“Oh, my God! Did you see the look on his face when I gave him my number? I’m going to show him what it means for a nice girl to be a little naughty.” Candy laughed as she walked back to her group of friends, and Penny smiled. She liked the girls she worked with, but there were certainly times when she had a difficult time relating to them.

It seemed to her that many of the girls who worked for the nightclub were there to sleep with the rich men who came through. Penny wondered at times if they had any sort of standard at all, and she always shook her head and looked away when she saw them flirting with men they knew to be married or twice their age.

Penny didn’t think it mattered if they were celebrities or millionaires; she felt it was wrong for the girls at her work to try to seduce the men who came in, especially when it was clear they were only doing it for the money. All they were after was the money and the superficial things the men represented.

It was even more surprising to her how many men fell for the bait. She couldn’t believe the desperation of the men who came in the bar and the speed with which they were willing to fuck any pussy they could get. At times, she knew they were going to hotels to keep the affair a secret from their wives or girlfriends, but then there were times when her coworkers would talk of the houses they got to spend the night in and the man they got to sleep with.

“I saw! He looked like he didn’t think you were going to really do it,” Angie replied. Penny picked up the glasses and started drying them, hanging them on the rack above their heads as she listened to the conversation. She didn’t often get involved when they were talking about their trysts with the men who came through the club.

There were times when she wondered why many of them didn’t become escorts or strippers, since they so often treated the job as though that was what they were doing anyway.

“I acted like I wasn’t going to, but then I did at the last minute. I like to keep them guessing, you know? It’s more fun that way and makes them try even harder to get your attention. When they finally do, they feel even better about themselves, which is always a plus for me!” She held up the tip that was left for her, and both girls laughed.

“How are you doing on your tips tonight?” Candy asked as she turned to Penny. Penny did her best to get along with all the girls she worked with, but it was Candy who was most difficult. She knew the girl liked to push her buttons, and it didn’t seem to matter how much she tried to ignore her. In one way or another, she would eventually get under Penny’s skin, and Penny would have to fight with herself to keep from snapping at her.

“Not a bad night so far. It hasn’t really been all that busy yet,” she replied rather shortly.

“I’ve done pretty well so far, I guess they like me or something,” Candy replied in a gloating way.

“That’s because you just gave that guy your number. Do you really think he would have left you that large of a tip if you didn’t?” she asked, trying hard to keep the waspishness out of her voice. She knew it wasn’t a contest, but when all the girls got to keep their own tips, she did feel threatened from time to time. She was the senior waitress in the nightclub and one of the bartenders who had worked there the longest.

There were times when she was jealous of the tips that the younger girls were bringing in, but at the same time, she wasn’t going to lower her standards for money or anything. Though she had a goal to reach, she did have her values. She focused on working hard and employing skills that would enhance her job in an ethical manner. Penny was skillful with her makeup. She was skillful with her presence and she was skillful with her mannerism.

“Did you tell Candy about the tip you got last night from that group of men? That was insane!” Angie chimed in. It was clear she liked Penny, and Penny appreciated how she would so often come to her rescue when it came to Candy.

“Doug mentioned that they tipped more than what the bottle of wine was worth—how did you manage that one?” Candy asked suspiciously. She raised her eyebrows, looking from Angie to Penny with a glassy stare. Penny shrugged with a sheepish smile.

“You know how these men are around here. They think if they give you a large enough tip you’re going to just jump right into bed with them.” She finished drying the glasses and turned her attention to the counter, wiping it down until it shone under the lights.

“Then I wouldn’t plan on that happening again. I’m sure they were really disappointed when you just left at the end of the night,” Candy said with a side grin that looked more like a sneer.

“I’m sure they were happy with the service, and that’s why they did it. If they only wanted to sleep with her, they wouldn’t be coming back tonight,” Angie reasoned. She began wiping down the counters as well, helping her friend. Penny looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“How did you know about that? I thought I was the only one Doug called,” she said. Angie shook her head and Candy looked irritated she was left out of the conversation.

“I was here when he called you. He’s been talking about it all day. He can’t wait for them to come back again so they can spend all their money here,” she replied with a roll of her eyes.

“But Penny was the one who walked away with the tip,” Candy cut in.

“They ordered over a thousand dollars’ worth of wine and food,” Penny said simply. Angie shook her head once again.

“I think they’re coming back because they liked how you served them. You’re fast and you’re good at what you do. I mean, he called you in and asked you to work late for these men in particular. They liked you well enough that they called ahead to make sure you were going to be working tonight.” Angie gave Candy a look, who had crossed her arms over her chest and was tapping her left foot quite ostentatiously, displaying her annoyance at being left out of the conversation.

“They called ahead? And you didn’t do anything for them after you clocked out? No favors in the parking lot or anything?” she asked with a smirk. Penny nodded stiffly, holding herself back from snapping an insult at her.

“I’m not like that,” she said defensively.

“You must have made an impression on them in some way!” Candy prodded.

Angie once again came to her rescue. “Clearly, she’s good at what she does. Now, why don’t you just drop it and get out there to bus those tables?”

“Since when do I take orders from you?” Candy asked, putting her hands on her hips and challenging Angie.

“Since you have the time to stand around and talk about how you got numbers on the job. I’ll wait.” Angie crossed her arms, waiting for the girl to get moving. Penny kept her eyes on the counter, not wanting to get involved with their scuttle, despite the fact that it stemmed from her. She knew a lot of the arguments the two of them had was a direct result of their power struggle, and the fact of the matter was that both of them should have been taking orders from her. Penny was the one with seniority, but she didn’t really care what they were doing, nor did she care to give them any orders.

Candy hesitated another moment before sighing and grabbing the bin and heading out to the dining area. It was the quiet before the storm, and they knew they were going to get busy at any moment. Of course, that didn’t stop them from standing around and talking for a few minutes with each other, but Penny was glad Candy was getting to the tables before the next round of people came in.

“Seriously, though, you should be proud of yourself. Those men were from the Alabaster Club, and you know what they’re like.” Angie turned to Penny once Candy had walked away. Penny raised her eyebrows in surprise. She knew that they were wealthy—that was obvious by the way they had tipped her and the copious amount of alcohol and food they had ordered—but she had no idea that they were from the Alabaster Club. She suddenly felt proud of herself, but tried not to show it too much.

“And they’re coming back in tonight, evidently,” she said absentmindedly.

“Again, something you should be proud of. They wanted you to wait on them specifically, so you must be doing something right. Besides that, Doug said that they’re going to be bringing in Chase Ellis with them tonight,” Angie continued. She grabbed another washcloth and started wiping down the sides of the cupboards.

“Chase Ellis?” Penny repeated. She spoke aloud, but she was speaking more to herself than to her friend. Angie nodded, showing that she had heard, but she didn’t say anything else. Everyone knew who Chase Ellis was, and Penny wasn’t sure how she felt about waiting his table that night.

She had never met him before nor had she seen him in person, but she didn’t have to. His reputation preceded him, and she knew she was going to have to work hard if she was going to impress him. He was known for his womanizing ways, and she promised herself she wasn’t going to get drawn in to his charm. She just needed to put on her A-game to win him over and get a big tip at the end of the night.

She would show Candy that it was her skills alone that got her the tips that she got. It had nothing to do with her looks or doing anything to cheapen herself.

Chase Ellis would soon learn that for himself.