Working At Strip Club

Iris Sinclair's pov

I feel the reassuring weight of the necklace against my collarbone. I run my hand over the metal surface, feeling its shape. Is shaped like a mushroom, mine's pink and his is blue.

'This necklace looks so corny.' David had said. 'There's no way in hell I'm wearing it.'

'Please David! Is so cute. Let's buy it and never take it off. It will be the symbol for our new friendship!'

'Ugh girls are so annoying, but fine, since you insisted.'

Bianca and I have matching jewelries too, a bracelet, it was more like a hair tie with a charm on it. She got it for me on October ninth last year, our shared birthday. The hair tie's edge is fuzzy, worn out from never taking it off.

I caress the fuzzy edge, thinking of all the great times with her ever since we were kids. She still avoids me at school, she has found new friends, huddling with the quiet art kids at break. It makes me wonder if we'll ever be as close as before even when the gossip about my intimate picture has died down. Maybe I'm replaced already.

But didn't I start replacing her as well? With David. I started sitting with him at break, we walked to class together, doing our school project together, now we are hanging out after school.

'What's up with you and David? I saw him making the whole cafeteria sing happy birthday to you. Aren't you guys enemies?' Bianca had asked on call that day.

'I don't know, he started being nice to me all of the sudden.'

'Maybe he lost the truth or dared his jock friends.'

I had believed that might be the case that day, but after seeing his sincere confession at the mall, the way he kissed me so gently, I have no doubt he's telling the truth. David Singh doesn't hate me, he loves me and the weight against my collarbone proves it.

Our hangout at the mall was cut short because I have my shift at 7pm. Most of my shift is at night or dusk. 'Paradise den comes alive in the dark.' The manager told me when we discussed my schedule.

Sighs, looks like I'm not getting much sleep but at least I'll not be missing school.

The hot air hit me when I entered Paradise Den, I took off my coat and walked to the change room.

"Hello Iris." The manager greets me when he sees me. He frowned at my flowery dress. "That won't do, let me get you our waitress uniform, something sleeveless and short."

"Ok." I said, feeling the sweat drenched sleeve against my arm and the dress sticks to my ankle in an unpleasant way. Is so hot here, I'm eager to get out of this dress.

"What size are you?"

"I'm size XS"

He tips his head, signalling one of the other workers here to retrieve my uniform.

"I'm sorry sir but we only have size S here."

The man looks at me apologetically, "Just bear with it for today, I'll order one your size tomorrow. Also, you need a name here, a fake one."

I thought for a moment, "Cerulean."

The uniform is a maid uniform with a very short mini dress and shows a lot of cleavage. If you think the waitress uniform is sexy you should've seen the strippers. They are completely topless except for the two small stickers that barely cover the nipples, their panties are half transparent, you could see their bare private part if light is shone upon the cloth. I avert my eyes from them, the sight makes me feel dirty.

I think the maid uniform is meant to be sexy but it looks like a ridiculous costume on me. The fabric on the chest sags with no tits supporting it, the skirt runs down to my knees due to my short height.

"Look at her." One of the strippers snickered behind me as I tried pinning my name tag to my chest. "So plain, she's barely more than a child."

"Shh." another one of them said. "She can hear you."

"Who cares, " she barks out a laugh. "She probably doesn't know English. Look at her black hair and boring features, probably an asian."

"But her eyes are so blue. You think she's a mix?"

"Nah, these eyes are too blue, probably from human mutation haha."

"And look, her ankle is so small, it is even skinnier than my wrist! She's skinny as a chicken."

The other girl giggled, her voice scratchy, unpleasant as nails scraping glass, she reminds me of my sister. "At least she has a thin waist, look at you, you are fat as a pig."

I hide my face as these two continue trading insults of me back and forth. I didn't bother to correct them, about either my eyes or the fact that I know how to speak English.

"Omg hey! Are you a waitress too?" A girl walked up to me, she's wearing a maid uniform, just like me, except the uniform is tight on her, showing her perfect waistline, chest and buttlock.

"Yes I am."

"Omg finally! Finally I don't have to be alone anymore! Angel and Cherry are literally so mean! May I know your name?" She squealed in excitement, grabbing my hand.

"Iris Sinclair."

"Oh you aren't supposed to share your real name here, but don't worry, I won't share it with anyone! what's your fake name?"

"Cerulean." I answered. "I picked this name because cerulean is my favourite colour."

"Oh my name is Apple! Because it is my favourite fruit" She exclaimed "Nice to meet you!"

"What's your real name?" I asked curiously.

"Secret." She winked. "Anyways don't share your information with anyone here, whether is your address, phone number, real age or anything. People here are dangerous! One time a drunk man grabbed me and started kissing me."

Apple shivered as she recalled the memory. "Why did you come here? No offence but you don't look like the type who works at a strip club." The word slips out of me as I inspect her.

She pouts, making a sad face. "My mum owed some mobster a lot of money, s-she had some gambling problems. I have to pay the mob back soon, or else they'd do something terrible to her."

"I had to come here because my parents won't give me money for university." I said, somehow I feel safe sharing personal stuff with Apple, I feels like she will understand and won't judge.

"I just finished grade twelve but I couldn't go to university, otherwise I won't have time for day shift." Suddenly my reason seemed stupid compared to Apple's. She didn't even have the luxury to go to university.

Me and Apple talked on and on like we've been friends for years. I told her everything, about my household, about Samson. I expected her to look at me weirdly when I mentioned the intimate picture, but she only cursed at Samson, calling him a bitch. She told me she dreams to be a stripper, they get like almost a thousand dollars a night. She said she is already practising some dance moves.

We could talk for hours until one of the stripper interrupted us, "Stop chit chatting and go do your work!" Angel or Cherry sneered.

