Midnight Ballerina Read Online Free Page A

waitresses could show me the ropes.
    It was pretty simple, really. My first shift was the main thing that worried me. I had never been to a strip club in my life and didn’t know what to expect. Judging by the scraps of material I’d stuffed into my bag, there would most likely be a whole lot of bared skin and a bunch of tongues wagging.
    Honey, the girl that trained me, wasn’t going to be there either, so I wouldn’t know anyone but Randy. Honey seemed very sweet, a lot like her name. I asked her if it was her real name since I heard that most strippers went by fake ones, but she just giggled and continued with my training. Honey did inform me that she switched back and forth from the stage to cocktail waitressing, so I could only assume that it was a stage name.
    Shit.
    Was I supposed to have come up with a stage name, too? Wait, I wasn’t actually going to get on the stage. I would be okay. By the time Randy would be ready to throw me up there, I would have a new job, and not need to worry about that.
    I was relieved to find the back door open, just as Honey informed me it would be, and quickly hurried in and changed. My feet came to an abrupt stop as soon as I realized every eye in the break room was focused on me.
    “Hi,” I managed to squeak out, one hand flailing wildly as I waved, feeling like a complete idiot. I was met with a very mixed welcoming. Some of the girls went back to applying what looked to be very heavy makeup; some gave me the stink eye, probably thinking I was new competition. Only one actually gave me a sweet smile.
    “I’m new here. Tonight’s my first night. I’m really nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before in my life. I’ve never been to a strip club because it’s just not my type of thing. Not that it’s a bad thing, just not my thing. I lost my job and now I can’t find another one and I was about to get evicted from my apartment, leaving me pretty much desperate, so….” Several mouths dropped open as they listened to my rambling so it seemed I had offended people. Great. Lips zipped, Monroe.
    So I decided to head in the direction of the only nice looking one there.
    I reached out a hand but the woman wrapped me in a tight hug, rubbing my back soothingly before slightly pulling away. She was probably the only one that didn’t have a boatload of makeup on, but her almost all natural look still had her looking the most gorgeous. Her long blonde hair cascaded down around her bare shoulders in soft curls that I was completely jealous of. And her body. I’d never really been into staring at other women’s bodies, but I had a feeling she was very popular here. Why did she work at a strip club? The woman belonged on the cover of Sports Illustrated or something.
    “Oh, aren’t you just a doll? I’m Vanessa. Don’t worry,” she whispered into my ear, “they’re not as scary as they look. Well, most of ‘em.”
    Vanessa introduced me to each of the girls, explaining that there were a few that were currently on stage, so I would meet them later. She gave me a short tour of the back rooms, where I could change, and told me what door to use if I needed a quick smoke break. Apparently, it was a popular hangout for the employees all night, but not one that I needed to use since I didn’t plan on picking up the habit.
    “I don’t smoke either,” she explained with a bright smile, “so welcome to the club, I think we’re the only two. I need to get out there. Do you need help with anything else?”
    I looked down at my tiny shorts that I’d paired with an equally tiny shirt, which barely contained my boobs. I never realized my boobs could actually look so big. “Um…well, what about makeup? I really don’t wear any but it looks like everyone here kind of….”
    “Slathers it on?” Vanessa replied with a grin. “It helps on stage with the lights and everything. But you don’t need to go crazy, just wear what makes you feel good. Do you have anything