“…A what club?”

A disappointed Natalie scowled at her caller ID. It wasn't her agent with a last-minute concert or an event offer, but her best friend who never called at this hour.

"Kevin?"

"I'm dying, please help, Natalie~"

It was a familiar start to a conversation she'd heard before.

"No, I refuse. Whatever mess you've gotten yourself into, it's none of my business."

"I said I'm dying here!"

Glancing left and right before hurrying across the street, she retorted, "You can rest in peace then."

Kevin gasped at the cold response and then groaned in pain. "Hear me out, will you? It's a good opportunity for both of us!"

Rolling her eyes, she poised her finger over the red button, ready to cut off the call.

"They'll pay in two days!" he blurted out.

Natalie's finger hovered, pausing on the red button. The offer sounded too good to be true which made her want to hear the rest of it.

"...What's the catch?"

"Yes! Yes, I will give you all the details, just hear me out. I will play the guitar, and you will sing."

She took a deep breath and stopped walking, "Tell me something I don't know."

"It's a very prestigious place that's opening in Los Angeles tonight, and they want someone unknown to make a name with them."

Yeah, right.

"You mean the band they were booked with canceled on them at the last minute?"

"I don't know! Okay? I don't care! I'm telling you it's a place where the elite would go to unwind, think of the possibilities!"

"Kevin!" She snapped. "Just stop turning around in circles and deliver the bad news already!"

There was a short moment of silence on the phone before his voice came through again.

"...It's a hostess club."

"…A what club?" No wonder it took him that long to confess. Natalie shook her head repeatedly, wondering how her best friend would even imagine a different response than the one she had ready for the offer. "It's a no, Kevin."

Kevin sounded hurt when he spoke again, "Do you think I'd let anything happen to you?"

A big guy like Kevin wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. But that was irrelevant.

"Why should I place myself in that sort of a situation, Kev, hm?"

"The money is good!"

"My vocal cords are what have a price tag on them, not my body!"

"Nati, it's a very prestigious place I'm telling you, it's not a sex club."

She let out a sarcastic scoff.

"You're the one who said tonight is the opening night. How can you be sure of what might happen behind closed doors?"

"I know because L.A. is full of sex clubs. I'm telling you, this one is more about the food and good music."

"Aha, I'm sure it's not about boobs and butts. If you say so."

"How much money have you got left anyway? Because I'm all out, and it's a two people's gig so it's either the two of us or none of us."

Like a dog who was trained to smell poverty on a person, Kevin knew he hit the right spot when Natalie was at a loss for words.

"You'll go, you'll sing, you'll get your money in two days, Nati, two days!"

"…Are you sure it's not a sex club?"

"I'm dead sure!"

She looked up at the sky and grimaced.

"…How much are they offering?"

"8000 dollars for 6 hours over three nights, we can split it in half. Hm? Ha?"

Natalie thumped an angry foot down, hating that it was an offer she could not refuse. That kind of money would pay her debt for the loan sharks and get her through the rest of this miserable month.

"…Fine," she said in a defeated tone.

"Yes! Yes! My smart girl!" He cheered, "You're already outside of the house, right? I'll send you the location and we can reverse there."

Damn it. Her uncle would probably just lose himself in another bottle now that there was no cake for his birthday.

"I'll meet you there," she murmured dejectedly. "And just so you know, I won't wear anything strange!"

"You won't! You won't! You're the best, Nati! Check your messages! I'll be right there!"

Natalie stared at her phone for a moment longer after her call with her best friend ended. A hostess club? Was this her reward for a foolish act of kindness?

The world, as she always knew, was a cruel place.