Page 39 of Devoured
“Condoms are mandatory,” Cash said. “State law, you know. And we’re regularly checked for infections every week. There’s an on-site clinic, actually. Oh yeah,” she laughed, “I almost forgot. Tips always go to us.”
“They better. Speaking of which—” Iris motioned to me. “We’ve taken a lot of her time.”
I had come prepared. I handed Cash a couple of hundreds.
“Thanks, babes,” she said. “Easiest two hundred bucks I made this week,” she laughed. “So tell me about your idea for your own resort.”
I stayed to the side, observing the two of them as they chatted about the business of sex work. I would never judge what a person did with their bodies; if someone wanted to sell sex, then that was their prerogative. And hell, if I wanted to buy someone’s time, then I would. It was easy that way, a simple transaction. But I had never considered selling sex myself. Even when it came to the Dahlia District, knowing exactly what Dahlia implied without ever saying the exact words, (becausewe feature sensual one-on-one entertainmentcould only be one thing), I knew I would want to change the Dahlia District into a nightclub. It was easier to deal with. Fewer politics. I could fix it up, get the drug trades going, and forget about it. It would run itself while I moved onto the next project.
But Iris made me wonder what it would be like to actually attempt this challenge, to help make the Dahlia District a better place for the women there. She was willing to take it on herself, so why couldn’t I?
Iris and Cash got along well; Cash was flirtatious and informative, while Iris asked as many questions as possible. By the end, the two women hugged. I tipped my head at Cash.
“Come back and see me again, okay?” Cash said. “You guys can hang out here. No sex required.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Iris said. “Thanks for all of the info.”
“Of course,” Cash winked.
Another short drive took us to Sin City. I owned a penthouse at the Escape Luxury Resort. After we got dressed in swimsuits, the two of us went down to the private beachside pool. Palm trees decorated the edges, with stone formations and a waterfall making it look like a grotto. We sat under the shade of a manufactured cave, the wide-leaf ceiling fans twirling above us, and sipped mojitos.
Iris adjusted the black strap of her string bikini. I had selected several bathing suits for her—a one-piece, a tankini, and a plain string bikini, all suits completely black—and she hadn’t questioned it. She simply selected one and put it on, dressing in the bathroom. She must have been used to getting gifts. That, or she wasn’t going to ask me those kinds of questions anymore.
“This is like the best parts of the beach,” Iris said, pointing to the waves crashing on the plaster bank. “All of the ambiance, none of the sand.”
“I thought you might like it,” I said. I tilted my glass towards her, wondering if I should order us a round of shots. The Valium was wearing off. But the urge was weakened right then. I didn’t need it. “What did you think of Bambi’s Ranch?”
“It was interesting,” she said. She ran the wet straw back and forth in her fingers. “Cash was cool.”
“Yeah?”
“She reminded me of Teagen,” Iris said.
“Teagen?”
“My best friend, but she left a while ago.” She sighed. “Warm and bubbly, and good at being friendly, all of the time, even when someone is awkward and off-putting.”
“Do you consider yourself off-putting?”
Iris shrugged. “I’m not exactly the easiest person to talk to.”
That was one way to put it. I continued on, “Do you think the Dahlia District could implement any of the practices from Bambi’s?”
Iris sat up, putting her skinny glass down on the side table, then hugged her naked legs. “In a dream world, it would be like that. Maybe not a fifty-fifty split, but enough for the Dahlia District to cover the bills without taking much from the servers.” She tilted her head, staring at the waterfall, perhaps imagining that dream. “The regular testing is a great idea. And I love that they can openly call it a brothel. There’s no hiding it, you know? No shame in it.” She shook her head. “At the Dahlia District, everyone has sex with club members behind closed doors. But it’s only recently that Dahlia started to openly encourage it. She used to punish us if she found out.” Iris lowered her head. “But because of politics, we still can’t be truly open about it. We have to avoid the title. I wish we didn’t.”
“If only you knew people at the capitol,” I said. If only she knew people, like I did.
“Right,” she said. “But everyone likes to think like they know better, especially politicians. They think we’re all being coerced. Trafficked. That we couldn’t possibly be doing this because we want to. That the desire to do sex work is only a myth.”
“But Dahliadidtraffic a lot of the servers.”
“Yes, but not all of us.” She stared at me with closed lips, then said quietly, “I went to her willingly.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged her shoulders. “All I ever wanted was a home, and I got that with the Dahlia District, you know? A safe place to work. You can’t do that on the streets.”
Iris had done street work before she had gotten to the Dahlia District? That must have been hard.
