by Adele Niles
She was so gorgeous, anyway—petite, with long brown hair and eyes that were almost black and a stunning tan complexion. And her face was cute. She drove men wild, and even though I wasn’t into girls, I could see why.
She sighed as she put her last bill in the stack.
I couldn’t help it—I was a glutton for punishment. “How’d you do?”
She nodded. “It was a pretty good night. Five hundred and twelve.”
God.
I looked at my own pile of money and sighed. “I made fifty-three.”
Jessie’s eyebrows shot up in concern. “Holy shit, Autumn, really?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m—fuck. I’m gonna have to ask my mom for help again.”
Jessie reached out and touched my hand gently. “Listen, if you need to borrow some money…”
“No.” I shook my head. “Thanks, but no. I’m already borrowing enough from my mom. I don’t want to be a leech off you, too.”
“You’re not a leech. You’re just having a rough time right now.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but my phone started to ring. I looked down at it.
My mom.
It’s like she knew I needed her.
I smiled weakly. “It’s Mom. I’ve gotta take this.”
Jessie nodded. “Yeah. Go for it. I’ll be here.”
I turned and went down the hall to my room before I answered. I flopped down on my bed with a sigh. “Hey, Mom! Morning.”
My mom sniffled on the other end of the line.
I sat up immediately. “Mom? Hey, what—what’s wrong?”
She sniffled again. “Autumn, honey, I’m so sorry.”
“What—what is it?” I frowned. “Mom, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No, no, I just lost my job, sweetheart. Layoffs. Company-wide. My position was marked as unnecessary. So they let me go.”
My heart dropped.
Not just for myself, but for Mom. What would she do without a job? She didn’t have anyone to take care of her. Hell, she was still taking care of me, even after I’d moved out.
Now, she couldn’t even take care of herself.
She didn’t need to know I was still struggling.
“Mom,” I said gently. “Hey. It’s okay. You’ll find another job. You’ll be all right.”
She let out a sob. “I just—I said I would help you, and now…”
I wished I could give her a hug. “Mom, don’t worry about me. I actually did pretty good at work last night. I’ll ask to pick up some more shifts and it’ll be okay.”
“I just feel so bad, honey. I hate leaving you hanging like this.”
“You’re not leaving me hanging. Not at all. You’ve been going above and beyond to help me. Now you just need to worry about yourself.”
But how the hell was I going to make rent?
I couldn’t say anything about it. Not while she was already crying and beating herself up.
I shut my eyes, fighting my own tears. “Mom, just focus on yourself. Okay? Find a new job and settle in. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure, honey?”
“Positive. I’m all right.”
She sniffled. “I love you so much. I’ll call you later, okay? When I’m doing better.”
“Okay. No worries. I work tonight, so if I don’t answer, that’s why.”
“Okay. I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too, Mom.”
We said goodbye and hung up.
I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
What was I going to do now?
Maybe ask Jessie to cover my half of rent, just for this month.
It was the only option I had, really.
I pulled myself together and came out of the bedroom.
Immediately, Jessie looked up at me, frowning. “Is everything okay?”
I shook my head. “My mom just got laid off.”
“Oh, no.” Her voice was quiet. “If you need help, seriously…”
I swallowed.
“I might. Let me shuffle some stuff around and see what I can do, okay?”
Jessie nodded. She hesitated, then spoke again. “You know…we’re still looking for waitresses at Bounce.”
I bit my lip.
Bounce was the strip club where Jessie worked, an upscale establishment where beautiful girls wore beautiful costumes. Most of them were trained dancers—Jessie had done ballet for most of her life, until she broke her ankle and had to quit. Still, she was good at it, and apparently very good at stripping.
But I was sure that it wasn’t for me.
At the same time, if Jessie was suggesting it, then maybe there was a spot there for me.
“Waitressing, right?” I asked.
Jessie nodded. “Yeah, like…you’ll have to dress sexy, but it’s not like what me and the other dancers wear.” She smiled. “Short skirt, tight top, sexy lingerie underneath? You’ll make bank.”
I blushed. A little bit of discomfort, and I wouldn’t have to mooch off of Jessie or my mom anymore. It would be worth it. “You know what? Yeah. If your boss is hiring, I’m in.”
“Great!” She smiled. “Do you work a double? He might want you to start tonight.”
“Nah, I’m off at five.” I hated the lunch shift—most of the people who came in were grumpy old people who stiffed their waitresses over the dumbest stuff. I remembered being told not to expect a tip once because there was no artificial sweetener on the table, even though I was able to bring some over. “I shouldn’t have to ask for anything,” the old bat had shouted at me.
I hated my job.
It was all I could think about as I drove into town. I hated my job. I just wanted to be done with my degree so I could start a career and not have to worry about money anymore. I wanted to live on my own, and be able to take care of myself.
I wanted to take care of my mom.
I sighed, pulling into the parking lot and sitting in my car for a moment, head bowed forward.
Just get through this. See if the strip club works out. If it does, go from there. Hopefully make lots of money.
I sighed and walked into the pub.
* * * * *
The day was dragging.
I needed more tables than this, but I’d only had ten in my entire shift. Two of them had left nothing; one had left me a ‘tip’ that looked like a $20, but was actually a pamphlet for their church.
I’d made thirty-five dollars.
This wasn’t going to cut it.
I sighed and took a look around. My manager was at the back, playing on his phone. No surprise there.
I went to him, smiling. “Hey, I was just wondering, are there any other shifts open this week? I could use the—”
“Nope. No extras.”
I hesitated, then tried again. “Please, I’m not making enough to cover my bills, and I—”
“I said no extras. If somebody calls out, I’ll let you know, but we’re not looking to put anyone else on the schedule.” He looked at me and frowned. “Get back to work, Allison.”
That wasn’t my name.
I frowned at him and turned away.
It took another hour for my phone to buzz in my pocket. When it did, I excused myself to run to the bathroom, locking myself in a stall.
It was a text from Jessie.
You’re on! You start tonight. Be at the club at nine. Dress sexy, wear makeup and heels. I’ll meet you there babe! xoxo
I owed her. A lot.
Jessie was saving my ass, whether she realized it or not.
I just hoped I didn’t fuck it up. What if the men at the club thought I was gross? What if the owner hated me?
I was grateful, but I was also scared shitless.
I just had to make it work for one semester. That’s all.
Download Autumn’s Coming
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