Chapter 4

We were met in the parking garage by Pam. Wow! She’s hot! She’s wearing the shortest miniskirt I’ve ever seen and a nearly transparent blouse. She greeted us and Donna gave her a list of the clubs we’re going to try to visit today. Since our start was delayed by the sheriff and the recovery and clean up afterward we decided it’s late enough to start with the strip joints after all. Pam led us to the limo, put her hand on the handle to open the back door but turned and said, “What you two and Tony are doing is fantastic. Everyone I’ve talked to this morning is grateful as hell. We all appreciate it.”

Donna replied, “Thank you. I’d like to take some of the credit but it’s Tony you have to thank. We’re just doing what little we can to help.”

“Yeah, I know it’s mostly Tony. But I also know the primary reason he’s doing what he’s doing is because of you two. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

Pam opened the door and I climbed in and slid over. Before she got in, Donna said to her, “Just like all the girls I cycled through all the clubs on a regular basis. I’ve worked in all the places Chapman owned and I know the people running them. But if you can tell me anything you think could help me to deal with them I’d appreciate it. I’ve dealt with them all but my relationship with them was very one sided. I have opinions of them, and I’ve had sex with them more times than I care to remember. But I never had conversations with them. I just did whatever I was told.”

Pam looked down at our itinerary for a moment. She thought about it for a moment and finally said, “You’re starting out with one of the worst. From what I’ve heard, Anderson is a real asshole, probably the worst of the bunch. I guess it’s a tossup between Anderson and Scott, the manager at the last stop on the list. Since you’re starting with Anderson I’d recommend you put him in his place right from the start. Preferably where a lot of people can hear it. Don’t even try to be diplomatic or he’ll walk all over you. Let the word get out you aren’t taking shit from any of them. And believe me, word is going to get out.

“Everyone will know you’re coming by the time you leave Anderson’s club and they all know Tony is backing you. They’ve all heard rumors of what Tony did yesterday and I can promise you he has a lot of fans. I don’t think I ever met anyone who didn’t wish Chapman were dead. Tony made a lot of dreams come true yesterday. Including mine and I didn’t even have to work in a strip club or a whorehouse. I spent a lot of time with Chapman’s cock in my mouth or my pussy, but unlike most of you poor women he kept me to himself. He dressed me in this next to nothing uniform and paraded me around like a trophy. But I never had sex ... I only got raped by Chapman.”

That sounds like good advice to me but I never met any of these people and except for once or twice when I was so sickened by the people abusing me in the last few days that I lost it I’ve never had the nerve to stand up to anyone in my life. I don’t know about Donna. I heard her tell a couple of men off at the farm. She really impressed me. Maybe knowing Tony has our backs, and knowing these people know Tony has our backs will help.

Pam drove us to the first club, The Heartbreakers. She parked out front and started to get out. Donna stopped her when she said, “Pam, you’re welcome to join us if you’re curious. But if you’re just getting out to open the door for us, please don’t. We aren’t the sort of people who ride around in limos. You’ll just make me uncomfortable.”

Pam turned in her seat to look at Donna and replied, “I appreciate the offer. But allow me to suggest that at least for as long as you’re going around town laying out the new rules in all these dens of iniquity it might give you a slight advantage if anyone should happen to see you being treated like someone with power.”

Donna thought about it for a few seconds before she smiled and said, “You may be right. Thank you. But only until we get to the end of that list.”

“Okay. We can argue about it again later. I don’t need to come in. Chapman made me go with him to all these places far too often. I’ve seen enough naked women to last me a lifetime.”

She got out then. She went around and opened the door for us, wished us good luck and got back in the car. As we approached the door a guy opened it and nodded at Donna. She said, “Hey Earl, how’s business?”

Instead of answering he exclaimed, “Damn, Donna! We heard Chapman shipped you out to the farm! You okay? We were worried about you.”

“I’m fine, Earl. Sorry if I had you worried.”

“I’m just glad the rumor was a crock of shit. We like having your sexy ass around.”

