by Wilde, Rhea
“You still haven’t told me,” I said to her.
“Told you what?”
“What makes this club so much better than anywhere else?”
She looked around for a moment, as if to see if anybody else was paying attention to us.
“There are a lot of women who come into this club and leave after a few days,” she said. “Some of them complain about not making enough money. Some of them get tired of having to be on every single night. But the turnover rate is greater than you’d expect.”
She leaned in close to me and began to whisper into my ear.
“If you’re here long enough, you’ll find out exactly why men prefer the company of a Platinum woman.”
She slowly pulled away from me. I stared at her and she just winked. Her cryptic remark left me more confused than I’d ever been. Now I was more curious to find out what she was talking about. She was keeping a secret from me. I was intrigued, to say the least. It wasn’t until that point that I realized that it was best for me to keep digging. This was more than just about Landon Schrader. This was about every single man in the club and everybody who worked here. There was something happening here and I intended to find out what it was. There were too many coincidences for this to be just a strip club for rich men.
“Stop by later tonight and I’ll show you have everything works in action,” I said. “You can’t work yet. You still need a license. You should still stop by though, even if you can’t get one. It’ll give our audience a sneak preview of things to come. Men are always anxious to get their hands on fresh meat.”
I nodded to her and she made her way back to the bar. I slowly began to walk away when I stopped and turned around.
“Sage.”
“Yeah?”
“What should I wear?”
“Whatever it is you wear when you’re trying to seduce a man,” she said to me. “I’ll get you a locker tonight.”
She continued to smile at me before turning her attention back to the bartender. I made my way out of the club to get ready. I was excited about getting started. But it wasn’t just because I was going to get more details for a story. I was just as anxious to see if I actually had what it took to make it through my oddest investigation yet.
Chapter 8
I headed back home and got ready for a close up of how things really worked at Platinum. I only had a few hours to prepare but it was actually more time than I needed.
I searched through my wardrobe for something appropriate. The black minidress was out of the question. I decided to go with something more comfortable. I threw on a loose blouse and jumped into my favorite pair of jeans. I buried my digital recorder all the way at the bottom of my bag in case I accidentally dropped it. Somebody was always watching. I’m sure I looked suspicious enough just from casually observing. It would be difficult to explain why I was potentially recording conversations with the people at the club.
As I drove back to Platinum, I could feel the nerves building up inside of me. I didn’t have an agenda planned out. Everything had been laid out for me and there wasn’t much left for me to do except snoop out a story. There were so many interesting people inside of the club. The novelty of actually becoming a stripper suddenly dawned upon me. That was a story in itself. But my instincts were telling me that there was something more going on inside of the club. If not Landon Schrader, there was someone else that had a secret to hide. Whatever it was that Sage was referring to when she whispered to me was proof enough of that.
Platinum was packed as usual. On my third consecutive night, a line of men were just waiting to get in. I wasn’t sure how long they could keep this up. Either all of them had a lot of money or there were more wealthy men in this town than I realized. I was heading toward the back of the line when the bouncer I had grown so familiar with called out to me.
“Hey, you!”
I turned around to make sure that it was indeed me he was talking to.
“Yeah, you. Come here.”
I meekly made my way over to him, wondering if I had done something wrong.
“What’s your name again?”
“Harley.”
“All right, Harley. My name’s Bran.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Good. Then you should know that talent doesn’t have to get in line. You’re just wasting everybody’s time. There’s barely enough room as it is. Just come to the front door and we’ll let you in, you got it?”
“Yeah… Thanks, Bran.”
“Welcome to Platinum, Harley.”
The bouncer’s stern demeanor had suddenly lightened up. He winked at me. I felt a bit of relief as I passed by him, knowing that I was welcome.
Platinum never failed to disappoint. The music was blaring and the beautiful women I was so accustomed to seeing were doing their siren dances for all of the men in front of them. Now that I knew what it was, seeing all of the men in the VIP section put a figurative bullseye on all of them. Every single booth was taken, proving that what Sage said earlier was right. These men paid a premium just to spend even more money. This definitely wasn’t the place for cheapskates.
I wasn’t sure where to begin. I slowly walked through the club, taking in everything to see if anything or anybody caught my eye.
“Harley! You’re back.”
I turned my head and saw Sage waiting for me next to the bar. Instead of the ragged shirt and jeans, she was dressed for the moment. The redhead was sporting a lacy black bra that shaped her breasts perfectly and a matching pair of panties. The heels she elegantly walked around in made her look noticeably taller. I was happy to see that she had maintained some kind of enthusiasm to make me feel welcome.
“Let me show you to the back,” she said. “It’s what you’ll usually do when you check in.”
