A visit to the bar's owner

The next morning, the girls of Tie-Died Pussy were sitting in the office of Dan Weller, the owner of The Flying Monkey. He was a relatively attractive man in his late thirties. The girls had met him a few times and he always seemed like a cool guy. But he was not happy.

"You can't do that." He said, seeming exhausted.

"We're sorry, we really are. We weren't hurting anyone." Melissa said.

"That's not the point. You just can't do that in my bar. It's not legal."

"No, it's okay" Sonia butted in, "We actually didn't take any money for the concert. So it's not like we were paid."

Mr. Weller put his face in his hands. "That's not it either."

"Then what is it?" Melissa said. "It's just a little sex. We didn't think you'd be that hung up over it."

"Listen' Mr. Weller tapped his desk impatiently. "It's not that I'm a prude. To be honest, your show last night was just about the hottest thing I've ever heard. I wish I was there myself. But it's a matter of zoning."

"Zoning?" Alana was confused.

"That bar isn't zoned for adult entertainment." Mr. Weller clarified.

"Oh. Is that it?" Sonia said.

"It's a big deal" the owner went on, "If this gets out, I could be fined... or I could lose the bar entirely."

"Oh," Melissa felt guilty. The hadn't considered any of that in their plans. "Well we could pay the fine for you if there is..."

"No." Mr. Weller was serious now. "I have a different offer for you." The girls of Tie-Died Pussy looked back at him curiously. He went on. "I have a new place that just opened in the Pearl District of Portland. It is, in fact, zoned for adult entertainment. It's a burlesque, normal four days a week, a little more x-rated on the weekends. I had this fantasy that it needed a house band but I knew I could never get anyone to do the sort of things that, well... you girls did last night. So I want to hire you."

The girls were shocked. They didn't respond.

"A thousand dollars a week, starting tonight."

Sonia and Alana's eyes lit up. Only Melissa saw a problem. "Well... we can't do tonight. But we could... um... start some other time, right?"

"Why can't we start tonight?" Alana asked. Melissa grimaced. Had they forgotten already?

"We have the porn-shoot tonight." She said, thinking of how great it was going to be for the three of them to work with Hot Pink.

"No porn shoot," Mr. Weller said, listening in. "I don't want you out there for the world to see. I want you only for my customers."

And Melissa knew that this was going to be a problem.

"Isn't this what we've always wanted?" Sonia asked, hours later as the three girls sat around a bar sipping beer. "To get paid for being Tie-Died Pussy? To not have to do any other dumb jobs?"

"We're not getting paid to make music" Melissa answered, "We're getting paid to strip and fuck."

"We still get to make our music though" Sonia had a point.

"What about you Alana?" Melissa tried a different strategy. Do you really want to move to Portland and fuck people for money?

"Why not?" Alana wasn't on her side either. "I fuck people for free right now. And I've already fucked enough of them in Seattle."

And the truth was, Melissa agreed with everything her band mates were saying. The only thing she couldn't accept was letting down Hot Pink, never getting to see her again. But what could she do? Sonia and Alana had already made their decision. Even if she dropped out of the band in protest, she'd still be disappointing Hot Pink. She'd promised her a girl band and she'd have none to deliver.

The decision was final then. The girls would quit their jobs. Melissa would drop out of school and give up on Professor Klein's project. They'd all move to Portland and become band whores for Mr. Weller. It had all happened fast.

But Melissa had one thing she needed to do yet that night.

It was two in the morning when cars started to pull out from the parking lot of the warehouse where the porn was being shot. Melissa waited in the bushes.

She and the girls had simply not shown that night. No call, no nothing. Still, she knew she had to face Hot Pink. And eventually after waiting a good 45 minutes the beautiful Pink-haired star emerged from the building.