Her Redemption

Chapter 6 – Her attempt

“Strip.”

Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

Nia went to the private club as Jeremy instructed. He sent her an image, which she saved on her phone. It seemed to be some sort of pass. She showed it to security and stated she had an appointment with Joshua Myer.

A secretary came to fetch her from the waiting room. When she was told to enter Mr. Myer’s office, this is the first word she heard when the door closed.

“Nia Sophie Clark, is that you?” The man stood from his seat and went around his table to stand in front of her.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Then, strip. Take all your clothes off.”

She stared into his eyes and realized he’s serious. There’s no hint of maliciousness in his tone, though. If anything, he sounds bored. Jeremy’s words came to her. This man doesn’t like it when his employees act up and refuses a client’s simple demands.

Nia withdrew her gaze and swallowed hard. She removed her little bag and set it on the little table beside her. She unbuttoned her blouse and removed it. Following that is her pants. Then, her undergarments. She toed off her shoes as well, for good measure.

She looked up at him when she’s done. He gave her a tiny nod as he scanned her body. He walked around her and inspected every inch he can see.

“I take it Jeremy told you a few things.” He directly asked.

“Yes, he did.” She answered with a firm tone. She had this chance and she’s not going to waste it.

Joshua could see her determination and he liked how she obeyed without questions. She knew what kind of job she’s going to have by coming here.

“Wear your clothes, then we’ll commence the interview.”

She was relieved to hear it. It would be awkward to proceed to an interview while naked. 

It started out quite normally. She researched a bit a few days ago and the usual questions popped up.

Then, came the hard questions, specific to the industry. What can you do and what can you not do?

Nia was prepared for this. She even brought up what Jeremy said about the employees having a say on the kind of clients they would get.

Joshua snorted. Trust that Jeremy to give her more information than necessary. He squinted at the woman in front of him. It would seem Jeremy was fond of her. He even told him to hire her. This interview seems to be just a formality and a job orientation instead.

He did ask her for the short version of her sob story.

“How about school? Do you plan to go back?”

“Yes, actually. I assume most clients would be serviced at night so I can work on school during the day, right?”

“You better make sure you don’t sleep on a client, otherwise I might fire you.”

“Consider me warned.” Nia accepted. It’s true. That would be bad for his business.

She could finish her senior year, then slowly work on her college. Maybe take half the normal load every semester. That would take her eight years, though. Slowly but surely, huh?

He then asked about her physical condition and she gladly told him about her current fitness program.

Though Jeremy said Joshua never sleeps with his employees, Nia still felt a little trepidation that he might.

After an hour of talking, Joshua called his secretary and instructed her to give Nia the manual. Let her study it. And discuss to her the basic rules of the club.

At the secretary’s waiting area, she was handed a handbook and she was told to read. After nearly two hours, they started the discussion and it went for another hour.

“Sir Joshua told me to prepare your paperwork tomorrow, so you’ll have to come in again. Also, you have to complete reading that handbook. Yes, there’s a written test for it.” Desiree informed her. She’s considerably older than Nia but she’s gorgeous. So far, every woman she’d seen is beautiful and sexy.

The way she speaks… it’s charming.

“Is there a particular of speaking for this club?”

“Oh, yes. You’ll sit on a training for it. The women here have class. Your educational background might be lacking, but you can compensate that with manners. How you speak to people, how you carry yourself, how you treat others… some get taken to parties, you know? As real escorts, dates… I think I should get your signature on a confidentiality agreement first before I continue spilling stories on you.”

She did walk over to her table and did something with her computer. In a while, the printer is working on a document.

“Here…” She presented the confidentiality agreement with a flourish. Same with the pen.

“Why do I feel like you haven’t talk to a newbie in a while? Don’t you get to orient new comers all the time?”

“Actually, there are three of us who handles newbies. My shift is during morning. Whenever someone comes in during the afternoon or the evening, I don’t get to work with them.”

“I see. Do most applicants come by later, then?”

“Something like that. I’ll give you a tour of the place tomorrow, and introduce you to everyone who’s present.”

Desiree feels that this young woman is quite calm and collected. She’d seen her file. She’s only eighteen and yet… there’s something about her. She can’t put her finger on it. She’s amicable so she kept talking to her as she worked.

“You’re an odd one. Well, you’re the youngest one we got here. I’m sure boss won’t let you in if you don’t qualify, so I assume you do. How did you get into this line of work, though?”

Nia stared at her before deciding that it would be nice to have a friend. She answered whatever questions she threw her way.

“I see. You’ve gone through so much. No wonder you seem to have a tough personality for a person your age.”

Nia decided to reciprocate and ask questions about Desiree. Since she was the one who started asking the personal questions, she had no qualms sharing her own story.

After a while, Nia asked, “Is it alright for you to be close to employees?”

“Oh yes. We uphold certain rules here. Actually, we have a lot. Getting along well with everyone is encouraged. If you don’t like someone, you can’t engage that person. It’s best to avoid conflict.”

“What happens if there’s a conflict?”

“Both will get fired, regardless of who started it or who’s in the wrong. They went against the rules, that’s all there is to it.”

Nia thought it over. “Has anyone been fired because of that rule?”

“Well, once in a while, we’ll get actual bitches here. Of course, they’re tame and kind when they show up for the interview. After a while, something in them changes and their character also does. It could be the money, when they start earning a lot, they feel good about themselves.”

“But at the end of the day, we’re all prostitutes, no?” Seeing the sharp look on Desiree, Nia backtracked.

“I mean, what was the official position again? Escorts?”

Desiree sighed. Yeah, she’s still young. A little too blunt with her words.

“We’re doing business with people who have high status. You have to learn choosing your words carefully. You can’t use such words here. You have to project some class. We’re not doing this on the streets.”

“Right. I’m sorry. It was my mistake. I won’t do it again.”

Desiree appreciates her acknowledgement. She seems to be a humble person.

Nia started feeling nervous because of her blunder. She should really be careful. Otherwise, this attempt would be a waste. She can’t mess it up.

When lunch break came, Desiree told her that she can go for today and come again tomorrow. She has a meeting to prepare for in the afternoon so she won’t be able to accommodate her.

Nia left, feeling good with the outcome. She should thank Jeremy. It didn’t seem difficult despite what he said, or he could’ve helped her out and insisted that Joshua take her in. That’s a possibility, too, though she doesn’t know how much influence Jeremy could have in the private club.

It fronts as a bar and a night club. At least, that’s what the outside looks like and what she assumed when she saw the place.

She returned to the hospital and sorted out her thoughts. She knew she’s not acting like a normal eighteen-year-old girl who found herself having to service men to earn a living. If it weren’t for her previous experience, she would definitely be terrified.

She would’ve made a fuss when Joshua asked her to strip, then she would have lost her chance already. He wouldn’t have bothered interviewing her if she hadn’t done as he asked. She sighed. Even though more than a month already passed since she experienced something so extraordinary, she still couldn’t understand it and let go. Every now and then, she would think of it. But one thing is clear, she’s grateful for knowing some of the things that she learned from those years.

There are quite a few things she needs to deal with. Her mom’s health. Her brother is alright. She only needs to support his schooling. Her sister… she needs to think of how to deal with her bad attitude. Talking to her… is difficult. She won’t listen. She just does what she wants. Nia’s already getting a headache just thinking about it. As for herself, studying is her concern now. The job, she can’t believe that was the easy part.