debby leads tyler downstairs into a spacious living room. he doesn't speak much. he's still trying to process what is happening to him. four other girls are scattered throughout the room, talking and watching television. debby clears her throat, gaining their attention. four pairs of eyes shift to tyler, the boy gulping.

"hey guys, this is tyler. he's the new recruit," she says, urging him toward the other girls.

"uhh, hi."

the girls are silent, their eyes piercing right through him. until finally, one smiles.

"hi, i'm jenna," she says. tyler smiles in response, baffled by her beauty. she might just be the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.

"and i'm ashley, but everybody usually calls me halsey," another says. her dark hair falls just before her shoulders, framing her freckled face. she's beautiful, just like jenna.

"i'm hayley," the next introduces. she's blonde like jenna, but short bangs cover her forehead. okay, they're all beautiful. tyler feels like a thorn between five roses.

the last one sits silently, though, eyeing tyler with a certain coldness. he's a bit confused because he's literally just met these girls. what could he possibly have done for one of them to already hate him?

"aaand that's melanie," debby butts in, clearing her throat to relieve some of the awkward tension.

tyler stares at melanie with raised eyebrows. she looks young, her two-toned hair tied up in pigtails. her eyes narrow at him. he's about to ask her what her problem is, but debby tugs on his arm before he can open his mouth.

"what?"

"don't worry about her," she mumbles. "now come on, we got training to do."

~~~

tyler is to keep his eyes trained on the ground at all times when out in public. apparently, if he accidentally and unknowingly makes eye contact with another pimp, it means he's choosing them over josh.

tyler is to reach his daily quota of $500. debby says new recruits start out small and work their way up. it shouldn't be hard, because he normally makes double that in one night. if tyler is to fail doing such, though, he's to be punished. debby doesn't say anything further, so he figures it's safe to say he doesn't want to be punished.

tyler is to obey not only josh, but debby too. she is josh's bottom, basically like his right hand woman. she supervises the others and reports rule violations. she helps instruct the others, collect money, and book hotel rooms.

she tells tyler josh used to have her inflict punishments too, but it was too hard for her. now, that's a josh-only job. she also tells him it's okay to refer to him as josh when talking with the girls, but when he is around always refer to him as daddy. he thinks it's kind of ridiculous, but keeps that thought to himself.

josh has what can be considered as body guards around him at all times. one stands at the front gate of the house, which apparently is not actually a house and is more like a mansion. when the girls go out to make money, a body guard typically watches from a distance to make sure all things go smoothly.

they're rarely ever allowed to leave the house alone. usually, they'll have another girl, a guard, or josh with them.

debby also warns tyler of josh's biggest competitor, brendon urie. he, according to debby, runs the biggest brothel in town. on top of that, he has a much larger stable than josh: fifteen girls instead of just five. well, six now. debby says josh prefers smaller numbers because they're easier to manage. she says brendon and his girls are chaotic, while josh and his girls are more like a family.

that's really all she tells him, aside from a few tips and tricks to help him gain more buyers. tyler's been in the life for over a year now, though, so he doesn't really need any help with that.

"i have to ask, though. what's it like being a male prostitute?" she asks, both sitting on the bed in her bedroom.

her room is a bit bigger than tyler's, and decorated much more nicely. he hopes josh plans on taking him to target or something so he can decorate his own room, too.

"honestly, it's probably way better than you'd expect. i get a lot of buyers, just because they're curious. lots of women, but mostly men. it's a way for them to experiment without their wives knowing, or whatever," he says, playing with a strand of her brown hair. he likes debby a lot, and gets the feeling she'll be one of his closest friends.

"men are pigs," she tsks. "well, most of them."

"yeah, tell me about it. my dad cheated on my mom with my english teacher when i was in high school. you can probably imagine my embarrassment," he mumbles, twisting her hair into a loose braid.

"damn, that sucks."

"yeah, so my mom took my sister and left me and my brothers with him. i dropped out and ran away the day i turned eighteen," he continues, not really knowing why he's telling her this. but it feels good to get it off his chest.

"i'm sorry, tyler. my mom was a prostitute and had me by accident. i lived with my grandma most of my life and when i turned eighteen she sold me to josh. i guess it could be worse, though."

"yeah, it could," tyler agrees. "especially because you're like josh's main girl," he teases, secretly a bit jealous.

"truuue that," she chuckles. "sometimes it sucks, though. jenna is the only one that really likes me. the other girls are envious, which is stupid."

"well, i like you," tyler says, ignoring his own tiny pool of envy.

"aw, thanks hon," she smiles, kissing the boy's cheek. "i like you too. girls are such bitches, i'm glad there's another boy in the house."

"girls are bitches," he agrees. "like melanie. what's her deal?"

debby rolls her eyes, handing tyler a hair tie so he can finish up the braid. "she's literally the most jealous person i've ever met. she was the youngest before you came, and made the most money. i'm sure she realizes you're going to be the new favorite because now you're the youngest, and a boy, and a beautiful one at that."

"shut up," tyler grins, letting the braid drop against her shoulder blades. "i am not."

"mhm, right. that's why you get so many buyers?"

"i told you, it's just because i'm a boy."

"sure," she says sarcastically, turning to sit criss-cross. tyler copies her actions, the two facing each other. "so you think with a face like this," she pauses, patting the boy's cheeks, "and a body like this," she pauses again, poking his stomach, "people only buy you because you're a boy?"

"yep," he shrugs. he's never been good with compliments. all his life he's been told he'll never be good enough, and that messes with a person's self-confidence after a while.

"you dumb boy," debby sighs. "sorry, not like stupid-dumb. just like a i'm-gorgeous-but-don't-realize-it-dumb."

tyler shrugs again, not taking offense because he knows debby means well.

"i'm sure josh will help fix that for you," she winks, patting his knee. "just you wait."