CHAPTER 8
RICHIE
“I’ll get everything together and back to you by the end of the week,” I said, standing up and shaking the hand of the banker that just gave me a novel lengths list of documents I would need to even be considered for a loan from the Bank of America for a million dollars.
Daunting, yes.
Impossible? Well, I guess that’s to be determined.
I tried to walk out of the bank without losing my shit completely. After all, it was just paperwork he needed. He hadn’t said no. He just hadn’t said yes or even maybe, either.
Probably the meeting would have gone a lot differently if I’d been a normal guy, with a normal job, wanting to buy a normal business.
But, no. As fate would have it, I just happen to be an aging male stripper who hadn’t done a very good job of keeping my finances organized, wanting to buy a rapidly failing strip club.
From an outside perspective, my chances didn’t look very good.
By the time I made it back to my truck, all I could think was, ‘Fuck it’. If I didn’t at least try, I’d never know.
And after all, it was just a bunch of paperwork they wanted.
Income reports. Credit reports. Business plans.
It couldn’t be that hard, right? Sure, my income wasn’t exactly traditional, but I’d filed my taxes every year, so that had to count for something. I’d bought everything I owned with cash, but by ‘everything’ I meant my truck and my work costumes. I didn’t have much else to show, except the savings I’d been collecting under my bed for the last two years.
As for the business plan, that was something else entirely. I had no idea how to go about creating one of those.
I met up with Daine at In-N-Out for lunch, chomping at the bit to spill everything. He made it easy to keep my mouth shut, though, considering I couldn’t get a word in edgewise while he filled me in about his date with the pirate last night.
“…Tall, dark, the body of a goddamned Adonis, with the cock the size of a horse, Richie!”
“Glad you had fun,” I said, trying to muster some enthusiasm for him.
“Fun?” he exclaimed. “It was a fucking marathon, I tell you! Tit for tat, he matched me every stroke of the way.”
“Jesus,” I said, shaking my head. “You make it sound so intense.”
“Darling, you don’t know intense until you’ve fucked a man like that!”
“Guess I’m shit outta luck, then,” I shrugged.
“Missing out,” he replied, wistfully. “So, what’s going on with you? You still busted up about Barry?”
I looked over at him, contemplating how much to tell him.
“If I tell you something, you promise not to tell Blaze and Fox? Or anyone else?”
“Pinky swear,” he said, hooking his pinky onto mine. I quickly pulled away.
“Your word is fine.”
“Spill it. What’s up?”
“I’m going to try to buy Cowboys.”
“What? How are you going to get a million dollars?” His hand froze in midair, his burger suspended between us as he looked at me in shock.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“It’s a dump, Richie. That’s a ridiculous asking price.”
“Well, it’s Vegas. It’s got a reputation, history, a name.”
“Still, Richie, you can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a money pit, that’s why!” he insisted. “Look, I’ve been supportive till now, I know. I thought you might get a return on your investment if you invested a few thousand, but a million? That’s financial suicide, brother.”
“I’m sorting out my options.”
“Options?” he asked. “Unless you’ve got a lot more cash under that mattress than I thought, I don’t see how you have any options.”
“I went to the bank today. Asked about a loan.”
“A million dollar loan?”
“Yeah, why not? People do this shit all the time, Daine.”
“I suppose,” he sighed, stuffing the burger in his mouth. “I just hate to see you being taken advantage of. Barry knows how much the club means to you. He’s an asshole for not accepting your first offer. He’s trying to bend you over and —.”
“It’s my decision.”
“I know, but —.”
“I haven’t even decided yet. Besides, it might not work. I have to jump through a bunch of hoops first.”
“Okay,” he said, shrugging. “I’m sorry, man. I’ll shut up. It’s your business. What can I do to help?”
“I don’t know. Do you know how to write a business plan?”
He laughed and shook his head.
“Clueless.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I’m good at research, though. Google never lets me down. Maybe I’ll go to the library also. I’ll see what I can dig up.”
“Thanks, brother. And like I said, don’t say anything to the other guys.”
“My lips are sealed. Until I see my pirate again, of course. Then, my lips are going to be wide open,” he winked.
“You’re ridiculous,” I replied, laughing.
“You love me and you know it.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
“You working the revue tonight at the Grand?” He asked. Once a week I work a variety show called The Thunder at the MGM with a completely different group of guys.
“Yeah, you at Cowboys?” I asked.
“Yep. Early shift.”
“See you back home later, then,” I said, as I stood up. We walked out to our cars together, and Daine looked at me thoughtfully before leaving.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I want to be supportive man. Just tell me what you need.”
“Probably a huge down payment, a killer business plan and a miracle.”
“I’ll look around and see if I can find any of that,” he winked. “Good luck.”
“Thanks, brother.”