"Danny? Danny? Are you in there?" Danny had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t seen Peppermint Patty sit down at the table across from him, and her presence gave him a start. She was now only wearing a see-through camisole and some lacy panties, not quite the outfit she’d had on that morning. Now that he thought about it, he realized he’d seen her in four or five different outfits during the course of the day.

"Not really," he told her, pulling himself together. "I’ve got about a dozen things to try and think about, and my mind keeps skipping from one to the next without settling on any one thing."

"This is really pretty new to you, isn’t it?" she giggled.

"Yeah, it is," he smiled. "This is still the first time I’ve ever been in a bordello."

"It must be a little overwhelming," she smiled. "It does alter how you think about things, the first time."

"Realistically, a lot of it makes sense," he admitted, and let out a sigh. "No, mostly I’ve been thinking about my wife, how glad I am to have that over with and how much I screwed up to put up with her as long as I did."

"Pretty bad, huh?" Patty nodded.

"Yeah, pretty bad," Danny said. "Patty, I tried to do the right thing, but I got kicked in the teeth once too often. But, you know what’s funny?"

"What?"

"I’ve been sitting here trying to picture Marsha working here," he told her. "I just can’t make it work. The bottom line is that all you girls at least act like you like what you’re doing, and I guess maybe you do. Marsha was only happy when she was bitching. Marsha wouldn’t even enjoy being a domme here, because it might mean that she’d bring pleasure to someone. She’d hate that."

"I don’t know," Patty replied, not quite understanding since he didn’t really understand the concept anyway, and only hearing his bitterness. "I’ve had to play at it a few times, but I’m really not very good at it. You have to be older or have the knack, and I really don’t have it. It’s pretty verbal."

"Marsha was pretty verbal," Danny said, deciding that taking Patty’s tack on the conversation was more interesting than getting involved in re-examining his own ruminations. "She wasn’t ordering me around so much as she was just trying to punish me for merely existing. I don’t know why the hell I ever hooked up with her, I don’t know why I never saw she was that way, and I don’t know why I put up with it as long as I did."

"Because you liked it, maybe?" she smiled.

"No, I never liked it," Danny said. "I guess I always hoped she’d burn some of that crap out of her system, so maybe we could get along and at least be friends. But she proved she didn’t even want to be friends, either. It just took me too damn long to see it. Shit, Patty, I wanted a woman to love, not one to fear. I did pretty piss poor at getting it."

"Hey, look," she said, "I’ve never been married, nor had a serious guy, and really, I don’t want one, at least not right now and maybe not ever. But Danny, put it in the past and look toward the future. Kicking yourself in the ass won’t get you anywhere."

"I suppose," Danny nodded, seeing that she didn’t get the point – and wasn’t likely to, at least not now. He wasn’t getting it himself, anyway. But, Patty was interesting to talk to, and he decided to change the subject. "I suppose you’ve heard this stupid question a thousand times, but how did a nice girl like you wind up in a place like this?"

"You’re right," she smiled. "It is a stupid question. I’ve heard it a thousand times, at least. The short version is that my family doesn’t have much money, and I got the chance to go to UCLA doing pre-med. I was broke all the time, of course. I had a roommate, she always had nice clothes, seemed to have money, and she was gone every other weekend. Well, one night we got to talking about it, and I finally pried out of her that she came up here. I used to sleep around some in high school, and I thought it would be better than working the grill at McDonald’s and being broke all the time, so I asked her if she’d see if I could come up once with her, too, just to check it out. She called George up that evening, and the next weekend we came up together."

"Was it scary the first time?" he asked.

"Oh, Christ," she shook her head. "Don’t get me wrong, I’d slept around some, but I was scared shitless. Let me tell you, the first time, it’s sorta surreal. I mean, there were several times out there in the lobby the first night when I felt like I was outside my body looking down at myself, wide-eyed and blushing. Once I got a client into my room, I was committed. This stranger was going to fuck me. Why turn back? I was safe. I felt sexy and alive. There was no reason to stop, and yet I couldn’t believe that I was actually going through with it."

"I can’t imagine," Danny said, shaking his head. "It would take more guts than I’ve got, I think."

