Page 3 of Search My Soul
“Damn, girl, you cleaned up tonight,” Rayna commented as I stuffed the last of my money in my duffel bag. I handled money so much that I could tell how much was in a stack just by looking at it. Tonight, I made about forty-five hundred dollars, which was great for a weekday. There were a few hustlers in the house, and naturally, they gravitated toward me.
“Yeah, it was a good night. I know Rob’s greedy ass is probably pacing the floor for his cut.” I rolled my eyes because I hated our manager with a passion. He was one of those crooked owners who took advantage of the girls under him. When I first started working here, I was desperate for some cash to help pay the rent, so I accepted his terms. However, the older I got and the more I observed, I realized that he wasn’t as clean-cut as I once believed.
“You already know it. He didn’t even let me get dressed before he summoned me to his office. I’m about sick of his ass. He had the nerve to tell me that if I wanted to keep all of my earnings, all I had to do was suck his bumpy ass dick. These other bitches might fall for this shit, but not me. I would much rather hand over that funky ass 40 percent.” She scoffed. He lowered mine to twenty-five after I threatened to quit, but I never told anyone.
The only reason I chose this club was because they were the only ones who would accept someone underage. At the tender age of seventeen, my mother kicked me out of her house without warning. I was six months shy of my eighteenth birthday, andthe fast food money wasn’t going to be enough for me to pay my own bills.
I met a girl named Ariana who connected me with this job, and I took it out of desperation. When I first started, I agreed to the terms because I needed the money. She also found a crackhead who agreed to put an apartment in their name for me, but I needed to give them four hundred dollars on top of the first months’ rent and security deposit.
My first night on the stage, the bartender gave me a shot of liquor to help me relax. Whatever it was, it worked, and I got on that stage and won the crowd over. I never liked to show my body because of my insecurities, but once I saw how the men went crazy over my shape, I grew to embrace it. After two weeks, I had developed my own little routine. Most of the girls weren’t very welcoming, but there was a handful who welcomed me and even took time to give me some tips and tricks. I wasn’t too prideful to not accept the help since I needed to make as much money as possible.
Once Rob saw my money-making potential, he started to push my set back later and later. The men began to request me by name and offered to pay extra for me to dance in their sections. Of course, being the greedy bastard that he was, Rob never turned down an opportunity. At times, it seemed like he was my pimp more than my boss, but I kept my complaints to a minimum because this was how I made my money.
I told myself I would only dance for a year or so once I had saved up enough money, but the sayings about fast money were true. Once I made my first five bands, you couldn’t tell me anything. I went from being broke to being able to walk into any store and buy whatever I wanted. Every time I thought about letting this life go, I would end up making more and more money.
I had enough money to put a deposit down for a house and fully furnish it, but fear kept me from taking the leap. I couldn’t seem to shake the fear of failure, not to mention the fact that I had no plan B for when I decided to leave. I knew how to do a few things but lacked the necessary certifications. My girls encouraged me to take some cosmetology courses, but I hated school. The only thing I ever wanted to do was dance professionally. Even though stripping wasn’t in the same category, it allowed me to express my creative side. Plus, it paid my bills.
Getting up from the bench, I tossed my duffel bag over my shoulder and headed out the door. The security guards walked us out, but I could be impatient at times. I walked out on my own if no one was available. With it already being three in the morning, all I could think about was crawling into my bed and going to sleep.
“You out of here, Caramel?” Jess, the bartender, inquired as she wiped down the bar.
“Yeah, I’m tired as fuck.” Jess was a cool girl. I thought she was a lesbian for the longest until she told me that she had a husband who was serving time in prison. She worked two jobs to make sure he was straight. While I tried my best not to judge the next person’s situation, I couldn’t imagine being in that position. I could never be anyone’s ride or die, I’m sorry.
“I feel you. I’m going to announce the last call for drinks and then I’m closing this shit down.” We were open from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., Monday through Sunday. However, I normally left early on slower days. I got my money and bounced. The only reason I stayed this late was because the ballers in attendance paid extra for me to be in their section while they were there. The minute those mothafuckas left, so did I. I made sure the house fee was separated so I could hand Rob his money and get the hell out of here.
