Chapter 4
We were met in the parking garage by Pam. Wow! She’s hot! She’s wearing the shortest miniskirt I’ve ever seen and a nearly transparent blouse. She greeted us and Donna gave her a list of the clubs we’re going to try to visit today. Since our start was delayed by the sheriff and the recovery and clean up afterward we decided it’s late enough to start with the strip joints after all. Pam led us to the limo, put her hand on the handle to open the back door but turned and said, “What you two and Tony are doing is fantastic. Everyone I’ve talked to this morning is grateful as hell. We all appreciate it.”
Donna replied, “Thank you. I’d like to take some of the credit but it’s Tony you have to thank. We’re just doing what little we can to help.”
“Yeah, I know it’s mostly Tony. But I also know the primary reason he’s doing what he’s doing is because of you two. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
Pam opened the door and I climbed in and slid over. Before she got in, Donna said to her, “Just like all the girls I cycled through all the clubs on a regular basis. I’ve worked in all the places Chapman owned and I know the people running them. But if you can tell me anything you think could help me to deal with them I’d appreciate it. I’ve dealt with them all but my relationship with them was very one sided. I have opinions of them, and I’ve had sex with them more times than I care to remember. But I never had conversations with them. I just did whatever I was told.”
Pam looked down at our itinerary for a moment. She thought about it for a moment and finally said, “You’re starting out with one of the worst. From what I’ve heard, Anderson is a real asshole, probably the worst of the bunch. I guess it’s a tossup between Anderson and Scott, the manager at the last stop on the list. Since you’re starting with Anderson I’d recommend you put him in his place right from the start. Preferably where a lot of people can hear it. Don’t even try to be diplomatic or he’ll walk all over you. Let the word get out you aren’t taking shit from any of them. And believe me, word is going to get out.
“Everyone will know you’re coming by the time you leave Anderson’s club and they all know Tony is backing you. They’ve all heard rumors of what Tony did yesterday and I can promise you he has a lot of fans. I don’t think I ever met anyone who didn’t wish Chapman were dead. Tony made a lot of dreams come true yesterday. Including mine and I didn’t even have to work in a strip club or a whorehouse. I spent a lot of time with Chapman’s cock in my mouth or my pussy, but unlike most of you poor women he kept me to himself. He dressed me in this next to nothing uniform and paraded me around like a trophy. But I never had sex ... I only got raped by Chapman.”
That sounds like good advice to me but I never met any of these people and except for once or twice when I was so sickened by the people abusing me in the last few days that I lost it I’ve never had the nerve to stand up to anyone in my life. I don’t know about Donna. I heard her tell a couple of men off at the farm. She really impressed me. Maybe knowing Tony has our backs, and knowing these people know Tony has our backs will help.
Pam drove us to the first club, The Heartbreakers. She parked out front and started to get out. Donna stopped her when she said, “Pam, you’re welcome to join us if you’re curious. But if you’re just getting out to open the door for us, please don’t. We aren’t the sort of people who ride around in limos. You’ll just make me uncomfortable.”
Pam turned in her seat to look at Donna and replied, “I appreciate the offer. But allow me to suggest that at least for as long as you’re going around town laying out the new rules in all these dens of iniquity it might give you a slight advantage if anyone should happen to see you being treated like someone with power.”
Donna thought about it for a few seconds before she smiled and said, “You may be right. Thank you. But only until we get to the end of that list.”
“Okay. We can argue about it again later. I don’t need to come in. Chapman made me go with him to all these places far too often. I’ve seen enough naked women to last me a lifetime.”
She got out then. She went around and opened the door for us, wished us good luck and got back in the car. As we approached the door a guy opened it and nodded at Donna. She said, “Hey Earl, how’s business?”
Instead of answering he exclaimed, “Damn, Donna! We heard Chapman shipped you out to the farm! You okay? We were worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Earl. Sorry if I had you worried.”
“I’m just glad the rumor was a crock of shit. We like having your sexy ass around.”
“It wasn’t a rumor, Earl. Chapman sent me out there to make one of those snuff movies. Tony came busting in and saved my ass at just about the last second. I owe that man my life.”
Earl shook his head and said, “Damn! I wanna hug your ass so bad! But if I did Anderson would catch me bigger than shit. And you know his position on that sort of thing. ‘The help better keep their hands off his fuckin’ pussy!’ I can’t wait to see what he’s like once you take him down a notch or two.”
Earl opened the door a little more before he seemed to remember what Donna asked him when we walked up and said, “It’s still early. Not much going on in there. The girls are still getting ready to open. He turned and smiled at me but then did a double take and asked Donna, “This ain’t Anna’s little girl is it?! Christ! She looks just like her!”
“Sure is. Chapman sent her out to the farm with me. He was going to put her to work but Tony saved her ass, too. There was also a bus load of new girls out there getting broken in. He brought them back into town and found them a place to stay while he has some people who know what they’re doing find out how messed up they are and what they need to get put back together.”
“Has Tony taken to wearing a cape and tights? Sounds like he’s going around saving everyone but me.”
She chuckled and replied, “Sorry to disappoint you, Earl. He still dresses like always. But he took over from Chapman and he’s going to make a lot of changes around here. Changes for the better. And we’re starting with that asshole Anderson. And let’s face it, Earl, you’re hopeless. Do me a favor if you don’t mind. Stay back out of the way but follow us in and stay nearby in case he gets pissed and starts taking swings at me. He does like to hit.”
“Yeah, but only the women. I’ve never seen him hit a man. Fuckin’ coward. Yeah, I’ll be happy to hang around. I’m lookin’ forward to seeing him taken down a peg or two. You’ll make sure Anderson don’t give me any shit about it later, right?”
“I’d do anything for you, Earl. You’ve saved my ass from drunken assholes in here dozens of times.”
It’s still very early. No music is playing, no women are dancing. There are attractive young women going around getting tables ready wearing only a tiny patch of bright cloth no bigger than an eyepatch over their pussies. That’s their entire wardrobe!
I whispered to Donna, “How can they get away with that?! That has to be illegal!”
“Yeah, it is. If you have any questions ask the sheriff the next time you see him. He’s a frequent visitor to this club and most of the others on our list. Believe it or not he likes looking at naked women. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
Donna asked Earl to lock the door. She promised to get this over with as quickly as possible. While he was doing that, Donna turned back, raised her voice and asked all the women to gather in front of the stage. We walked over and climbed up on the stage. The women didn’t know what to do. They looked at each other and at Earl but then slowly began to gather in front of the stage.
When they were closer, Donna said, “Thanks. I’d rather not shout. I’m not good at it.”
At that moment a man, Mr. Anderson I assume, came rushing out of a door in the back and as he made his way toward the stage he yelled, “What in the hell do you think your doing, you stupid cunt?! I thought Chapman sent you out to the damn farm! I’m going to correct that oversight, you stupid bitch!”
Donna smiled sweetly. Then, quietly and calmly she said, “You don’t keep up with current events do you, Anderson?”
“That’s Mr. Anderson or Sir! Are you drunk, Donna?!”
