Payback

The First Day is Always the Hardest

When I arrived at the restaurant with Yoongi, he brought me in through the back entrance. At first, I thought we were either in the wrong place or Yoongi lied to me. I walked into a room full of men sitting at gambling tables. Smoke filled the room that had dark wooden floors and light smoky-gray walls with dark red and almost-white accents. I followed Yoongi through the maze of tables. I noticed a few men give me a quick glance before turning their attention back to their game.

I followed Yoongi out of the gambling room and down a red hallway. At the other end of the hallway, there was an open foyer. Stairs lead up to the second floor where I saw other women walking and standing around in nothing but lingerie and a short silk bathrobe. The foyer looked more like it was part of a bathhouse. The light grey tiles contrasted with the dark wood stairs and railings. Different plants stood on the first floor near the stairs, giving the room a much nicer scent than the gambling room.

I followed Yoongi past the foyer and down yet another red hallway. At the other end of this hallway was a large dark wood door that Yoongi pushed open. I now stood in a small hallway the separated what looked like a kitchen and a large, open restaurant. I noticed a couple girls walk by wearing the same dress I'm wearing now.

"I guess this is my stop?" I asked, more to myself than to Yoongi.

Yoongi ignored my words and walked out into the restaurant area. A set of stairs led up to the second floor. A balcony hung over two walls of the restaurant, and a few doors lined the walls. Yoongi turned to face me as he pointed up to one of the doors. "My office is up there." He began, looking at me with an expressionless face. "When you're done with your shift at 2 am, you will report back to me. I will be in and out of the building so don't expect me to be there all the time."

I nodded and looked around the restaurant. There was a large bar area that overlooked the seating area. Not many people filled the tables yet, but my guess was that it gets pretty crowded at night. They probably wanted to train me before I got started during the busy hours.

Yoongi beckoned over a girl who had short red hair and a few oriental tattoos on her thin body. He exchanged words with the girl who looked younger than me. She nodded at Yoongi and then walked over to me. Yoongi headed toward the stairs as the girl approached me.

"Hey new girl, I'm Niko." She said with a smile.

"I'm Akio." I said, smiling back at her.

"I was only told about you an hour ago, so I hope you don't mind just jumping right in."

I shook my head. "I've been a waitress for a few years. I can handle it."

Niko smiled, but then bit her lip. "How long have you been in this... mess?" she asked, pointing her thumb toward where Yoongi had disappeared.

I immediately knew what she was talking about. "I was pretty much kidnapped yesterday and I have to pay off my father's gambling debt before I can leave."

The girl looked confused. "How old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

"I'm 27."

The girl's eyes went wide. "Damn girl, you don't look that old. Good thing, because the men here like young beauty. Those knockers should get you lots of tips." She gestured toward my breasts. "Also, since you're new to this underground world, I should tell you. If you want to make lots of money and make an impression, you have to please the men. Anyway, let's get started."

It was my turn to look confused at her. 'Please the men'? This isn't some whore house. My mind flashed back to the women in their lingerie. Ok, maybe it could be. I'm completely naïve but there is still a lot for me to learn about the underground world.

I began my brief training with Niko, and before I knew it I was on my own. I had a few men already try to hit on me, but I just continued with my duties. A couple of hours later the whole place was packed. I noticed quite a few older middle-aged men with bodyguards and young women surrounding them. I felt disgusted at the sight of an older man touching a barely-legal girl. Or maybe she wasn't even 18 yet. In this world, I guess it doesn't matter.

I carried on with my work pretending not to notice. I was about halfway through my shift when I noticed a drunk man eyeing me from a table. He was short and looked just a few years older than me, but he was pretty well-built and his mouth was bigger than his height. I, unfortunately, had to wait on his table. He whistled at me and tried to sweet-talk me every time I came by the table. I tried to ignore him, but the more he drank the bolder he became.

"You've got quite a body there, Miss waitress." The man said in slurred words. "It's my birthday today. Why don't you come with me so that I can unwrap you like a birthday gift?"

I just smiled my usual customer service smile even though I wanted to shove a washcloth down his throat. "Sorry, I have to work. It's my first day." I said as politely as I could. I was gathering the empty plates off of the table when he leaned in toward me. His head was inches from my breasts. I quickly picked up the plates and stepped back from the table.

"You're new?" he asked with a drunken dazed look on his face. "No wonder you look so fresh. Most girls here look used up."

I just bowed my head slightly and walked around him to head over to the kitchen. I suddenly felt a hand on my waist, trying to block me from the kitchen. I looked down and saw the drunk man smiling up at me.

"Excuse me, sir." I said politely.

"Have you taken your break yet? Maybe you can spend your break with me." He suggested in a sleazy tone.

"Yes, I've already taken my break." I lied. "Sorry sir."

I was about to move when I was suddenly pulled down. A plate slid off of the pile I had balanced in my hand and smashed onto the floor. The whole room looked in my direction. The man had pulled me down onto his lap and his hands began to wander over my body. I tried to get up, but it was hard to maneuver my way out of this guys lap with a pile of plates in my hand.

"Mmm, you've got such nice curves." The man whispered in my ear.

I cringed and tried to wiggle out of his arms. I put the plates back down on the table and began to pry his hands off of me.

"Sir, I really have to get back to work." I tried to stay calm but his hands were wandering to places I didn't want them to. He ignored my words and suddenly I felt his hands grab my breasts. In a moment of panic, I elbowed him in the ribs and quickly stood up when his hands left my body. I didn't want to look back, so I just began to walk swiftly toward the kitchen.

"You fucking bitch!" The man yelled behind me. I didn't turn around to see him. It wasn't until I heard heavy footsteps behind me that I turned to see the man right behind me. He grabbed my hair with fury. I cried out in pain and tried to pry his hands out of my hair. "A woman should never lay a hand on a man."

"It wasn't my hand, it was my elbow." The words left my mouth before I could think.

"What did you say?" The man yelled. His hand grabbed my waist and he pulled me close to him. His breath reeked of alcohol. His hand still pulled at my hair. "You need to learn some discipline in this house if you want to survive." His hand traveled around my body and grabbed my breast again.

I had enough. I screamed and pushed myself into him, knocking him off his feet. His hands left me as he fell to the floor with a loud thud. I turned to run, but I only took a couple of steps toward the kitchen when I saw Yoongi standing at the foot of the stairs. He was looking at me just like everyone else in this room, but his gaze scared me the most.

There was a commotion behind me, but I ignored it as I saw Yoongi motion with his index finger to follow him. He then turned and walked up the stairs.

Shit. I thought. This can't be good.