"Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world"
His office alone was a form of intimidation. Every piece of exquisitely made furniture exuded pure power. The wall-to-ceiling windows made Robin feel vulnerable, exposed to dark eyes that immediately thumbed through every thought portrayed in her visage. An easy read.
The massive bookshelves and drawers towered over her, lumbering giants beckoned from wood by expert carpentry. Besides his desk, a couch, two angled chairs, light decor, and densely packed shelves Robin was the only other object in the room. She froze, dull black heels sinking into a plush red rug.
This man was used to getting what he wanted. Robin could tell by the way he held himself, settled behind a mammoth desk engraved with intricate designs and rimmed with gold. He held an open folder before him, but she could feel his calculating stare scrutinize her. She glanced back at Daewon who took his place dutifully at the side of the closing doors, staring straight out the window to the dog park next door. When she turned back around, Pagano had placed the folder on his desk and was captivated by his computer.
"Sit." He tilted his head to the velvet chairs before him. Omnipresent eyes remained trained on the screen, peering through sleek glasses. Faster than anticipated Robin was sitting mere feet across from him. She noticed the glass of amber sitting next to his computer.
A drink sounded fantastic.
"Silvestre's girl, right?" His accent was thick, distinctly Italian but with a little extra sauce. Middle Eastern, maybe. She forced a firm smile.
"Yes, I'm Robin. Po-ah, John says hi." She extended her hand which he accepted readily, grip strong and soft.
He was a handsome older gentleman with a splatter of salt and pepper on his temples that melted into brown curls. Deep olive tan boasted a splatter of freckles across his forehead, and smile lines by his eyes. Proud nose was knotted and sharp, slightly off-kilter. Sloped jaw was covered with a thick but maintained beard. He could pass as a mid-40s lumberjack, but since he was Pop's childhood friend Robin knew he was at least two decades older.
"Mio caro, I'm so sorry about your mother. And with this happening to your sister, well..life's one tough madame."
Robin chuckled, allowing clenched muscles to relax for a moment. "She sure is."
"I see you're here requesting a $50,000 medical loan? Can you outline the expenses this will cover in your own words?" He spun away from his desktop and awarded her his full attention.
Robin folded the documents she was clutching and tucked them under her palms. "The loan will cover the costs of Dove's hospital stay for another two weeks. By then she'll either be in recovery, undergo another surgery, or be put into a medically induced coma to prevent brain death. If she's put in a coma or needs more surgery I won't have the funds for further hospitalization. I'll likely bring her home and look after her myself."
"Understood. I'm glad your father remembered to reach out to me in these hard times. I'll try to give you some options and get the money you need."
His conviction lifted a weight from her heart. She allowed a single petal of hope to wiggle its way out of the relentless darkness that had continued to consume her. "Thank you, Mr. Pagano."
He offered her a warm smile before turning back to his screen. "It's showing here that you have already borrowed $109,945 from various banks, private loans, and credit card agencies."
Robin gritted her teeth. "Unfortunately that total is correct. Dove needed four emergency surgeries on the day of the accident. The cost of transporting her alone was over $15,000 due to the airlift and hospital transfers. As you can see my credit's still in the mid-700s. I always make my payments on time and I have a full-time job. I don't take funds I can't repay, it'll just take me a while to give it all back."
"I'm impressed. Many individuals with a tenth of your debt struggle to make their payments. You're doing well Robin. Regardless, I do need some background information to verify your employment. Who is your current employer?"
"I work at altLab as a phlebotomist fifty hours a week and I work 5-hour shifts Wednesday through Sunday Rendez-Vous. My letters of recommendation, phlebotomy and dance licenses are included in that form."
His brow arched. He glanced at her over his glasses. "So, you dance at Rendez-Vous?"
Robin gritted her teeth. This was always a point of contention. Employers and loaners always zeroed in on Robin the stripper not Robin the driven woman with an impressive work ethic trying to support her fucking, dying sister. "Yes, I'm a dancer...but again that's only part-time."
"Do you have any specialties?" He didn't hesitate with the question.
Brows knit as Robin's head tilt. "I specialize in stripteases and lapdances, but I fail to see how this is relevant."
"Patience, Robin. Is there a video of you on their website?"
Robin reeled slightly, pursing her lips. "Yeah, my stage name was Cherry Top. I'm a bit lost, Mr. Pagano. What relevance does this have with the loan? It's against the law to turn me down because of my job."
Pagano was silent as he averted his attention. After a few clicks, loud music and the chattering of a crowd began playing over unseen speakers.
Robin watched Pagano watch her. Her stomach twisted, ears warming with embarrassment. She knew Pagano and her dad weren't close anymore, but it still made her feel uncomfortable. Well, that and the fact that he was watching her strip in the middle of a business meeting that would determine whether her big sister would be alive in 24 hours.
Pagano released a low hum, paused the video, folded his hands, and looked her dead in the eye.
"Robin, I'm going to be honest with you. With the current loans and interest rates you have, your grandchildren will be paying off your debt. I would offer you the money as a friendly gesture but unfortunately, that's not how you run a business. If I start handing out funds to every friend, regardless of how much I love your father, I would be broke within the hour."
