Sierra
Chapter twelve
The rest of the week flies by in a blur, and I’ve never been so thankful for Friday to come.
I’m rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off to get everything together to head to work.
The only bright side to the whole thing is not having to worry about getting Sam ready to go to Mrs. Butler’s as well.
It’s crazy though, I’m already missing her, and she hasn’t been gone long.
The excited look on her face this morning still has me smiling inside.
She’s never had a sleepover before and drilled me for hours last night about what it would be like and what to expect.
I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.
Not since Mom passed away and Wes ended our friendship for no reason.
Tossing everything into my bag, I head to the door.
After locking it up, I race down the stairs.
The last bus runs at eight-thirty, and I have five minutes to make it to the corner.
Thankfully tonight I barely made it by the skin of my teeth.
“Cutting it close, aren’t ya?” Lucy, the middle-aged driver, asks as I step inside, dropping my change for the fare into the container.
She’s so sweet, I know for a fact if I wasn’t there, she would’ve waited for me.
She knows I always ride the bus on Fridays and tend to be late about sixty percent of the time.
“Well, you know if I wasn’t running late, it wouldn’t be me,” I joke as I move down the aisle, taking a seat three rows behind her.
An elderly man, seated in the row to the right of me, smiles sweetly at me as he clutches onto his grocery bag.
Don’t worry, old man, I’m not one of the thugs in the neighborhood looking for a poor, powerless victim to rob.
I give him a nod and turn my head back to the front.
The bus pulls out into the flow of traffic and I allow my head to rest against the window, watching the buildings pass by.
I can hear the mumbled chatter of the other passengers and in the back, the wails of a baby crying.
Mentally, I run through my routine for the night.
You’d think after almost a year I’d be used to getting on the stage, but the nerves rampage my body just as bad as they did that first night.
Man, that night was a shit show. I could barely walk in heels, my eyes big as quarters with fear, and almost broke my neck like twenty times.
My dancing skills were atrocious, and I had no clue what men liked to see, what I should shake, or caress.
Penny, one of the dancers who was on her final week there, as she’d met a guy and was getting married, took me under her wing that first week and taught me some basic skills.
Since then, other dancers have done the same.
“Sierra, Sierra,” Lucy calling my name pulls me from my thoughts.
“It’s your stop, sweetheart.” Her voice is sweet yet concerned.
I can see her eyes watching me through the mirror.
I always get off at the stop two blocks from the club, so she and anyone else who is a regular on the bus don’t know where I go.
She tried to pry it from me those first few months when I started riding, but I wouldn’t tell her, and eventually, she stopped asking.
“Sorry,” I call out as I hurriedly stand and rush off the bus.
Stepping down onto the sidewalk, I hoist the strap of my bag up on my shoulder and lower my head as I make my way down to the club.
When I’m around the corner, I stop to pull the cap from the bag, securing all my hair up in a bun before slipping it on and heading inside. Got to keep my secret now, don’t I?
Opening the door, I hear the music pumping and the loud cheering of men for whoever’s on stage.
“There’s a couple of bachelor parties in here tonight,” Sal calls out to me over the head of the two men standing there.
They’re older and give off skeezy vibes as they turn their heads to let their eyes trail up and down the length of my body.
They quickly turn back to Sal when they see I have no flesh on display for them to ogle at.
I throw my hand up in the air in response with a thumbs up.
Tips should be okay, but the bachelor parties always end up with one too many men trying to put their hands all over me, groping me for their own guilty pleasure.
It’s amazing how many men think just because you’re a stripper, you’re fucking easy and ready to let any Tom, Dick, or Harry stick his penis into you.
Hello, newsflash, some dancers are virgins or don’t remember when they were robbed of it.
Glancing over, I see Rico seated at the bar, a stack of papers and a glass of liquor in front of him.
He’s so focused on what he’s doing he doesn’t notice me, and I take that as my cue to head on to the back.
I knew he’d have a million questions if he saw me.
How’s it going at home? Is school going okay?
How are my grades? You’d think he was my father, the way he’s so concerned.