She chuckled and said, “You really are out of the loop, aren’t you?! Jesus, Anderson, are you the only asshole in town who doesn’t know Chapman is no longer in charge around here?!”
I don’t know what he had in mind but he started for the stairs up to the stage. He only got about six feet before Earl stepped in front of him. He growled, “Are you out of your fucking mind, too?! Get the hell out of my way!”
“You need to calm down, Mr. Anderson. Listen to her. There was a coup yesterday. Chapman is gone. Tony’s in charge now. Donna and ... I’m sorry, sweetheart, I don’t think I got your name.”
“Blair.”
“Donna and Blair are Tony’s deputies. If you don’t want to be out of a job or buried out where the farm used to be before someone burned it down, you’d better calm the fuck down.”
He gaped at Earl for a long moment before exclaiming, “You’re shittin’ me, right?!!”
“No sir. Chapman and all the men closest to him are ... they’re gone. They went to a place you can’t come back from. Tony took over and intends to clean up Chapman’s act. Why don’t we let the ladies say what they came to say and we can talk after they leave.”
Donna smiled and said, “Thank you, Earl.”
Then she looked around at the strippers, waitresses and prostitutes and said, “Ladies, first let me apologize. I know almost all of you but this is the first time since high school I’ve had to address a bunch of people. If I sound nervous it’s because I am. For those of you who don’t know me I was one of Chapman’s girls until he no longer had any girls. The little hottie standing beside me is Anna’s daughter, Blair.”
My identity resulted in a few loud gasps.
“None of you look surprised to learn Chapman has been replaced. Most, if not all of you know Tony. But I doubt if you know the real Tony. He played a swaggering asshole because if he didn’t Chapman wouldn’t want him around. Whether or not anyone ever noticed it he did what little he could to look out for you. The reason he staged his coup was to save my life. Chapman sent me to the farm to make a snuff film when he caught me trying to warn Blair about him. I was tied to a chair in the snuff shed. The horrible way in which I was about to be killed had just been explained to me in gruesome detail. At the very last moment before the torture leading to my murder began, Tony slammed the door open, came in and shot everyone in the room but me. I will, of course, deny that I ever said that.
“He untied me, drove back to town at about twice the speed limit and took out Chapman and the worst of his henchmen. He made it clear to everyone he was taking over and we raced back out to the farm. He closed it down, got all the women out of there and told the men he’d let them know if they still have jobs, if they want to work for him.
“There are going to be some big changes around here. If you were one of the women Chapman forced into the business you are now free to leave. If you decide to stick around you’ll find that working conditions have changed considerably. No one will ever again be forced into the business like I was or like more than a few of you were. Also, from now on you’ll be getting paid a decent wage. He has some people in finance looking into what women in our line of work typically earn.
“We’ve all experienced years of being humiliated and abused by customers and supervisors alike.”
She glared at Anderson for a moment. She continued to look directly at him and continued, “That won’t happen again. You will be treated with respect. And if anyone, supervisor or customer hits you or forces you to do something against your will Tony will make sure that never happens again, either.
“If some of you are okay with stripping but don’t want to pull tricks anymore you won’t be forced. It’s too soon to be able to provide any details. The details are being worked out now but that’s the gist of it. Keeping in mind that it’s still very early and we’re still working everything out, does anyone have any questions you think I might be able to answer?”
We stood up on stage looking around at the women. They all look stunned. There was total silence for a long moment before one of the women said, “I think we all heard about the coup and vague rumors about what happened to Chapman. We didn’t realize Tony intended to treat us like human beings. I assumed ... I think all of us assumed nothing would change in our lives. I would have sworn that if offered the opportunity to put my clothes on and leave I would have run, not walked to the door. It’s weird, though. I’ve been working at Chapman’s clubs since I quit school at the ripe old age of sixteen. That was eight years ago. This is the only job I’ve ever had. It was either this or live under an overpass and starve. I like to eat. If we’re going to start earning a living wage and we’ll be treated like human beings ... I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think I have to stick around and see what it’s like!”
“We would, of course, hope most if not all of you come to that conclusion. We’d be out of business without you. But having worked for Chapman for about eight years I can certainly understand anyone wanting out of this life. As difficult as it may be to admit, though, I know for a fact that some of us came to enjoy this life. Parts of it can be very exciting. And now, with a guarantee that the abuse will stop immediately and the pay will start, ... anyway, please give it some thought. Talk it over among yourselves and let me or your supervisor know what you decide. Most of you have my cell phone number. If you don’t have it ask the woman standing next to you. She can probably give it to you. If you want to ask me a question or if you just want to talk I promise I’ll try to answer you honestly and completely. Give me a call. I mean it, even if you just want to talk.”
We walked down the steps and over to where Anderson is standing looking very confused. She walked right past him saying, “Let’s go to your office.”
The women went back to getting the place ready to open. The three of us crossed to the door on the other side of the large room from which Anderson appeared when he heard Donna call all the women over to the stage. We entered his office. He offered us seats and he sat behind his desk. Donna went back over all the changes with him, stressing things you might have thought went without saying such as treating the women with respect, not forcing them to do some of the particularly nasty things his customers are known for but stressing that his propensity for slapping around his women will no longer be tolerated. Throughout her explanation of all the new rules he sat there silently glaring at her.
When she finished she asked if he has any questions. Still glaring he shook his head. After a brief pause she said, “You slapped me around more than a few times, especially when I was new and traumatized by being forced to become a stripper and a whore. You enjoyed the hell out of it and made no attempt to hide it. All those women out there have my phone number. If I get one call from someone you mistreated in any way ... I don’t believe I need to finish that sentence. The buildings at the farm are gone. They were burned to the ground. But there’s still a lot of land out there that could use fertilization.”
Anderson obviously realized that wasn’t an idle threat. The glare disappeared from his face.
Donna stood up and said, “Let’s go, Blair. We have a lot of stops to make and Mr. Anderson has some soul searching to do.”
We left his office. He didn’t see us out. He didn’t even get to his feet. On the way back across the room I said, “I’m disappointed. I wanted to see a strip show.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll have several more chances. I’d offer to stick around for a while but that took a lot longer than I planned. I figured Anderson would require a little extra time. I really hope he screws up soon so he can be replaced.”
Earl opened the door for us. Donna told him to call her if Anderson gives him any problems. We said goodbye and Pam hurried around to open the limo door for us.
Donna shook her head and exclaimed, “Damn it Pam! This is so wrong!” Pam smiled and replied, “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say ma’am.”
Donna and I both laughed. As soon as Pam got behind the wheel she looked at us in the mirror and asked us how it went with Anderson.
Donna chuckled and replied, “He pretty much kept his mouth shut but he glared at us the entire time we were in there. Personally, I hope he screws up. I’d like to see him out of there. I bet I could talk Tony into making one last snuff film.”
All three of us laughed at that.
Our next three stops were an entirely different experience. Two of the people in charge at the next three strip clubs are women. They didn’t seem happy about the changes. I guess they saw it as a loss of personal control. But by the time we left they had obviously accepted the changes Tony is putting place. Or at least they were giving lip service to get us out of there. I guess we’ll find out before very long if they’re going along with the new program.
