Page 25 of Firecracker

“Did you work at the gym with Izzy back home?” Ginger inquires.

“Gym?” I look to Izzy for answers.

Izzy grabs her drink. “Okay, I have a confession. I didn’t really learn how to pole dance at the gym,” she states. “BUT. I did teach some classes there once.”

I bust up laughing.

Ginger shouts, “I knew you didn’t learn those moves at a fucking gym.”

Gus moves to Izzy with a murderous look on his face. “Where’d ya learn?”

Izzy stands her ground playing with the straw in her drink. She looks to me, and I nod my head.

“Well, Ruby moved in with her aunt when she was like ten years old. Her momma was a roadie, name Ruby after the song, ‘Ruby Tuesday’ by The Rolling Stones, hence why she hates the name.”

I snap, “Dude. We don’t need to my life story. Just get to the part about my auntie.”

“I want to know about your story,” a couple of the men say in unison.

Izzy continues, “She lived with her aunt, who’s one of the top well known domme in SoCal. She co-owns a strip club, and we used to go and hang out in the back with all the girls. Obviously, Ruby was going there way before me but we kind of hung out there when her auntie would let us.”

A voice grunts from behind us, making us all turn to see who walked up. Shy, Mac, Dallas and four huge guys walk up from the back room where they’ve been all night. Dallas repeats himself, “What’s your aunt’s name?”

Izzy looks to me again for approval before answering, “Giselle.”

I see the look on his face, and that wasn’t the name he was looking for, so I follow up with, “Mistress Z but mostly she goes by Madam Zelle. She went by a few different names way back when she was stripping, but once she bought into the club becoming co-owner, she stopped stripping. She’s been Mistress Z forever, being in the underground kink world, but once she stopped stripping, she started going by Madam Zelle. But, we know her as Auntie Giselle. She tries to keep her lives completely separate.”

Every guy in the place’s mouth is wide open, and almost everyone has shut up.

Izzy continues, “I didn’t want to say anything because she’s very secretive about her two lives. She keeps them separate, never mixing the two. I didn’t want to have to explain or lie but since Ruby’s here, she, of course, has the right to tell you.”

Everyone is quiet.

“So, you know how to dance like Iz? You that good?” Dallas again pipes up asking the question with a huge grin on his face.

“I doubt it. I’m sure she’s gotten better than me.” I snicker.

“Bullshit!” Izzy exclaims.

“I second that bullshit,” Mac yells from behind me.

“Let’s see what you got,” Quick says, walking up to my side.

I laugh and slam my drink back finishing it. “Maybe tomorrow at the party because right now, I’m so drunk it would be a shit show if I got up there,” I choke out.

Everyone starts chattering around us laughing and giving their two cents about me getting up on the pole but it’s Quick who has my attention. “So you are staying?” he says curiously.

Izzy turns to me waiting for my answer as well. “Yes, I’m going to stay the whole time.”

Quick’s face lights up. “Now that is the best fucking news I’ve heard all night.”

“Well, fuck me. That’s a first,” Maze says behind me. “Shots. Let's go.”

Five shots later, I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m hammered, exhausted and just need to sleep. Izzy is up dancing around with Ginger.

For the love of God, where do they get the energy.

I yell to get Izzy’s attention when she comes over and sits down I say, “I need a bed. I want you to keep having fun, but I’m exhausted from the day and hammered.”

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