But then I think back, he knows my age, yet he lets me dance here, but then again, he doesn’t charge me a portion of my tips like he does the other dances.
Our little secret, he says. He’s a mystery and I really hope he doesn’t think I’m his sugar baby or something, because the minute he hits on me, I’m out of here.
Just the thought of it makes me want to puke.
Stepping into the dressing room, I head to my assigned vanity and drop into my chair, letting my bag and purse fall to the floor.
Fuck, I’ll be so glad when I don’t have to do this anymore.
I’ve grown accustomed to being basically nude in front of a room full of men and the occasional woman, too.
Hell, I’d be completely nude if it meant I could keep Sam with me forever and out of foster care or the filthy hands of Aunt Sarah.
I’ve woken many a night from the nightmares of what would happen to Sam in her care.
I must be in a daze because I don’t even notice Jasmine sitting down at the vanity beside me until she talks. “Whatcha’ daydreaming about?” she asks as she smacks her gum. I physically cringe at the heinous popping sound of it.
“Huh… oh nothing. How’s the crowd out there tonight?
Heard we got some bachelor parties, and it ain’t even ten yet.
” Reaching down, I pick my purse up from the floor and place it on my vanity, so I don’t forget to stick it in my locker.
I’d hope the girls here wouldn’t steal the little bit of money I have in it, but you can never be too careful.
Once again, I bend over to my bag that holds my wig and any new costume for the night.
I try to change them out every few days, hoping to gain more tips with the wardrobe switch.
Opening it up, I pull out the travel bag that holds all my makeup and place it on the table.
Unzipping it, I take out the contents and set them on the vanity.
Using a wet wipe, I clean my face before I begin putting on my make-up for the night, all while listening to Jasmine squeal in excitement over the crowd.
“Girl… Let’s just say I just made about a hundred and fifty in tips, and I almost got the groom from one of the parties to get a lap dance.
Gonna head out there again after I freshen up a bit and work him over some more.
” She grips her bare breasts, working her nipples between her fingers, teasing them until they harden.
It’s a little tip, the how shall we say it: seasoned dancers, showed me on my first night.
Men love it when they think you’re aroused by them, and pebbled nips are one of the signs they look for.
“So, good night, huh?”
“Yep,” she replies, popping the p.
“How’s it going, ladies?” a deep masculine voice asks. I don’t even need to look up because I’d know that caring voice anywhere. One day when I’m able to think about dating, I’m hoping I can find a carbon copy of him.
“It’s good, Cyrus. I thought you were off tonight. Something about your friend coming into town.” Honestly, I’m glad he’s here. He always keeps the handsy patrons away from me.
“I was, but he’s visiting with his sister tonight, so I told Rico I could work.
Seems like it’s a good thing ‘cause it’s early and already packed out there.
How’s your sister, Lilac?” God, I love how he always asks about her, even remembers her name.
I’ve only talked about her a couple of times, quickly stopping when I realized I was doing it.
“Good. She’s at her first sleepover tonight.
She was so excited this morning, while I was a nervous wreck.
” Fuckity, fuck, fuck. Come on, Sierra, get it together.
Normal sisters wouldn’t care if their sibling was spending the night somewhere else.
I can see the question in his eyes at my response, and I need to think of something else to change the subject.
“I remember my first time staying away from home and the games we played, like the first one to fall asleep had their bra put in the freezer. Honestly, I really hope she has a good time.” She’s going to be like an energizer bunny tomorrow, ready to tell me all about what she and her friends did and I can’t wait to hear all the details when I pick her up.
Hopefully, they will be as great as my memories of sleepovers as a kid, before everything went to shit.
“Well, I’m going to get back out there, so I’ll see you on the floor.” Cyrus gives me a wink, then turns and heads toward the door. I can’t help but let my eyes fall on his ass in those tight jeans he’s wearing.
“Hot one, ain’t he? I think he likes you. You should ask him out. It’s a new time. Women can be the pursuer now,” Jasmine leans into me, whispering in my ear.
How the fuck did I forget she was here?
“Nah, he’s just being nice. He’s like that with all of us.”