The man in charge of the fourth club on the list was more than civil and obviously pleased about the change of command. These people know Tony but not well. They do know how much they hated and feared Chapman, though. To various degrees all the managers were friendly or at least civil and accepted the changes Tony is putting in place. I suppose at least a couple of them were unhappy to learn one of the women they’ve been abusing and humiliating all these years is now in a position to ruin their lives.
We gathered the women in each of the clubs and Donna gave them the same talk she gave in the first club we visited. By the time we got to the third club on the list the women didn’t seem as dazed. Word of our visit to the first two clubs seems to be getting around. They had more questions about specifics, especially about what they’ll be getting paid.
Donna had to keep explaining that Tony has people in the finance office looking into it. They’re calling similar places of business around the country to come up with a fair pay scale for the various services they provide. As soon as they have the figures they’ll all be informed.
It wasn’t until we got to the third club that I finally saw a stripper in action. I was fascinated! I watched her up on that stage oozing sexuality and apparently enjoying herself and it struck me. My mother did that for more than half my life! And had it not been for Tony saving my ass Chapman intended to put me to work in these clubs. If I survived the farm I would be stripping, serving drinks while wearing nothing but one of those tiny eyepatches over my pussy, getting groped by every man I came near and having sex with total strangers in a back room, all for much less than minimum wage.
That’s a terrifying prospect. And yet there’s a little place in the back of my mind that really wonders what it would be like. I stared at the woman dancing around and taking her clothes off on stage to entertain a handful of men until Donna slapped my ass and I realized she’s been trying to get my attention for several minutes. I turned to look at her.
She’s laughing. She took my arm and pulled me to the door. As soon as we stepped outside she stopped and with a huge smile on her face she said, “That fascinated you, didn’t it? Would you like to try it?”
I took a deep breath and thought about it. Finally, I answered, “I don’t know. It ... it looks exciting. When I was watching that woman, watching her move, looking at the expression on her face, I found myself thinking my mother did that ... that and serve drinks in a tiny thong and take men into the back and have sex with them. And if I survived the farm I’d have been doing those things. My reaction wasn’t what I would have expected. The woman dancing on that stage was so sexy and looking at her face I’d swear she looked excited, like she was enjoying herself. You’ve done that Donna. Was she really faking it? What’s it really like?”
She chuckled, shook her head and said, “We can talk about it when we get home. I will admit some of the women do get excited dancing like that. I’ll even admit that I did if I wasn’t already exhausted. We can talk about it later over a strong drink. It will be easier for me to be honest with some alcohol in me. For now, we still have two more strip clubs to visit. I want to get them done before we go back to the office.”
We went over to the limo. Pam is standing there holding the door open and grinning. As we approached she looked at Donna and said, “I get the impression someone just saw her first strip show.”
“Yeah, and I almost had to get the bouncer to help me pull her away so we could leave!”
Pam’s grin widened. She said to me, “Don’t be embarrassed, Blair. I had the same reaction when I saw my first few strippers in action. I was fascinated and aroused and terrified in just about equal parts. I was tempted to ask Chapman if I could try it out.”
I’m relieved it isn’t just me.
On the way to the fifth club I asked Donna, “Where do all those women live? If they aren’t getting paid ... how do they live?”
“They get paid. Just not anywhere near enough to live on. Your mom got by because when he stole her house from her he agreed to let her live there without paying rent. She didn’t have any choice, really. She could have let the mortgage company take it but you guys would have been homeless and Chapman would have been pissed. You’ve already learned how good he was at making peoples lives a living hell. Nobody in this town wanted to piss that asshole off.
“Most of the women live three or four to an apartment or a cheap rental house if they can find one. I lucked out because my house actually belongs to my grandfather. He lets me live there and he’s a fiery old fart. I have to pay him rent but it’s nowhere near what it would cost to rent the same house if someone else owned it. When Chapman framed me he looked into taking the house and decided it wouldn’t be worth all the trouble that old man would make for him. He never actually said it but I always assumed he was waiting for my grandfather to die. Then he was going to take my house.”
A few minutes later Pam pulled up in front of club number five on her list. This one is obviously different than the previous four. There are no signs advertising live nude women. There aren’t any signs at all! This one is obviously a high-class place. The cars in the parking lot are all limos or expensive foreign sedans. Pam parked by the door, let us out and then pulled forward so she wasn’t blocking the door.
Donna explained, “This was Chapman’s flagship, his pride and joy. It’s a private club. Perverts from all over the east coast and beyond visit our little city to enjoy Chapman’s hospitality. Some of them even travel here from overseas and stay in the very expensive hotel in the back. For more than a few of them this is a vacation destination. This place offers nude women, sex shows, gambling and sex with his hottest and youngest girls. And I do mean youngest. You would almost certainly have been working here. I’ve heard you can get girls here in their early teens if you know the right people and have a thick enough wallet.”
“Do you think Tony will change that?”
She shrugged and said, “He didn’t say and I didn’t have the nerve to ask. Tony has been pretty good to us. Well, except for that first day. But now that I’ve gotten to know him a little better I suspect he thought he was doing us a favor, getting us prepared for a week at the farm and getting you ready for life as a prostitute. Just like everyone else in this fucking town he had to do what Chapman told him.
“Tony told us more than once he’s a pervert and I believe him. Hell, after what I’ve been doing for a living for the last eight years I’ve come to believe most men are perverts to one degree or another. A surprising number of women, too, now that I think about it. Tony is a strong, dominant man. But he has a soft side he keeps well hidden. And he has a conscience.”
Before we entered the first clubs on our list I had been curious more than anything else. Now, as we’re about to enter the one club which is obviously not a dive and certainly doesn’t cater to the same people who frequent those lower-class places, I’m more intimidated than curious. There’s no one around to hear me but I whispered to Donna, “Have you ever been in here?”
She smiled and as cool as a cucumber she replied, “No. I either wasn’t pretty enough or wasn’t young enough to work this club. But I’ve been to the farm. These people can’t scare me after that.”
I chuckled and I understand what she’s saying but I still feel tense. It doesn’t help me calm down that I know I’m not dressed for a fancy place like this.
The door was opened as we neared it and a handsome man in a suit even an unsophisticated rube like me can see is very expensive greeted us warmly. “Donna, I heard you were coming. It’s great to see you again! I don’t know if you remember me. We met now and then when I was working around at the other clubs before I got promoted thanks to my experience at clubs in Vegas and I ended up here. And you must be Blair. You’re every bit as lovely as you were described to me. I’m Paul Butler, the manager. Please call me Paul. Come in. Let me show you around and then we can go to my office and talk.”
Wow! We’re not accustomed to being welcomed like that! We entered and passed through a warm, comfortably furnished foyer. A man standing just inside the door smiled and welcomed us to the club. We followed Paul through another door and came to a stop. The first thing which caught my eye was the waitresses. The only thing they’re wearing is extremely high heeled shoes. They’re all breathtakingly beautiful and they all look about my age give or take a year or two.
