Page 63 of Santa's Wish
CHAPTER 18
SANTA
It was September 26,and I still didn't have an idea for the VIP room for October. My demented spring bunny had been fun, but the rest of the year's theme days had been uninspired and boring as fuck.
The only aspect of my job I enjoyed was dancing. On the nights I wasn't in the VIP room or tending bar, I danced with the polite patrons and bounced the rude ones. Bouncing had once been my least favorite assignment, but now it was entertaining.
While dancing, I had an idea for October but far removed from the VIP room. After close, I slipped into Mr. Caynik's office and shut the door. My vampire boss glanced up from his laptop and rubbed his eyes.
"Good night?"
"Not really." I'd destroyed a few pieces of particle board trying to build a Halloween set before weopened, and then I'd spilled a drink on an angry bridesmaid.
He nodded. "If you're giving your two weeks, get it over with."
"What? No." How had the conversation escalated so quickly? I wasn't one for dramatics, especially not with my boss. Yes, I'd begged to keep my job after Boz's attackers had destroyed the VIP lounge and my back room, but that had been months ago.
He frowned at me. "You're going to drag this out for another year?"
"Drag what out?"
He rose from his leather office chair and sidestepped his desk to lean against the front, crossing his arms and glaring at me as though he could see into my soul. "Your spark is gone. This is just a job now."
I stared at him for a moment, too stunned for words.
"You're too popular to fire, but it's obvious. Stop hurting yourself and go home to your cute little twink."
"What if I could convince him to come here?"
Mr. Caynik shook his head and dark curls spilled over his shoulders. "Nobody's going to pay to watch two vampires fuck. They can do that at home."
"Dance," I said. "Not fuck."
He stared at me. After a moment he motioned for me to continue.
"Boz is trained in ballroom, classical, and new agedance. Flamenco. Tango. Freestyle. We could put on a show. We could even encourage other couples to pay to join a dance-off with us. Get the crowd involved. Maybe reprogram some trivia night tablets to allow live voting."
He sighed. "I appreciate the level of thought you've put into this, but dancing went out of style with disco, and we've signed a non-compete agreement with the strip clubs." Per the rules, I couldn't decorate with poles or hanging cages in the VIP room, let alone use them.
"I disagree," I said. "There are two or three reality television shows with dancing at their core."
"For celebrities."
I laughed. "What bigger celebrity than Santa Claus?"
He chuckled at my joke, and I wondered why we'd never made it to one-night-stand territory in all the years we'd worked together. He was gorgeous, and a great boss, but we'd never crossed that line. Now, we never would.
Boz was it for me. Soon, I would tell him so.
"I'll give you one month to see how it goes," he said, "if you put together a set for Jewel to take over in the VIP Lounge."
Jewel was one of the new vampire staff he'd hired after Key and Greed left. She was five foot nothing with pink hair framing her sweet little heart-shaped face.She had a kinky streak longer and wider than mine, which was saying something.
"I have the perfect idea." We'd never tried an all-out BDSM theme for Halloween before, but it would be perfect for Jewel. I could even sew her clothes.
"One month, and what?" I asked. "Double the revenue?"
"How about you increase the overall traffic by half on the nights you dance? What nights?"
