'Gale! What the hell are you doing here?'
I glance up from the box full of novelty suckers, brilliant hued pieces of rock candy shaped like little penies, and shrug as I place the last of the candies on the shelf.
'Kelly wasn't feeling good so I filled in.'
'What,' Ruth seems almost incredulous, and for a moment she stares at me, her eyes wide and wet.
'Kelly was high as balls,' Jamis says as he reads the newspaper at the front counter.
I look away from Ruth, wondering vaguely if I was in trouble, although she had never been bothered about me about taking over a shift. 'Kelly has problems.'
Jamis smirks, never looking up, 'Yeah, she's a lightweight and buys cheap meth.'
I sigh before turning back, opening another box, this one filled with fishnet stockings.
I heft the box and go to end of the aisle where we keep the rest of the erotic clothing; feather boas of every shade of the rainbow, shimmering mesh bodysuits, slick black leather bondage suits and chainmail bikinis all packed onto cheap clothing racks with even cheaper mannequins posing in red velvet corsets and vinyl thigh high boots.
By the clothing are the crappy, chipped mirrors Ruth got from some second hand auction and I take a moment to look at myself as I kick the box to the side.
God, I look like shit. I figured out real quick that looking good in the store meant a ton more inappropriate comments from the customers and a bunch of perverts getting grabby. So I quit wearing makeup and kept my long brown hair pulled back, although my eyes still drew compliments, the only thing about me I liked, bright, emerald green that sparkles even in the flickering fluorescent lighting.
Of course, the few guys that got touchy feely with me found out in a hurry that I could hold my own. I grew up in Archie, a middle of nowhere town in Oklahoma and as a farm girl, tough was required.
At 6'4" I could handle any of the work thrown at me but it didn't help my social life.
None of the boys at school wanted to date a girl that was bigger or stronger and made me an easy target for relentless teasing and mockery. It didn't help that I was a curvy as I was tall. I briefly gave basketball a try but even the coaches, when they weren't telling me to work my fat bottom off, said the only reason anyone came to watch was for the chick with bigger tits than the ball.
Bunch of goddamn perverts.
So, four months ago, I finished high school turned 18 and decided to get the hell out of Oklahoma.
A month after leaving, I found myself broke and homeless with a bag full of dirty clothes and hungry and cold in the desert night.
I remember how much I shivered from the cold air and the sounds of coyotes when I came over the hill and saw the lights of the travel-plex. A large brightly lit truck stop, a restaurant that looked to be shutting up for the night and the Slap Happy Adult Toy Emporium were my options and the options sucked.
I already knew I wasn't taking a chance with the truckers and the restaurant wouldn't help until they reopened in the morning, so the adult store it was.
Raised like I was, I was mortified to go into Slap Happy and my face must have been bright red when I approached the counter.
Ruth, owner and proprietor, had cocked her head with a puzzled smile and asked if she could help me. I asked if she had any work I could do around the store from some quick cash.
She was an older woman, lean with sharp angles and black hair going gray. 'Most people ask for handout. I like that you're willing to work.'
So, she put me to work. She was kind and helpful if stern but she kept me feed and let me stay in a room above the store. I still plan to move on but so far I like it around here despite the downsides.
Hell, I even joined a gym within jogging distance and swim several laps everyday.
As I look at my reflection, I notice the twilight sky is unusually red, almost like a great fire is burning on the horizon. I turn to the window and Ruth is still standing by the door.
'Kelly was supposed to be here,' her voice is full of rage despite the tears in her eyes.
'I'm sorry Ruth,' I say. 'I was just trying to cover.'
She stares at me a moment longer before wiping her eyes and she crosses quickly over to me.
This time the rage is gone and she has something like desperation in her voice. 'Gale, I...shit. Gale, I need a huge, huge favor.'
I shrug and smile. Ruth has taken care of me, anything she needed I was happy to oblige.
'Of course, boss lady,' I said, still somewhat puzzled by her demeanor.
She takes a deep breath, trying it seems to calm down. 'Kelly was supposed to model tonight.'
Model? I hadn't expected that. I looked back at the clothes. That had to be what she was talking about because I was in a long tailed flannel shirt and skirted yoga pants, not the kind of clothes anyone's wants to see.
'No, no,' she shakes her head. 'Downstairs.'
'Downstairs? Uh, Ruth, I'm not sure how I feel about that.'
Her eyes tear back up, 'Please, please I really need this tonight. I'll make it worth your while.'
I knew better, I should have grabbed my shit and got out of there but I couldn't turn her down.
She saw my shoulders sag and a quick smile of relief flashes across her face. 'Oh god, Gale, you have no idea.'
She grabs me by the hand and hurriedly pulls me across the store to the stairs leading down into the basement.
'Jamie! Take care of the customers!' Ruth barks as we go down the poorly lit stairwell.
'What customers,' I hear Jamie complain.
The basement was divided by a cinder block wall, the smallest part being for storage and the other behind a locked door. I had asked about it once and Ruth said it was were she kept some high end items and furniture for clients with money.
I wasn't surprised when she unlocks the door and ushers me in.
The tenebrous room is cavaren like, far bigger than I had imagined. A few Edison light bulbs hang from the ceiling and their muted amber light falls on a room full of bondage and medieval torture equipment. The walls, black and padded, are gouged and lined with paddles, leashes, whips, and floggers.
Fuckkkkk, run now Gale, I think to myself.