Who: Seth, Aveline, and Lo. What: Meeting and job offers. When: 2/18. Where: Strip club where Aveline works / phone. Rating/Warnings: Just mentioning stripping, so PG-13? Status: Complete.
The Palomino was a middling-level strip club - not somewhere trashy, but not a glitzy Vegas joint, either. Aveline had made friends with the owner, a Haitian immigrant, and he’d given her a good job. It was awkward, and she definitely didn’t want her mother knowing about this (or Peter, God forbid!) but it did pay the bills.
She was on now, working the pole as gamely as she knew how, noticing when a party came in the door. There seemed to be some women, which was a good sign - girls tipped better.
Seth sighed to herself. Why did photographers think that taking some of the crew and some of the models to strip clubs after work would foster bonding or togetherness? She knew the score - the guys just brought the models so they’d look less threatening. She at least could get a decent burger or something.
Aveline went over to the party once the song had ended, talking to the women first, especially one stunning dark-skinned lady. “Evening; welcome to the Palomino. Can I interest you in a dance?”
Smiling, Seth listened to the woman’s accent. “Sure. You do anything private? In the back room?” She didn’t intend to get a dance back there, if anything she just wanted to put her feet up and take off her heels.
“Yes, of course.” She’d never given a woman a lap dance before, only had them as gawking spectators, but it didn’t bother Aveline. “Come with me, please. Would you care for a drink, or something to eat?”
“Yeah, a rum and coke and a salad would be amazing.” Seth grinned, walking behind the stunning woman. “I love your shoes, by the way.”
“Certainly! And thank you, they’re Miu Miu.” Aveline smiled. She didn’t want to say that she’d found them on sale at a closeout, because models didn’t like it when you wore couture that you got dirt cheap. She put in the order at the kitchen, walking toward the back with as much confidence as she could muster. “Follow me, tanpri.”
Once they got into the back room, Seth flopped down on the bench seating and toed off her heels. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to dance. I figured you wouldn’t mind a break, and honestly, all those guys are mouthbreathers anyway. I’m Seth, it’s nice to meet you.”
Aveline blinked, laughing a bit. “Oh, thank you. Are you sure? It’s expensive.” She mentally revised her assessment of models. This one seemed nice. “I’m Aveline.”
“Your name’s gorgeous, and yeah, I’m sure. It’s worth it to sit down and get out of those shoes.” She wrinkled her nose. “Where are you from? Your accent’s beautiful.”
“I’m from Miami, but my family is Haitian.” Aveline smiled. “At home I speak Spanish and Creole most of the time.”
“That’d be why, yeah. I’m jealous.” Curling up so her body was compact, Seth massaged the balls of her feet. “Modelling’s been good to me, but I am so close to retiring, dear god. I don’t know how you do this job. I’d end up punching guys on the daily.”
“I pretend to have worse English than I do a lot.” Aveline smiled. “And nobody speaks Creole here except the owner, so I can call somebody something rude and it’s only the owner who laughs.”
“That’s got to be useful. I speak a little Italian - I was there for a while on a job - but not enough to be fluent. Just enough to tell people to fuck off, though.” Seth grinned. “Seriously, I thought you were a model too at first.”
“Oh, no.” Aveline laughed, blushing. “Just a graduate student trying to pay her way.” She wasn’t pretty enough to be a model, and she didn’t have the connections.
“Has anyone tried to recruit you besides me?” Seth sat up, rifling around for her cell phone. She wanted to text Lo ASAP.
“Recruit? Oh, no.” What did she even mean?
“If you want to be a model, my agent would love to work with you. It pays better than this, and your school schedule could stay intact. I can’t say there’s no creepy guys, but there’s fewer.” Seth smiled when someone brought her her food and drink, moving to nibble on the burger.
Aveline’s eyes bugged wide. “I ... really? Is there some kind of catch?” There had to be. It seemed ridiculous that someone would just waltz in here and offer her a contract to be a model.
Seth shook her head. “Not really, that’s just what modelling is. Lo’d negotiate your contracts to the best they can be. He’s good like that.” She took a sip of her drink, grinning at Aveline. “You deserve it.”
There were tears in her eyes. “I ... Mwen se twò sezi lè pale angle! I think I forgot English for a minute!” Aveline took a breath, trying to calm down. “I don’t mean to be an idiot, I’m sorry. What would I have to do?”
“Here, do you want to look me up online or something?” Seth smiled and handed over her phone so that Aveline could see some of her modelling on the Victoria’s Secret home page. “So you know I’m not a creeper.”
