Page 7 of The Sicilian Bastard
Araceli
The club started filling up. I helped out with drinks. I wore my first outfit of the night. Maximilian had me changing into three. The first one was a bandeau top. It had suspenders clipped onto the waistband of the high waisted bikini bottoms. I made my rounds with shot glasses. A few girls got fired tonight because they were so high and drunk they couldn't function. We were short-handed. Something that had never happened before. Maximilian was on a warpath. Things that were okay before were not okay tonight. I even pulled Ruby aside and told her to keep her head down and not get too high. It didn't matter how long you worked here or what you looked like. Maximilian was enforcing the rules so we needed to obey.
"Get the fuck off the floor and change your outfit, Araceli," Maximilian barked from the bar.
I didn't have a stage name. I went by the name I knew when I woke up in the hospital. There was no reason to hide. I used to think I needed to hide. That was why I dyed my hair blue. I had the feeling someone was looking for me and I didn't want them to find me. It was all in my head. I was mugged on the street. The police had no leads and it had been a year so the case was cold now.
I scurried to the dressing room and put on my second outfit before my special outfit for the party. I was up for lap dances. I had to work for the crowd until the VIP group came in. Maximilian never allowed us to waste time. Not in his club. We were always busy. I threw on a three-piece set. It was a matching bikini with fishnet stockings, simple with a lot of skin showing. I headed out to the floor and was immediately flagged down for a dance.
I lost myself on the laps of the customers around me. I wasn't sure how much time had passed until Maximilian approached me again. "Head in the back and freshen up. Then put on your special outfit. They are here." He shooed me away and I ran, flustered.
I wasn't surewhowas here. They could be a politician or something. All I knew was that Maximilian was on edge and that meant we were getting good tips tonight if we did a good job. If not, he would fire us and beat us in the alleyway out back for wasting his time. Maximilian wasn't a sleazeball, unlike some of the people who ran strip clubs. He was a gangster through and through. I wasn't sure who he worked for, but I had heard rumors Agosto Picone was his boss. That family put the savage in savagery. Their exploits were legendary in our circles. Every time Agosto came into the club, everyone was on high alert. I'd never met the man, but I didn't want to be dead in a ditch. The very thought sent shivers up and down my spine.
I shook out my costume for the party. I was a little more nervous about this one. Maximilian emphasized the rhinestone choker collar. I didn't like feeling so restrained, but he was adamant I had to wear it. The rest of the outfit was much of the same, the bedazzled and tasseled bra and underwear set in silver. It made the tan of my skin stick out. It also made the blue stick out as well. I shoved my C's in the cups of the bra and realized it was a size too small. It was hard to breathe. Let alone dance. I wanted to pick a new outfit, but I knew Maximilian would kill me if I was late.
"Suck it up, buttercup," I taunted myself in the mirror as I adjusted the girls as much as I could. I fixed up my make up and took one last look in the mirror. I had gotten to know the stranger staring back at me this year.
I headed upstairs where the party was going to be. A few people were lounging around drinking. Maximilian was speaking with a dark-haired man. The man dressed as if he'd stepped out of a catalog for the rich and famous. He wore a Cartier gold watch and the gold chains around his neck looked real. If anything, tips would be nice tonight. I noticed two tiny women standing on either side of the stranger. They were wearing sashes. I realized this was some kind of mixed bachelor and bachelorette party.
As curious as I was about everyone at the party, I could find out after I got the girls together and finished dancing. Once I started lap dances, I could find out more information.
There were four other girls here besides me. Cherry was the most experienced out of all the other girls.
"Hey girl, you ready for this?" Cherry was chewing her gum, popping it in my ear as I leaned close to her to talk.
"Can you take one of the younger girls for rounds until we start lap dances? I'll take the other two and put them on the smaller stages. They can practice tricks until the party starts ramping up." I was thinking on my feet because Maximilian hadn't given me any directions.
Cherry popped her gum, saluting me and she wrangled the smallest girl, China, to do shot rounds with her. The thing was China was so tiny, around all these men, she would disappear. No one was going to be able to see her or flag her down for a shot, but there was nothing I could do about that now. I'd switch her out once there was enough alcohol flowing. That was one thing about Club Platinum that made it different than any other strip club. According to Nevada state laws, we weren't supposed to do full nudity and alcohol. It was one or the other. Yet, the owner, Agosto Picone, didn't give two flying fucks about the law. No one had ever been in trouble, either.
Tonight alone, we had an assortment of cops hanging out downstairs. They all got a free lap dance. Only one for the men in blue each night. It was laughable how they would debate who they wanted for a dance. They weren't the best tippers, but it was best to keep relations up with them in case anything ever went down. I could get down with that.
