Chapter 6
I remember that cold November night very well. After the driver, Ari’s father’s friend Sam, picked up all the girls from Brooklyn and me from Staten Island, we made a stop at the gas station somewhere in New Jersey to switch girls from van to van, according to which club they were heading to. Both drivers, Sam and Alex, were calling out girls’ names according to the lists given to them by agents, the so-called “middle men” between the girls and different clubs. Sam told me to go to the van that was taking ten other girls to the South Jersey. He also introduced me to one of the girls and asked her to look after me and to explain me everything. Her name was Lana, she was very pretty, with long dark hair and beautiful, a little bit Arabic eyes.
- Don’t even worry about a thing, - she was telling me while we were making our way to the club on a dark, deserted road. – The managers are very nice there, and so are the customers.
I wasn’t really worrying. Surprisingly, I was very calm and at peace, maybe because I didn’t believe it was all happening to me, maybe because I was wondering where it will all bring me. I wasn’t worrying when we started changing at the small dressing room and Lana ripped the label off her new G-string and put on her plastic shoes. I changed into my swim suit and my regular high heel shoes. I was putting make up on while Lana was explaining me the rules.
- Always mind the time. They have timers on three different walls, so it’s hard to miss your stage. Now about the stage time: if the manager told you your stage time is 15, it means you have to go on stage every hour at 15 minutes, for example 8.15, 9.15 and so on. Got it?
- Yeah…I guess so. It sounds pretty easy.
- It is, - Lana smiles. – You’re gonna like it. Dance slowly, very erotic, try to move sensual, you know? They like it.
- Ok, I’ll try, - I smile at her, still amused by the fact that in fifteen minutes I am actually going to dance in my bikini in front of the full bar of guys.
- About the tips. You get off stage when your time is up, so it’s gonna be 8.30, and then you go around the bar and collect your tips. We normally do it twice, it’s allowed in this club.
- Oh, that’s nice.
- Yes, it is, - Lana puts more lip gloss on, - and after you’re done just go and talk to them and ask if they want to do a dance with you. Dance is twenty dollars and lasts one song; after the time is up, you can ask them if they want to do more. That’s how you make money here, by doing dances, not from the stage, so the more you do, the better.
We hear the DJ calling several girls on stage, including Lana, who uses stage name Arianna. I didn’t know anything about stage names and told DJ my real name, Mila.
- Oh shit, it’s 8.05 already! – Lana quickly fixes her hair and smiles at me before rushing out of the door. – Good luck! See you on stage!
And here I am, alone in the dressing room, in my bikini and high heels, still not afraid. Millions of questions going through my mind though: how shall I move on stage? How do I talk to the customers? How do I even come up to a customer? How do I ask them about dances? How do I dance at all? What if they don’t like it?
