A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews. There is definitely more to come.
A/N: As always, read and review… =)
In this chapter- Cassie's backstory and the beginnings of this club.
Chapter 6- Moonlights
Xxxxx
KO 35 Girls
Geo lives about 15 minutes, walking distance, from the strip club. Driving time is about 7 minutes with traffic. It took Tommy 25 minutes to drive to the club. He was so worried about driving blown. Cars passed him, people honked at him, middle fingers were tossed his way, and old women with walkers passed by him easily. Kim was laughing at him so hard her sides were hurting, but they made it. Safety is what's important. Tommy thought in his head.
As he parked his car, she opened it and hopped out. He watched as her form happily skipped inside. She didn't say goodbye, she didn't kiss his lips, or at least, one of his cheeks, and she surely didn't even hug him. Kim acted like she didn't even know him. That was bothersome. He got out of his truck.
TJ came out to smoke a cigarette. "Yo Tommy, wassup?" He greeted him with a flashy smile. He took out the box of cigarettes and grabbed his red and blue lighter. He saw that Tommy was in a stupor. He lit up the end of his cigarette and began to smoke. He inhaled, watched Tommy stare deadpanned, and he exhaled. "Earth to Tommy?"
Tommy still stared straight ahead because he was confused by the woman he had just fingered, and he was high. I just placed fingers into a woman's private area! He slightly shook his head. What is going on with me?
His coworker came up to him, and he tapped his shoulder. "Tommy?"
"Sorry." Tommy snapped right out of it.
TJ looked closer. He saw the red eyes, and the heavy lids painted on Tommy's eyes. "Dude, are you blown?" He whispered.
Tommy nodded.
A smile magically appeared on TJ's face. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you blazed?" The college student who usually donned eyeglasses looked at his co-worker. "I got some in my car right now, you wanna smoke some before we head to work?" TJ offered.
"Uh-uh, I don't think so." Tommy kindly declined. He watched as TJ smoked from the filter of his cigarette some more. "C-c-can I have one?" Looking at TJ, Tommy noticed he seemed relaxed while smoking one of those things. He figured that would help him.
Without thinking, TJ flipped open his carton, and he let Tommy take one. TJ took one for himself again, and he flicked his almost finished one out to the curb. Tommy placed the cigarette in his mouth, and TJ lit it for him, and he lit his too. Together, the men, smoked their cigarettes.
Almost immediately Tommy began to cough. The nicotine, tar, and 6,000 other chemicals in there were way different than the cannabis. He could feel tar beginning to scathe his lungs. Now, he knew why there were so many campaigns against smoking. Not to mention, he winced at the thought of the lady with the hole in her throat. Yet, Tommy liked it. He felt relaxed with the inhales and exhales. It might've been harmful, but it was very soothing.
"I thought you didn't smoke." TJ thought of halfway through his cigarette.
Tommy shrugged. "I needed one." He referenced the annoyance he had with Geo. That's when he realized it. Geo. Tommy almost laughed. She was probably acting like that because of the rules from Andros and Zhane. He can't believe he forgot. Well, he could believe he forgot. His memory sometimes played tricks on him. Hopefully, by the end of the night he could remember the epiphany he just had.
"Babe." Tommy and TJ turned to the voice. It was Cassie. This time she was dressed in a red, really short, kimono. The length of her dress only reached an inch of her private. She had on red boy shorts, at least, but it was really tiny. Her red stilettos elongated her barely tanned legs. She had her hair in two buns on the top of her head (one on each side); it was very circa Ming Na as Chun Li in Street Fighter: The Movie. She smiled. "I need a cigarette."
TJ went up to her, and he kissed her on the lips. She moaned for him to kiss harder, and he did. Tommy continued to smoke as he watched TJ pick up Cassie's right leg. The bend of her leg covered his ass, and it allowed TJ to massage his dick against her walls. This looked quite pornographic, but Tommy was intrigued watching it.
