Meredith's New Life

On the train on her way to the coast of Málaga, there was Meredith — a young woman in her early thirties, quite attractive, and originally from Madrid. Every time a guy tried to flirt with her, they would always say the same thing: that she looked like an actress. They always said she resembled Megan Fox. At first, since it was quite a flattering comparison with such a beautiful actress, she didn’t take it seriously — but after hearing it from almost everyone, she had started to believe it.

She was dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie to be comfortable during the trip. Meredith was listening to music through her headphones while reading a book. It was a medieval fantasy novel about a princess who had started a relationship with a wizard. Even though her parents wanted to marry her off to a prince from the neighboring kingdom, she ran away and began a secret affair with the wizard. What the princess didn’t know was that the wizard was manipulating her mind. He took advantage of her affection and the kindness he showed her, slowly twisting her emotions until he completely controlled her — turning the poor girl into a dancer in a brothel of the realm.

Meredith became so absorbed in her reading that she accidentally bumped into a guy on the train while heading to the bathroom.

“Ohh, sorry, didn’t see you there, haha! My bad,” she said with a laugh as she continued toward the restroom. When the door of the train car closed behind her, the guy watched her leave with a grin forming on his face.

When Meredith came back from the bathroom, the loudspeaker announced that the train was about to arrive in Málaga. She began putting her book away and packing her things into her bag. Once the train reached the station, she got up and headed for the exit — only to accidentally bump into the same guy again.

“Oops, hey, sorry again, haha! Guess we meet again,” Meredith said, laughing nervously at the coincidence. As she stepped off the train with her luggage, she suddenly felt a chill run down her arm and a brief moment of dizziness. But with people around her shouting for her to move along, she didn’t pay it much attention.

Some time later, Meredith was at the reception of her hotel, Hotel Águila Dorada. Unfortunately, she realized she had miscalculated her budget — she only had enough money to cover her stay and a few small expenses, which would greatly limit her experience on the coast. She decided to call her friend Nikki, who was nearby and whom she planned to meet after checking in, so they could figure out what to do about her money situation.

A few hours later, after leaving her things in her room and changing into something more suitable for the warm weather, Meredith walked along the boardwalk, taking pictures of the beach for her Instagram. She finally reached the beach bar where she was supposed to meet Nikki. Looking around the terrace tables, she spotted her friend — and she looked stunning in her summer outfit: her blonde hair swept to the side, a white off-the-shoulder dress that showed glimpses of the blue, white, and black bikini underneath, shorts to handle the heat, low heels, and accessories like a white hat and sunglasses.

When the two girls saw each other, they greeted one another excitedly before sitting down at Nikki’s table. They ordered a beer and started chatting.

“Wait, so the hotel turned out to be more expensive all of a sudden? Damn, I’m so sorry, girl,” Nikki said.

They kept talking about how discouraged Meredith felt. When their food arrived — sea bass for Meredith and turbot for Nikki — they continued the conversation while eating and thinking about possible solutions.

Then Nikki said, “Well, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got this little side job at night that pays daily. It’s actually pretty common around here.”

Meredith immediately reacted and asked her friend, “Girl, I’ll do anything to make quick money, haha,” she said, still eating.

Her friend hesitated a little before replying shyly, “Okay, but don’t judge me or think anything weird. The truth is… I’m a dancer at a strip club in the English Quarter. But hey — I don’t have to get naked or anything, it’s all just bikinis and lingerie.”

This information left Meredith stunned. She couldn’t believe her friend was doing that kind of work, no matter how much she needed the money. The classy, posh girl she knew wasn’t the type to be so liberal — but Meredith didn’t know the whole story. She didn’t know what had driven Nikki to take that job.

“Nikki, I don’t know… it just sounds a bit weird to me. I can’t really picture you doing something like that, girl. How did you even get that job?” Meredith asked, skeptical and not taking her friend’s suggestion seriously.

As Meredith questioned her friend’s life choices, Nikki replied, “Look, Mer, just so you don’t think I’ve lost my mind, come to the club tonight. It’s called The Happy Mile. It’s in the English Quarter, near the coast. I’ll send you the location later,” the blonde said, waiting for her friend’s reaction.

After finishing her second beer, and realizing she didn’t really have many other options — and knowing there was no way she’d ask her mother for money — Meredith finally said, “Ahh, fine, Nikki. But I’m not promising anything. And if you’re doing weird stuff, I’m leaving,” she said with a laugh, amused by the situation she had gotten herself into.

Once they both paid for their food, the girls gathered their things and stood up. They hugged before saying goodbye.

“Alright, so the club opens at eight,” Nikki said before walking away. “But come around seven-thirty — that’s when I go to get changed. I’ll introduce you to the boss and the other girls. Don’t worry, Mer, I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“Okayyy, fine, I’ll go,” Meredith replied as she started heading back toward her hotel. “But I seriously need some sleep, girl — I’m dying here. I’ll text you when I wake up. By the way, what should I even wear to a place like that? A bikini?”

That made the blonde laugh. “Nooo, haha! They give you the outfits. Every day or every week there are costumes or themed nights. For example, right now we all have golden bikinis and outfits. I don’t know who came up with the idea, but that’s how it is.”

Meredith had a few more questions, but she was too tired to ask. She just said it sounded “fun,” said goodbye to her friend, and started walking up the avenue toward her hotel — where a much-needed nap was waiting for her.