“You’re not in trouble,” Sienna assured her. “I just want you to succeed here. I can tell you want to, but we have to chat about a few things so you can do that. I’m doing it as a favor to Penelope.”
Staci had frowned and took her bottom lip between her teeth, then said, “Is that going to be okay with Penelope?”
“Don’t worry about that, Staci. Penelope and I are close friends. I’ll handle this.”
Once they’d been seated at the table in back with some hot tea and sliced fruit, Sienna got to know Staci and shared a little about her own background.
Silence fell between them for a moment, as the girl digested what she’d told her, then Sienna leaned forward and said, “Staci, you could make a really nice life for yourself. I had a bad life and now I have a good one.”
Good, but lonely. So lonely, I’m taking you under my wing.
Sienna had omitted anything specific about Lila and why she ended up in Vegas. She simply left it at the two women sharing difficult upbringings.
With a compassionate expression on her face, she said, “I had a tough beginning like you, and I want to help you make something of yourself, so you can stay here and be happy, Staci. I was able to transform myself, and now I can help you.”
The young girl had just stared at Sienna. Most likely, no one ever had showed an interest in her, let alone someone she saw as a celebrity.
“You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to,” Sienna went on, “and I definitely don’t want to take you away from Penelope, but we have to work on your manners and speech. There’s a lot of money to be made here in Vegas, and opportunities are at your feet. Let’s help you take advantage of all of this. The first step is assuming the role of what people expect in Vegas. Anything but reality.” She tilted her head and looked at the younger, more naive version of herself.
Sienna decided helping Staci make it on her own in Vegas was a start at paying it forward in the same way Asher had taken her under his wing. The Electric Tunnel and its people—Asher, Mike, and Petey, who all gave her refuge when she needed it, helped her achieve success, and made her feel warm and welcome—were her current inspiration.
Staci probably saw her as a stripper with a heart of gold. The truth was that she was alone and craved a friend like a drowning person craves fresh air.
Sienna was an extremely giving person deep down inside, and Lila had never been able to fully express that side with all the beatings and lies she’d had to endure. Lila was someone who craved to love and be loved, something she never truly had. And since she couldn’t afford to fall in love now, Sienna chose Staci to be her family.
The two women had bonded quickly. Lila never had a sister, but always wished she did. Maybe if she had, she would have had someone to go to when she was secretly being abused.
As Sienna, her only family was Asher. These days she took care of Asher as much as he took care of her, but she had more love to give. Knowing she’d never get married again and have a family of her own, she saw Staci as a chance for her to take care of someone else, so Sienna took her under her wing.
Initially, Staci would spend time with Sienna at her house, or the two would meet for a quiet lunch somewhere way off the Strip. Quickly, the two women became as close as Sienna could be with anyone; like sisters, but Staci could never know about Lila. Sienna felt bad, as if she were lying by omission, but not only was it dangerous for Sienna to reveal her true identity, she didn’t want to involve Staci.
The less connection to my past, the better for everyone.
Soon enough, Staci became Petal. Ravyn Petal, the Electric Tunnel’s newest dancer. Petal still worked at the Cat’s Meow while she was learning to dance, until she earned herself the spot right before Sienna went onstage. Petal also happily did lap dances and trips to the private room with customers. Going onstage right before Sienna elevated Petal to most-wanted status, and she left the Cat’s Meow after eight months, since she was making big bucks at the Tunnel.
Sienna was proud of Petal’s success in making a new life, and taught her how to save and manage money. To Sienna, there was nothing to be ashamed of in developing a career as an exotic dancer. For many, it was more money and security than they could have imagined, and under her wing, the girl would learn to prepare for the future.
Sienna didn’t judge Petal for working the floor and doing whatever she did in the VIP rooms. She watched her lead the gentleman from earlier to the back area, his hand on her lower back, and she was smiling. With her soft raven-black hair flowing down her back and brushing against the small booty shorts she wore that revealed hints of the round bum underneath, Petal was now a confident young woman, very different from the insecure girl she had been when they first met.