[interesting]

"What do you want, exactly?" Jaylee asked again.

Justine had sought her out. After last night's run-in with Samson and his goons, she needed to know more about many things. The strip club where the both of them had worked had been shut down on drug-related charges. Jaylee herself had confided to Justine (back then) that she consumed every so often.

"Do you know this Samson fellow?"
"I'm sorry. I can't say I do."

They were in Jaylee's apartment. The unexpected visit had almost turned out bad, due to Jaylee's boyfriend obsessive behavior. His reaction was odd: he didn't mind it that his girlfriend stripped for strangers but letting her have a friend had almost led to a physical confrontation. Jaylee had appeased her husband by promising him they would remain in view at all times. He was sitting in the living room, watching some mechanics show very loud, and the girls were speaking low enough that he couldn't hear their conversation.

"Dammit. I need some... leverage."
"You in it bad?"
"I suppose so. I was hoping to find a way to get him off my back... literally in this case."
"Oh!"

Jaylee seemed understanding, but there was little she could do.

"Do you still dance?" Justine asked.
"Yep. New place. The Dragon Lounge, in Chinatown. Big tippers, except they like to touch."
"I thought the rule was no touching..." she whispered, looking back her boyfriend.
"They don't. They just like to."
"Oh!"

Jaylee wanted to help. Justine hadn't worked with her long, but she was a good person, a rare breed in this business.

"Maybe I have something, maybe not."
"Go on?"
"At the Dragon Lounge, there's my... purveyor of goods. A real gentleman. Isaac."
"He could help?"
"Maybe not, but he might know who could. If you came to work for us, that Samson guy couldn't touch you. You'd be protected."
"But he might touch my daughter... he might even assault me outside of the club."

Jaylee considered the words but it didn't change her idea.

"I still think you should meet up with Isaac. He won't touch you unless he pays for it. No trading favors, either."

Considering the arrangement Tina had made with her previous pusher and how that had turned out, Justine understood Isaac's choice.

"All right... I have another request."
"Sure."
"...where can I find a... respectable escort?"

The question surprised Jaylee, but she had worked in the field long enough to have an answer.