Chapter 9

I parked my somewhat old, slightly beat-up Toyota Corolla behind the Spearmint Rhino under one of the few trees in the parking lot. I was making great money now, and I really wanted a flashy new sports car, but since I was still living with Mom and Dad, I didn’t want to look too suspicious. The air conditioner worked great, though, and that was all that really mattered in the hot, humid Dallas climate.

Lucius, the huge security guard, gave me an appreciative smile and a crisp high-five as I entered the back of the Rhino. I was in a good mood, happy to be earning some real money and having some fun, and I convinced myself that nothing would bring me down tonight – not bad customers, not my bitchy coworkers, not anything.

I entered the dressing room and saw a couple of girls I knew and said hi, but they seemed a bit standoffish, which, of course, wasn’t unusual. I set my bag down at my station and went over to check the schedule. And ... I wasn’t on it. I’d been working five days a week for the last three weeks, and I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Then, I saw a sticky note with my name on it at the bottom of the schedule.

Madi cum see me when you get in. Tony

I could barely make out the scribbles; it looked like something written by a kindergartner. That kinda explained the funny looks I got from the other dancers, maybe. I got my bag and walked back to his office.

Am I in trouble or something? Nothing was wrong when I left last night ... what the hell is up?

I knocked on Tony’s open door and stepped inside his office.

“Yeah, hey, Madi. Come in, come in, and oh, uh, shut the door, would ya? Thata girl ... yeah, I wanna talk to you about something ... sit down, yeah, get comfortable, be comfortable. Hey, you doin’ alright, doin’ good, are ya?”

“Yes, Tony, I’m doing fine.” I tried to keep a little of the condescension out of my voice and gave him my best fake smile. What’s going on? He seems ... strange ... like he’s...

When I sat down in the chair in front of his desk, I saw a mirror with white lines of powder on it amongst the chaotic mess of papers on his desk. I quickly averted my eyes. I’d never done drugs of any kind, but I knew them when I saw them. That would make sense of the weird, fast-talking thing he was doing right now.

“Yeah, great, that’s so great. So it looks like you have been doing really well here, makin’ lots of money, and hey ... the customers like you. They tell me they love you, even.”

“It’s working out well so far, and I’m learning a lot from Raven and the other girls,” I said hesitantly. Enough small talk. “Okay, so why isn’t my name on the roster for today?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll get to that, but there’s an issue we need to discuss.”

“Ummm ... okay.”

“I hear you’re getting pretty popular in the VIP room. You know...” he leaned back in his chair, picking up his cigar from its ashtray, “ ... if you get a cop in there, we can get a ten-thousand-dollar fine for solicitation. We get too many of those, and I’m closed down. I can’t have that.”

Time to play dumb. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about blow jobs, cocks outside of pants, fucking ... don’t play stupid with me.”

He knows more than I ever imagined. “If that’s what’s going on in the VIP room, I’m not the only one doing it,” I hissed. “Why am I here? Why am I being singled out?”

“I’m telling you, as well as all the other bitches out there, to be careful.”

“You want men through the door and spending money. That’s what they want once they get here, Tony.” I paused for a moment. “And unlike some of the other girls, I don’t fuck in there,” I said honestly. If the money was right, I was willing to give hand jobs or even blow jobs, provided they agreed to wear a condom, in the VIP room. Occasionally, if the guy was into it, I’d let him go down on me. But, just like Raven, I wasn’t willing to have sex.

“You’re taking care of the guys, and you’re bringing in consistent clientele, girly. So I’m gonna look the other way as long as you don’t get caught.”

Good, I’m not in any real trouble. Just a slap on the wrist, a warning. “I’ll be careful, I promise, super careful.” I paused for a moment. “I need to go get ready, gotta earn my keep.” Just as I was about to stand up, he stopped me.

“One other thing, if I’m going to look the other way, I need a little quid pro quo. I need to see your technique.”

“My ... what?” And what the hell is quid pro quo?

“C’mon, girl, you’re not stupid. Get with the program, and show me your technique.” Tony pushed his chair back from the table, his legs spread wide open.

I sat there, incredulous. He wants me to ... to ... blow him? That’s disgusting.

“That is if you still want to work here. And don’t even think about going anywhere else. We owners have a list, you know, we keep a list of the girls who cause problems and don’t behave.”