Sapphire

"Another day, another dollar!"

The loud and condescending call came from a young woman who couldn't walk into a room without making a grand entrance. Several sets of weary eyes looked at her petite frame as she strolled into the makeshift changing room. Her skin was still supple and fresh. Her eyes were still sultry and bright. Her body was envied by all in the room.

All except one.

"Hey Saph, how long you give this one?"

Stephanie McMahon turned to the woman who had become something of a surrogate mother to her over the years and grinned. "Not long."

"Wait until some John asks to stick his dick in her ass. Then she'll know what she's really got herself into."

Stephanie tried not to turn up her nose. The comment was crude but then so was her line of work. She was always of the opinion that they had to be filthy strippers out there. Everywhere else she had the decency to go about her life without rubbing her occupation in people's faces. Mostly because it resulted in women looking at her with disgust and men looking at her like they had the right to fuck her if it took their fancy.

While the other women in the room cackled in amusement, Stephanie's eyes connected with a wide eyed pair staring back. She lightly dipped her head and offered a half smile. Being nice to the girl wasn't going to do her any favours. Besides, even though she despised the woman, Candy was right. What was the naïve young stripper going to do when an eager customer wanted a different sort of tango? It was all only beginning for her and at 24 years old, unfortunately Stephanie was a veteran of the sport. Not only that, she was the headline act. What an achievement.

"Hey, you do you out there. As always, right?"

Stephanie's intense blue eyes connected with the older, beaten eyes of Mary McClure or 'Mama' as she had affectionately been named by the girls. "As always."

Mama gave a reassuring squeeze to Stephanie's shoulder and scurried out of the dressing room leaving the catty women to their devices. Stephanie smiled after her. You didn't make a lot of friends in this business but she was glad to say that Mama had become more than a friend to her and any of the other girls smart enough to seek a relationship with her. A stripper in her prime, she knew the scene and looked out for every one of them while she tended to the patrons and filled their glasses. Stephanie was glad to have one little sliver of genuine human contact in her life and it came in the form of Mama.

"As always. As always," mocked Candy, smelling blood in the water for the second time. "What the fuck are you two, huh? Do we need to get you a room or something?"

Stephanie waited until Candy's little minions stopped tittering before speaking. "You're the one that needs the room, you know, so you can go fuck yourself because it's not like anybody out there is going to actually drop money to do it for you."

Suddenly the room went silent while Stephanie casually went about applying her make-up. That shut the bitch right up. Candy was the star of this dump before Sapphire had came along. Now she was second pick, at best, and everybody knew it. It tore the bitch up but Stephanie was over it. She made her snide little comments and they kept falling on deaf ears.

"Girls, girls…we got ten minutes and I want some of you out there. It's a fucking sausage fest right now."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. More often than not, Peter made her feel sick. He ran the place in the absence of Rico, the actual boss. And she was desperate to see him. Last time they talked he had mentioned something about moving her to one of the bars in the city. That meant more clients with deeper pockets. He told her she was wasted here. She agreed with him.

Peter had just whipped his head around the door when he was forced to whip it back. "Sapphire, Rico says he's got a guy coming tonight. He's here to check you out. I suggest if he asks you to suck his dick you get on your knees, baby."

His partial toothless grin disgusted her and she did her best not to flip him off before he disappeared around the corner. The little fucker couldn't get his dick sucked if he dipped it in sugar. Maybe he should go ask Candy. Both of them were made for each other in her opinion. The sooner she got out of this shithole the better.

Stephanie took a moment to compose herself and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Smokey blue eyes, royal blue lingerie and tussled hair; her winning combination. That ever familiar rush of excitement started to build in her stomach as she looked at herself. Despite everything else, the time she spent on stage took her to another place. All eyes on her, watching her every move with desperate eyes and open mouths. It made her feel alive. It was one of the only things that made it possible for her to keep coming back, to keep her struggle and hopes alive. What came after the dance was routine to her now. It didn't matter. No matter the guy, they were all the fucking same.

"You like that baby?"

"You're so fucking hot baby."

"I'm gonna fuck you real good."

No.

Thanks.

No you're not.

It was crazy to think that something that used to terrify her the first few times she did it could become so routine, so monotonous. She couldn't remember the last time she had sex without getting paid after. At least it was bearable that way. She made men believe they just gave her the time of her life and they paid more.

But it all started with the dance.

As the night wore on the dressing room emptied and filled up again as each girl took her turn. Stephanie chuckled at Mama's persistent cries of 'asshole' and 'dickhead' as she shuffled back and forth between backstage and the bar. She was pretty sure every insult had been directed at the same person and only hoped Peter had the sense to kick this loser out if he was causing trouble. Then again it was Peter so probably not. God she wished Rico was here. At least he ran the place like an actual business. But he had sent somebody to check her out and she was going to fucking perform. Whatever it was going to take to get out of this dump, she was game.

The remaining beats of the set before hers slowly faded away and she got to her feet, taking a moment to close her eyes. When she opened them again Stephanie was gone. It was time for Sapphire to show everybody out there what the fuss was all about.

The lights changed to blue.

She took position and waited for the smoke machine to create the atmosphere she needed before she appeared, letting the lights hit her body and falling into that hazy state of mind. Her eyelids dropped and her body began to move, feeling the music. She approached the pole and dropped her bra to the floor, enjoying the audible murmur of appreciation that filtered throughout the dim bar. Her long legs wrapped around the cold steel and she spun, working the pole expertly, adding dollars to her performance with every twirl of her hips.

Sapphire was in the zone and morphed her face into a sultry lust laden gaze as she started to work the stage. Her incredible blue eyes connected with everybody she could see. The regulars, the odd new faces, the guys she'd fucked before, the ones still desperate to take her upstairs. She ground her hips sensually, fully in her element, moving slowly so she was working the booths opposite the bar.

A blue light skimmed over one of the booths, masking its occupant. It was immediately followed by a white light. In slow motion the man's face came into view and caused Sapphire to almost lose her breath. He was looking at her so intently it sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn't the desperate look she was used to getting. It wasn't even lust. It was something else, something that immediately told her that this man was dangerous but something that was lighting some sort of fire deep in her gut.

He was looking at her like he already owned her.

Sapphire dropped low and spread her legs right in front of his face, making sure he got to see all of her. Even in the dim light she could tell his suit was tailored. His tie was silk. His Rolex was sparkling every time a light hit the diamonds on its face. His whole aura was dominant. She briefly wondered what the hell a man like that was doing here of all places but the way he licked his lips after taking a sip from his glass created another pang in her stomach.

It was a foreign feeling, she had to admit; to actually want one of these guys to fuck her instead of the other way around. Maybe he was Rico's guy? If so there was no way she wasn't moving to the city because she'd give him the best sex of his life if that was the case. Anything to get out of here although it definitely didn't hurt when somebody came along that she was physically attracted to. And that assured gaze? It was making her react in places she had long considered dormant, on her part anyways.

So she used it, she used the energy between them to continue dancing and never once broke eye contact.

The show was all for him.

She slipped her fingers under the sides of her thong and teasingly pulled them down. Just for him.

She chewed on her lip and thrust her hips erotically, leaving nothing to the imagination. Just for him.

She shook her hair and swayed her breasts. Just for him.

She danced.

Just for him.

When it was over she found herself still staring longingly into his cold yet fiery eyes, her body completely awake for the first time in too long.

And he was still looking at her like he already owned her.