"I did a hell of a lot more than just dance. For five years, I broke every law except murder, I guess. I'd blow guys for money. I'd specifically fuck married men in town for a convention, just to extort them out of an extra grand. Because it was funny. I dealt coke and meth. Used it, too. Yeah, me," she said as Rachel's eyes widened to the story. "I got my five year chip from NA like two years ago, and stopped going to meetings. I was drunk and high every night until dawn, then clean up for college at UNLV. I thought of it like a super hero double life. Super villain, actually. The fake names help you divorce yourself from what you do for a living. When I left Vegas at 23, I had a paid for degree in psychology, a hundred grand in my account, and I was driving a U Haul full of designer clothes and stolen loot. Like I said, I was a fucking pirate."
Kayden enthralled her Apprentice with a never ending series of tales as an ambitious stripper. Rachel kept listening while taking in the scene, and looking over the competition. At first, she thought her number was 22 because that was how many girls were trying out tonight. It turned out the numbers below 20 were the 'Bush league', the wannabes, the 40 year old housewives and the way too drunk bachelorettes. Above 20 were the real deal, the women who would likely be recruited to work here professionally after. She felt proud to be taken seriously, even if it was mostly on Kayden's reputation.
The bush league went first. In quick succession, 8 or 9 girls took the stage. A couple chickened out or froze up so bad they never started. A couple more were so sloppy drunk they couldn't finish a song. Only one from that group, an angel named Angel, stood out. A six foot tall, willowy blonde wearing a white corset and angel's wings, she danced gracefully, to cheers of drunken men. Then the semi pros had their turn. 'Ravenna' was on deck as Wonder Woman took the stage to 'Cherry Pie' -- the second time that song had played this evening. Kayden rolled her eyes. Rule 4: Only posers dance to Warrant. Or Whitesnake. As Wonder Woman collected her top and a fistful of dollar bills thrown for her, Rachel controlled her breathing to keep her heart from racing so badly.
"Let's give a big hand for Wonderful Wonder Woman! And next up, at Roxy's Halloween Amateur Night, direct from Oz, we give you.. Ravishing RAVENNA!"
I'm not really that witch, but whatever
, she thought distractedly as she took the stage. She came in slow, stepping to the sultry beat of Paula Cole's 'Feelin Love'. It was the sexiest song she knew. Men were pressed up to the stage, several already holding out dollar bills. Five men were in chairs. Those were the judges, and Kayden told her those were the ones that mattered. They had paid good money in auctions earlier for the privilege of being the judges, enough that they alone pretty much covered the contest purse tonight. She started swaying her hips to the beat, slowly unsnapping the bottom snaps of the leather vest, revealing more green skinned torso. She put the pole to her back and slid down, fanning out her thighs. They went wild. She tiger crawled over to the judges across the stage. At point blank range in front of them, up on her knees, she finished unsnapping the vest and tossed it behind her. Her hands played over her neck, pulling her bra strap off the shoulder, then putting it back. Then down to her tartan miniskirt, to lift it up and let the boys see.
A group of men were shouting TAKE IT OFF! So loudly she had trouble hearing the lyrics. Not that it really mattered. She did a series of stretches in front of the judges before she got back on her feet, giving each a big smile. It struck her as odd that many of the yoga poses she had done every day were in fact stripper moves. Downward Dog, Upward Dog. The Bridge. Her brain sort of shut off. She did the routine Kayden had been practicing with her in the dance room for weeks. She stopped being nervous.
Finally back on her feet, the song started reaching its crescendo, where it turned into a lengthy series of feminine moans and cries. She caught the eye of the youngest judge. 'You want it?' she mouthed, caressing her breasts. He nodded. She hit the 'ejection button' she had sewn into the bikini top. The single large snap popped open, and her full airbrushed breasts sprang out as she threw her chest out. The crowd roared. As the song wound down, she used one hand to hold back her skirt and the other to fondle her tits. Guys threw money. She was grinning ear to ear when the song finished.
They brought her back up on stage as a semi finalist. She made the cut! The five remaining were herself, Angel, another newbie dressed as Red Riding Hood, Wonder Woman, and a Succubus. The she devil had delivered an outstanding performance after Ravenna, and had showed off her obviously enhanced boobs and extensive tattoo collection almost right from the start. They started the second round. In this one, one of the judges would actually be sitting on the stage. The idea was the girls were to give him a lap dance, as well as dance around. Nothing Kayden and her hadn't been practicing. She put her orange bra and leather vest back on and got her secret weapon ready.
