“Hey!” Allen called out, desperately trying to get my attention.
Turning around, I quickly walked over to him and started to tell him that I wasn’t in a good mood. Before I could get a word out, he pointed toward the back of the bar and called my attention to Kenneth, the creepy loner whom I thought had gotten rid of.
Allen frowned and said, “He’s been here waiting for you.”
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, looking toward the back and trying to think of what to say to him. “I’m really starting to get bad vibes from this guy.”
“You’re telling me,” Allen said dryly. “He’s been waiting for almost an hour, and I didn’t even tell him if you were coming in or not.”
“What do you mean?”
“He asked if you were working tonight,” Allen replied, “and I lied and told him that I wasn’t sure. He decided to sit and wait anyway.”
“Great,” I said, looking outside to see that our security guard was not there. “And it looks like Tony isn’t here either.”
Allen shook his head, ignoring his customers so that he could talk to me. “Nope, Tony won’t be here for at least another hour.”
“I don’t know what the hell to say to this guy,” I replied. “I made it clear the other night that I wasn’t interested.”
“What do you mean not interested?” Allen asked, just as Greg walked over and kneeled down to join the conversation.
Allen added, “Did he ask you for something?”
“He just wanted to be around me,” I replied, looking up at Greg who also didn’t seem like he wanted to be there. “I made it clear that I wasn’t interested.”
Greg chimed in and asked, “Are you sure you made it very clear?”
“Yes,” I replied, thinking back to my previous conversation with Kenneth. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I made it clear. I never want to be mean to anyone, but it might be time for me to try a different approach.”
“Go get ‘em,” Greg said with a wink, rising back to his feet to return to his lackluster dancing.
Turning around, I began to walk toward Kenneth. Finally, he noticed me walking in his direction and his face lit up with the most natural smile I had ever seen on him. It was good to see that he was capable of real happiness, but it was discouraging to know that I was the source of that happiness.
I knew I’d have to break it to him as clearly as I could, and I wasn’t looking forward to hurting his feelings. Still, I knew that I had the right to come to work without feeling like I was being harassed.
“Hi,” I said as I finally arrived before him.
He rose to his feet and looked me directly in the eye as he replied, “I’m so glad you’re here. Allen said he wasn’t sure if you’d be working or not.”
“And you decided to wait anyway?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“Yes,” he replied cheerfully, as if I had made his night just by showing up. “I wanted to ask you a question.”
“A question?” I said. “What kind of question?”
“Well,” he replied with a smile, “I know you dance for money here, and I was wondering if…”
His voice trailed off as if he wasn’t sure about finishing his question.
“If what?” I asked impatiently, trying to rush him.
“I was wondering,” he repeated, pausing for a moment before finally adding, “if I might be able to buy an evening with you.”
I looked him up and down, not believing what I was hearing. He had completely ignored my request for him to leave me alone the previous night, and I was starting to feel that I was reaching my limit with talking to this guy.
After a moment, he asked, “What do you think?”
“What do I think?” I asked incredulously. “Kenneth, just the other day I told you that I wasn’t interested. I don’t want to spend any of my personal time with you and, frankly, you’re starting to make me very uncomfortable by coming in here.”
“Uncomfortable?” he asked, his expression changing to reflect his disappointment. “Why do you feel uncomfortable?”
“Kenneth,” I answered, “in my line of work, I start to learn the signs for when someone is becoming too attached. You’re becoming obsessed with me, and you’re not understanding that I’m simply uninterested.”
Kenneth looked down at the floor as he replied, “I was going to offer you ten thousand dollars.”
Shaking my head, I called his attention back to my eyes as I replied, “The answer is no. I’m not interested in your money, and I’m not interested in you. Additionally, it’s illegal to solicit sex from anyone, even if they’re a dancer in a bar. I’m going to have to ask you not to come back to The Warehouse.”
He finally looked back into my eyes, obviously stunned that I had asked him to leave and never return.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied, “I’m serious. I’m going to inform the owner that I’m uncomfortable with you being here, and I’m going to tell our security guards not to let you in again. Kenneth, if I see you again, I’m going to call the police.”
I immediately felt a slight tinge of guilt for being so direct with him, but I had learned from my time at The Warehouse that it was best to be honest when someone was forming a creepy attachment.
“I had no idea you felt this way,” he said, desperately trying to continue the conversation. “I figured that – if I offered you enough money – you’d spend some time with me.”
“It’s not about your money,” I replied, and it was the honest truth.
There were busy nights at The Warehouse where I could make thousands of dollars in tips so, even though his offer was for a significant amount of cash, I wasn’t impressed by it.
“Twenty,” he replied, looking away from me as if to check if anyone else was listening.
“What?” I asked, not believing what I was hearing.
“Twenty thousand,” he replied. “Please take it, Nicholas. I’ll do anything just to spend some time with you.”
