Page 17

I have to pry my eyes away from the open debauchery.

There’s a large stage in the center with scattered seating arranged around it.

I feel a little lightheaded as I follow Mrs. Hendricks. She herds us toward a cluster of chairs at the far right of the stage. My little black skirt hikes higher up my thighs as I sit down.

The music intensifies. It’s a sultry ribbon that wraps around my throat, taking me somewhere I’ve never been.

The lights dim.

Applause breaks out as a group of dancers walk onto the stage. They’re wearing shimmery bodysuits with tassels hanging from their waist. They begin their performance. They’re all undeniably beautiful, but the way they move is breathtaking.

“Do you dance?” Gigi asks me.

“I enjoy dancing, but I don’t know if I can move like that,” I tell her. “What about you?”

“I’m okay at it, but it’s my dream to become a singer,” she says, brushing her long red hair behind her shoulder. “My parents didn’t approve. They don’t approve of any decision I make, actually. So I left home.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Home?” she asks.

I nod.

“Yes and no,” she says. “Everything was more comfortable at home, but that comfort came at a cost. It was suffocating my spirit. I had to get out.”

“I get that,” I whisper.

She gives me a small smile. My heart starts to race because I know where this conversation is going. She’s going to ask mewhat my story is. And I really don’t want to talk about it right now.

There’s a cheer from the crowd.

A couple of the girls leave the stage and walk toward the men.

They sit on their laps and continue dancing. I notice that they’re wearing fewer clothes than before.

I know I shouldn’t be looking, but I can’t look away.

The looks of desire. The heated touches. The blend of feminine and masculine. All of it is intoxicating.

I watch as one of the girls leans forward. Her breasts are now pressed against the man’s dress shirt. She drags them up his body until her mouth is hovering over his. The man’s hands come to rest underneath her thighs. He uses his grip on her to tug her even closer. Her mouth parts in a silent O as their bodies connect.

“You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” Gigi asks, breaking the spell.

I inhale sharply. My cheeks burn with mortification.

“Am I being that obvious?” I ask.

“It’s okay, I’m not experienced with the opposite sex either,” she says.

I look at her. “Really?”

She shrugs. “Yeah. It’s not a big deal.”

“Doesn’t one need experience to work at a gentlemen’s club?” I ask. “I don’t know the first thing about how to seduce a man.”

The light in her eyes dims when I say that. She has a bubbly personality, but there’s something darker underneath.

She grins at me. “Maybe there’s a book or something.”