BELLADONNA: The Deadly Nightshade
08 – The Life of a Stripper
"Give it to me, give it to me, baby!"
Sighs and moans full of lust slipped into Belle's eardrums, she jerked from her slumber.
Half asleep, she got up from the hard sofa and looked around.
The music was pounding from the shaking wall, half confused, Belle asked Anne who was sitting in front of vanity mirror, putting her makeup. Her back turned to Belle.
"Who is that?" Belle asked, rubbing her eyes. Her shift would start in half an hour. Luckily, she woke up in time.
Anne glanced at Belle from the reflection and chuckled "Diana, you know she's a bitch."
She turned back to the mirror and was busy again putting mascara on her fake lashes.
Belle exhaled. Diana was known for her 'easy-going' reputation. Even though they work as strippers, that doesn't mean they are call girls. Well actually, the difference is very subtle. But that almost imperceptible difference continues to be upheld by Belle.
"Who's this guy this time?" Belle asked, curiosity always get the better of her. She stood up and walked over to her locker, taking out her work clothes which consisted of lingerie that was smaller than her actual size and a mask that covered half her face.
One of the reasons she chose to be a stripper in this club is that every stripper wears a mask to cover their identity. So, Belle doesn't have to worry if she meets her clients outside of working hours. Because they won't recognize her.
"The married guy." Anne answered and laughed louder "Stupid bitch!"
Like it or not, Belle joined in laughing "Shit. Who is she kidding, really? Married guy? Damn it."
Anne chuckled. "Well, it looks like she doesn't know or is just too stupid that 'The married guy' is on the list."
"Why don't she use ER?" asked Belle, surprised "Isn't that what ER is meant for?"
ER or Executive Room is a closed VIP room. Each customer may use the room and call several dancers to dance a few songs. By the end of the night, all of them will be dancing with no pants.
"I know that she really needs money to pay for her rent, but you try to pay attention, almost every day she gets 'extra'. Too strange to be called coincidence." Anne voicing her thought about her colleague. This time she pulled her stockings up high until her groins were smooth.
Belle shrugged her shoulders casually and started to stretch, her stiff muscles needed to relax from curled up on the hard sofa for too long. "She once said that for once 'extra time' she could get a hundred bucks."
Anne snorted, "For us, extra is the just dirty dance, just friction, right? But for her, full body contact for a hundred dollars, huh! Really cheap."
Belle chuckled. "Did you hear yesterday that she had a fight with Tracy over a client?"
Anne turned from her chair and stared wide at Belle. "Tell me about it. Yesterday I was off duty, but I heard a story from Jon, but he didn't give me the details. Tell me!" she urged excitedly.
Belle pulled her leg until it touched the back of her head, she felt her thigh muscles pull. "Yes, Tracy was with this client, I think they were negotiating for an extra, but then Diana approached them and chipped in. Obviously, Tracy was uncomfortable, you know she doesn't like to be bothered when she's with one person, so they started fighting until finally Dave stepped in."
Anne gasped, she covered her mouth. "Shit. Why did I have to be off duty yesterday?!"
Belle laughed "Yeah, you missed the show, girl!"
The two friends laugh at their fellow stripper friend's stupidity.
It's been nearly four months that Belle has been working oddly every night as a stripper at one of the strip clubs, a place she never dreamed of being her nightly work.
Shift starts at eight in the evening until past midnight. At three in the morning, she returned to her studio apartment and slept until five, then leave at six o'clock for part time at the café for waitressing until breakfast time ran out, after lunch she rushed to campus.
Ever since Dale stole the money, Belle has had to work hard to pay the bills. Every time she waddled around the club, rocked her body to be enjoyed by some bastards or served pancakes in a café, she always cursed her brother, who disappeared into thin air.
The first time she worked as a stripper, Belle had to refrain from vomiting every time she stripped her clothes on stage, hugged a pole pretending to get orgasm and moved between the crotch of the stranger who tucked a dollar bill in her pants.
For the first month, Belle had to swallow a sedative pill every time she appeared on stage. But after realizing the effect, she tried to stop downing Xanax and enjoy her work.
Anne wore her killer heels and hands on her hips. "You're covering my shift tomorrow, right?" she asked again.
Belle nodded, she should have been off tomorrow, but Anne had asked her, if not persuading her, to change shifts. "What time are you leaving?"
"One o'clock in the afternoon, the operating schedule starts at three." Anne's face turned pale, she tried to hide her panic by turning her face to stare at the ceiling of the room. Belle came over and put a hand on her shoulder "It's okay. Don't worry, I got your back."
Anne smiled and took a breath. "I know, thanks, Belle. You're the best. "
After giving her a brief hug, Anne walked out of the room, leaving Belle who was pensive in front of the mirror before applying her make-up.
"One day, it will be over soon." She whispered to herself as she applied her lips with blood red lipstick. The colour that became her trademark.
When wearing that mask, only Belle's lips are the centre of attention, besides her breasts and butt.
'One day, I don't need to do this for strangers anymore, I will dress up for myself.'
Belle puts on her mask and gets up from the dresser. Without looking at the reflection in the mirror, she rushed out.
No time to cry over spilled milk, she has bills to pay.
*