They went in the same order as before. Rachel had another Jack and Coke as she watched. Angel was lovely and graceful, but she did exactly the same routine and didn't even interact with the guy on stage. Red and Wonder Woman did okay. Then it was Ravenna's turn. Her first song had a slow, sexy beat. This one rocked. As the opening riffs of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' came on, she worked the crowd. Hands over her head, she started clapping, getting them revved up like a cheerleader. They got into it. As the opening buildup of music crashed into its hard opening, she turned towards the judge sitting on stage. With one violent pull, in time to the smashing music, she ripped the vest open with both hands all in one go and threw it away.
She sat on the judge's lap and began her routine. She popped and rolled her hips, grinding across his lap with her hands on the back of the chair. Her and Kay had spent time each afternoon lately in the dance room, doing exactly this to each other. Then she flipped around and did it in reverse, arching her back so the crowd could see her chest. The judge was supposed to be sitting on his hands. She felt one slide up across her hip. Rather than make a big deal out of it, she detached from him and crawled across to the other judges, where she then stood up to show off her secret weapon. She palmed the lighter and one of the pieces of flash paper out of her top. As the song got to its first 'Off to Never Never Land!' she lit the paper and threw it into the air, cackling a witch cackle as she did.
The magician's flash paper burned intensely and completely, disappearing in a second into nothing. The crowd just blew up. Rule number 7: Give them something they ain't seen. She popped her ejection button, springing her ladies out while keeping the lighter in her hand. Suddenly, TC came out of nowhere. He bulled through the men like water. His ham sized fist came up, motioning for the lighter. The crowd booed. He wasn't taking no for an answer. Reluctantly, she gave him the lighter.
His interference threw her off her game. She tried to recover herself as the song continued. She had two more dollar bill sized strips of flash paper tucked into her thong, and that was supposed to be the biggest part of her routine. She just made do without it. Moving her hips like a snake, she shed her little miniskirt, now just Ravenna, clad in body paint and an orange thong. She lay down next to the other judges and writhed around for them a bit, then tiger crawled over to the judge on stage. She slid around on his lap and ground on him. When she was facing away from him with her hands up in his greasy hair, he went for it and grabbed both her boobs. The crowd loved it, even if she didn't. The song wound down, and with a huge round of cheering, Ravenna collected her things, and some cash, and left the stage.
TC came over to her as she was getting dressed by their table. "Sorry bout that, but we caint have girls burning the place down. That was a bit outta hand." Kayden looked furious, but Rachel moved in quicker. She touched him on his massive arm. "It's OK, you were just doing your job. You being there protective and all, that makes it safe for girls like me. Thanks."
He moved off as the Succubus took the stage. Motley Crue's 'Shout at the Devil' came on, her top came off, and she mounted her chair judge with practiced ease. Kayden watched her with a professional eye. "I swear she's a ringer. That girl's danced pro before. She's just new in town."
As the song progressed, not only were her hands and the judge's hands all over each other, but towards the end she got down to the edge of the stage. One of the girls who worked there hopped up and laid on her back, and the succubus crawled on top of her and did a simulated 69. A very realistic simulation. Rachel motioned at them with her drink. "Somebody has a new friend. I thought that wasn't allowed."
Kayden looked like a cat about to get pissy. "It's not. Stripper rule 10: The rules always end up going out the fucking window. The girls are over 18. Guys aren't supposed to touch you. You aren't supposed to blow them. Nobody ever actually sees pussy. That all ends up being more guidelines, than rules."
In the end, about 1am, the results were called. The fix was in. The succubus won first prize and got the $500. Ravenna, to her surprise, got second. The manager of the place had come over after she got off stage, accepting her envelope of twenties, and gave her his business card. She could start work any time, he said. Earn a grand a night, he said. Something to think about.
Kayden was fuming they didn't win first. They eventually made it out to the parking lot, Kayden blasting through the side streets and getting them back across the river into the normal world. Rachel was riding high. With the tips men threw, she had closer to two fifty in her envelope. They chatted on about the evening, coming down off the high. Actually, Rachel was going on and on. Kayden seemed quieter, reflective even. Towards the end, Kayden grew serious. "Listen, I got a favor to ask you. A big one." She patted her fake baby belly under her slutty nun costume. "This little Juan is going to pop in early March. Like right before your anniversary as our Apprentice. We had talked about you getting your own place right after that, in April, so you're all settled in for school next fall."
