There were five people jammed into Tori's little red Honda and everyone was drunk except for her. That was usual for a Friday night, but they weren't usually in this part of town. If it weren't for Jo volunteering them to pick Shauna up after work, she wouldn't be here at all under any circumstances.
"Where the hell is this place?" Tori asked, as she cruised along the street called Broadway on the map and the pussy mile on campus.
"Shauna said you couldn't miss it," Veronica Goings offered.
"Yeah, well, this is our third time up the street. If we don't find it soon, I'm heading back to the dorm."
"Don't be a stick in the mud, Tori, we'll find it," Candice Ford replied.
"Yeah, take a hit of this and chill out," Joann Taylor said, passing a blunt to the front seat.
Joann was her best friend. They had known each other since grade school and roomed together in the upperclassman dorm. They were thinking about getting an apartment after this semester and she knew Tori didn't smoke. Tori should have been mad, but she wasn't. Jo was like that, always pushing her to relax and as she put it, "live a little."
"Get that shit away from me," Tori snarled as Monica Riley tried to pass her the joint.
Monica inhaled deeply and blew out a cloud of the reeking smoke right into Tori's face.
The car exploded into a fit of giggles as Tori coughed and choked. She desperately wanted to roll down a window, but in this area of town her innate caution overcame her desire.
Hookers ranged up and down the sidewalks, many accompanied by their pimps. Strip clubs and adult book stores decorated the rundown facades in garish neon light. College students prowled along in groups, egging each other on and getting drunk. The occasional beat cop and his partner could be seen, as well as a few black and whites parked in warehouse loading docks. Hotels advertised rooms by the hour with free XXX feeds. Dealers had their corners staked out and junkies could be seen in every possible recess.
"There it is," Veronica said, pointing to a rundown building with a 'girls girls girls' sign flashing in red and gold.
A larger sign proclaimed The Harem in red lettering, but the sign was almost burned out with only the small 'a' still lit, explaining how they had missed it.
Tori rarely drank and never used drugs. She was the straight arrow among her friends. Her slightly prudish demeanor was tolerated because she was Jo's best friend and because she didn't mind being designated driver. She had a contact high now and found parking to be difficult in the narrow alley behind the place. The lines seemed uneven, but she wasn't sure if that was just bad city planning or the way her head was spinning.
They all piled out and made their way to the front, stepping through a doorway covered only by Persian beads. Inside the door was a small foyer with Arabic murals and some very explicit photos of the dancers. A small, greasy man in black leathers sat behind a bank teller style grill with a money box.
"Ten dollar cover, two drink minimum," he declared, apparently unfazed by their gender.
After they paid, they made their way into a large, open room, with a main stage in the middle and two smaller stages at each end. The décor was a pathetic attempt at an Arabian harem, with pillows and silk wall hangings. Plastic scimitars hung on the walls and the waitresses all wore gauzy pants and pointy-toed slippers that reminded her of Jeannie from the old TV show. Each table had a small candle burning on it. The place reeked of marijuana and stale beer.
It wasn't very crowded and they found a table near the main stage. A few of the male customers gave them curious looks. One table had a bunch of frat rats and they seemed to be paying them more attention than the other patrons. Tori had the idea they were egging each other on to see if the girls wanted company, but nothing came of it. Soon a topless barmaid appeared.
She was an older woman, with sad, tired eyes and a listless manner that bespoke of extreme exhaustion. Tori noticed her breasts were large and very firm, obviously implants.
"What can I get you?" she asked.
Everyone ordered exotic sounding drinks, except for Tori. She was still flying from the weed and wanted to try and clear her head.
"Do you have coffee?" she asked.
"Ignore her," Candice said, before the woman could answer.
"Yeah, bring her a pink panty pulldown," Monica cackled.
"I don't..."
"Be cool, Tor. It's only two drinks and we're staying till Shauna gets off. You'll be plenty sober by then," Joann said reasonably.
"Sweetie?" the woman asked, with a tired, but apparently genuine smile.
Normally, she would have demurred, but she was feeling strange from the weed and she couldn't really make sense of her thoughts.
"All right, I guess," she said.
"So, when's Shauna gonna be on stage?" Veronica asked excitedly.
"Probably be a while, they work in rotations. She'll get a main stage introduction, then work the side stages, then the floor, then a break, then main stage again," Joann said.
"You sure seem to know a lot about strip clubs," Monica observed.
"I worked at T & A's two months last summer to pay for the cruise."
"Really? Make a lot?" the perpetually broke Veronica asked.
"Oh, yeah. It's really good money if you have a body or can dance. Even better if you will work the back room."
"The back room?" Tori asked.
"Yeah. Girls take guys to the back rooms for private dances. If all you do is dance, it's thirty bucks, half going to the house, but if you're willing to give him a hand job or blow, you can make a mint because the house only takes ten more for extra services, no matter how much you make."
"So, did you blow a lot of cute guys?" Monica asked.
She was a great person when sober, but when she started drinking she became really mean and snide. Everyone was used to it, so Joann took no offense.
"No, I was making over two hundred a night in tips. I didn't need to run any extra risks."
"Two hundred a night? I was wondering why Shauna was doing this," Veronica exclaimed.
"She wants that Mercedes pretty bad, but Mommy and Daddy are in a snit because her grades sucked so they won't get it for her."
"How much do the waitresses make?" Tori asked.
"Not much. They're usually older women and don't look all that good anymore. A lot are single moms. These places rack up most of their profit on the weekends. The big earners usually only work two nights a week, so most of the waitresses you see on Friday and Saturday night are the dancers Monday through Thursday."
"That sucks."
"Yeah, it's a double dose of shit. They have to wait tables on the busy nights and when they are working there are fewer patrons so fewer tips."
"Why do they put up with it?" Candice asked.
"Most of them don't have any other option. I mean, it's one thing for me or Shauna to do it for a short while to get some extra cash. It's another thing entirely when your family depends on you doing it. It's fun and exciting and all that for a while, but the only reason it's like that is because we can walk away anytime we choose. It's a pretty crappy job when it's all you have."
"Think Shauna will rack up, she has pretty big boobs," Candice asked.
"No, she'll do all right, but she hasn't got the mentality to really make money at it," Jo said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?"
"The trick to it is to make every guy thinks you're interested in him. You hook 'em, then lead them on through the night. Shauna might do that with a cute guy, but she won't do it with every guy. The cute ones are usually the ones with the least money, they are guys who count on looks to get them in with women. You want to make money, you make nice with the dorks and geeks and losers. The poor bastards couldn't hope to get your attention in a bar or at a party. Once you smile at one, he'll follow you like a puppy, tipping heavily, ponying up for table and private dances, maybe you come out on break and sit with him, let him buy you a drink or two, whatever."
"That sounds so cold blooded," Tori said.
"It's like any other business, Tor, you're here to part the customer from his cash," Jo said.
Tori was flying now, the smoke in the club was at least half reefer and she was having trouble marshalling her chaotic thoughts. When the waitress returned and served their drinks, she fished into her pocket on impulse and dropped a twenty dollar bill on her tray.
"I don't have change, sweetie, you have to go to the bartender to get ones."
Tori colored and stammered as the others laughed like a pack of hyenas.
"She didn't want change, she was just giving you a big tip," Joann said with a smile on her face.
"Thank you," the woman said with an obviously heartfelt smile.
"You're welcome," Tori managed.
"Be careful with that," Joann warned after the waitress had moved out of earshot.