Then, Tommy realized his cigarette was done. He mildly pouted and cleared his throat. The cigarette prolonged his high. He didn't count on that, but he didn't care.
Cassie and TJ separated hastily. "Sorry about that." Cassie sincerely apologized. She smiled as TJ gave her one. Cassie grabbed the lighter out of his pants pocket. She took a few minutes. Tommy cleared his throat again. They smirked immodestly at Tommy.
"I need to head inside." TJ looked at his watch. "Work doesn't start for another half an hour. I'll tell Zhane and Andros you're here." Tommy nodded at TJ's kind gesture. He held up his cigarette box in front of Tommy.
Tommy obliged. He watched TJ disappear inside. Cassie fired up the lighter and struck the cigarette without shame. Instead of using the lighter, Cassie inhaled once, and then she used her cigarette to light Tommy's, she exhaled. Both smoked in silence. Halfway through, Tommy spoke up.
"You and TJ?" He asked.
Cassie smiled. "Yup, we've been together for a while." She answered with a wistful tone. It was obvious she had love for him, and he had love for her.
"How old are you?" Tommy had to question. Don't tell me you're 27. He wasn't sure he'd believe it. If that was admitted, he definitely knew there was a fountain of youth being hidden at this place.
"I'm 18." She exhaled the smoke.
The next question, Tommy wasn't sure he could ask. Almost because he was afraid of the answer. There definitely was one thing he wasn't afraid of, making eye contact with Cassie. In the one day he's worked at this place, he got over his fear of females. That wasn't the point though.
Cassie could see the mild trepidation on his face. Hell, it was practically radiating off his body. "No, Kat doesn't know what I do." She answered the unasked question. Tommy, dumbfounded, looked at her. "I'm not even close to Kat, and what you do is kept between you and I."
Cassie was friends with Kat. They weren't best friends though. Other than school, Cassie never saw Kat, and she would never hang out with her outside of that establishment. She compared the blonde to her current friends, and she couldn't see herself hanging out with her. Kat was a great classmate to do homework with, but when it came to everything else, she found Kat plain. Cassie loved people who were 'rough around the edges.' Partly because she was too.
Tommy took in what she had just told him. He does care about what other people think. He wasn't raised to smoke, anything, and he definitely wasn't supposed to do anything other than maybe kissing. Yet, he did. He's kissed, fingered, and smoked a couple of things. In two days, I did all of that. He ignored his thoughts and looked at Cassie. "How did you become a stripper?" He wondered curiously.
She flicked her done cigarette to the curb like her boyfriend taught her a year ago. She smiled at the thought. Tommy smoked the rest of his and followed her motion.
"Can we sit on the back of your truck?" She needed to get comfortable. "It partly ties into the beginning of the club."
Tommy undid the back of his truck. They sat on it. Cassie crossed her leg over her other leg. She turned her attention to him.
He saw the worry on her face. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah." She answered indifferently. Cassie smoothed some her side hairs. She was about to bear her heart and soul. "I met TJ when I was 5." She began. Tommy wasn't quite sure what to think of the revelation. "Obviously, you know how old TJ is."
"Yeah, he's older than you by 9 years." Tommy noted. He did the math. "TJ was 14 when he met you?"
Cassie nodded. "TJ and I lived in the same neighborhood. When I first saw TJ, I knew I was in love with him." That admission stumped Tommy completely. A five year old couldn't understand the complexity of love. "My parents didn't like TJ because they thought he was an asshole who stole, was a menace, and would never amount to anything. They believed the stereotypes of African American men." Tommy nodded for her to continue. "As I got older, TJ showed interest in me. Secretly,TJ and I would meet. It wasn't for a game of dodgeball or tag either." She winked at Tommy. "One night, my parents found TJ and me kissing. I was only 10 years old. TJ being 19 and African American that sent my parents over the edge. They began to beat me in front of him. Hoping the beating would erase the 'sin'."
