front of his cold, metal desk. A laptop faced him. He looked up from the screen and smiled at me.
“How you doing, Ashley? You're looking fine.”
“I'm doing fine,” I said, slowly, trying to figure out what he was really saying.
“You looking good too. We need to talk. You've been here a while, and you haven't paid your dues yet.”
“Do you know how many pervy old fucks have shot their load on me in the last week alone?” I asked.
“Settle down. Don't get so excited. I think you know what I'm talking about. You want to become a diamond level entertainer, don't you?”
“No, Benji, I don't. I know what it takes, and that’s not for me.”
He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, and smiled, the gold front tooth seeming so out of place in his mouth.
“You need to pass your special examination with me and you'll get an extra one percent every night.”
“You're kidding right?” I snorted.
He shook his head back and forth.
“No, I'm not.”
“You said you weren't going to pressure me. That the diamond club is voluntary.”
“It is, it is, but I'm saying it's about time you decided to take it to the next level. You can make more money.”
“I can make more money if I head out on my own...”
“Doing porn or turning tricks?” He laughed.
“No, I meant dancing at better clubs.”
His face changed almost instantly. “Listen, bitch. This is how it's going to go down...”
He stood and pointed a finger at me, wagging it up and down. “You’re a no good whore, and you need to be taught a lesson.”
I got to my feet and backed toward the door. Before I could get there, he reached out and grabbed my arm. I struggled to pull away, but he tightened his grip.
“What the fuck?” I yelled. “Stop!”
A wicked smile spread across his greasy, pockmarked face. “Stop? We’re just getting started.”
Ten
Josh
As I watched the men coming and going from the strip club in my car across the street, I kept thinking that the cops were going to show up and give me trouble. She’s going to end up ruining my life , I thought as I waited for Ashley in the parking lot. I had to make her understand I was close to making enough money to support myself for the rest of my life.
Three in the morning, when the club closed, eventually rolled around. Most of the cars in the parking lot had left as I got out of mine. I took a deep breath while walking to the front entrance. Ever since we were children, Ash and I could sense when the other was in trouble, and my gut ached – not a good sign.
When I walked in the club, the hefty guy who had thrown me out before smiled as he lumbered toward me. I reached back and hit him with a strong right without a second thought. He fell to the floor as I turned and headed for the stage. He shouted at me, but I kept going. I made it to the back of the club and headed down a dark hallway.
I passed three open doors, all of the rooms empty. At the end of the hall, I came to a closed one. I turned the handle. Fucking locked , I thought as I stepped back. Here goes nothing . I charged toward the door, slamming into it with my shoulder. The flimsy frame burst and the door swung open. Inside, a fat, balding man with his hand around Ashley turned to me.
“What the fuck?” he asked.
“I could ask the same thing,” I said, walking in. “Ashley, let’s go.” I held out my hand.
She tried to move to me, but he held her tighter, stopping her.
“Dude, I don't know who you think you are, but security is going to be here any minute now, and they're going to fuck your shit up. You know that, right?”
I pulled out a stack of hundred dollar bills and tossed it on the desk without looking down or wincing at all. Twenty grand meant absolutely nothing to me, and it showed. The expression on the guy's face changed instantly. A moment later, the gorilla-sized bouncer barged in and put his hand on my shoulder. I spun around, ready to hit him if