Free Plasma Frequency Magazine: Issue 12 by Arley

through his mind of what she'd really been doing all day to wear herself out. He doesn't even need to take her on dates, he's just that good...stop it, you're being an idiot, stop it...
    "Brian? Hey, I'm sorry, I'm just tired, OK?"
    "OK," he said, his good feelings from the day completely evaporated. "Sure."
    ~
    When he was leaving work the next Monday, Danielle texted him to let him know she was with a buyer.
    Brian stared at the phone for a long moment. A buyer. Maybe she really was with a buyer. Maybe not. He didn't know, and if he didn't find out, he was going to go crazy. He had to go to Dreamz and see if she was there. Maybe it was nothing, but it was the only lead he had.
    At three in the afternoon, Dreamz was a pathetic sight —fewer than a dozen cars in the lot, no loud music or colored lights, nothing to separate it from the countless other sleazy Route 40 bars and strip clubs. Brian scanned the parking lot for Danielle's sedan, not sure whether he hoped to see it or not.
    It was there. Parked in the back, but it was there.
    Brian stepped out of his car, took a deep breath, and pushed open the peeling blue door to Dreamz.
    If anything, it was even sadder on the inside than on the outside. The dance floor was empty; the speakers were playing some godawful thing that sounded like a metal remix of "She Blinded Me With Science"; four sulky-looking men were scattered around the room drinking beer, and two college-aged girls sat in a corner with highball glasses. Danielle was nowhere to be seen.
    "... I mean, oh my God, I might have to buy that one back!" one of the girls was saying, her voice too loud in the near-empty room. The other barked out a forced laugh, her eyes tracking Brian as he came through the door. He gave her a nod, wondering why she looked familiar...
    Of course . Her hair was dyed red, and she was wearing more makeup, but it was the girl who'd left the bar with Danielle before.
    Her eyes had already snapped away from Brian; she was now staring into her highball glass, answering her friend in monosyllables. The other girl was droning away, not noticing that the redhead was paying more attention to the drink than the conversation.
    Brian fumbled through possible ways to approach a pair of girls in a seedy club without looking like a pervert, then decided it was impossible. No guts, no glory. He stepped forward. "Excuse me..."
    The redhead hunched lower in her seat and stared at the table. The other girl, a skinny blonde with a pixie cut, twisted around to face him. "Yeah?"
    "I'm, um...I'm looking for a woman." He stopped himself from saying "my wife." If these girls knew what Danielle was up to, they might also try to cover for her. "Danielle Shipley. She—"
    "What for?" the blonde asked.
    Brian floundered. "I—I was supposed to meet her here—"
    "Are you, like, a cop?"
    "A—no. Why does that matter?"
    "Vice?"
    "No! I'm not a cop!" A frantic voice started yammering in the back of his head: what is she doing, what is she doing, oh God...
    "They don't have to tell you when you ask." The redhead's voice was dull. "That's an urban legend."
    "Yeah, but I don't think they get all nervy, either. They're professionals." The blonde gave him a sympathetic smile. "First time?"
    Brian had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew what answer would lead him to Danielle. "Yeah. That obvious?"
    "Uh-huh. Don't worry, it gets easier. Allie was scared stiff the first time I brought her." She nodded toward the redhead, who ran her fingers along the rim of her glass and said nothing.
    "Yeah. Yeah, sure." Stripping. Danielle's a stripper. This isn't a dance club, it's a strip club.
    "So are you buying or selling?" the blonde asked.
    "Buying?" Brian's voice sounded faint in his ears. The word "prostitution" rose in the back of his head, and he forced it away.
    "Sure. Did Danielle tell you where to go?" When he shook his head, the blonde frowned. "I'm not sure where she is right now...
    "I saw her." Allie's voice was