Although his words were sour on an open wound she knew he was only being honest. It just hurt to know her tiny sliver of wishful thinking was truly out of reach, and even worse when he cemented her fear of generational poverty. She didn't want anyone else to be trapped in the hole she had dug for herself.
Robin nodded softly. "Of course, I completely understand. I would never ask that from you. Please believe me when I say this is my last option. I know I will never be able to claw my way out of this but I can't just," she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her gaze fell to the glossy etchings on his desk. "I can't just watch Dove die. Pop's already working himself to the bone. I'm working all the hours that I can. I-" She quickly regained her composure before the tears broke free. "I have nothing else," she whispered.
Pagano watched Robin swallow her despair. She sniffled one last time before drawing her gaze upward.
"Work for me."
She blinked slowly, brows twisting as she squinted at him. "Excuse me?"
He grabbed his glass before leaning back into Japanese leather. Dark eyes glittered with promise as he took a long sip. "That is your second option. Work for me."
Robin blinked as she attempted to piece together a coherent sentence. "I appreciate the offer Mr. Pagano, but between going to see Dove and taking care of dad I don't have any more time to work."
"Quit your other jobs. Move unto my estate. Work for me. I need an entertainer on my team." His words were demanding and concise.
Robin stuttered, sighed, and attempted to speak again. "I'm sorry, I'm not following you."
Pagano chuckled. "Of course, my apologies. Sometimes I get ahead of myself when a mutually beneficial opportunity presents itself so clearly. I give you two options. One, I give you $50,000 right now at 0% interest on a 15-year repayment plan. Do you like the sound of that?"
Robin perked up instantly at the interest rate. "Yes, that's perfect!"
"Good. The second option is four times as much in a yearly salary, after taxes."
Her chest deflated. Two hundred thousand dollars? In one year? At that rate, she could pay off her debt in five! It was too good to be true. Robin leaned forward, clasping her hands on his desk and using that short nth second interval to make her decision.
She was jumping into the deep end. "What are the conditions."
A pleased grin curled his lips as Pagano leaned forward and placed his glass on a woven coaster. The tapping of his keyboard matched the stucco beat of her heart as it soared.
This could be the break she'd been frantically searching for.
"Smart girl. You would be a dancer in my entourage entertaining myself, my staff, and any guests I have. You'll receive a schedule every Sunday night of when you'll be performing that week. There will be a maximum of, say, five performances a week around three hours long. Any additional or extended performances will be considered overtime at five thousand an hour. Time is money so they say. Does that sound reasonable to you?" A speechless Robin nodded.
"Good. Since you're in my entourage and not a house-specific employee I may also request that you dance outside my estate, say at an acquaintance's function. In addition, I want you to act as Daewon's plus one during events so he doesn't scare away all of my clientele. You really need to work on your attitude Dae." Pagano's peek past her and was met with a low grunt that made her chuckle.
"The only catch is that you would live in my estate along with the rest of my staff, which is a pretty good catch if I do say so myself. My cortege can protect themselves, save you. This is for the sake of safety. I'm a well-known man and with that comes enemies who would stoop to dangerous depths to get to me. There is a separate house solely for staff so you don't have to worry about running into anyone unexpected."
Robin shifted in her seat. There was a little voice in the back of her head telling her there had to be something else, some twisted ulterior motive. With the facts laid before her, this was a massive upgrade from stuffy nights fighting over which girl a pile of dollars belonged to. She didn't mind being some rich men's eye candy, anything was better than another back aching night sleeping on a couch while her dad snored like a freight train twenty feet away.
Speaking of. "What about my father? Without me, he'll start forgetting meals and misplace half the house. I don't want to leave him alone."
Pagano nodded. "Of course, dear John will be taken care of as well. I can assign one of my housekeepers to live with him for the time being. She'll cook, clean, and keep him company the entire time you're away."
"Would I be able to visit him?"
"Yes, you can go wherever you please as long as you're accompanied by a bodyguard. All personnel has at least a day off a week. It's usually Sundays, but if there's an event I ask you to work you're free to pick any other day during the week as long as you give a 24-hour notice. There's also a 2-week paid vacation every year, accompanied by a guard."
Robin stared at him in calculative silence. The gears in her mind spun viciously, nearly careening off track as she struggled to process the fortuitous lifeline that had landed perfectly in her lap. It was too good to be true, it had to be.
"I'd like a hands-off rule unless I consent. I am not a streetwalker and won't be paid or coerced to do anything outside the legal range of an exotic dancer. I'd like to be paid monthly to maintain my loans. I would also like everything we discussed, with concrete numerical values and explicit agreement, in a detailed contract to be reviewed by lawyers on both ends. Is that okay with you?"
"Of course." His insouciance eased her.
"Would I be able to continue working for you on revised terms if you're satisfied with my performance?"
"Yes, you would."
"Do you have any other dancers that work for you?"
"Not now. If I did decide to take on more I would speak to you before doing so.
Good. The stage was hers.
"Are your business friends going to be tipping me?"
"Yes." It just kept getting better and better.
"Am I allowed to do private dances at my own price?"