I stepped back from him, starting to feel even more uncomfortable than I had before. He wasn’t acknowledging what I was telling him, and I was starting to feel that he wouldn’t, no matter what I said.
“You need to leave,” I replied forcefully. “I’m going to give you one last chance to leave on your own, and then I’m going to call the security guard over.”
“He’s not here,” Kenneth replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
His response creeped me out even more than I already was, and I pointed toward the door.
“He’ll be here in just a few minutes,” I replied. “You need to leave now, or I’m calling the police.”
“I haven’t done anything wrong,” he replied, looking over at Allen and Greg who were both watching our conversation.
They could see that I was pointing at the door, and they both obviously knew that I was telling Kenneth to leave.
“Leave,” I repeated. “Leave right this second or I’m calling the police.”
“I just want to spend time with you,” he said, the pain clearly showing in his voice.
I began to get the impression that Kenneth might be dealing with mental health issues, and I realized that I was crossing over into dangerous territory. Reaching down into my bag, I fished out my phone and unlocked it so that I could call the police.
Noticing that I was about to call them, Kenneth said, “Fine.”
The tone in his voice had changed from disappointment to anger.
“I’ll go,” he said, “but I’ll see you again; somehow.”
“Are you threatening me?” I asked, preparing to call the cops.
Without answering, he stormed away from me, past the bar, and through the doors out into the night. I felt my heart racing, but I was glad that he was at least out of the building. Still, something told me that it wouldn’t be the last time I would see Kenneth.
Greg and Allen came rushing toward me, both of them obviously wanting to know what had jus
t happened.
“Are you okay?” Allen asked, showing his typical concern for my well-being.
“I’m fine,” I replied. “That was just a horrible thing to go through.”
“Was he disappointed?” Greg asked, expressing sincerity for once in his life.
“He started out disappointed,” I answered, “but then it quickly changed to anger. I told him to leave and never come back.”
“You told him that?” Allen asked with a smile, obviously amused by what I had just done.
“Yes,” I replied, “but something tells me that I’ll be seeing him again.”
“Why do you say that?” Greg asked, turning to look behind himself to make sure that Kenneth hadn’t come back into the building.
“He said so,” I replied, shaking my head in frustration. “He told me that this wouldn’t be the last time I’d see him.”
“Wow,” Allen replied. “That’s awful but, mark my word Nicholas, I’m not going to let him hurt you.”
I watched as Greg turned and looked at Allen with a skeptical eye, probably laughing inside at the fact that so many men were interested in me.
“Thanks,” I replied defiantly, “but I think I can handle him myself.”
“You never know,” Allen said. “Men like that – men who get attached too easily – those are the ones you have to watch out for. They have no confidence in themselves, and therefore it can be earth-shattering for them when they’re rejected.”
Greg laughed and asked, “Did you learn that in Psychology 101?”
Allen playfully pushed Greg and replied, “Shut up. This is serious.”
“I know it’s serious,” I replied. “I can tell from his behavior that he’s unhinged, but I’m not sure what I can do about it.”
“He just wanted to come in and see you?” Greg asked. “Is that why he showed up?”
I nodded my head and replied, “He offered me money to sleep with him. At least, I think the money was meant for me to sleep with him.”
“Wow,” Allen replied, even though we both knew it wasn’t so strange for men to offer us money for sex.
“How much?” Greg asked, being crass as usual.
“None of your business,” I replied with a smile, finally feeling slightly relieved.
“Tell me!” Greg replied, refusing to let the issue go.
“Twenty thousand,” I said confidently, mocking him with my tone.
“What?” Allen asked incredulously. “Are you serious?”
“Yep,” I replied. “Well, originally it was ten thousand, but he raised the price when I rejected his first offer.”
“I just can’t believe this,” Greg said, shaking his head back and forth as if I was worth anything less. “And here I am getting tipped five-dollar bills all night long.”
“Oh, please,” I said, reaching over and pushing him. “We both make great money here, stop it.”
“You’re right,” Greg replied dryly, turning to look at the customers at the bar. “Speaking of which, I think I’ll go back over and make a little more money.”
As he turned to walk away, he hesitated for a moment before turning back and adding with a cheeky smile, “Not twenty thousand though.”
As he walked away, Allen reached over and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Are you alright?” he asked, as if I was still under threat. “I can’t believe that happened to you, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine,” I replied confidently, not wanting to discuss the matter further.
Looking at the clock, I could see that it was almost eight o’clock at night, and I looked helplessly over at Greg, indicating that I did not want to be at work. He stopped dancing on the bar for one moment and waved me over.
“You don’t want to be here, do you?” he asked.
Shaking my head vehemently, I showed that I did not.
“Want to tell me why?” he asked with a grin.
Again, I shook my head to indicate that I was not in the headspace to talk about it.
“I’ll cover for you,” he replied with a sigh, “but listen carefully: you owe me. Anytime I don’t feel like coming into work, I’ll call you and you’ll cover for me no matter what. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I replied with a smile, grateful for his gesture.
