Elara
I told myself this was temporary.
I repeated it in my head the entire way to the bar, as if repetition could turn uncertainty into confidence.
Temporary job.
Temporary discomfort.
Temporary solution.
Nothing permanent.
Sasha walked beside me, unusually energetic, as if she could sense my hesitation and was determined to outrun it.
“You’re going to be fine,” she said again, for what felt like the tenth time.
“I promise you, it’s not as scary as it looks.”
”I’m not scared,” I replied automatically.
Sasha gave me a sideways glance.
“You’re lying.”
I exhaled through my nose, which only made her smile wider.
The bar was located downtown, tucked between upscale restaurants and private lounges.
From the outside, it looked like the kind of place people didn’t enter casually.
The lighting was low even at the entrance, and the sound of music was muted but steady, like a pulse you couldn’t ignore.
Inside, everything felt more expensive than I expected.
The lighting was warm, the furniture sleek, and the atmosphere carefully controlled in a way that made it clear this wasn’t a place for ordinary nights out.
My steps slowed unconsciously.
Sasha noticed immediately and nudged me forward.
“Don’t freeze now.”
”I’m not freezing,” I said.
“You’re definitely freezing.”
Before I could respond, a man approached us.
He was well-dressed, sharply groomed, and carried himself with the kind of confidence that suggested he rarely doubted his own decisions.
Sasha straightened instantly.
“This is the manager I told you about.”
He looked at me.
Not politely nor casually.
But in a way that made me feel like I was being measured rather than greeted.
For a brief second, I wondered if I had made a mistake coming here.
Then he smiled.
“Well,” he said slowly, “Sasha wasn’t exaggerating.”
I frowned slightly.
“About what?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze moved over me again, more deliberate this time, like he was evaluating something he intended to use rather than simply observe.
Something about it made my skin prickle.
“You’ll do very well here,” he said at last.
“That’s… fast,” I replied cautiously.
“You haven’t even asked me anything yet.”
He waved a hand as if interviews were unnecessary formalities.
“I don’t need to.
I can tell what I need to know.”
Sasha immediately leaned toward me and whispered, “I told you.”
The manager continued, voice smooth and efficient.
“We don’t just hire anyone.
But you have the kind of appearance that gets attention without effort.
That’s valuable here.”
My stomach tightened slightly.
“That’s not exactly what I thought this job would be about,” I said carefully.
He smiled again, almost amused.
“Most people think that at first.”
Something about his tone made me uneasy.
Still, Sasha squeezed my arm reassuringly.
“It’s okay,” she said quickly.
“He’s just being honest.
That’s actually a good thing here.”
The manager nodded once.
“Honesty is important.
So is understanding your role.” Then he clapped his hands lightly as if making a decision.
“You’re hired.”
I blinked.
“That’s it?” I asked.
“That’s it,” he confirmed.
No interview.
No questions about experience.
No hesitation.
It should have felt reassuring.
Instead, it felt like I had agreed to something without fully understanding what it was.
Sasha grinned at me.
“See?
I told you it would be easy.”
The manager glanced at her.
“Take her to get changed.”
My confusion deepened.
“Changed?”
”Yes,” he said simply.
“We have several VIP guests arriving tonight.
We need everyone prepared before service begins.”
Sasha immediately nodded.
“Come on.”
”I’m not even—” I started.
But she was already pulling me toward the back.
The manager didn’t stop us.
If anything, he looked satisfied, like everything was unfolding exactly as he expected.
The changing room was smaller than I expected, but organized.
Racks of clothing lined one wall, most of them unfamiliar in both style and purpose.
Sasha moved quickly, pulling out an outfit before I could fully process what was happening.
“This one,” she said.
I looked at it.
Then looked at her.
“That’s… what people wear here?”
”It’s part of the job,” she said casually.
The outfit was revealing in a way that made me instinctively take a step back.
It wasn’t indecent, but it left very little to imagination, designed more to attract attention than to be worn comfortably.
“I can’t wear that,” I said immediately.
Sasha sighed like she had expected this reaction.
“You can.
And you will.”
”I said I can’t.”
”You can,” she repeated more firmly.
“Elara, listen to me.
No one is forcing you to do anything you don’t want.
But this is how the environment works.
You’re not doing anything wrong.
You’re just… part of the atmosphere.”
”That doesn’t make me feel better,” I muttered.
Sasha softened slightly.
“I know.
But it’s just clothes.”
Just clothes.
It didn’t feel like just clothes.
Still, I hesitated longer than I should have.
Because I needed the money.
Because I had already said yes.
Because walking away now would mean starting over again.
Eventually, I changed.
The moment I saw myself in the mirror, I felt completely unlike myself.
The outfit fit too well, emphasized too much, drew attention to parts of me I usually didn’t think about in my day-to-day life.
I pulled at the fabric instinctively.
“T-This is uncomfortable…”
Sasha adjusted my hair gently.
“It’s new.
You’ll get used to it.”
”I’m not sure I want to get used to it.”
She met my eyes in the mirror.
“You will if you want to make good money.”
That sentence lingered longer than I liked.
Good money.
I thought of rent.
Bills.
Debt… and Damian.
I swallowed the thought quickly before it could form into anything more complicated.
Sasha grabbed my hand.
“Come on.
First night is always the hardest.”
I hesitated again.
Then followed her.
We walked through the corridor toward the private rooms, the sound of music growing quieter as we moved deeper inside the building.
My heart felt heavier with every step.
At the door, Sasha stopped and turned to me one last time.
“You’re going to be fine,” she said again, softer now.
“I’m just here, okay?”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I believed it.
Then she opened the door.
And pulled me inside.