Pillowtalk: Ask a Stripper.

Q: What would you do if you knew a coworker was performing illicit acts for money?

Susan: I don’t care what anybody does outside the club, but inside the club, I’m going to call attention to management, or say something to them [the girl] myself.

Asia: I think I would keep my mouth shut, because I don’t know…I think it’s a victimless crime.

This is coming from the girl who sells 20 lap dances a night, no matter the crowd. Hmmm…

Cherry: If it was a bitch I didn’t like, hell yeah, I would tell on her…. but then again I probably wouldn’t if it was outside, because it’s none of my business… I’d probably just talk about the bitch… someone would eventually snitch on her.

Q: Do you ever feel exploited by customers, or more often feel like you’re the one exploiting them?

Susan: I think it definitely works both ways. But, I mean, sometimes I feel exploited by customers that come in here with unrealistic expectations of what dancers are supposed to do, because when people like that come in, they think they can manipulate you to do whatever they want for the right price.

Asia: I feel like I’m shamelessly exploiting them. I feel like I’m able to manipulate them easily, but then they go home feeling happy, so I don’t really feel bad about it. I feel like it’s the same with any sales job, whether you’re selling cars or sexuality.

Jordan: Well, I guess most of the time it could be me [thats being exploited]. I don’t know, because even when I’m not at work, I still feel like I’m at the fucking club, and guys just come up to me with all this stupid shit I don’t want to hear. That shit just pisses me off, because I’m not getting paid to listen to it. Like today, I’m in T-Mobile, paying my bill. This dude came up to me with the lamest line ever. He was like, ‘Hey don’t I know you from somewhere?’ And I was like, ‘ I don’t know. I sure don’t think so. Um, why? What do you want to say?’ He said, ‘Well, let me introduce myself…’

Q: Is dancing a transitional job for you? Do you always think it’ll be a backup plan when money’s short?

Susan: I don’t think so. I think this is an isolated piece of work, because once I get my degree and get out of this place and get into my career, I don’t think dancing would be a suitable option to fill in my free days or those gaps on my resume.

Surprise, surprise. No one thinks of this as a career…

Asia: I plan on dancing for the rest of my life!

Wait, nevermind. No, I don’t plan on dancing for the rest of my life, but I would work one or two days a week in addition to a real job. I mean, I’ll always know how much money I’m able to make, so it’s going to be hard to take a pay cut. It’s going to be hard because the money’s so good for a such a short time. You can’t find that in many other jobs.

Jordan: For the time being, yeah. I would say from age 22 to 28, yeah, it would be a backup plan, but when I’m like 30 years old, hell no! I want to have kids. And I don’t want to be at the store with my kids, and someone come up to me and be like, ‘hey Jordan, I ain’t seen you at the club in awhile’ or ‘you know, your ass is getting fat. I seen the way your were shaking it the other day…’ For now, yeah, this is a backup plan, but for long-term, no. I’m going to college… hopefully I won’t have to shake my ass anymore.

Q: What would be or has been a deterrent in a decision to switch clubs?

Susan: I don’t switch clubs that often. It’s usually a result of management. Management’s a deciding factor or a lack of money… usually it’s management though. If I don’t feel like I’m getting respect or being treated fairly, I’d walk.

Asia: It’s hard to leave because you build up a base of customers, especially if you don’t give out your contact information like your number or email.

Jordan: Basically, all my other stripper-jobs, I got fired from. Except for The Endzone… I was in there, and these guys got to beefing, and shooting inside the club. And I was so scared. I could have fucking died. Like I was right in front of the door, so they started shooting right in front of me… I was scared as hell. I never went back…

I got fired from the last club I worked at, [because] this guy said I choked him. I swear I don’t remember choking nobody. And when I saw the tape, it still didn’t look like I choked him. I don’t remember that shit at all… I don’t even think I was drunk. If  did choke him, maybe he did something to deserve it, because I was leaving out the door. I was in my street clothes, and if I’m in my street clothes, and I’m off my job, don’t come to me with no stripper shit, don’t grab me… treat me with respect, like you would anyone else.

She doesn’t believe in shoot-outs, but she loves a choke-out.

Q: Does dancing have a positive or negative affect on your libido?

Susan: I think the physical act of dancing lowers my libido, because a lot of times when I come home from here, I just want to sit. I don’t want to do anything. Sex isn’t really motivating for physical activity. I don’t know. I guess sometimes… if I’ve made a lot of money; if I’ve had that certain kind of ego-boost, than sure I’ll want sex.

Asia: I think it’s a 50/50 shot. It depends on the kind of people you’re dealing with. You can be around people who boost your ego all day long, and tell you you’re a beautiful, gorgeous person, and then you want to ravish your man. Or you can have the people who want to treat you like a whore, or a worthless piece of shit, and then you don’t want anyone near you…

Jordan: I think it’s good, because I get horny at work and then I go home and rape my boyfriend.

Q: Is your dancer-persona close to your true identity, or a polar opposite of your personality?

Susan: I try to be pretty real. I think customers appreciate it when you’re real with them, because they can tell when you’re being fake, and that doesn’t really work. But sometimes it is good to make up stories. For example, when customers ask me out on dates, I would just say I’m a lesbian.

Asia: It’s pretty much me. I mean, there’s not a whole lot of differences between my dancing persona and me.

Jordan: It’s one of my personalities…

Suddenly, the dressing room clears out.