FIVE

“Are you sure this is a waitressing uniform?” Jane asked in horror as she stared at her reflection in the brightly lit changing room. First off, the white blouse looked as if it had been tailored with an eight-year old in mind. The cut was so tight at the seams that Jane felt it would burst if she dared to inhale too deeply. It didn’t help that the cutting was plunged so low that it barely covered her bra – thank God she had on a simple black bra. She had been given a corset to flatten her stomach, not that there was any need for it but the higher-ups at the club wanted all their women to have out of this world Barbie doll proportions. So here she was, with an oxygen supply-cutting corset and a micro black leather skirt so short it that threatened to reveal her undies to the world. She would have to walk like a penguin just to prevent the flashing of her bum. Her entire outfit practically screamed, “Come one come all! Come and touch me, I’m at your beck and call!”

The dark maroon curtain behind her parted like the red sea and in walked Vanessa, the smouldering brunette that Jane bumped into earlier in the bathroom.

“Of course,” Vanessa drawled in reply to Jane’s question with a cigarette wedged between her teeth looking extremely bored. She scrunched her nose as she looked Jane up and down, not exactly pleased with the uniform.

“This is actually one size up, we ran out of your size so that'll have to do.”

One size up? She could hardly even move in this thing!

The brunette shrugged, blew a puff of cancer inducing smoke at the back of Jane’s hair and patted at her butt. “Hmm…nice butt. Horrible underwear though. You should get a thong.”

Hearing this, Jane’s cheeks flushed beet red. She had never felt so exposed before in her entire life. A part of her wanted to strip the sleazy looking uniform off and run as far away as she could but she knew with a heavy heart that she needed the money, and lots of it. She forced a smile and tugged at the hem of her skirt, trying in vain to pull it lower. The fabric had a mind of its own and kept springing higher up every time she tried to pull the darn skirt down.

“It’s okay, I’ll stick to my panty for now. I’m still wearing a pad.” That was partly true, her bleeding had stopped hours ago but she had no intention of wearing a g-string or a thong. Jane could never tell the difference between the two, they all looked the same to her.

Vanessa nodded, not putting up an argument. The brunette was tall, with the built of an Amazonian but she was exquisitely beautiful. At that moment, Vanessa slipped a hand into her tube dress and lifted her breasts higher.

“Hmm, needs more silicone. Do you think I should upgrade to an E cup?” Vanessa asked, her eyes still locked at her own reflection.

Jane blinked rapidly, unsure of what to say. Her own breasts were ballooning from having just given birth and for the life of her, Jane couldn’t wait for them to return to their normal size. Right now, the weight of her breasts was killing her but she dared not tell the brunette how having Dolly Parton’s boobs was probably not the best choice.

“Uh...Vanessa…?”

“Yeah?” Another puff of smoke engulfed her and she coughed slightly.

“I’m just waitressing here at Las Duex. Are you sure this outfit is necessary?” Jane asked, hoping that there was some mix-up.

“Honey,” Vanessa turned to face Jane and placed her now free hands on Jane’s slender shoulders. “This is a nightclub, not a nunnery.”

She ran her painted fingernails down Jane’s silken tresses and beamed at Jane’s reflection, admiring the young chestnut haired’s beauty.

“You really should consider being a hostess. The pay is much better than serving drinks,” Vanessa toyed with her.

Jane’s heart pounded wildly with a strange mixture of hope and revulsion. It would be easy money to bed a few men, and if she was lucky, she might even get to see little Timmy soon. But her blood turned cold and her skin tingled uncomfortably at the thought of having strangers touch her. Being impregnated by an unknown man was more than enough to scar her for a lifetime. Jane hadn’t told anyone this but many a time she would wake up in the middle of the night and break out in cold sweat from nightmares of a faceless man hovering above her body and ramming himself into her.

The memory of her nightmares made her skin crawl and Jane shook it off, trying to focus on the pressing matter at hand.

But how much can you earn from just waitressing? her inner voice of logic whispered further adding to her desperation. Jane squeezed her eyes shut. No, she couldn’t do it.

One million in three days…how on earth are you going to get THAT kind of money?

It was true. Who was she kidding? Even if she were to work day and night for the next five days, she wouldn’t even be able to come up with a hundred grand, let alone one million.

Her lips pursed and her fists curled as tight as tennis balls as she battled her inner turmoil.

“Vanessa?” Jane’s eyes finally opened as she peeked at her newfound friend.

“Yeah?” Vanessa asked as she started to fix her own hair. Unlike Jane’s hair that tumbled freely past her shoulders, Vanessa’s was curled up in a tight sexy bun.

“You mentioned that the club pays in advance. Would it be too early for me to ask for one?” her voice came out meek and squeaky, like a mouse and she didn’t like it. Jane hated being indebted to anyone.

The brunette’s brows creased and a flicker of sympathy skimmed across her perfectly made up face. “Oh sweetheart, do you owe the mafia money or something?”

‘The mafia,’ Jane thought. Maybe it would have been easier if it had been the mafia. She looked down at her impossibly high stiletto heels, unable to meet Vanessa’s gaze. Her throat was making stupid noises as she tried not to cry.

“Something like that,” was all she could muster as a reply.