"I'm still waiting, Max," I yelled to the chef as I hurried into the kitchen at A Gentlemen's Palace; a busy strip club/sports bar, to grab my next orders.

"You're still waiting, she's still waiting, he's still waiting." Max stood at the grill behind the order pickup counter flipping burgers, tossing spice into his fast-boiling saucepot, mumbling his complaints with a filthy towel flapped over his broad shoulder. "Everybody's waiting. Everybody wanted it yesterday. I only got two hands here!"

"For real?" I said, "And here I was thinking you couldn't possibly be a human. Just send it out, please. My shift finished ten minutes ago!" I need to go home. I can't stay here any minute longer.

"Hey, chica," Rosa, an illegal Mexican immigrant said to me as she hurried into the kitchen with her tray in hand, too. "Estás lento esta noche, Max," she yelled with a grin, knowing he hated to be rushed.

"Oh, cállate. Estoy haciendo lo mejor que puedo," Max cursed in Spanish. Max was also an illegal Mexican immigrant and he barely spoke any English even though he's been in America for over five years. He was bulky and big enough to be a bouncer but his lack of the English Language would be too much of a problem and draw too much attention. After all, Andrew Fry, the owner, only hired Illegal immigrants or in my case, blacklisted outcasts.

Rose looked at me. "What are you still doing here? I thought you were off at eleven."

I thought so too.

"I was. I am." I sighed. "The place is packed because apparently, some famous R&B singer is passing through."

Rosa nodded, "Si. I heard about that but I love it when it's busy." Of course, she did, we tend to make more tips when the place was packed, and that way she could send more money back to her children in Mexico. I also like it when it's busy but not when It's so packed that it's impossible for me to go home to my baby.

"I hate it," I responded. "I have to go home to my son. My neighbour is a bit old and she likes to go to bed earlier. I hate waking her from her sleep." Ms. Johnson was nice enough to babysit for free while I work but I'm sure it drove her crazy when I came knocking at her door at midnight.

Rosa sighed. "Entiendo. She is a good woman to help you like that. I'm sure she'll understand. Buy her a pack of cigarettes and you'll see her change in attitude."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I've been trying to get her to stop smoking but she says she's been doing it for over sixty years and it hasn't killed her yet."

Rosa chuckled then looked at me with sad eyes, "At least you get to see your baby. I miss my children but I can't leave because life is so hard in Mexico." she paused. "Who am I kidding? It's hard here too but at least the money is better. I hate having strange men grab my ass every time I turn around but there's no better."

I nodded. "I know. I hate it too." Three years ago I had a great job and was earning good money. I had a man who loved me and whom I loved but I had to give it all up and this was the consequence of my actions. "It's funny how this place is called 'The Gentlemen's Palace' but the men who come here treat women like shit. They think everybody working in a strip club has to be a stripper, too, even us, the serving staff." Not that there was anything wrong with being a stripper but come on!

"¡Ridículo!" Rosa muttered.

"Sí, I agree." I turned back to Max who was moving from countertop to countertop. It was obvious he needed help in the kitchen but Andrew didn't give a damn. He was a selfish prick who took advantage of people who can't help themselves. Not only were we underpaid but we were also understaffed and overworked.

"Max, date prisa. Ana necesita ir a casa con su bebé". Rosa shouted at Max when she saw me looking at him.

"Ya voy." he shouted back and a few seconds later he walked towards me with a tray that held my orders.

I smiled at him. "Muchas Gracias." I thanked him as he placed the large tray in my hands.

He rolled his eyes at me and muttered. "De nada."

"Gracias, Rosa." I winked at her and headed towards the front. As I pushed open the double doors I was greeted with loud music and excitement. Most of the men's eyes were on Lila, a transgender stripper, and of course, they couldn't possibly know that Lila was born a man because she had done multiple surgeries to make her look as feminine as possible. If they knew then they'd have a fit. A lot of the men who came here were homophobic, misogynist jerks. It was obvious by the way they treated the strippers and the servers. However, that didn't phase Lila. She was simply gorgeous and was one of the most well-paid strippers here. She made at least three grand a night and it made me somewhat jealous. I didn't even make that much a week, not even half of that.

