Most people think being a stripper is unbecoming of a woman, but I love it. The boss here is respectful of me and doesn’t make me do anything I don’t want to. Meaning I don’t do anything but dance. I think he likes it that way too. Draws more money having a dancer that you can only watch and never be touched by.
It’s one of his rules. No touching the dancers. Well, unless you pay the hefty fee that gets you more than just a lap dance. And that’s only with certain dancers. Me, no, thanks. The thought of a man touching me is repulsive. I’ll stick with using my fingers when I want to be touched.
As the song continues, I lift myself to the top of the pole and reach for one of the metal beams in the ceiling. It’s not usually part of my routine unless I’m alone, but after today, I really need to do this. Holding myself up, I sway my hips and move my legs in a way that has the men in the room cheering. However, I don’t hear them, only the music fills my ears.
When the song gets to the part about trusting who we are, I finally move back to the pole. Slowly, I slide down with my legs wrapped around the cool steel as my back presses against it while leaning upside down. Soon as I get to the bottom, I place my hands on the stage and kick off the pole, doing an upside-down split before standing to grab hold of the pole again and swing myself around it once more before the song ends.
Taking a breath, I lean against the pole with my hands above my head as I wait for the next song to begin. Every night, we get to pick which songs we want to dance to. Normally, the dancers pick something fast-paced to get this part out of the way. But me, I stick to rock and tonight's no different. The moment Fade to Black, also by Metallica, starts playing, I feel at peace. Something about their music soothes a part of me.
Lifting myself onto my toes, I begin to dance to the beat as I remove my top. Running my fingers along my nipples, I pinch them while throwing my head back. It’s one of the things that really riles me up. With just tugging on the barbells I have in, I could make myself come in front of these men and they’d think it was just part of the act.
Leaving my chest, I lift my hands above my head at the same time as one of my legs, spinning a couple times to give them a good view. Even though my bottom is completely covered, I’m sure they can use their imagination.
Ready to get to the end of the song, I drop to the floor gracefully, giving them a show of getting on all fours. Turning to face the front, I finally glance up to the crowd.
My heart almost stops beating at who is sitting front and center. None other than members of the Devil’s Riot MC, including the one man I’ve dreamed about yet I’m leery to be around. Granted, he seems to be nice to everyone around him, though I see the darkness within him. Badger. His eyes are glued on me and his hands are clenched into fists ready to punch someone.
Glancing away from them, I don’t want to see if my brothers are with them. I’m sure they’d prefer to be home with their wife and kids. I’ve never been ashamed of what I do at night, but I still don’t want them to see me. Shoot, that’s why I never told Connors where I worked, though she does know I’m a stripper.
The moment the song is over, I grab my top and scurry to the back of the stage where Ember is holding my robe for me. God, I love her. She’s the only person I would call ‘friend’.
“Holy crap, woman, that was freakin’ hot. I swear, you just made all of us a lot of money. With the way they were watching, I bet more than a few are ready to blow in their pants like horny teenagers,” she laughs.
“I’m glad I could be of assistance,” I muttered as I head toward the dressing room.
“Vixen, babe, can you come here please?” Dean, the owner of the club, orders softly. But there's a note in his voice that tells me he’s pissed.
“Sure, Dean,” I say, pulling the robe tighter around me.
Following him to his office, he holds the door open for me before firmly closing it shut. He doesn’t say anything as he moves past me and sits in his chair behind the large desk. Behind him is a wall full of screens that show the entire club from every angle. “I take the safety of my girls seriously,” he told me once. I thought it was just with the number of bouncers, but now I know it’s more than just that.
“Babe, sit down,” he orders.
Nodding, I sit down in the chair across from him. “Is everything okay?” I ask softly without looking directly at him. I never look men directly in the face, not without meaning to. It’s ingrained in me to never look a man in the face unless told to do so. A woman's place is beneath them. Both in the bed and otherwise. We’re to do as they demand. Even give them every dime we make.
My father demands I give him everything. If I need something, I have to ask him for it. According to him, since he owns me, all my money goes directly to him. My paychecks get directly deposited into his account. He takes my tips from me every night. I’m lucky if I see more than a hundred dollars of it and I know for a fact I can bring in over seven hundred on a good night.
“Alright, babe, I saw that performance out there tonight. Want to tell me what that was about? I mean, you were amazing out there, but damn, I thought I was gonna have to put Jason and Matt at the edge of the stage,” he finally says.
“Oh, umm, I’m sorry. I was just dancing,” I whisper
“That wasn’t just dancing, sweetheart. I don’t even know what to call it,” he chuckles.
Glancing at him through my bangs that fell in my face, I notice him looking at me in confusion.
“Babe, what’s going on? You’ve been dancing here since you were eighteen and I know you. Something more is going on than the usual.” Leaning forward, Dean clasps his hands together, waiting for me to answer.
Sighing, I wrap my arms around my waist, bending forward some. “I don’t know. I was just in my head, letting the music sway me like I always do, Dean.”
“With the way you moved out there I know it’s more than being in your head while the music played. You pretty much had all the customers ready to fuck you. Swear to Christ woman, we almost need to up security if you’re gonna dance the way you did tonight.” He mutters.
“I’m sorry, Dean. I won’t do it again,” I apologize.
“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to apologize for,” he says softly. “Just from now on, when you’re on stage, I’ll have to make sure I have someone on you.”
Nodding, I sit in front of him quietly waiting for him to say something else.
Though he remains quiet, I feel his eyes on me.
“You know, if you needed help with anything, I’d be there for you, right?” he finally asks.
Shocked, my head lifts to look at him, my eyes widening. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?
“I . . . I . . . I’m okay. I swear, Dean,” I say quickly.
“Alright, long as you know I’m here for you.” Nodding his head, he lets me know I can go. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
God, I don’t need him knowing what I deal with every day of my life. If he or anyone else tried to interfere, it would only make it worse for me.
I’ll never be free of my chains. They bind me to the monster I’ve lived with my entire life and I’ll die chained to him. As he tells me constantly, he owns me.