If only I’d listened to her gut feeling then.
“Sounds great. I’m sure I’ll be hungry later.”
“Honey, I want you to know you can stay here as long as you need to. I know you’re still looking for a job, but that doesn’t matter. You can stay as long as you want.”
I looked over at the back of the chair where my purse hung. “All the money I have is in my wallet, but you can have it. It’s not much, but it’s all I have now until I find a job.”
“I’m not going to take the last of your money, sweetie. About the job, though, what about where I work? I like it there, and I was thinking you would too.”
Gemma danced at Club X, and even though she’d raved about it dozens of times, I wasn’t sure it was the right job for me. “I’ve never danced like that. Why would they hire me?”
“Because I can tell them you’re a great person who they should hire. Kane will listen to me.”
“Don’t they require experience?”
“You were a Storm cheerleader, Abbi. That’s more experience than most dancers have when they begin. You’d do fine.”
I hung my head at her mention of my time as a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Storm, the local arena football team. I’d worked so hard to get a spot on the squad, but after showing up with a black eye twice and not being able to do the routines because of a beating Aaron had given me, they’d kicked me off.
“That’s not the same kind of dancing, Gemma.”
She reached over and squeezed my forearm. “Honey, it’s a good job and you’d be able to work with me. Think about it.”
Sighing, I nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about it. What’s it like?”
“It’s not a bad job, Abbi. The hardest part for me is making sure I can fit into the outfits. You know how I love sweets. Other than that, it’s just dancing.”
I stared at her knowing there was more to the job than that. “And? I’ve heard about Club X. Isn’t it more like stripping?”
She nodded and shrugged. “For some. I don’t do the nude stuff. Maybe someday. You wouldn’t have to either, unless you wanted to. You certainly have the body for it, though.”
At that moment, all I knew about my body was it hurt all over. The Vicodin hadn’t kicked in yet, and my cheekbone felt like it could explode out of my face at any moment. Dancing, nude or otherwise, was the last thing on my mind.
“I don’t know. I could go back to waitressing. I always made decent money doing that.”
“You could, but dancing pays a lot better.”
More money piqued my interest. “How much better? More than you used to make at the diner?”
“Let’s just say that it’s not out of the question for me to make seven hundred to a thousand on a really good week, depending on where Kane puts me. If it’s with people who tip well, I can do pretty good. Way better than I used to make waitressing.”
“And that’s without going nude?”
“Yeah, but that’s working all five nights at eight hours each. Some girls don’t work the whole eight like I do, but I guess if they’re stripping they make more money in less time.”
“So what kind of dancing is this if you don’t take off your clothes?” I asked, suddenly curious about this job of hers. If the money was that good, it wouldn’t take me long to make enough to get the hell out of Tampa and begin a new life where nobody knew me. I’d miss Gemma, but she’d understand. We’d both seen our share of bad because of men, and even though hers never beat her, she was no stranger to heartbreak.
“The top three floors of the club have fantasy rooms, and each room has a place for dancers. It’s sort of like a room next to a room. A window in one wall of the fantasy room separates me from the people in the room. So all I have to do is dance for them. Not everyone who reserves a room wants a dancer, but when they do, that’s how it happens.”
“Do they see you?”
Gemma seemed to think about my question and nodded again. “Yeah, but it’s not really like they’re there, at least not for me. I listen to the music and just dance.”
The way she described it didn’t sound so bad. I could probably do that. The dancing nude sounded terrifying, but if it meant a lot more money, maybe I could get over how scary it all sounded.
“Do the ones who strip also dance behind the window?”
“Some do. Others do the usual kind of erotic dancing in the room with the members. I couldn’t do that. I know a few girls who do, but it’s not for me. Then there are others who act out the fantasies people want.”
“Just so I’m getting this straight, they don’t make you do anything you don’t want to, like dance nude, right?”
Gemma smiled and shook her head. “They don’t. Trust me, you’re going to love the guys who run the club. The one owner never comes out of his office, it seems. He and his fiancée take care of all the club business together. Cassian and Olivia are really sweet. Then there’s Stefan. He used to be a huge horndog, but since he met his girlfriend, he’s a changed man. And the one who’s in charge of the dancers and the whole fantasy thing is named Kane. You’re going to love him. Trust me.”
A childhood of twice a week Bible study marched through my brain at the mention of his name. “As in the son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother?”
“Not Cain, with a C. His name is Kane, K-A-N-E. Like candy.”
“That’s with a C too,” I said with a chuckle that sent a stabbing pain shooting through my ribs. “What’s this Kane like?”
Gemma leaned forward in her seat like she had something important to say. “All the girls love him. As long as you do your work, you’ll love him too. I’ve seen him rough up a few of the members when they got out of line with a couple of the dancers. He doesn’t take any shit when it comes to us. Owners aren’t always like that, but he is.”
The idea of a man protecting women instead of beating up on them sounded good. She’d almost convinced me to apply for the dancer job.
Almost.
“I’m going to call him and see when he can give you an interview,” she said as she jumped off the chair to get her phone.
“No…” Leaning off the couch, I reached out to stop her but my hand only caught air. She was off like a shot toward the other room so full of enthusiasm for us working together, but I wasn’t so sure I could do it. Even though I’d be fully clothed, dancing for people in fantasy rooms scared me. It seemed so—exposed, even with clothes on. What if I couldn’t do it?