Backstage stank of boozeand sweat. Usually it didn’t bother me, but tonight the smell made my stomach turn. As the crowd filed in, the stench only got worse. Perfume and body spray swirled around the club as if it was a physical presence. I was actually thankful for the ridiculously loud music because it made the shrieks and screams of the women somewhat more tolerable.
But as much as I hated it, I had to put a fuckingsmile on my face and a G-string on my ass if I ever hoped to make it out of the shithole that was my life. Not that any of it was my fault. Hell, it wasn’t anyone’s fucking fault, but it was certainly my responsibility.
“Crowd’s extra rowdy tonight,” Gavin announced as he walked to his locker. “God damn wedding season is in full swing, I guess. Seems like everyone out there has a tiara and veilon tonight.”
“Great,” I scoffed. “At least the tips will be halfway decent.”
Gavin nodded as he began to change. I tried my best not to look at him, but man-a-fucking-live, he was hotter than any man I’d ever seen. I knew it before, but seeing him nearly naked every night at work cemented my already horny thoughts. When he brought me here to audition, I nearly died from laughter when the managerasked him to audition as well.
“Let’s see what we’re working with here,” she said. Sitting back in the chair, she looked every bit like Sharon Stone inBasic Instinct. A tight black dress hugged the soft curves of her body, a sharp contrast to the tightly wound knot of hair at the base of her neck. She tapped the face of her watch when I didn’t dispose of my clothes quickly enough. “I haven’tgot all day. So either you move, or we’re done,” she demanded, her harsh voice making my balls shrivel up and hide somewhere back in my body.
After shooting Gavin a “please save me” look, her chilly voice blasted through the small room. “You too,” she decided, pointing a long finger with a polished red tip directly at Gavin. The wolfish glint in her eyes stupefied Gavin. It was a look he’d givenoften, but one he rarely received.
“Uh, me? What? No, it’s just—” he rambled, nearly choking on his own tongue.
“Well, then,” she decided, standing abruptly from her chair. “Thanks for wasting my time.” Her words were a punch to the gut; my only chance at hopefully earning some money and giving my brother a fighting chance at a decent life was walking out of the room right before my eyes.
I’m sure the look I shot Gavin was something similar to a puppy begging for some scraps, but damn, I needed his help, and he knew it. So when he said, “Wait,” I was able to breathe again.
Without saying a word, a sly smile spread across her lips, pulling their round fullness into a thin, almost evil-looking line. But when the music started playing, as if from nowhere, she leaned forward in herchair. What I thought was a look of pure evil was actually one of hunger, lust even. If I hadn’t been in the room, I’m sure she would have pounced on Gavin and devoured him alive.
As if he were a virgin on his wedding night, he slowly unbuttoned his jeans, each tick of his zipper lowering roared like a wild animal in my ears. Eyeing me, he tipped his head to the side, as if to ask me why I wasn’tjoining him. Following his movements, I pulled my shirt up enough to reveal the tight skin on my abdomen. Even though I fumbled with the button and zipper, making me look far less coordinated and sexy than Gavin, I loosened my pants, letting them hang low on my hips.
It took a few moments to warm up, but soon we each found our own rhythm. With my eyes trained on the manager, whose name we stilldidn’t know, I was able to keep my focus off Gavin. Not that I’d ever done it before, but I would have imagined dancing with a rock-hard erection would be rather difficult.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Gavin’s shirt floating in the air, sinking in a billowy cloud before landing on the floor. Taking my cue from him, I reached behind my neck, and lifted my shirt over my head,trying my best to crunch my nonexistent abs into some sort of sexy pose. Needless to say, it was easier for Gavin than for me.
“Okay,” she announced, her voice harsh and cold, sending an icy blast through the room. “Now, dance forme,” she demanded, crooking her finger, calling Gavin closer to where she sat.
