Carol was getting frustrated, money was getting really tight and she needed to find a job, today, doing something. The old lady in the apartment next to her had agreed to watch Sophia while she worked. She couldn't even land a cleaning job at night. She didn't know what to do, she'd scrimped enough money to leave Ed and move. She was new in town with her 5 year old in tow, she didn't want to give up and go back to her husband who used her as a punching bag every night.

She wanted better for her daughter, she owed her daughter that. She went though the paper, while she walked back to her car seeing a few less favorable jobs. Looking at the amount of jobs she had crossed off her list where she had already been to see about in this town.

Could she? She used to be a dancer, before she married Ed she used to teach dance classes. She used to be very good, graceful, until he made her stop dancing. Until he made her stop doing anything that didn't involve her staying in the house not doing anything without his approval.

What if... she shook her head, she was ugly he told her day after day she was no good, ugly, fat, useless. But just what if... she heard strippers made more money than cleaners, what if she could work a few nights a week to support her and Soph and still be there during the day. She could just tell the old lady next door she was cleaning.

She moved over to the part of the paper that had jobs for dancing or working behind a bar, there were two, one at a place called 'Dixon's Mermaids', and the other at 'Kinky Girls,' she thought about it on her way to pick little Sophia up from school. She walked quickly though the hall to pick her up from her class. Speaking quietly to the teacher to see how her little girl was settling in on her first week.

Sophia skipped along side her Mama out to the car to go back home. The little girl never once asked about her father. Carol wasn't surprised, what finally made Carol leave was seeing him going to hit their little girl, she stepped between them, taking the hit then once he left for work the next day took their stuff and left. 6 weeks ago, and for 6 weeks they had been living tight, now it was game time.

She arrived home, settling Sophia with a snack and run next door to ask the old lady if she could watch Sophia while she went for another job interview, then she borrowed the phone to ring to ask for a interview.

'Yeah, Dixon's,' a gruff voice come over the phone, Carol looked at the advert, running her finger down it.

'Is Daryl there?' She asked. She waited while phones exchanged hands before another person come to the phone.

'Yeah, this is Daryl,'

'I'm ringing about your add, ummm in the paper?' Carol twisted the phone cord around her fingers, chewing on her lip wondering what was going to happen now, 'Can I come down or something?'

'Can you swim, we don't want no one wasting our time if you can't swim,' the voice come over the phone.

'I can swim, I can dance,' Carol wondered what sort of club it was and why he wanted to know if she could swim. 'I can, what kinda swimming?'

'You new to town darling?' His voice come over the phone, 'Come down at 7 before the club starts, bring a bikini, if you do ok you can start tonight, we pay cash, you keep ya tips if your any good,'

'Ok, just ummm one bikini?' she asked.

'If you any good we will kit you out, ask for Merle he see's all the strippers, come to the back door,' Then he rung off. Carol stood there staring at the phone, she had about one hour to buy a bikini that may or may not get her a job tonight, and 3 hours to wax everything.

'Mrs Jones, is it ok if you have Sophia? I have one at 7 if it goes ok, I start tonight,' Carol asked the lady, she nodded doing her knitting looking at Carol.

'Sure, she's good for me, Just text me on your way home you can pick her up carry her home, doesn't matter what time you finish,' she told Carol. She felt really bad for lying to the old lady, but she needed help, she needed money. She couldn't go back to Ed. She had to do what she could to land this job tonight.

Carol flicked though the bikini's in the store, there wasn't a great deal to chose from due to the time of year but she found one that showed off her assets in a way she needed it too. Her 5 year old seemed excited that they were going to be going swimming 'soon' Carol told her. She ducked into the chemist to buy some wax to take care of some area's that needed desperate grooming, today.

She put Sophia in front of her small dinner hoping tomorrow she could buy some more food, something she liked rather than what was cheap, while she waxed her body in preparation for her job interview. 6.45 she bustled Sophia to Mrs Jones, telling her to be a good girl and it was bed time. She would pick her up when she got home. She thanked her and moved to her car.

She was wearing the bikini, she smelt nice, she was dressed nice not slutty and she hoped to god she could wear a wig or something. She didn't want people in town to know it was her. She knew how small town's worked not many had stopped by to help her when she was being beaten by Ed, she didn't want it reflected on Sophia. She wasn't ashamed of anything she would have to do, if she had to shake her arse to feel her child she would.

She drove past the club looking at the signage advertising Mermaids, she drove around the back pulling up near the back door next to a 4 wheel drive, parking. She went up to the back door pulling on it, it didn't open. She banged hard, she heard some swearing and then it was flung open. Carol looked up in surprise seeing blue eye, shaggy hair, she tried to swallow, but her brain left her. He was cute, really cute, her mind flashed to dirty thoughts she shouldn't be thinking. She was here to try get a job not lust after strangers

'I'm here to see Merle?' She offered the hottie, he looked her up and down. Offered her his hand then stepped back to let her pass.

'Daryl, ummmm Merle, just suddenly become busy, I'll show you around the club and see what you can do,' He told her.