To me it seems that love always goes out to the highest bidder. Everything comes at a price in the world, so why shouldn't love? I don't believe in the sappy romance stories and I never have. Nothing has ever shown me even the slightest bit of proof that I'm wrong, so that's what I'll believe.
I push the irritating notions from my mind and slip on the black heels that were waiting beneath the vanity. I stand and do a once over just to check on my look. My tattoos were flawlessly covered by Aalayah's makeup skills and as I glanced back up at the killer smoky eye look that surround my blue irises, I couldn't fight off my envy.
"Up next we have the one you've all been waiting for! The lovely, the mysterious, Carmen!" I mock the announcer's voice as I readjust the straps of my short black dress and make sure the pins in this brunette wig aren't going anywhere.
I head onto the stage and the room erupts with cheers, the only thing that keeps me around here is that sound. I approach the microphone and channel that little voice in my head. The one that sounds like honey and silk as I say a soft, "Good evening everyone."
I scan the crowd as they respond and I see a few of the 'regulars' among the faces. I resisted a sigh, seeing that I was in for a long night.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
I grasped the microphone with a delicate hand and take in a deep breath before beginning to sing. As always it was a pre-selected song, most of the time I feel like I'm just doing a glamorized type of karaoke. I swayed along to the music the band played trying to pretend that this was where I wanted to be. When in actuality, I'd rather be anywhere else.
I watch several men step in the club and I recognized all of them except one, but before I could get a good look at him he slipped into the darkness. I disregarded it almost as soon as I saw it, new faces weren't a rare thing around here. By the end of my set I knew it was time for the real work to start, so soon as I was off stage I hurried to find my boss. I found him in the back with the group of men I had seen earlier. Now that we were in a well-lit area I could clearly see the new arrival's face.
He was a bit short with strawberry blonde hair that was slicked back and shaved on the sides. I also noticed that his ears were pierced and he had a tattoo on the side of his neck. Before I could finish my quick study of him, his blue eyes met mine and I had a split-second thought that this man could easily be considered attractive.
"Ah, Carmen! How nice of you to join us!" My boss greets with his ever so convincing smile.
During business hours he goes by his real last name, Mr. Clarke. Afterwards he goes by the name that sends a chill down the spine of anyone that has the misfortune to know it, Mr. Walsh.
I put on my own best smile replying, "The pleasure is all mine sir, and how are you gentlemen doing this evening?"
The four men that I knew smiled, obvious want lingered in their eyes, telling me that they were well.
The new one surprise me though, by complementing, "Your voice is absolutely wonderful."
I swiftly pushed aside my astonishment and sent him a sweet smile saying, "Why, thank you."
"Alright my dear, go enjoy the rest of your evening. Mr. Taylor and I were discussing some business and I'm sure it would only bore you."
I watched a second of disgust flash over Mr. Taylor's features before his smile came back in place.
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Taylor." I say giving him a nod.
I noticed his smile take on a different shape, one that was more friendly than other he had been forcing before. "It was nice meeting you too Carmen. You can call me Corey by the way."
I was momentarily perplexed, was he flirting with me? Does he not know how these sort of things work? He must be new to this. I gave him another bright smile before heading back to my dressing room, where I was allowed to drop my cheery persona. When I first came to LA the last thing I considered being was an actress. Nowadays that was just apart of the routine and apparently I was great at it.
Aalayah was still fixing up her face where anything looked even remotely imperfect. I shut the door behind me and quickly began searching for the wig I needed. I changed into the extremely curly brunette one that I liked to refer to as the 'customer favorite'. No one said that I didn't have a sick sense of humor about all of this. I made sure that my actual black hair hadn't managed to escape its cap before slipping it on.
"Hey Maddie, could you hand me the brush to your left?" Aalayah requests without even glancing away from her reflection.
I grabbed the small brush and handed it to her before taking a seat to rest for a second. Just thinking about what I had to do made me tired even though I've done this time and time again.
"You want me to freshen up your face?" Aalayah asks once she's done with her own.
I shook my head, "I'm fine."
I noticed her roll her eyes through my mirror and she said, "Just let me give you a different lip. I saw you eyeing the new customer during your set."
I rose an eyebrow as I cut her off, "That was not what I was doing at all."
She ignored my words and moved my chair to face hers telling me, "Open your mouth."
I did as instructed and she removed the lipstick I had to replace it with a deep maroon color. She capped the lipstick remarking, "He looks like he's into the dangerous type."
I decided to give up on arguing with her over this and I sighed, "Let's get going, we're about to be late."
Aalayah swiftly adjusted her bust and followed me out the door to return to the backstage area. The four other girls we work with were already waiting around, looks of sadness and exhaustion were seemingly stamped into their lovely features. I honestly hated seeing them appear this way, but we all had our reasons for being here. They all told me that I was the craziest one of them all, that I could just get out whenever I wanted. None of them truly understood my reason for staying and I wasn't about to clue them in either.
"Alright gentlemen, it's time to meet your gorgeous ladies. To any of you that are new to this establishment, our girls are measured by quality over quantity. That means there are only six girls to choose from and the highest bidder will be the one that wins her for the night. If you return any of them with any sort of damage it will cost you how ever much extra I see fit. Understood?"
Mr. Walsh finished his speech based sales pitch and I could easily visualize the men sitting around the stage nodding eagerly. After that he began to list us off, "Well then, up first we have Cassandra..."
And the names went down as such...
"Tiffany."
"Crystal."
"Khloe."
I glanced over at Aalayah, wondering why it had to be this place that my best friend had to be. I gave her a quick hug as Mr. Walsh called out, "Veronica."
I held my breath, listening for the name that made my stomach roll whenever anyone said it, "And lastly Carmen."
I strolled onto the stage, seeing eight people sitting beneath us. In some ways towering over these men gave me a sense of power, even though I knew that soon enough I would under one of them. I clung to the emotion as I watched the other girls get bid off one by one.
Mr. Taylor looked absolutely mortified and I couldn't grasp why. Had no one told him what occurs here? As soon as the offers began I could have sworn that I heard him mutter, "I can't believe you all would do something like this."
It was so strange to me, it almost made me happy that he got up and left. Mr. Walsh shook his head, he hated when potential customers ran out. Mr. Walsh had an order to everything in this business, he had no loose ends. Everything about this was systematic. We all knew about it, his way of ranking us. We all came at different prices, and it was funny in the most horrible way to think that my best friend and I were the two top money suppliers. Once all of the other ladies were taken only three men remained, staring me down like a predator to their kill.
I resisted cringing when I saw who the winner was, knowing that I was in for a long remainder of an evening. I did as I usually do as I walked to the back of the club with the balding man who reeked of stale cigars, I placed myself in a daydream. It was one of the few things I could do to keep what little sanity I had left.
I pictured being in a better part of this town, where I had first intended on being. In that reality I was known for my voice and not my other 'talents'. It would be somewhere that I could be unafraid and know that I was secure in my life, that nothing was left up to question. I can't help but feel that those things are unavailable to me. Maybe I will get them in the next life.
I left that disgusting place with Aalayah with an ache in my lower spine and a type of tired that I can't even begin to explain. As we climbed in Aalayah's car and drove past the distant Hollywood sign I rolled down the window and stuck my middle finger up at it. Aalayah laughed at the sight, but I wasn't kidding around.
Fuck the lies of Hollywood.
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Alright so this is my second Corey Taylor story and I highly suggest you listen to Stone Sour's The Frozen, it goes along quite well with the story. It's funny because I actually found the spoken word poem long after I came up with this plot line. If you've never read my other Corey Taylor story it's called The Only Thing I Ever Really Loved. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter.