Gabriella walked into the smoky club. It was pretty nice, the decor was modern and everything looked new. The smoke machine gave it a dirty look she realized as the smoke was brown and smelled like vanilla.
She saw a stage with a pole in the center close to the front. It was opposite the bar and gave anyone who walked in an eyeful. She was going to be on that stage soon.
After her handler had discovered that it literally hurt him more than it hurt her to slap her around he'd started using the other girls.
Gaby didn't like all of them but she couldn't stand to see them get hurt on her behalf. She looked around, the DJ was setting up so the club was a little quiet...
She shivered. Fortunately, this club had them stripping down to thongs and pasties but it wasn't much different from full nudity. She was here to pick a song, and practice her routine.
The real show started after six....the doors of the club opened at five in the evening.
They'd all been warned at orientation that their job was to help the working class man relax and de-stress after a long day at work.
The men weren't allowed to touch, lick, kiss, or put any body fluids on them. The only touch allowed was holding hands and a chivalrous kiss on the hand.
The girls that had been around warned the newer girls not to let it go beyond that because Tony always found out. Nothing made you feel dirtier than being near Tony after he found out. That message had been clear.
Gaby hadn't met Tony yet but everyone feared him. Including her handler. She walked up to the DJ and asked him what music he had. The DJ scowled.
Gaby was pretty sure he hated working with the fresh meat. She'd learned that that was what the new girls were called. To confirm her suspicions he threw a list at her of alphabetical song titles.
As she skimmed over it she noted it was mostly ballads, rock, pop, and dance. Although the list was probably a hundred pages long she read it fairly quickly and placed it back next to the DJ's laptop. She studied the vibe of the club.
She prayed her mate would understand that she was stripping for survival and not because she wanted to. Gabriella thanked her lucky stars for having been raised in a pack that had heavy African and Caribbean roots which made dance a natural part of pack life.
She thanked her inner naughtiness for getting her mom to get her into pole dancing fitness classes for confidence and health reasons.
The air became cooler in the club. She looked around. The basic decor was black and white.
The center stage had two poles on either side of the center making it look like an 8 with two tiny holes equidistant from each other and the edges of the stage.
There was seating around the main stage which on one side were booths with leather seats. On the other side, rondavels made of sheer material, that was just opaque enough to obscure a face but not bodies, that enclosed semi-circle leather couches with sturdy, circular marble tables. It was chic.
She looked up. The lighting was built for mood creation. It was subtle but state-of-the-art. She imagined the lights flashing to the beat.
Wait staff bustled about getting ready. The clock on the wall read 3:45. She had an hour to make up a routine and practice it.
A tall, gorgeous man walked in inspecting as he came through the door.
The atmosphere changed drastically. The staff all looked a lot busier and the chatter died down.
The bouncers stood at attention ready to be on call. The seasoned girls handed in their song requests and stretched on the stage.
Gaby nervously wondered what she should do. Another, less handsome man walked around checking costumes and keeping the seasoned girls in order.
The gorgeous man walked to the bar and got a bottle of water from the bartender.
Gaby looked at the stage and started mentally choreographing her debut strip. Due to her larger size, she'd been fitted for custom gear, none of the other girls was her size.
The first three weeks their costumes were made for them. After that, it came out of their earnings.
Gaby had already spotted some stores in the area where she could get props and outfits together at a low cost. She knew that if she resisted the lives of other girls were at risk and that was not worth it.
"Diamond, let's see what you've got." The gorgeous man rasped deeply from behind her. He turned to the DJ and nodded.
A track that she recognized started playing, it was "Tempting to touch." She looked at her maxi dress with its flowing skirt and long sleeves and sighed. She walked to the stage with the grace of a contemporary dancer.
She kept it pretty simple and didn't use the pole at all. She did a dance routine from one of the choreographers they'd studied in one of her dance classes.
With her long dress, she managed to still make the dance look sexy and had the wait staff and bartenders watching by the end of her short choreographed piece.
Some of the seasoned girls snickered. The others nodded looking at her potential. Some leered chanting for her to take off the dress.
The DJ cut the song. Everyone looked at the gorgeous man with bated breath. His hazel eyes pierced hers.
"That's cute. I want you to leave the men who come here wishing they could take you home and fuck you while you wine on their little dicks. They should want to empty their wallets for the fantasy you create." His voice rasped.
He motioned for her handler who was nervous as he approached. He whispered something in his ear and her handler nodded.
Gaby watched anxiously. She couldn't stomach another torture right now. She'd even skipped breakfast and lunch with how nervous she was.
Her handler motioned for her to come with him and everyone spoke in hushed whispers. With her sensitive hearing, she picked up how most thought she'd displeased Tony already. The seasoned girls sniggered and then were sent to their dressing rooms at the back.
As her handler walked out the door and into the sunlight she blinked adjusting her eyesight quickly. She made sure to be just behind him. They walked back to the apartment complex which was only a few blocks away.
As they got to her apartment, her handler told her to collect her things and come back out. When she came out with her small overnight bag with the four maxi dresses she'd chosen earlier he walked to the elevator and pressed the up key.
When they were in the elevator he handed her a card which he told her to tap against the panel below the normal buttons.
When the doors opened they were in a foyer that screamed opulence. Italian marble floors and walls lined both of the coat rooms on either side of the foyer. The lounge had a pole in the center with seating that centered around the pole stage.
Everything was modern, well in place, and super clean. They walked past an outdoor and indoor pool as well as several other rooms. When they stopped her handler nodded at a door.
"This is your new room until Tony says so. No one except you and Tony goes in there. No hoes, no clients, no friends, no lovers, no parents.
"Tony don't play. He will kill you first. Be good to Tony, and he'll be good to you. Don't tell him 'no' in front of nobody.
"If he says jump you ask him 'how high, sir?' If you fuck this up for me I will murder your old roommate and tell Tony she was trying to escape because you two had planned it."
With that long intro, she was shown how to use the key card to get into the room and left alone. The only kind thing her handler said before leaving was that she better start practicing based on Tony's critique and planning her debut for the next day.
She was also told to be ready to be called back to the club later on.
Gaby looked around her surroundings and immediately knew either she was the luckiest girl in the world or things were about to get truly gruesome. She crossed her fingers for 'lucky'. She explored the room.
It turned out to be a suite with walk-in closets, clearly his and hers. A bathroom with his and hers everything and one massive tub and one massive shower. The bathroom had a rustic but elegant touch to it and it was a bit like being out in nature.
There was a dining space and an entertainment space that had a large balcony that overlooked the rest of the complex and city. As the sun began to set she quickly made use of the shower and washed her hair.
She put on another maxi dress and used the makeup to create a polished but classic look that made her look mature and classy.
As she finished her face she heard the click of a door open. She walked out of the walk-in closet to the bedroom and stood next to the King size bed with the dark grey comforter that contrasted with the light eggshell walls. She smiled nervously.
Tony dropped his leather jacket on the chair next to the bed. He undid the top button of his collared shirt and his cufflinks which he placed on a side table that matched the bed. He pulled at his silk tie until the four-in-hand knot came undone. All while he looked at her.
"You were very difficult to acquire Gabriella. The only other place you will ever be safer than this apartment is with your..." He growled as if the word was distasteful, "mate."