Another thing which is immediately noticeable and distinguishes this club from the others is that the music isn’t so loud it hurts my ears. The next thing which caught my attention is that as many as a quarter of the customers are women!
Paul pointed out other things about this club which set it apart from the others. They serve food! Real food, not fast food. He pointed to the door in the back which leads to the casino and another door leading to the attached hotel. He also pointed out the two stages which normally feature dancers or various other shows such as comedians or singers.
He explained that only a few waitresses are circulating at the moment. It has been explained to the customers that the club is now under new management and representatives of the new manager are coming to briefly explain a few changes which will result. Normal service will resume shortly.
He led us down a corridor to a small theater where almost everyone is already assembled and waiting for us. Donna turned to him and explained, “Neither me nor Tony, the new man in charge, is very familiar with this club. Outwardly it doesn’t appear that the same problems which need to be overcome at the other clubs exist here. Or am I wrong?”
Paul smiled and said, “Mr. Chapman is ... was, one of the most detestable, disgusting men I have ever met. When he first tried to have me run this place more like his other clubs I refused. When I started to leave he very reluctantly agreed to let me run this club in the manner I’m accustomed to running an upscale club like this. Don’t misunderstand, sex is still a large part of the draw here. But no one works here involuntarily. I won’t permit that. Everyone is well paid and has benefits.
“In the eight years I’ve been running this place there has been only one scandal. Sheriff Holms came to see me a couple of years ago and informed me someone working in the hotel in the back has been selling the services of young girls to our customers. That man was immediately dismissed and I’ve made his identity known to all my contacts in the business. I don’t know what happened to him. The sheriff didn’t arrest him even though he seemed to have more than enough evidence. I imagine he’s still doing something illegal for a living but I’ve done everything I could to see to it he never gets another job.”
“Paul, I get the impression you’re running this club much like we intend to run all the others. Your employees seem happy. They are already getting paid well and have benefits. Perhaps you could advise us as we try to make the other clubs more like this. Not quite as fancy, of course. Fancy would tend to put off our largest customer base. But we’re determined to see that the women working for us are treated with respect and paid well.”
He smiled and said, “That’s what I’ve heard. That’s why I’m so happy to see you and discover that is, indeed, your intention. I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can.”
“Thank you. Apparently we’ve disturbed your service staff for no reason. If I give you my number will you give it to them and ask them to call me if at any time they have any questions, suggestions or any problems? I guess you can let them get back to work.”
“Thank you, Donna. It has been a pleasure meeting you. May I show you out or is there anything else you’d like to see?”
“No, I don’t think so. I do have one question, though. May I ask how much it costs to become a member of your club?”
“Fortunately, you and ... I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten your companion’s name.”
“Blair. She’s a brand-new employee.”
“Fortunately, Donna and Blair, we have a very generous employee discount plan for which you are obviously qualified. If you’ll come with me I’ll see to it you get your membership cards.”
Donna and I both stared at him as if he must surely be pulling our legs. He smiled and said, “There’s no such thing as too many beautiful women members. You both dress up every room you enter. That was the first thing I noticed about you. I hope you’ll return often.”
He waved some guy in a suit over and told him to let the staff know they can return to work. He gave the man the piece of paper on which he wrote my name and phone number and added, “Please take this to Claire and ask her to distribute it to the entire staff and tell them it’s the personal phone number of a very nice person from the office of the new management who wants them call if they ever have a suggestion a problem or a question.”
He led us to an office in an out of the way corner and asked the woman inside to issue both of us Gold Membership Cards. He told us again how much he enjoyed our visit and started to turn away when I said, “You are probably the most remarkable man I’ve ever met. If you weren’t so out of my league I’d be all over you.”
He smiled, reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, handed me his card and said, “I’ve been very curious about you from the moment you stepped in the door. You’re quiet but confident and poised. I believe I’d like to get better acquainted. I gather you two are going to be very busy for a while. You’ve been tasked with correcting a long list of terrible working conditions. When you have some free time please call me. I’d love to have dinner with you.”
I blushed and exclaimed, “Oh no! I’m just a ... I’m not a ... I’m not someone you...”
He stepped closer, put his hands on my shoulders, kissed me gently on the lips and said, “I know who you are. You’re Cinderella. Please, call me as soon as you can get some free time, Blair. Blair, I like that name. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Do you know the origins of your name?”
I shook my head. It never even occurred to me to wonder.
“It’s from a Scottish word which, believe it or not, means battlefield. In Scotland it’s generally a boy’s name. It implies strength and bravery in the face of danger. That would seem to indicate you’re a very impressive woman. That was certainly my initial impression. Really, call me. Please.”
He turned and walked away and I leaned my back against the wall in shock. I’m actually shaking! I glanced at Donna. She’s staring at me like she doesn’t even know who I am. I think we were both about that close to busting out in hysterical laughter when Claire said, “Ladies, if you’ll come into my office this will only take a few minutes.”
We went into her office and filled out a short form. She took our pictures and issued us membership cards. She gave us a booklet telling us all about the privileges of Gold Membership and a schedule of shows scheduled for this month and the following month. She also gave us each a copy of the menu for the restaurant.
We thanked her and were just about to leave when Claire said to me, “This club opened a little more than nine years ago. I’ve been working here since several months before we opened this club. Back then Paul was fighting Chapman every day to operate this club the way it should be. He’s probably the only man in this town who never backed down when he confronted Chapman. And that was almost a daily occurrence in the beginning. I’ve known that remarkable man since my first day working for him and I know I’ve never seen him do anything like what he just did before. I don’t know what you said or did. But you must have really impressed him.”
Donna didn’t even seem to hear Claire’s reaction to my exchange with Paul. I think she’s still in shock. She looked at Claire and exclaimed, “I just asked him how much a membership cost! I know I couldn’t afford it. I doubt very much if we could afford to come here. We’re just underpaid peons.”
Claire smiled and said, “Read the information I gave you. You can afford it with a Gold Membership. It was nice meeting you. If you need anything please call. My number is on page two of that pile of crap.”
Donna and I tried not to act like we’re as out of place as we feel as we made our way to the door. I glanced at the food on some of the tables. I know I’ve never had a meal like the meals they serve here. They look too beautiful to eat! I whispered to Donna, “We need to start saving up. I have got to have one of these meals!”
“I know. I’m drooling.”
The well-dressed man at the door smiled, opened the outer door and said he hopes we’ll return often. I replied, “I intend to. I’m going to keep coming back until they realize I don’t belong here.”
He laughed and said, “I can assure you that you’re wrong about that, young lady. Beautiful women are always welcome here ... with or without their clothes.” Pam had turned the limo around while we were inside. She pulled up to the door but before she could get out and open the door for us the doorman opened the door and thanked us for coming.
We thanked him and promised to return soon. Because our visit there had been so brief we still had plenty of time to visit the last strip club on the list before the time we agreed to meet Tony at his favorite restaurant for dinner. We spent our not quite twenty-minute ride to the last club telling Pam all about it and suggesting she join us as our guest when we return. I’m sure if we talk to Claire we can get her a gold card, especially if she’s dressed the way she is now.
