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"There's nothing wrong with being a jobber, sweetheart. It's still a job." Liv's mom had always been a bit of a fusser, but now that Liv had left WWE, she was fluttering around her like a hummingbird, darting in and out with kisses on the cheek and words of encouragement.
Liv shut her eyes. "There's lots of jobs out there, Mom. Wrestling was more than that to me. I wanted to be great. I wanted to win championships—"
"Exactly!" Her mother stood up so quickly that the kitchen table shook and Liv's tea nearly spilled. "Wrestling is your dream, baby. You can't just chase that anywhere. You can't go back to Hooters and get the kind of fulfillment you're wanting."
Her mother had never been fond of her time working at Hooters, though Liv hadn't minded it. There were jerks, sure, but the company also had a lot of opportunities for the waitresses to pursue. "I'm not going back to Hooters, Mom." Before her mother could ask what she intended to do, she added, "I'm going to take some real estate courses. Maryse did some and she really likes it, so I know I could ask her for advice if I needed any."
"Honey, that's expensive! I know you have some money saved up," her mother protested, "but you need to be careful with it. If you're going to try to get back into wrestling, you need a cushion. And if you're serious about this real estate thing, well... it can take a while to get a career going."
Liv had enough money saved up from her erstwhile WWE career that she wasn't in danger of losing her house, but she knew she needed to do something so she didn't blow through her savings too quickly. She just didn't think that working at a strip club was what her mom would want to hear. Liv hated lying, though, and even though omitting and lying weren't technically the same thing, she didn't feel right not telling her mother. "Jenny's friend Asha is starting that new strip club, remember? I'm going to help her out with marketing and stuff for now."
"Sweetheart, no. You need to think about your future. It won't look good to the... real estate board or whoever if they find out you worked at a strip joint!" Her mother got up and started pacing, trying to make the sign of the cross but never quite finishing it. "They have professional standards. It's not... Remember when I was getting you all those wrestling biographies for your birthday? And in Lita's, you were surprised that she had worked at a strip club? That was a different era, baby. No internet. No social media. She got famous after she was a stripper, so she didn't have trouble. The minute someone recognizes you, it's going to be all over the place!"
You Won't Believe Where Former WWE Star Liv Morgan Works Now! It didn't take much to imagine all the clickbait articles, and Liv definitely worried about that too. But other women who had left WWE were making big bucks by running fansites, so it might not be all bad. "Business experience is business experience," Liv said flatly, finishing her tea and rising to kiss her mother's cheek. "It'll all work out, Mom. When I get my real estate course stuff, I'll bring it over. I think you might like it."
Liv hoped Ruby and Sarah would take the news better, especially since they'd both been released by WWE not that long ago. When their weekly chat came around and she announced her departure, though, they both protested. "Livvy, you don't have to leave just because they canned us!" Ruby protested. "If you can make it work there, stay. No hard feelings. Right, Sarah?"
Sarah had been the quietest one in the three-way call, but she had definitely made her opinion known. "I think Vince is a piece of shit," she said bluntly, "but if you can hang in there, do it. You're a great wrestler, Liv, and you try hard. Sooner or later, they'll see that."
"But you two were great too, and look what happened." Liv almost changed her mind about telling them everything she considered, but her Riott Squad sisters had a way of drawing the truth out of her. "I don't want to be a jobber, and that's all they'll let me be. I remember Maryse talking about her real estate courses and those sounded neat, so I'm going to try that, I think."
"If you need a break," Sarah offered, "come live with me and Erik on the farm. You can stay for free, and there's plenty to eat and do. You already love all the animals...."
"I appreciate the offer," Liv replied, "but I think I have to launch myself into something else so I don't dwell on things and get sad, you know?"
Sarah didn't see through it right away, but Ruby did. "You have something stupid in mind, don't you? Livvy, don't. You should have some money saved up, right? Just... do your lessons or whatever and see how you are in six months. Don't do something stupid."
"Is stripping stupid?" It wasn't much of a segue, but she was so tired of being told she should have stayed and watched her dream get further and further away. I didn't come this far to only get this far. She'd always known wrestling was hit or miss. If the powers that be liked you, you were golden; if they didn't, you were screwed. You could be the most athletic, charismatic, devoted performer on the roster, and they would still push their favoured person because of their agenda. If Liv couldn't achieve her first dream, she'd rather conjure up a new one than languish in the shadow of the original one.
"Are you kidding me?" Ruby let out a string of swears. "Liv... babe, you can't. It'll be all over the internet the second someone recognizes you. It'll be worse than Paige's photo leaks."
"I'm not that recognizable!" Liv argued. "I only have the one tattoo, and it's easy to cover. I can dye my hair and you've seen what I can do with make-up. No one will know. My friend's friend is opening a strip club and she—yes, she—wants it to be top of the line. Safe for the girls and all that. They set their own hours, set their own boundaries, all that."
"Liv." Sarah almost sounded offended. "You can't need money that badly. You got paid pretty well and it's not like you overspent on anything. Why do that? Do like Ruby said and concentrate on your lessons. Or come stay with me on the farm—"
Frustration made Liv's eyes water. "Why can't any of you try to just be happy that I'm trying to find a new path? This isn't forever. It's just... no, you know what? Forget it." She disconnected the call and shut her phone off before either of her Riott Squad sisters could try calling back.
