𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏

𝐎𝐍𝐄

The club is packed tonight, with people flowing in and out of the building.

Valerie is on the stage, finishing her routine, which means that I'm up in less than fifteen minutes, so I go in the changing rooms and start to get ready. I take out the hair tie, holding my wig in a bun at the top of my head, and watch as the hair falls down my back.

The deep red matches my outfit for the night beautifully. I'm wearing a black robe over a red lace lingerie set.

"Let's do this, Hel." I whisper to myself.

When I'm called on stage Time by Onuka starts playing, and I make my way on the platform, starting the rehearsed routine. Before the lyrics start, it's mostly arm movements. But when the first verse begins, I move past the pole to show myself properly. My robe hangs loosely over my body, and moments before the chorus, I drop it to the floor.

I rest my body against the pole, before hooking my right leg around it, allowing me to spin, and then circle around it, as my hand holds my whole body up, defying any gravity laws.

As I slowly start to drop, and finish with a split, I make eye contact with someone in the crowd. His eyes scan over my body as it moves through the air, and unlike most of the men here, I enjoy his eyes on me.

His shameless studying of my every movement, as he leans back in his chair, and his dark attire draw me to him.

Before I know it, the music has ended, and I'm done for the night.

I go into my office, clearing everything off my desk, ready to go home, where I asked Derek to meet me.

There's a soft knock on my door, and Lilly, our newest dancer is there, looking at me sheepishly. "Hey, Angelica, I just wanted to ask if I could leave early tomorrow. I have an exam in the morning, the day after, and I want to be as prepared as possible."

She's a college student and I know how much she's trying to balance, at the moment. "Yeah, it's fine. You should have the day off, actually. You've been working a lot recently."

She shakes her head, "No, no, I need the money, so I'll be here."

I insist, "You'll still get paid. You've been working non stop, and I know you have finals. Take a break."

She thanks me, and I assure her it's alright. As I get ready to leave, another knock on the door stops me.

It's one of the security guards. "Angelica, there's someone who asked for a private dance from Hela, and they're refusing no as an answer. They want you - and no one else. They're offering a lot."

"Did you tell them I'm off the clock?" He nods.

For fuck's sake. I don't want to deal with this right now.

I'm escorted to the private rooms section, by a security guard, in case this gets violent. When I open the door, a tall man stands in front of me, on the phone, with his back facing me.