NAYA’S P O V

Paradise Grand Hotel and Casino, one of the cheapest casinos in town, and as far as I remember was an unlicensed establishment operating in Las Vegas. Sad to say, I was working here as a cocktail server.

As I pulled the hem of my silvery mini skirt down to cover the upper part of my thighs, I peered around the room. The ceiling lights were muted, allowing the glow of a hundred sparkling slot machines to fill the room.

It was only two months ago since I started working here because my stepmother requested me to do so, and if I declined to follow her, they would stop supporting my nephew, Nico’s treatment for leukemia. He was the son of my sister Diane, who died due to an accident. No one else would take care of him except me, therefore I'm doing everything I can to save him from his serious illness.

I'm still not used to working in a place that was filled with color, and constant undertone of the slot machines---I really don’t know how to describe the sound. It was not musical yet it wasn’t noise, either. It was more of a robotic background--- tinkles, clanks, and the occasional beep or brief snatch of melody. The sound of a hundred slot machines in action.

I started to move towards the center where crap tables, poker, blackjack and roulette could be seen. I finally saw the elderly customer who had ordered his vodka for the sixth time, and based on my observations, he was already intoxicated and tipsy. His eyes were bloodshot red as he stared at the cards he was holding in front of him. He looked angry. Indeed, gambling was a serious business.

I hesitated to give him his order, but then he tilted his head and spotted me. ‘‘Come over here…’’ he waved his hand, signaling for me to come closer to him, and with a quivering hand, I did as I had told, and handed him his order. ‘‘Take a seat beside me. I need a lucky charm…’’

I took the spot next to him, and sat down obediently. He pushed a glass in front of me, containing an orange color liquid, and asked me to drink it, but I shook my head in protest.

‘‘Oh, c’mon. It’s just a peachy keen. You won't get drunk to that…’’ he laughed, but suddenly stopped when he lost in the recent bet. ‘‘Goddamit!’’ he shouted, and out of fear, I took the glass with a trembling hand and took a sip of it. He was right though. It tasted like an ordinary peach juice, but it was so addictive that I didn’t realize I had emptied the glass.

The old man smirked when he noticed that the glass in front of me was consumed. ‘‘Come here, and sit on my lap…’’ he ordered again, tapping his thick thighs, and I refused this time.

‘‘I’m sorry Sir, but sitting on your lap is not a part of my job…’’ I said softly, focusing my gaze on my lap. His hand started to travel on my thigh, sliding its way up to the hem of my skirt. I dodged his hand as I briskly rose up from my seat.

‘‘Bitch!’’ He downed the vodka I served him in one gulp and gripped my arm, making me wince in pain.

‘‘Let go of me!’’ I yanked my hand from his hold, and the next thing I heard was the sound of glass breaking and the gambling chips spilling all over the place while he was cursing me.

‘‘You’re working here, so you follow every customer’s request, understand?’’ he growled. ‘‘Don’t embarrass me in front of many people, or you’ll see how I get angry!’’

I didn’t answer him as I kept my gaze to the floor. This was not the job they assigned me to do here. Despite the dangerous environment, I agreed to work here for the sake of my nephew. Every day, I was harassed by different customers, most of whom I avoided successfully. But this old man here was a vicious one and not easy to deal with.

When I looked up, the old man was now towering over me. His alcoholic breath fanned one side of my face as I asked help for the other customers around, but they were only watching us with amazement in their eyes as if they were watching an interesting movie. The old man’s words slurred as the effect of the vodka peaked.

‘‘Answer me, bitch!’’ he demanded with bellowing voice that caused me to flinch away.

‘‘Y-yes, Sir…’’ I stammered and internally scolded myself for showing my fear and nervousness, and for agreeing to what he wanted to do to me.

To my surprise, his hand flew and slapped me on the face and his rough hand gripped my throat and squeezed, causing me to gasp. I clasped my hands around his arm in a desperate bid to pull it away, and began to desperately crave air.

Hot tears streamed down my face as my wide eyes stared into the angry dark eyes of the ugly old man.

‘‘What’s happening here?!’’ a voice reverberated throughout the room. My manager’s voice. She rushed towards us, and instead of defending me, she grabbed my hair and yanked me away from the old man, which made me cry out in pain. ‘‘Apologize to him, right now!’’

I shook my head. She wanted me to apologize to him without even knowing first what had actually happened?

‘‘What do you want to do to her, Mr. Volkov?’’ Deborah, who was still gripping my hair tightly asked the unpleasant old customer.

‘‘I won’t pursue the matter any further as long as you let me sleep with this beautiful girl tonight…’’ he smirked, his eyes scouring my entire body, making me shiver in disgust. They were just filled with dark desire. He walked closer to us, and I stiffened, my breath was caught in my throat when I felt his hand squeeze my ass.

I desperately tried to brush the feeling of disgust and dirtiness away. My thoughts took me to Harlan, my boyfriend whom my stepsister had stolen from me. How would he feel about a woman who was defiled and dirty? But it didn’t matter anyways. He had already fallen into Clover’s trap. He was now officially my ex-boyfriend.

‘‘You, pervert!’’ The wrath I was feeling towards Harlan burned even more, so my right foot automatically flew, kicking the old man's groin, which caused him to yelp in pain and catch his balls with his hands.

The pain in my scalp intensified as Deborah pulled my hair harder, and dragging me out of the room. ‘‘You’re going to pay for what you did, you bitch!’’ she shouted.

‘‘Help!’’ I cried out, but the surrounding people as usual were just watching us. ‘‘Help me!’’

But still, no one made a move to stop my manager from dragging me to the elevator. My vision was blurry because of the tears welling up in my eyes, so I didn’t notice what floor the elevator had stopped. When the doors finally opened, she pushed me towards a dimly lit corridor.

‘‘You can’t force me to do what you want!’’ I said, my voice was shaking as I took a few steps backwards from her. ‘‘I'm quitting. I don’t want to be here. I'm not working here anymore!’’

‘‘Really?’’ her lips twisted into a mischievous smirk before she pulled out her phone from the pocket of her pants, and called someone. ‘‘Kelly, your stepdaughter wants to quit from her job. What can you say about this?’’

Deborah turned on the loud speaker and my stepmother’s voice echoed through the halls. ‘‘You want to resign form your job? Okay, do it! And I’ll cut your nephew’s treatment!’’ she threatened me with a loud and angry voice.

‘‘No… please, no!’’ I begged through the phone. ‘‘Mom, please don’t do this to me…’’

But the call was already cut off. Deborah turned on her heels and walked through the elevator, and I ran after her. ‘‘Wait!’’ I called out, but I felt a sudden dizziness. I instantly became aware that my heart rate had increased and that I was perspiring considerably more. I felt my muscles strain and my teeth clenched.

‘‘Wait for your client, my dear…’’ Deborah said as her voice began to fade away. I watched with blurred vision as the elevator doors closed and she disappeared from my sight.

‘‘No…’’ my voice came out almost inaudible and hoarsely. The sound of my own breathing increasingly audible in my ears, and I closed my eyes, racking my brain to figure out what was going on.

‘‘How did it feel, sweetheart?’’ the familiar voice of the old man rang in my ear, and when I opened my eyes, I saw him standing right in front of me. ‘‘How did you feel about the drug I gave you, hmmm…?’’