I followed Sage through the club. My eyes were quickly adjusting to the red lights of Platinum. I was beginning to see what everybody was talking about. As she walked in front of me, Sage rocked her hips back and forth in a way that almost looked intentional. Her ass swayed from one side to the other in a way that was hypnotizing. I could understand why some poor sap would fall for her. It would definitely be an easy thing to pull off.
When we got to the back, it was dramatically different from anywhere else in the club. There were standard fluorescent lights that made everything completely visible. Sage turned around and I was able to see what she actually looked like. Her eyes were a deep green and her skin was lightly freckled. Her curly hair seemed even brighter underneath the lights. The red was such a stark contrast to her pale skin.
I looked around and saw that there were several women leisurely lounging around. Some of them were changing outfits while others had friendly conversations with one another. There wasn’t much else to look at except for a line of lockers against the wall.
“The bathroom is over there,” she said to me. “Change of plans on the locker. Franklin says to get you one once you actually get your license. Don’t worry. There’s plenty of space to spare. Just bring your stuff here and you can change before you head out there.”
“Okay. That sounds simple enough.”
“It is simple. Before or after you start work, you have to check-in though. Let me show you where that is.”
I followed Sage out of the locker room and toward a black door off to the side I hadn’t noticed before. She opened it and I saw a wall of monitors right in front of me. There were several men sitting in chairs, casually observing all of the footage.
“Remember when I said that somebody is always watching?” she said to me. “Well, meet those somebodies.”
The security guards didn’t pay any attention to me. I barely noticed them as well. My attention was too distracted by how many monitors were on the wall. Every inch of the club was covered. I could see everything from outside of the parking lot to what was going on in Paradise and Limbo.
“Hey,” Sage snapped her fingers. “You still with me?”
“Y-yeah.
Sorry, I was just distracted.”
“It’s okay. They’re not watching because they’re being nosy. They’re watching to make sure that everybody is safe.”
“Right. I know that.”
“Okay. This is where you check-in.”
She pointed toward the wall where a time clock was located. The clock was hooked up to a computer and looked more complicated than an ordinary machine.
“Your profile will be set-up once you get your license,” she explained to me. “You punch-in and you’re on the clock. You can work as many hours as you want. The club doesn’t close. Of course, nobody actually spends that much time here. But once you punch-out, you’re going to be asked for the five-hundred dollars by one of these lovely gentlemen.”
“Okay. I think I’ve got it.”
“Good. Because that’s all you need to know. You come in, you clock-in, you get dressed and you go make a lot of money. That’s it.”
I followed Sage out of the security room and back to the main floor. I continued to examine all of the men and women, hoping that there was something or somebody that would catch my eye. I positioned myself next to Sage, feeling somewhat awkward as she was dressed in nothing but her underwear and a pair of heels. I had gotten used to the atmosphere of the club but not everybody inside.
“So, what do you have planned for tonight?” she asked me.
“I’m just… I’m here to observe and see how things work. I’d like to get a feel and grasp on everything before I actually get started.”
“Smart. You know, you’re a very astute young woman, Harley.”
“What do you mean?”
“Most girls come in here and they’re just trying to make money as quickly as possible. There’s nothing wrong with that. What’s the point of working here if you don’t get anything in return? But you… You’re taking your time. It’s almost like you’re more interested in something else than actually making money.”
I did my best not to show her that her suspicions were correct. The money was definitely nice. The only thing I was concerned with was managing to come up with five hundred dollars every night just for the chance to work here. But if I managed to sniff out the story I was looking for, breaking even would be worth it.
“I just don’t want to make any mistakes,” I said. “I want you to know that I’m not taking this lightly.”
“Don’t tell me that,” she laughed. “The only people who care about how hard you work are your clients. Franklin is making money just from the cover charge, so he doesn’t really care how hard you work either.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to getting started.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “Just sit back, relax, observe. You’ll be ready to jump in when you get the chance. I should probably get back to work. In fact, I see someone important right now.”
“Thank you, Sage.”
“Of course, Harley. It’s my pleasure.”
She winked at me and made her way through the club. I watched her walk up to a man who had just stepped inside. He was a man who looked like he had a lot of money just from how expensive his suit looked. But other than that, he was a nondescript man indistinguishable from all of the other affluent men around me.
I took a seat at the bar and continued to watch everything that was going on around me. I softly bobbed my head to the music as I examined the girl working the pole nearest to me. She danced and spun around on it in a way that made it obvious she had some practice. As I watched her, I became envious of what she was doing. I had this strange feeling inside of me that wanted to be in her place. It wasn’t just because of how beautiful she was or the way she was able to move her body. It was all of the men surrounding her. They all had this look in their eyes. They were completely captivated by her. The money in their hands was as good as gone.
What does that feel like? To have that kind of power over a man? Knowing that he only has eyes for you?
