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2024-10-29 19:42:56“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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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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“Mrs Jeanine Braithwaite” he allowed the name roll on his tongue, almost savoring how it sounded.It had been four days since she signed the contract and he took over his father’s company. It was also the first time he slept peacefully without having any nightmares, it felt good. Jeanine was occupied by school, she spent her evenings in the library and she ate dinner alone while he buried himself in work and he drank more coffee than he should. His father was right, getting married wasn’t horrible at all. She had her space and they barely crossed paths. His personal assistant had covered every expense she needed which was none. She rejected the cadillac he’d given her and she claimed that her Volkswagen was working just fine even though he doubted that. She had missed her appointments with the fashion designers because she was either at the library or doing one charity work or the other. She never got in his way which was kind of strange for him. There was never a woman who
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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
SHE’S MINE 37
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
She clasped her hands in excitement at the sight of food from Mama Lucia, it was a good way to ease her of her emotional stress. She hadn’t been there in almost a month for a number of reasons and she missed the taste of her food. Mama Lucia was the first place Aiden kissed her and she hadn’t felt the same since then. Her feelings for him had heightened and although he was a few feet away from her, she could feel the hairs on her nape stand. It was at Mama Lucia’s that she questioned if she could obey the rules of the contract, if they could act like husband and wife without her catching feelings and becoming obsessive.Recently, she heard Aaron started holding his publication meetings at Mama Lucia, publications that may jeopardize her marriage. She had made too many memories at the restaurant that she couldn’t abandon it but still, it was too risky. “You got Mama Lucia?” She asked, her voice high pitched from excitement She didn’t ask him if she liked their food after their
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
SHE’S MINE 34
She clenched her teeth as he let go of her waist the moment they stepped into his office. The few minutes it took them to walk to his office felt like heaven, she was wrapped up in his manly scent and she felt protected by his strong arms. Aiden was a complicated man, his outrageous and unnecessary display of affection in front of their colleagues and now he was back to being his usual self. They weren’t supposed to display affection unless it was necessary, he could have texted her to come to his office instead of being dramatic. Now that he moved away from her, he body wanted more, she wished he’d take her in his arms again. She almost punched herself and tried to focus on other things like his office. His office was super organized, no surprise there. Most of the offices had filed overflowing from their drawers but Aiden took his time to classify each. There was a center table that had different kinds of tea and business magazines on it. Then there was a huge mahogany table w