“It wasn’t a rumor, Earl. Chapman sent me out there to make one of those snuff movies. Tony came busting in and saved my ass at just about the last second. I owe that man my life.”

Earl shook his head and said, “Damn! I wanna hug your ass so bad! But if I did Anderson would catch me bigger than shit. And you know his position on that sort of thing. ‘The help better keep their hands off his fuckin’ pussy!’ I can’t wait to see what he’s like once you take him down a notch or two.”

Earl opened the door a little more before he seemed to remember what Donna asked him when we walked up and said, “It’s still early. Not much going on in there. The girls are still getting ready to open. He turned and smiled at me but then did a double take and asked Donna, “This ain’t Anna’s little girl is it?! Christ! She looks just like her!”

“Sure is. Chapman sent her out to the farm with me. He was going to put her to work but Tony saved her ass, too. There was also a bus load of new girls out there getting broken in. He brought them back into town and found them a place to stay while he has some people who know what they’re doing find out how messed up they are and what they need to get put back together.”

“Has Tony taken to wearing a cape and tights? Sounds like he’s going around saving everyone but me.”

She chuckled and replied, “Sorry to disappoint you, Earl. He still dresses like always. But he took over from Chapman and he’s going to make a lot of changes around here. Changes for the better. And we’re starting with that asshole Anderson. And let’s face it, Earl, you’re hopeless. Do me a favor if you don’t mind. Stay back out of the way but follow us in and stay nearby in case he gets pissed and starts taking swings at me. He does like to hit.”

“Yeah, but only the women. I’ve never seen him hit a man. Fuckin’ coward. Yeah, I’ll be happy to hang around. I’m lookin’ forward to seeing him taken down a peg or two. You’ll make sure Anderson don’t give me any shit about it later, right?”

“I’d do anything for you, Earl. You’ve saved my ass from drunken assholes in here dozens of times.”

It’s still very early. No music is playing, no women are dancing. There are attractive young women going around getting tables ready wearing only a tiny patch of bright cloth no bigger than an eyepatch over their pussies. That’s their entire wardrobe!

I whispered to Donna, “How can they get away with that?! That has to be illegal!”

“Yeah, it is. If you have any questions ask the sheriff the next time you see him. He’s a frequent visitor to this club and most of the others on our list. Believe it or not he likes looking at naked women. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Donna asked Earl to lock the door. She promised to get this over with as quickly as possible. While he was doing that, Donna turned back, raised her voice and asked all the women to gather in front of the stage. We walked over and climbed up on the stage. The women didn’t know what to do. They looked at each other and at Earl but then slowly began to gather in front of the stage.

When they were closer, Donna said, “Thanks. I’d rather not shout. I’m not good at it.”

At that moment a man, Mr. Anderson I assume, came rushing out of a door in the back and as he made his way toward the stage he yelled, “What in the hell do you think your doing, you stupid cunt?! I thought Chapman sent you out to the damn farm! I’m going to correct that oversight, you stupid bitch!”

Donna smiled sweetly. Then, quietly and calmly she said, “You don’t keep up with current events do you, Anderson?”

“That’s Mr. Anderson or Sir! Are you drunk, Donna?!”

She chuckled and said, “You really are out of the loop, aren’t you?! Jesus, Anderson, are you the only asshole in town who doesn’t know Chapman is no longer in charge around here?!”

I don’t know what he had in mind but he started for the stairs up to the stage. He only got about six feet before Earl stepped in front of him. He growled, “Are you out of your fucking mind, too?! Get the hell out of my way!”

“You need to calm down, Mr. Anderson. Listen to her. There was a coup yesterday. Chapman is gone. Tony’s in charge now. Donna and ... I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t think I got your name.”

“Blair.”

“Donna and Blair are Tony’s deputies. If you don’t want to be out of a job or buried out where the farm used to be before someone burned it down, you’d better calm the fuck down.”

He gaped at Earl for a long moment before exclaiming, “You’re shittin’ me, right?!!”

