Chapter 2

• Walking home, I shake my head to myself. Why did I do all that? I should never have messaged, never booked that one-to-one and never gone to his house. I feel like a fool for falling for it; he showed me reviews from women, and I started believing him. Had it not been for him mentioning work, I would have likely still been sitting there now.
• Walking into the apartment, I go straight to the kitchen, more annoyed at myself than I was before.
• "Daniella, is that you?"
• Turning, I walk to Clyde's room. Opening the door, I smile at him.
• "Yeah, I'm back. Sorry, didn't mean to be so loud and wake you." Maybe I slammed the door a little too hard?
• "It's fine, you okay? You look on edge." He looks at me, smiling slightly.
• I feel my head nodding before shaking. "I am fine, just annoyed with myself, really annoyed." Moving, I sit on his bed. He looks at me waiting, like he wants me to explain. "Look, it doesn't matter. If I tell you, I will be even more annoyed for telling you. I'm fine, though, honestly just annoyed at myself for acting so damn stupid as always."
• Clyde looks at me, laughing. "Your no filter, act on impulse causes some right shit Daniella, I am surprised you still have a job."
• I roll my eyes slightly. "Hey, he was a dick. Yes, okay, maybe I should have been more discreet in calling him one, but he still is. I apologised. What more can I do?" We laugh slightly, the memory popping into my mind. Lewis, my supervisor, thinking he was untouchable, threatening to fire everyone for the most minor mistakes. I made the mistake of calling him a dick as he walked away, only to find myself grovelling afterwards to save my job. I love working at the club, but I couldn't do it every night, even if I would make five times the money I make in accounting.
• It would raise questions - no job yet I had more money than Clyde? Yeah, that would certainly raise questions.
• "So, you not going to explain what happened tonight?"
• I glance at him, shaking my head at his question.
• "Let's just say, I booked a one-to-one, sort of training thing and didn't think it through fully before going. It turned out to be a shitty thing anyway." I shrug my shoulders. "Can I ask you something? Open mind though Clyde, and don't laugh?" Maybe he knows?
• "I can try, but we all know I laugh at things that I shouldn't." I nod to him, he is like me, but he just laughs at things he shouldn't.
• "Have you ever heard of a woman orgasming on demand without actually being touched?" I watch as he laughs. My eyes roll slightly; that is a no. "Okay, well, that is my answer, thanks."
• "Sorry, I mean, really? Daniella, if that was possible, women at work would be doing it constantly to pass the boredom. Anyone who tries selling you that shit just wants money or to fuck you." He looks at me. Maybe he is right?
• "About earlier, the whole sex thing, I am sorry. I was ignorant and cruel. I was just annoyed, and I meant it when I said it wasn't you." It isn't him. It is me that is the issue. It is me who can never seem to orgasm. "I'm going to get to bed, work tomorrow." Walking out, I go to my room and get changed, my body falling onto the bed.
• I feel myself drifting asleep, my dreams changing to him, his eyes, something about them drew me in. So much that now he plagues my dreams.
• Waking up, I glance around me. Tonight I work at the club, I would love to work there more, but I would be too tired for my regular job if I did. I also know it will once again raise a thousand questions from Clyde and my family. Getting ready, I head for work. Walking in, Clyde waves me over.
• "Behave today. He is in a foul mood Daniella, so you screw up, you will be out of a job." Nodding, I walk away. Great. So now I have to try and remember to think before I speak. Walking through, I sit down, the day passing by quickly. Every time I see Lewis coming close, I bolt and make an excuse.
• Toilet, drink, forgot my pen, forgot the paper. Any excuse just to avoid him, so I don't call him a dick again. Grabbing my bag, I walk out. Clyde stood waiting. "Plan tonight, Daniella?" Great, this again.
• "I'm busy, you know I go dance class on a Thursday night." Okay, a lie, but the last thing I want is anyone finding out I strip.
• "I know that. I meant after. What do you do after? Surely dance class isn't until nearly midnight?"
• And there it is, I have to think of a new excuse, granted it took him months to realise I leave at seven and don't get back till after twelve.
• "Seven till nine is more discussion, explaining what the issues are and everything. Nine till eleven we practice dance, then eleven till twelve we have a little drink while discussing everything. So yes, I am at dance class until twelve. We're close. We like to relax and take our time, not rush." He looks at me like I am crazy.
