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5
SLOANE
Holly never came back.
She didn’t show up at Stanley’s at all during the week after I saw those suited men loading her and another dancer into the back of that van in the alley.
Stanley’s was only one of the several clubs that the owners had all over the city. Sometimes, dancers would be moved from one location to another. Stanley’s was the “best” one, with the most rooms and the best clientele, so I never understood why a dancer would need to be moved to another one. Maybe they could be demoted. I hadn’t ever asked where women went, and in this industry, we experienced a fast turnover rate of strippers and dancers. I was one of the longest-standing employees, like Nevaeh, but I was that “dedicated” only because of my debt.
“Where do you think Holly is?” I asked Nevaeh when we showed up for another night of work. It was the twentieth night in a row that I’d worked, and I was running on the last fumes of energy. She had a few nights off, though, so I figured it was safe enough to bring up the other dancer. Enough time had passed betweenthat night I saw Holly be taken away and now. No one would remember that incident but me.
“I heard from Joceyln that she moved to Florida with her sister.” She shrugged, putting her bag on the dressing table. “Why? What’s it to you?”
I furrowed my brow, feeling caught. Another street-smart rule I’d learned far too young in the system was to mind my own business. Not to stick my nose where it didn’t belong. Not to ask questions that weren’t anything I had to get involved with. Sure, I was curious about where Holly was. But I was also concerned about how I saw her protesting Lenny’s order for those men to take her. And how she couldn’t get away.
I had. I was grateful I escaped Lenny and those men that night.
But will I the next time?
“Nothing.” I didn’t make eye contact.
She huffed. “Or maybe she found a sugar daddy and could quit. I’m glad she’s gone. That bitch took too many of the good guests.”
Nevaeh had always harbored a level of envy and jealousy, but I couldn’t blame her. There were only so many men who’d come in the club on any given night, only so many wallets to empty. And sometimes it seemed like there were too many dancers for us all to get the amount of cash we were after.
It was that kind of a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world here, and I’d be wise to stay out of all drama.
Just work. Go home. Try to sleep. And repeat. For fucking forever.
I sighed, moving on autopilot as I put my bag on the table next to hers and started thinking out the colors of what I’d use for my makeup tonight. That was theonlydeviation from every single night on the stage being the same as the one before. I had to rely on some variety with my appearance so the regulars wouldn’t be bored with me.
When I glanced up, I spotted the change on Nevaeh’s face. “Holy shit.” I gaped at the bruising around her eye. “Is that why you took a few days off this week?”
“Shut up.” She scowled. “It doesn’t look that bad.”
I handed her my heaviest concealer. “Sure, it doesn’t look that bad,” I replied sarcastically.
She took the tube and sighed as she started to apply it. “Nicky was in a mood.”
“About what now?” I refrained from laughing dryly. She’d try to make it sound like she had it made, dating a loser like Nicky. But nothing would tempt me to hook up with a guy like her dumbass boyfriend when I’d only be smacked around. After Derick, my vibrator would always be good enough for me.
As if I have the energy to want an orgasm.
On cue, I yawned, unable to perk up yet.
“He was late for his car payment.”
“Oh, the one he expects you to pay?”
She shot me a dirty look, probably ready to remind me that I didn’t know what it was like to have a man to want to cater to. I never would.
“I gave him the money for it, but he blew it all on booze before the payment date.” Biting on her lower lip, she turned at the sound of Lenny’s intoxicated, slurred voice in the hallway as he made his usual pervy walk through the backstage area here as we got dressed for the night.
I shook my head. I didn’t know what to say. She’d be annoyed if I nagged and no matter how much I pointed out that he was using her and abusing her, she’d reply with some stupidity about how I didn’t “get it” and would never understand that beingsoin love with a man meant making sacrifices.
Yeah. I’mneversacrificing anything for a man ever again.I was paying for the “sacrifice” of not locking up my credit cards before Derick got them all and put me in debt hell. I’d spent the one hour of “free time” before coming in here to pay the bills, and I hated that I only had twelve bucks to my name now.
“And,” she said, lowering her voice as she paused in applying the concealer, “he’s going to kick my ass again if I don’t have enough to pay it all, plus the late fee, after tonight.”