She turned and opened the door. A tall, attractive older man walked inside. His hair was that distinguished gray, and although he was wearing a dress shirt, it was obvious his body was well built. Kind brown eyes met mine and I managed to return his smile.
“This is Garrison. He owns half the place. We were married once, but we’re better business partners. I find the women and he tests them. You’ve impressed me. Now you must impress him.”
Garrison walked over to the red chair and sat down. “It’s nice to meet you Jess,” he said in a deep, smooth voice.
I wanted to reply, but I was so unsure of what test she meant that I couldn’t find words. I looked back at Delilah. She waved a hand at Garrison. “The music will start up in a moment, and you have to give him a lap dance. Garrison won’t touch you, just like the guests aren’t allowed to touch you. Unless, of course, one asks for permission and pays you for it,” she finished with a wink.
I wouldn’t be letting anyone touch me. That wasn’t part of the job description. I also hadn’t been prepared for lap dances. That was up close and personal.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s just us. With that face and body, you’re not gonna have to do much to make them happy. Listen to the music and forget the man. Move to the music and enjoy the way it feels. Do it because dancing feels good, not because someone is watching you. It isn’t about them.”
But it was about them, and I would be doing it in their laps. I was going to hyperventilate.
“Breathe, sweetheart. Don’t panic on me. You can do this,” he said encouragingly.
“I hadn’t realized I had to do . . . I mean, dance so close,” I finally said.
“If you’ve changed your mind I’ll be disappointed, because I think you’ll become a favorite here, but I’ll let you leave. It’s okay if you think this isn’t for you.”
My momma needed me to. I had to make enough money to get us through this. Then I could quit. I could get another job. This wasn’t forever. No one was going to touch me. I just had to forget that they were looking at me naked. I couldn’t focus on that.
“I can do it,” I said, more for myself than for him.
He nodded. “Okay, then. Let’s start with stripping. I need to see what we have under that little bit of fabric you have covering you.”
Oh shit. He wanted me to strip for him and dance naked in his lap? My heart sped up again, and I twisted my hands nervously in front of me. There was no other way. This was the only job I could do and make this kind of money. My momma had done much worse for me.
I didn’t make eye contact with him. Instead I listened to the beat of the song, and I focused on moving my body in ways that I knew men liked. That was something I knew how to do. I unzipped the dress slowly, then let it fall forward just enough to tease at its falling off. He saw naked females all the time. I could do this. It was just my boobs.
I lifted my hands in the air and shimmied until the dress worked its way down my body and then fell around my ankles on the floor. I hadn’t been wearing a bra, and the tiny black panties I had on weren’t going anywhere. Garrison leaned back in his chair, and his eyes looked appreciatively over my body. I blocked that out.
I had only seen a lap dance on television once, so I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what to do. I figured I would dance over him without touching him.
Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back as I moved between his legs and danced. I didn’t think about the fact that I was topless with a strange man in a room and I was trying to turn him on. I just did what felt good.
“Put your hands on the back of the chair and lean close without touching,” Garrison said in a hoarse whisper.
I opened my eyes and did as he said. My chest was close to his face, but I didn’t look at that. I continued to dance.
“Put your foot on my knee,” he said.
I paused. “That’s touching,” I replied.
“The bottom of your shoe on my knee isn’t actual touching,” he replied, grinning at me.
I did as I was told, and his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. “Okay, that’s good,” he said tightly.
From the tense look on his face I was afraid I had done something wrong. “If I messed up, I can try again. It was my first time,” I started to explain, and he shook his head and let out a relieved chuckle.
“You’re hired, Jess. That was perfect. You’ll have this place so packed that we won’t have any damn seats left.”
Garrison stood up and walked swiftly across the room and jerked open the door. “You can get dressed. I’ll send Dee back in.” He hurried out, and I reached for my dress and slipped it back on. When I started to zip it, Dee opened the door.