“Yo, where is Rob?” I expected him to be at the door waiting for his money, but he was nowhere in sight.
“In his office. Lavender went up there a while ago, but I never saw her leave.” I kissed my teeth in annoyance. I wasn’t in the mood to go all the way to his office. Still, I made my way because the sooner I gave him his portion, the sooner I could dip.
When I made it to the back where his office was, the lights were off and his door was shut. I grumbled under my breath in irritation. The last thing I wanted to do was play Blue’s Clues in order to track down this bastard. If push came to shove, he would have to wait until tomorrow to get his cut. I got ready to turn around when I heard a door open. The moment I turned to face the door, I instantly grew disgusted. Lavender walked out adjusting her skirt, with her breasts almost falling out of her shirt.
The guilty expression on her face wasn’t lost on me, but I refused to get involved. We all had a choice, and that was obviously the route she chose to take. Still, it was another reason for me to hate Rob. He preyed on the desperation of the women in his club.
Most of us came there to make some quick money, which meant we were more susceptible to creeps like him. I loved money as much as the next bitch, but I would never fuck for it. I always understood that everyone’s situation wasn’t the same. Many of these women were mothers or the head of their households. If I’ve learned nothing else in life, it’s that you often had to sacrifice your pride and morals if you wanted to get ahead. Who was I to judge the way someone provided for their family?
Rob stood at the door with a cocky grin on his face that I wanted to smack right off of him. Instead, I took out the stack of money and attempted to hand it to him.
“Come into my office real quick, Caramel. I need to holler at you about something.” I sucked in a deep breath as I stepped into his closet-sized office. The owner of this place had the larger office, even though they were never here. I thought it was funny that Rob ran this place, but they had him in a fancy utility closet.
“I’m about to head out. What did you need to talk to me about?” I prayed he had some sense with whatever it was he wanted to talk to me about. He leaned against his desk, as if he were cool, but he was a slimy, crusty creep. I wanted to throw up just looking at him. He reminded me of JJ fromGood Timeswith his lanky frame and less-than-favorable looks. His face was marred by acne, making him look like a Crunch bar.
“Hey, I wanted to speak with you because the owners of this place want to make an appearance here. They want to get the full experience of the club, and I need everyone to be on their best behavior. I also want to make sure they have a good time. I’ve chosen you, Honey, and Pleasure to work their section for the night. Of course, this will be after your regular set. I need your head in the game because this is very important.”
“Okay, is that all?” I didn’t understand why that was such a big deal. I was used to high-profile customers, and this mystery boss would be no different.
“Look, I know you aren’t interested in private sessions and things like that, which is fine. However, I’m asking you to be more inviting than you normally are.” Now I was really confused, and my face must have given it away.
“What I’m saying is, the ‘no touching’ rule will not be in effect when the owners are here. You don’t have to fuck them or anything like that, but they will be permitted to touch you. After all, you are their employee. They are bringing a lot of heavy hitters with them, which means the money will be flowing heavier than usual. I’m willing to lower the house fee to 10percent because I know for a fact you’re gonna make nothing less than twenty bands.”
This was exactly what I meant about those morals. Rob knew how I felt about being touched. Unless it was a lap dance, the customers were not allowed to touch us. Of course, there were some who would push the limits and touch us anyway, but they were usually escorted out when they went too far. Now, this man was standing in front of me telling me that I had no choice in the matter. I wanted the money, but was it really worth it?
“I don’t really know what you want me to say. I guess, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Listen, it’s only one night, and I promise it’ll be worth your while. They might not even take advantage of the option, but I didn’t want you to be caught off guard if it happened.”
“Right.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. You know I always look out for my girls.” He grinned, showing his buttery yellow teeth. I knew his breath smelled like ass and feet. I couldn’t say what I wanted to say, but I made a decision right there that I would be making my exit sooner than I originally planned. If this night paid off the way he claimed, then I would have a nice little stack to add to my savings. I was on the fence about the terms because I saw firsthand how disrespectful these men could be, and I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t put my hands on one of them.
