Bree had spent the entire morning with Hazel before dropping her off at daycare. After that, she'd spent over two hours at her lawyer's office, trying to push her cheating ex-husband into paying full alimony and child support. But then she'd been hit with a new demand: her ex wanted joint custody if she asked for child support.
"But that's not what the divorce settlement says. It's all written on paper. How can he do this?"
Bree knew there was nothing her sleazy ex-husband, Everett, wouldn't do to ensure she didn't get a dime from him. The small amount of alimony she was currently receiving barely covered her basic needs, and all her friends had shunned her when she was portrayed as an incompetent wife who couldn't keep her husband from straying. The money she'd kept from her parents' inheritance had almost vanished paying her unqualified lawyers as she went up against Everett.
The moment she reached her car, she almost had a panic attack. Her chest felt heavy, and she had a hard time calming herself down until she finally broke. She cried, sobbing so hard she let all her feelings out. It took twenty minutes before she finally stopped, shook off her nerves, and drove to Babes, determined to get the job.
Bree was all alone, broke as hell, and needed to make a living for her baby. She loved Hazel to death; she'd do anything for her, even if she had to dance naked for a quick buck.
"Hey, are you okay? You look a bit pale."
Elvis greeted her with concern. Bree had put on makeup, but her eyes were still a bit red. She smiled and told him she was fine. From his questions, she marked the big guy as a teddy bear when he conveyed his concerns for her.
"Ex-husband stuff. I'm good. I just need to shake my ass and make it rain, right?"
"Eh... um, yeah, I guess." The big brute looked uncomfortable with her remarks, which actually made her genuinely smile at him.
"Thank you... for asking."
"Uh, okay." Elvis shook his head, opened the door for her, and let her in.
Babes was open from six PM to four AM, so there was no one at the tables yet. However, the music was pumping beats, and there were two dancers on stage who looked like they were practicing their routine.
Bree found Rocco behind the bar. He ushered her to the changing room where Cassidy was sitting on the sofa, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. A thick book was resting on her lap, and a highlighter was between her fingers.
"Cass, help her out with an outfit, okay? She's going to audition for us. And send her for an interview before she goes on stage."
Cassidy grinned, closed her book, and grabbed the wannabe stripper's hand, leading her further into the changing room. Bree gasped the moment she saw all the sheer, glittery lingerie. The choices were overwhelming, and Cassidy laughed when Bree didn't move a muscle.
"Okay, let's see..." The struggling med student picked out a couple of lingerie sets, stacking her preferences on the fluffy one-seater by the mirror, while Bree moved her sight to the platform heels in horror.
"I'm so going to trip on that stage," Bree voiced her thought.
Cassidy went to her side and said, "We'll pick the four-inch ones."
Bree mentioned her size, and Cassidy helped her pick out the most comfortable ones, matching them with the lingerie. Ten minutes later, the single mom looked like a famous porn star. Her ass and calves looked perked from the heels, and she gasped when she looked at her perky tits in the mirror.
"Oh goddamn."
"Rightttt..." Cassidy giggled and told her to test the heels to see if they were comfortable to dance in. "Do you know what song you're going to go with?"
"I don't know. I haven't thought it through. This is all kinda last-minute. Maybe something by Kanye or Drake. Um... Rihanna is always one of my favorites." Bree shrugged, thinking she'd do a better dance with a beat rather than a slow, seducing kind of song. Bree also thought she might even be tempted to use the pole; she was one of the best dancers in her mom's class.
"Come on, let's just do this."
"Wait, I gotta get you in for the interview first."
"Uh, okay."
They were both walking to the back office when a guy in a suit, who looked like a scarier version of Elvis, stopped them.
"Boss is busy. Go dance. He'll watch."
"Oookay then..." Cassidy took her arm and led her to the stage. Rocco was to her side to help her with the songs. "Sorry, some emergency situation. The big boss is there. Don't worry, as the scary guy said, he'll be watching." Rocco nudged Bree to look at the big glass panel on the wall where the back office was.
"I'm a bit rusty, so can I get a do-over if I fail the first one?"
Rocco laughed and told her she could dance all she liked. The club was still closed, and the stage was available for practice. The two women got off the stage and smiled at her, taking their seats at the bar. They were drinking water as they rested and gave Bree the floor to audition.
Rocco smirked when Bree chose "Pour It Up" by Rihanna. She had trained with the song in her mom's class. It was the stripper song that made the class more alive. She'd toned her body and eventually lost the baby weight in that class.
When the familiar beat started, her body moved in motion. Her leg wrapped sensually on the lower half of the pole, her hand mimicking her leg. Bree let her back rest on the pole, ass perked back, keeping her cheeks between the cold steel. Her other hand seductively reached down her leg, trailing her dainty fingers to her inner thigh, while she kept her facial expression bored, as if she was dancing for her own enjoyment, all while keeping up with the slow beat of the song.
Rocco looked surprised, while Cassidy mouthed a big 'O' as Bree's body swayed with the music. The song lasted less than three minutes, but she managed to climb the pole, snake her hands and thigh, then let her hands drop for a dramatic effect at the end of the song while her legs wrapped around the steel pole sensually.
The slow beat of the song was perfect. She didn't fall, and she managed to work the pole flawlessly. The beat kept her hips swaying beautifully, and Rocco was still looking amazed at her.
"Girl, you have some explaining to do. Cheerleading my ass!" Rocco grunted as he helped Bree down from the stage.
"Um yeah, I took Mom's pole dance classes," Bree explained.
Cassidy cut in, "Damn, you're one hot momma."
"So? Is that a yes? When can I start?" The mom in her, with too many bills to pay, got a bit too excited.
He laughed at her enthusiasm and was about to answer when his phone buzzed with an incoming text from his boss. He saw her, and he approved.
"Send her to Jojo," Rocco said to Cassidy. The guy winked, telling Bree that she was in. "Inform Jojo to speed up her license. Bree, you need to provide her your ID and social security details for tax purposes. We are a legit business."
Rocco shook her hand, but she pulled him in for a friendly hug. "Thank you. I needed this." She was a bit teary, but she shook her head and let Cassidy lead the way to the other back side of the building.
Bree was still overwhelmed with the news, without knowing a certain man behind the large glass window kept his eyes on her.
"I want a complete background check on her. That's all. You're all dismissed."
The boss waited until the click from his office door was heard, and he adjusted himself. He still couldn't believe how hard she made him while he told himself that he was going to have her sooner rather than later.
Gage Huxley, the new owner of Babes, was nothing like the previous Russian mob. When they decided to sell because the authority was closing in on their human trafficking business, Gage bought them out and made the club legal. He turned it upside down and made all the girls get their permits; there was no more prostitution in the club. Gage Huxley was a businessman who bought all his liquors from certified vendors.
The man always kept a calm demeanor, but when he saw the audition, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He turned to look out his office window, giving his men his backside, not wanting them to see when his face slipped as she wrapped her leg onto the pole and let her ass cheeks rub, teasing the thick steel.
He always thought women rubbing themselves on the pole was a bit too much to seek men's attention, but when he saw her dance, he was transfixed. Troubled. And he needed his fix, fast.