Page 11 of Anastasia

“Your name is Anastasia, correct?” he asked. I could hear the slightest Italian accent in his voice. I wondered if he was the Romano guy everyone was talking about.

“Anastasia Smith.” I grinned.

He smiled slightly, nodding his head as he looked down at my body. His eyes settled on mine once again. It was the look he gave me—almost as if a lightbulb flicked on in his head the more he looked at what I’ve to offer. For some strange reason, I was not as nervous as I thought I should be.

“My name is Valerio Vitali, the girls all call me V.V. Now, this interview is more like an audition. It isn’t going to be something you may be used to, and if at any point you feel uncomfortable, please be sure to let me know,” he kindly replied.

Nodding my head, I felt relief flow through me.

“I am going to have to ask you, do you have any experience in pole dancing?” he quizzed.

“No, I’ve only worked as a waitress in a diner.”

My heart pumped in my chest as he examined me. I wondered if he could see through me right to my thoughts. What if someone saw me out there on stage, what would they think about me? Would they think I was some disgusting girl who lacked intellect, that the only good thing about me was my body? Would my sister see me and shake her head in disappointment? Was I just Mum—a disappointment?

My shoulders tensed up and my heart began to hammer in my chest. I wasn’t sure if I could do it anymore. There was this urge to hurry and leave, but I kept thinking about my sister in the hospital. She needed me, and I didn’t want to fail her.

“Perfect. Let me tell you something, dancing is the body’s way of releasing emotions without words. It is neither dirty nor scary,butit is beautiful. So, I am going to dim the lights a little and play some soft music. All I want is for you to convince me with your body thatyou, Anastasia, arebeautiful,” he affirmed. The tension in my shoulders began to ease as I took a deep breath. I removed the t-shirt I was wearing as slowly as possible. My goal was to be seductive, but I was sure that awkwardness coated my every action. Hairs on my body stood at attention, even my mind was racing off in every direction. I was nervous, and I was sure that Valerio could feel it.

“Eye contact. Eye contact shows confidence, as if you own what you are doing,” Valerio suggested. My eyes reluctantly met his, where I could see the interest lurking behind them. While never looking away, I slid my shorts down my legs and let them pool at my feet.

He smiled proudly as I anxiously walked up to the pole. My back was turned toward him at first, but I quickly grabbed onto the pole and tossed my head back to look at him. I did every move Janice taught me, including a freestyle of my own. The more I danced, the easier it became. I found confidence cheering me on and loved it profoundly.

When I finished, he was clapping his hands. I watched him as he got up from the couch and walked toward me.

“I love this pink on you,” he said thoughtfully. “As you were dancing, I was thinking about something that will especially set you apart from the rest of the girls. The pink, blonde hair, blue eyes?the thought of a Barbie doll comes to me.”

“As long as I get the job, I don’t mind being Barbie.” I chuckled.

“You’ve convinced me?you have it. Let’s talk about money. Most of our women here rack up on tips, and we men have money to spend. You also get paid twenty dollars an hour. If you keep practicing, based on the way you look on that pole, you could end up walking out of here with no less than a grand a night. Since you are only beginning, I’m going to start you out at six o’clock in the evening to two o’clock in the morning on Saturdays and Thursdays. If the men here want to see more of you, I will simply add more days,” Valerio explained.

I nodded my head with a smile. I never even made close to a thousand per check from the diner, and he was saying that I could end up with no less than that per day. It was way more promising of a deal than my other job.

“Great. It was really nice meeting you, Anastasia. When you arrive on Saturday, just go up to Kayla and she will get you started,” he added.

I looked down at his outstretched hand before giving it a firm shake. After a curt nod, he exited the room, leaving me by myself. As soon as the coast was clear, I let out a loud squeal as I picked up my clothes and began to redress myself.

Anastasia

The smell of booze and sweat infiltrated my nose as I walked around the club. Even though I should have been anxious, I couldn’t help the swarm of happiness in my heart. Alex was doing a lot better. Her treatment was really helping with not allowing the cancer to spread further. It always made my day to hear Dr. Flores talk about how well she was doing. Since Alex was getting healthier, I truly began to worry about her finding about my secret job.

Janice was still giving me lessons every day. Sore muscles and bruises pinched my skin, and I still had trouble getting up on some mornings.

Despite all good things, I still hadn’t heard from my mother in a long time, but everything else was really starting to look up. It was finally Saturday, and that meant I would be working as a stripper for the first time in my life.

There were a lot more people than there were during my interview. Men in suits were everywhere. They were speaking a foreign language, downing drinks, laughing. Women perched themselves on poles while others swayed their hips as they pranced.

“Anastasia! Come, you have the next dance. I will show you where to set up,” Kayla said, appearing out of nowhere.

I followed her into a back room where a few women were putting on makeup. There were about fifty vanity mirrors. All of them had curling irons, straightening irons, and makeup.

“This one is yours,” Kayla told me before pointing toward an empty space. It had pink plastic lingerie with knee-high boots to match. On the clothing, there was a sticky note that read ‘Barbie’ in cursive print. There were even specific directions written on it. They wanted my hair to be tightly curled, my makeup to be a simple pink lipstick, winged-eyeliner, and pink eyeshadow.

“Be ready in thirty, Barbie.” She winked.

Once Kayla exited, my eyes wandered to one of the girls. She was dressed as a leopard. Her nipples were covered by a piece of tape, and her panties were a simple thong with a tail hanging from it. She must have felt my eyes because she looked over at me.

“What? Do you have a staring problem?” she snarled.

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