"No. I don't want anyone to try to take advantage of you. Name your price I'll put it in the contract, If you get harassed point 'em to me."
Robin bit her lip, focusing on fingers that tapped anxiously on her papers. She was about to test her luck.
"5k for ten minutes plus tips."
"Done. Dealing with men makes your presence 6 times more valuable if not more."
"Holy shit," she whispered".
"No tip-outs needed. I supply you with everything: outfits, heels, whatever. I don't know, I don't care. I know the best way to keep a woman happy is by letting her do what she needs to. You'll have a company card."
Robin's head spun. With a 200k base pay plus the money that was going to be thrown and getting $5,000+ a dance, if she played blind nil Robin could easily make double her salary. Maybe more depending on how loose their wallets are.
"For the living arrangements, what's included? Is it taken out of my pay?"
"Everything I offer you is on my dime, as is all staff. I believe that those who assist me in making money should receive a return investment. You are guaranteed 200 thousand. Housing and food are included. Your salary is your spending money. There is a 4 AM curfew for the sake of the guards. There's also a staff fleet of vehicles you can check-out for errands, and parking for your own car.
Robin looked at him, really looked at him. "Are you hiding anything from me?"
Pagano arched a brow. "Not intentionally. I'll draft up a contract and have Vanessa send it to you by tomorrow. You'll have a week to look it over and either accept or deny. If you're only interested in the loan, turning down the job won't affect it."
There was a beep. Pagano raised his hand as she began to speak."Vanessa, I told you-" He cut off and stared right through Robin. "Okay. Have him wait in the lobby, I'll send Daewon down." Pagano tapped his clear earpiece.
"Sorry about that. Do you have any more questions?"
Robin shook her head. "I think the contract will cover everything else I need to know. Thank you so much for your time, and for this offer." She stood, presenting her hand as a closing gesture. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pagano."
"Same to you. Tell John I said hello!" She grinned, bowed slightly, and turned to exit. The doors were already sliding aside as she walked past Daewon. She retrieved her phone from Vanessa and offered her email address to receive a copy of the contract.
"There's actually this cool virtual signing we use to save paper. If you'd like to accept the loan you can fill everything out online and it automatically updates. If you want to deny it just shoot me a call during the week." Robin thanked Vanessa and turned to leave.
"Robin," Vanessa called out. Robin glanced over her shoulder. "You're a good sister for even considering this. Dove's lucky to have you."
Robin smiled, the first one that reached her eyes in the last month. "Thanks, Vanessa. Have a good day." Robin offered a slight wave before walking to the elevator bank. She pressed the button and glanced at her watch. It was half-past one. She had taken PTO after her lunch break to get to the meeting and had already visited Dove this morning. For the first time in the last three years, she had a day off. If she worked for Pagano she could experience this feeling every week!
The elevator dinged and she stepped in. She hadn't noticed Daewon's presence, but he got in right beside her. His arm brushed against her shoulder. He scooted away as the doors slid shut. Robin glanced up at him again. Even though most of his face was covered dark, monolid eyes framed by sooty eyeliner and silky hair falling over his forehead were devilishly attractive.
"6'6," she inquired. Silence yet again. Robin sighed. "Well suit yourself, I just got the best news I've had all year. I may just treat myself to a midday Monday mimosa." She smiled at the thought. Maybe she'd go to the park and take a nice wllk.
"Don't do it." His voice was guttural with a fierce vibrato that caressed his words. She jumped at its depth.
"Pardon?"
"Even though the contract is spotless, Pagano's estate is no place for you. Sign and you trap yourself there for a year."
Robin frowned. "Pagano seems like an honest man."
"He is. The company he keeps is far rougher around the edges. You'll be the only woman within their reach. They'll be rowdy with booze and drugs. Don't do it."
She angled herself towards him. "You heard everything, I have no choice. Plus I'm used to working around sticky-fingered little boys. These ones may have guns," she glanced pointedly at his pants, "but that's what you're here for."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "Take the $50,000."
"I'll be in debt for the rest of my life! My children will be in debt because of me! I can't let that happen." She threw up her hands.
"At least you'll have a life to live. You can't have children when you're dead." The silence that followed squeezed out all air in her lungs until her head swam. The elevator dinged and Daewon immediately stepped out. Robin lingered for a few seconds, ears ringing from his omen.
She watched Daewon manhandle a guy who was clearly on something. His tie was askew, zipper caught on a haphazardly tucked shirt that boasted lipstick kisses. Robin stepped out as the doors slid shut.
"Lighten up Jackie Chan, I have an appointment," the man laughed with smoldering hysterically. Daewon's eyes narrowed and he clenched the man's wrist even harder, nearly lifting him from the ground as he was dragged to the elevator.
The manic stumbled as they drew closer to Robin. "Wow lady, nice rack. You should let it hold my face sometime."
Robin snorted, rolling her eyes. If coked-up frat boys were Pagano's company she was about to make the easiest money of her life.
**
Quoted Song: Money, Money, Money - ABBA
Edit: Jean was changed to John cause I forgot there was Jean-Luc Charlamagne in Inferno 😭 You can tell I love the name.
© Heaven Tillman
To my mom, for always believing <3