That was how she ended up at Asha's strip club early the following afternoon, her face a mask of determination. The large brick building needed some work on the outside—which probably meant even more was required inside—but Liv was too stubborn to turn back now. "Liv?" She turned to see a tall woman approaching. "Hi. I'm Asha. Is Liv... your actual name or your dancing name?"
Liv paused. Liv was a common nickname for Olivia, which was a trendy name, so she knew she could likely get away with it, but it was one more thing linking her to her past, to her failed dream. "Former stage name," she replied, hoping she sounded casual. "I should probably change it, right? Fresh start and all. How about... Marley?" She had used that to wrestle as well, but only for a handful of matches. Plus she had been told she had a natural Harley Quinn aesthetic, so the name could be a play on that. Look at me, making plans!
For a moment, she wondered if Asha already had a Marley on staff, but the manager smiled. "Love it! Welcome to the Corner Shop. Yeah, I picked the name for obvious reasons. My dad used to run a pub by the local community college called Study Hall. You can guess why he chose the name."
"Easy alibi," Liv said with a nod. It made her think of Becky; she would appreciate the word play.
"Exactly. Come on in. The renos are almost done, so there's still a little dust around. Sorry about that." Asha unlocked the front door and held it open for Liv. "Tell me what you think."
Liv hadn't been in a strip club for years, so she was picturing something like she tended to see on TV: dark, smoky, creepy, with neon lights that would glint off the sweat of the dancers. This almost looked like an upscale cafe; the stage could have been for a hipster open mic night if not for the stripper pole bolted in place. The menu above the bar advertised an impressive selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. "It looks really nice," Liv said honestly. "Very clean."
"Thanks. Obviously we have to have some of.... 'the vibe', you know? That's part of the experience. But I don't want sleazy either." Pointing up at the pole as she led Liv to the back, Asha added, "I'm hoping to get a pole dance instructor too, and have a night for people who want to learn how to pole dance. It's great exercise. Do you have any experience?"
Liv shook her head. "No. I'm in good shape, though. I... I used to wrestle." She waited for any of the typical comments. Really? You don't look like a wrestler was common, as was Where, at the bingo hall? WWE could seem like the biggest thing in the world, but the reality was that it was very niche. Outside of the world of wrestling, many wrestlers could go about their daily business and never be recognized.
"Really? Cool. You should catch on quickly then." Then Asha pointed to a door on the back wall. "Private rooms are through there. That's part of 'set your own boundaries'. Obviously, we can't legally sanction sex on the premises." As she said it, Asha spread her hands wide. "Will it happen? Probably. But that's up to each dancer. You can strictly be a stage dancer if you like, or you can do private dances too. You decide how much you take off, what you leave on, the moves you do, if patrons can touch you and to what degree. Whatever you're comfortable with."
"That sounds good. Could I maybe... watch a night just to get a feel for things?" Liv asked.
"Absolutely! I'm actually having a trial night tomorrow. Just prospective dancers, the security crew, and a few established stripper friends, so I can get their professional opinions on the space. I'm open to suggestions." Asha stopped when her phone rang. "Excuse me a moment. Hello?" She listened for a few moments and nodded. "Hold on. I'm with an employee." Then she unlocked the door that led to the private rooms. "Sorry, I just need to take this. It's the electrician. I won't be long. Feel free to wander around. I'll answer any questions you have when I'm done, okay?"
"Sure. Thanks." Since she had been pleasantly surprised by the main room of the strip club, Liv went into the private rooms with more curiosity than dread, and she wasn't disappointed. The rooms were cozy—she supposed intimate was the intention—with couches that were comfortable but easy to clean. She noticed several buttons scattered around the rooms and made a note to ask about them. When she returned to the main area, Asha was still on the phone, so Liv wandered around more, finding the dressing room. There were five large, well-lit make-up mirrors, some already stocked with various brushes and implements; on the opposing wall was a selection of hair dryers, curlers, flat irons, and other tools. A large walk-in closet was at the other end, empty hangers swaying in her wake as she strolled through. There were columns of drawers with labels like Thongs – M and Gloves – elbow, which reminded her to ask about outfits. Did strippers design their own gear or did the club provide it?
Liv had gone back into the dressing room and was quickly checking her make-up when Asha knocked on the door frame and came in. "Sorry about that. My appointment got bumped up. Good in the grand scheme of things, but it changes my schedule a bit. What do you think of everything so far?"
"It looks really nice," Liv replied, straightening up. It wasn't a lie. The dressing area was more spacious than some wrestling locker rooms and she could already picture it buzzing with activity: upbeat music playing, women chatting and helping each other get dressed, the air thick with perfume and hair spray.
"Glad you think so! I have to cut this short, unfortunately, but you're totally welcome to come back another day to finish the tour," Asha said apologetically. "And don't forget about the trial night tomorrow. It should start around seven, but you can drop in later too. The doors will be locked, so just call or text when you get here."
There's your out, Liv thought as she said her goodbyes and walked back to her car. She hadn't signed a contract. Asha hadn't mentioned payment or anything. She could still walk away and do something else, and it would just be a cute story half a year down the road. Remember when I left WWE and I almost became a stripper? Crazy, huh?
But pride wouldn't let her. Every time she thought about her mother's fussing or Sarah's disdain, her resolve grew, and the first call she made when she got home wasn't to her Riott Squad sisters or her mother. It was to her gear maker, asking if they designed for strippers as well.