“Obvious to you, maybe. I’ve never been to any kind of a club.”
He chuckles. “Oh, right. Okay. So. It’s a nightclub on the outskirts of Las Vegas. It’s very, very exclusive—you have to be invited to get in, and you have to know someone who’s been invited to get an invitation. The main area is a typical nightclub: a live DJ spinning electronic dance music, two floors, lots of bars. It’s an anything-goes place—there are no rules. You can be naked. You can do drugs. You can have sex. People fuck right there on the dance floor all the time. People show up wearing little to nothing, all the time. But for all that, it’s incredibly safe, especially for women—that’s my job, our job. I’m security. We watch the floor and make sure everyone is behaving themselves.” He pauses in case I have a question, but so far it’s pretty self-explanatory. “There are two other sections to the public areas. One is an arena, for live fights, MMA style.” He recognizes the blank expression on my face and explains. “No rules fistfights—any style of fighting is allowed, and there are no gloves. They’re illegal, unsanctioned, and brutal. People bet on the fights, and hundreds of thousands of dollars exchange hands every night. Big fights, it could be millions. The club gets a cut of every bet, obviously. The arena is called Fisticuffs. The other public area is an even more exclusive section called Hel—with one L, not two. It’s…well, basically a strip club and a brothel in one. The bartenders and servers are topless women. There are strippers all over the place…and prostitutes.”
I swallow hard. “Oh. I see.”
“I’m guessing you don’t know how prostitution usually works out in the rest of the States, but it’s a system typically stacked against the women. They work for someone else, and most of their money goes to the pimp. In our club, it’s different. The women who work there choose to be there. It’s a profession they’ve chosen for their own personal reasons. We provide a clean, safe environment, and they keep one hundred percent of their profits—they just pay us a monthly rental fee for the room, and that fee is very low. We provide healthcare, not just testing, but all health—medical checkups, dental work, everything. We provide additional security for them as well. You can only get into Hel with a separate invitation, and that comes with a massive upfront door charge to subsidize the various services we offer the girls.”
I consider what he’s saying. “And you…went there.”
“Yes.”
“Did you pay them, or did you get their…services…for free since you worked there?”
“I paid, usually far above their going rates.”
“Why?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Because I was lonely. And because I had needs.” He lets out a breath and then tilts down to meet my eyes again. “That’s over, for me, though. Now that I’ve met you. I hope you understand that.”
I nod. “I do, but thank you for telling me.” I consider other thoughts and questions. “Do you…do you think I have an STD? Is that why you’re concerned with protection?”
He hesitates. “Only because your…because Jerry seems like the kind of person who thinksyou’resupposed to be faithful buthedoesn’t have to be.”
“Oh.” I think about this for a while. “I can see what you mean. I have no way of knowing what he does when he’s away from home, though, so…I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible he had relations with other women, but somehow I doubt it.”
“Why? He’s a piece of shit.”
I can’t help but laugh. “If I’m honest, that’s an insult to shit everywhere.” I sigh. “He’s old, for one thing. He has grandchildren not much younger than me. He’s…well…fat. And ugly. He doesn’t bathe. He’s unpleasant to talk to, to be around, and to just deal with in general. I don’t think my father even really likes him—he just wanted what Jerry could provide: a young daughter to be his new wife, and contacts in their…business matters. I’ve overheard my father saying some pretty unkind things about Jerry to my brother when he didn’t think I was listening. Or he just didn’t care that I overheard. My point is, I find it hard to believe anyone else would willingly lay with him.”
“Damn.” He nods. “Okay then. Jerry is the worst.”
“The very worst.” I groan. “I can’t be sure, though. I just…I didn’t think about any of that, Silas. I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I should have. I just…I was so caught up—"
He touches my lips to shush me. “Naomi, it’s okay. I’m sure it’s fine. I was caught up, too. I’m the one who should have known better. When we get back to the club, I’d like it if you’d let me get you a thorough medical checkup, since I don’t imagine health care was ever provided.”
“Back to the club?” I ask.
He nods. “Well, yeah. It’s where I live. It’s my job and my home. The other guys aren’t just coworkers, they’re as close to me as my actual blood brothers.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about living with a bunch of men in a nightclub full of naked people and prostitutes,” I admit.
He laughs. “Our living quarters are separate and private. You wouldn’t have to ever even see the actual club, if you didn’t want to. And it wouldn’t be just me and the guys. Three other women live there. Rev, Chance, and Kane all have girlfriends who live with us. We’re a family. The other girls…Naomi, you’ll love them, and they’ll love you. They’re all very different, but they’re just…they’re amazing. They’ll welcome you into their pack immediately. It’ll be like having three best friends right off the bat.”
“How…how do you know they’ll like me?” I ask.
“Because I know them. Plus, you’re impossible to not like.”
“Tell me about them?” I ask.
His hands slide in comforting patterns on my back. “Well, Myka was the first. She’s with Rev. She came from a super conservative Christian home, had a serious douchebag for a fiancé. When that fell apart, she left home looking to start over in life. She ended up in Club Sin by mistake sort of, ran into Rev, and things with them just sort of…kicked off. Like me, like all of us, Rev’s past is dark, violent, and traumatic. We’re all hiding from our pasts, from enemies. Rev’s caught up to him, and things got tricky. Myka is cool as hell. She’s tough but sweet, and kind of the queen bee, since she was the first to come live with us.
“Anjalee is with Kane. She’s Indian, as in from India, and comes from serious money, like money that makes my folks look downright poor. She was betrothed against her will to some guy her asshole father picked, and she wasn’t having it. She ran away, Kane rescued her in the middle of the desert, and once they figured out his and her combined shit, she came to live with us too. She’s kinda shy, and very soft-spoken. You and her are a lot alike, actually. You guys both have this soft, quiet demeanor, but you have a spine of steel beneath it.”
“I have a spine of steel?” I rest my chin on his chest and look up at him as I ask this.
“Fuck yes. You’ve been through hell. You’ve lived your life taking everyone else’s shit, being abused and treated worse than garbage. But despite that, you’re a kind, wonderful, warm person. It takes real, true strength of character to come out of a life like yours without being bitter and mean-spirited and hateful.”
I can’t help but smile. “Thank you for saying that, Silas. It means more than I can say that you think so.”
