Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 93(@200wpm)___ 75(@250wpm)___ 62(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 93(@200wpm)___ 75(@250wpm)___ 62(@300wpm)
“And who are you?” she asks.
“My name is…Diamond,” I say, extending my hand, which is still shaking, although not quite as badly as it was. “What’s your name?”
“Ginger,” she replies. “Little word of advice? Don’t come in here as the new girl thinking you’re going to take over, okay? That’s not going to happen.”
“Oh, no, I would never—” Ginger cuts me off immediately, storming right up into my face with her cowboy boots on, and glares at me like she’s glaring into my soul.
“I’ve seen a lot of girls come and go here, and they all say that, okay? They all act nice and innocent until they’re stabbing you in the back. You try that with me, and you’ll regret it.”
I’d heard this was a tough industry, but all this on the first day? The girls behind Ginger are simply standing there watching this whole thing unfold, not a hint of sympathy in their eyes.
“I got you,” I reply. What else is there to say? The last thing I want is to start a war. Thankfully, that seems good enough for now. Ginger looks me up and down once more, turns her back, and goes back to her locker.
I quickly change into my borrowed bikini, keeping my panties on underneath just in case, and race through the door with the large sign that says STAGE above it. I have no idea who the next girl is, but if I’m supposed to go up after her, I don’t want to be late.
I pass through a velvet curtain and find another girl in a full set of lingerie and heels standing there waiting.
“Um, Damien says I’m supposed to go up after…” I point to a girl doing some wild upside-down move on the pole. “After her.”
The girl rolls her eyes. “Fine. Just don’t take forever, okay?”
“Sure, no problem!”
I know it was my decision to come here—my choice. But right now, a big part of me is wondering if it was the right one. Peeking through the curtain, I can see all those men’s silhouettes that will soon have their eyes fixed on me while I dance around with absolutely no idea what I’m doing.
Will I even make any money? What will the other girls think? What about Damien?
Maybe he’ll un-hire me!
Suddenly, a voice comes booming over the loudspeakers.
“And tonight, we have something very special for you! A brand-new girl, so fresh she’s never even danced before! Please welcome to the stage… Diamond!”
The lights seem extra bright and the music seems extra loud as I step out of the shadows and onto the stage. Some song I’m sure I should know is playing as I look out across the crowd of men staring up at me like packs and packs of hungry wolves. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing and am sure I’m going to trip over myself with every move I make.
I grab the pole to spin around it, and to my surprise, it spins with me, nearly sending me flying off the stage into the crowd. Somehow, I manage to keep myself from dying as a few bills land at my feet.
Is this really happening?
The whole thing feels like a dream as I dance, barely hanging on to a series of “moves” that make up my act. Bills keep landing at my feet, and by the time the song is over, I’m actually not so panicked anymore.
The voice comes over the loudspeaker again and says something, but I’m too busy escaping backstage to even hear it. There’s another girl waiting there to go on, and to my surprise, she actually gives me what could pass as a smile. “Not bad.”
“T-thanks,” I reply.
I’m on my way back to the locker room when I run into Damien. He’s actually smiling at me.
“Not bad, Diamond.” He reaches out and takes the money from my hands, pocketing what looks to be about sixty-percent of it. “I’ll be taking this as the club’s fee, but you won’t mind after I tell you what I have for you next.”
This can’t be how it really is, can it? I just showed up here, did my routine, and he’s taking all of that for a “club fee”? That feels like something my dad would do.
“Something…next?” I ask.
Damien smiles. “The VIP lounge. Some of the men out there, let’s just say they liked you, and they want you to come and service them, and they’re willing to pay big bucks for it too. And this percentage you just saw me took will be considerably less. What do you say?”
Suddenly, I get flashbacks of my father telling me I’ll be marrying his friend two weeks after I turn eighteen, and goosebumps break out over my entire body.
“I…um…”
“That’s not going to happen, Damien.”
Out of nowhere, a voice booms. The two of us turn to see a man, tall and broad-shouldered, standing no more than ten feet away, his eyes on both of us. He’s intensely handsome, but there’s a thick scar running down his left cheek. He also has piercing blue eyes that seem to look right through me.