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With no concrete answers as to if or when the club might reopen, I had no choice but to start looking for employment elsewhere. I’d been bartending since about six months after I’d arrived in Maryland. At first, I’d made good money in comparison to the waitressing job I’d had at a local chain restaurant, but then I realized I could make even more money if I came into the strip club to do it.
It didn’t matter to me where I earned my living, so if I could make more money in a place where women took off their clothes and danced in front of men, I was going to do it.
Walking inside for the first time since before I’d received that call telling me not to come in for my next shift, I didn’t know what to expect.
It was late in the morning, about an hour before lunchtime. All I wanted to do was head into the back, where I’d be able to gather some of my personal belongings from my locker. As I approached the door that would take me there, I saw Lindsey step out from behind it. She was clearly not in a good mood.
Lindsey was one of the strippers who’d worked here the longest. In fact, she’d been hired about six months prior to me. While I didn’t necessarily hang out with anyone from my job outside of work, that didn’t mean that I wasn’t friendly with everyone I worked with.
So, when I came to within a few feet of Lindsey, I greeted her. “Hey, Lindsey.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and asked, “What are you doing here, Sawyer?”
Surprised by her reaction, I replied quietly, “I was just coming in to grab some things I left here.”
Lindsey grunted. “I’m shocked you didn’t think to take everything with you before this all happened.”
Confusion moved through me. I had no clue what she was talking about. “How would I have done that?”
She rolled her eyes. “I swear, it’s like you think I’m stupid. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to stand here and talk to a backstabbing goody two shoes. I have to go find another job.”
Before I could respond, Lindsey pushed past me, her shoulder roughly hitting mine, and walked away.
I stood there for a moment and watched her walk out. That had been the strangest encounter I’d had since I started working here. Considering the things I’d seen and heard working as a bartender in a place like this, I thought that was saying something.
Realizing that the club being shut down was not just a huge inconvenience to me but to everyone that worked here, I did my best to be understanding and shrug off the bizarre interaction with Lindsey. Then, I turned around and moved toward the door that would lead me to the lockers at the back of the club.
After I gathered up my things and tossed them into my bag, I thought it might be wise to check and see who else was around. Maybe somebody could give me some additional information as to what was happening with the club moving forward, if anyone had any answers.
Though I knew he wouldn’t be here since it was confirmed that he’d been arrested, I made my way toward Wade’s office. The building was open, and when I’d called yesterday about stopping in, Wade’s wife, Adriana, had indicated she’d be here today. I figured it might be a good idea to talk to her before I walked out and made any permanent decisions.
As I moved toward Wade’s office, I noted that the door wasn’t closed tightly, like I was accustomed to seeing it. Not only that, but I could hear voices coming from inside. Not wanting to interrupt, I approached slowly.
“I just don’t know what we’re going to do about Wade,” Adriana said, her frustration clear as day.
A moment later, Russ, who was one of the other bartenders I worked with, asked, “I don’t even understand how this happened. Everything was kept so tight-lipped. Do you think I need to be worried?”
There was an extended pause before Adriana huffed, “I just had a long talk with Lindsey before you walked in. She obviously doesn’t know everything that’s going on here, and I honestly don’t know what’s going to come of all that just yet, but I told her where the blame lies.”
“Where?” Russ pressed her.
“Sawyer.”
My eyes widened, and my body tensed.Me?I barely had any idea as to what was going on, let alone how I could be responsible for it.”
“Sawyer?” Russ repeated. “Really? I never would have thought.”
“Me neither, but I confirmed it when I went down to the police station,” Adriana explained. “That guy that’s been coming in here and chatting her up for weeks now was a detective. Clearly, she knew about what was happening here, and she let him in on it.”
“Are you talking about that guy, Eric?” Russ asked.
“That’s the one,” she confirmed. “And here I’m sure Sawyer thought the guy was actually interested in her.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Eric was a guy who had been coming into the club for several weeks now. It hadn’t been lost on me that he spent an excessive amount of time talking to me, but I never knew he was a detective.
But I realized now just how stupid that was? Because he was a guy who came into a strip club, and he didn’t seem the least bit interested in watching a single girl that was on that stage.
