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Section 1
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
She was mine the moment she walked into my club. She just didn't know it yet. My sweet angel. I couldn't give her a job dancing on my stage. I took one look at her and knew I would be the only man who ever saw her dance.
Complete Chapters 20 Rating 4.6 ( 42 reviews ) Age Rating mature {"language":"en","storyId":1201288,"genres":[{"name":"Romance","path":"/genres/romance"}],"authorName":"Kelli Callahan","authorPath":"/Kelli_Callahan","status":"complete","lastUpdatedAt":1772293248,"chaptersCount":20,"rating":4.642857142857143,"reviewsCount":42,"ageRating":"mature"} Leo I hate this fucking club.
Hate my brother for wasting our money on it.
Hate that I have to clean up his damn mess, just like always.
“I don’t care about repairs. Just paint the damn walls. The faster we get that done, the faster we can get this place back on the market,” I growl at Danny, the guy who is in charge of fixing the place up.
This place is a dive, and it is just one of many I have to sell at a loss because my little brother is a fucking idiot. Millions of dollars down the drain. I’d be a billionaire already if my brother had some common sense rattling around in his head. That’s over now. As soon as I liquidate his mistakes, I’m ending our partnership and striking out on my own. I’m sure he’ll be broke in a year. If it wasn’t for me, our company would have gone bankrupt a long time ago. He’s fucked up so many times now that the company itself has a terrible reputation.
Andrews Brothers Real Estate Development. We invest in shitholes .
I should be looking forward to early retirement, not starting a new company at thirty-six, but this is the hand I’ve been dealt.
“The wood by the stage is rotten, boss.” Danny lets out a sigh and motions me over. “It is a wonder it hasn’t collapsed already.”
“Oh no,” I respond, feigning concern. “Are you telling me one of the girls could get hurt?”
“Who fucking cares. They know the risk. Nobody in their right mind would dance up there, anyway.” I wave off his concern. “Focus on the painting.”
If the next owner wants to deal with the extra renovations, they can. I just want to unload this property as fast as possible. It is bad enough that I have to keep opening the place every night. The only thing that people want less than a rundown strip club is a rundown strip club that doesn’t have any customers.
You couldn’t pay me enough to walk through the doors of this cesspool if I didn’t have so much money tied up in it already.
I walk around, looking at the rest of the work, and open the interior of my jacket to take out a cigar. I light it up behind a plume of smoke, the hints of vanilla in the tobacco floating around my face in a haze that overpowers some of the repugnant odors. I don’t even want to know the origin of them. For all I know, there’s a dead body somewhere in the walls or floorboards.
“Excuse me?” An almost angelic voice calls out, and I’m drawn to the origin like it is my personal siren song. “Are you hiring?”
I turn to see a ravishing beauty standing at the doorway of the club. She walks inside, brushing her auburn hair away from her face and tucking it behind her left ear. Her eyes sparkle like emeralds that have been polished to perfection.
“Nah,” Danny says, walking closer. “Sorry, but we don’t have any openings right now.”
“Oh,” she replies, disappointment clear in her tone. “Sorry for bothering you.”
“Wait,” I interrupt. “What kind of job are you looking for?”
There is no way a girl this gorgeous wants to take her clothes off for money. Not in a place like this, at least. She’s young, vibrant, and looks like she belongs on a runway instead of a stage that could collapse at any moment. Her clothes aren’t very expensive, but she wears the cheap dress she has on better than most, considering it probably came off a discount rack. Just like the worn shoes on her feet and the dollar store handbag hanging from her shoulder.
“Um, I was…” Her voice trails off and she motions to the stage behind me. “Dancing?”
I turn towards Danny, puffing my cigar. “Get back to work. I think we need to repair the stage after all.” I fire my order and immediately turn back to the ravishing beauty. “We may have an opening. I’m the owner. Let’s go talk in my office.”
“Okay,” she replies, her soft lips spreading into a smile. It is almost intoxicating.
Danny shakes his head and walks away. I motion to the office the previous owner used. Technically, my office now, but I’ve only set foot in it once.
As I lead her towards the door, I wish we had at least thrown on a fresh coat of paint.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I ask over my shoulder, glancing at her.
“I’m Leo. Sorry about the mess,” I say as I open the door. “I just recently bought this place and we’re doing some renovations.”
“No problem.” She looks around. “I’ve seen a lot worse.”
“Have a seat, Ana.” I walk over to one of the chairs in front of the desk and remove some papers from it.
“Thank you.” She smiles and sits down.
I walk around the desk and sit in the chair, wincing when it creaks like it is going to fall apart at any moment. I quickly tap my cigar out in the ashtray and let it rest there as I level my gaze on the beauty in front of me.
“So, you want to dance? On the stage?”
The sparkle leaves her eyes. Her cheeks blush a little. “Yes, I’ve heard it is a good way to make money.”
