Kate was gorgeous. She walked in front of me into the living room.
I followed my daughter and sat next to her on the couch.
I took Kate's hand in mine and tried to smile. She smiled back. "Okay." I said.
She took a deep breath, "Stacey has worked there, at the Gold Rush I mean, for a couple of months now. She's been telling me how much money she makes in a night. It's a lot. She makes, like three hundred to five hundred dollars a night. So when you told me to look for a job, Stacey popped into my mind. It's an easy job really. You just get up on stage and wiggle your butt. Noting to it. Then sometimes you get to do a private dance for twenty bucks here or there and that's it."
"So..." I stammered. "Do you take off your clothes?" I asked.
"Of course, that's how you make your money silly. But I only did if for a couple of nights and you know what? I was actually going to quit tonight. I hated that job."
"How come?" I asked. Shifting uncomfortably on the couch.
"Well, the owner of the club is a pervert, to put it bluntly."
"I don't understand." I said.
"Come on Dad, don't make me tell you, I already told you, it's nothing, it's over."
"Tell me. I'm still, ah, feeling like I can't trust you." I insisted.
"He, well, he tried to take advantage of me."
"What did he do?" I asked plainly, like I didn't care. But I started to worry again.
She got this look in her eyes. She didn't want to tell me, but realized she hurt my feelings by lying to me. She was very intuitive and could tell that I wouldn't trust her if she didn't tell me everything. For the most part, we had an honest and open relationship. She'd tell me about the boys that liked her and I'd put in my two cents. I actually never really liked any of them.
Kate took a deep breath, "Dad, he's just really good with words that's all."
"That's all? It doesn't sound like just words. You said he took advantage of you." I looked at her without looking away.
She sat there next to me, legs exposed, in her tight t-shirt. There was a cool wind blowing through the house since she hadn't turned the heater on yet. The chill made her nipples erect. I had trouble not looking at them. I couldn't imagine what a sight my daughter's breasts would be. Well actually I could.
"Kate, it's okay, you can tell me anything. I'm your father remember. If you can't talk to me then who can you talk to?" I smiled. She smiled too. Then she grew a little more serious as she looked down and took my hand.
"Well Dad, guys can be aggressive you know. You know all the stories I tell you. It's hard to fend them off sometimes. I don't want to make you feel like I keep secrets from you. It's just, that this is embarrassing."
"Do you think I should call the cops?
"No, of course not."
"Well, you said he took advantage. How did he do that, by force?"
"No, with his words, I told you."
"No, you haven't told me.'
"Okay, okay. I was getting of stage, and I still hadn't put my clothes back on yet. When Al called me into his office. I tired to go into the locker room, but he took me by the hand and lead me into his office."
"Who is Al?"
"He's the owner of the club. He was saying how great I was, and how everyone really liked me at the club and then he shut the door. He said, take a seat. I did. And he stood in front of me smiling. He said he wanted to see me come on stage in some nicer clothes. He said he could help me with that. Then he didn't' say anything. He just handed me a condom with fifty dollars inside."
"What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything. I stood up to leave but he started talking. He wouldn't stop talking. He was saying how easy it was for him to hire new girls and he let girls go all the time if they weren't right for his place. He didn't know if I was right for the place since I didn't have any nice clothes. And besides he said, I was only eighteen."
