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2023-10-31 13:12:16“One..two…threee..go!!!!”
Jeanine winced at the harshness of the manager's voice. James’ voice was always throaty like he suffered a dry cough or a sore throat.
She was relieved he wasn’t focused on her, he didn’t complain about her amateur dancing or her failure to arch her back properly like the other girls.
Tonight was a big night, James had invited a couple of billionaires and he had promised to entertain them.
Owing to that, he had placed all his best dancers in front, leaving Jeanine at the back.
“Jeanine, can I have a word with you?” He asked before she left for the stage
She rolled her eyes, thankfully he couldn’t see her behind her mask.
“I don’t want you on stage tonight” he stated firmly. “I can’t have you ruin things for me”
She bit her lower lip. She needed the money, she could have easily skipped work but her rent was due.
“Mr James, just give me this chance, I won’t fail you”
She had said it so many times that she doubted if he was going to believe her. Her job as a stripper was very important to her even though she sucked at it. It wasn’t as easy as when she babysat during the day or when she worked at the diner on weekends.
James sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
“Just look at you” he sneered
Her feet were wobbly in the seven inch heels, she wondered how the other girls danced perfectly in it.
The glitter made her skin itch and the heavy make up irritated her.
The first time she walked into the club to apply for the job, James had thrown her out because she couldn’t do a simple twirl. She had come back the next day and the day after that and he had no choice but to hire her. She had made a couple of bills, it wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.
“Please let me go on stage tonight, I have bills piled on my table. I need to pay up”
She hated that she had to beg him but that was the only way she was going to survive. She didn’t like the smell of cigarettes or the breath of men that reeked of alcohol but she had learnt to ignore it.
“Jean”
She hated how he pronounced her name, he made it sound like Jon. She looked up to him, her eyes watery from the heavy makeup.
“Do not ruin things for me” he wagged a finger at her. “I’ll let you go on stage tonight but the spotlight won’t be on you. You’d dance at the farther end of the stage”
She smiled and thanked him, it was better than nothing anyway. She wasn’t used to being the spotlight and they were way better strippers than her so she didn’t mind.
She was rather thankful and relieved at the thought of making a little money. The exhaustion she had felt from working three jobs and doing schoolwork morphed into hope. If she tried her best tonight, she could get twice her usual pay.
She moved to the farther end of the stage, close to the speakers. She had doubts anyone was going to see her because of the poor lighting but she hoped she was able to pick some money off the floor when the men sprayed the ‘stars’ of the night as James had put it.
It was a different crowd from what she was used to seeing. The men were dressed in suits and had an air of importance about them. She was impressed, she hoped one day she’d be dressed in a suit and talk business with any of them.
The song started, slow and sensual. She watched as the other girls moved and she tried to imitate them. She struggled as she held onto the pole and kicked her feet.
James taught them that the ultimate trick was to lock eyes with whoever they were interested in and charm them with their sensual dance moves.
She watched closely, looking for whom to lock eyes with. When she remembered her electricity was going to be out the following week, she danced harder, arching her back even more and holding her feet up high.
As expected, the men were attracted to the stars of the show and they showered them with money. Her eyes widened at the bundles of money, if she could get one bundle, that would be enough to cover her rent and other bills.
She moved to the spotlight, tired of getting no attention. James was going to give her an earful later on and maybe fire her but she didn’t care, it was better to take the risk than do nothing.
She found her target at the end of the room. The other men seemed smitten by the other girls but he didn’t look like he wanted to be there and he ignored advances made by the strippers. His mouth twisted into a frown when a man beside him whispered something into his ear.
He fumbled for his phone and typed something quickly before shoving it into his pocket. The only way she could get his attention was if she danced in front of him.
So she moved to the other side of the stage, placing each leg in front of each other in what she hoped was a sexy catwalk. She grabbed the pole and began to move her hips as she had seen the other girls do. She saw James from a corner shaking his head disapprovingly, she was certain she was going to get fired.
The man lifted his eyes to her and they locked eyes for about two seconds. The man quickly looked away, his irritation deepened.
She felt her heart thump against her chest, she felt so stupid. What she thought was seduction was probably her moving her body in an amusing way.
Tears pricked her eyes but she held them. She didn’t want to ruin James’ business.
