Page 11 of Private Dancer

I nod, thinking that if I had the right material, I could make Ella a one-of-a-kind ball gown fit for a Queen, “I’m pretty good with a needle and thread. Maybe I can help.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Ella says, but I can tell by the tone of her voice she won’t take me up on my offer.

“Why aren’t you wearing your glasses today?” I suddenly realize Ella isn’t wearing her glasses.

“I’m trying to get used to them for the Masked Ball. I keep blinking so much that the poor guy at the deli thought I was flirting with him.” She raises her usual ham and cheese sub and bottle of water at me.

“Which one, the old guy or the teenager?”

“The teenager.” She blanches. “He called me Ma'am when he handed me the bag.” She takes a bite of her sandwich and shrugs.

“Oh, that’s rich, Ella. But at twenty-four, you probably look like an old lady to him.” I laugh. God, I needed a good laugh to get my mind off work and my three sexy new bosses.

“Bri, isn’t that your boss over there, glaring at you and tapping his watch?” Ella points to the park entrance, and there he is, Alec, staring at me and pointing at his watch.

“Ugh, I better get back to work. See you tomorrow. Same time, Same place?” I lean over and give her a quick hug. I better get back to work and face the facts; I am now an assistant to the three guys I let fuck me at the same time.

“Sure, I’ll see you later.” Ella returns my hug, waving at me as I hustle back to my office building, completely ignoring Alec as I pass by him.

He laughs with that deep voice of his, and a fresh wave of wetness coats my panties.

It’s going to be a long eight weeks. Hopefully, my panties will survive.

seven

Bri

Thanks to Karen and her bogus assignment, I’m running late for my shift at The Palace and had to change into my costume at work instead of at the club. Tonight is my first night actually dancing for customers instead of only serving drinks. With the long hours I’ve been working with Alec, Jake, and Ryan over the last few weeks, I’ve had to cut back on my waitressing shifts.

With the longer work days, I’ve had to rely heavily on the kindness of my neighbors to sit with my grandmother, and even though they haven’t said anything, I know it is wearing on them.

If only this internship were paid, I could support my grandmother and quit my job at The Palace. But instead, I was left with no choice but to start dancing at the Gentlemen’s Club.

I take one last look at myself in the bathroom mirror and hardly recognize myself. Gone is the professional assistant, replaced with a heavy makeup, scantily clad stripper. The dress isn’t something I would typically wear, but now that I’m a dancer, I have to show off the goods.

I made the dress myself, trying to make it both sexy and sophisticated at the same time. Unfortunately, I had to make it more sexy than sophisticated since I work for tips.

I curse myself for forgetting a coat today. The weather has been unseasonably warm. Plus, I didn’t think I would be changing at work into this tight, short, almost see-through dress.

I pop my head out of the bathroom, scanning the hallway. With no one in sight, I clutch my bag to my chest and run for the elevator. Luckily, it’s late enough that the rest of the employees have already left the building.

“Where in the hell are you going dressed like that? Are you going back to the Secret Dungeon? Because so help me. If you are, I will spank your ass right here.”

The sound of Alec’s voice behind me makes me jump. Where in the hell did he come from?

I place a hand on my chest to slow down my racing heart.

“Like I told you before, it’s none of your business what I do in my free time.” I push past him, striding down the hallway, my heels clicking on the tile floor just as Jake and Ryan round the corner in front of me.

“Holy fuck.” Jake whistles when he sees my outfit.

Alec follows me down the hallway, grabbing my arm, “You are not going anywhere dressed like that.”

Tears threaten to spill from my eyes. I need to get to work. I need the tip money, but I refuse to cry in front of them. I can’t dwell on the fact that if they only paid me for my internship, I wouldn’t have to dance for strange men. But as the old saying goes, “The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” And with the increase in the cost of my grandmother’s medication, I’m about as poor as you can get.

“Bri,” Ryan says softly, and I glance up at him, my eyes silently pleading with him.

“Please,” I whisper.

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