America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 19 The Club Exploded

Yesterday's chaos has subsided, Saijo Street has been cleaned up and restored to its former order.

The sun had just set, and it wasn't yet time for Wild Beasts House to open, but a line of dozens of people had already formed in front of the club.

People gradually arrived and joined the queue.

Last night's news reports on multiple television stations, and today's bombardment of print media led by the Atlanta Constitution, have greatly enhanced the reputation of the Beast House male strip club.

With a population of over 500 million in the Atlanta metropolitan area, the potential customer base for Wild Beasts House is considerable.

Even a tiny fraction of it would be enough to burst the Wild Beasts' House.

The queue grew long, attracting curious passersby to join in the fun.

As it approached six o'clock, Ivan and Golden Retriever arrived at the porch in preparation for opening the door early.

The former took out a check and handed it to the golden retriever: "Keep the damn check safe, don't buy any random stuff."

The golden retriever glanced at the numbers: "So many?"

Ivan said, "Idiot Martin is loyal."

The blond man emphasized, "Boss Martin."

Seeing the long line outside, Ivan said, "Martin's methods are underhanded, but they're effective, much better than useless PR."

The two men opened the door and called out to the long line of female customers, "Tickets are $20, have your money ready!"

They were handed a stack of $20 bills, one after another, and the two of them clutched a thick wad of them. The ticket money for half an hour was more than the previous night's ticket.

People in the queue moved in, but the long queue didn't shorten; instead, it got longer.

Ivan was certain that the bonuses would be huge this week.

A car drove up from a distance and stopped at the end of the line.

Michael, with his ponytail, looked at the long queue, then at the newspaper article about the Wild Beasts Club, and slapped his forehead, saying, "I'm such an idiot! How could I not think of such a simple solution!"

Michael had to accept the sad reality that while the House of the Beasts had become famous throughout Atlanta, it had nothing to do with him.

He didn't get a single dollar in benefits and had to raise money as soon as possible to make up for the $1 shortfall.

This morning, Vincent sent someone to urge him to pay.

Michael felt somewhat resentful at the thought of having to sell his car and watch to pay off his debts, while the bartender received a $1 reward.

But he didn't dare go to the Wild Beasts' House to cause trouble; those people were not to be trifled with.

Michael didn't leave immediately. Instead, he observed carefully, occasionally picking up the newspaper to read: "If I learn this, I can make a lot of money too!"

…………

Inside the club, Martin mixed a Deckeri cocktail and said with a smile, "Madam, here's your drink."

The female customer handed over a tip: "The wine was very good. Aren't you a dancer?"

There were still customers behind him, and Martin gave an apologetic smile: "The club's artists are all on stage."

More and more people arrived, soon exceeding 200. Almost every female customer who came here for entertainment was drinking, keeping Martin and Bruce very busy.

Martin received the tip but didn't have time to sort it out; he simply tossed it into a box under the bar.

By a little past 6:30, the club was already packed. The handsome men on the circular stage were performing American soldiers choreographed by the Savannah College of the Arts.

Countless small-denomination US dollar bills flew onto the stage.

When it comes to spending power, women are far more powerful than men.

Hart had never realized that making money could be so easy.

Vincent stood at the door of the second-floor office, picked up the walkie-talkie, and notified Ivan at the door: "There are too many people, don't let any more in for now."

The club was packed with customers.

Even the private rooms on the second floor were full.

Vincent adjusted his cowboy hat; with enough customers, the club's accounts would have more potential.

His gaze shifted to the bar and he saw Martin Davis.

I never imagined that Jack Davis, that old bastard, would have such an outstanding son.

Vincent beckoned to his accountant, Dana: "Cancel Martin Davis's debt and prepare a check for $5000."

Dana remained skeptical: "It was only the first night, what about afterwards...?"

"You don't understand," Vincent interrupted her. "He's very resourceful; if he succeeds the first time, he can succeed the second."

Dana said no more and went to prepare the checks.

Vincent looked at the bustling dance floor and the billowing banknotes, and added, "Prepare the rewards for everyone else as well."

Martin gave him a list this morning; besides people from the club, two other people were involved in this matter.

Vincent didn't dwell on such trivial matters; the situation was entirely under his control.

The club is always packed with customers coming and going.

As night fell and the club closed, Bruce finished counting the drinks, made a record of the accounts, and then opened a small drawer, pulled out the haphazardly piled banknotes, and counted them one by one.

"This is the first time I've received such a large tip." His憨笑 (a kind of sheepish grin) seemed to go straight to his bones: "44 dollars."

Martin stretched his arms: "Congratulations, you civilized man, that's enough for you to buy a bunch of autographed photos."

Bruce slammed a thick wad of banknotes into his palm and said, "Dude, you're just jealous!"

Martin picked up a box and placed it on the bar: "Look closely, Old Brooks! The tips I've collected tonight are several times more than yours."

The box was full of loose one-dollar and two-dollar bills, with the occasional five-dollar bill.

Martin continued to belittle the poor civilized man: "Let me tell you a terrible fact: I will soon be richer than you."

Bruce was practically spitting blood when he launched a sharp counterattack: "What do you have besides a handsome face? Your belly is full of scheming rubbish!"

Martin quickly counted the bills: "Without my calculations, would you have gotten a tip tonight?"

Just then, a series of wailing and howling came from the other side of the stage. Hart ran onto the stage carrying a huge pile of banknotes, dropping banknotes along the way.

He ran to the center of the stage, grabbed a handful of banknotes, and threw them into the air; the green dollars rained down like rain.

Hart stretched out his arms, bathing in the rain of money, and shouted excitedly, "Smash me to death!"

Several more members of the handsome boy band ran onto the stage and started throwing money around like crazy, raining down banknotes.

The banknotes hit Hart on the head, and Hart fell down with a thud, unable to get up.

I'm tired.

Hart wriggled like a maggot, his green hair standing on end, and looked at Martin: "Please let me call you Dad!"

"Get out!" Martin cruelly refused. "I don't want a stupid son!"

Hart cried out, "You can't do this! There must be gender equality! Gender equality! Martin Davis, you bastard!"

When Martin saw Ivan and the blond man approaching, he said, "I'm having a backyard party at home on Wednesday."

Vincent then came out of his second-floor office and called down, "Martin."

Martin went upstairs and entered the office: "Boss?"

Vincent pushed a check and an IOU across the desk: "I've already written off your $7000 debt. Here's a $5000 bonus. Starting tonight, your hourly wage will be increased to $16."

"Thank you for your generosity." Martin didn't mind saying a few more nice things: "You're a good boss."

Vincent gave him two more checks.

This is the commission Martin asked for for Elena and Monica.

Martin accepted the invitation and politely invited Vincent to the party.

Vincent declined, saying, "Keep using your intelligence; I'm never stingy with rewards as long as it benefits the club."

Martin said, "Boss, we're now sticking with ATL Freedom Club to stabilize customer traffic."

Vincent nodded: "It's up to you."

Martin felt relieved when he went downstairs; the loan shark problem was finally solved.

(End of this chapter)