When I took the job at Velvet, I had no idea what was in store for me. All I knew was I was tired of scraping and living from check to check. My best friend in the world, Kelsea, had been working there for almost four months by the time her wad of tips made me jealous enough to want in.

    She was a dancer there, and she loved it. It was nothing new to her. She’d been working in strip clubs since the day we were smart enough to run away from ourst foster home and make our own way. We had big dreams of moving to Anta and being discovered. I could sing, but my girl could blow. We just knew there was no way our duo wouldn’t end up making it big in the industry once we were in front of the right people. Little did we know, everybody, and their mama, wanted the same thing we wanted.

    Every audition came with rejection or a dude wanting you to fuck your way to the top. It wasn’t my thing. Not that I was against money. I just didn’t want that for myself. Kelsea and I both ended up with someone in our faces making a whole lot of promises and never following through on the dreams they sold us.

    After years of empty promises and bullshit, I got my ass in school. As much as I loved to sing, I loved working with children even more. One of the only reasons that I stayed in the group home where she and I met for so long was so that I could help look after the younger girls.

    The waitressing jobs that we had helped keep a roof over our heads and the lights on, but I wanted more. I was tired of living from check to check. I take that back. It would have been nice to at least be able to make it from one check to the next. I couldn’t even afford that.

    For a while, taking my GED sses at night had me running on fumes. Only being able to work at the diner part-time had the bills piling up and Kelsea nagging for more help around the house. She didn’t believe that education was the key to getting out of our situation. I knew it was. That’s why for the past two years, I had been enrolled in the local college to get my degree in early childhood education.

    I was only a part-time student, but eventually my change woulde. I just needed to stay down. Meanwhile, my bestie had found some guy who worked at the club to line her pockets. She wasn’t even staying in our apartment anymore, which only put more strain on me. My girl still paid her part of the rent, but I knew that would onlyst for so long.

    Thankfully, I finally went down to the club where she had been making bank. I’d been afraid that they would think I was too awkward to fit in. I was used to not fitting in, so it didn’t bother me. I was taller than every woman that I had ever met in person. That bothered me my whole life until I just decided that there was nothing I could do but ept it. Not to mention the wild afro that I’d grown to love over the years.

    Instead of shrinking to fit in with everyone, I let myself bloom into the woman I was meant to be. I was happy and at peace with myself, but that didn’t mean that everyone else could ept me.

    “Come here for a second,” Brendan, the owner of Velvet, said, walking over to me.

    My heart seized up when I realized that he was talking to me. What the hell does he want with me? I had only had the job for close to three weeks. The tips that I brought home on a nightly basis had covered the rent for two months and caught up our light and water bills. I had a refrigerator full of food and a little left over after getting a few things that I had been wanting. I needed my job. I said a silent prayer that I wasn’t about to get fired already as I moved over to where he stood.

    “How you like it here so far?” Brendan asked once I was in earshot.

    “It’s cool. The girls are nice,” I said, making sure to wear that smile I stered on all night to make sure I got good tips.

    “The customers treating you all right?”

    “So far, so good.” I shrugged, wondering where this conversation was going.

    “Do you remember the guy who was sitting with me earlier?” he questioned.

    “The mean one?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

    That made him chuckle. Maybe I wasn’t about to get fired after all. “Yes, the mean one.”

    “What about him? Did he say something?”

    “He told me to fire you,” Brendan revealed.

    This couldn’t be happening. I panicked as I considered ways to get my boss to reconsider. I needed a chance to make this right.

    “I really didn’t know not to touch him. The girls told me to be friendly and flirt with the customers. I’m not even like that. I’m just trying to do a good job. I like it here, and I really, really need my job.”

    “I understand that, but as part owner of this establishment, he has the right to make that call,” Brendan informed me.

    “Can I just talk to him and exin that I didn’t mean any harm?” I begged.

    “I think I have a better offer for you. What are you doing Friday night? Don’t say working, because we both know that’s no longer true.”

    There was a lump in my throat, but I still managed to choke out a response. “I guess I’ll be eating my weight in ice cream and looking for a new job online.”

    “I’m going to a g Friday night. That’s just a fancy name for a formal fundraiser with some boring singer or performer to make it feel like a party and not a money grab. Anyway, there will be some important people there, and I would be honored to have you on my arm.”

    I frowned at his statement. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? I work for you.”

    “Not anymore. Knowing there would be a conflict is my personal reason for letting you go.”

    I shook my head in protest. “I’m sorry, but I would rather have my job.”

    “And I would rather have you than to let you work here for peanuts,” he responded.

    “There are a ton of other girls here. Why me?” I asked him.

    “Because you’re one of the only ones who hasn’t tried to fuck me and every other rich dude you have seening through the doors. I don’t want what everyone can have. I want something exclusive.”

