“Let’s get you inside and cleaned up. You’ll make some money tonight and I know it won’t replace everything, but maybe it’s enough that you can extend your stay here by a week.”
She helps me stand and keeps her arm around me as we enter the club. A few of the girls already working offer a sympathetic smile. I don’t want to know what they’re thinking because if the roles were reversed I would automatically assume an assault took place. According to the snobby rich women who can’t keep their men out of the clubs, we deserve whatever happens to us.
Johanna takes me to the bathroom and helps me wash my face. My eyes are bloodshot and puffy, the surefire combination to get me kicked off the floor and relegated to the stage if I can’t get my emotions under control.
“You don’t owe someone money, do you?”
“No, only myself,” I tell her, hoping to ease her worry. I’ve heard the horror stories of women having to work, having to sell their bodies to pay off pimps and the mob. Regardless of what people say, the mob is still here in Vegas.
“Well, let’s get you back out there and earning something. Not all is lost.”
Her optimism warms me, but in the back of my mind I know that tonight has to be my last night. Morgan is depending on me and this is the longest we’ve ever been apart. I miss her and want to go home. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’ll figure it out. I always do.
By the time I calm down and rid myself of some of the puffiness, the club is hopping. Another convention arrived in town last night and the word around the bar is that it’s a nerd convention, which translates into a bunch of men who stare at computers all day and the only action they see is from their hands. It also means money and they’re willing to pay to get aroused by a lap dance.
As I work the room, dancing for twenty dollars a song, I spot Finn walking in with a monster-size man flanking him. Every thought I have tells me to run, but he knows I know he’s here because he’s watching me. One of the other girls waits on him, and even though I’m dancing on some other guy, my eyes keep tabs on Finn. He seems to enjoy watching everything I do while he slowly sips his amber liquid.
When my dance is over, Finn is beckoning me with his finger. I have no choice but to go over to him because the last thing I want to do is cause another scene or have him complain to the boss. Losing this job, even though I’m supposed to leave tonight, is not high on my priority list. I need the money that I can make tonight.
I approach the table slowly, watching his calculated moves. Finn seems to fit the mold of a man who is used to getting everything he wants. He’s used to women and even men kissing the ground he walks on. I hate that he’s here and I hate him. Running from him earlier was the best thing I have ever done in my life. Thinking back, I should’ve kicked him in the nuts and spit on him, but that would’ve been a waste of energy and I’d likely have a bruise on my shin from doing it.
“Hello, Catalina.” My stage name is smooth as it rolls off Finn’s tongue. I do my best to keep my emotions in check, even though I want to stab him with my heel.
“How about a lap dance for your friend over there?” I nod to the man who could break me in half with a flick of his wrist. He doesn’t seem interested, though, and is watching with rapt attention, aware of everything that’s going on around him. I’d rather dance for him than Finn any day of the week.
“How much?” he asks, setting his drink down and pulling out his wallet. My mouth waters at the sight of the green I spot between the folds. The thought sickens me, but Finn did say he has a proposition for me. I didn’t stay around to ask him what it is because more than likely it has to do with sex and that’s not the game I’m into.
“Twenty for one song.” I hedge, hoping he tells me to go away even though I need the money. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to make Finn pay for a good time.
“What if I want you to dance for me as well?”
“Same, or we can go into a VIP room for five hundred.” Right now, Finn is a business transaction to me and not a guy that I once spoke to at a party. After this, he’ll go away and I can go about my miserable existence.