Chapter 6 Meeting The Arrogant Alpha

• Five Years Later,
• Valerie’s POV
• Life as an independent adult away from her family and friends was not easy. In fact, it was harder than I’d ever imagined and it was humbling.
• If only I had someone to call family. Janelle and her family were the closest I came to having a family. I couldn’t live in their house because her parents would never take me in if they get to find out that I ran away from home. Besides, I always feel weird whenever I’m around them, it felt like their wolves were calling out to me, begging me to set them free. They feel it too, I can see it in their eyes, but they have no idea what they are feeling, they have no idea that I have a beast within me that is begging to be let loose.
• I had to avoid living with them, I turned down every offer from Janelle to help me get a family to live with. I used part of the money I got from Liam to get a little apartment that was just manageable and cheap. I know I would have gotten more assistance from Liam, he cares so much about me, and he is willing to help me through this difficult time. But, I could lead him on any longer, my life is already a complicated mess, and adding a long-distance relationship into my complicated life is just unreasonable.
• That is why I got rid of my sim card before I arrived at Woodbridge. I don’t want to be traced by anyone, I had to keep my identity a secret, and I lived a quiet life, trying to stay under the radar so I don’t attract attention to myself. I’ve lived in Lakewood all my life, and when I moved to Woodbridge, I had to make some adjustments to my lifestyle so I can fit in. It’s been quite difficult, but I’ve been able to combine working and schooling, and for five years, I’ve lived a quiet life. Until today…
• “You’re up Val, a client is asking for you specifically.” Janelle called out to me, bringing me back to reality.
• I work in a strip club as a stripper and sometimes as a waitress. Yeah I know, what you’re thinking right now, like, how did I go from managing the money from Liam to being a stripper?
• I didn’t wake up one day and decide to become a stripper, and it certainly wasn’t something I aspired to be as a little girl. The opportunity fell into my lap when I was struggling to figure out who I was and what I was going to do with my life.
• I was a 20-years-old college dropout and a runaway. I was running out of cash, I had to get a job as a bartender to meet up with my daily needs. I have bills to pay both at home and in school. I just had to get my life together so I don’t starve to death. I didn’t escape death at home only to die miserably in a foreign land. I was making decent money from my bartending job, but I also was living on my own, loaded with student loans and credit card debt.
• I ended up going to the strip club one night with a friend just for fun. We were doing shots and dancing around when I was approached by an older gentleman who looked like he’d walked right off the set of Goodfellas. His olive-skinned face had a few pockmarks on it, and his hair was a slick comb-over, but he was nicely dressed and wearing an expensive-looking gold watch and a gold chain around his neck. He asked if he could buy me a drink.
• As a bartender, I was no stranger to older men hitting on me. I was just getting ready to tell him to fuck off when he introduced himself as the owner of the club. He told me I was a beautiful girl and thought I had potential as a dancer. He must have seen the ambivalence on my face because he went right for the closer — telling me that most girls at that club bring home over $500 a night.
• Timing is everything, and at the time, money seemed like the answer to my prayers. The fact that I had zero experience dancing didn’t seem to matter. All I had to do, the owner said, was show up at the club the next morning to meet with the talent manager.
• I’m not sure what I expected walking into that club the next morning, but I was incredibly nervous. My first thought was that the club looked very different in the light of the day.
• I met with the talent manager at the bar. She was an ex-stripper herself, a pretty but worn-looking woman named Purity (which I found somewhat ironic given her occupation). She went over the dancer’s contract and fee schedule and explained that I would be an independent contractor.
• Being classified as an independent contractor is pretty standard in the industry. Dancers don’t get a paycheck from the club- in fact, they pay to work! My club required dancers to pay a flat fee of $80 to work an evening shift ($40 on days), plus a portion of the money made from private lap dances and dances in the VIP/champagne room. Dancers also tip out individual employees, like the DJ and the House Mom (who’s like a dressing room manager).
