Lust (The Stripped Bare Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

for a living, the relationship part seems to halt, instantly.” She shrugs. I give her a curious look; I thought she worked in a call centre? Why would men not like that?
    “I’m a pole dancer, Jazz,” she says, as I almost choke on my drink.
    “Oh, my mum said you worked in a call centre?” I splutter, wiping my chin, and laughing to myself. Her admission has shocked me but not in a horrified way, it’s just not what I was expecting her to say.
    “That’s what my parents think. It’s not like I can tell them that I take my clothes off for a living, is it?” She laughs.
    “Yeah, I guess not.” I take a large gulp of my drink . “So, is it good money then?” I’m intrigued, although, I don’t think it is something I could ever do.
    “The money is amazing and I love the job. Yes, there’s some sleazebags that try to get too friendly, but we have security to keep them off us. There’s a strict no touching policy and it’s not like I’m whoring myself out to men. It’s art.” She seems to genuinely enjoy what she does, who am I to judge her?
    “It sounds like you really enjoy it,” I state. She takes a sip of her drink, nodding.
    “You should pop by some time, Jake is always after new girls.” I blush at the thought of taking my clothes off for strangers. I have a good body with curves in all the right places, it isn’t as toned as Piper’s but I’ve always been confident in my skin.
    “I’m not sure, Pipe. I mean … I have nothing against the job or anything, it’s just, I don’t know if I could do it,” I stutter.
    “When I first started I was so scared that I threw up before I went on stage. The nerves were horrible. But, as soon as I got out there and did it that first time, I felt powerful, it was amazing. I go out there every night and I make men want me, I make men pay money to see me. It makes me feel desirable.” I can understand her reasoning for loving this job. When we were kids, Piper and I were inseparable. We met in infants school, so we were around five or six at the time. Our parents were friends so it was obvious that we would become friends, too. During high school, Piper was regularly bullied and because I was her friend and I stood by her side, I was bullied too. Piper was gorgeous even back then, she was tall and slim, but she had bucked teeth, which is what she was teased about. They would call her some horrible names. I’d try and stick up for her but then I’d be called names, too, mainly picking on my ginger hair. We always stuck together, though. When she got braces she was so happy and I was delighted for her. By the time we went to college, she had gorgeous teeth and we were both filling out and becoming beautiful women. The teasing stopped but I know that what we went through had affected her emotionally.
    “I tellyou what, we will nip in later. Wait till w e’ ve got a few drinks inside you. You can see for yourself.” She winks at me.
    We finish our drinks and then head down the road, towards Cruise nightclub. We skip the line to get in, as Piper knows the head doorman. I could get used to this, it’s great having a friend who knows people. We walk in and my first impression is, this place is massive. Wow, seriously, as far as nightclubs go, it’s pretty swanky. I’ve been in a few clubs in London, some bigger than this, but for a small city, it’s pretty spectacular. There are six rooms spread out between three floors, each room bringing a different atmosphere. We head to the disco lights of Manhattan and order ourselves some drinks. We can barely hear ourselves think over the bass of the music playing in the room, several people are gathered on the dance floor moving their bodies to the rhythm. Finally, the bartender appears and Piper shouts over the throng of people.
    “We will have two cocktails, please. Hold the tails.” I watch her wink. The bartender blushes, but quickly controls himself, smiling back and flirting with her. I wish I had the