The work is simple. You go to the bar, the bartender gives you the drink and the table number. You go to the table, give the drink to them, praying they will spare a tip. Then you repeat the process again.

Apple cider, beer, blueberry cocktail for table 11, vodka for table 3, margarita, whiskey for table 1, I recited in my head.

I walked towards table 1 first since it is the closest from where I am right now. The table is a group of shirtless men singing, blasting music, no, not music, more like noises. I dashed away before they caused any permanent damage to my ears.

Table 3 is a fat bellied old man, he is at least sixty years old, yet he's kissing a girl who looks only twenty. I set down the margarita and whiskey, they didn't even look up at me, too preoccupied with their make out session.

The first two tables I served didn't give me a tip. I can't help but to feel disappointed. These people are so stingy, they paid for a hundred dollar worth of drinks but refused to give a tiny two dollar for a helpless girl. I walked up to table 11, hoping they would be generous. I saw three men stuffing their meat sticks in one woman, one in her mouth, the other two in her vagina, her vagina is stretched beyond limit. The woman moaned hard as she struggled to take in three meat sticks, the plate in my hand fell onto the ground with a shatter. Poor woman, I thought, should I call security? I glanced around to see if anyone else was witnessing this atrocious scene but no one seemed to care, they carried on whatever they were doing, smoking, gambling, kissing, having sex, watching the strippers.

The sound of balls slapping against butt makes it hard to concentrate, the heavy smell of cum didn't help either. I stared at the shattered glasses and the liquid. I sneaked a glance at them, they didn't seem to notice that I just smashed their expensive drinks. I did one thing that I didn't think I'd ever do, I just cleaned up the mess and left, I didn't even bother to compensate for the damage.

I went back to the bartender to ask for the next round of orders. He dumps some colourless liquid, alcohol I presume into a cup, then he dumps some blue liquid. He stopped just at the right time, not too much that it overflowed but not too little either. Lastly he puts decoration at the rim of the cup. "Strawberry tequila for table 10, water for table 20, two beers, four gin for table 23." He said when he finally noticed me.

I saw the strippers intertwine their bodies with the pole as I walked towards table 10. I can't help but envy their confidence when one of them bent down to show the audience her almost naked butt. The audience cheered when she did that and threw money to the stage. I looked away when she started peeling the sticker covering her nipples.

Now I know why they turned the heater so high, otherwise these people won't be comfortable getting naked.

Table 10 smells like marijuana, I vomited a little at the scent.

"Voudriez-vous de la drogue." He said when I set the glasses down. I held my breath, trying not to inhale the drug, is not good for the baby that I'm carrying right now, which I still haven't made up my mind about.

"What?" I asked in confusion. "Do you speak English?"

Apple tugged on my arm, signalling me to go, I followed her obediently.

"What did he say?" I asked Apple.

"Something you don't wanna know. That man is bad news, a few month ago there's another waitress, but that man slipped her a bottle of pill and she never showed up since."

I suck in a breath, Apple just saved me.

I head to table 20 with a new fear in my chest, I heaved a sigh of relief when I see the man at table 20 is sober and not ramming his meat stick into someone.

"Hello Cerulean." He called out, for a second I didn't know he was talking to me.

"Hey." I replied, giving him my warmest smile, maybe if I looked friendly enough he'll give me a tip.

"Your stripper name is Cerulean because of your eyes?"

I nodded, he continued speaking. "Your eyes are very pretty."

"Thank you." I said bashfully, not many people give me compliments, especially compliments about my looks.

"What's your real name?" He asked. The word almost slipped past my lip, surely it wouldn't hurt to tell this gentleman my real name, what is he gonna do with it? But I remembered Apple's warning.

"I cannot say. Is company policy."

"My name is Gilbert." He extends his hands, hinting me to take it.

His hand is tightly around me, suddenly he jerked me and I fell onto his, then he started grabbing my tits, massaging my nipples, I gasped in horror, digging my nails into his, he let go and I break into a run, not caring if I spilled the drinks for the next table.

Table 23 is one of the tables at the stripping area, the table that has the best view. The closer I got to the stripper stage the louder the music played, so loud that I felt like it was gonna break my eardrums. I winced whenever a slur popped up in the lyrics. The disco light shined rapidly, flashing everyone's face blue, then purple, then green, then red. I feel like I'm gonna vomit again.

I shrieked when I saw the face of the person at table 23 as if I had seen a ghost. Grey icy blue eyes, hair so blonde that looks molten gold, jawline so sharp like razor blade, I notice that face everywhere, even in the flashing disco light. Beside him is the brown haired girl with bright red lips that I saw when I first met Lacus. There's also a man beside them, one that I have never seen before. What the hell are they doing here?

"Irie.." He started talking but I didn't give him the chance to finish speaking. I set the drinks down, and I run, I run as fast as I can with the stupid maid dress restraining me.

As I sprinted across Paradise Den, I bumped into my manager.

"Sorry boss." I said, my voice cracked.

"Iris! I've been looking for you. You are fired."

"W-what?" Everything happened so fast. Is this a cruel joke? Am I fired simply because I bumped into the manager? Or is it because he discovered I didn't compensate for the hundred dollar drinks I shattered? Or did someone report me? "W-what did I do?"

"Shut up! Don't ask any more questions! You heard me, Out! Now!" He barked, for a split second I think I heard fear in his voice.

I slipped out of the maid uniform as fast as I could and walked out, tears flowing out of my cerulean eyes uncontrollably, I didn't bother to wipe it, I let it mingle with the snowflakes that fell to my cheeks.

I just lost my job. I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to Apple, the friend that I don't even know her real name, the one of the few people who didn't judge me for the intimate picture, the friend that I'll never see again.

I reach for my mushroom necklace for comfort, drawing strength from it.