Faith (Hades Angels #1) (2 page)

Chapter Two

Jade’s office was large. The walls were painted a bright, lipstick red, and were decorated with a unique array of
Day of the
Dead
paintings. A large, black, leather couch sat against the wall, and her desk was a black, wooden, L-shaped slab that sat on metal legs. It was huge, and made her appear even smaller than she was as she sat behind it. She had two monitors on her desk, and one was streaming four live camera feeds that showed different rooms and angles of the club. The black leather chair I sat in nearly swallowed me whole as I sunk into it.

“So, are you sure this is something you want to do?” Jade asked.

“Yeah, I think I do.” I smiled, hopefully not showing how nervous I was.

After I had given Jade my ID for her to copy, she also had me sign an agreement saying if I didn’t follow the rules, I would not be able to come back and work for her. She explained the way things worked and handed me a business card. It read
Leather and Lace
in bold, hot pink lettering across the front with an address and the hours of operation.

“Stop in and see Lola. She owns the place. She worked here for a while back when it first opened. She will make sure you have everything you need before you start.” Jade smiled. “She is awesome. Don’t worry, you will love her. She designs her own line of clothing, and only has one or two of the same outfits, so you won’t have to worry about looking like everyone else. Oh, and before I forget, shoes must be at least four inches. The higher the better. They make your legs look longer and your ass tighter.”

“Okay, thanks. Do I need to make a schedule?” I tucked the business card in my coat pocket.

“Most of the girls here keep a pretty regular schedule.” She told me how the schedule worked, and handed me another card that listed the hours of the club. My schedule would be up to me.

“That’s my direct phone number on there if you are going to be late and still want to be on the line-up for the night. Make sure to call before shift starts or you will not be working. And before I forget, we have house fees. You pay to work here, and you are also required to tip the bouncers and the DJ. I would highly recommend you keep them happy and make sure to tip every night. Tipping the DJ will ensure you don’t accidently end up dancing to a random song off the
Frozen
soundtrack. Believe me, there is nothing sexy about taking your clothes off to a song guys sing with their five-year-old daughters.”

“Has that really happened?” I asked.

“On more than one occasion, and I have never seen guys move away from the stage so fast. It will definitely happen.” She laughed. “Oh, and speaking of house fees, I have one more sheet of paper for you to sign.” She reached into her filing cabinet. “This one states that you are aware of the house fees and will pay before you are added to the night’s line up. Sign here and initial here.”

I read over the piece of paper, noticing the fees were more expensive on the weekend than they were during the week. Twenty-five dollars during the week and forty dollars on the weekend, except for day shifts which were thirty. I signed and initialed where she pointed out and handed the paper back to her.

“Any questions?” she asked, filing away the papers I had signed.

“Um, yeah, do I just start whenever, or do I need to audition or anything? I mean, for all you know, I could be horribly deformed or something under my clothes.” I hoped she wouldn’t make me strip right in front of her.

“Here is the deal. First of all, different guys like different things. If you are comfortable getting up on stage and showing off what your parents gave you, then who am I to judge?” She shrugged. “There is a type for everyone, and if I judged every single one of the girls who came in here, then half of them wouldn’t be working here.”

“Okay, next question…how soon can I start?” I asked, trying to keep a smile on my face.

“You can start tomorrow if you want. If I were you, I would come in on one of our slower days until you get more comfortable. Maybe a Tuesday or Wednesday, but a heads up, some of the girls can be a little bitchy and won’t help. Then we have a few who will go out of their way to help you. You will figure it out pretty quick.”

Chapter Three

Four months later

My apartment was my oasis. I could be free of my parents, free of the wigs, free of the doctors and nurses poking and prodding at me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and smiled to myself. My once long brown hair was now a short pixie cut. It had finally grown out enough that it was somewhat stylish. My face was clear, and my brown eyes were finally starting to get their sparkle back. I reached for my bag and headed out the door to work.

During the day, I was a college student. My parents wanted my life to be as normal as possible. I think it helps them pretend that their only daughter is just like any normal girl my age. I wasn’t, though.

My place of employment was my secret I had been holding for the past four months, since I started working at Hades’ Angels. I could be anyone I wanted when I was at work. I could pretend just for the night that nothing else existed.

“Hey, girly! Haven’t seen you in a few days. I was starting to wonder if you finally gave up on us.” Melody greeted me as I walked through the back door into the dressing room. I dropped my bag off in front of an empty station.

“Good to see you too, Melody.” I smiled at her as I sat down on my chair and pulled my make-up and wig out of my bag. I went straight to work, covering my face in a layer of make-up. Dark black eyeliner with smoky eyes, and then I added a bright red lipstick. I glanced in the mirror and made sure I was unrecognizable. Convinced, I started securing my wig to my head to ensure it wouldn’t move. By the time I was satisfied with my choice of long black hair, I made my way to the bathroom. I wasn’t shy about people seeing me naked. I just couldn’t bear for anyone to see what I was hiding underneath my shirt.