“Yes, thank you.” That was probably a good idea - Aveline kicked herself mentally for not insisting on that. Who knew who could be taking advantage of the stupid first-gen girl? She took the phone and noticed the woman’s name - Seth Balmore. Instead of looking at the open page, she googled it herself. Just a tiny little thing, but it was probably safer.
When she clicked the link to the official site, she was greeted with the same woman’s face, front and center. She was a Victoria’s Secret angel, that was for sure. “Seth Balmore,” Aveline said aloud. “I’m Aveline de Grandpré.” She’d never given her name, not even her alias.
It probably sounded stupid, but she had to ask. It all felt too unreal. “May I hug you?”
That made Seth laugh, reaching out to wrap her arms around her friend. “Of course you may! New friends are always allowed to hug me.” She hugged the girl briefly before taking her phone back and calling her agent. Lo picked up on the first ring.
“Yes, Seth? Are you all right?”
“Of course. I want you to interview the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She needs to do editorial work yesterday.” Seth smiled at Aveline, shrugging her shoulders. Seth was honest, and Aveline was lovely.
Aveline was trying to compose herself. She’d never been the type to get soppy and emotional. But then again, she’d never had anyone walk into her workplace and offer to put her in magazines. Her mother might still object, but modeling was a whole lot better than stripping. And now she didn’t have to lie to Peter!
Well. If she passed the test or interview or whatever it might be. She sat quietly, trying not to watch Seth on the phone.
Seth handed the phone to Aveline. “He wants to set up a time you can come visit his office. He’s a pookie, promise.”
Aveline was calm by the time she got the phone, though she felt silly sitting here in spike heels, a bra and panties, trying to be businesslike. “Hallo? My name is Aveline de Grandpré.”
Lo smiled, and it was audible through the phone. “Hello, Aveline. I’m Lo - not by birth, but my last name is Lopau, and nobody can ever pronounce it. I’m Seth’s agent and sometimes her lawyer, and she wants me to represent you. When would you like to come in to discuss that? Obviously, I won’t want you to feel forced.”
“I speak Creole, I can pronounce anything,” Aveline said, mostly without thinking. But she laughed. “I ... yes. If I don’t have to work, I have class every day until two. After that is all right - but I mean, I cannot pay you.” “I wouldn’t want you to until you started making enough money to justify it,” Lo smiled. “Trust me, I make enough money from other people where I don’t have to charge people who can’t afford my rates. Once you start booking big names, then we’ll worry about that. When are you free next?” Lo’s voice was warm, and occasionally punctuated by tiny barks in the background. “No, Lucy, these are Daddy’s cupcakes.”
Aveline raised an eyebrow and mouthed “Lucy?” at Seth before returning to the conversation. “Um. Maybe on ... Tuesday? I think that’s all right.”
“How about Tuesday around two PM,” Lo suggested. “What’s your favorite kind of food, I’ll order in.” Well. He’d teleport and fetch it, but she didn’t need to know that right away.
“Two thirty, if it’s all right; I end class at two.” Aveline thought for a minute. “Um. Food. I grew up with Caribbean things. Do you know what griot is?”
“That works for me, and I do. It’s really good. I’ll find it for you.” Lo liked the idea of going to Haiti and speaking fluent Creole. That’d mess with people, and that was Lo’s favorite hobby.
“Please, don’t put yourself out, mesye, it’s not a big deal.” Damn. “Em. Sir.” Maybe she was still a little excited, if she kept going back to Creole. “I can’t thank either of you enough.”
“Really, this is my job, and I prefer to represent people I like. I adore Seth, and if she likes you, then I’ll like you too. I’m looking forward to our meeting,” he grinned. “Have a good night, Miss de Grandpré.”
“Thank you, sir.” Aveline hung up the phone, turning back to Seth. “I don’t have much to offer, but rest assured that once I get some time, you and the attorney are welcome for a huge Haitian feast at my flat.” She laughed, still a little giddy.
“Hey, I didn’t do this because of anything more than me recognizing a bit of myself in you. I did this gig for a couple of weeks back in the long long ago.” Granted, she’d done it for coke, but nobody needed to know that.
“The owner is a nice man, and nobody tried to hurt me or anything. Just, it was all I could get. If I can pay for school and not have to have men ogle me while I’m in earshot, it means a lot.” Aveline smiled. She didn’t want to go into it, but she’d be asking God to bless these two when she went to bed tonight. The Lord had apparently seen her plight.