The club had only been open for 15 minutes, and they were already drunk. I knew by how loud they were being. I blocked out the sounds as I walked onto the stage, focusing instead on the smooth pole a few meters away, in the middle of the room. I saw the men crowding around the stage, slurping their beer and jeering loudly, but I pretended they were part of the decor. I plastered a smile on my face as my hands gripped the cold metal of the pole. They screamed to take my clothes of, but I continued smiling, twirling down the pole slowly, letting me head fall backwards, exposing the skin of my neck.
'Always start slow' Mrs Johnson's echoed in my head. 'Make them yearn for more'. And so I did, swirling sensually around the pole, simply walking around it, recalling the steps I was taught for this routine. As the music intensified, I gripped the pole more strongly, using my arms to pull myself to the top of the pole, before sticking out one leg and using the other to glide down. The lights flashed on and off and I saw the men starting to throw dollars onto the stage as my hands went to the back of my neck to untie the straps. There was loud cheering as the jumpsuit fell in a puddle at my feet.
After the first number, I went down to the dressing room again, quickly putting on my next outfit. There was no one else there, so I took my time in washing the sweat off and then putting on a nurse outfit. I cannot imagine they truly enjoy this, but who am I to question them. There were only three more numbers to go, so I went upstairs again, recalling the next routine in my head, making sure I would get it right. Mrs Johnson expected perfection and nothing but perfection, after all.
Finally, at a quarter past midnight, my shift was over and I got dressed to go home. Natalie and Lily were still out there doing lapdances and Sophie had already left, so I had the entire dressing room to myself. Or so I thought.
"You did well." My heart skipped a beat at the sudden sound and I quickly turned around, to come face to face with Mrs Johnson. Immediately, my heartbeat calmed again. "Next time, make eye contact with them, though. Taunt them." She walked up to me, her eyes never leaving my face. "Make them feel like they are the only man who has your attention. If you make them feel special, they will pay more." I simply nodded, knowing better than to argue with her.
"Your tips for today." Mrs Johnson handed me a small paper bag before turning towards the exit, undoubtedly going to check on the others.
"Thank you." I told her before she left the room. I looked inside the bag, there were about 50 1 dollar bills in there, as well as a couple of fives. Not more than 100 all together, I assumed. It wasn't too bad. I put the small bag in my bag and put on my coat. I would have to hurry home to get as much sleep as possible before school tomorrow.
The cold air send shivers down my spine as soon as I set a foot outside the club. There were much fewer people than before, so there was no one to throw me dirty looks for working in a strip club, although those same people were completely fine with the men going there to enjoy themselves. I hugged my arms close to my body to retain as much body heath as possible as I walked back home. I passed a couple of homeless people and ignored them completely, wishing I could help them, but knowing I was powerless to do so. They were just a symptom of a broken system, of a government that fails the people it is supposed to protect. And so I walked on, keeping my head low. The neighbourhood we lived in wasn't one of the best. It is what made it affordable, but it is also what made me uncomfortable in walking home alone. Oliver had offered to pick me up after work, but I knew he needed his sleep as much as I did, if not more so. For that reason, I declined his offer most of the times, often regretting it as soon as I made my way home, feeling unsafe. Nothing has ever happened, I kept on telling myself as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight and my paranoia caught up with me. Even if it was something else, you can defend yourself, I tried telling myself next, speeding up.
Eventually, I made my way home, opening the door as quietly as I could, before closing it and locking it with my key. Oliver was asleep already, I hoped, so I tried to keep the noise to a minimum when going up the stairs and walking to my bedroom. My bedroom door creaked slightly as I opened it, but not enough to have woken Oliver. Exhausted from the day's events, I took off my clothes and put on my pyjama before setting the alarm. Finally, I collapsed on my bed. I couldn't sleep however, as I kept thinking of the way they forced dad to the ground as they arrested him. I couldn't get the way he was dragged to the cars out of my head. Sighing deeply, I turned to lay on my side. There was nothing I could do, but that made me feel even worse. Not being able to help the ones you love, watching them slide away into nothingness, is the worst feeling in the world. I clenched my eyes shut, forcing myself to think of something else, anything else than the image of my dad in a cold dark holding cell at the police station. Finally, I felt the darkness become too strong to ignore and allowed myself to drift to sleep.