Lustful Nights (Peaches #1)
1. Lennox
1
LENNOX
The bright spotlight hits right on my chair as I spread my legs wide, smirking at the audience. ‘ Earned It ’ by The Weeknd blares through the speakers as I lean forward before sliding my hands up my thighs and straightening myself out. The crowd yells and cheers and I can’t help but puff out my chest a little more.
I live for these nights. Commanding the stage, with every man in the building mesmerized by me. I’m not stupid. I know I’m not the only reason they come. But for the ten-ish minutes I’m performing, they’re captivated by me. And that’s a heady feeling. Knowing that right now there are men out there who are hard and aching and wanting to fuck me.
But they can’t.
I don’t have many rules for myself, but sleeping with customers is a big no-no. I’ve seen the type of shit my co-workers get into, and I’m not wanting to deal with any of that. Plus, while my boss, Caleb, doesn’t say it’s against his rules, I know he frowns upon those who sleep with customers.
The music slowly changes to ‘ S I fell in love with it. The way it feels to be up on the stage with everyone’s eyes on me. Dancing is in my soul now. I do it everywhere I go. Even when I’m home alone in the tiny apartment I share with Declan.
I wrap my leg around the pole and spin, dropping my head back as the song ends. My chest is rising rapidly and the smile on my face is huge and bright. There’s nothing quite like this; when my routine is finally over, and I can bask in all the love and admiration of the men watching me.
Holding on tight, I stay in my pose for a few seconds before I gingerly get myself straightened and off the pole. Caleb does things differently with his club, as he doesn’t allow the patrons to throw their dollar bills onto the stage, but the dancers will come around and collect the tips after they finish.
I remember being shocked when he first explained how it works. Everything I’ve seen on TV or in movies shows men and women tossing cash onto the stage. But that’s not how Caleb wanted his club to run. He expects dancers and servers to interact with all the customers. So, once I finish my dance, I walk down the steps off the stage and onto the floor.
Peaches is a gorgeous club. Caleb recently changed it from Juicy Peaches to Peaches when he renovated the inside. There are huge red booths all around the edge of the building, with different size tables and chairs scattered about the remainder of the area. A wall-length bar occupies one side of the room, with several bartenders busy preparing drinks for the thirsty crowd. Although the space has many flashing lights, the overall lighting remains rather dim.
Walking through the masses, I smile and work my way through the different tables. Stopping at each table to offer a soft ‘ hello ,’ I make sure to add a little sway to my hips. Customers aren’t allowed to touch the dancers, so I keep my distance, so no unwanted hands reach out to me.
A sound plays before the next song blasts through the speaker. Saying quick goodbyes, I head to the bar to grab a bottle of water. I wait until Preston finishes helping the two men down the counter and then I signal with my hands for a drink. I don’t consume alcohol while I’m working, and I’m not a big soda drinker, so I always sit at the bar and guzzle down some water.
Preston hands me a cold bottle, and I thank him. “Thanks, honey.”
A slight blush tints his cheeks that I only notice since he’s positioned directly under a light. Preston is a newer bartender, having only started several months ago. Every night he works, he drops multiple drinks, proving he’s incredibly clumsy. Standing at five-foot-four, he’s a couple inches shorter and leaner than me. He has brown floppy hair that falls into his eyes and chocolate eyes that match. Because of his innocence and adorableness, I’ve tried to take him under my wing. He hasn’t told me why he’s working here, but I haven’t attempted to press him either. He’ll open up to me when he’s ready.
My eyes fly to the stage as Declan—Deco—strides out to the center and I smile at my best friend. This is his calling. Holding the attention of the entire room. He’s a few inches taller than me, maybe five-foot-eight, but it’s his stunning blue hair that helps him stand out. The hair, and the beautiful corsets he wears during his shows. The way he dances mesmerizes everyone in his vicinity. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. Declan and I have been best friends since elementary school. Some bully stole my lunch one day and Declan punched him and broke his nose, then snatched my food back for me. We’ve been inseparable ever since then. We attended the same schools and now live together. When I began my nursing program, the hours were all over the place. It wasn’t easy for me to keep a job without overdoing it and burning myself out. Dancing a few nights a week allows me to make enough money to survive without taking away from the time I need for school and studying.
My gaze swings around the room and I chuckle at the expressions of all the men throughout the area. Although I don’t intend to work here permanently, I enjoy the feeling this place gives me.
Preston makes his way back over to me and I turn to face him. “Do you think you’ll ever want to get up on stage?” I suggest, taking another sip of water.
“Oh, god no. I couldn’t do that. It’s too nerve-racking.”
“It’s not that bad,” I tell him honestly. “You just have to listen to the music and imagine there’s no one out there watching.”
“I can’t dance,” he chuckles. “I would get laughed out of the building if people saw my moves. Plus, there’s no way I could imagine there’s no one out there.”
“I’m not the best dancer either, but if you ever wanted to try, I would help you.”
“Thanks Lennox, but I’m fine working the bar. I get pretty good tips so I can’t complain. I make more here than I did when I worked at the flower shop.”
“And how are you and your boyfriend?” I ask, not really wanting to know the answer. Preston deserves so much better than his asshole partner, but I keep my opinions about him to myself. Preston is a newer friend, and I don’t want to push him away. I want him to know that I’ll be here for him in case anything happens with his douchey boyfriend.