I stepped into a stall and shut the door. After pulling my shirt over my head and removing my bra, I applied the pasties on the scars that had once been my nipples—the right one first, and then the left. I checked to make sure they were even before stepping out of the stall. I glanced in the bathroom mirror and smiled. They were perfect.

I finished getting ready in the dressing room before heading out on the floor. I made my way to the bar to pay my house fee and sign in. The music was blaring as I sauntered over to the DJ booth to give him my music. I took a few minutes to glance around the dark room and check out the guys. First shift girls were still working, so I headed back to the bar. I took a seat next to Melody who was talking to Katy, the bartender.

“Hey, Faith. Your usual?” Katy asked as she placed Melody’s blue concoction in front of her and dropped two cherries into it.

“Yes, please.” I smiled. I didn’t drink alcoholic beverages. My vice was energy drinks. I drank them like they were water. Katy handed me my drink and went to the other end of the bar.

“How’s it been the last few days?” I asked Melody.

“Shitty, Faith, really fucking shitty. I need to bust my ass tonight so I can pay my rent.” She huffed and brushed her blonde hair away from her face. “This place has been fucking bullshit!”

“I take it I didn’t miss much.” I took the straw in my mouth and sucked in a big drink of ice cold liquid.

We looked like complete opposites. Melody was tall with long blonde hair, and she had curves where I had none, blue eyes, and small pouty lips. I was short with big brown eyes, and full lips that were bordering on too large for my face. Our outfits were complete opposites too. Melody was wearing a short, light pink dress with eight-inch clear heels and I was wearing a pair of black booty shorts, a fishnet black top, black fishnet thigh highs, and a pair of six-inch black heels.

We sat with our backs against the bar, looking out over the sparse crowd. The last girl on the day shift was still on stage, and then the night shift would take over when she was done. The area around the stage was full of guys in business suits. I took one last sip of my drink and sat the empty glass on the bar.

“So, you want to double team tonight?” Melody asked, turning around to set her empty glass on the bar.

“Yeah, let’s go see if Jade has the list ready.” I rose off the stool, and made my way back to the dressing room. Jade was just finishing up the set list when we walked in.

“Okay, ladies, I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, but because of recent events I feel the need to reiterate. I will not tolerate any of you propositioning the guys who walk into this club. That goes for women too. I am sure you have noticed by now there are a few less girls here tonight than normal. So I will repeat myself just to make sure you understand. Do not proposition any of the customers that walk into my club, or your ass will be black-listed around here, you got it?” She looked around the room, making sure we had heard her, before stepping out the door.

I walked over to check the list. I was third after Diamond and Jewel, or as I liked to call them, the bitchy twins. I double-checked my appearance in the mirror, straightening out my thigh-highs and readjusting my black garter on my thigh. I could overhear some of the other girls talking about who it was who’d gotten fired for propositioning a customer.

“I heard it was Scarlett. No one has seen or heard from her in a few weeks,” one of the girls said.

“Not her, she moved out of state with her boyfriend…or sugar daddy, I heard,” another girl said.

“Well, I heard it was Candice, and no one has seen her at any of the other clubs lately, but I hear she is working for that massage parlor down on Third Street.”

I was done listening to the girl gossip. I wasn’t here for that and I wasn’t going to be caught up in it. I applied another coat of lipstick before heading back out on the floor. I checked to see who was on stage, and then took a walk around the room, careful not to trip on anything. I had seen plenty of the girls trip and fall because of their heels, and not watching where they were going.

Jewel was on stage at the moment, which meant I would be up next. I found a seat next to the stage and sat down. The seats around the double stage were full as Jewel and Diamond went from one guy to the next collecting tips. As the song had finally come to end, I stood up and waited for the girls to collect their discarded clothes and make their way off stage. I stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for the DJ to announce me.

“Up next, we have the beautiful Faith.” I walked up the three steps to the stage and used the towel left on the rail to wipe down the pole. My body was tingling with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Tossing the towel back to the entrance, I waited for the song to play. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me as I swung around the pole. Stopping on my second turn around the pole, I bent over so that my ass was on display.

I began swaying my hips and standing back up before strutting over to the closest customer with a folded up dollar bill in front of him. I turned so that my back was to him and lowered myself to my knees. I pulled my fishnet top over my head, careful not to accidently pull my wig off. I tossed the shirt toward the entrance of the stage and was down on my hands and knees shaking my ass in his face. As I turned around, I leaned over and rubbed my breasts in his face, always making sure to rub down so that I didn’t end up with beard burn between my breasts.

Pulling back, I held out my garter for him to place the dollar bill in. I repeated these steps until I had collected all the tips that were left on stage before making my way back to the pole. At first it used to bother me, rubbing my breasts in the guys’ faces. I used to think, what if they could tell something was different? I got over that quickly when I realized a lot of girls had breast implants and the guys couldn’t care less. Before I knew it, the song was over and I had finished collecting my stuff before making my way across the stage to the next pole. Piling my stuff close to the exit, I began to wipe down the pole as I waited for the next song to start.