Club number six on our list was just like the first four we visited. Large signs advertise live nude girls which seems to be the only thing they offer in the clubs which they can legally put signs up to let the public know is available even though everyone in town knows they can spend time in bed with any of the women who work there for a very reasonable price. They also don’t mention the waitresses are as good as naked and groping is allowed. But additional signs aren’t necessary. All the men in town who frequent these clubs are already well aware of those little extras.
Pam pulled up to the door of Risqué Business and let us out. The man at the door of the club opened it and said, “Ladies, welcome. My name is Tommy. We heard you were coming, of course. Mr. Scott is looking forward to meeting you.”
The way he said it made it pretty obvious the exact opposite is the case and it amuses him. He let us in and pointed out the door to Mr. Scott’s office. He apologized and said, “Mr. Scott has a distributor in his office. He should be out shortly. If you’d like to have a seat I’ll ask a waitress to bring you drinks. What would you like?”
Donna said, “What the hell. It’s getting late and I could use a drink. What would you recommend?”
“Connie’s working the bar tonight. She’s famous for her sidecars.”
He led us to a table and said, “The drinks are on the way.”
It’s too loud to talk in there so we sat and watched a woman dancing around naked on stage. Once again I found I’m fascinated as I watched her and I’m eerily drawn to the idea of doing what she’s doing. Damn! I wish the music wasn’t so loud. I really want to talk to Donna about what I’m watching and about my reaction. I don’t understand it. I’ve never been one of those girls who enjoy showing off. There isn’t an exhibitionistic bone in my body. I’ve always been shy and very conservative. Why in the hell does watching women remove their clothing and dance around bare ass naked to amuse and arouse a room full of strange men turn me on?!
In no time at all a waitress was putting our drinks down in front of us. I looked up to thank her and gasped. The waitress is Bunny! She was one of my two best friends in high school!!
When I looked up and she recognized me she turned bright red. She looked around and then leaned down and said, “Hey, Blair. Listen, I can’t talk now. But I’d like a chance to explain.”
Good! That will give us a chance to learn what’s going on here that Mr. Scott, the manager, is unlikely to mention. I pulled her down, gave her Donna’s address and asked her if she knows where it is. She nodded and I asked, “What time do you get off?”
“Usually around one in the morning but Scott is forcing me and a few others to go to a party tonight. Me and the other girls are the entertainment. Mr. Scott said the party could last most of the night.”
I stood up and told Donna I’ll be right back. I went outside, got in the back of the limo and called Tony. I told him what’s going on and asked him if there’s anything I can do. He told me he was just about to knock off for dinner and he’ll be right over.
I went back inside and told Donna I called Tony and he’s on his way over. We sipped our drinks until we saw someone leave Mr. Scott’s office. We gulped down what remained of our delicious drinks and waited to see if Scott was coming out to greet us. When he didn’t we went to his office. Donna tapped on his door. He looked up and said, “Yes, can I help you ladies?”
He looks like he doesn’t know who we are or why we’re here. Surely there can’t be two men in the business who weren’t aware we were coming and why! Donna stepped just inside the door and said, “You’re unaware we were coming?”
He sighed and replied, “Ladies, I’m very busy. What is it you want? Are you two looking for jobs? We can always use a couple more hot cunts.”
The he looked a little closer at Donna and said, “You look familiar. Didn’t you work here for a while?”
Donna just smiled and said, “Never mind. I think we’ll just go back to our table and finish our drinks ... prick.”
He turned bright red and growled, “What did you call me?!”
“Prick. That’s the opposite of a cunt isn’t it?”
He stood up and in a very threatening tone he said, “I think you two need a lesson in how to treat your betters.”
He picked up his phone, punched a button and said, “Tommy, I got a couple a cunts in here who need to learn some manners. I want you to take them into the back and...”
After about thirty seconds he growled, “I don’t give a damn. Take them in the back and let ‘em turn some tricks. I imagine after a night on their backs they’ll know how to treat their betters.”
That was when Tony entered the office, pistol in hand. Damn! He must have driven like a lunatic to get here this fast! It’s only been ten or fifteen minutes since I called him!
He stood there, not pointing the gun at Scott but making certain he saw it. They glared at each other for a moment before Scott finally accepted that he lost this battle before it even started. He was trying to decide what to say to get himself out of the mess he finds himself in when Tony calmly asked, “Are you fucking brain dead? Have you not heard anything about what has happened in this town?!”
When Scott didn’t respond, Tony raised his voice and snarled, “That wasn’t a rhetorical question. Answer me, dumb ass!”
After an uncomfortably long pause Scott shrugged and almost whispered, “Sorry, Tony. I heard some rumors. I didn’t know if I should believe them or not. Nobody in management has told me shit.”
Tony nodded toward me and Donna and said, “That’s what they were here trying to do! You’re obviously too fucking dumb to be running a club. I think I need to take you out to the farm and bury you with all the other dumb asses who didn’t want to get with the program. Come on. Let’s go for a little ride, Scott.”
Mr. Scott’s face turned white as a sheet. He collapsed back down in his chair and stared at Tony in shock. I can almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he’s trying to figure out how to get out of the situation his cruel arrogance put him in.
After a minute or two of total silence, Scott mumbled, “I’m sorry, Tony. I was just ... I didn’t ... please, Tony. I don’t wanna die. I got a wife and kids.”
“Tell you what I’ll do, Scott. I’m gonna go have a talk with your girls. If just one of them can think of one nice thing to say about you I’ll let you live. Does that sound fair?”
He’s sweating bullets now. “No, wait. Please. I was just doing my job.”
“Bullshit! You’ve been getting off on treating these women like shit. You love it you fucking freak. Tell me something, Scott. We’ve never met. How is it you know who I am and that I’m running Chapman’s empire now if you haven’t heard anything and we’ve never met?”
Scott either didn’t know how to respond or his brain froze up. Tony shook his head and pulled back the hammer on his pistol. Scott moaned, shivered violently and pissed his pants. It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. This asshole is the second of the club mangers we’ve spoken with today who wasn’t at least polite and amenable to the changes Tony is putting into effect or were at least reasonably good at faking it. This guy has been on a power trip in his own little kingdom. He really gets off on treating women like crap and forcing them to do things like spend all night getting gang raped after working their asses off all afternoon and evening in his club.
Tony shook his head and snarled, “You’re fucking disgusting! I don’t know what to do with you. If I let you live you’re bound to be a problem before long. You’ll pull some stupid shit to try to make trouble for me. That’s the kinda shit weasels do when you aren’t looking.”
“No! I won’t! Honest, Tony! I’ll do better. I swear it. I’ve learned my lesson. I admit I’ve been a prick. I’ve been trying to impress Chapman since he hired me, trying to get ahead. I guess I got carried away. I lost sight of who I really was.”
“Or you felt free to be the real you.”
We heard Tony ease the hammer on his pistol back down. He stared daggers at Scott for a minute and then said, “I guess we’ll see. Do you have a room big enough to gather all the women in?”