He leaned down from the bar and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. As I turned to walk away, I was happy to know that I had a friend who would look out for me. Greg could be a number of different things – snarky, sarcastic, and rude – but behind that mask was a friend who cared deeply for me.
I pushed through the doors of The Warehouse and began to walk back toward my apartment. As I strolled down the sidewalk, I looked around to make sure that Kenneth wasn’t anywhere nearby, as I didn’t want him to follow me home. Living in such close proximity to The Warehouse was a blessing and a curse, and I always tried to make sure that I was safe while walking.
Instinctively, I wanted to call or text Clint and ask him to come over. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was playing mind games with me, and that was something I couldn’t forgive. As I finally neared my building, I stood in front of the main doors, looking behind me to make sure that I hadn’t been followed.
If Kenneth was willing to offer me that kind of cash, I thought, he’s obviously unhinged, and I need to make sure I’m safe.
Just as I turned around to unlock the main door to my building, I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye. My block was generally quiet during the evenings, as it was mostly a residential block with no storefronts, so the slightest movement would easily catch my eye. Turning to see who it was, I watched as a man quickly walked away.
Squinting my eyes, I tried my best to see if it was Kenneth, but I couldn’t be sure. Deciding to be a little bold, I called out to see if I could get the man to turn around.
“Hey!” I called out, hoping to grab his attention.
Instead of turning around, the man sped up and walked even faster, moving quickly away from me as he ignored my call. Immediately, I knew it was Kenneth, and my heart began to sink. The realization that he knew where I lived was chilling at best, but terrifying at worst. Trying to think quickly, I tried to figure out what to do.
I have no way of stopping him from harming me, I thought. I don’t know where he lives, and I don’t even know his last name. If I need to report him, I’ll have nothing to go on.
Deciding to make a move, I turned around to see that a taxi was passing by behind me. I silently waved the driver down, and ran out into the street to talk to him. He rolled down his window and looked at me like I was a madman because I didn’t immediately hop into the back seat.
Pointing at Kenneth who was quickly walking away, I said to the cab driver, “Do you see that man walking away?”
He nodded his head and waited for me to continue.
“I need to know where that man lives,” I added, “but if I get into the car and we follow him, he’ll easily see me in the backseat. If you’ll follow him home and tell me where he lives, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“No way,” he replied, immediately starting to roll up his window. “That’s got to be illegal, and I don’t want any trouble.”
“Two hundred dollars,” I said, starting to feel frantic. “I’ll give you two hundred dollars – in cash – if you’ll simply follow him home and call me to tell me his address. I know he lives in the neighborhood and it will only require about ten minutes of your time.”
The driver paused his effort to roll up the window and looked me up and down as if I was crazy. Still, it seemed like he might be considering it, but I knew that he’d probably want more money.
Finally, he reached down to roll up his window further as he answered, “No way.”
I reached out my hand to prevent his window from closing and said, “Wait, wait! Five hundred! I’ll give you five hundred dollars in cash if you’ll just follow him home. He’s been stalking me, and I have no information about him whatsoever, and n
o way to protect myself if he does anything.”
I looked down and began to fish through my bag for cash. Finally, I found two one-hundred dollar bills in a small compartment inside the bag. I always kept them there in case of an emergency, and this was as big of an emergency as I had ever experienced. Lifting the two bills out of my bag, I showed them to the driver.
“Here’s two hundred,” I said. “I’ll go an ATM right now and pull out the other three hundred if you’ll just follow him home and call me with the address. Please, he’s getting away.”
Nodding his head, the driver said, “Fine, but I want the two hundred upfront.”
Thinking about it for a moment, I realized that I would have no way to contact the driver if he took the money and didn’t come back, but I figured it was worth the risk. I knew that if I hopped into the backseat and followed Kenneth home, he’d easily spot me, but a driver without a passenger in the back would look less conspicuous.
“Fine,” I replied, handing him the money. “I’ll head over to the ATM now. Take out your phone and take my number; call me when you have his address, and I’ll give you the rest of the money.”
“I’m not giving you his address over the phone,” the driver said with a crooked smile. “How will I know you’ll give me the rest of the money?”
Looking away from him for a moment, I could see that Kenneth was at the end of the block and was about to turn the corner.
“Fine!” I said. “Call me when you know his address, then come back around here and I’ll pay you the rest of the cash.”
The driver reached into his console for his phone, quickly taking my number and pulling away to follow Kenneth. As he drove away, I turned and began to walk toward the deli on the corner where I knew they had an ATM.
I need to know where he lives, I thought. I know nothing else about him, and if he tries to hurt me, I won’t be able to tell the police where he lives.
Rushing to the opposite corner, I walked into the deli and quickly pulled out a few hundred dollars. Leaving the store, I started to walk back to my building, waiting to see if the driver would call me back or disappear with my two-hundred-dollar deposit. Finally, after ten minutes, I received a call from a number I didn’t recognize.
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