Page 24 of 12 Days

"I was saying that you look a little out of place here. Not your usual hangout?"

"No. I have never been to a strip club, before!"

The way she says it is adorable, looking around to see if anyone is listening before whispering the words conspiratorially. As if anyone else could've heard her over the deep base pounding through us, sending vibrations through our bodies.

I turn back to the bar, having realized that the drinks are ready. I grab them and hand one to her, but she is losing herself in the rhythm again.

I am ensnared by this, and I spend a few minutes just watching her twist and gyrate to the music. Maybe it is the environment or just my desire, but as I watch her, I start to mentally undress her.

I imagine each piece of clothing falling away slowly, revealing what I can't see. The image of her in my mind is driving me wild. Her movements in front of me are too much to bear.

She looks up and sees me holding the drinks, watching her, and this time we are both a little embarrassed.

"Sorry about that. I guess I just got kind of lost in the music for a minute."

"You don't have to apologize to me for that. I enjoyed the show."

"Oh, really?" She takes the drink from my hand and sips it, eyes locked on my own. "Well, I guess a good show is what we are all here for, right?" She takes another sip, and a sly smile forms on her face. "So, now it's my turn. Is this your usual hangout?"

I turn away from her, sipping my drink and looking around the surroundings as if here for the first time. "I've never been here before."

"Yeah, right! I bet you know every one of these girls by name!" She gestures with her arm, sweeping the whole club.

"No. I told you, I've never been here before," I say with a mischievous grin.

She gives me a knowing look and sips her drink before finally arriving at a conclusion. "I don't believe you." She looks around the club, eyes settling on an attractive beauty toward the far wall. "Who is that?"

I follow her gaze, focusing on the girl. "That's Amber."

"Ok," she says, clearly not satisfied with my answer. "Tell me about her."

"Her real name is Gina, and she's twenty-three years old. She originally came here to go to nursing school, but her boyfriend left with all her money and her car. She was about to get evicted when she started working here. She didn't know she was pregnant at the time. Her son is four now."

"Holy crap, is that true?"

I shrug my shoulders. "How should I know? I told you I've never been here before."

She smiles, and looks for her next target of the game. "How about her?" She gestures toward a white-haired beauty dancing on one of the side stages. "That's Cah-Lacy. Her real name is Beverly, and she only strips part time."

"What else does she do?"

"She works in our ad department. I'm not really sure what her job is there."

Alyssa laughs at this. It feels great to make her laugh.

She points to the center stage. "And, who is that?"

I don’t have to look to know who she's pointing at. "That, my dear, is Ebony." A thought occurs to me. "Her dance is almost up. Would you like to meet her?"

Not taking no for an answer, I grab Alyssa's hand, and lead her to Ebony. Being in mid-sip, Alyssa's mouth is too full to protest.

We make our way to the center stage just as the song ends.

Ebony walks down the stairs and notices me standing there. "Mmm, you look delicious, Theo. Good enough to eat!"

"Hey, Ebony. How’ve you been?"

"Not as good as you, I see." She looks Alyssa up and down. "Sweetie, I don't know who you are, but you should blow off this guy, and spend some time with sweet Ebony over here."

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