"It worked out pretty good," she said. "I mean, that weekend wasn’t all that wonderful, first time turnout jitters and all that, but when MaryAnn and I headed back to UCLA, I had twelve hundred bucks in my pocket I didn’t have before. I worked every other weekend, sometimes every third weekend, for the rest of my freshman year. I got a real job at the university to go through the summer, but it was dull, and I barely made as much all summer as I did in a couple good weekends here, so I worked a few weekend shifts that summer and more last fall. Then, last winter, I got to thinking I was getting damn bored with sitting in classrooms, I wasn’t gaining any ground on my student loan debt, and I needed some time off. I talked to George one weekend, and told him I wanted to spend all the time up here I could, so when I went back to school I wouldn’t have to worry about money and could concentrate on classes. He usually doesn’t like us to work that hard but he bought off on it, and I’ve done all right. I’ll be looking forward to going back to school."

"It does seem like a pretty tough schedule," Danny said. "Shit, it’s what? Ten, now. I know you’ve been on since eight this morning, and you’re still going strong."

"That was only because of the morning shift," she said. "I mean, I’d just as soon be working as sitting around. There’s not really a lot to do up here but eat, party, and sleep, and I’m trying to watch my weight. It’s not like I’m working all that hard, I’ve gotten in five parties today and might get in a sixth with any kind of luck, so I’ve hit par."

"Par?"

"Yeah, I try to net a thousand a day after the house cut, and my average is actually a little ahead of that. I haven’t been able to bank that much, since I paid off a couple credit cards and some student loan debt, and bought a halfway decent car to got rid of that piece of shit I used to drive."

"George said he thought you were on course to net a quarter million while you were up here."

"Yeah, if I go the full sixteen months," she said. "It does get a little wearing after a while, and I think I’ll be about ready to take a break and go back to school when it’s over with. I sort of suspect that if I don’t see a dick for a while it’ll be just fine with me. But, I’ve still got two years of undergrad school and four years of med school to get through and pay for, and even with the tax bite I should still have some left when I’m an intern."

"You know," he smirked. "When I was in college, we used to talk about kids who party their way through school, but Patty, you give new meaning to the phrase."

"I’m not the only one," Patty smirked. "There are others. There’s this one girl that comes out here once a month, for three days. She flies out from Ohio State, works three nights, flies back, and covers the cost of the airline ticket with one party. Of course, it’s just spending money for her; she’s got good grants."

"That’s kind of amazing, when you stop and think about it," Danny grinned. "What do your folks think about this?"

"They don’t know," she sighed. "I don’t see my dad much, they’re separated, but they think I’m working as a waitress in a casino. Neither of them is real happy about that. They’d shit if they knew what was really going on."

"I guess," Danny nodded. "I mean, Marsha and I never had any kids, thank God, but I don’t know what I’d think if I found out my daughter was working here. You better hope no one catches you."

"Well, when I’m done here, I’ll quit being a blonde, for one thing," she said. "I hope no one will notice. Patty’s not my real name, either."

"I figured that," Danny smirked. "You know, Patty, or whatever your real name is, I kind of envy you."

"It is a lot of money for having fun," she nodded.

"Not that," he said. "Not that in the slightest. You’ve got some big goals, being a doctor, and you know how to get there and are willing to work damn hard at an unimaginable job to achieve it. Most people might not consider what you’re doing to exactly be politically correct, but then, a lot of people don’t think that being a bartender is exactly politically correct, either. Now, you take that and compare it to me. I’ve spent the last eight years busting my ass trying to break even and make a marriage, and it failed. I own a five-year-old car, a few clothes, and a handful of books. When I get done with the divorce, I don’t have much choice but to go back home as a failure and try to start over."

The bitterness was starting to overtake him, now, but there was nothing he could do but continue on. "Then, I’ll have the success of the people I went to school with to compare myself to. For example, one of my older sisters is just short of a doctorate in geology. She invented some gadget that I don’t understand and made her a millionaire several times over. She and her husband retired in their thirties, for God’s sakes, just in the last year or so, and she got so bored she’s coaching basketball at the high school. My best friend from high school is chief engineer of a railroad, owns a sporting goods shop with his wife, and to top it off, he and his wife are among the top twenty or thirty dog sled racers in the world. You ever hear of the Iditarod, the dog sled race a thousand miles across Alaska? She was like ninth last year. They bust their ass all the time, and they’re a big success without a minute of college. I went through college, and I’ve busted my ass just about as hard over the same period, and the only job I’ve had that feels worthwhile in comparison to what I’ve done most of that time is the one that started today."

"It hurts, huh?" she nodded.

"Yeah, Patty, it hurts a lot. And I don’t know what the fuck else to do but to call it a bad job and try to start over, even though I don’t particularly feel like it."