“Good, I guess. He started working at a new construction site, so we haven’t seen each other as much as we used to, but it’s fine.” His voice trails off and he looks away.
Placing my hand on top of his, I pat it reassuringly. “I’m sure everything will be okay.” I’m not sure either of us believes my words, but I’ll always be a supportive friend. “Do you want to come out with me and Declan for breakfast after we close?”
“Yeah, I would love that.”
“Once the whole place is shut down, meet us at the back door.”
I hop off the stool, waving goodbye to Preston before making my way backstage. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how incredibly spacious the dancers’ dressing room was, even in such an enormous building. Caleb loves to take care of us, and while I don’t know why he cares so much or why he’s always wanting to make sure we’re fine, I’ll never take it for granted. I’ve heard horror stories from dancers at other clubs. The way their boss is creepy and prioritizes making money over his workers. Caleb is the opposite of that. If we were ever in a situation where it was us versus the money, he would choose his employees every time.
Pulling out the stool in front of my mirror, I plop myself down onto the chair. I grab one of the wipes I have sitting on the counter and start wiping the makeup off my face. While I don’t wear a lot of cosmetics, I wear enough to highlight my facial features. I also have glitter that I spread all over my body, but that’s typically harder to get off, so it’ll have to wait until I get home to shower.
Declan walks into the dressing room a couple of minutes later, taking the seat next to mine. “Fuck, it’s a good night.”
“I invited Preston to go out with us to eat. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Hell no. You know I don’t mind. I love Preston. Hate his boyfriend but love him.”
Same Declan, same.
“He seemed a little down, so I figured he could use a pick-me-up. Did you find any guys tonight?” I ask, knowing that my best friend is always on the prowl. Declan isn’t a relationship person at all. He loves to hook up and even though he tries to stay away from the customers, sometimes I’ll see them sneaking out of our apartment the next morning.
Hooking up with someone random doesn’t appeal to me. It’s also probably because I’m a virgin and I don’t want to just give that away. Trust me, I want to have penetrative sex, but I just haven’t met someone that I wanted to do it with. However, I’m twenty-six now, so I keep hoping that will change soon. I didn’t mean to last this long in life without having anal sex, but I’ve had so many other things to worry about that it’s just fallen down the list of things I’ve cared about.
I’ve had a few boyfriends here and there who always started out fine with it. Especially since we’ve done other things. But after being with me for a while and realizing things weren’t changing, they left. I don’t even know what kept me from having sex with them. There must have been something deep down that knew they weren’t right for me.
Declan pushes at my shoulder, which jolts me from daydreaming.
“Hmm?” I ask, turning my head to face him.
“I was asking if you figured out what song you want to dance to tomorrow?”
“Fuck, no. But I need to pick something good. There’s an opportunity for good tips.”
Someone rented out the entire club for their bachelor party tomorrow, and often, when that happens, the dancers can earn huge tips. We’ve learned you usually get more money than normal if you do a dance that people haven’t seen before.
“I want to go get a new outfit before our shift if you wanna come,” Declan says, pulling at the lace of his corset.
“Of course I want to.”
We pack up our spaces side by side as we wait for Preston. Once he’s cleaned up the bar, he meets us by the back door. We walk down the street to the nearest 24-hour diner, sliding into a booth in the back. Sally, the server, takes our order before bouncing away to the back.
“I’m always so wired after a night of dancing,” I confess, fidgeting around in the seat. “I love coming here and eating my weight in waffles and bacon and then going home and crashing.”
“I enjoy fucking out my energy after a night of dancing. But I guess waffles and bacon aren’t so bad,” Declan replies, gently shoving Preston when he chokes on his water. “Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to make you choke.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ve never talked about that in public before, so it threw me off.”
Preston’s cheeks pink up just like earlier, and I reach across the table to pat his hand. “Ignore Declan. He’s always horny after work. Don’t encourage him, or he’ll talk about it forever.”
“Fuck, I honestly could talk about sex all the time. There’s nothing quite like being fucked so good you forget your own name.”
Sally sputters as she drops off our plates and scurries away.
“Hell, Declan. You could at least whisper it,” I scold, shaking my head at his antics. Declan is unapologetically himself, which is one reason he’s my best friend.
“Sally knows us by now. My words shouldn’t shock her anymore.” He shrugs his shoulders, taking a bite of his food.
“Changing the subject off sex…tomorrow night, or I guess tonight now, should be a pretty fun night,” I say to them both, popping a piece of bacon into my mouth. I moan loudly when the salty flavor hits my tongue. Damn, I love food.
“What’s happening tomorrow night?” Preston asks.
I eye his plate while he drags food around it, but doesn’t really eat. “Someone rented out the whole club. Usually, that means we all get paid pretty well. Especially you, since you’ll be supplying the drinks.”
“It’s tips galore, Preston. Normally, those parties are some big hotshot trying to show off, so they tend to overspend on both alcohol and dances. It’s a gentleman’s club dream,” Declan gushes, his eyes getting wide. “I still remember my first one where I made more in one night than I had the rest of that week.”
“Wow, really? I wouldn’t mind making some extra money. I had no idea the parties were so lucrative. Plus, they have to be pretty rich to rent out the whole club.” Preston’s eyes widen at the thought of the money he could make, and I laugh.
“I’m telling you both, tomorrow is going to be such a great night,” I say to them, brimming with excitement. Finding an outfit and picking out a song are my priorities before then.