I shook my foot and held my tongue. I couldn’t afford to lose this job, and the owner, Mr. Kendal, took the customers very serious. Their satisfaction meant everything, according to him.

I stormed into the dressing room and found an empty table in the corner, away from the other strippers. I didn’t like to talk to any of them - they were gaudy, cheap, and loose. I had kept my head down ever since I first started at the club, and that was how I liked it. I had no reason to try to make friends. I never had before and didn’t need to start now.

“Hey. Let me borrow some lipstick. I forgot mine.”

I looked up to see one of the other strippers leaning above me. Her red hair fell over her overly tanned face as she reached her arm over my shoulder, hovering it above my makeup. I stared at her in silence, my eyebrows raised, as she reached for my pink lipstick. Okay then.

I cleared my throat and tilted my head as she opened the lid of the lipstick and rubbed it over her thin lips. Most of the other strippers shared their makeup and clothing with each other, but not me. ”You can just keep that.”

The young stripper smiled and puckered her lips. “Thanks, gorgeous.” Then she kissed the air and ran her hands over her spandex mini skirt, trying to look flirty. “Are you new?”

I blew out an exasperated breath and turned my head away. I didn't have the patience to deal with her questions. “No. I’ve been working here for about ten months now," I huffed, hoping that she would just go away.

The girl smiled and laughed loudly. “My bad.” She held up the tube of lipstick and nodded her head before turning to walk away. “Thanks.”

“Yup,” I muttered, as I watched her join another stripper, an older woman with short chestnut hair. They both looked back at me and smiled. I guess you're never too old to get naked for cash. It was oddly disturbing, making me shiver.

I applied a layer of red lipstick to my full lips and then a thick layer of mascara before I scanned the closet and decided on my uniform for the night – I was going to be a sexy police officer, clad in black leather. I hated all of the costumes, but this was the only one that made me feel in control of what I was doing – a precious feeling, and certainly one that I wasn’t prepared to throw away.

I threw the pink, fuzzy cuffs around the belt and looked around the brightly lit room, my stressful eyes scanning over the rows of lit mirrors. It hurt me to know that in just fifteen minutes, I would be out on that stage being eyed by a pack of perverted, sex-deprived animals. I was as low as I could get.

~•~

"Avery. It's time," Mr. Kendal stated. "Good luck out there." He flashed his crooked smile as he motioned with his hands toward the exit. “Don’t just stand there, go.” He eyed me anxiously, while tapping his fingers on the wall behind him.

I nodded my head, took a step toward the door, and waited for the announcement before I stepped out onto the heart-shaped stage. My own heart sank as I took in the sight around me with guarded eyes - it was even more crowded than it had been when I arrived.

The music blared around me as I closed my eyes and swayed to the fast rhythm. I could feel the money flying at me as I reached for my cuffs and clasped them around my wrist, before wrapping my leg around the smooth pole. Every second out here felt like an eternity.

I opened my eyes momentarily and caught the attention of a man standing by the bar, beer bottle in hand. A bolt of electricity surged through my body as he stared at me with curious eyes. He was gorgeous. He lifted his tattooed arm, tilting back his head as he took a long sip of his beer. He had those bad boy good looks with his jet-black hair, leather boots and V-neck t-shirt. It fascinated me and somehow had me curious.

Suddenly the music stopped; however, I remained rooted to the spot, my gaze locked on him, as his calm eyes looked into mine. A collection of rude insults broke my reverie, causing panic to set in. I shook my head, looked out into the crowd, and sighed, remembering where I was. I felt ridiculous. Great job, Avery.

I tilted my head to the right once more in an effort to get a proper look at the enigma who had been standing by the bar only seconds before, but he was gone - lost in a sea of faces. My face scrunched up in annoyance, as I headed backstage to change.

Mr. Kendal licked his lips as his greedy eyes wandered over my flesh. "Here's your money - one hundred and twenty three dollars." He arched an eyebrow as he handed me the money. "Not bad for such a short song. We better start seeing more of you soon.” The serious look on his face said it all. He wasn't going to give me a choice if I wanted to keep my job. Three nights a week wasn't going to cut it anymore.

I quickly grabbed the money from his outstretched hand and headed for the door as fast as I could on two, silver heels. I was about to leave when suddenly a huge, muscular bouncer grabbed my open hand. My heart pounded as I attempted to pull my arm away.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" he questioned gruffly, flexing his huge chest, but not releasing the grip, he had on my hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied trying to sound calm. "I have a ride coming."

Finally, he released his grip on my arm, pulling a crumpled cigarette out of his shirt pocket. "Okay. Have a great night, ma’am." I nodded my head and turned away.

I cautiously made my way outside in hopes that my friend, Caleb, would already be waiting, but to my surprise, he was nowhere in sight.

I sighed, strolling over to the side of the brick building and pressing my body against it. I wasn't particularly worried about being outside by myself so late at night, but it still would’ve been nice if Caleb had been here on time. I grabbed my cell phone from out of my clutch bag and was just about to dial his number when I looked up to see his red BMW pulling up next to me. I felt relieved.

He jumped out and walked over to me, brown suede shoes crunching on the soiled ground. "Get in,” he said bluntly, before turning on his heel and striding back to the car, eyes glued to his phone.

I rolled my eyes. Caleb had always hated my job at Taste of Poison and he certainly wasn't afraid to hide it. He was twenty-five, nice looking, with thick blond hair, amber eyes and full lips. He was definitely attractive, but not for me.

I clutched my bag to my chest and walked over to the passenger door, hopping inside. "Look, I'm fine. I can take care of myself," I said, running a hand through my tousled hair. Caleb continued to glare at me, his eyes narrowed as he continued to text on his phone as usual.