Erik wondered how busy tonight was going to be. He wondered what he should say and who he should say it too. How would the employees take it? Would they accept him? Worry crept into his chest while he sat in his truck staring at his club.
His club. The sense of ownership settled on him and with it a sense of burden as well as pride. He wanted to celebrate but he also knew he had to keep a cool head. Perhaps he should observe how a night in Wild Card went. It was always best to observe and it seemed a good idea to do just that.
The evening had begun but the setting sun still burned in the sky. The beginnings of purple and orange clouds hinted a beautiful sunset he was likely to miss while being inside. At least there would be naked women inside right?
Three other cars were parked in the parking lot. They had been here when he got here which was surprisingly good. Someone else was here and he could possibly talk to them, learn something of the place.
He got out and walked to the door. It was still shut as before, so it was possible they weren't open yet. He hadn't been able to find the hours of operation yet, so he guessed those inside wouldn't throw him out. It was a safe bet he was willing to take at least.
When Erik opened the door this time, low white light met him instead of pitch black. When the door shut behind him he found himself looking at a podium with no one behind it. He hadn't noticed that before and it stood as if to bar his way, or at least be some kind of check point. Erik guessed this was where the cover charges were collected.
An idea bubbled into his head about how to do cover charges that might boost business a little.
A short thin fellow with a thick mustache and fading hairline came over from the left. "Uh sir? Hey, we aren't officially open yet." He took up behind the podium and leaned on it. His head rolled to one side suddenly then back. His eyes fought to focus on Erik while his skull rolled about randomly. It put Erik immediately at unease but not for his sake, he imagined his customers seeing this guy first thing and wondered how that impacted business.
"No problem, I'm sorry. What time do you open?" Erik asked.
The guy looked around, hesitant to answer, "Uh, in like thirty minutes I think," his eyes found what they were looking for, "Oh shit nevermind we are open. I'm just really far behind." he scrambled off in a rush, forgetting Erik's existence.
Confused, Erik waited a couple of minutes, watching to see if the guy came back. He listened for noises but heard nothing then he ran around the bars, shuffling things around like a madman in a fit. Erik shook his head. This was not gonna do. The guy disappeared into the back and reappeared with a bucket of ice a few seconds later.
"Hey, uh, buddy?" Erik called to him, "mind if I just grab a seat?"
Looking up from pouring ice into something behind the bar, the only staff member that could be found said with little confidence, "Uh, yeah I guess that's okay, but i won't be ready to get you anything for a little while."
Erik started towards a seat in the lower area near the stage, "That's okay, I don't plan to drink for awhile."
The twitchy guy didn't say anything back. He zipped in and out if the bar for the next hour, preparing various things. No other patrons had came in, but what appeared to be a couple of dancers appeared and made a line to the back. Erik just watched in the mirror, between playing on his phone.
Having the internet at his disposal made it easy for him to attempt to look things up. Using a search engine he tried to find out ways and techniques on how to run a strip club, or any sexually oriented businesses. He also tried to find things on how to run a successful bar and how to manage it. He didn't find much more than a few common sense tips.
His thoughts and ideas felt disorganized in his head. It seemed like a lot of this knowledge was in various clouds, some of it was within reach and some of it wasn't. Erik realized he was probably overthinking the whole ordeal. There was money in the bank, and the establishment was standing. Obviously it was profitable somehow, but he wasn't sure exactly how. No one was here. He checked the time on his phone. It was only six. Parties didn't start until much later, right? Partying wasn't something he did, so when people went out wasn't something he was aware of.
The twitchy guy called over from the bar, "Can I get you anything to drink?"
Erik looked up, surprised to hear the man's voice. "How about a soda? Whatever dark cola you have is fine."
Erik heard the man pouring ice in a glass and a moment later, a drink fuzzed on the table in front of him. "How much?" Erik asked, "and what's your name?"
"Don't worry about it, on the house. Bob," the twitchy man answered with his head tilting forward and several eye blinks.
"When do girls start coming on?" Erik asked, gesturing to the stage.
"Normally when we have a few people they will start performing, but if you want I can send someone out. I tried calling someone in early since you were here, but they haven't showed yet. She might still come though."
"Yeah, if there is a girl who would like to do a dance for me I'm willing to pay." Erik said.
Bob's head rolled to the side and he fought to bring it center, "Okay I'll let 'em know." Bob scampered off without hesitation.
Bob seemed calmer now that he had his affairs in order and despite how off putting he could be, Erik thought he was likeable enough. Maybe he could stay but a new doorman was definitely in order. His own morality couldn't justify firing a guy because of whatever was wrong with him, but there was no way that he should be the first face for customers to see.
Erik continued to look around for a few minutes until motion brought his focus to a girl in a bright lime green string bikini walking out of a doorway to the side of the stage.
Curly dark red hair framed blue eyes and pale skin. The girl smiled while walking towards him with lilting hips accentuated by the tall clear platform heels. She displayed her teeth, showing a gap in the front two incisors. Her eyes tilted down near the center of her face and her nose was slim, giving her a pointed look. Small breasts and narrow hips didn't help the sharpness of her features but she was attractive with dark blue eyeshadow. When she got close he could see her foundation covered imperfections in her skin. Erik felt overall she was attractive and her smile appeared genuine. "Heeeyy," she said in a southern bell sort of way.
Erik stood to shake her hand, he felt it only proper to do so despite the circumstances of their meeting. She didn't offer her hand though, instead she closed in on him with a quick hug.
"Look at you trying to be a gentleman. Bless your heart." She kept a hand on him and the toothy smile stayed. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "you know this is a strip club right? We ain't used to gentlemen here."
Erik laughed and immediately felt comfortable. She was extremely likeable. "I don't figure you do, but doesn't mean you shouldn't. Just because you're clothes are off doesn't mean you shouldn't get respect. Would you like to sit down?"
Her eyes grew wide, "Yes please, thank you." She grabbed a chair and rolled it under her, and together they sat. She moved it close enough their knees touched. When she was done, she sat up straight and offered to shake his hand, "I'm Trixie."
Erik returned the handshake, "I'm Erik, Trixie."
"Nice to meet you, what brings you in tonight? You're a bit early don't you think?"
Erik shrugged, "I like being the early bird." He felt himself fumbling for where to put his hands, hanging them outside the chair then putting them back in his lap, but not too close to her knees. He didn't want to be rude and just reach over and lay them on her bare skin.
She didn't seem to have an compunctions about the matter. She took his hands in hers and put them low on her thighs. He felt himself stir in his pants again.
She smiled, "I promise, I don't bite unless asked too." Her wink was flirtier than expected. "You're pretty cute, are you sure you ain't a cop, sent in here to come and charm us so we'll reveal all our dirty secrets?" her eyes turned sly and suspicious but it was an obvious performance.
