Worth Saving(37)

I snuck out of Austin’s house while he was asleep and called a taxi to come get me, and the whole ride I kept thinking about what it was I was about to do. I asked myself over and over again if I was sure, and if I was making the right decision, and I decided to do what I’m doing right now. The uncertainty of it all makes my nerves tighten, but my feelings for a change in my life urge me forward. So, as the cab drove on, I convinced myself I was doing the right thing, and when I arrived at Red Pony, I got out of the cab feeling confident. When I opened the door and walked in, my confidence was still high, but when I got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Damien and David sitting in one of the booths, my confidence melted into a puddle under my feet.

Nonetheless, I know why I’m here. Even if I don’t know what’s going to happen with Austin and me, I know I need this time to figure it out, and I can’t do that if I’m going home with different men every night. Just like I told Austin last night, I need some time to figure stuff out. My life has moved so fast that I haven’t had the time to just sit down and think about what it is I actually want in this life. I’ve only been focusing on surviving and making sure I have money to make it on my own. For the first time in my life, I’m thinking about what I want in the future, not just the present. I don’t know if it was Austin that made me start thinking about it, all I know is that I’m thinking about it now. I have to figure my life out. So, I’m here. I’m doing it.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you today. Don’t you come in tomorrow night?” Damien asks as he rolls a joint right there on the table.

There’s stacks of money lying on the table between the two extra-large men. Probably the money they made last night from the available girls, and since the club is closed at the moment, they have no reason to hide it. Damien lights up his joint and puffs out smoke right in my face. David, the calmer, more mature brother, immediately looks annoyed. His head is just as bald as his brother’s, but he has a goatee and dresses much nicer. He looks the part of an actual business man.

“Yeah, I’m scheduled for tomorrow, but I wanted to come talk to you first,” I reply. All the confidence I had has evaporated now.

“Okay. Well, talk,” Damien barks.

“Okay, well umm, I’ve been working here since I was seventeen years old,” I begin. “Going on four years now, and I’ve never really taken much time off. I’ve been working non-stop as an available girl for a long time, and I’ve had some things come up that require my time and attention.”

Damien passes the joint over to his older brother, who takes a quick hit of it and hands it back.

“What the f*ck do you want, Layla?” Damien asks without even looking up at me.

“I need to take some time off, Damien, please.”

Damien’s eyes snap up at me.

“What the f*ck do you think this is, Wal-Mart? You think you can just take vacation days or some shit? You’re an available girl, Layla, and now you’re saying you want to be unavailable so you can do whatever the f*ck you want to do. That ain’t how it works down here.”

“How long are you planning on being gone?” David interrupts. My eyes bounce over to him and I feel a little more at ease now that he’s spoken up. David is the smarter, more business-minded of the two, and we all know that when you need something, you go to David whenever possible. Even though they look almost exactly alike, they’re personalities are completely different. Damien would fall apart if it wasn’t for David.

“I really need, like, a month,” I answer, and Damien’s head snaps my way.

“A month? Are you out of your f*cking mind? What the hell do you need a whole month for?” Damien bellows.

“I just need some time to straighten my life out.”

“What is so bad about your life? Don’t I take care of you? Are you saying I make your life too hard? I don’t do enough for you?” Damien snaps.

“Oh calm the f*ck down!” David chimes in. “What makes you think it has anything to do with you? She’s right. She’s worked here loyally for a long time now, and sometimes you need a f*cking break, especially doing what she does and working for you, Damien.”

Damien furrows his brow. I know he doesn’t like being made to look like he doesn’t have all the power, but the truth is that David is the captain who guides the ship that is Red Pony Gentleman’s Club.

“Look, Layla,” David says as he turns his attention towards me. “I know you work hard, and I know you’ve been through a lot, even before you started working here. And I think you’ve earned some time off. I’m gonna let you take the next month off, and when you come back, Damien and I will expect you to have your shit figured out, and for you to be ready to make some money. Do we understand each other?”

I peek over at Damien for a second, just long enough to see that he’s bristling. I don’t think anything pisses him off more than having decisions made against his wishes and having his authority challenged, but he’s also very loyal to his older brother, so he doesn’t say anything. He glares at me for a second, then he turns his attention back to his joint.

“I understand, David,” I reply. “Thank you. Thanks so much.” He doesn’t respond, he just nods his head and then goes back to counting the stacks of money he has on the table.