“No sir. Chapman and all the men closest to him are ... they’re gone. They went to a place you can’t come back from. Tony took over and intends to clean up Chapman’s act. Why don’t we let the ladies say what they came to say and we can talk after they leave.”

Donna smiled and said, “Thank you, Earl.”

Then she looked around at the strippers, waitresses and prostitutes and said, “Ladies, first let me apologize. I know almost all of you but this is the first time since high school I’ve had to address a bunch of people. If I sound nervous it’s because I am. For those of you who don’t know me I was one of Chapman’s girls until he no longer had any girls. The little hottie standing beside me is Anna’s daughter, Blair.”

My identity resulted in a few loud gasps.

“None of you look surprised to learn Chapman has been replaced. Most, if not all of you know Tony. But I doubt if you know the real Tony. He played a swaggering asshole because if he didn’t Chapman wouldn’t want him around. Whether or not anyone ever noticed it he did what little he could to look out for you. The reason he staged his coup was to save my life. Chapman sent me to the farm to make a snuff film when he caught me trying to warn Blair about him. I was tied to a chair in the snuff shed. The horrible way in which I was about to be killed had just been explained to me in gruesome detail. At the very last moment before the torture leading to my murder began, Tony slammed the door open, came in and shot everyone in the room but me. I will, of course, deny that I ever said that.

“He untied me, drove back to town at about twice the speed limit and took out Chapman and the worst of his henchmen. He made it clear to everyone he was taking over and we raced back out to the farm. He closed it down, got all the women out of there and told the men he’d let them know if they still have jobs, if they want to work for him.

“There are going to be some big changes around here. If you were one of the women Chapman forced into the business you are now free to leave. If you decide to stick around you’ll find that working conditions have changed considerably. No one will ever again be forced into the business like I was or like more than a few of you were. Also, from now on you’ll be getting paid a decent wage. He has some people in finance looking into what women in our line of work typically earn.

“We’ve all experienced years of being humiliated and abused by customers and supervisors alike.”

She glared at Anderson for a moment. She continued to look directly at him and continued, “That won’t happen again. You will be treated with respect. And if anyone, supervisor or customer hits you or forces you to do something against your will Tony will make sure that never happens again, either.

“If some of you are okay with stripping but don’t want to pull tricks anymore you won’t be forced. It’s too soon to be able to provide any details. The details are being worked out now but that’s the gist of it. Keeping in mind that it’s still very early and we’re still working everything out, does anyone have any questions you think I might be able to answer?”

We stood up on stage looking around at the women. They all look stunned. There was total silence for a long moment before one of the women said, “I think we all heard about the coup and vague rumors about what happened to Chapman. We didn’t realize Tony intended to treat us like human beings. I assumed ... I think all of us assumed nothing would change in our lives. I would have sworn that if offered the opportunity to put my clothes on and leave I would have run, not walked to the door. It’s weird, though. I’ve been working at Chapman’s clubs since I quit school at the ripe old age of sixteen. That was eight years ago. This is the only job I’ve ever had. It was either this or live under an overpass and starve. I like to eat. If we’re going to start earning a living wage and we’ll be treated like human beings ... I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think I have to stick around and see what it’s like!”

“We would, of course, hope most if not all of you come to that conclusion. We’d be out of business without you. But having worked for Chapman for about eight years I can certainly understand anyone wanting out of this life. As difficult as it may be to admit, though, I know for a fact that some of us came to enjoy this life. Parts of it can be very exciting. And now, with a guarantee that the abuse will stop immediately and the pay will start, ... anyway, please give it some thought. Talk it over among yourselves and let me or your supervisor know what you decide. Most of you have my cell phone number. If you don’t have it ask the woman standing next to you. She can probably give it to you. If you want to ask me a question or if you just want to talk I promise I’ll try to answer you honestly and completely. Give me a call. I mean it, even if you just want to talk.”

We walked down the steps and over to where Anderson is standing looking very confused. She walked right past him saying, “Let’s go to your office.”

