Page 20 of Worthy

“I think that if you had enough guts to sign up for this job in the first place, you’ve got plenty to hit the club tonight,” Macy countered. “Plus, I need my new bestie by my side.”

Tate sighed as she drew on her eyeliner. “I think both of you better get downstairs before Gina’s on the warpath. And Faith, stop crying. You’re super hot. Don’t make me get out my whip to convince you.”

“W-What?” I stared at her.

“I’m just kidding, silly! I mean, I do have a whip, but it’s for patrons only.” She laughed when she saw my expression. “Go to the club, will you? Head to the bar, have a drink, and start flirting with the billionaires. I want them riled up—I need to have some ambience going before I get down there and start the show.”

“What show?” Macy asked.

“You’ll see. If you get down there and have a drink. You both need to relax. It’s a club, remember? It’s supposed to be fun.” Tate shooed us from the room.

I wobbled on my heels as Macy and I headed to the service elevator, which would bring us to the rear of the club. There was a throng of girls waiting, all wearing expensive lingerie and heels. Gina had introduced us all, but the other girls gave us a chilly reception as we joined them. Apparently, wearing a V necklace was sort of a big deal. Everyone knew we were virgins and that we’d receive a huge bonus from platinum-level members.

“Nice of you to make it.” One of the nearby girls sniffed. She stuck her nose up in the air. “Guess you have to ride the service elevator with the riffraff.”

“Easy, tiger,” Macy said coolly. “Don’t want to get your panties in a knot right before you get banged by a billionaire.”

The girl sniffed again and went back to ignoring us.

After a chilly ride downstairs—both emotionally and physically—we landed at the basement level. Music throbbed from inside Club 444. I could feel it inside me, pulsing. For a moment, our group of girls gathered together. Virgins and non-virgins alike, our nerves were palatable. I couldn’t believe I was doing this—and I didn’t even know for sure what I was doing. Not yet.

The service entrance was at the rear of the club, so the girls could come and go out of sight of the patrons. There were changing rooms, bathrooms, offices, and a small kitchen. It all seemed so normal. But as I peeked through the back door to the club, I felt like Alice in Wonderland when she fell down the rabbit hole.

The lights were dim but bright enough to notice details. There were men—wearing expensive, well-fitting suits—everywhere. They sat on the leather couches, they hulked by the bar, they swirled top-shelf bourbon in their rocks glasses, all the while waiting. The club was fraught with a kinetic energy that seemed to pulse in time with the throbbing, pulsating music. There were already three girls out there, dancing onstage. They looked like they knew what they were doing. Several men sat nearby, watching them hungrily.

I spotted Gina by the main entrance. The Madam was surrounded by a group of well-dressed patrons and was talking animatedly with them.

Macy reached for my hand and squeezed it. “We’ve got this, Faith. Remember what Gina told us to do—get out there and circulate. C’mon, let me buy you a free drink.”

“Actually, I don’t drink,” I admitted.

Macy rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Then I’ll buy you a free Shirley Temple. Let’s do this.” She winked at the girl who’d snubbed us upstairs. “See you in there. I’m rooting for you—I hope you get a hot one.”

Macy was hard to dislike; the girl managed a small smile. “Thanks.”

I clutched Macy’s hand as she dragged me through the doors of Club 444.

We headed straight for the bar. The bartender was an enormous older man with hulking shoulders, a big gray beard, and tattoos on the back of his knuckles that spelled PEACE. He looked like a retired linebacker, mixed with Santa Claus, who had somehow found himself behind a bar.

“I’d like a white wine spritzer and a Shirley Temple,” Macy said politely.

The bartender smiled at us, revealing beautiful, even white teeth. “You can have whatever you want,” he said kindly. “My name’s Beau. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. And if anybody gives you any trouble, you come and see me.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Beau. Thank you.”

“You got it.” He went and poured our drinks.

Almost immediately, two men approached us. They were both handsome and well-dressed in immaculate custom suits. Each of them wore huge designer watches. They were so good-looking and elegant that they were almost indistinguishable from each other; the only way I could tell them apart was because one had dark hair, and one was blond.

“Hello,” the blond man said. He gave us an easy smile. “I’m Darren Payne. This is my friend Elias. We just wanted to come over and introduce ourselves.”

“I’m Macy. It’s nice to meet you, Darren,” Macy said, fluttering her eyelashes at him. “Elias.” She shook both their hands, and then they turned eagerly to me.

“I’m Faith,” I said, forcing myself to smile. I shook their hands robotically, grateful when Beau, the bartender, interrupted us by delivering our drinks.

Darren’s hungry gaze flicked over Macy’s necklace, then mine. “I see you’re both platinum-level,” he said.

“That’s a polite way to put it.” Macy grinned up at him.

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