●Gem●
"Where are you going?" He cocked a brow as I began to stand.
"To the pole. Didn't you request a personal dance?" I shot back, my voice low and teasing.
"Would I get more if I paid extra?" he asked with a glint in his eyes. He then got up and moved towards me.
I felt his hand in my hair, twisting a strand between his fingers. "More of what?" I asked, arching an eyebrow, annoyance flickering through me.
"I want more than just the dance, Gem. I want your ass too."
I stepped back, narrowing my gaze. "Aren't you just like the other whores? Stop pretending to be offended."
He rolled his eyes and closed the distance, one hand sliding around my waist, cupping my ass.
I didn't pull away. Instead, I mirrored him, my hand moving to his dick, cupping him. His body stiffened at the touch, and then a flicker of pain twisted his expression when I squeezed.
"We are both whores here," I said, "The only difference is that one gets paid for it, and the other doesn't." My eyes locked on his. "Tony, do you really think your wife would be happy if she knew you came to a club to buy an ass?"
I could see his features change, the flicker of doubt in his eyes. He was wondering how I had figured out who he was, since he was not nearly as well-known as his wife. Most identities stayed hidden here. No one ever knew who came to visit.
"I know who you are, and before you start saying I have no proof that you were here," I stepped closer, sliding out the tiny phone I always carried and snapped a photo of the two of us. I moved back quickly, sending the image to an unsaved contact. His hand shot out violently, snatching my phone, but I smirked.
"I have seen you long enough to know that Harry would fuck you up if you even dared to mess with me," I said calmly. "The photo is already with someone else. If you try anything stupid, your face will be in the headlines tomorrow. So why do you not be a good boy and leave me alone, and we can forget all of this ever happened?"
I had a saint-like smile plastered on my face as I watched him smash my phone against the wall.
"You just do not know who you are messing with, you little whore." He looked like he wanted to strangle me. Good thing I had leverage. No one was allowed to hurt us unless Marie, Harry, or whoever had kidnapped us and forced us into this life allowed it.
"I would be far more scared of your wife than I would ever be of you. Isn't she the one who pays your bills, Tony? Now walk away."
I waved him off and made my way back to the pole, letting my weight rest against it. Goodness, the man looked like he was ready to tear the whole of club 818 apart.
He grabbed his coat and stormed toward the door, but I stopped him with a sharp motion.
"Where is my money at? Harry will be expecting a huge cut from this meeting."
He pulled out a few bills and tossed them on the floor. I raised my hand again.
"And for my phone that you have broken?"
He gave me a middle finger. For a man who looked as mature as he did, he acted like a child. Either way, he added a few more bills to the pile and finally stormed out.
I exhaled, relief flooding me. As much as I liked to put on the big girl act and show I was one of the sharks, it terrified me to think that one day, one of them might actually try to cut my throat open. I knew I would not last long if one of the many unsatisfied clients decided to snap my neck.
With Tony gone, I went back and collected all the money he had left behind. It was not a small amount, though Harry would still be expecting his usual seventy percent cut.
I locked the door, crossed the room, and collapsed onto the couch. I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, letting the silence settle.
Tonight had worked out perfectly, even if I had been playing with fire. At least I did not have an unconscious body to drag across the room this time.
I closed my eyes, just for a moment, and that was a mistake. Memories slipped in anyway. Happy ones. Ones with my mother still alive. I opened my eyes immediately. I never let myself linger on those days. They were gone. Permanently. Whatever I had lost back then was never coming back, and escape from this shithole was nothing more than a fantasy they sold to girls who did not know better.
By the time I finally pushed myself up, hours had passed. It was close to four in the morning when I headed for the changing room. The night workers were filing out, exhausted and hollow-eyed, while the day girls began to trickle in, fresh faces pretending this place had not already swallowed them whole.
I slipped back into my black jeans, a plain white tank top, and my pink leather jacket, the one I wore more than anything else. I tied my hair into a low ponytail and stepped outside.
Jade was already waiting for me in the old car we used, leaning against the hood like she had all the time in the world. Together, we drove back toward our small apartment, the city quiet in that way that only existed right before dawn.