• "To be honest, it is more of a joke thing than real dancing. We just have a laugh, drink and mess around, which is why it takes so long." I smile at him. I don't want him knowing. I don't want anyone knowing and it getting back to my family.
• "Okay, see you when you get home then."
• I watch as he walks away. Turning, I walk to the club; walking straight to the changing rooms, I sit down.
• "Daniella."
• Turning, I look at Elaine.
• "I know, I am late, Elaine, sorry. I will be ready on time though." I will be. I just need to be quick.
• "Okay, well, the first dance normal. Second dance audience, I will ensure suitable men are sitting in the red chairs. You will be able to see them during your first dance." I simply nod to her as I get ready. I am used to audience dances. We dance, and striptease, audience dances we walk through the audience and stop at specific chairs and dance slightly close to the guys sitting on them.
• Walking out, I pass Chelsea. She smiles at me slightly. "The guy in chair one is hot. Elaine just sat him there as my dance finished." She smiles more as I walk towards the stage. Standing, I wait, the music starting as I walk out. I begin dancing, my hips moving slowly as my hands remove my clothes. Glancing around, I look at the chairs.
• I like to know who I am dancing with before I go to them. That way, if I get a bad feeling, I can ask that he be moved. My eyes keep scanning the room as I dance, stopping at chair one. My body jolts to a halt slightly before I continue dancing. Why him? I hear the music end and walk off the stage. Wrapping the robe around myself, I look for Elaine. Knocking on her door, I walk in, seeing the room empty.
• Great, so now I have to walk around the damn club. Pulling the robe tighter, I walk out, my eyes glancing at the guys as they sit talking and drinking. Waiting for me, which means there is a good chance Elaine will murder me.
• "What the hell are you doing, Daniella?"
• Turning, I look at her. "Chair one, he needs changing." She glances at me shocked. I watch as her head shakes.
• "Too late. What is the issue with him?"
• "He's a pig, that is why." She looks at me shocked.
• "Daniella, he requested you."
• I stare at her in disbelief, my head shaking. No, guys never know the women enough to request them.
• "He is still a pig. I met him last night. Why would he request me, and since when did guys request dancers?" I look at her, irritated.
• "Daniella, he isn't a pig. It is Marcelo Ellison. The owner, he sits here most nights, ensuring the women are safe. We just don't tell workers who he is, as many workers here are here purely for the money." I stare at her, I feel my head shake. I have never seen him here before.
• "I have not seen him here before." She has to be wrong.
• "Daniella, private rooms remember?" She points to the glass, okay, yes, so there are private rooms that we can't see into, but the men can see out. Those rooms are for those who don't want their secrets known, but still.
• "So you're telling me this place is his? And what, he just sits in one of those rooms and watches us dance? Why me?" Why has he come out of hiding for me?
• "Ask him after, as I said, Daniella. Most women who work here have no idea he owns it; hence he stays hidden. Him being here most nights will likely raise questions. Some of the women would go for him purely to gain money. Whatever you did last night made an impression."
• I laugh at her words.
• "He is a sexist pig, pretending to help women when no doubt he fucks them all at some point." I don't want to dance now.
• "Daniella, a lot of the dancers here have used his service, that service. None have seen him even topless. Actually, I don't think anyone has ever seen him with a woman. I would say he is closer to being gay than a sexist pig. Not once have I seen him with a woman, even at business meals and parties. He is always alone." I glance towards the chair. Is he gay? Surely if he owns this place, he would have been seen with a woman by now?
• "Please just dance. Customers are getting annoyed with waiting Daniella; if you don't want to, I will find someone else to fill your slots for tonight."
• I feel my head nod. "Fine, but only because you have said you never see him with a woman. Otherwise, my statement still stands he is a sexist pig." She grabs my arm as I turn to leave.
• "Why? What did he do or show you that tells you he is a sexist pig Daniella, or is that just your mind not accepting what he said? I should have never accepted you into the group."
• I stare at her, that was her? "You accepted me?" She is in the group?
• "We will get back to that, but honestly, what did he do to make you think that? Or is it simply you're too closed-minded to believe what he said and instead came up with a story he was using that as a way to gain sex?" Hell, I don't know, he didn't do anything that was sexual towards me, nothing. She can tell just by looking at my face that he did nothing, and I know he didn’t.
• "Exactly. Go dance, I will wait backstage, and we will talk after about why I accepted you into that group."
• Nodding, I walk backstage, getting dressed. I nod towards the tech guy - I know I am late, and he has been waiting to hit play.