I found myself struggling internally, trying to come to terms with a curiosity I never knew was there. This was all a fantasy. I knew that. There was no point in comparing a man watching a woman dance on stage to an actual relationship. But I couldn’t deny that intimacy and a connection on a physical level were always important factors in all of my relationships. When I realized that, I suddenly remembered John. I would have started crying on the spot because of the way he dumped me if the image of crying in the middle of a strip club wasn’t so ludicrous.
I shook my head and began to chuckle softly to myself.
“What’s so funny?”
A man suddenly walked up from out of nowhere and took a seat next to me at the bar. I was immediately embarrassed, unable to explain how awkward I looked at the moment. The man looked at me with a smile on his face and I shook my head, trying to hide my embarrassment.
“Nothing,” I said. “I was just… thinking about something.”
“Something funny, I’m guessing. Most people don’t usually think about things that are funny in a place like this.”
“That’s what makes it so funny.”
The man and I laughed along with one another. He looked young. I couldn’t imagine that he was older than 30. He was an ordinarily good-looking man, only because he didn’t have any distinct features. His haircut was uniform and his face was smooth and unblemished. Maybe it was because he had a presence about him. If it was the amount of money he had or something else, I couldn’t place it. But he managed to exude a confidence that wasn’t common in most men. Otherwise, I barely would have paid any attention to him. All of the men in the club looked the same when they were all thrown together in a crowd. But when I managed to get a better look at them, like this man here and the one I had seen on my previous nights before, I was able to tell them apart.
“What’s your name?” he asked me.
“Harley.”
“Hello, Harley. My name’s Romeo.”
“Is that your real name?”
“I might ask you the same thing, young lady.”
I started to laugh as he grinned at me. I shook my head, trying not to let him see me smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Harley. Are you working here?”
“No. I mean, not yet. I haven’t gotten my license yet.”
“Interesting.”
“How so?”
“You’ve been coming here for a few nights now but you haven’t done anything here.”
“…How do you know that?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Have you been spying on me?”
“No. My friend Luther told me all about you.”
“Luther?”
“Yeah, Luther.”
He pointed toward the VIP section. I followed Romeo’s finger all the way across the room and saw the man I had spoken to on the two previous nights I spent here. As I stared at him, I could see Luther looking back at me, unable to see the expression on his face
“So his name’s Luther,” I said.
“What? He didn’t tell you his name? Oh man, I really messed up.”
“How did you mess up?”
“I ruined the surprise. I spoiled the mystery. I mean, weren’t you curious as to why a man would walk up and speak to you without telling you who he was.”
“I assumed he was just being polite.”
“Luther is anything but polite.”
“Why would you say that?” I giggled. “I thought you said you were his friend.”
“Oh, I’m his friend. That means I know him better than anybody else. Do yourself a favor. Stay away from him.”
Romeo stared at me with a serious look on his face. I wasn’t sure if he was being joking or not. I stared back at him, trying to get him to crack. He suddenly burst into a fit of laughter and I couldn’t help but join him.
“But I’m still serious about staying away from him,” Romeo said to me.
“Why should I stay away?”
“If you’re planning on working here, I’m assuming you want to make a lot of money. You have to spread the love. Lu
ther has a lot of money but not as much as Luther and everybody else combined. You want to maximize your profits.”
“You seem to know a lot about stripper economics.”
“Stripper economics is the same as any other business. And I would know a thing or two about business. I have a lot of money.”
“…You’re just telling me to stay away from Luther because you want my company.”
“Very good, Harley,” he laughed. “I like your honesty. You’re very upfront. Most of the women in here will whisper lies into a man’s ear because they think that’s the only way to get into a man’s wallet.”
“Isn’t it?”
Romeo shook his head and smiled at me.
“Not only is it not the only way, in some cases, it’s not even the best way.”
I nodded then looked down at the ground, trying to take in everything Romeo was saying to me. He was an interesting man to say the least. I couldn’t tell what he was trying to get at. Maybe he was attracted to me. But there would be no need for this conversation. If I were working, all he had to do was show me how much he was worth and I would give him nearly anything he wanted. It’s like he wasn’t talking to me like I was a soon-to-be stripper.
“Be honest with me,” I said. “What’s your deal? And what is Luther up to? Do you guys just want to take me to the back? Because there’s no need to play any games.”
He paused for a moment. Romeo seemed almost reluctant to answer. I looked at him, trying to gauge whatever it was he was thinking.
“All right, Harley. The truth is I wanted to get a better look at you. Luther said something about you and I had to see it for myself. I wanted to see if it was true.”
“See if what was true?”
“…I think you’d rather hear it from Luther himself.”
“Oh, come on!”
I had to hold back my frustration. As Romeo laughed at me, I was finding it hard to smile. He was the second person in the club that had managed to keep a secret from me. This wasn’t just a case of the investigative reporter in me seeking out answers. Now my natural curiosity was being teased.
