Tanner:A Black Widow MC Romance(28)

The club lights were dimmed and Cherry danced on stage to Britney Spears's “Womanizer”. A bar sat along the far right wall and Johnny was there tending to the drunks. A shot of whiskey sounded good right about now. I took a hard right through velvet curtains that stated employees only.



Joe, the owner, came barreling towards me. His hair had receded to the very back of his head and he wore the cheapest suits available. He wasn't as soft as Jerome but he took care of his girls. “Brooke! You gotta be kidding me. How could you be late again after we just had that talk?”



Damn! I thought he might not have noticed this time.



“I'm so sorry, Joe, but I got caught in traffic.”



Joe checked his watch. “There's no traffic at eight o'clock.”



“I promise it won't happen again.” I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. Joe was a sucker for a pretty girl.



He narrowed his eyes at me. “Cherry offered to switch. You go on in twenty minutes.”



I really owed Cherry a big one. This was the fifth time she had covered for me. Maybe I could buy her some makeup as a thank you.



Joe continued, “I also need you to cover Jasmine's shift on Saturday night.”



Double Shit! This Saturday I promised my mom I'd come visit her. But I couldn't negotiate with Joe without him firing me on the spot.



“You got it, Joe. Whatever you need.”



Joe clasped his hands and bowed before me. He really wasn't all that bad. I just needed to be on time more often.



I walked into the makeup room and sat at my station. Exposed light bulbs surrounded the mirror and pictures of my family were taped to the edges. I wanted my area to feel a little more homey—a little more personal. I went to the open rack behind me that held the few outfits I owned. The dancers at Nautilus were required to pay for their own costumes which meant I couldn't afford too many.



I pulled out a blue bikini that was bedazzled with little sequins. It looked really cheap but you couldn't tell in the dark club. I quickly changed and stuffed my big breasts into the bikini top. I sat down at my station and opened the drawer full of makeup. I brushed my hair and darkened my eyes with black liner and eyeshadow. I added the biggest fake lashes and overdid the lipstick.



Helena strutted into the room wearing a long dress and platform shoes. She was very thin and tall with small perky breasts. She could've been a model if she wanted to. Most of the women were so jealous of her body.



“Joe seems angrier than usual. Were you late again, Brooke?” Helena sat down at the station next to mine. She had been dancing at the Nautilus for over ten years. When I started dancing, Helena helped me through the basics.



I capped my lipstick and pursed my lips in the mirror. “Only by fifteen minutes. I could be one minute late and he'd still go ballistic.”



Helena laughed. “Joe is Joe.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “We just got in a big group of bikers.”



“I hope they have deep pockets.” I winked.



Cherry came back from the stage all sweaty.



I got down on my knees and groveled at her feet. “Thank you so much, Cherry. I owe you a million times over.”



Cherry's fake red hair burned brightly. “You better believe you owe me. I barely got any tips out there and a group of bikers just came in right after I finished.”



“How about I split my tips with you tonight. Will that make up for it?”



Cherry smirked. “Yeah that might work.”



My phone buzzed on the counter. I checked my message and it was from my roommate.



Jenny: You better text me when you're on your way home.



Brooke: Don't worry I will :)



Jenny didn't have a job so she made it her life's work to make sure I was safe. She was so worried that one of the customers would try to kidnap me. Jerome was always around and would never let that happen.



Joe popped his head in. “You're on in five, Brooke.”



“Knock em' dead, Sapphire.” Cherry kissed me on the cheek.



Sapphire was a name I quickly came up with right before my first dance. I needed a stripper name that radiated class. Diamond was already taken so Sapphire became mine. Most girls went by their real names backstage and some lucky girls like Cherry were already born with a fake stripper name.



I took a deep breath and went to the back of the stage. I peeked through the curtains and spotted a ton of guys surrounding the stage. They were all covered in tattoos and wearing leather vests. Tonight might actually be a good night.



The announcers voice boomed through the air. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Nautilus Club proudly presents: the mysterious, the insatiable, the lovely—Sapphire!”