• Purity told me I couldn’t work my first shift until I bought some costumes and shoes. Dancers weren’t allowed on stage in a g-string from Victoria’s Secret-- you had to buy actual exotic dancewear and shoes made for dancing.
• A vendor came right to the club a couple of times a month, but I was surprised at how expensive the gear was. A single pair of booty shorts can run $40. A pair of stripper heels will easily cost you $100 or more, and they don’t last very long. Including the costumes, shoes, and house fees, I spent a couple of hundred dollars before I even set foot on the stage for my first set.
• Until I got more experience, I would work the slower day shifts. Purity told me to spend time watching the other dancers perform and that I could come in at specific times before the day shift started to practice on the pole.
• Good routines require practice. Many people don’t realize how physically demanding exotic dance is. It takes strength, agility, and endurance — especially to do any moves on the pole. By no means was I exceptional at it, but I mastered a few basic moves because pole work can really increase your earnings.
• After a few weeks of working day shifts, I started working on some of the slower evenings. A month after that, I did my first Friday and Saturday night, which are the prime shifts with the maximum earning potential.
• Once an hour, we would hear our name called and head to the stage to begin our ten-minute sets. We would dance our way around the stage, looking to find clients interested in us and spending money.
• Most girls use a stage name. It’s a good practice to keep your dance life and personal life separate. You don’t want any creeps to know your real name or any other personal details about you. My stage name was Alexia, and I created a whole persona and back story to use whenever clients would ask me questions. Being personable and friendly is a crucial part of the job. A lot of clients are lonely and are really craving connection more than anything.
• It’s important to understand that strippers are in the sales profession, but we do not sell sex. We sell a fantasy. A tease. Something that the client is missing. We use our time on the stage to market ourselves, but we are ultimately trying to up-sell, to convince you to buy a private dance or an hour in the champagne room.
• The most successful dancers are not the best-looking or the best performers, although that certainly helps. They are the ones who understand how to get into their clients’ heads and give them the particular fantasy they’re looking to find. That’s where we make the most money and that was where we get information about different things happening around the world. Most of these clients happen to be top government officials and some are top businessmen who just need a few minutes of fun to ease their stressful life.
• There are people in the club that can help you with this, and that’s why I always tipped club staff generously. The DJ has a lot of power, as they can hype you up during your introduction and get clients interested in what you have to offer. You can also ask them for favors, such as playing a specific type of music when you’re on stage or skipping your set.
• If a client is looking for a particular type of girl, floor managers can suggest a specific dancer and make introductions. If you don’t tip appropriately, you can forget about receiving little favors like this. Being friendly with other dancers can be beneficial as well. Sometimes it’s easier to convince someone to pay for a private dance if another girl is already available and ready to give one to his buddy as well. While we’re all in competition, sometimes working in pairs and looking out for each other has its perks.
• Some young women begin stripping with an unrealistic idealization of the job. It has the allure of fast cash and seems like a way to improve your situation, give yourself more options, or move up in the world. You seldom think about the negative aspects until you’re doing it. While there is the potential to earn a decent amount of money, the exact amount can vary drastically on any given day and depend on both the club and its typical clients.
• It was a Thursday night, and as usual, it was a dull night. Most of my clients don’t visit the club on a dull day, so I end up taking a shift or two in the other department. I was doing my job as usual, and as I served drinks to different tables, I swayed my hips and teased some guys, getting tips to cover up for my low-income tonight. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, I swear, I didn’t do it on purpose.
• You see, this town is populated by werewolves and humans alike. The wolves live in the shadows, hiding their secret from the humans. They can identify each other by a tattoo of a wolf howling at the moon that is drawn at the back of their heads. I don’t know how they managed to identify and tattoo all the werewolves, but I’m guessing they all recognize each other because they are in the same pack. Janelle and her family had this tattoo as well. She had told me that it is the curse of the moon goddess. I didn’t ask for more details because I have no business with the werewolves. I have no tattoo and I am not part of their pack. I am just a human girl working hard to make a living.