The women went back to getting the place ready to open. The three of us crossed to the door on the other side of the large room from which Anderson appeared when he heard Donna call all the women over to the stage. We entered his office. He offered us seats and he sat behind his desk. Donna went back over all the changes with him, stressing things you might have thought went without saying such as treating the women with respect, not forcing them to do some of the particularly nasty things his customers are known for but stressing that his propensity for slapping around his women will no longer be tolerated. Throughout her explanation of all the new rules he sat there silently glaring at her.

When she finished she asked if he has any questions. Still glaring he shook his head. After a brief pause she said, “You slapped me around more than a few times, especially when I was new and traumatized by being forced to become a stripper and a whore. You enjoyed the hell out of it and made no attempt to hide it. All those women out there have my phone number. If I get one call from someone you mistreated in any way ... I don’t believe I need to finish that sentence. The buildings at the farm are gone. They were burned to the ground. But there’s still a lot of land out there that could use fertilization.”

Anderson obviously realized that wasn’t an idle threat. The glare disappeared from his face.

Donna stood up and said, “Let’s go, Blair. We have a lot of stops to make and Mr. Anderson has some soul searching to do.”

We left his office. He didn’t see us out. He didn’t even get to his feet. On the way back across the room I said, “I’m disappointed. I wanted to see a strip show.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll have several more chances. I’d offer to stick around for a while but that took a lot longer than I planned. I figured Anderson would require a little extra time. I really hope he screws up soon so he can be replaced.”

Earl opened the door for us. Donna told him to call her if Anderson gives him any problems. We said goodbye and Pam hurried around to open the limo door for us.

Donna shook her head and exclaimed, “Damn it Pam! This is so wrong!” Pam smiled and replied, “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say ma’am.”

Donna and I both laughed. As soon as Pam got behind the wheel she looked at us in the mirror and asked us how it went with Anderson.

Donna chuckled and replied, “He pretty much kept his mouth shut but he glared at us the entire time we were in there. Personally, I hope he screws up. I’d like to see him out of there. I bet I could talk Tony into making one last snuff film.”

All three of us laughed at that.

Our next three stops were an entirely different experience. Two of the people in charge at the next three strip clubs are women. They didn’t seem happy about the changes. I guess they saw it as a loss of personal control. But by the time we left they had obviously accepted the changes Tony is putting place. Or at least they were giving lip service to get us out of there. I guess we’ll find out before very long if they’re going along with the new program.

The man in charge of the fourth club on the list was more than civil and obviously pleased about the change of command. These people know Tony but not well. They do know how much they hated and feared Chapman, though. To various degrees all the managers were friendly or at least civil and accepted the changes Tony is putting in place. I suppose at least a couple of them were unhappy to learn one of the women they’ve been abusing and humiliating all these years is now in a position to ruin their lives.

We gathered the women in each of the clubs and Donna gave them the same talk she gave in the first club we visited. By the time we got to the third club on the list the women didn’t seem as dazed. Word of our visit to the first two clubs seems to be getting around. They had more questions about specifics, especially about what they’ll be getting paid.

Donna had to keep explaining that Tony has people in the finance office looking into it. They’re calling similar places of business around the country to come up with a fair pay scale for the various services they provide. As soon as they have the figures they’ll all be informed.

It wasn’t until we got to the third club that I finally saw a stripper in action. I was fascinated! I watched her up on that stage oozing sexuality and apparently enjoying herself and it struck me. My mother did that for more than half my life! And had it not been for Tony saving my ass Chapman intended to put me to work in these clubs. If I survived the farm I would be stripping, serving drinks while wearing nothing but one of those tiny eyepatches over my pussy, getting groped by every man I came near and having sex with total strangers in a back room, all for much less than minimum wage.

That’s a terrifying prospect. And yet there’s a little place in the back of my mind that really wonders what it would be like. I stared at the woman dancing around and taking her clothes off on stage to entertain a handful of men until Donna slapped my ass and I realized she’s been trying to get my attention for several minutes. I turned to look at her.

