Chapter 10

It took Claire Stillman seven years, endless bureaucratic meetings, and several significant under-the-table gratuities but she was finally able to get a state license for Pink Pussy to qualify as a casino. One of only 20 in Iowa that weren’t on Native American land.

She had moved her-long running poker game into Pussy. Once the casino license was granted, she installed video poker machines throughout the cavernous room. She didn’t want dealers and noisy slot machines and keno and other distractions. Gambling was lucrative, but pussy was more so.

The county fire commissioner had set the Pussy capacity at 750, including guests and staff. Claire developed a friendly relationship with the appointed official, Leroy Perkins. On his monthly visit, Consuela slipped an envelope with $500 worth of 20s to Commissioner Perkins. In addition, he received a free blowjob, tips included.

Claire told Consuela, “Comp him on a trailer-visit if he ever hints at it.”

Thus during peak weekend hours, Pussy often had close to a thousand patrons. Usually a little under a third of them were women.

Having grown up in a world surrounded by pussy, Claire learned to see the working girls as individuals as well as a commodity. Her mother had told her, “Look, they’re mostly silly little cunts, not that bright. But they’re people, real people, with dreams and feelings and emotions.”

“I know, Connie.”

Claire had instilled that same understanding in her own children. Even before Willow and Luke were old enough to start having sex, she had them walking the property with her. Taking the time to talk with housekeepers, waitresses, strippers. Learning their names, the names of their children.

Willow and Luke were polite by nature, even more so with the whores. Claire told them, “Being nice, treating them decently, is the right thing to do.” She winked, “It’s also good for our bottom line. Our whores are surprisingly loyal to me. It’s a fickle business with a massive turnover. But our local girls — some have been with our family for over 20 years.”

Willow, the young cynic, said, “Free housing doesn’t hurt.”

“It certainly doesn’t. But the little things add up too. Remembering birthdays, health insurance, unexpected bonuses.”

Luke, perceptive even as a youngster, said, “And just treating them nice.”

“Exactly, honey.”

Claire knew that she’d have to keep an eye on her daughter. Willow had a mischievous streak and like to toy with the whores from time to time. Claire usually let it go.

Claire implemented that philosophy of benevolent dictatorship with real-world action. When Willow and Luke were old enough to appreciate sex, she gifted them with as wide a variety as Four Corners could provide. Sexy teenagers, mothers, grandmothers. Skinny, shapely, plump.

And, Claire continued it to this day by making sure the ones who gave Luke his 6 AM blowjob ran the gamut — age, appearance, proclivities. She made sure that a woman like 56-year-old Rosa Daniels, mother of five, could get him off just as easily as her 14-year-old daughter, Milly.

And, the practice extended beyond the Stillman family. Claire, much to her mother’s surprise, experimented with a similar variety at Pink Pussy. Claire’s instincts had been right. Yes, the circuit girls were the most popular. They were almost interchangeable — between 18 and 30. In good shape, attractive. But there was a set to their faces, a lack of sparkle. A hardness that came from traveling throughout the Midwest and being objectified in city after city. Hotel rooms, restaurant food, being treated like a commodity.

But Claire’s local whores, her residential whores, were also in demand. They seemed, most of them, to be more real, less packaged. They might not all be as pretty, as hard-bodied as the circuit girls, but they were naturally friendly and more open.

Which, given the current situation with Teeny Delgado, was a blessing. To implement Luke’s plan, the Stillmans would have to rely even more on their local talent. Which meant an aggressive hiring policy. Moving staff from housekeeping and waitressing to providing pussy for the unending stream of customers.

Ending the contract with the circuit girls would cost the Stillmans some money, no question. But, if they could hire an array of new talent, Pink Pussy should continue to be the cash cow of Four Corners.