A hand reached out and grabbed me, spinning me around. It was Maximilian.
"You're going to open for us. Then do a few rounds and I want you close too. Keep your hair down. I know you get hot out there, but I don't give a fuck," he barked in my ear. Then he let me go and stalked away.
I rubbed my elbow and shook my head. Maximilian was about ready to blow his top. I wondered if that was because there was a rumor the big boss was here. Either way, I hadn't done anything to him and shouldn't have to deal with his ire because he couldn't control himself. Disgusted, I hid behind the main stage in an alcove that was for changes. There weren't many people at this party. There were even women. I had a weird feeling about all this. My instincts, which had been dead for six months, were screaming at me to leave. Did I listen? No, of course not. Who listens to their instincts nowadays? Not me. I shook out any leftover jitters and got ready to go on stage. I was going to nail my routine. Then Maximilian might relax for the rest of the night. The tassels on my outfit shook as I jumped up and down in place. I wasn't loving how my breasts jiggled in this bra, but it was coming off anyway so it wasn't a big deal.
The DJ announced me and I got into position. The opening of Def Leppard'sPour Some Sugar On Mestarted playing and I rolled my shoulders with my back to the party.
In this game, a stripper needed body confidence. Otherwise, the fantasy we sold wouldn't be believable. A shoulder roll might not seem like a lot compared to pole tricks. It could also elevate the dance higher than ever before.
The sensuality of rolling it while shooting a pouty look into the crowd, it said how the night was going to play out, if there was attitude within a dancer's body. I always roll with confidence and snap with precision. I rolled my head, thrust a toe in the air as high as it would go, and pointed it.
Then I backflipped into a split and I was now facing my crowd. The noise faded away as I lost myself to my set. An axe murderer could be dropping dead bodies at my feet and it wouldn't shake my focus. I opened my eyes. My body shifted into the next position and my gaze locked onto the iciest blue eyes I had ever encountered.
His skin was pale, almost like he stayed working in the shadows. His short hair was redder than fire. Even from where he was sitting at the bar, I could tell his jaw tightened. His body trembled with rage. It sent a shiver down my entire body. I did a body roll, never losing contact with the mysterious stranger. He wasn't from Nevada, that was for sure.
I went into my first trick, the half flag, and spun around slowly. As I did, I noticed he was getting closer and closer to my stage. His pensive gaze drilled a hole into my half-naked body. I caught myself just before I tripped over nothing in my routine. His staring was getting to me. My heart was pumping, adrenaline surging through my veins, and it wasn't even from the dancing. It was him. He was stalking me. Daring me to take off more. I kept my eyes on him and ran my hands down the choker. His eyes flared with heat, the ice melting from the raging fire within. I smirked. I thrust my arm behind me and undid the clasp. I spun, teasing a flash of nipples before I went into my next trick on the pole.
I climbed onto the pole and prepared for the Holly Drop. I let out a breath as I built anticipation and let my breasts fall free. It was easier to breathe. My chest wasn't so compressed. I slid down the pole upside down. As I was about to finish off the trick, I noticed a shiny Italian loafer on the stage.
"That's not supposed to be there," I muttered out loud. I went to flip and my thighs hit a hard body. I gasped and then large hands were lifting me off the pole.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I screeched. I kicked as he manhandled me off the pole. He tossed me in the air like a rag doll and threw me over his giant back. I squealed and tried to slam my fists anywhere I could reach so that he would drop me. For that, I received several slaps on my ass. Like a fucking child.
"Put me down, you asshole," I screamed and noted we headed back into the hotel. The giant grumbled and settled me higher on his shoulders, which made my head hang down lower. It also caused my hair to drag on the floor. Damn Maximilian for his suggestion that I should leave it down. I knew from the pattern change on the floor we were in the lobby of the hotel now. So, I started my fight all over again, screaming for anyone who would listen that I needed help.
"This maniac is taking me against my will," I screamed until my voice was hoarse, but no one moved to help me. He walked slowly onto the elevator like he hadn't a care in the world. Like there wasn't a woman thrown over his shoulder he was kidnapping. Was it the clothes I wore? Was it what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Ruby was in the lower level of the club. I doubted she even saw me get carried off. I didn't have anyone trying to catch this giant. I was alone. On my own with some kind of psycho. He must've thought I slighted him. He got off the elevator, so I tried to play the game.
"I'm sorry," I whimpered.
"You will be," he agreed, beeping into an unmarked room and closing the door behind us with a tiny click.
I felt my hands shaking and tried to settle myself for whatever was about to come. My fear was not going to help me in this situation. I needed to calm down. Watch. Listen. Learn. Then when the time was right, I could escape this lunacy and never look back.