She’s laughing. She took my arm and pulled me to the door. As soon as we stepped outside she stopped and with a huge smile on her face she said, “That fascinated you, didn’t it? Would you like to try it?”

I took a deep breath and thought about it. Finally, I answered, “I don’t know. It ... it looks exciting. When I was watching that woman, watching her move, looking at the expression on her face, I found myself thinking my mother did that ... that and serve drinks in a tiny thong and take men into the back and have sex with them. And if I survived the farm I’d have been doing those things. My reaction wasn’t what I would have expected. The woman dancing on that stage was so sexy and looking at her face I’d swear she looked excited, like she was enjoying herself. You’ve done that Donna. Was she really faking it? What’s it really like?”

She chuckled, shook her head and said, “We can talk about it when we get home. I will admit some of the women do get excited dancing like that. I’ll even admit that I did if I wasn’t already exhausted. We can talk about it later over a strong drink. It will be easier for me to be honest with some alcohol in me. For now, we still have two more strip clubs to visit. I want to get them done before we go back to the office.”

We went over to the limo. Pam is standing there holding the door open and grinning. As we approached she looked at Donna and said, “I get the impression someone just saw her first strip show.”

“Yeah, and I almost had to get the bouncer to help me pull her away so we could leave!”

Pam’s grin widened. She said to me, “Don’t be embarrassed, Blair. I had the same reaction when I saw my first few strippers in action. I was fascinated and aroused and terrified in just about equal parts. I was tempted to ask Chapman if I could try it out.”

I’m relieved it isn’t just me.

On the way to the fifth club I asked Donna, “Where do all those women live? If they aren’t getting paid ... how do they live?”

“They get paid. Just not anywhere near enough to live on. Your mom got by because when he stole her house from her he agreed to let her live there without paying rent. She didn’t have any choice, really. She could have let the mortgage company take it but you guys would have been homeless and Chapman would have been pissed. You’ve already learned how good he was at making peoples lives a living hell. Nobody in this town wanted to piss that asshole off.

“Most of the women live three or four to an apartment or a cheap rental house if they can find one. I lucked out because my house actually belongs to my grandfather. He lets me live there and he’s a fiery old fart. I have to pay him rent but it’s nowhere near what it would cost to rent the same house if someone else owned it. When Chapman framed me he looked into taking the house and decided it wouldn’t be worth all the trouble that old man would make for him. He never actually said it but I always assumed he was waiting for my grandfather to die. Then he was going to take my house.”

A few minutes later Pam pulled up in front of club number five on her list. This one is obviously different than the previous four. There are no signs advertising live nude women. There aren’t any signs at all! This one is obviously a high-class place. The cars in the parking lot are all limos or expensive foreign sedans. Pam parked by the door, let us out and then pulled forward so she wasn’t blocking the door.

Donna explained, “This was Chapman’s flagship, his pride and joy. It’s a private club. Perverts from all over the east coast and beyond visit our little city to enjoy Chapman’s hospitality. Some of them even travel here from overseas and stay in the very expensive hotel in the back. For more than a few of them this is a vacation destination. This place offers nude women, sex shows, gambling and sex with his hottest and youngest girls. And I do mean youngest. You would almost certainly have been working here. I’ve heard you can get girls here in their early teens if you know the right people and have a thick enough wallet.”

“Do you think Tony will change that?”

She shrugged and said, “He didn’t say and I didn’t have the nerve to ask. Tony has been pretty good to us. Well, except for that first day. But now that I’ve gotten to know him a little better I suspect he thought he was doing us a favor, getting us prepared for a week at the farm and getting you ready for life as a prostitute. Just like everyone else in this fucking town he had to do what Chapman told him.

“Tony told us more than once he’s a pervert and I believe him. Hell, after what I’ve been doing for a living for the last eight years I’ve come to believe most men are perverts to one degree or another. A surprising number of women, too, now that I think about it. Tony is a strong, dominant man. But he has a soft side he keeps well hidden. And he has a conscience.”

