“I’ve lost one of my girls. She was stupid and got herself knocked up. None of my customers want a pregnant woman dancing. Otherwise they’d stay home and look at their wives.” Biting her lip, Lexie tried not to take offence. “You’re looking good for just giving birth.”
“He’s not mine. My sister has left him with me while she sorts out her problems.” Lexie thought of the thousands of dollars her sister had left her. She knew that money wasn’t Kayla’s. The last thing she wanted to do was use money she didn’t trust.
“That explains it. Do you dance well?”
“I can’t be a stripper,” she said.
He glared. “Why not? You too good or something?”
“No, look at me. I can’t get my clothes off. I’m not exactly stripper material.” She poked at her rounded stomach.
“Give me the boy.”
“What?” she asked, tightening her arms once again.
“I’m willing to hire you. Pass me the boy. I won’t hurt him. I own a strip club. I ain’t no child killer.”
Licking her lips, heart pounding, she passed Simon into the man’s arms. She was surprised when he settled.
“I’ve got kids of my own, honey. I know how to hold a kid.” Vincent made sure Simon was settled before turning his attention back to her. “Take your shirt off.”
She hesitated, staring at him.
“I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to make sure I’m right.”
Need the money. You’re doing this for Simon.
Lifting up her shirt, she closed her eyes waiting for him to say something.
“Take your jeans off. I need to see what I’m working with.”
With her eyes still closed she removed her jeans standing before him in only her bra and panties.
“Turn around.”
Lexie turned around knowing his gaze was sliding up and down her body assessing her for work.
“Good, I’ve got some nice girls who’ll be happy to show you how to work the pole. They’re not feeding an addiction either.”
She stared down at Vincent, who was cooing at Simon.
“What?” she asked. “I would be bad for business.”
“You’re not a skinny bitch with your ribs showing, but you’re what I’m looking for. Men love to see a variety of women, and with those tits and ass you’d earn some decent tips from the men. Get the right song and you’ll be one great dancer.”
“I’m fat.”
Vincent laughed. “You women today. I don’t know who declares someone fat or not, but for me, you’re just right. Get dressed, and you can start on Friday. Until then you can come by and train.”
Like that, Lexie got dressed and was hired as a dancer. She’d never been so shocked in all of her life.
Chapter One
Six months later
Lexie stared at her reflection in the mirror hating every part of herself as she couldn’t find a single reason to walk out of the door. For six months she’d been dancing at Naked Fantasies. Vincent, her boss, wasn’t a bad man, but he expected the best of his girls. When she hadn’t been able to eat for several weeks he’d not liked it and ordered her to eat. He must be the only man in living history who forced one of his strippers to eat food to remain the same shape.
“What are you moping about?” Jenny asked, taking a seat beside her. Jenny was one of the few women Lexie had grown close to. She was a sweet girl with a child of her own. Her husband loved the fact he’d married a stripper and was one of their regular customers.
“Nothing, just thinking about going out there.”
Jenny had taught her how to use the pole without killing herself.
“The men love you, honey. Vincent is worried about you. He’s not like a lot of strip club owners. I know, it’s where I started out,” Jenny said, reaching out to touch her arm.
“What do you mean?” Lexi asked, pushing her hair out of the way. She wore a blonde wig, which irritated her.
“Some owners make us give extra. They have VIP rooms where a lot of shit goes on. Vincent is above board. Anything extra is between the girls and the clients. If a guy wants a blow job, then the girl can give it on her own, but she doesn’t have to.”
On the way out of the club Lexie had seen her fair share of men getting their dicks swallowed by some of the dancers. In the last six months she’d stumbled on more sex acts than she had in her twenty-one years. She wasn’t a virgin. Her lame ass boyfriend at the tender age of sixteen had taken care of that. Lexie was just thankful he’d not given her anything bad or put a baby inside her. Growing up trying to fend for herself there was no room for a child.
“I know I’ve got a good thing going. I just hate it at times. Sorry, Simon kept me up all night. He slept all day, and it was hard to settle him.”
“When is your sister coming back for him?”
“I don’t know. I’ve not heard from her since she dropped him off. I’ve not got a clue what to do.”
Jenny smiled. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Hey, fatty, you’re up next.” Tiffany, one of the tiniest girls she’d ever seen, stumbled into the room. The girl was a known user, and Lexie had stumbled onto the girl shooting up between slots. Vincent went crazy when he found her. He didn’t like drugs on his property.
“Fuck off, slut,” Jenny said. “Go and find your crack dealer to suck off.”
“Fuck you, bitch.”
Tiffany stumbled away.
“Thank you.” Lexie smiled even as the woman’s insults hit too close to home for her.
“Anytime, baby. I can’t stand that slut. She’s a f**king menace and will end up dead od’ing or something. Go on, get out there and kill it.”
Rising out of the chair, Lexie squealed as Jenny slapped her ass.
For the next ten minutes she blocked out the crowd as she wrapped her body around the pole. She’d not become strong enough to ride up and down the pole, but she worked her body to the music.
Over the months Lexie preferred to think of herself as having one man to dance to. In her mind she imagined someone in a suit who was in control of everything. He’d stare at her without losing his cool but knowing he was loving every second of her dance. Her imaginary man helped her through.
When it was over she walked down the steps leaving the men and the stage behind. Vincent was waiting for her.
“What is going on with you?” he asked, escorting her toward his office.