The dark streets of Venice are lit up by the shops and street lights, until I reach the red district, alive only past midnight. I check the hour on a pharmacy led sign that displays that classic green cross. 12:03am, pretty early. My vermilion dress sways with my legs, and the whole family be damned because of the coat, which even if it's pretty long, it's not enough to cover my bare legs. It also is heavy as fuck
Then I'm suddenly in front of the club's gigantic sign, where the entrance is guarded by a lean man. I cross the street and start swaying my hips as I walk. Not my forte, but I would look worse if I'd walk shyly in a goddamn strip club. I give the guy a shy smile, to which his smile is so large that I cross the doors without saying a word.
The bass of the music is turned at the max,and my lipstick shines through the dim purple light. I go to the counter and the woman there greets me, which by the unbothered look on her face, she successfully mistook me for a stripper.
Next to me a real stripper shows up, and I follow her tracks to the locker rooms. I pass through the whole room: multiple stages, several sofas and couches for the watchers, and various rooms around the walls, for private shows. I walk into the locker room and I'm met with not more than eight girls, preparing their shoes for their performance. The other women are already outside, and I need to prepare quickly, both mentally and physically. Anything happens, the show must go on. I take my coat off and put it in a dresser with a broken door, and get into those insane high heels that, fortunately, I know how to use.
~
Mom is holding my little arms, and at the fragile age of 6 years old, I got to learn how to not break my neck while stealing my mother's heels. She said one day I'll thank her, but I already know.
~
I smile and lose my ponytail, and my waves are put to my shoulders. I take a deep breath, but is soon cut by a hand on my shoulder. I flinch but as soon as I see a blonde woman I relax
"Hi, you must be the new one! It's your turn now, go and have fun" we smile at each other and I nod, going ahead to the platform where the other woman is leaving the pole.
I hear the notes and my body starts moving around the metal pole. I must suck at it, but I put my faith in the various stripper vlogs I used to watch on youtube, and as I see money flow towards me, my movements start to be less stiff. I try to scan my surroundings, seeing the men's lustful and greedy looks, and a bunch of rings on various ring fingers, to which I try hard to not snarl at their faces.
I grip onto that pole and my hips sway in loud melody, feeling every stress and worry leave my body as I touch the ground again. No sight of him anywhere. The guys got me some pictures from where i could recognize him, but at the same time i try to imagine him with long or buzzed hair, beard or no beard, in any way he could've grown in a bunch of months with an unbalanced dose of extra or less testosterone.
I see a woman in the corner of my eye, and I understand it's my time to make an ending.
I retreat seeing the other men whine and smile again as the tall brunette takes my place.
As I retreat to the changing room, the same blonde woman comes running towards me. I stop my steps and watch her taking deep breaths as if she ran around the whole local three times already. She puts a hand on my shoulder and between gibberish I try to understand her words.
"Someone...man...money...book...room" I put two and two together and understand I might have a problem. Someone booked me for a private dance. She gives me a note with the room number, and as she drifts off, I stare at the ceiling. It was a simple come, dance, find, bye bye. Now i have to fucking dance for a guy and waste time.
I start walking around the walls of the strip club checking the numbers next to the doors. I find room D23, to which I stop before entering. I check the camera inside my bra, and as I see it's working, I get in. I prevent my breath from cutting and my jaw to fall as I see who's the one that booked me. It's him.
Luck never got away from my side.
He's lying comfortable on the sofa. His buzz cut is fresh, called it, his broad shoulders are rested comfortably against the pillows and his black eyes are piercing through mine, eyeing me from one end to another as I step into the room, closing the door before me.
"Well hello there" he speaks first, and his dark voice sends shivers down my spine. I'll like working for those bastards tonight.
"Hi to you too mister" I cringe as words roll on my tongue and as the music starts and he's eyeing me, I understand that i'm not gonna dance tonight. He smiles, patting on his knee as he holds eye contact. Remember, whatever you do, take information, no matter the situation. If it changes, you adapt. Iuliano's words were still clear in my brain, knowing that as he said this he held a knife at my throat.
I slowly walk over him, and since I see no trace of soberness in those eyes, I sit on his lap, and here's where Esra's teachings come through. As soon as your limbs are touching each other, you start questioning
"How was your day, mister?" his arm rests on my back, drawing circles on my back
"Please call me Lucas, I'm definitely younger than you " thank God. He's wasted as fuck "My day was complete shit, I got into fights, dealed with a bunch of shit and got drunk, you must have been the best part of today" I rest my hands on the insides of my thighs, and his eyes immediately drift towards them.
"You know, sharing might help you deal with them" His eyes narrow, and here comes stage two. I drop the braces of my sparkling dress. His mind completely resets, and his mind is free of suspicions. Why is it so easy?
"I guess family issues, I don't get well with my brothers and I had to handle some.." my dress is officially off, showing my matching black set of lingerie Angelo gave me. "I don't think it's allowed to go this fa-" I shush him up. The show must go on.
"What did you handle?" I get comfortable on his lap, and this time he doesn't waste a single second to answer.
"I finally tracked-oh fuck, I tracked one of my brothers and now I'm sending people to follow their every move" god he's so dumb. The fuck would you tell a stripper these things, it gives the criminal name a bad reputation.
"I'd love to hear you distress your mind. You're so stiff." I caress his face lightly with my nails, and as I go to his neck, I feel pressure on the side of my leg. He's clearly confused and wasted, but I can see hints of suspicion. I start to panic,but it doesn't last long. The lights around the room turn red, and I rise from his lap.
"Miss, this is classified inf- goddamn." I slowly go down on my knees, and I carefully unzip his pants with a swift movement. I see clearly how turned on I got him, and as I raise my eyes to meet him, I start touching him through his boxers.
"Were you saying? Mister?" His senses are thrown off, and his blood stops circulating from his brain to his other one.
"My brothers are psycho bastards; I just wait for the right moment to snap their necks one by one. It's holy shit baby." I slowly drifted down his underwear, and my tongue started drawing shapes and colors on him. His eyes were burying holes in my breasts, and for my last question, I needed a bigger distraction.
I took his arm and got it behind my bra, guiding him to take it down. I feel him touch my back and flinch, but I suck it up, take my lip in my teeth and go for it.
He doesn't think twice, and my bra falls under me, facing upwards.
"I'm drunk as hell right now, Maverine; I'm in the worst condition right now, so most probably I won't remember sh*t tomorrow. You decide if I should stay or go away."
Focus Mave, please focus. Flashbacks from two nights ago fog my memory, and his voice against my neck still haunts it.
"Do you plan something to make them pay for what they did to you?" He looks ready to refuse to answer, but as his tip touches the back of my throat, his head relaxes onto the back of the sofa and he starts laughing.
"You have no idea, baby; their fate will hit them before the anniversary of my humanity's death." He then proceeds to moan, and as he grips my hair, I close my eyes, seeing just him. His spider tattoo on the ribs, his messy hair, and his long fingers gripping my hair as he thrusts into me. I fucking hate him for that night, but I cannot deny my fault because I gave him permission to rearrange my guts.
"I'm coming, baby," and there he is, and I distance myself, still having his face plastered on the back of my eyelids, and my body vibrates at the necessity of his touch again. I'm going crazy, locked in that house full of mad people. Nisha, where the fuck are you?
I reach for my bra, and as soon as I see a black circle in the middle, I suddenly remember: he saw me sucking his brother dry, and from what a good fucking perspective.
I fucked up.