Before we entered the first clubs on our list I had been curious more than anything else. Now, as we’re about to enter the one club which is obviously not a dive and certainly doesn’t cater to the same people who frequent those lower-class places, I’m more intimidated than curious. There’s no one around to hear me but I whispered to Donna, “Have you ever been in here?”

She smiled and as cool as a cucumber she replied, “No. I either wasn’t pretty enough or wasn’t young enough to work this club. But I’ve been to the farm. These people can’t scare me after that.”

I chuckled and I understand what she’s saying but I still feel tense. It doesn’t help me calm down that I know I’m not dressed for a fancy place like this.

The door was opened as we neared it and a handsome man in a suit even an unsophisticated rube like me can see is very expensive greeted us warmly. “Donna, I heard you were coming. It’s great to see you again! I don’t know if you remember me. We met now and then when I was working around at the other clubs before I got promoted thanks to my experience at clubs in Vegas and I ended up here. And you must be Blair. You’re every bit as lovely as you were described to me. I’m Paul Butler, the manager. Please call me Paul. Come in. Let me show you around and then we can go to my office and talk.”

Wow! We’re not accustomed to being welcomed like that! We entered and passed through a warm, comfortably furnished foyer. A man standing just inside the door smiled and welcomed us to the club. We followed Paul through another door and came to a stop. The first thing which caught my eye was the waitresses. The only thing they’re wearing is extremely high heeled shoes. They’re all breathtakingly beautiful and they all look about my age give or take a year or two.

Another thing which is immediately noticeable and distinguishes this club from the others is that the music isn’t so loud it hurts my ears. The next thing which caught my attention is that as many as a quarter of the customers are women!

Paul pointed out other things about this club which set it apart from the others. They serve food! Real food, not fast food. He pointed to the door in the back which leads to the casino and another door leading to the attached hotel. He also pointed out the two stages which normally feature dancers or various other shows such as comedians or singers.

He explained that only a few waitresses are circulating at the moment. It has been explained to the customers that the club is now under new management and representatives of the new manager are coming to briefly explain a few changes which will result. Normal service will resume shortly.

He led us down a corridor to a small theater where almost everyone is already assembled and waiting for us. Donna turned to him and explained, “Neither me nor Tony, the new man in charge, is very familiar with this club. Outwardly it doesn’t appear that the same problems which need to be overcome at the other clubs exist here. Or am I wrong?”

Paul smiled and said, “Mr. Chapman is ... was, one of the most detestable, disgusting men I have ever met. When he first tried to have me run this place more like his other clubs I refused. When I started to leave he very reluctantly agreed to let me run this club in the manner I’m accustomed to running an upscale club like this. Don’t misunderstand, sex is still a large part of the draw here. But no one works here involuntarily. I won’t permit that. Everyone is well paid and has benefits.

“In the eight years I’ve been running this place there has been only one scandal. Sheriff Holms came to see me a couple of years ago and informed me someone working in the hotel in the back has been selling the services of young girls to our customers. That man was immediately dismissed and I’ve made his identity known to all my contacts in the business. I don’t know what happened to him. The sheriff didn’t arrest him even though he seemed to have more than enough evidence. I imagine he’s still doing something illegal for a living but I’ve done everything I could to see to it he never gets another job.”

“Paul, I get the impression you’re running this club much like we intend to run all the others. Your employees seem happy. They are already getting paid well and have benefits. Perhaps you could advise us as we try to make the other clubs more like this. Not quite as fancy, of course. Fancy would tend to put off our largest customer base. But we’re determined to see that the women working for us are treated with respect and paid well.”

He smiled and said, “That’s what I’ve heard. That’s why I’m so happy to see you and discover that is, indeed, your intention. I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can.”

“Thank you. Apparently we’ve disturbed your service staff for no reason. If I give you my number will you give it to them and ask them to call me if at any time they have any questions, suggestions or any problems? I guess you can let them get back to work.”