“Some girls do alright.” I nod. “You realize that this is a strip club, right? You would have to take off your clothes.”
Her arms immediately cross her chest and she sinks a little lower in her chair. “I understand that.”
“You’re not shy, are you?” I ask, noticing that her body language suggests she isn’t thrilled with the idea.
“I’ll…” She stammers over her words. “…be okay once the music starts. I can get in the zone and do what I have to. I-I practiced some at home—in front of the mirror.”
“Taking off your clothes in front of the mirror is a lot easier than doing it in front of a bunch of old men that want to fuck you,” I remark crudely, noticing her sink further into her chair.
She shouldn’t be here. She’s too young and naïve. Barely old enough to pluck off the vine.
“Y-yeah, but I can do it,” she says, her eyes still dim. “If you’ll just give me a chance. I really need the money.”
She’s beautiful. Intriguing. I want to know why she needs the money so badly. What brought a gorgeous thing like her to a place like this? I want to know if she’s in trouble or some sort of danger. I shouldn’t care, because I have more important things to worry about, but I can’t help it.
“I’ll give you one song to convince me,” I say, pulling my phone out. “You pick.”
“Um, I like a lot of stuff.” She shrugs.
“What is your stage name going to be?” I ask, scrolling through some songs on my phone.
“You don’t want to use your real name.” I study her for a moment. “You look like an Angel.”
“An—angel?” She blinks in surprise and her cheeks blush. “Well, thank you but-“
“Angel, the name,” I clarify, interrupting her.
“Oh, yeah. That would be fine.” She nods, seemingly disappointed.
“Here we go,” I say, standing up from the chair and walking over to the couch. It is a little dirty, but I sit on it anyway, not wanting to think what the stains could be. “I’ll start the music and you dance. Show me what you got, sweetheart.”
I start playing Calling All Angels and put my phone down. Ana stands up from her seat slowly, trying to nod along to the music. There’s so much nervousness in her eyes. So much apprehension in the way she moves. She walks to the center of the room, right in front of me, and begins moving her body to the beat of the song. Her eyes close, and I see tears dampen her eyelashes.
“Do you need a few minutes to get into that zone you were talking about?” I ask. “Should I start the song over?”
“Y-yes,” she replies, turning away from me. “Just give me a minute, please. I can do this.”
Normally, I’d just give her the boot and tell her to quit wasting my time. I shouldn’t be hiring anyone to begin with. Danny was right. We really aren’t looking for any new dancers. I’m trying to operate on a bare-minimum budget until I can unload this club on the next sap who is stupid enough to buy it.
But Ana looks like the world has already been cruel to her. She’s not the kind of girl that ends up dancing the pole. She’s too innocent and sweet. Too timid. If she fails this test, then she’s somebody else’s problem.
At least she can fail on her own terms and find another way to make money, far away from this cesspool of humanity.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
But I can usually dance to anything.
My mom was a ballet dancer. I learned from her when I was young and I was on the dance squad in high school, so I’m used to dancing in front of other people.
Even when I was on the dance squad, our uniforms were rather conservative.
It is a lot harder to take off my clothes in front of a stranger than I realized. And this is just one stranger. It will be worse when it is an entire room full of them.
But first, I have to get hired.
I never thought I’d be applying for a job in a dirty strip club that smells so putrid I want to throw up, but here I am—trying to make the most of it.
“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he replies, and the song starts again.
The zone. I need to find it. I have to get these tears out of my eyes and at least pretend I’m happy to be taking my clothes off for money. Nobody is going to pay to see a stripper that is crying on the stage instead of showing off what they came to see. I definitely won’t get any tips.
And I need the money. Desperately. My father’s life depends on it.
“Well?” he asks. “If you don’t want to go through with it…”
“No, I’m going to do it.” I take a deep breath and turn around.
I let the beat guide my feet, then I force the rest of my body to join in. I try to remember what I saw on YouTube, mimicking the sway of a girl on the stage, my cheeks burning so hot I can barely see straight.
“Alright,” he says. “You’ve got some moves, but that isn’t what people are going to throw money at you for.”
“I know,” I respond, exhaling sharply.
Leo’s eyes are fixed on me. Dark, almost the color of onyx. He’s a very attractive man. Chiseled jaw with neatly trimmed stubble. His hair is a shade lighter than his eyes, cut short on top with a fade that seamlessly joins his beard. Big broad shoulders that fill out his suit nicely. My mom used to tell me to imagine the audience naked if I couldn’t focus. If I imagine Leo naked, I’ll probably turn redder than I already am.
I hit the next beat of the song with a sway and push my shoulder strap down. Then the other. He leans forward, shifting in his seat. He’s interested now. A captive audience. If I can keep his interest until the end of the song, then I’ll earn a spot on that stage.
“There you go, sweetheart.” He shifts in his seat again. “Show me the good stuff.”
