Part 2Betting Her Life: A Girlfriend's Vengeance

I mentioned it, asked if we'd met before.

She just shook her head, looking blank. Said she’d just arrived from some rural town way out in the sticks with a friend from back home. Tonight was her first time actually working the floor.

"Oh," I said, and let it drop. I turned back to drinking with Leo's buddies who had shown up.

One thing about Leo, say what you will, he was loyal to his friends. Even though we were in totally different places in life now, he’d helped me out a few times when I was really down. So yeah, I considered him a solid friend.

After maybe a dozen shots of hard liquor, I was starting to feel pretty dizzy.

Leo looked at me with a mischievous grin. "A night like this is priceless, Jake. Wanna tap out early?"

I tried to shake my head no, but my body wasn't listening. I stumbled and basically fell right into the lap of the girl I'd picked.

When I woke up, it was the next morning.

I opened my eyes, my head absolutely pounding.

The girl lying next to me stirred, woken up by my movement.

She wasn't wearing anything. She looked at me, suddenly shy. "You're awake? Last night, we..."

I wasn't exactly inexperienced. Seeing the tell-tale red stain on the white sheets, I knew exactly what had happened last night.

"What? You expect me to take responsibility or something?" My tone wasn't exactly friendly right then.

Okay, so it was her first time, but she was still a club girl. That whole scene was murky, full of hidden depths. People there definitely weren't as innocent as they might look on the surface. The last thing I needed was to get tangled up with someone complicated, someone who might try to shake me down for money later.

"I... I... I didn't mean that..." she stammered.

"It was my choice. All of it. I just wanted to ask… since it was my first time… could you maybe give me a little extra money?"

The girl lowered her head, biting her lip hard. She looked incredibly small and vulnerable, like she was about to burst into tears.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You didn't mean anything by it," I said, softening a little. Seeing her like that tugged at something in me.

I asked her if she wanted to leave the club life, told her I could help her find a regular job.

She shook her head. She said she had reasons, unavoidable circumstances, for working there.

Her name was Ashley, she told me. She grew up in some super remote, dirt-poor mountain area. She had four older brothers and one older sister. Because they were so poor, none of her brothers could afford to get married even though they were old enough. Her parents were worried sick.

Originally, her parents wanted to basically trade her – marry her off and use the dowry money to get wives for her brothers. But with four brothers needing wives, even selling her off multiple times wouldn't be enough. So, the only option was for her to go out and earn money to send back home.

"I came here with a friend from my village," she explained. "She's been working here a long time. You can tell it pays really well. Her family built a three or four-story house back home, and both her brothers got married."

As she talked about this, Ashley's eyes, which seemed so untouched by the world, started to shine. She looked hopeful, excited, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Uh... so, do you actually know what working at a club like this involves?" Seeing her naivety, a pang of sympathy hit me. I frowned, my brow furrowing.

She actually reached out and smoothed my forehead with her hand. "I know. It's just sleeping with people, right? Look, last night, I successfully gave away my first time, didn't I?"

"Don't feel sorry for me," she continued. "I didn't even finish elementary school before I had to quit and help my parents in the fields. I know a girl like me can't find a good job in the city."

"Working here, the money's fast and it's good. What's wrong with that? It's just my body, right? They can have it. My life isn't worth much anyway. I'm not afraid."

Ashley said it all so matter-of-factly. Hearing her put it like that, I suddenly felt like maybe I was the one being narrow-minded. What's that saying? If I don't have morals, you can't guilt-trip me. Ashley’s blunt honesty kind of shut me down. All the preachy, concerned advice I wanted to give just wouldn't come out.

I got her contact info – added her on a messaging app – and sent her a decent chunk of money. "This is for you. Don't rush to send it all home. Make sure you eat well, take care of yourself. Things are expensive in the city, don't let yourself go without."

Ashley accepted the money instantly and even sent back a "Thanks, Boss!" sticker with a smiley face.

Seeing her light up at the sight of the money, so obviously happy, a crazy thought popped into my head.

She was new to this scene, didn't know anything, and she'd given her virginity – something girls supposedly treasure – to me. I didn't want this blank slate to get covered in all sorts of ugly colors.

So, I just blurted it out, "How about you be my girlfriend? Quit the club. I'll take care of you."

Ashley looked hesitant, opening her mouth like she wanted to say something. But maybe because she'd just taken my money, she didn't actually refuse.

Her eyes darted around for a second, then she asked me something totally out of the blue, "What's your relationship with Leo?"

I didn't suspect anything, so I didn't hold back. I told her straight up that Leo and I were childhood best friends, super tight. If I asked him for anything, he'd move mountains to help me out.

Hearing this, Ashley's eyes lit up again. She readily agreed to be my girlfriend.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.