Lake looked down at the floor, unable to face the critic.
“She’s perfect. They will love her!” Sadie squealed.
Lake’s eyes quickly jumped back up at Sadie’s smiling ones. What did she just say?
Sadie shooed Joe off with her hands. “Go on, I need to get to work now.” She grabbed Lake’s hand, taking her to a chair in front of a huge, lighted mirror.
“Um, how exactly am I perfect?” Lake didn’t understand how her plain Jane looks were going to entice anyone.
Sadie laughed, picking up some foundation on the table. “Haven’t you ever seen a porn star without makeup? Because you should really Google that.” She pointed to her flawless face. “This is what I call false advertising, honey, and you aren’t even going to need half the makeup I use. Your skin is perfect to the point where I almost want to hate you.”
Lake couldn’t help giggling at her. She knew Sadie was only joking because the woman oozed sex and confidence, showing no hint of real jealousy. Her personality matched her semi-rocker looks with the dark eye shadow and dark hair which had chunky, pale blonde streaks throughout.
She decided to take the time to ask as many questions as she could during her makeover. “So, what do you do?”
“I’m a pit boss here,” Sadie replied, beginning to cake on the makeup.
“What does that mean?” Lake wasn’t fluent in casino terms, considering it was illegal for her to even be in one until the age of twenty-one.
“I’m in charge of all the gambling tables and making sure everyone on the floor is pleased.”
“So, you’re my boss?” she asked.
“Yep, but you will do just fine,” Sadie assured her.
“I’ve never waited on tables before. Don’t you think I need to learn how to do my job before I get all dressed up?” She was definitely more concerned about doing her job properly than how she looked. She needed to keep Dante as happy as possible.
Sadie laughed. “Honey, you can spill a thousand dollar bottle of whiskey on them as long as you look sexy doing it. They don’t give a shit. I don’t expect you to be perfect at first, though you will learn the better you are, the better the tips. That is usually motivation enough for the girls to work their asses off.”
“How can I even work here and serve alcohol? I’m only eighteen.”
“All you need to know is it’s strictly high-limit. Only the high rollers are permitted down here, and everything is off the books. The men here especially love the young ones who aren’t legally allowed to serve them, so you’ll be a hot commodity around here.”
Oh, great…
While Lake let her continue her work, she slowly began to see her face and hair turn into that of a porn star, as Sadie liked to call it. Sadie even gave her a crash course in how to do smoky eyes and contouring—whatever that meant—then taught her how to tease, tease, then tease some more to get “the big, sexy hair.” Again, Sadie had a name for everything.
“Let me go pick out something for you to wear,” Sadie said, turning around to a rack which held the tiniest black and pink clothes imaginable.
“Um, do you have anything which will cover more of my body?” Lake gingerly asked when she watched her pull out a thong.
Sadie looked back at a now pale Lake. “Virgin, huh? That’s okay; the men will smell it on you. Let’s play that up.”
‘Let’s play that up’? Is she joking?
“This is as covered up as you can get around here. Normally, we don’t go for that look, but for you, it will drive them crazier than shit since you’re the new girl.” Grabbing a few things off the rack, she showed them to Lake.
Something told Lake she didn’t want to be the new girl.
While looking at the clothes, she began to shake her head. “I won’t look good in that. I don’t have anything to fill it out.”
“This corset will lift those puppies up,” Sadie said, pushing up her huge boobs. “And these are shorts because we need to get you waxed before we get you into anything smaller.”
Lake began to blush. “W-waxed?”
“Everyone here gets waxed from head to toe. We have our own esthetician, and she’s a miracle worker. It’s only really painful the first few times; after that, you just become numb to the whole thing.” Sadie shrugged.
Gulping, Lake took the little bit of nothing clothes and went behind a curtain to get changed. After she asked for Sadie’s help to lace up the back of the corset, she turned around and looked at herself in the mirror.
No way in fucking Hell. “I can’t do this.” Lake wanted to put her hoodie and jeans back on then run the hell away.
“Lake, listen to me. From the looks of it, I don’t think you have a choice. And I’m sorry for whatever must have happened, but look at yourself.” Sadie grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back toward the mirror. “Have you ever gone to the pool and worn a swimsuit?”
“Yes, but—”
“I bet you are more covered up than you were at the pool. Just because it has lace and ruffles, it doesn’t make it sexier than a tiny bathing suit.”
Lake stared at herself in the mirror. Her light brown hair which was usually pin-straight and flat actually had lift and bouncy, messy curls. Her makeup was flawless and sultry, still showing how young she was, but she no longer looked as innocent.
Her outfit was what scared her the most. The pink corset squeezed her in, giving her very little room to breathe. Her hipbones were exposed, and the tiny black bottoms, which Lake didn’t think should be called shorts, were ruffled. The final touches were high, black stockings with oversized pink bows in the front and black pumps to match. She only prayed she could walk in them.
She had to admit she was technically more covered than if she was at the pool, and Sadie really did give her a less revealing outfit than everyone else. Lake understood what she had meant about the clothes working to her advantage. It was sexy and innocent all at the same time.