AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You're crazy," he says. "I paid you, now get the fuck out ofhere."
"You didn't pay me enough, and that's the real problem," I say, standing my ground. "You paid me $1100 and you know my services cost $1500."
"You're a lying whore," he growls, and slams thedoor.
I'm pissed. I did what this dickhead asked and I expect to be paid for it. There is no way I am going to let him get away with this. I pace for a minute and then pull the cell phone from my purse. I dial Thomas.
"Hey, Chris,” he answers, after allowing the phone ring for a few seconds.
"Get over here; I need your help," I say, sounding slightly panicked. "A John is trying to shortme."
"A John is trying to hurt you?" heasks.
"No, S-H-O-R-T, short me," I say. "This guy is refusing to payup."
"No one fucks with my girls," he says. "I'll be right there."
It is in this moment that I am thankful I have the muscle of a pimp behind me. Without Thomas, I would be at a loss. But knowing that this will be handled, I leave and head back to my hotelroom.
Knowing that I am close to my hotel, I decide to walk down the strip, but after a couple of long blocks, I quickly regret my decision. My feet are killing me and I have no choice but to take off my heels and carry them in onehand.
I walk barefoot past desperate street performers—a man in an Elmo suit, a double amputee playing drums, a man in a homemade costume in the form of Bumblebee, the Transformer, and women dressed in classic showgirl attire. There are people handing out business cards with the images of big-breasted, naked sex workers into her hands, drunk people falling down in the street carrying foot-long neon-blue drinks, the blinking neon lights of the strip flashing all while Vegas flashed its crookedgrin.
I start to feel disillusioned. I have never experienced a client like Eric before. All of the previous men never proved to be a problem; overall, they were kind, generous, and kept their ends of the bargain. They never hurt me, they paid in full, and every once in awhile I get a little pleasure out of the interaction, and at the end of the night, it was a mutually beneficial business deal. But my encounter with Eric makes me realize that this is in fact a job with risks—I am risking my well being, and it becomes obvious that the clients can be unpredictable. Eric knew I had a pimp, and even still, he refused to pay in full. What would he have done if I were working alone? I shudder just thinking aboutthis.
I arrive at my hotel, swipe my room key in the elevator, selected my floor, and watch as each number lights up as the elevator climbed higher. The doors open, and I walk out toward myroom.
I start to think that maybe I shouldn’t risk it all anymore. Maybe I need to be broke, and try to slip back into my old life. Surely it couldn’t be toohard.
Once in my room, I draw myself a hot bath, taking off my coat and lingerie and carefully submerging myself in the tub. The heat and support from the water make my neck and shoulders relax. I lean back, take a few deep breaths, and closed my eyes, thinking that I will text Thomas tonight and tell him that I’m done being a prostitute. I wonder how Thomas will react. I know he is depending on me, but I can’t let that cloud my judgment. I need to put myself first.
When I finish with my bath, I slip on a silk robe and walk into the room. When I look up, I nearly jump out of my skin. There, sitting on the bed, is the silhouette of a man. Just as I am about to let out a scream, I realize who itis.
"I thought I'd bring this to you in person," Thomas says as he holds out four hundred dollar bills.
"How in the hell did you get in here?" I ask with my eyebrows arched in anger. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Thomas doesn't answer and instead pats the bed and motions for me to have a seat next tohim.
"Maybe I want out,” I say, flatly.
Thomas doesn’t blink. He stares at me for a long moment before speaking. "Listen to yourself for a minute. Do you know what you're saying?"
"I do, and I've given this a lot of thought," I say. "I'm fucking up my life. I can't keep doingthis."
"No, you'd be fucking up your life by walking away," Thomas counters. "You are one of the highest paid girls I know. You bring in more cash per client than most females out there."
"Maybe it's not all about the money, maybe it's—" I begin to say before Thomas cuts meoff.
"Stop," he says. "Just shut up for a minute. Of all the girls I know, you appreciate money more than most. You are willing to put yourself out there and take risks because you know with great risk comes great reward."
"Client are unpredictable, Thomas," I say. "I saw that tonight. It's not easy out there."
"Hey, doll," he says. "That's why I'm here. I've got your back. Didn't I have your back tonight?" He flashes the money in the air, to bring home his point.
"You did, but what if—" I continue and again Thomas cuts meoff.
"There won't be a what if," he says, interrupting. "No one is ever going to fuck with you again. I made an example out ofEric.”