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The sound of loud music reverberated across the room. Nothing made sense to him, his mind was occupied by other thoughts and contrary to Henry’s suggestion, the strip club or the girls clad in scanty clothes didn’t help ease the tension he felt.In three days, he was going to lose his father’s company. He felt a knot in his chest and he downed what was left in his glass in one gulp. He watched as the other men sprayed the girls and cheered them on, he envied how relaxed they were, not bothered by what was going to happen. His relationship with his father was not the typical father and son relationship. They disagreed on so many things even though they were the spitting image of each other. His father had always feared that his son would end up a lonely man or if he kept on sleeping with different women, he might lose himself. Aiden didn’t care about any of the things he had to say, his parents had found love which was perfect but he wasn’t interested in finding love. The tho
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Tears blurred her vision as she held her tote bag close to her chest with one hand and her car keys in the other. James had fired her, there was no point begging him. She earned the least and she was only taking up space backstage.What upset her wasn’t losing her job but the fact that she couldn’t pay her bills and the man at the club had looked at her like she meant nothing. She was probably never going to cross paths with him but it still hurt. She wondered if he had looked at the other girls like that or if he was just disappointed in her and her inability. She tried to start the car but it won’t budge just when she thought her day couldn’t get any worse. The car was a hand me down from her father for her eighteenth birthday. It was well over six years but she still tried her best to maintain it, it was all she could manage until she could afford a decent one.She sighed and wiped her tears as she thought of what the problem could be. It was a cold night, the flimsy dress
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Ten hours left….. Jeanine's eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent office space. She had quickly remembered where she had seen his face, she had seen him in adverts for Ray.co. She clutched her bag as she took in every detail of the office while waiting for Mr Aiden Braithwaite.After second thoughts, she decided to give him his card in person and thank him for being kind to her. “Mr Aiden would have you in his office now” the secretary announced and motioned for her to enter the adjoining office She walked in to the sound of the rapid tapping of a keyboard as his eyes were focused on the screen of his computer.She felt sweat gather on her palms and underarms. She hadn’t felt this nervous the night she saw him at the club. He didn’t acknowledge her presence at first and she contemplated walking out and leaving his card with the secretary. Why did he ask her to come in when he was going to ignore her? “Please have a seat” Aiden said and motioned to the chair oppos
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She lay on the bed, eyes wide open. Everything was happening so fast, so unreal. One minute, she was living in a shared studio apartment and the next minute, she was in Aiden’s penthouse. She shut her eyes and wished her brain would stop overthinking. She had done many menial jobs in the past, some of which she wasn’t proud of like when she was a stripper but getting married for money wasn’t something she’d ever imagined doing. It sounded dishonest, she was getting married to him because of what he could offer her not because they were in love. She had always imagined that her marriage would be one based on love, they’d live in a white picket fence and fill their house up with beautiful children but she was all wrong. She sighed as she stretched out, taking comfort in how silky the pillows were. She wondered how much they must have cost. Her bathroom had a jacuzzi, who just randomly had jacuzzis in their house? She shared a studio apartment with two students and a family of mice
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“Are you okay Mr Braithwaite?” Linda askedAiden was back to seeing his therapist once a week. He kept on having nightmares of an accident that happened years ago. The past week had been rough for him. “I’m trying to be,” he answered. “I’ve been feeling overwhelmed lately. I have nightmares almost every night. I see myself trying to reverse what happened that night but I can’t”He watched Linda scribble something on her notepad. He didn’t believe therapy worked, talking to another person about what he was feeling, how was that going to help? The major reason he considered therapy again was because he was doing well with his family and he didn’t want to hurt them again. Another reason was because of Jeanine, he agreed that throughout their marriage, he was going to take care of her. He didn’t want to bother her with his own problems. “What do you think triggered these nightmares?” She adjusted her glasses. “From our last session, it seemed like the nightmares had finally s
SHE’S MINE 42
Was she ever going to fully understand her husband? Probably not but she knew not to ask questions. She was surprised and excited when Aiden showed up. Not that she wanted to ditch her friends but she enjoyed spending time with her husband too. When she woke up each morning, she looked forward to seeing him, hearing his voice and having dinner with him. This made her question if she’d be able to move on when they separated. She’ll most likely be busy with her new job or her master’s program but it would never be the same, she’d always think of him. Aiden Braithwaite, the man that walked into her life and changed it forever. “Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” He asked as he made a U-turnHe sent a text? Aiden Braithwaite sent her a text message. He never sent her a text, he never replied to her texts not like that held much content anyway. It was basically her letting him know her whereabouts and the time she’d be done with whatever she was doing incase they had to go out.Sh
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SHE’S MINE 38
This was what life was about, drinking champagne, networking with colleagues and discussing business. One day you could be working as a stripper and the next day your life would be changed for better, you’d be discussing business plans and networking with people in your field.Catherine Lukeman’s home was beautiful, the garden was the perfect place for their little get together. After three weeks of working at Ray.co, Jeanine had quickly made friends with quite a number of people. She couldn’t be more thankful to have people who had more experience guide her in her career path. Aiden wasn’t left out, most times he gave her advice and when he had important meetings, he invited her to join him in the board room so she could learn a thing or two from whatever was being discussed. He was supportive and he also helped her with her school work. For someone who had a cold demeanor, he knew how to explain things to her like a five year old and she wasn’t sure if it was by her focusing on
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All he could think of was her as he landed heavy blows on Henry’s boxing glove. It was his usual routine to go boxing with Henry on Saturday mornings, thankfully they were the only ones in the ring. He felt his hands hurt from the heavy impact but he wouldn’t stop until he got rid of all the anger he felt. Streaks of sweat found its way to his neck from his forehead but that was not enough to get rid of the anger. “Chill out man!” Henry cried as he pushed him off.He took off his gloves and tossed them to a corner of the ring.“What the heck is wrong with you man? We are supposed to be boxing not you physically assaulting me” Aiden fell on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, he was now weak and all he felt was pain in his joints. “What’s up with you?” Henry asked and joined him on the floor He ran a hand to his wet hair and waited for his pulse to return to normal. He’d never felt so much anger and sadness in a long time. Aiden loved to be in charge of hi
SHE’S MINE 36
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SHE’S MINE 35
Filthy? He wondered the kind of things that went on in her head. How would she think that he’d ever find her filthy? When he asked her to be his contracted wife, he wasn’t skeptical about it. There was something about her that gave him the reassurance that she’d not tell anybody about it or try to make fame from being his wife. Had she seen the way Donovan and the other men looked at her? Although Jeanine wasn’t the lady he’d go for on a normal day, he was proud to show her off. She was worthy of everything, in character and beauty. While he wasn’t sure she was seeing anyone, he hoped that she found a good man who would cherish and take care of her after their marriage. She hadn’t necessarily made mention of any man or lover and he didn’t wish to know but he hated to admit that he was awkwardly pleased to know her whereabouts and control it. She kept her routine simple, school, the orphanage, the library on some days and mama Lucia’s diner on some other days. “Do I hav
