You grab a wing and take a bite

Your first impression is they taste great, they have a nice combination of sourness, butteriness and spice...then the heat hits you. And it keeps hitting you. You say, "woah", and put the wing back on the plate to take a large drink of beer.

"Too hot?" Shari says to you, nonplussed, chewing on her bite. You swish the beer around your mouth a bit, and swallow it.

You exhale heavily, and say, "they're hotter than 'a little more' than habanero...just, didn't expect that..."

"Want something else?" she asks. Suddenly feeling as if your masculinity is in question, you respond, "no, I can deal with it...the first bite was just a shock".

She says, "all right, just don't do anything to fuck yourself up. The wings are good though, right?"

You pick the wing back up, and keep eating. The first bite out of the way, you really do feel like you can handle the wings, it will just take a lot to drink. You reach for your complementary glass of water as much as you do your beer, between bites. You tell Shari, "yeah, they really are".

She says, "they actually use fresh wings and mix their own sauce, not use frozen prepackaged stuff. I used to work at one of those bikini wing places before I started stripping. Every place says they use fresh wings, but they don't."

"Yeah," you ask, curious, "how did that work out?"

"What, the wings?" she asks.

"No, going from nursing school to stripping and doing cam stuff". Shari laughs between her wings, wiping her fingers before taking her jacket off, down to just her bra and her full sleeves on display. With her jacket off you see the outline of her pierced nipples beneath the lace, and notice she's sweating a bit, likely from the wings.

"Dude, the money is so much better. I'm making like, six times what I'd be making as a nurse right now. No student loans, clinicals, certifications, twelve-hour shifts, or getting crapped on by old people. I have my own LLC and a diversified investment portfolio for long-term financial stability. I've paid off my house, and I own a condo I use for shooting. I'll be able to retire by the time I'm thirty, but fuck that, I'm having too much fun."

You sit back, stunned. "Holy shit," you say, "I thought all of that was really shady and bad for women".

Shari says, "it is if you get on ****, start turning tricks, or get with the wrong agency. I smoke but that's it, I never turned tricks or got into escorting, and I self-book and vet talent on my own. I stay away from anything that even seems a little sketch. I've had some close calls and scenes gone wrong, but I learn from them instead of let them drag me into a downward spiral."

You ask, "what do you plan to do if you retire?"

"I'm gonna invest in starting up a booking agency and production company. Women owners, women agents, women directors, making porn for women and not screwing over talent in the process. Especially the guys," she finishes, starting another wing.

"Why would guys be getting screwed over?"

She says, "a lot of guys do gay-for-pay to make ends meet, and they get paid dick compared to women for something very few guys can do compared to the ones who want to do it. The ones who show up on time, stay professional, know how to behave on set, and can perform, deserve respect and enough pay to be choosier in roles."

The waitress comes by again, and Shari, seeing your beer is almost gone, orders you another. As the waitress leaves, you ask her, "you're very invested in the sex industry, aren't you?"

She shrugs and says, "do what you love, right? Don't take that to mean I'm promiscuous, I have too much on the line to just fuck around. I just love sex, I'm not ashamed of it, and I don't put up with others dragging me for it."

"No, I get it," you say. "I'm glad you feel that way".

Shari sits for a second, and changes the subject. "I'm happy Alice is loosening up, though", she opines.

You ask, "what was she like before we started dating? Really?"

Shari thinks, and gets straight to the point. "She loved dating around, and I was actually surprised when she got serious with you. She's...not really cut out for monogamy. It's nothing against you, she's just not the type to settle down with just one person. We actually got in an argument when she told me, and we haven't really talked for the last few months."

"Really, why?" The waitress brings your second beer, and you start on it while continuing to eat the overly spicy wings.

"I told her she should have suggested being open from the beginning or cutting you loose early, and it was either a matter of time before she either suggested it anyway or started cheating. She was committed to making it work with you, she didn't take it well, and she refused to talk to me until this week. What happened, anyways?"

You tell Shari about the porn, your conversation with Alice, and Wednesday night. Shari busts out laughing, and takes a drink of her beer before saying, "I knew it! Alice didn't tell me that part, just that I was right, you two were opening your relationship, and she wanted me to keep you company while she went on a date."

"You agreed?" you ask, surprised.

Shari asks, "why not? We're just hanging out, having a good time, I'm cool with your situation, and besides, I thought you were kinda cute when we met. I'm more surprised you agreed, to any of this."

You tell her, "me too, actually. It's made things a lot sexier around the apartment, and her going out is actually kind of a turn-on. It's still new, but I feel like it's a step in a right direction."

Shari asks you, "do you think you would have agreed to it if she wanted to be open from the beginning?"

"I...don't know, actually. Maybe not. I didn't know her as well then as I do now, and I would have thought it was...weird. Not worth putting up with drama, or worse."

Shari thinks about it, and says, "it's probably for the best she didn't say anything, then. You two are good together. I'm just happy she didn't fuck up a good thing by being stupid." The conversation dies down a bit as you two eat more wings, and drink.

Finally, Shari says, "hey, finish your beer and hand me your keys. Let's get out of here, I want to show you something." After two of these strong beers, you have a good buzz, and realize it's probably a good idea not to drive. You hand Shari your keys, and finish your beer while she grabs her jacket and pays at the bar. Your eyes widen as you see Shari leave a $100 as a tip, and the two of you leave the arcade bar.

Shari drives barely ten minutes, most of that being traffic, and pulls into a numbered parking lot outside a condominium unit. She parks in a numbered space, and digs a parking pass out of her purse before hanging it on your rear view mirror. The two of you get out of the car, walk into the building, and climb a few flights up stairs up to Shari's floor.