Page 3 of Stained
“Remember,” Susan said at the end of the run-through, “we do not mention guests by name, not even to each other, unless it is a dire situation. Their privacy and safety are the two most important things we protect. Do not say that Mr. Smith is in Section 6. Simply say it is Section 6. Never get into the habit of calling them by name. Unless they ask you to, of course.”
Alicia finished writing in her notepad and flipped it shut. It would be her Bible for the next few weeks as she got used to this job. “Anything else I should know?” The doors would be opening in twenty minutes. After that, there would be nothing but on-the-job training as Alicia shadowed Susan for the whole night.
The trainer narrowed her eyes into serious slits. “I know you have experience in hosting in lounges and clubs, Ms. Colbert, but do not think it means you have seen everything. You’ve seen nothing until you have worked here for a few weeks. Tonightalone you’ll probably see things you didn’t even know were possible.”
Alicia swallowed. “I’m prepared.” She had been prepared for the unexpected ever since she was shown the ins and outs of the private rooms. The ones stocked with bondage gear and plastic sheets. One of Alicia’s many jobs was cleaning those rooms up if she had a spare moment.With gloves and a mask, I hope.
Midnight was a sex club for the insanely rich and sometimes famous. Millionaires played there. Billionaires ruled. Important men brought potential investments here for an after-dinner wind-down. Sometimes, their wives came too. A conversation with one of the performers – a dominatrix, to be sure – initiated Alicia into the idea of vibrators and anal beads live on stage. There would be half-naked women wearing collars and completely naked men trotted about by dominants of all gender flavors. The dress code was the strictest around… unless you were in your underwear. Then all bets were off.
The front area did not allow sex, but in the back lounge, it would not be uncommon to see oral delights and even full-blown intercourse occurring between exhibitionists. Alicia would be expected to do her job as if she saw nothing out of the ordinary.
She thought she was prepared. She had nearly ten years of hosting experience to fall back on. Every place was different with its quirks and procedures, but they weren’t that different. There wasn’t even that much difference between blue-collar guests and the billionaires.Okay, one smells better than the other.They were both as likely to be entitled dipshits, though.
Alicia thought she was prepared.
The doors opened at seven. Within fifteen minutes, there were four parties already settling in for drinks and hanky-panky. Alicia didn’t deal with the check-in procedure every member and their guests went through, but she shadowed Susan as she sweetly greeted and brought them to their seats for the evening.Some reached into their expensive pockets and pulled out stacks of hundreds so Susan would show them a better area, or even a VIP room. Alicia knew that Susan was not supposed to pocket more than twenty percent for herself, but she had to wonder what really went on when someone wasn’t watching.
The money was the biggest draw to this job. At twenty-eight, Alicia still had way too many student loans and, yes, credit card debt. She wasn’t about to be thrown on the street, but money was tight from month to month. Her last job paid $13 an hour plus tips, and it was far from enough. Midnight started her at $25 an hour! After careful calculation, including tax withholdings, Alicia figured she could make $150 a night working at Midnight. That didn’t include the tips. Susan pocketed about $50 in tips for herself. From one table!
I don’t care what I have to see or deal with on this job. I’ll make serious bank!
Oh, she saw some stuff, all right. Within an hour, Alicia’s first game of grab-ass and a woman being led around by crystal nipple clamps appeared. Luckily, Alicia was so busy learning her job that she couldn’t be bothered by any of it. The guests smelled good, drank priceless drinks, and spoke Romantic languages off the cuff, but they weren’t that much different from what Alicia was used to. So what if they dropped a hundred bucks on a single shot of liquor? So what if they ordered these drinks while a beautiful young woman was face-first in their laps? So what if they pulled Susan aside and asked for a private room, which the experienced hostess gave to them without another word? The only thing off about that was hearing moaning and screams of pleasure whenever Alicia walked up and down that particular hallway.
All the regulars wanted to meet her. Who was she? When did she start? What was her name? How old was she? She didn’t look a day over twenty-five!That’s good? I’m only twenty-eight?One loud woman wearing a Chanel dress yanked on Alicia’s hair to “test her roots.” After Susan calmly diffused the drunken situation, the female guest cried out, “That’s no bottle on her head, boys! Crispin, you’ll love this one. She’s a real blonde!”
Crispin was about fifty-five. Alicia couldn’t say she was tempted to fraternize with him, even if he was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
She didn’t need moneythatbadly.
Were there escorts working the club that night? Absolutely. Susan confessed that some were actually endorsed by the club – the women paid a flat rate to appear for the night and bag themselves a rich client for the evening. Alicia saw this happen more than once. Some single woman wearing a simple designer dress would sashay up to some lonely man, whisper in his ear, get a drink, and either be whisked out of the club or into one of the private rooms. Sometimes, money slipped between hands.
Good thing she wasn’t shy about sex. Her roommate, Candice, was in the sex toy and porn production business. Just because Alicia had yet to see some things in real life didn’t mean she was unaware of their existence.
Even so, nothing prepared her for what happened three hours into her first shift.
A woman from the coat check raced up to Susan. “Ms. Moreau has arrived.”
Susan flinched. “I will take care of Ms. Moreau.” Both women glanced at Alicia, standing a respectful distance away. “It will be fine.”
The coat check girl gave Alicia one last lingering look before returning to her post.
Susan turned to her trainee and reiterated, “No fraternizing.”
“Got it.”
Alicia was ready to move on. Susan, however, narrowed those dark eyes once more.
“No. Fraternizing. Understand?”
A slow nod commenced. “Is there something I should know about this guest?”
Susan looked around before closing the gap between them. “Ms. Moreau is one of the owners of this club. Do not upset her.”
“Oh! I see…” All Alicia knew about the club owners was that they were two billionaires. One lived Stateside, right there in the city, and the other was from somewhere else in the world. Beyond that? The only person she ultimately answered to was the club manager, Sid, the man who narrowed down the job candidates and led the interviews. She never thought she’d see one of the owners, let alone on her first night. “I will behave, rest assured. I’ll let you lead.”
“Good.” Susan released her pent-up breath. What? Was Ms. Moreau a hardass of some kind?Great. If Susan had been thrown off her balance at the announcement, then what did that mean for Alicia?Shut up and shadow like you’re supposed to.
“Ms. Moreau will be taking the upstairs Diamond VIP area,” Susan said as they moved to the front of the club. “Catalina will be her server. She always serves her when she comes here. If Catalina isn’t here, inform Destiny. She’s the second favorite.”
