Our financial situation had become desperate. My husband hadn’t worked in two years and his prospects were bleak. Financially, I had been trying to carry the load, but, as a sales clerk, my paycheck wasn’t quite enough to cover the bills. For my family, and especially for our two young ones, I needed to find a way out. We were awash in overdue notices and I was willing to try almost anything. That is when I spotted the ad in the weekend paper.
Wanted. Exotic dancers 19-25 to work stag parties. Experience preferred. Must be prepared to start immediately. Pays well. Call 761-STAG.
It took me a few days to work up my courage, but by Wednesday, faced with another flood of collection notices, I was ready. During a break at work, I went to a pay phone and called. The man who answered introduced himself as Frank. To me, he sounded black. He asked me about my looks. I answered as best I could. I asked him about the pay. He countered by asking if I had any experience as an exotic dancer. “No,” I said. He asked if I understood what was expected of an exotic dance at a stag party. “Of course,” I said, though I really only had a vague idea.
I pressed him again about the pay. He replied “Normally a girl gets $500 a night, plus extras, depending on what the guys want and what the girl arranges in advance.” To me, that sounded great. I quickly calculated that I could wipe out our debt in four sessions … or less if I was willing to give ‘extras’. Frank went on “But if you can work this coming Saturday night, I’ll pay you $1,000, plus extras.” I was curious and asked why. Frank explained that the girl he had lined up for the gig had quit at short notice and none of his other girls were available, so he needed a fill-in immediately.