Patty shook her head. "Danny, I don’t know what to tell you to do," she said. "I wish there was something I could tell you, but I guess that about all you can do is try to work it out and maybe someday you’ll get your turn."

"I’d like to think so," he nodded.

"Hey, I don’t know if it’ll help," she said. "But if it’ll make you feel any better, I still sort of owe you a freebie from this morning, if we can do it when it’s slow some time."

"No, Patty," he smiled. "Thanks, but no thanks. You’re trying to make money at this. I mean, that’s what you’re here for. A freebie wouldn’t be fair to you."

"Yeah, but still," she shrugged. "If you want to some time, the offer is open."

"Like I said, thanks for the offer. Actually, I think I get more out of just sitting here and talking to you, anyway."

"You know, sometimes we get guys in here who pay just to do that," she said. "I mean, not even in back. I just sit out here in the bar and talk and listen to them, and still I get a couple hundred bucks. It’s kind of sad when you stop and think about it."

"Yeah, it is," Danny nodded. "The hell of it is, I can understand it perfectly. Hell, even last night, I’d have been willing to spend a couple hundred bucks if I had it just to sit and talk about nothing in particular with a beautiful young woman, just like I’m doing now. God knows, I haven’t been able to do that for a long time."

"You couldn’t talk with your wife, huh?"

"Not about anything that meant anything," Danny nodded. "I just have to get used to the fact that I’m a failure in a lot of ways and get on with things."

"She burned your ass pretty bad, didn’t she?" Patty smiled. "Hey, Danny, as long as we’re not busy, I’ll be glad to sit and talk with you. I won’t even turn a slip in to the office."

"You know what?" he said. "That’s a deal I’ll take you up on."

Just then the buzzer sounded once. "Hey, I better get moving," she said. "I’d like to get in at least one more paying party tonight."

"Have fun," he smiled. "I think I’m going to head across the road and get some sleep."

"See you in the morning," she smiled. "I don’t go on till noon, so I think I’ll sleep in a bit."

"Party hearty," he smiled. "See you tomorrow."

Danny still had part of his glass of beer left. He downed it in a quick shot, gathered up the dirty dishes, hauled them to the kitchen, grabbed his jacket from behind the bar, and said good night to Ruth and Mike on his way toward the front door. He headed through the lobby just in time to discover four customers out there, military types from the looks of them. Patty had latched onto one of them, and was leading him toward the back. She gave him a wink, and he gave her a little wave and a thumbs up.

She was one up on him, he knew. She knew where she was going and what it would take for her to get there. When you got down to it, that was more than he could manage.

It was cool outside, in fact, downright chilly; even with the lights from the huge sign that said, "Redlite Ranch Bordello" he could see stars in the sky overhead, and the clear sky, he knew as a northern boy, would just suck the heat out of the ground and make it even chillier before morning. But, the fresh air smelled good; the smoke really was pretty thick in there – there was no such thing as a ‘no smoking’ section in a brothel, he knew now – and it was good to draw the deep breaths of the chilly air. Up at Spearfish Lake, it would be even colder this time of year, not long before Christmas. He looked around for a moment, then headed out to the gate. It didn’t need to be buzzed to get out, and he walked out through it into the parking lot.

There was a guy standing back there a few steps, just staring at the thing and looking. "Hey, man," he said, "is it worth it?"

"Sure thing," Danny said loyally. "Worth every penny. There are some very cool ladies in there. A lot cooler than you’d ever dream."

"I don’t know," the guy said. "I’ve never done this before."

"It’s easy," Danny smiled, feeling like an old hand at this after his experience of the day. "Like the sign says, ‘Ring buzzer, Push gate, Have fun.’ Some girls will meet you inside and introduce themselves, you pick out one and she’ll take you by the hand and lead you through the process. If you don’t want to head right out back, and sort of think about it, head into the bar with her, have a drink and think it over. Don’t worry about being a newbie. They’re always extra nice to newbies, since they’ll want you to come back. It doesn’t cost you anything but maybe a cheap drink to go take a look."

"Yeah, hey, thanks, buddy," the guy said out of the darkness. "I guess I’ll go give it a look."

"Party hearty," Danny smiled. "Like I said, there are some very cool ladies in there."

Danny walked out to the highway, which still wasn’t very busy, and walked along it for a short distance before he cut across it to go into the Sagebrush. The car from the end motel room was gone, he saw; he figured the two guys were back out on Telegraph Peak with their telescopes and night vision gadgets and whatnot. Maybe they’d see their Aurora or their UFO tonight, and he sort of hoped they would.

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