This kind of club also allowed the women to put on little sex shows if they wanted. There were even rooms in the back for the girls to make a little extra on the side. Frank had even given her a key. Whatever they made
in the back had to be given to him, and he’d split the money. She’d handed him the key straight back, telling him not a chance in hell.
For some reason, Frank had said he liked her spirit, and he needed a woman who was determined to stay on the straight and narrow. Whatever that meant. Either way, she was never going to a back room, and she had seen most of the strippers use it to make extra cash.
There was one girl, Susan, who had a little girl, and had told her that it was the easiest way in the world to make money. There was no thought to it. All she had to do was do some moaning and groaning to make sure the man was happy with his performance. Half of the time she was thinking about what to do for her kid the next day.
Once she was done, Lou moved away and gritted her teeth as one of the guys touched her ass.
She hated it when they thought they could grab her. Moving around the busy room, she worked for another twenty minutes supplying drinks and serving up some finger foods. When no one wanted her, she moved away, and stood in the corner, keeping an eye on the room.
“I thought you were going to beat the shit out of that man,” Frank said.
Lou turned surprised to see that her boss was sitting at the end of the bar, watching her. “Do you want me to get you a drink?”
“Not at all, sugar. Ben fixed me up, but I wanted to come out and see the action.” He nodded toward the girl on stage.
“I don’t know her name.”
“Trixie, she says, but I doubt that’s her real name. Women think they can stay anonymous by changing their name. They can’t change how they look.”
“That they can’t.”
“Come and sit with me.”
Placing her serving tray on the counter, she took a seat, looking out at the room. “This is a good angle. You can see everything.” She pushed some hair off her face and turned back to him.
“Like I saw that guy grabbing your ass.”
She chuckled. “I figured you wouldn’t want the lawsuit if I was to hit him with my serving tray.”
“True, it would piss me off, but then I’d get a thrill out of seeing a woman beat the shit out of him.”
Laughing along with him, she declined the offer of a drink. In an environment like this, she had to keep her focus on.
“Water it is then.”
“I’ll take a water.” She smiled at Ben as he put her drink in front of her.
“I heard about your brother.”
“Everyone has heard about my brother it would seem.”
“He’s a good man, and he did well. You should be proud.”
She took a sip of her drink and nodded. “I am proud. He’s still my brother, and I never want to see him get hurt. Fighting at venues like that, it’s dangerous, and he’s my brother. I’m sure you can understand my fear for him.”
“I get it, and I even understand it.”
Biting her lip, she looked toward the businessmen. When she’d first started working at the strip club, to rub her parents up the wrong way, she thought the businessmen would be the most civilized in places like this. They were not. They were the worst kind of pigs out there. “I’m surprised you let you bar open to them.”
Frank laughed. “Honey, there’s always different ways to deal with assholes like that. You see, honey, those men are paying double the going rate for all the drinks. You ever wonder why I don’t keep a display for the drinks and prices? I can charge whatever the fuck I want to.”
“I also heard a rumor that cops come here, but I’ve not seen anyone here.”
“You have, honey, believe me, you have. You’ve just not seen them. They’re not always dressed in proper uniform. When they want to fuck around with me, they come dressed in uniform.” Frank pulled out a cigarette, and she watched him spark up. She wasn’t interested in smoking, and she did her best to smile and ignore it. His club. His rules.
“Tell your brother when he next comes by he can have the night for free, drinks, girls, you name it.”