AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I looked down at my lap.His hand was big, the fingers long.I had a visceral memory of how it felt for two of those large fingers to get me off.
I bit my lip and inched my skirt up just a bit.It was already short enough.
His hand quickly took the territory I exposed, gripping and rubbing at my thigh.
“How did you end up working at a place like that?” he asked me suddenly.“You don’t seem the type.”
I didn’t take offense to the question.Just the opposite.I’d never considered myself the type to work at a strip club.To be a stripper.
“It’s a long story.A boring one.”
“We’ve got nothing but time.And I’d need convincing to believe a boring story is how you wound up swinging that gorgeous body from a pole.”
With a sigh, I told him the truth, “My sister’s baby’s daddy is an abusive loser.I hate him.Hell, even she hates him, but the only way I can get her to stop being his punching bag is to help her out financially.I support her and my nieces and nephews, and in exchange, she stays away from him.She has four kids, two boys, two girls, and kids aren’t cheap.”
I watched him while I spoke, and something happened to his face as I told him the story, something arresting that disappeared so fast I told myself I’d imagined it.
“What brought you to Exhibitionist?”
“A girlfriend of mine was working there to pay for school, and I knew the kind of fast cash she made, and I needed cash fast, my sister and her kids needed to be moved as soon as I could swing it, so I figured why not?”
“Why not indeed?Were you always a dancer?”
“I’ve been a fan of clubbing since I got my first fake I.D. at seventeen, and I once took a pole dancing cardio class, but other than that, no.I learned on the job, found I enjoyed it, practiced a lot, and got better at it. I was pretty scandalized by it at first, actually, but I’ve learned to navigate it without too much drama.The things I don’t like, the champagne room, the lap dances, I just avoid.Bennie, the manager, lets us do what we want.We work on tips, so if we don’t want to do something at any given moment, there’s a dozen girls around who do.”
“So you enjoy it.”
“I do.I won’t work there forever, but it suits my situation for now.I’ve learned a lot about myself there.I like putting on a show.It does something for me.Something I’m learning not to be so ashamed of.”
“You do have a talent for it.”
“So what about this weekend?What should I say I do for a living?I assume you don’t want me telling them I take off my clothes for money.”
His jaw clenched like he was irritated, but his voice was blank as he answered, “Your assumption is correct.Tell them you’re a full-time college student, and that’s it.”
“How did we meet?” I asked him.May as well get our stories straight.
“In a coffee shop.You were studying.You caught my eye, and I talked you into letting me buy you a cup of coffee.We introduced ourselves and traded stories for hours.You neglected your studies that day, and you let me talk you into dinner, and then dessert.”
The way he said dessert made me shiver.“How long have we been dating?” I asked him.
“Eight months.”
“Where’s that accent from?” I asked, this one more for my own curiosity, since he seemed to be in the mood to answer questions.
“I’m from Russia,” he answered, affirming my own assumption.“But I’ve lived in the states for a long time.Over a decade.”
“Are you a citizen here?”
“Yes.”
“And what do you do for a living?”
“A lot of things, but the bulk of my fortune has been made in real estate.I think that’s enough info on me to get you through the weekend.”
“What’s your first name?” I asked him.“I looked you up online, but no one seems to call you anything but Kashnikov or Kash.”
He shot me a look, and even with shades on, it was unfriendly.“Alexei, but no one calls me that.”