“I just added on a new storeroom in the back. There’s no seats or anything but I’m not using it yet. It’s still empty and it’s big enough to hold everyone.”
Tony told Scott to turn off the music and go wait in the storage room. If there are any women in the back he’s to gather them up, too. I almost choked on the strong smell of piss when he went past. It’s a good thing he’s wearing a dark suit. I can’t see the piss stain. But the smell is following him around like a dark cloud.
Donna went with Scott. I hung back to hear what Tony was going to say. He went up onto the stage, apologized to the stripper for interrupting her act and turned to introduce himself.
“Gentlemen, I apologize for interrupting your fun but I promise it will be brief. For about the next fifteen minutes the place is going to be self-service. I know it’s an inconvenience but the club is now under new management and some policy changes are going into effect immediately. My staff and I are here to explain everything to the club manager and the women who work here. Thank you for bearing with me.
“Ladies, we’re all gathering in the new storeroom. Please finish up your current transactions and join us.”
He watched for a moment as the nearly nude waitresses completed their business and headed for the room in the back. I met up with him and thanked him for coming. I explained how uncooperative Scott had been but I suppose he could have been telling the truth about one thing. Since Chapman was removed from the picture I’ve noticed a change for the better in a lot of people, including Tony. I pointed that out to Tony.
He nodded and said, “Yeah, I know. But Scott is a different kind of animal. He really enjoyed making life hard for his girls. And there’s no way he didn’t know about the changes. The club managers are a pretty close group. They have meetings all the time. The others all went along with the changes as if they were happy to do it, whether they are or not. Even Anderson and I thought he was going to be the troublemaker! Not Scott. We’re going to have to keep an eye on him for a while.”
We arrived at the door to the storage room just as a dozen tired, depressed looking young women were coming down the narrow corridor, obviously from the rooms in the back where they’ve been turning tricks. They all look exhausted. I stopped them before they entered the storage room and asked them what time they start work.
They looked at me with one of those ‘who the hell are you’ looks for a moment before one of them explained, “We start work an hour before we open. We get the rooms in the back ready and then help out with the tables.”
“You all work from opening until closing time?”
She nodded.
“How many days a week?”
“Six or seven. We get rotating days off, one day a week. But more often than not we get called in because the place is busy or he needs us to go to some party somewhere and entertain another large group of horny men.”
“Do you rotate in the back or do you work back there the entire shift?”
“We usually spend the entire shift working the rooms or working the tables. But we almost never work the back rooms two nights in a row.” I didn’t know what to say. I looked at Tony and asked, “Is it like that in all the clubs?”
He looks as disgusted as I feel. He shook his head and said, “No. Just this one. And that’s going to change tonight. Maybe I should bring Scott’s wife and daughters in and let them help out.”
He turned to the women and said, “That outrageous schedule is going to change tonight. I’m so sorry you’ve been forced to work like this. I’m going to be keeping a close eye on Scott. And you’re all going to have Blair’s cell phone number. It will be posted where everyone can see it. If Scott turns back into an asshole after we leave we very much want to hear about it. We’re going to do something about your working conditions and you’re going to start getting paid what you’re worth. I promise.”
It wasn’t until the women entered the room and we followed them in that I remembered Scott is in the room waiting for us. I wondered if he heard any of that. I glanced at him and it’s obvious he did. I can’t help thinking it’s too bad they didn’t hold off on destroying the farm. I’d like to have been able to send him out there for a week. I’d like to see some of the DVDs they would have made of him fucking dogs and horses and sucking their cocks. He’s almost as big an asshole as Chapman was!
When we were certain no one else is coming I closed the door. Tony went to the front of the room and stood beside Donna. When the room got quiet Tony announced, “Donna, one of my two assistants, will be addressing you. But before she gets started I wanted to let you know that just before I left the office to come here I got word about what the finance office determined you should be getting paid. I’m going to have Scott post it somewhere you can all see it.
“In addition, in an attempt to make up to you for the way Chapman treated you I have ordered the finance office to search their employment records. As soon as possible, it may take a week or two, you will each be receiving a check based on how long you worked for Chapman which will attempt to make up as much as possible for all the mistreatment you’ve received at the hands of that asshole and his managers.
“It won’t take away the terrible memories I’m sure you all have. But hopefully it will help you put your lives back together and make it clear that this is a changed company. Please keep that in mind when you’re deciding whether or not you wish to continue working for us. I don’t expect all of you to stay but I’m hoping I can convince most of you to hang around and see if we can’t make this a better place to work.
“Donna, the floor is yours.”
“Thanks, Tony. Ladies, most of you know me. I was one of you until I pissed Chapman off and he decided it was time for me to make my last movie. I was moments away from a horrible death when this wonderful man decided enough is enough. I promise you, this is going to be a much better place to work now. I know, parts of the job really suck.”
Most of the women in the audience laughed at that.
She grinned and continued, “But I also know most of us have gotten used to it and some of us have even gotten to where we enjoy it, or at least some of it. I hope I can talk some, or better yet most of you, into at least thinking about sticking around. You’re finally going to be paid what you’re worth. I promise you that. And you aren’t going to be slaves anymore. You’re going to start working a more normal schedule with normal hours and regular days off. We’re going to do our best to recruit more women from the country’s various sin cities.
“In addition, there will be no more forced labor. If any of you were forced into this job like I was and Blair’s mother was, that’s over now. And management will no longer be able to force you to perform tasks you find objectionable. You can no longer be forced to attend parties like the orgy Scott had planned for some of you tonight. If you do go to a party you’ll be well paid and a man from my office will accompany you to make certain things don’t get out of hand. We don’t know how that’s all going to work. Tony just took over and we’re taking care of problems as they pop up. If you’ll help us we’ll figure it out together.
“Any questions?”
Someone in the middle of the crowd of naked and nearly naked women quietly replied, “Not yet. We don’t know enough about what’s going on to figure out what to ask.”
Donna smiled and said, “We’re just as confused as you are. But we’ll keep you informed as we figure out what the hell we’re doing. Please be a little patient.
“Since Chapman never paid anyone what they were worth and we never thought we’d be in this position we’re starting from scratch. As we said, no one will be forced to work here against their will. But I hope you’ll wait and consider how you feel about the work once you find out how much you’re going to be paid. And don’t forget, from now on you’re going to be treated with respect, the way you should have been treated all along. If any of you should ever have a problem with something you’re being asked to do or the way you’re being treated you’ll have my cell phone number and Blair’s. If we can’t straighten a problem out I know Tony can. He saved my life and he treats me like an old friend. I worked for Chapman for nearly a decade and I was treated just the way you women have been so I know what your life has been like. We’re changing that.”
Donna glanced at Tony, then turned back and said, “Okay, ladies. You can go back to work now. And if anyone besides Bunny is scheduled to attend that party after work tonight please let Scott know you aren’t going. If he can’t find someone willing to go maybe it’s time he learned how to put out.”
There were a lot of confused faces in the crowd. I was pretty sure I knew why. I said, “Sorry, ladies. I went to school with Dawn. She was one of my best friends. But everyone who knew her has called her Bunny since the ninth grade when she went to a party in a very sexy Playboy bunny costume. When she waited on us at our table I introduced her to Donna as Bunny. Sorry for the confusion.”
