Tash and Rayuga sat at the bar in the strip club scanning the crowd and sipping Hennessy. Rayuga had taken up Tash's job as recruiter even though she cried and threw a tantrum that she wanted to keep doing it. Pep wanted her to stay at home or stay by her side all day and she didn't want to do that, she wasn't even allowed to be in the photo shoots anymore.
"Didn't she recently get you a camera? One of those expensive Nikon ones?" Rayuga asked Tash over the music.
"Yeah." Tash shrugged her shoulder, unsure of where the question was coming from.
"Well maybe instead of being in front of the camera, you'll be behind it." Rayuga tried to explain. She knew why Pep didn't want Tash in any of the activities, she didn't want her to become a target.
"Ugh, will I be getting paid?" Tash was focused on the money and nothing else.
"I was only assuming! You get paid basically every month though, I'm sure your credit card has never declined before." Rayuga pointed out. Tash was spoilt and she wondered if she was like this before Pep.
"You're right. I just hate being inactive that's all." Tash downed the rest of her drink and took a coil of $100 bills from her pocket.
Pep always left money with her even though she had her credit card, she didn't have to because Tash knew where all the money was kept, and she had access to it. Tash believed that Pep was on the other side of the country, in Huntsman Bay, doing confidential business.
"I get you." Rayuga watched Tash unfold the money and started counting it.
"Are your body guards here?" Rayuga asked feeling a bit concerned, she hated feeling like a target.
"Ugh, yeah." Tash nodded her head in the direction of where her bodyguards were but they weren't only for her, they were for Rayuga too.
Rayuga was a little bit annoyed with Tash, she didn't like how privileged and entitled she was, and she especially didn't like the fact that she got everything she wanted yet still she sounded so ungrateful all the time. Rayuga thought that Pep worked hard to keep their bills paid and all Tash ever did was complain that she was tired of staying at home all day.
Pep left Tash in charge of payroll until she came back, there wasn't much to do other than to check the hours and sign off on them approving that they were valid. Tash looked over at Rayuga to see that she had a disdainful look on her face while looking at her, concerned she asked, "bro, what's wrong?"
"Uh, nothing. Just a little skeptical about your body guards," Rayuga chuckled, trying to get out of the situation.
"Oh," Tash laughed, "Pep said she picked them herself, so I should be safe." Tash lifted her hands to do air quotes.
"I do feel pretty safe, I guess. I just really miss her." Tash's mood quickly turned somber as she thought about her girlfriend.
After what happened when Pep went to jail, she didn't really feel safe unless she was around. No matter how much money Pep paid them, she didn't trust their loyalty and she was starting to question Rayuga's after what just happened. She saw right through her lie and she had her ex to thank for that, she had bought her a book on body language and spotting changes in a person especially when caught off guard. She would have to talk to Pep about her, they didn't need anyone who wasn't loyal around them.
Tash pulled couple of blank envelopes from the inside pocket of her blazer and a pen. She spun around to press on the bar counter while Rayuga stared intently at her trying to figure out what she was doing. Realizing her change of attitude after she pulled the money out so Tash assumed that the problem must have been the money and she wasn't in the habit of explaining herself; Pep taught her that. She took her time scrolling through the list of names on her phone writing each on the top left corner, just as Pep does. She knew the coil she walked with had enough money because she counted it out before she left home, she took her time counting out each stypen before ticking the name off and sealing the envelope. This was for the girls that Pep had working here and also at another strip club that was about 15 minutes away. Afterall, she had invited Rayuga out tonight to keep her company because she didn't want to stay home alone and she needed to drop these off anyways.
