Laura

Work

I stare up at the large, neon red sign, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. There was a silhouette of a naked woman as part of the sign, the word "Diamonds" was boldly placed beside the woman. I sighed and walked around the large, new building, looking for the side door. I approached a group of women, all dressed in sweats, with their hair up in messy buns and their faces free of any makeup.
"Um, excuse me? I'm looking for the side door and I was wondering if you could help me," I asked timidly, my hands beginning to shake as I did. A tall woman, with a beautiful Afro and dark eyes looked at me, clearly thinking of what her words should be. I panicked, thinking she would mock me or even worse, hit me. What she did surprised me.
"You're the new girl, aren't you? Laura, right? Well, I'm Elizabeth, but you can call me Eli. Also, this is the side door," she replied, a wide smile on her naturally full lips. I smiled softly and looked at the women, feeling very much out of place. While they had the perfect hourglass figure, I was larger and was clearly an elephant amongst horses.
"It's nice to meet you, Eli. Um, I've never done this before. I did the tutorials online and I know how to do it, I've just never actually done it," I explained sheepishly, blushing as I said it. Eli smile widened and she gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Trust me sweetie, you will be perfect. Some of the regulars prefer inexperienced women," she explained, her dark eyes twinkling. I nodded and she opened the door, gesturing for me to go inside. As I walked through the narrow corridor, I noticed it looked pretty normal. White lights on the ceiling, cream walls and a simple wooden floor. It looked like it belonged in an office building. I followed Eli and her group of girls until we reached a set of double doors. There was a large star on each door creating the phrase "Dancers Only" which did not surprise me. There was also a tall, fair-haired man who was stood by the doors.
"This is George, our bodyguard. No one goes in unless they have a small gold card. If not, they get kicked out. You find him if you're ever having any problems with a client," Eli explained, smiling at George as we passed. I gently waved and walked into the large room. It was a massive, circular room with dressing tables and wardrobes alternating asking the walls. There were bright white lights around each mirror and there were multiple girls seated around the room. There were four black ottomans pushed up against each other in the centre of the room, small boxes underneath them. Eli led me over to one of the dressing tables and she sat me down. She opened up my suitcase and started looking through it, murmuring as she rifled through my things. She finally grabbed a fluffy white bag and unzipped it, making a triumphant noise when she found my makeup. She started applying everything expertly and within ten minutes, I was ready. She had given me crimson matte lipstick and a smoky eye look, giving me a wing as well. She then started fiddling with my hair, eventually settling for giving me thick, heavy curls. Finally, came clothes and shoes. She murmured as she decided, making me anxious with every passing second. She soon picked a pair of lacy red lingerie and a pair of black thigh-high boots.

As I zipped up my boots, Eli started sorting herself out and while she did that, she told me some important things.
"Here at Diamonds, we have a few unspoken rules. Never give clients your mobile number, never go home with clients unless you offer those services, never stay with a client who doesn't want a dance longer than two minutes, otherwise, you're wasting time and money and finally, stay far away from Nathaniel Wright," she explained, her tone firm when she mentioned the last rule. I frowned and cocked my head to the side, very confused.
"Trust us, sweetie. Wright is not a good man and not someone you wanna get involved with. I would know," a voice said from behind me. She had dark eyes that saw my soul, full lips and beautiful, dark curls. I raised an eyebrow and she moved the hair that was covering the left side of her face. There was large, rippling scars all from her forehead to her chin. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands, terrified and intrigued.
"Wh...what happened to you?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper. She shook her head gently and covered her scars again.
"Nathaniel Wright. That's what happened. We flirted a bit and I thought he loved me. I followed him to an abandoned building, where he proceeded to torture me. He even invited a few friends. I couldn't have him arrested since he owns this stupid city. When we warn new girls to stay away from him, they never listen and most of them became like me; permanently reminded that they were stupid to think they could ever be loved," she explained, her eyes full of hatred. She stormed off a few moments later, her heels clicking fiercely on the wooden floor. Eli sighed gently, placing a warm hand on my shoulder.
"Don't mind Jules. It hurt her deeply and she often gets upset with herself when it happens to new girls. Look, I'll stay with you for the next few nights and I'll help you scope out the assholes and the decent clients. That way, you'll be avoiding Mr Wright," Eli said, standing up and stretching. Somehow, Eli was already dressed, wearing a white bodysuit and tall matching white heels. Her hair was now in Dutch braids and her makeup was bold and beautiful. She chuckled as I stared, before she gently took my hand and started leading me out of the room. I took a few deep breaths before I started walking beside her, instead of behind her. Then, we walked into the main room.