Sin… that word rang in Tommy's mind, body, and soul. He had committed several of those. Back in the old days, he was sure he would've been beaten for them. He found that understandable. However, when he heard Cassie talk about sin, he felt bad for her. Yeah, it was a sin for her and TJ to be together, but it was apparent their love was real. He had to question some of things he's been taught.
"My parents slapped me, and told me how awful I was. They said I was dirty, a slut, and a stupid little girl. The tongue lashing went further, and then they took turns hitting and hitting me." Tears were in Cassie's eyes at this point. She wiped them away. "TJ couldn't take it anymore, and he hit my Dad to get off of me. He would never touch a lady, so he never went after my mom." She described. She took a breath. "The cops were called, and TJ was sent to jail because my parents said he raped me."
"What?" Tommy was shocked. Cassie had been so forthcoming, so he knew she wouldn't leave a detail like that out.
"I had a doctor's examination, and they found my hymen was still intact. Based on that, he was released. I made a decision, and I ran away to be with TJ. I was smart about it too, I took my birth certificate, social security cards, immunization records, and anything I could think of that was personal, and he helped me get away. We've been basically running ever since." Cassie summed up the situation for him.
There were a lot of questions Tommy wanted to ask, so he could make sense of it all. Her story was nothing he had ever heard. TJ had committed rape- statutory rape. "How have you and TJ not been caught, where are your parents, and how did you get into college?"
"Slow your roll." Cassie giggled at the interrogation. She looked at him and watched Tommy's eyes follow hers. She knew there was something different with this Tommy, and she liked it. "Remember TJ is older than me, and he had money saved up. We moved from Salt Lake City, Utah to Briarwood, California. When we moved there, we met Andros and Karone." Tommy tried to think of who Karone was. "Karone is Andros' twin sister. She's a stripper here, but she's out of work because she's pregnant." Tommy nodded. "They introduced us to Zhane and his sister, Ashley. We all became a big family. They didn't judge the bond that TJ and I had."
"You guys seem close." Tommy observed.
"We are." Cassie kept fidgeting. She needed another cigarette. "Hold on."
For wearing 6" heels, Cassie had some skill running in them. After a minute, she came out with two cigarettes. She handed one to Tommy. Hastily, Tommy took it and waited for Cassie to light hers, so he could smoke his. In less than a second, she had both of theirs ignited. After she exhaled, she spoke again.
"I'm really smart, so I tested out of middle school. Once high school came, I entered a continuation school, and I did night time classes. I really wanted a high school diploma. At the age of 14, I graduated. After that, the six of us moved to Reefside."
"And that's when this club opened?"
"Not exactly, this club has only been open for about a couple of years. It took a while for Andros and Zhane to secure the money and get the loan." She continued smoking with each pause.
"Why a strip club?" He did the same thing as Cassie.
"They knew that's where the money was at. The men that come here are the business types. The rich ones with loaded pockets, and there was nothing like this in Reefside. Both of those guys knew this would be a great place to open a strip joint." She basically said the gist of it.
"What happened next?"
"Finally, Zhane and Andros opened this club. Within a year, they paid off the loan, and they already own it. They don't have to pay for the monthly lease, because they own the place. All of us help here in our own way. TJ's a bouncer, Ashley and Karone are strippers. I am too." She smiled.
"What are you going to school for?"
"Once I turned 18, I applied for the fall school year at R.U. I want to be a fashion designer and cosmetologist."
"Do you talk to your family?" He wondered as he began to fiddle with his shirt. He needed to change into his bouncer one.
Cassie shook her head. "I haven't spoken to my family since I left." She saw the question on his face. "I changed my last name, and that's why they haven't found be honest, I don't care. I'm a college student who moonlights as a stripper, and I couldn't be happier."
Tommy had to digest everything she told him. "Wait, Andros and Ashley are together?" She nodded. "Is Zhane the father of Karone's baby?" She nodded again.