My stomach sank. He was going to get the job, and I wasn’t. He was far fitter than Iwas and could clearly dance like he’d been born to do so. As for me? Well, there was simply no comparison. I was Chris Farley to his Patrick Swayze.
Watching through a detached fog, I saw Gavin move around her easily, never once tripping over his own feet. Undulating, and gyrating, his body caressed hers as if it had a mind all its own. Sure, her forwardness stunned him into silence only a fewminutes ago, but clearly, he was more than fine now.
All my life, I’d watched Gavin get everything—the girls, the nice car, the popularity. I’d always been in his fucking shadow, and by the looks of it, that was going to continue. Hell, he didn’t need this job, I did. Spurred on by my petulant jealousy turned motivation, I danced beside Gavin, moving around the woman as if she held the key tothe world.
Because unfortunately, for me, she did.
But as we both danced, it became more and more apparent she had no interest in me. So much so that when she’d decided she had enough, snapping her fingers to stop us from dancing, she actually shooed me away. “You can go now,” she said, keeping her eyes focused only on Gavin. “You, however,” she purred, “you can stay.” Standing before him, sheraked a red-tipped fingernail down his bare chest.
Like a scolded child, I collected my clothes, hanging my head low. Dejection hung around my neck, a heavy weight pulling me down.
But damn it, I was tired of being burdened. Snapping my attention back to her, I called out, “So that’s it. You want to fuck him, and that’s why he gets the job?” Stunned, she didn’t know what to say. I doubted she’dever been called out on her behavior. Maybe I had been the first person, and since it caught her attention, I stuck with this false bravado. “I doubt you want it getting around that you only hire the men you fuck, right?” My bark was definitely bigger than my bite; I had absolutely no intention of reporting her to anyone. Fuck if I even knew who to report her to. But if my empty threats were goingto get her to pay attention to me, then I would keep going.
“How dare you!” Her hand went to her neck as if she were clutching a strand of pearls that wasn’t there. “You little—”
“Don’t.” I cut in. “Look, here’s the bottom line,” I reasoned, pulling my shirt over my head. “I need this job.”
“Why?” Her deep scowl amplified her ugliness. She crossed her arms over her fake breasts, pushing themup even further.
Scrubbing my hand over my face, I thought about whether to answer her or not. I wanted the job, but I didn’t want her pity. “He’s—” Gavin started, but I wouldn’t have him fight this battle for me.
“My parents are dead. I have my younger brother to take care of. It’s that simple. The bank foreclosed on the house and we had to move. No one will hire a college dropout, and I wantmy brother to finish high school without too much struggle. So if it means me dancing around, half-naked for a few hundred bucks a night in tips, then that’s what I’ll do.” After a deep breath, I continued, giving voice to what I knew was a huge problem. “I’ll work out, bulk up, whatever the hell you want to call it. I’ll learn to dance a whole fucking lot better than you just saw. Give me thechance and I’ll prove it to you.”
She looked me up and down, then stole a glance at Gavin. Who knew what she thought at that moment, but I was sure it had something to do with feeling like she wouldn’t be able to get into Gavin’s pants without giving me the job. “Friday. You both start next Friday.” Then, without saying anything else, she adjusted her clothes as if I’d actually ruffled her feathers,and walked out of the room.
“I thought I was going to have to fuck her to get you the job,” Gavin said, cutting the thick silence. He pulled his shirt on and added, “Though based on your moves, I might have to do just that for you tokeepthe job.”
I still wasn’t the greatest stripper, but hell if I didn’t try. In the weeks since I’d started, I’d gone to the gym every day. Gavin still had amembership to the gym at school, so I used his card to get in, not that anyone cared anyway. For the first time in my life, I was cut and muscular. This job had done something to me. It had given me the confidence I never knew I needed, and not just where my body was concerned. I was making money and we were finally able to breathe for the first time since Mom and Dad died. For the first time sincethat God-fucking-awful night, I felt as if we might just make it.
