I tensed as he played on my very worst fears.
“Don’t listen to him,” Nikki implored. “You did a great job.”
I closed my eyes for a minute. I wanted to believe Nikki, but I couldn’t take the chance. Twenty thousand dollars was a lot of money. Too much for me to consider turning it down. I swallowed heavily, trying to get the taste back in my mouth. “What does he want?”
“Just a dance,” Tommy told me. There was a slyness in his voice that made me think that this man wanted more than just a dance. Even the richest man in Manhattan wouldn’t pay 20 grand for a dance, especially not one from me.
I dropped the robe. I had put my top back on, which was a small miracle. “What room is he in?”
“Ivy.” Nikki called out.
I turned to look at her. Nikki and I never talked about what happened in the back rooms. I wasn’t sure if she was one of the girls who sometimes took clients back there. I wouldn’t have judged her if she had. Girls like us, girls from the wrong side of the bridge, sometimes had to make decisions that left us broken inside.
“It’s fine,” I told her, not wanting her to worry. I reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “It’ll be fine.”
Nikki didn’t look like she believed me. “I’m not going home until you come back.” Tears came to my eyes at her words. Once things calmed down, and I could breathe a bit, I would do something nice for Nikki.
Tommy rolled his eyes. “Can we go?” He checked his watch. “Time is money after all.”
Nikki and I both rolled our eyes at him, but I nodded. I had made the decision, and now, I was going to follow through on it.
* * *
My legs trembled as I walked closer to the black lacquered door of the private room. I was wearing a pair of 4 inch pumps, which were honestly probably better suited for a corporate interview than what I was about to do.
As I came to the door, I found myself unsure of what I was supposed to do next. I’d told Tommy that I didn’t need an escort, but now, I was kicking myself for not asking for backup.
I hadn’t wanted to listen to Tommy gloat. He had been trying to get me to do something like this since I began at the club, and I’d always refused. Now, I was too desperate to take the moral high ground.
Closing my eyes, I recalled Mikey’s face from this afternoon. He was pale and sallow, and the cancer was only getting worse. I knew, without a doubt, that my brother would die if I didn’t get him the treatment he needed.
I took a deep breath to anchor myself and knocked.
My heart beat fast inside of my chest, and a bead of sweat formed between my shoulder blades as I considered what came next.
After what felt like an eternity, a loud, male voice called out. “Come in,” the voice commanded.
I closed my eyes and touched the cool brass knob of the door. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. I was a decisive person. I’d made up my mind to do this, and I was going to see it through. Even if the man on the other end was old enough to be my father or grandfather. I gagged at the thought.
I turned the knob and walked inside the dimly lit room. I swallowed heavily as I tottered in the room unsure of what I should do with myself.
“Shut the door,” the man said. The deep timber of his voice caused me to jump out of my skin slightly. He was sitting on one of the couches which was tucked away in the corner. The room was dark, and while I could make out the outline of the man’s body, I couldn’t see his face.
“Tommy said you wanted a private dance.” The door was still open, and I wasn’t going to shut it until I made sure that he agreed to my terms. I was desperate, but I wasn’t a total idiot.
The man didn’t move. “Shut the door,” he ordered. I stiffened slightly at his tone. It was high handed. But that was to be expected. Men who came into Red’s were powerful and rich; they were used to getting their way.
“I’m not having sex with you,” I blurted out.
The men chuckled. “You came in here,” he reminded me.
“To dance,” I replied. I knew I was overstepping. Though Tommy hadn’t told me that I needed to fuck this man, we’d all knew that I wasn’t going to get twenty grand to shake my tits in his face.
“Fine,” the man said, leaning back in his chair. The room was so dark, too dark, but I appreciated it. not being able to see his face made me braver in some ways. “Dance then.”
Swallowing, I walked towards the tablet that was set up in the room. “Is there a song that you prefer?”
The man said nothing as I scrolled through the playlist. “Are you going to dance or not?” he snapped.