"Zhane and Karone are married. Andros and Ashley have been dating for a few years. Talk about keeping it in the family, huh?" She mused. The young Asian knew it was a lot of information to take in. She waited for him to ask the next question.
"They don't mind their wife or sister or girlfriend dancing?" Tommy had to think about how to ask that.
"Nope, that's why they have the rule of 'no fraternization'. However, what you do outside of work is a different story." Cassie answered. "In this industry, you have to have tough skin."
The bouncer needed to know something. "How long has Geo been working here?"
"Ah, the Heart of the club." Cassie had a warm smile. "She's been here since the club opened. She's the most popular dancer, and she's family." She didn't need to know why he asked that. She tossed her dead cigarette out. "Why are you working here?"
"My Dad was laid off, and I wanted to help bring money in." He replied. And after a day, it became so much more.
"A religious man who moonlights as a bouncer at a strip club, and he is currently blown out of his mind." Cassie laughed. Tommy thought about it, and he had it admit it sounded funny to him too. He lightly chuckled at her observation. She stopped and looked harder at him. "The first time I met you, you couldn't look me in the eyes. Now, you have more confidence. What happened?"
Geo. Tommy thought in his head. "I knew I needed to come out of my shell." He honestly answered for the most part. "Working at the place like this-" He motioned the club with the naked woman decorated on it and her. "-I couldn't exactly be a square, now could I?"
"That's true." She concurred. "I should head inside. Gotta redo my lipstick." She smiled at him.
He saw her hop off his truck, and he needed to know something. "Wait." Cassie stopped. "What does the 'K.O.' mean?"
"Karoven-Outpost." She lied.
Tommy almost gasped. "The planet?" His eyes went wide.
"Don't be so gullible, Tommy." She laughed. "It means Knock Out."
"I knew that." Tommy casually shrugged it off.
Cassie was still facing him. He saw. "Next time, wait for all of us to smoke." She winked again and went inside.
Tommy smiled and closed his trunk. He really had a lot to think about, and he realized there was more out there in the world. He was beginning to dislike his sheltered life. That didn't mean he disregarded his religion though. He knew early in the morning he needed to still go to church. He changed his shirts and began work,
Two hours later. . .
Tommy was making his rounds in the club. On the stage was Ashley. She danced around, but he didn't pay attention to it. She wasn't as captivating as Geo. Right now, she was in a private room.
Hayley Z. handed Tommy a Sprite this time. He drank it.
"How is the second night?" She struck up a conversation with him.
Tommy handed her back the empty cup. "It's going good." He said over the loud music.
"That's great." Hayley got out 12 shot glasses. She began flaring by tossing two vodka bottles. She began juggling them, and they landed in her hands, and she filled up the shot glasses without spilling a single drop. "Have a great night." She went to hand those shots to the paying customers. From her spot, Hayley kept her eye on the new bouncer. She was really beginning to like him. Tommy was oblivious to her.
The next hour went by slowly. It was Geo's turn. Tommy stood against the same wall from last night. He watched the men gather at the perimeter of the stage like a moth to a flame. She was definitely the flame they were waiting for.
The carnal music entered the club. The curtain opened, and there was Geo. She was standing in a pink corset and a matching pink thong. She had on pink heels too, and her hair was teased big. She swayed to the music, and she gave a seductive smile to every one of the attendees at the club except for Tommy. He wasn't bothered by it.
This erotic performance was different than the first one he saw. She utilized the pole more. Geo used her strength, and she climbed up the pole, and then she fell limp, and her legs crossed and helped catch her fall. She twirled upon the pole upside down, and she went in a circular motion for what looked like six full rotations. She did a sit up, and she used her strength to climb up it again. This time, one leg was left on the pole, and her head was facing downwards while she spun around. As she was coming down, she bent her free leg over her, and the tip of her heel touched her head. She whirled some more. Using the strength of her legs, she kicked the air, and moved her hips to get down. She walked around the pole.
