01

STARLIA

I need a new purse.

That's my one thought as I twirl around the poll, hands-free with nothing but the strength of my left leg supporting me. It's dumb, a waste of my raw talent but the crowd is eating it up. My alter ego and I merged into the same person the day I decided to take off my clothes and sell sex, literally and figuratively.

The music is an echo in my head, my thoughts louder than it as I picture myself shopping for a designer bag while spinning around the pole a couple of times, in my element. I switch positions swiftly, my legs crossing at the bottom before I drop my ass to the stage before lying flat on the stage and arching my back. My eyes close, a grin curving my lips when I hear the crowd going wild, I can taste that designer bag. This is my last dance of the night, and it’s also the one that I earn more in.

Before exiting the stage, I blow a kiss to the audience, a bunch of power hungry ravenous elites with nothing to do but throw stacks of money at naked women.

One day, I'm going to get out of this place, I'll fly away on a private jet paid for by my prince charming.

Shallow, right?

Well, I learned very quickly being shallow is just about the only way that I will succeed in this life I lead. I'm knee-deep in debt, I have a fashion habit to feed and I love living in luxury. I didn't like luxury at some point but I still provided it to others, that's when it hit me. Why not live in luxury myself? It was the realization of the century and I've never been happier.

As I walk into the dressing room, my housemate Alison cheers for me. “You were phenomenal out there, Starr.”

“You say that every night.” I laugh, dropping into my seat.

Alison shrugs, “You're always phenomenal. Nobody has the ability to grab the audience's attention and keep it for that long.”

“She's right,” Ruby sighs, fixing powdering her cheeks with the wrong shade. Ruby has been dancing just about as long as I have, and she's dating or fucking the club owner, I don't know which it is but along those lines. “it's why you do solo numbers.”

“You make it sound like it's some special ballet, it's stripping Ruby.” I roll my eyes, “Take off a bra and they all go wild for you. I wish I had a better explanatory..”

“Explanation, babes.” Alison corrects me and I smile. “And you, my dear don't take clothes off onstage.”

“That's because it costs extra.”

Ruby groans, “Not fair. Rocky and I are an item and yet he has a problem with you showing tits on stage but if you do it then you get less money.”

I pause to think about it, and she's right, it makes no sense but then again nothing makes sense, not me, not her situationship, nothing. Alison leans closer to the mirror to check her lipstick, Peering her lips repeatedly. “I'm off to room six, Tatar.” she blows kisses, her four inch heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she exits.

“I just don't get it,” Ruby huffs. “The crowd loves me, but I don't get private rooms.”

“Be glad, despicable things happen in those private rooms,” I warn her, and despicable is an understatement. I do a lot of private rooms and the tasks could range from talking, dancing, and not limited to sexual activity. I've not been the same since my first private room, something in me snapped and now sex is no different from a chore except it pays well.

Ruby watches me as I wipe my face clean of my dramatic makeup so I can put a more demure style on. I can see Ruby's glare through the mirror but that's only brief. “Easy for our say, Starr. You get so many VVIP and VVVIP requests. I want to see for myself.”

“The only reason I get so many is because I don't actually care,” I shrug. “Men love women who treat them like they do us, like garbage.” I grin, I've been known to catch more bees with lines than honey. “Ruby, I don't know why so hang up on that shit, when I tell you it's merely nice from the outside looking in, I'm not lying.”

“I want to see for myself.” she repeats, stubborn girl. Ruby is one of the top five highest-paid strippers this year, and she wants to give blowjobs, handjobs and ride strangers just to experience the VVVIP rooms? She should trade with me, I'd be happy to any day but I have a debt to pay, so occasional sex worker it is.

“I'll beg Rocky to let me in just once.” Ruby pouts, and before I can crash her dreams and tell her Rocky won't agree, there's a light tap on our door.

“Oh, speaking of the devil.” Ruby beams, waving at Rocky.

I take one glance at him before going back to my makeup. “Starr,” Rocky calls out.