I bend at the waist, leaning over so that he can get a glimpse of my cleavage, still swaying to the song. His eyes linger there. I can see a hunger in his onyx stare. I thought it would make me sick to see guys staring at me like this, but seeing the excitement in Leo’s eyes makes me tingle. It gives me a little more confidence. Enough to turn, dance, and let my dress fall to my hips.
“Damn,” he remarks, a smile curling the edge of his lips.
I let him get a good view of me in my strapless bra before turning and bending once more. This time, I push my fingers into the bunched fabric around my waist and start pushing it down. I saw this move in one of the videos. Give them a little peek, but don’t let them see everything yet. I push a thumb into the panties, sliding them down some before letting go.
“Oh, you little tease,” he says with a laugh. “Good job.”
If I can hold Leo’s attention, then I should be able to get a room full of drunk guys to throw money at me. I wasn’t sure about this plan. It bounced around in my head for weeks before I finally found the courage to come here. Two towns away from the one I grew up in. Less chance of someone who knows me or my family seeing me dancing on a stage. I passed two strip clubs on the way here and this one doesn’t look like it is the type of place people go out of their way for. This plan may actually work.
My dress hits the floor and I kick it towards Leo as I turn, giving him a full view of me in nothing but my strapless bra and pink panties. He’s nodding along to the song now—nodding along to every sway of my hips and tippy-toe spin. A mixture of ballerina, dance squad, and stuff I saw online. If he had a pole in his office, I could do a little more, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Then the song ends and I see the excitement drain out of his stare.
“You were too slow,” he remarks. “The girls that dance here take everything off and they do it before their song is over.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, swallowing a lump that rapidly rises in my throat. “I can keep going. Just start the song over. I promise I’ll get it right this time.”
“Timing is everything, sweetheart.” He shrugs and stands up. “If you can’t give the customers what they want, then you don’t belong on the stage.”
“Leo, please,” I let out a soft whimper. “I really need the money.”
“What do you need the money for, anyway?” He walks to his desk and turns, leaning against it. “Drugs? What is it? You powder your nose? Stay up all night with a little pharmaceutical cocktail?”
“No?” He reaches down and picks up my purse. “I won’t find any surprises in here? This is my club. If one of the girls brings drugs in, my ass is going downtown too.”
“That isn’t why I need money,” I say, shaking my head.
“Let’s have a look then.” He walks around his desk and sits down, dumping out the contents of my purse.
“Hey!” I walk to the desk and try to gather up my belongings.
“Have a seat.” He pushes my hands away. “I’m trying to decide if I’m going to give you another chance or not.”
I sink into the chair, the faux-leather cold against my skin. Leo rummages through my belonging, tossing my makeup, lipstick, and cell phone back into my purse, then picking up a pack of cigarettes I had hidden in the bottom.
“Sometimes when I’m nervous,” I reply, feeling judged even though I barely know this man.
He tosses my cigarettes into my purse, going through the rest of my belongings until he gets to my wallet. He opens it without even asking, thumbing through the contents, until he finds my driver’s license.
“Anabelle Clark,” he says, reading it carefully. “You’re a long way from home.”
“You’re not even old enough to drink,” he continues. “You in college?”
“No.” I shake my head. “College costs too much money.”
“Is that what you need money for?” he asks, studying my license for a few seconds before putting it back in my wallet.
“My father’s sick,” I answer. “The medicine is expensive and I need a job that pays a lot more than minimum wage.”
“He doesn’t have insurance?” Leo returns the last few items to my purse and slides it towards me.
“He does, but he can’t work right now, and the disability check only goes so far.” I sigh, looking down, feeling the tears return to my eyes. “Plus, my sister is in high school and she’s graduating next year. I don’t want her to miss out on everything—like I did.”
“Why’d you miss out on it?” he asks, his tone softening some.
“I was taking care of my father.” I blink away the tears that try to well up in my eyes. “The last few years have been rough.”
“Why doesn’t your sister help? She can get a job too. It shouldn’t all be on you.” He leans back in his chair.
“She’s taking care of him right now.” I sigh. “She helps when she can. He needs someone there with him, so while I’m working…”
“I see.” He nods, standing up from his chair. “Alright, put your dress back on. I’ll give you another chance. This is it, though. I’m a very busy man.”
Leo returns to the couch and sits down. He starts the music before I get my dress on, so I just go with it. I don’t have a choice. The next strip club is too far of a drive, and the others are too close to home. I didn’t expect to be grilled like that, but now he knows how desperate I am. He’s already the first man to see me in nothing but my bra and panties.
Now I have to show him more than that.
I have to show him everything .
Inkitt’s mission is to discover talented writers and turn them into globally successful authors.
Authors can write and upload their manuscripts on Inkit for free and writers retain 100% of their copyrights while writing on Inkitt
Readers can read all books for free, without any ads and give the authors feedback.
Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published on our Galatea app.
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