The hot summer sun was low in the western sky by the time she arrived in Paradise. Exhausted as she was after the full day's journey, Adeline walked directly to the hotel to get a room. "Last one available," the man at the counter exclaimed, although the building seemed eerily quiet. She signed the guestbook, handed over her $2, and followed his directions up the stairs and to the last door on the left. She unpacked her few belongings quickly, with just a few dresses to hang in the armoire, her intimates to stash in a dresser drawer, and a framed photograph of her family back home for the table by the bed. Her delicate finger caressed their faces one by one - her dear departed daddy, her momma who had so relucantly agreed to let her leave home, and her brother John, who would now be working the farm on his own.
Adeline was a few months past her 18th birthday, but she looked like a young girl again as she gleefully skipped over to the window and peered out to survey her new surroundings. She pulled back the lace curtains with one hand as the other reached up to release the clip holding her golden blonde hair, which now cascaded past her shoulders and down her back.
There was no way that a town called Paradise could be this sleepy before the sun had even set, she thought to herself, and made her way downstairs and outside to explore. She could feel the eyes on her body almost immediately as she stepped off the wooden porch of the hotel to the dirt below. She slowed and began to turn back, self-conscious and aware of her status as a young woman alone in a strange new town. But then she remembered - this journey was meant to be an adventure, a chance to see what new opportunities life might throw her way once she stepped away from the comfort and security of home.
She turned back again, clutched the fabric of her long blue dress in her hands so it wouldn't catch on her shoes, and made her way towards what looked like the center of the small town. By this time of the evening, most storefronts were closed up for the night - she passed the general store, the barber, and a leathersmith's shop. As she walked, she made plans for the following day, when she would seek out these very business owners in hopes of finding gainful employment. She wouldn't need much, just enough to eat and a little to put away to save for her future.
Soon, it was clear that the saloon was the center of the action on this evening in Paradise, with lanterns ablaze, raucous laughter, and the occasional man stumbling out the swinging door just as another entered. Adeline's heart raced with a combination of excitement and trepidation as she stepped through the door herself. Back home on the farm, there was no alcohol, there were no games of cards, and the only young men she knew were the farmers' sons on neighboring land. But she wasn't completely naive - she did have books, after all, and therefore a romantic image of the kind of lives that people might lead in a town such as this.
Immediately, there were men at her side, and those who couldn't reach her from across the room whistled and hooted. It didn't occur to her to be offended, but rather to introduce herself and tell her story. After all, perhaps one of these gentlemen, when sober again in the morning, could offer her a job. Before she knew it, she had been offered a chair at a huge round wooden table, and found herself in the midst of a card game.
"Well, thank you, gentlemen. My name's Adeline, I'm new in town."
"Why yes you are, miss, and what a lovely addition, if you don't mind me saying so."
"Should we deal her in, John?"
"Oh, my, no," Adeline replied demurely, "I've never played before!" And after looking at the bills and coins covering the table, she added, "And I don't have the money."
"That's no problem, sweetheart," a large man directly across the table shouted back to her, "You can owe us!"
A booming female voice surprised Adeline from behind, "Alright boys, that's enough. Can't you give her just a few minutes to get settled before you take advantage?"
The men laughed heartily and went back to their game as Adeline looked up and over her shoulder at a tall, rotund older woman with a motherly look about her.
"What's your name, sweetie?"
"I'm Adeline, it's a pleasure to meet you," she replied, reaching out to shake the woman's hand.
"I'm Rose - Big Rose the boys call me. Pleasure to meet you."
Rose looked Adeline up and down, taking in her perfect figure, beautiful face with big blue eyes, and her lovely long blonde hair. Well, you are a cutie, aren't you! New in town, I suppose?"
"Yes, just left the family farm, hoping to find some excitement, and I'm looking for work, don't suppose you can help me?"
"Actually, dearie, I'm exactly the person you want to be talking to. For a young woman like yourself, I can be your best friend in this town. Let me show you around."
With the older woman's arm around Adeline's waist, the two made their way past the card tables and the bar, and Adeline became aware that the building was much larger than was obvious from the entrance. Just past the bar was a large staircase heading up, but before going that direction, Rose showed Adeline into a huge parlor filled with action. A player piano was tinnily banging away in one corner, and the room was filled with several overstuffed chairs and sofas, with several attractive young women draped on each. Adeline was quickly introduced to each of them, an impossible sea of new faces and names to remember.
They then made their way upstairs to a hallway with several doors on each side, much like the hotel where Adeline had left her few worldly possessions. "Oh, I didn't realize the saloon was also a hotel?"
"Well, not quite," Rose replied, stepping aside as a man came out of one of the rooms, tucking in his shirt, and stumbled down the stairs. "See, each of these rooms belongs to one of my girls. I have one empty right now, if you're interested in working for me."
"What kind of work would I be doing?"