Melody was up next. I laughed to myself as Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch” began to play. I looked over at her and smiled. She winked at me. I grinned to myself as I made quick work of collecting my tips before walking to the catwalk between stages as Melody was doing the same. I met her halfway and turned around, bending over at the waist. She came up behind me and grabbed me by my hips. She pretended to thrust into me, before smacking me on my ass. The guys dig the girl-on-girl even if it’s just for show. We both made our way back to our own stage and began working our way around collecting more tips. When the song was over, I picked up my stuff and made my way to the dressing room to wait for Melody, and to rearrange my tips.

Chapter Four

The rest of the night went by pretty fast, and before I knew it they were calling last song as Melody and I were finishing up in the private dance area. The room was dimly lit, and the walls were covered in a dark paint that looked like a dark purple. The couches were simple, black leather, love seats more stiff than they were soft. I had heard from the other girls the softer they are the harder it is to give private dances. Something about getting swallowed up by the couch and not being able to move.

I was standing, my ass at his face level as I straddled his right knee and lowered myself until I was seated on his thigh. I arched my back and leaned my head back on his shoulder. I took my breasts one in each hand and pressed them together. Leaning forward I pressed my ass into his chest as I sat up. I then turned around, pushing my breasts into his face and slowly rubbing them down his face before straddling him, my knees to the outside of his thighs. I held his arms to his sides to make sure they stayed put so that his hands didn’t roam. When the song ended, I sat back, feeling a bit relieved. I had no problem with private dances. It mostly depended on the guy. Some men made me feel cheap and others could make me feel like I was on top of the world. This guy made me feel cheap. His stench alone would give a homeless man a run for his money.

“That will be fifty dollars, hon,” I whispered into the guy’s ear, trying to make it sound as sexy as I could. He wasn’t bad on the eyes, but he smelled like he hadn’t taken a shower in over a week, like sweat and cigars. I stood up and let him pull his wallet out of his pants so that he could pay me. He handed me the money and I walked him out to the main room before making my way to the dressing room.

I dropped my clothes and money on the dressing room table and plopped down on the chair. My feet were aching and my body was completely drained. I couldn’t wait to get back to my apartment and crawl into my bed after a long hot shower.

“Finally,” Melody exclaimed a little too excitedly. “I’m pretty sure I just made my rent plus the rest of my bills, and I still have money left over.” She smiled as she sat down next to me and started counting her money. “Want to go grab some food before you head home?” she asked me.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, uncertain why I didn’t say no. I guess part of it was because she was one of my only friends. I finished changing my clothes and pulled my wig off. Everyone knew I wore a wig, they just didn’t know the real reason behind it. Melody asked when I first met her. I told her it was anonymity reasons. No one knew I had lost my hair, they just thought I liked keeping it short.

“Tommy’s?” I asked her as I finished getting dressed. I pulled out a slouchy beanie from my bag and pulled it over my head.

“Yes. I so want some donuts!” she said, giggling.

“Want me to drive or just want me to meet you there?” I asked, stuffing my clothes and shoes into my bag before zipping it up.

“Meet you there in ten.” She pulled on a pair of jeans.

“Sounds good.” I stood up and pulled three tens from my stack before putting the rest of it in my purse. “I’m going to go tip the DJ. I will see you in a few.” I walked out of the dressing room to go find the DJ. He was still at the booth as I walked up to him and handed him a ten, and then picked up my CD.

“Thanks, Johnny, see you later.” I smiled at him.

He was hot but I wasn’t going there. I’m pretty sure he had made his way through most of the girls who worked here, and that was the last thing I was looking for. I was far from a prude but when you are hiding so much from the people around you it’s hard to even think about going there. Being intimate with anyone was the last thing on my mind, especially anyone I worked with. They are the only people who look at me like I am normal. Like I was just like any other girl who worked here.
Whole
. I wasn’t treated as if I was fragile like I would shatter if someone coughed or sneezed in my direction. It was a nice break from my everyday life. They didn’t see the scars I wore underneath the illusion I cloaked myself with.

I finally made my way to the back door and waited for the bouncer, Teddy. He was a huge man, intimidating when I first met him. He towered over me at least six-foot-four and was solid muscle. His real name was Mike but everyone here called him Teddy because they said he was just a big ol’ teddy bear. After getting to know him as much as one could while working with someone, I found that out for myself. He was the sweetest guy, and it was a plus that he always made sure the girls were safe in their cars with the doors locked and engine started before he went back inside.

“Hey, Faith, ready to go?” he asked as he came back inside from walking one of the other girls out.

“Yup,” I replied as he reached for my bag and carried it out to the car for me, setting it in the backseat. I handed him a ten and got into my car.

“Thanks, Teddy, see you later.” I waved at him.

“Have a good night, Faith, and get home safe.” He shut my door, waiting for me to start the engine and lock the doors before going back inside.