• For the past two weeks, Janelle and the other she-wolves that I know have been talking about the Alpha’s recent freedom from captivity. They said he has been released and he will return to the pack soon. He only went on a vacation to clear his head because he has been locked away for five years. I don’t know why they are so happy that he is coming back, the truth is that I don’t even care about him because I don’t know the dude. But I was looking forward to seeing the almighty Alpha that defied the lycan king and lived to tell the story.
• Yeah,
• A part of me was looking forward to seeing him and even Malia is excited about his return as well. He was supposed to arrive today and everyone is looking forward to his return. A welcome party would be held for him tomorrow and every member of the pack would be there to welcome their Alpha. But like I said earlier, I don’t care about all that.
• I was just flirting around, as usual, swaying my hips seductively, with my serving tray balanced firmly in my hand. Then all of a sudden, the VIP door was pushed open and as I tried to steady my trey and stop myself from falling to the floor, I ended up spilling everything on my trey on him, and I still landed on my butt. I heard a loud gasp from around the hall, the next second, everywhere was as calm as a graveyard, and a gorgeous man stood in front of me, glaring daggers at me.
• I had no idea that anyone was in the VIP room, if I did, I would have been more careful. This door has not been opened tonight, I thought it was empty. Who is this guy, and how the hell did he get into the VIP lounge?
• I saw the manager running towards us with a towel, he looked so scared of this guy and it made me wonder if he is someone special in the city, or maybe he is just a special client. He kept glaring at me, and as he started fixedly at me, I felt a tingling sensation all over my body, it felt so amazing and it aroused new feelings in my body, creating erotic thoughts in my head. I managed to pick myself up from the floor just as the manager arrived. I have to confess, he is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life. I work in a club and I meet lots of guys every day, but this guy is so different, so damn gorgeous. He had a touch of Brad Pitt about him. His hair was pitch black and coiffed to perfection. His eyes had the same startling clarity as a mountain stream and the lineaments of his face were in perfect proportion to each other. He seemed molded from a different cast as he had an androgynous look uncommon to most people. Lacquered and enameled by the sun, he radiated energy and charisma. The aura surrounding him was too great to be ignored, I feel it in my bones and Malia feels it as well. His mountain peak cheekbones appeared chiseled into shape by a master craftsman. They were of such sharp contours, it looked as if they were sculpted and pared to perfection. With eyes as bright and spellbinding as lode stars, they bewitched all those who fell under his steady gaze. They were a-sparkle with mirth and shone like two eternity-blue jewels inwrought in snow…
• “Looking this handsome should be a crime. I mean, How can an be this gorgeous?”
• I’m sure he has many girls throwing themselves at him, begging for his attention. I would have admired his beauty some more, but I couldn’t focus on any other thing because he looks so furious, and he is glaring daggers at me. If eyes could kill, I’ll be six feet under already. I glared at him as well, matching his hard look with mine. I don’t know why everyone is so scared of him, but I’m not going to cower and hide in his presence. I didn’t spill drinks on him on purpose, and if we are being honest, he is to be blamed as well because he nearly hit me with a door. I was only trying to save myself when I mistakenly spilled drinks on him. So if he thinks he is going to get an apology from me with this hard glare, then he is terribly mistaken.
• “Do you have nothing to say to me?” he asked, sounding so arrogant. I was about to respond back in the same tone he had used on me, but the manager was here and he is giving me a look that says,
• “Watch your tongue, Val.”
• “Are you fucking deaf?
• Answer me!” he screamed furiously, his voice vibrating the entire building. I could feel my anger intensifying, how could he yell at me this way, who the hell does he think he is?
• Well, I got my answer when the manager came forward and bowed in submission to him. Then he said,
• “I’m sorry Alpha. Please forgive her, she is only a human.”