Knock. Knock knock knock. Trina bolted upright in her bed, all the hairs on her body springing up as adrenaline poured into her system. Who the hell was knocking on the door at three o’clock in the morning? Trina slowly reached into the drawer of her bedside table, pulling out a knife she kept there in case of emergencies. It could be an unhappy client, Trina thought as she carefully put her feet on the ground. That guy from the other night who didn’t want to pay… he could have tracked me down here and brought friends or a weapon to get back at me.

 

Her heart thundered in her chest like a horse-drawn chariot as she slowly approached her front door, gripping the knife so hard her knuckles hurt. There was another knock at the door, harder and more insistent this time. Trina blew out her breath and forced herself to dash the last few feet to the door, keeping her knife ready as she put her hand on the knob. “Yes?” she asked. “Who is it?” It was times like these that she really wished she had a peephole in her door. Dammit.

 

“Girl, it’s me, let me in!” Kittie’s familiar voice called out from the other side of the door. “I’ve got news!”

 

Trina let her body sag against the door in relief, allowing the knife to hang limply in her hands as she collected herself. She unlocked and unlatched the door, opening it to let Kittie inside. “Kittie, you almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here so late, and why didn’t you just call?”

 

Kittie grinned, shaking her head furiously. “You won’t believe it, Trina. You got the job!”

 

“The job?” Trina asked, her mind still too foggy from sleep to figure out what Kittie was talking about right away. But after a few moments, it all clicked. Dana. The audition. “I got it?” she whispered.

 

Kittie nodded and wrapped her arms around her, forcing her into an oppressively tight hug. “I knew you could do it!”

 

“Thanks,” Trina said, forcing a smile for Kittie’s benefit. “When do I start?”

 

“Right now!” Kittie said, tugging on her wrist and pulling back toward the door. “Come on, we’ve got to get that money, girl!”

 

Trina resisted, planting her feet so Kittie couldn’t force her out of her apartment. “Wait, what? I need time to prepare. I can’t just go now. I haven’t even showered.”

 

“Don’t worry about that,” Kittie said, waving Trina’s concern away. “Some of the clients like girls with a little stench on them if you know what I mean. Come on! If you don’t show up as soon as possible, Dana might change her mind about you. We were already late once. You don’t want it to be a pattern.”

 

For the final time, Trina had second thoughts. I could just stay here, where I belong, she thought to herself, feeling bile crawl up her throat at the thought. I don’t have to do this.

 

But Kittie’s face was so bright, beaming with energy and pure belief that Trina could do it. That was what it came down to, ultimately. She couldn’t let her friend down, not when she was looking at her with so much pride and hope.

 

“Okay,” Trina said. “Just let me change into something less hideous than my ratty pajamas, and then we’ll…”

 

“No time!” Kittie said. “They’ll give you something to wear at the brothel. Come on! We’ve got to go!”

 

Trina let herself be tugged along this time, barely remembering to grab her phone off the table near the door before leaving her apartment, running along with Kittie toward the building where Dana waited on them.

 

Kittie led her to the same entrance as she did a few days earlier and dragged her quickly down the hallways until they got to Dana’s parlor. “We’re here, we’re here, we’re on time, right?” Kittie panted out as they ran into the room, where several girls dressed in gorgeous black gowns were already lined up.

 

“You are barely on time, yes,” Dana said, getting up from her throne-like chair in the center of the room. “Go stand with the other girls.”

 

Trina moved along with Kittie, but she froze when Dana spoke again, this time addressing her specifically. “Not you. You come here.”

 

Trina looked at Kittie, who nodded at her encouragingly and gestured for her to follow Dana to the other side of the room. She cleared her throat and resisted the urge to bow her head as she crossed the room to meet with Dana. I have to be strong, she reminded herself, rolling her shoulders back and straightening her spine. I can’t show any weakness. Not here. Not to her.

 

“What’s your name?” Dana asked, crossing her arms tightly as she waited for Trina to respond.

 

“Trina.”

 

“Trina,” Dana repeated, licking her lips and the bottom row of her perfectly white teeth. “That’s a pretty name. Where did you get it from?”

 

“My mom,” Trina said honestly, aware that Dana probably thought she was lying. Lots of girls had “stage names” when they did sex work, but not Trina. She was pretty sure Kittie’s legal name was something different, but Trina could never get used to being called by the wrong name.

 

“Hmm,” Dana said, sucking on her teeth for a second. “Interesting. Well, welcome to the family, Trina. We treat all of our sisters with respect here, but first you have to earn it. Since you’re the newest addition to the staff here, you’ll have to do several chores on top of the work with the clients who come in here. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes,” Trina said without hesitation. Dana might have been incredibly intimidating, but the concept of hard work wasn’t, at least not to Trina.

 

“First, you’re going to hand-wash the negligees that the girls used last week. Come with me this way. I’ll show you around,” Dana said, putting a perfectly manicured hand on Trina’s back and lightly pushing until she followed her out of the parlor.

 

Dana led Trina across the hall and through a couple of luxuriously furnished rooms before coming to a stop in a messy room full of dirty clothing. “Here, get to work on these while I fill you in on the details of the business. Hurry up.”

 

Trina did as she was told, filling up a tub full of soapy water and beginning to soak each of the lingerie pieces one by one, scrubbing them gently with a washcloth. Dana gave a long speech, and honestly it was so boring that Trina zoned out for several minutes until Dana mentioned a word that got her attention.

 

“…It is true that many of the clients use drugs. However, none of the girls here are to partake in any drug use. Is that clear?”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Trina said.

 

“Another thing,” Dana said, her tone becoming strangely hard and cold. “Never call me ma’am again. It makes me feel old.”

 

“All right,” Trina said, filing that information away for later. It was strange, finding an insecurity in a woman who seemed so impervious to criticism. Dana was absolutely gorgeous, not to mention rich and powerful. It was weird thinking that anything could make her feel less than perfect.

 

Dana stared at her silently for a long moment, making Trina’s skin heat up as she forced herself to continue the washing work, keeping her eyes glued on the clothes in her hands. Finally, Dana cleared her throat and spoke again. “Do you know anything about drugs, Trina?”

 

Trina shook her head reflexively, keeping her gaze down on the tub, ignoring the growing ache that was forming in her knees as a result of staying in the same position for too long.

 

“I only ask because we have demand for responsible drug runners, as well,” Dana said, reaching into her pocket for a cigarette and lighting up. She blew out the smoke in delicate, perfectly formed rings before speaking again. “You could make a little more money if you’re interested…”

 

“No,” Trina said as firmly as possible. A wave of heat crawled up her back, probably turning the base of her neck red with embarrassment. She didn’t want to be rude to her spanking-new boss, exactly, but there was no way in hell she was getting involved in drugs. Not again. She’d spent too much time involved in the muck of the city’s underground, slinging cocaine and heroin to addicts who couldn’t stop hurting themselves. It was a sick, twisted lifestyle, and Trina wanted nothing to do with it.

 

“That’s unfortunate, for you, at least,” Dana said, sucking on her cigarette some more. “Anyway, finish up in here, and then come back to the parlor. I’ll assign you your first client later today. That’s all.” With that, she turned and walked out of the room, leaving Trina alone with the suds and the dirty lingerie.

 

Trina let out another sigh of relief as soon as she was sure that Dana was totally gone. She had been a little afraid that her boss would pressure her into drug-related work, but luckily for now, at least, she was safe. I’m safe here, she said to herself as she worked faster on the clothes, scrubbing out dried stains. I’m safe.

 

But still, in the back of her mind, a little voice resisted: If I’m safe, why am I still so afraid?