Arranged love

Twenty minutes later, she’s driving me down the Strip. “Please tell me we’re not going to Kingdom.” I can’t deal with any more Kings today.

“Nope.”

She turns on her blinker and pulls into a parking lot. I lean my head back to look out the window to see the sign that sits above a two-story brick building. Glass written in white letters.

The front and side parking areas are full, so she pulls around the back. Finding a spot, she backs into it, facing the building.

“What are we doing here?” I ask. “And what is this place?”

“A strip club.”

“What?” I shriek. “I can’t strip …”

“We’re not here for work. We’re here to get help.”

Her phone dings in the cupholder, and she picks it up. “She has ten minutes to spare for us.”

“Who?” I ask.

“A friend.” She continues to stay vague.

She goes to open her door but throws an arm out and slams her hand into my chest. “Get down.” she whispers harshly, yanking on my shirt.

“Jasmine, what the-?”

“It’s Bones,” she interrupts me.

I look over at where she’s gawking and see Bones step out of a black door on the second floor. He makes his way down the metal stairs and to a blacked-out Lamborghini Reventon that’s hidden back here with hers. I hadn’t seen it before. He didn’t have that car back when we … fucked.

“What’s he doing here?” she wonders.

I snort. “Really? You have to ask that question?” His headlights come on, and the car’s engine roars to life. He drives out of his spot before pulling out onto the Strip.

I look at the dash. “He wasn’t here very long. I was just at Kingdom an hour ago in his office.”This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“Come on.” She gets out, and we walk inside. There’s a hallway that curves to the left and the right. Both end up at a desk where a guy sits on a barstool. “ID’s?” he asks, and we both pull ours out. He looks them over. “Work or play?”

“Play.” Jasmine bats her eyelashes at him.

I roll mine. How can this help me? I’m not going to crawl onto this stage. No matter how many drinks I buy.

“Enjoy, ladies.”

She grabs my hand and pulls me through another set of double doors. The blinding lights and pounding music instantly give me a headache.

Jasmine seems to know what we’re doing because she walks us up three stairs and past the bar toward the back of the room.

There’s a round black leather booth that’s empty. She falls into it and scoots over to allow me to sit beside her. I’m about to ask her what in the hell this is when a girl climbs off the stage next to us and slides into our booth. She has bleach-blond hair that cascades down her back. Her plump lips are painted blood red, and she has purple contacts in. She also wears nothing but a G-string. I can’t help but look at her perfect tits. Honestly, I can’t tell if they’re real or fake.

“Jasmine.” She smiles and pulls her in for a hug.

“Shana.” Jasmine kisses her cheek before pulling away. “Thank you for meeting with us.”

“Anything for you. What do you need?”

“I’m in a bind. And I need cash. Fast.” Jasmine makes it sound like we’re here for her. And I’m thankful for that.

The woman’s eyes slide to mine, then back to Jasmine. “You know I can’t …”

“Please?” Jasmine begs. “I know you can help me. I swear I won’t tell anyone. Totally confidential.”

I want to ask so many questions but keep my mouth shut for the moment.

Shana looks from her to me a couple of times. “I’m guessing this is for the both of you?”

Jasmine looks at me too, and I swallow nervously. I have to make a decision here. Jasmine can’t speak for me. But I do trust her. So far, she’s the only one willing to help me. “Yes, please.”

She nods and slides out of the booth and walks toward the other side of the club. She disappears into a door by the main stage.

I look at Jasmine. “What did I just sign up for?”

“I’ll explain it the moment we leave. We’ll go back to my house and fill it out.”

“Fill what out?”

Just then the woman returns to our booth and sets two forms down. “Here you go.” She also has her cell with her, and she begins to type away on it. “I’m letting him know you’re coming. If I refer you, you have a better chance.”

“Message who?” I ask.

“Okay.” She looks down at her phone, ignoring my question. “He’ll be expecting you Friday morning. Just write my name at the bottom of your application so he knows who you are.”

She turns her phone around and holds it up so we can read it. My heart skips a beat when I see who she messaged.

Her: I’m sending two girls Friday. They have their forms.

Titan: Sounds good.

_______________

We make our way back to her car. I’m practically running behind her to keep up with her pace. I think Jasmine knows I’m pissed. If not, she’s about to find out.

“A prostitute? That’s how you expect me to fix my problem?”

“A queen is not a prostitute,” she argues. I get in the passenger seat and slam her car door shut.

“Let’s recap, shall we? I tell you George is forcing me to sleep with him, and your idea is for me to fuck random strangers?”

“Queens don’t fuck random strangers. You get offered a job, and you decide if you accept or decline.”

I run a hand through my hair. “And why the fuck did she message Titan about this?”

She sighs. “He runs the Queens. The escort service through Kingdom. He hires the girls and gets their jobs. I told you he could help you.”

“Of course, he fucking does.” Unbelievable.

We come to a stop at the stoplight, and she looks at me. “Listen. I’m trying to help you. Queens make bank. Cash. It’s exclusive and on the hush hush. You sign an NDA, and the clients sign an NDA. You make as much as you want, as often as you want. You fill out the form with what you’re willing to do and not do.”

“Jesus …”

“And I’m going to do it with you.”

I look over at her.

“Shana spent last weekend in the Hamptons at a beach house with a man pretending to be his girlfriend at his family reunion. Easy ten grand.”

“This is how women die,” I tell her. You see women on the news all the time who have gone missing. Never to be seen again. “Or they get sold.”

She chuckles. “I don’t remember you being so cautious, E.” The light turns green, and she drives through the intersection.

I look out the passenger window to see the empire known as Kingdom pass by and let out a long sigh. The only money I have access to right now is what I made from being a ring girl. Other than that, I’m fucked. “How long?” I ask.

“I’m not sure. Shana has been doing it for two years now. She only works at Glass one night a week. All her income comes from being a Queen.”

I look over at her. “If I die, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

“Dying is the least of your worries. You have to convince Titan to hire you.”

“Convince him?” I ask.

She nods. “Oh yeah. Not every woman who wants to be a queen actually gets hired. He’s going to tell you no.”

I’m not sure why he would deny me, but somehow, I know she’s right. “That bastard still has my cell phone.”

She chuckles. “You’re going to have to get it back.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Get on my knees for my phone, or fuck George again? That’s an easy decision. I don’t know why I didn’t choose him sooner.

“It will be okay,” she promises.

But I’m not so optimistic.