A lot of the women found that amusing. I’m pretty sure they were also amused by the threat to have Scott take their place entertaining all the horny men at that party after work tonight. Scott didn’t seem quite as amused. He’s standing nearby and his face and neck are fire engine red.
When everyone but Tony, me, Donna and Scott had departed Tony turned to Scott and asked, “What about you, Scott? Any questions? Do you understand the changes you’re going to have to make? Or should I just let you go? Because if you don’t understand and you have no intention of going along and changing the entire atmosphere of this club we can still take a drive out to where the farm used to be before I had it turned into ashes. Either that, or you can quit and get the hell out of town. I’m willing to give you a chance to change the way you treat people. Or, you can go home, pack up your shit, take your family and get the hell out of town.”
Scott closed his eyes, tilted his head back for a long moment and took a few deep breaths before he looked at the three of us and quietly said, “It isn’t going to be easy for me. I’ve gotten so used to doing things to please Chapman ... I’m going to have to learn my job all over again. Some of this shit has been pretty much hardwired in my brain. I understand the changes you want made and I understand why. It’s going to require me to stop and think before I do anything for a while. I was one of the first club managers Chapman hired. I don’t remember being an asshole before he hired me and I made it my goal in life to suck up to that bastard because, unlike all those women, those of us who are managing the clubs are treated well and paid very well. But I don’t suppose I could have turned out the way I did if I didn’t have a mind wired to do the things I’ve done. If you’ll give me a chance I promise I’ll do the best I can to turn this club around and make it a place those women can enjoy working.
“I can’t just go home, pack up and leave town. My wife and I are from this town. We were born here. Our kids were born here. We have a nice life, friends and extended family. I realize now that the life I have came at the expense of a very hard life for a lot of women who didn’t deserve to be treated the way I treated them. I just ask that if I screw up from time to time, please, don’t shoot me right away. Tell me what I’m doing wrong and what I should have done. Okay?”
Tony hesitated and looked at Scott thoughtfully for a long moment before he replied, “You certainly sound sincere.”
Tony turned to look at Donna and me. We looked at each other for a moment. When she didn’t respond I said, “I was going to suggest you consider replacing him with Tommy. But I guess it’s only fair to give him a chance.”
Then I turned to Scott and said, “Please keep in mind that every woman working here is going to have my phone number. I haven’t suffered like they have. But I was subjected to some horrific treatment thanks to Chapman. I’m not going to have much of a sense of humor if I start getting a lot of phone calls. If you fuck up I’d prefer you and your family were exiled. But that won’t be up to me. I’m telling you now, though, I’m going to be much more sympathetic to their plight than yours.”
“Thank you. I give you my word, I’m going to change. The first thing I’m going to do is cancel the party scheduled for after work tonight.”
The four of us filed out of the empty storage room. Scott went to his office. We headed for the door. We didn’t get ten feet before we were swarmed by a large number of the women who work there. Bunny threw her arms around me. She’s crying her ass off but she’s smiling and excited. She hugged me, kissed me and I could hardly understand her when she began to nearly chant, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
One of the girls came out on stage and the music started. The other women began circulating, taking drink orders, smiling at the men who groped them and acting like suddenly they were having fun! It’s kind of a relief. They’re obviously much happier about their working conditions. Hopefully a good number of them will at least consider staying on after they get paid and receive the check for being sex slaves for what must seem like forever. I’d hate it if the changes we’re making drove Tony out of business. On the other hand, with the money he’s raking in from Chapman’s foreign bank accounts he could retire tomorrow and live very well for the rest of his life.
We stood watching that woman take off her clothes and watching the other’s working the tables for a few minutes. I can almost feel the atmosphere in the room changing. I was a bit surprised when I saw first one of the women and then another go into the back with a customer in tow. All four of them had smiles on their faces. I’m still curious. I’m having to resist the desire to see what it’s like to find one of those sexy outfits and get up on a stage in front of all those strange men and dance until they all have hard-ons and want very much to stick their cocks in me. The need to feed that growing desire is growing. I know that someday, probably someday soon I’m going to have to give in. I definitely have to have a serious talk with Donna!
We finally went outside. It was a relief to take all that pressure off of our eardrums. We stood there and talked for a few minutes. Pam came over and joined us. After Pam said hello to Tony I asked, “Does the music always have to be so loud? Except for the fancy club we went to before this one the music was so loud in all five of them I thought my head was going to explode.”
Tony shrugged and said, “I had to go to Chapman’s clubs with him pretty often. The loud music was always almost enough to get me to pull my gun out and start shooting out speakers. But I’d look around and see that the customers either didn’t seem to notice or didn’t mind. I figured it was just me but I started wearing earplugs whenever I had to go to the clubs with him.”
Donna said, “I had a problem with it, too. It drove me nuts for a long time and I wasn’t allowed to wear earplugs. I’m pretty sure it damaged my hearing. I asked one of the old managers about it. He insisted it was just a part of the standard atmosphere of strip clubs. Places have tried to tone it down a little but they always noticed a sag in the profits. For some reason the loud music seems to reduce inhibitions. The customers drink more, they tip better, the dancers are more lively and the men seem to enjoy the show more. I don’t know if that’s ever been tested scientifically. But the loud music has been a part of the strip club atmosphere for as long as anyone can remember.”
Tony thought about it for a moment and said, “I think I’ll ask one of the managers to turn it town a little for a week or two and see what happens. All three of us will have to visit those clubs fairly regularly. I like naked women as much as any guy but I really hate the headache that loud music gives me.”
He suggested to me and Donna that we ask Pam to drive us back to Donna’s house. I asked, “Where are you going?”
“Back to the office. I didn’t come even close to getting through everything I planned to do today.”
Donna and I looked at each other and I said, “We’re coming with you. There must be something we can do to help. And I’ll bet you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast have you? We can do something about that, too.”
He shook his head and said, “No. You guys...”
That was as far as I let him get before I interrupted. “Shut up and get in the car before I kick your ass! I meant to say please, of course. We’re coming to the office with you. If we can’t find something we aren’t too dumb to handle for you we can at least keep the coffee coming and try to get you something to eat.”
Pam chimed in, “If I hurry I can get to Pinky’s before he closes. And before Chapman made me his driver/concubine I worked in the office for a while. It’s been a few years but it wasn’t rocket science. I imagine between the three of us we can help around the edges without fucking it up too bad.”
“I appreciate the offer. But you guys got a lot done today. Go on home and...”
“Give Pam some money to pick up some burgers and drinks. We’re going with you.”
Donna and I were walking toward Tony’s car when I heard him mutter, “Stubborn cunts! God I love ‘em!”
He gave Pam some money and as he was driving us back to the office he said, “You guys really don’t have to do this. But I have to be honest. I’m a thug. I’ve always been a thug. I’ve never been a paperwork kinda guy and I’m really out of my league.”
I chuckled and replied, “It’s okay, Tony. When a guy has a cock like yours he doesn’t have to be very smart.”