“Yeah?” I take out of brighter shade of red lipstick, ignoring Rocky.

“Listen, we've got a bachelor party going in one of the VVVIP rooms. The groom is an old friend of mine.” Rocky says, walking into the room.

“Have fun?” I frown.

“The customer caught your dance and he'd like it if you were to join him.”

I drop my lipstick, wheeling my chair around. “Rocky, you said I didn't have to do that on Friday nights. We had a deal,” I whine

Rocky waves me off, “You're not sleeping with him, just a lap dance, some slight touching.”

I roll my eyes, by slight touching he means groping my pussy while I pretend it's the hottest thing I've ever done. “No thanks, I have a movie to catch.”

“If Starr doesn't want to, I'll do it.” Ruby offers, hardly masking her excitement. Sometimes, I think she's merely in this for rebellion against her very rich parents who she claims left her on a low allowance and by low I mean twenty grand per month until she decides to get into classical music as a career.

Rocky laughs in her face, “Cute. You're not cut out for the VVVIP rooms my sweet baby doll.”

“Why not?” Ruby snaps.

“I'll let you hit one of the rooms when I'm short staffed.” he tells her, and that cracked promise is good enough for Ruby to drop the conversation.

“You are short-staffed right now.” I point out. “You need someone in to entertain your friend's bachelor party.”

“I have you,” he shoots back. “The client is very important to me, all his guests are influential.”

Influential is his substitute word for filthy rich they can buy you, which means everyone in this club. “I'm going to pay you triple the hourly rate. At best, you'll be out of there in less than an hour.”

The offer is intriguing, and I do need more money. The more money I make the closer I am to being free of Kade. “And it'll go to my account and not Kade's?”

“Yes!” Rocky instantly agrees. “Now go to room two, please.”

“Fine, but you have to pencil me in for Saturday nights again.”

Again, Rocky nods. Saturday nights are a big hit, we get many foreign clients and there's nothing foreign to me about their money, they pay well. I lost the privilege to perform because I yanked a few hairs off a fellow dancer for being too snobby.

My eyes cut to the mirror, my makeup is all done, but nothing dramatic, but it'll have to do. I hastily make my way to the VVVIP rooms, and the security guard at the elevator doors lets me in without confirmation.

Room two has glitter and gold strings for a door, and before I can enter, two men are standing outside, one on a call and the other nursing a drink.

“Hello, there.” the blonde man grins, and I have to mirror his smile and he puts a hand out. “I'm Devin.”

I shake his hand, smiling still. “Medusa.”

Devon raises an eyebrow, “That's your name?”

“Yes, do you not like it?”

“Er, I do but why Medusa? It's an unusual name for a stripper.”

It is, but it's not coincidental or because I like it, neither is the Medusa tattoo but this is the client so I go with a simpler answer. “It's because when you look into my eyes, I turn you rock hard.”

Devon nods, “You're very pretty Medusa. I saw you on the stage earlier tonight and I just–”

“Devon,” the man on the phone warns. I turn to look at him, he's cute. On a good day, I would go on a date with him, make bad choices and regret it later. “I didn't get her for you.”

“Come on,” I pout. “Play nice, mmm? I can play with you both.”

“I'm told you're one of the best strippers they have here.” he ignores my attempt to flirt with him. I guess I was wrong, he isn't the one that requested me.

“Depending on who you ask, the answers may vary from yeah, to fuck yeah.” I feign a smile.

He smiles, “I like you.”

“And I like you too,” I chuckle. For the right amount, I will stomach down just about any disgust from clients, that's what I like.

“Medusa, we are having a farewell party to my singlehood.” Devon grins, gaining my attention again.

“Congratulations.”

“I called you because a buddy of mine is being a stiff,” the other guy tells me. “but tell you what? If you can get him to have a little fun tonight I'll make it worth your while.”

In VIP, fun means something different than it does in the two levels above it so I'm inclined to ask. “What kind of fun?”