dress had a tight bodice that clung to her breasts as well as a bit of decolletage that exposed their tops! It also hugged her narrow waist and heart-shaped bottom!

"If I wore this in public back in Passaic, I'd get arrested!" exclaimed Rebecca.

Mei and Sara expertly applied makeup, making Rebecca's already attractive looks, positively stunning. Rebecca knew that she had never looked lovelier not even on her confirmation or her wedding day.

"I'm beautiful, but a whore nonetheless," she sighed.

Lastly, the pearls went around her neck, the earrings went into her lobes and a tasteful, jaunty black chapeau was placed gently atop her head at a rakish angle. She was led back into Chang's office. The gangster was there now. He whistled softly and had Rebecca Hayes perform a slow pirouette as he strove to hide his sudden insistent erection.

He allowed Rebecca to take a seat while he went over the details of her assignation. "You will introduce yourself to Colonel Whitemarsh in the gentlemen's smoking room of the Strand Hotel. I understand that, in keeping with the officer's code, he has an evening of entertainment planned for you before he squires you to his rooms at the Royal Arms. You will follow his lead. You have been on dates before, so I assume that you know how to keep a man interested. Be aware that I have eyes and ears in all parts of this city. The waiters, the cab drivers, the telegraph boys, the milkmen, every profession you can imagine. Under no circumstances shall you tell the colonel about your husband or his situation. If you do, Mr. Hayes will not survive the night. Is that clear?"