At the word police, Vinny took a step back. “Nah, I don’t think we need to go that far. Just tell her to call me, okay? I really need back what I gave her. She’ll know what that means.” His smile didn’t waver. “Happy New Year, Joey. You ever want to make some real money, let me know, I’ll hook you up.”
A cold gust of air swept into the hallway as Vinny left through the back door, which was still unguarded. Joey leaned against the wall to steady herself. Her whole body was vibrating. There was a pay phone in the dressing room; she needed to call Mae and let her know that her boyfriend was looking for her. Whatever Mae had that belonged to him, she needed to give it back. Immediately.
Joey entered the dressing room and stopped in her tracks.
Every locker door was open. Everyone’s stuff was all over the floor. Every single lock had been cut.
Joey’s instincts were correct. She learned a long time ago that if your Spidey senses are tingling, villains abound.
* * *
After leaving Mae a message on her home answering service and cell phone, Joey headed upstairs, trying to get into a better headspace. A VIP request was a big deal.
There were three sections at the Golden Cherry, which essentially meant there were three levels of pay. The majority of the Cherry’s patrons would spend their evenings on the main floor, watching the stage shows and enjoying the attention from the girls working the room. This is where most of the dancers were stationed on any given night, and their goal was to entice the customers into buying a lap dance. Full nudity on the main floor was not allowed, so if you wanted a dance at your table, the dancer would stop short of removing her G-string. If you wanted to see what was under the G-string, you’d have to move to a designated area at the back of the room. Lap dances were a flat ten bucks per song, but tips were encouraged. Nothing at the Cherry was free, and the rules were posted everywhere:
NO PHOTOS OR VIDEOS
NO TOUCHING
TWO DRINK MINIMUM PER HOUR
The rules were different in VIP, which was on the second level of the club. The fifty-dollar cover charge went straight to your bar tab, and the drinks and service were generally better. Lap dances took place in semiprivate booths lining the side wall, and touching was allowed, but only by the dancer, only over the clothes, and only if she offered. Tips were expected. The more you paid, the longer she stayed, and the more you got to see.
And at the very back of the VIP area was a velvet curtain with a purple neon sign that read CHAMPAGNE ROOM. It was guarded by a bouncer at all times, and $250 would get you past the curtain and into the oval-shaped room, which had its own stage and pole right in the center. A dozen private booths lined the perimeter, each with a loveseat and a curtain that closed completely. There were no rules in the Champagne Room, and anything that happened in a Champagne booth was a negotiation between the dancer and her customer. It was not unheard of for a girl to earn two to five thousand a night in there. But to earn that much, you had to be willing to do … extras.
At first, Joey was appalled when she heard about the things that happened behind the velvet curtains. But the longer she worked at the Cherry, the less of a big deal it all seemed. You didn’t have to do anything you didn’t want to, and if you were ever uncomfortable—or if you changed your mind—a red button in each booth would summon the bouncer right outside.
It helped if you drank with your customers first. Some girls, like Dallas and Mae, got high. Joey didn’t need alcohol, and she never did drugs.
All she needed to do was be Ruby.
Her first time in a Champagne booth was with an older gentleman who said, “I’ll pay you a hundred if you let me touch you wherever I want.”
“Okay,” she said.
Three songs later, he said, “I’ll give you two hundred if you touch me wherever I want.”
“I’m sorry, no.”
“Three hundred.”
She shook her head.
“Five hundred.”
Five hundred dollars. Joey had rent to pay. Groceries. Cable. Phone. Her bus pass. Clothes. And a hiding spot full of cash that she added to as soon as she got home from work each night. This would not be her life forever. This was only her life for now. And the more she earned, the faster she could get to wherever it was that she was meant to be.
She said yes, and then closed her eyes, allowing Ruby to take over. Ruby always knew what to do. Joey’s mind was someplace else by the time the customer moved her hand where he wanted it. She was at the top of Mount Everest. She was on a grassy hill, looking up at the stars. She was at the beach, on a hot day, with the sand between her toes and the sun on her face, somewhere she was loved, somewhere she was safe, somewhere she was free.