We all laughed at that. It was said in jest. But I couldn’t help thinking there’s a lot of truth in what I just said. Not counting the two violent, cruel, beefy thugs who raped me and brutalized me before they set the dogs on me at the farm I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy some very good sex with two very well-hung men. You might thing after what I experienced prior to that I’d have been put off men and sex. I’m glad that wasn’t my reaction. Since the farm I’ve had sex with Tony and the sheriff and both times it was mind blowing. And today I spent most of the day touring strip clubs and as a result of what I saw in those clubs, and some of the erotic scenarios I imagined, I spent a large part of the day thinking about sex and getting extremely aroused. I suppose the next step in my sex education should be to experiment a little more and see how I like sex with guys who aren’t so well hung. I gather most men come equipped with much more average cocks. Considering how many people there are in the world I have to assume a large number of women are enjoying having sex with men who have average cocks.
Except for a brief pause to devour the food Pam picked up for us we worked until three o’clock in the morning. Pam turned out to be worth her weight in gold. She knew where everything was, including the undoctored records which Chapman kept hidden in a secret compartment in the wall behind his desk. She called them the “uncooked books.”
When we finally couldn’t stay awake any longer, Tony left a message for his secretary/receptionist telling her we worked all night and would be in later in the afternoon. Tony and Pam went home. Pam went a little out of her way to drop Donna and me off at her house. It’s a good thing she remembered Donna and I don’t have cars now. We forgot all about it!
We went to our rooms and right to bed. Donna set her alarm for eight in the morning. That only gave us four hours sleep but we still have a lot to do. Pam picked us up and we made it into the office at a little before nine. We decided to spend the day inspecting the four whorehouses and Donna wants to try to get to as many of them as possible before they start getting really busy.
Donna has at one time or another in her years working for Chapman spent time working in all four of them. She’s worked at all of his clubs and whorehouses with the exception of the fancy club. When asked what it was like she shrugged and said, “Not much different than working anywhere else that’s under the control of Chapman. No matter where you worked, if Chapman owned it you spent time fucking and sucking cocks for money. Of course, Chapman got the money. We got fucked, figuratively and literally.
“It was all very traumatic at first. I wasn’t a virgin when he blackmailed me into becoming one of his whores but I wasn’t far from it. We spent more time having sex or sitting around naked waiting to have sex with strange men in the whorehouses, but the strip clubs are almost as bad.
“At the underground shows we spent all our time functioning as naked waitresses and hand warmers while the show was on. After the show it turned into a wild, nasty orgy. Participation in the orgy was included in the price of a ticket. It’s always a madhouse for an hour or two but after that the guys put their pants on and go home. I used to have nightmares about being in that large room under constant attack by hordes of disembodied cocks.
“After a while you kind of get numb. Getting fucked by strange men is just a part of your life. We can’t quit, or at least most of us can’t. There are a handful of women doing it because they need the money and being a whore is all they know how to do. And believe it or not there are a few women who do it because they enjoy it.
“I enjoyed it sometimes. You spend your day naked or nearly naked with male hands exploring everywhere but the soles of your feet. Even when you’re fighting to not let them see how much you hate it you can’t help getting turned on from time to time. No matter what you’re thinking your body likes what your body likes. Some of those guys were pretty damn good with their hands. And if the guy isn’t bad looking sometimes it isn’t so unpleasant when he stands up and invites you into the back. If the guy is nice and isn’t bad looking and if he knows what he’s doing ... I know I had my share of orgasms. Unfortunately, guys like that are rare.”
It kind of scares me that I can understand that last small group of women. I wouldn’t care to repeat my first day getting raped by Tony and his three fellow rapists. It was pretty violent and there was a lot of pain involved. And I try very hard not to think about the thankfully short time I spent at the farm. I try very hard to pretend the things which were done to me there never happened. But when Tony and I had sex at Donna’s house, DAMN!! That was earthshaking! And I enjoyed the hell out of my time with the sheriff, too. It turns out when it’s done right sex is a lot of fucking fun! I can think of worse ways to make a living. At least you don’t have to surrender your principles and your pride and sink as deep in the muck as a Republican politician!
Donna called for a taxi and when it arrived we went into the office to check in. We weren’t surprised to find Tony already hard at work in his office. Tony offered to let Pam drive us around again but we’re all aware her time will be better spent working in the office instead of sitting in the limo waiting around for us. Donna suggested we rent a car for the day since Chapman had our cars crushed. It didn’t take much effort to convince Tony to keep Pam in the office to help. She was a huge help last night.
Before we could call for a cab, Tony stood up and apologized. He said, “I’m sorry. I was so tired and brain dead when we called it quits at three o’clock this morning I forgot something. Come on, follow me.”
He refused to tell us where we were going. We went to the elevator and down to the parking garage. I thought he was going to loan us his car but that didn’t make sense. He led us to the second row of vehicles, came to a stop and said, “These were delivered yesterday evening. I forgot all about them.”
These what?!
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two sets of keys. He pointed to two brand new Lincoln Aviators and said, “You guys can sort out which one you want. They’re in the company name so they’re insured and the registration is taken care of. If you want them in your own names we can take care of that later, when things calm down. The papers are in the glove compartments. Drop by the dealership when you have some time and they’ll explain all the gadgets on them. And good luck. I was looking at some literature about them and I’m not sure I could drive one!”
He handed both sets of keys to Donna and said, “You guys will have to figure out which one you want. Let me know when you get back.”
He started to turn away to return to his office but I grabbed him and with tears running down my cheeks I said, “Tony no...”
That was as far as I got before he pulled me into a bear hug, kissed me and said, “I have a lot to make up for. This doesn’t even scratch the surface. Now get your lazy asses to work before I start kicking some ass.”
Tony went back to his office. We looked at the cars for a moment before I said, “It doesn’t matter to me. Do you have a preference?” Donna shook her head, held out the keys and said, “Take one. Let fate decide.” I chose a set of keys, figured out how to use the remote start and started the dark red one. That left her with the dark gray one. I shut the car off and said, “It doesn’t make sense to take two cars. Since you know where we’re going let’s take your car.”
“Makes sense to me.”
We got in her car and she sat there for a moment figuring out where everything is and how to start it. She finally figured most of it out and started it. Then we sat there for a minute or two while she checked out some of the gadgets. It took her a minute to figure out how to put it in gear but eventually she found the buttons for the gears and drove out of the garage.
As we drove to the closest whorehouse asked her what we’re going to say and about her relationship with the people in charge. She thought about it a moment before replying, “Just like at the strip clubs I was just another whore. I did what I was ordered to do with whomever I was ordered to do it. I never developed any kind of relationship with the people in charge. Three of them are men. They’re okay ... I guess. They didn’t go out of their way to make our lives unpleasant. They were doing their jobs just like us whores were. The fourth one is run by a woman and she’s a stone-cold bitch. She’s going to be as much fun to deal with as Anderson and Scott were yesterday. On the other hand, I must confess I’m going to take an enormous amount of satisfaction from putting that cunt in her place.”