    Something about his words made me consider what he had to say. Kelsea had already met and moved in with someone she’d met here. I wasn’t looking for someone to live with, but I would be a fool not to want financial help. That was my whole reason for working here and letting men stare at my ass and titties all day.

    “I hear what you’re saying, but I have bills to pay. I’m not in here for my health.”

    “How much do you usually make a night here?” he quizzed.

    “Is that a trick question?” I asked, lifting my brows.

    “Not at all. I’m just seeing how much I need to give you to make up for what I’m taking away.”

    “Since I’ve been getting morefortable here, I’ve been making more tips. Tonight, I made twelve hundred dors, but that’s usually what I make in a couple of nights. I’m still learning the ropes, but I’m getting better, or at least I thought I was,” I rambled, hoping that the number I said wasn’t ridiculous.

    I wasn’t lying about making more tipstely, but tonight, the bulk of my tips hade from the man who was determined to ruin my life. It was strange that he would leave me a thousand-dor tip, then demand that I be fired in the same night. I guess he considered it a parting gift. Either way, I was furious.

    “Well, two thousand dors a week plus the honor of being on my arm should suffice.” He determined.

    “Even if I did want to go to a g with you, I don’t have anything to wear. I’ve never even been to a formal party.”

    “I’ll take you dress shopping in the morning. What’s your next excuse? Your car broke down?”

    I shook my head. “I don’t drive.”

    “That’s fine. I’ll pick you up.”

    “You’re serious, aren’t you?” I quizzed.

    He chuckled. “Yes, I’m serious.”

    “Can I think about it?”

    “What’s there to think about? I want you toe with me to this fancy-ass dinner where there will be a chef who’s wonpetitions on TV, expensive champagne, and all I want you to do is hang on my arm and be pretty. No strings attached unless we agree on them.”

    “Am I fired either way?” I quizzed.

    “I’m afraid so, sweetheart,” he replied.

    I shook my head in defeat as I pushed past him to walk to the back room where we had lockers and changed clothes. Since I wasn’ting back here after tonight, I went ahead and cleared the few items from my locker and cradled them in my arms. I pulled my phone out of the purse I’d left stuffed in my locker and plopped down on the bench behind me.

    Tears stung my eyes as I considered Brendan’s offer. It wouldn’t be too bad to go on a date with him, especially since it sounded like he was literally asking me to be a paid escort. If he was firing me either way, there was no harm in giving whatever this would be a chance. Releasing a long sigh, I shot Kelsea a text.

    Me: Brendan fired me.

    Immediately, my phone rang, and I swiped to answer before putting it to my ear.

    “Bitch, what?”

    “Yeah, there was this rude-ass customer who didn’t even talk, he just red at me like I had no business standing close to him. Anyway, I put my hand on his shoulder the way you and the girls showed me, and he looked at me like I had pped his mama. Brendan warned me that he didn’t like to be touched, and I apologized. After he left, Brendan came to find me and said that the asshole was part owner of the club and told him to fire me.”

    “Woooow!” my girl sang.

    “I know, right.”

    “What the hell, Dev?”

    “That’s not the craziest part. Brendan asked me out. He said he’s going to a formal dinner and wants me on his arm. I told him I didn’t even have anything to wear, and he said he would take me dress shopping and give me money to help me out for a while since he had to fire me.”

    “Girl, what? Not the owner wanting my best girl.”

    “This is crazy, right?” I asked her.

    “Baby, have you seen Pretty Woman? You don’t have to worry about trying to scheme and get good tips all night long. You just bagged the big fish. Let a rich nigga finance you for a while. I know you’re tired of struggling.”

    I groaned. “Tell me about it.”

    “When is this ball or whatever?”

    “It’s Friday.”

    “Friday? You only have three days to get your hair done and find a dress. Plus, you need to get your nails done and make sure you have someone to do your makeup. Nah, you don’t have to worry about makeup, because I’lle through and make sure your face is beat. This is so exciting, sis.”

    “Then why am I so nervous? I haven’t even left the locker room. I want my job. This feels so silly.”

    “It’s because this is strange territory for you. Working at the gentlemen’s club was never the end goal for you, sweetheart.”

    “I know, right. I just know that with making my own money, it’s guaranteed. Letting someone else take care of me is a gamble. What if he’s just saying all that good shit to make me feel better about getting fired?”

    “Well, either way, you’re fired. You might as well take a chance. Dealing with him and letting him line your pockets a little bit doesn’t stop you from looking for another job.”

    “You’re right,” I agreed.

    “Aren’t I always?”

    “Hardly ever, actually.” Iughed.

    “Whatever, hooker.”

    “That’s what he wants me to be, huh?”

    “A high-priced one at that. Don’t think too much into it. You might like him. It’s just one date.”

    “You’re right.”

    “We’ve already established that. Now stop hiding out in the locker room and call me when you make it home.”