The pole was in the middle of the stage, Geo stopped in front of it. She bent over, and she shook her ass like there was no tomorrow. Men tossed money, and whistled for her to continue. Instead, Geo climbed up the pole, and she descended down into the splits, and she bounced up and down as if she was riding a man. Her ass cheeks kept slapping against the floor.
Tommy watched, enticed, by her actions. He cleared his throat and scanned the club.
While on the stage, the first thing to come off were her heels, followed by her thong. Geo used the pole to her advantage again. She faced it, bent down and she opened her legs wide. The pole helped her to balance herself. Her ass and pussy was open for the men to see as she began to jerk it up and down once more. Twenties and hundreds were thrown on the stage.
As the finale, Geo stood up, and she took off her corset. She was completely naked, and the shimmer she applied on her body gave her an ethereal presence. Everyone looked at her with admiration. She climbed up the pole, every inch of her body sexually adorned it, and she descended down it elegantly and so erotically into the spilts. Geo moved her left leg over. She gave a racy, come hither smile to the men, and she bent down. It was obvious Geo was flexible because she used her hands to do a handstand. She walked around a bit, and she placed her left leg down, and then she placed her right to walk forward into an upright position. This movement was graceful, like a gymnast doing a floor routine, but naked. Men salivated over how she moved.
Tommy watched as Geo picked up all the money. He wasn't the only one watching. All the men couldn't keep their eyes off of her. Geo walked off stage. She still hadn't made eye contact with the spiky haired bouncer.
The night continued on fairly well. There were no problems, and Tommy wondered if that would continue as he worked there. He hoped it would be like that, and it would make his job a lot easier.
Once the clock struck 2 am, Tommy and TJ ushered the intoxicated men out the club. Those men didn't have to go home, but they needed to get the hell out of there. As the last men left, Tommy and TJ helped to clean the club up.
"Tommy." Andros called out. Tommy walked up to him. "Payday." He handed him an envelope.
The club was open from Monday through Saturday. Whatever the women made for the night, they gave 40% to Andros and Zhane. There are roughly 15 women that work there. On average, each woman makes about $600 a night, this includes what they make on stage and the private shows. Plus, there was a $20 cover charge for each man that enters. Roughly, there are about 50 men during the week and 100 during the weekend that enter the door. Not to mention, the extra income from the drinks and food. Then the owners had to deduct the cost of the electricity bills, liquor, food, and their workers' paycut (this includes the strippers as well, they are paid hourly.). Approximately, Andros and Zhane made a profit of about $17,000 a week. They were great bosses, and they treated everyone who worked under them, fairly.
Tommy opened the envelope. He knew he had worked only two nights this week. Next week, he'd be full time, Monday through Saturday, but the amount in the envelope couldn't have been right. "Andros, there is $600 in here. I only worked two nights."
"Next week, you'll make more." Andros patted Tommy's back, and he went to pay Hayley, TJ, and the dancers.
After TJ got his money, he walked up to Tommy. "For two nights, how much did you make?" He curiously asked.
"$600." Tommy answered as he held up his envelope.
TJ nodded. "Sounds about right. Weekly, I average about $1500."
"You make $6000 a month?" Tommy did the math really quick in his head.
"Sometimes more or less." TJ smiled at him and walked away. Mid-step, TJ turned back to him. "I'm throwing a party tomorrow night, you should go." He invited.
Tommy wasn't sure if he should go. That was a school night. He knew he couldn't miss Monday since it was an exam review day. "I'll think about it."
TJ nodded and went to his girlfriend's side.
As everyone began to leave, Tommy wondered if he was going to be taking Geo home. He knew Zhane hadn't mentioned anything, and she practically avoided him all night. It was, now, 2:33am, and Tommy had church at 7:30 am. Was he supposed to wait for her? Was he just a toy for her to play with? Every question he asked, it made him madder. Honestly, he felt used. Tommy walked out the club without her, and in some way, he felt a little empty.