I shook my head and headed for table six. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the man at table six was a married man. If the tan at his ring finger didn't give him away then it was his neatly pressed suit and the nervousness in his eyes. This was probably his first time in a strip club and he was afraid to get caught by someone he knew or someone who knew his wife. The Gentlemen's Palace was commonplace for a middle-aged married man, who was bored at home with his wife and kids so he came here to have some young hot girls' attention.

I placed his hamburger and fries in front of him and he muttered a quick, "Thanks." I nodded and walked over to my next table, which was table ten.

Table ten was a group table of four; however only two men had ordered food. The men were all in their late twenties or early thirties and they were all fairly good looking. However, their attitude was terrible. They have been bothering me ever since I took their table. When I came to take the orders they were making all kinds of sexually-charged, juvenile jokes, and I ignored them as usual. It was common for assholes to come here thinking they owned the place or the women who work here.

I took a deep breath and I walked over to the table. I placed the orders in front of the two men who ordered and asked them if they would like anything else.

"You gonna strip for us tonight, honey?" The man had the colouring of a Dominican and his voice was slightly accented. He was always wearing a gold chain around his neck, which was the signature thing for Dominican men.

"I'm not a stripper," I replied.

"Stop lying," his friend white said. "I know you work those poles. Your body might not be built for it but your face definitely is." his friends giggled at his words.

The only black man at the table shook his head, "Stop playing man. You know she has the white girl booty. She might have a little curve but there is no booty."

His friends laughed and another one spoke, "Right? Who wants a woman without a flat ass?"

The white one lifted his hands, "I do." he smirked at me. "So give me a lap dance ." He looked down at my outfit. "Take off the clothes and shake those big tits in my face."

His friends laughed and their gaze went to my chest, "Flat ass but those boobs are chunky."

"Yeah," the black man said, agreeing, "Let me put my face between those buns."

The Dominican grabbed my waist and squeezed my ass. "It doesn't feel small," he said as he squeezed some more.

I was too stunned to speak and even more embarrassed. It wasn't the first time I had customers being rude to me but this was definitely the first time I've ever been assaulted by one. And I will not tolerate it.

I quickly grabbed the glass of food I placed in front of him and threw it in his face.

"You bitch." he said as he tried to wipe the food from his face. He tried to grab my hands but I was quicker. I hit his hands away with the iron tray and stepped on his toe. He screamed out in pain and shouted. "Puta!"

"I'm not the bitch you want to mess around with. Tu madre se avergonzaría de ti." I muttered before quickly running away from the table, afraid he might follow me.

When I reached the staff bathroom I rested my head against the wall and cried.

How did my life end up like this?

I was an accountant at one of the biggest firms in Chicago. I used to make over one hundred and fifty thousand a year and now I was barely even making twenty. Instead of balancing accounts, I was balancing trays and fighting off creeps.

If only I could go back in time and change things. If only I had made better decisions, maybe my life wouldn't be such a mess.

But I can't and neither could I stay at this club. I needed a better job, one that would allow me to spend time with my child. One that didn't involve fighting off men.

However, my break up with him caused me to be blacklisted in the entire state. No reputable firm or business would hire me after the scandal that happened three years ago. Just my name would have them denying my resume. I even cut my hair to be less recognizable but that made no difference. Nobody wanted to do business with the woman who broke one of the richest men in Chicago's heart. I wish I could just pack up and leave but I didn't have enough money to move to a different state. I was barely making it. I only made enough for rent, food and bills, there hasn't been much saving in the past three years.

If only I had someone to help me.

My mind drifted to the man whose heart I broke three years ago.

He could!

He could help me!

I shook my head. No! There is no way he was going to help me after what I did to him. He hates my guts and I hated myself too for what I did.

Do you really want to continue working here? Do you really want to continue getting harrassed by jerks? What if one day you hit the wrong man? The voices in the back of my mind said,

I shook my head at the scary thought.

No. I couldn't possibly put my child through such pain.

I have to get another job and the only person who could help me was him.