Chapter One
Janice pulled into the Beach House parking lot at eight o'clock sharp. According to Mitch, her new boss, she had to be dressed and on the club's main floor by eight-thirty to avoid a fifty-dollar dock. She could hardly afford to give even more of her hard-earned money to the bar.
Janice had six months to earn $100,000 at the strip club. According to her college friend, Brooke, the funds would be used to pay back money Janice had stolen from her investment firm's clients. If she failed to raise the money, her thievery would turn up in a company audit, and she would likely end up in jail. That was not something she was about to let happen.
To hit her deadline, Janice would need to earn about four-thousand dollars every week. According to Harmony, another dancer at the club, the girls usually took home around $500 each night, more on the weekends and less on weekdays. Janice would have to do better than that if she hoped to pay back the stolen money prior to the looming audit. She wasn't sure how she would accomplish such a feat, but she was never one to shy away from a challenge.
On her first night at the club, Janice only made $150. Granted, she spent most of the evening waiting for an audition and still had to pay tip-out. She danced several times and even gave her first lap dance, a repulsive experience that made her desire a shower.
Janice grabbed her suitcase from the back of her car. She had used her lunch hour to purchase several dancer outfits and two pairs of platform heels. There was no way she was going to spend another night in the ridiculous string bikini she had worn during her tryout.
"Hey, Paris," the guy guarding the front door said greeting Janice with her newly acquired dancer name.
"Hi," Janice replied as she rushed through the lobby. She didn't know the man's name and had no desire to learn it.
Just as Janice had made it past the row of fish tanks separating the main door from the rest of the club, she ran into Harmony who offered an unsolicited hug. Harmony was wearing a white cutoff T-shirt with black booty shorts and ripped fishnet stockings.
"Hey, girl," Harmony said. "I'll help you get ready." She took Janice's hand and led her to the dressing room.
Even though Janice preferred solitude as she prepped for her first full night as a stripper, she accepted Harmony's assistance. The redhead helped Janice pick out a locker, introduced her to some of the other girls in the dressing room, and even offered some advice as to what Janice should wear out on the floor.
Janice took Harmony's input in stride and chose a plaid schoolgirl skirt with a black bra and a white front-tie crop top. Harmony wanted to put Janice's raven hair in pigtails, but the look was more cliché than Janice could stomach.
"Oh," Harmony said as they checked Janice's outfit in the mirror. "I've got some good news."
"You do?" Janice returned still not sure about her new best friend's intentions.
"Yeah," Harmony said. "Darryl's coming tonight. He said he'd like you to sit with us."
"Darryl?" Janice asked hopefully. "He's a customer?"
"Yeah," Harmony answered. "He usually hangs out with several of us. He buys us drinks all night, and he tips pretty well too."
"He tips?" Janice asked. "How much?"
"You are all about the money," Harmony joked. "Good for you."
"How much?" Janice asked again impatiently.
"It depends," Harmony returned without missing a beat. "He usually gives each of us a hundred dollars at the end of the night. He tips us on stage too."
"One hundred dollars?" Janice scoffed. "And you sit with him all night?"
"It's not like that," Harmony said. "Several of us hang out with him between lap dances and stage shows. We can still make money from other customers, and...Oh... I forgot. He also pays our tip-out."
"Wow," Janice said. She inspected herself in the mirror. "Thanks, Harmony. I can't believe you did that for me. That's so sweet."
"Anytime," Harmony answered graciously. She wrapped her arm around Janice's shoulders. "We all need a little help when we're just getting started. You can pass it on to the next girl."
"When does Darryl get here?" Janice asked hoping to get down to business. She wasn't about to discuss passing anything on.
"He's out there now," Harmony exclaimed. "Let's go. I'll introduce you."
Janice pulled her short plaid skirt down her thighs even though it barely covered her white panties. She adjusted the front-tie top allowing just enough of her black bra and cleavage to peek through. If she had her way, she would keep everything covered up, but conservatism wasn't going to earn her any money. After a deep breath, she was ready for her first full night as a dancer. The Beach House's newest entertainer hated what she had to do, but it was the only way she would get her life back.
"So this is Paris," Darryl said standing up to greet Janice. Darryl was a heavy-set man in his early sixties. His hair was thinning. He used suspenders to keep his pants secured just underneath his gut. His tight blue polo shirt barely tucked into his tattered brown pants.
Janice shook Darryl's hand. His short stubby fingers barely wrapped around Janice's palm. His skin was rough and felt flakey.
Darryl pulled Janice's hand around his back and wrapped his weighty arms around her body. "I'm more of a hugger," he joked in a raspy voice. "Truth be told, I'm more of a fucker, but we'll get to that later."
Despite her best efforts to appear cordial, Janice winced as Darryl compressed his large belly into her abs. She felt his hands sliding down her back below her crop top and making their way to her ass. She tried to step out of the hug but failed to maneuver away before his hands slipped under her plaid skirt and clenched onto her ass cheeks.
"Oh, wow," Janice said not sure how else to protest Darryl's advance.
"Leave the new girl alone," another dancer sitting at the table joked. "I'm Bella," the blonde said to Janice. Bella, who was wearing a blue thong and matching bikini top stepped between Darryl and Janice. "This your first night?"
