Page 17 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“Hey, pretty lady. I’ve been asking about you all night.” Charles, one of my regulars, grabbed my arm as I walked by. I smiled politely when internally, I wanted to tell him to get the fuck off of me.

“Well, I’m here. What can I do for you?” Charles had been coming to the club long before I started working here.

He was a big spender, but he gave off really weird vibes.

If I had to guess, I would say he was in his early forties, but he dressed like an old man who liked to sip moonshine while sitting on the porch.

“I know you don’t usually do private rooms, but today is my birthday, so I was hoping you would make an exception.

I promise to make it worth your while.” From the moment I started working, I was adamant about not doing private dances because it wasn’t something I was comfortable with.

Rob tried to get me to change my mind a few times, but I always told him no.

With my sister’s safety on the line and my place getting robbed, desperation was starting to settle in.

“Umm, sure. I can do that. Let Devon know you need a room, and I’ll be there as soon as I change,” I replied nervously. My gut was sending all types of signals for me to say no, but I needed the money more than anything.

“Really? Oh, shucks. I wasn’t expecting you to say yes.

You don’t know how much you’ve made my night.

Thank you so much!” He beamed with excitement as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

I wanted to throw up in my mouth as my eyes zeroed in on the nasty pus-filled bumps all over his face.

I never cared about looks in the club simply because I was there to get money.

However, I would be lying if I said Charles wasn’t unfortunate in the looks department.

From his pushed-back hairline, bad skin, and crooked teeth, I understood why he spent so much time here.

I couldn’t imagine any woman would want to have anything to do with him.

Once I got to the locker room, I quickly freshened up before heading to the bar for a drink.

I needed something to get my anxiety under control because it was hard for me to focus.

The idea of someone hurting my little sister sent me into a panic, and it was hard for me to relax.

My father sent me the number for Buckee, the loan shark.

I texted him and demanded he send me a picture to prove my sister was still alive but got no response yet.

It only made me panic even more because I just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Everything in my life seemed to be falling apart, but I couldn’t let my circumstances hinder me.

My sister was coming home regardless of what I had to do.

I took a deep breath before stepping into the room.

Jess made me a double shot, and I was grateful to her because it did the trick.

I placed a smile on my face as I stepped into the room.

There was supposed to be a security guard at each occupied room, but those mothafuckas did as they pleased.

The safety of the dancers had never been a priority for Rob.

All he cared about was the money and keeping his customers happy so they would come back.

“Hey. You actually showed up.” Charles perked up on the couch.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but instead I nodded in response.

Once the music started, I got into character.

This was all about pretending and creating a fantasy.

The objective was to make your customers feel as though you were dancing strictly for them.

Make them feel seen and admired. I had been wearing a mask my entire life, so pretending was right up my alley.

As the music played through the sound system, I swayed my hips to the beat. Music had always served as a means of escape for me. I would get so caught up in a song, it would take me away from the pain I was dealing with.

“Come over here. You’re too far away,” Charles urged.

The stack of money sitting next to him was all the motivation I needed.

He was one of our biggest spenders, and if I played my cards right, I would end up with at least $2,000.

Seductively, I glided over to him while still moving to the music.

Once I got within reaching distance, he wasted no time tucking bills in the string of my G-string.

I turned around to give him a full view of my ass, bending over in front of his face.

My hands traveled over my body, feeling along my curves.

The money began to fall to the floor at an alarming rate, making me twerk a little faster.

Charles’s callus-covered hand palmed my ass cheek, and I jumped in surprise.

The men weren’t allowed to touch us on the floor, but the rules were non-existent within the walls of the private room.

“You’re one of the prettiest women I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m surprised you don’t have a man in your life because if you were mine, I would never let you out of my sight. I would give you the word,” Charles declared.

“You’re so sweet. Thank you so much.”

I heard this speech every night, and I never paid it any mind. These men would leave their fiancées and wives to sit here for hours lusting over strangers. They would take money out of their homes and toss it at our feet.

The words to the song were talking about a woman who used her sex appeal to get whatever she desired from them.

In a sense, I could relate, except it wasn’t originally by choice.

When puberty hit, the men in my neighborhood went from seeing me as a daughter to fresh meat.

I didn’t understand it until my mother began making more comments about my body.

She went from complaining about my weight to fussing about my curves.

I didn’t understand the fascination with body shapes until I started working here.

Instead of being picked on for being thicker, the men were damn near tripping over their feet to watch me dance. It was such an odd experience after being told I was fat for so many years. Reticule and rejection quickly changed to lust as my figure developed.

The song changed to one of the songs I usually performed to on the stage, so I started doing part of my routine for him.

Since he was never this close to me, I figured he would enjoy it even more.

My mind often drifted whenever I danced, and I could feel myself getting more and more into the moves.

I had become somewhat of an expert when it came to the art of seduction, so I knew he was turned on.

I decided to give him a lap dance to turn things up a notch, knowing it would ultimately earn me more money at the end of the night.

“Am I doing a good job?” I purred, already knowing the answer from the tent in his slacks. Bile rose in my throat, but I kept it together.

“You’re incredible. I wish you knew how perfect you are.

You’re a rare jewel, Caramel,” Charles boasted, pulling another stack of money from his pocket.

My smile widened, and I knew it had to be at least another two thousand dollars in that stack.

As my thank you to him, I took a seat on his lap and began to grind my hips.

His dick wasn’t too big, but I could still feel how hard it was underneath me.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been dreaming about this moment for such a long time.

Fuck,” he groaned. Instead of replying, I continued to grind into him while using my hands to caress my breasts.

His moans grew louder, and I tried my best to tune them out, because it creeped me out.

Since the song was almost over, I decided this would be the last one.

Placing my palms on the floor and knees on the outside of his legs, I wobbled my ass in somewhat of a handstand position.

“Goddamn,” he grunted, using the opportunity to rub my cheeks. I rolled my eyes from my position and continued to make it clap. Once the song ended, I got up and began to adjust my outfit.

“Were you satisfied with your private room experience?” I asked, eyeing the money covering the floor. Today had gone better than I expected, but I was still far from my goal.

“I think I might have enjoyed it a little too much. You sure know how to make a man feel like a man,” Charles replied bashfully.

It wasn’t until I glanced down that I noticed the wet spot on the left side of his slacks.

My mouth fell open in surprise while I did my best to mask my disgust. I’d heard about this happening, but I’d never witnessed it for myself.

“Well, I’m happy I was able to make your birthday special. I’m gonna get cleaned up and get back on the floor. Thank you for the tips.”

“If you keep dancing the way you did tonight, there’s plenty more where that came from.

” I wasn’t sure if he was trying to wink or if his eye was twitching, so I simply nodded and ushered him out of the room.

To my surprise, there was a security guard at the door, and I stepped aside so he could come and clean up the money.

We had to tip out at the end of the night, but I went ahead and gave him a tip for helping me.

When I got to the dressing room, I tucked my money inside my duffel bag and freshened up so I could walk the floor.

I normally wouldn’t stay out there too long, but I had been putting in overtime to get this money.

It wasn’t as busy as it was on the weekends, but the money was still flowing.

I made my rounds while my ass jiggled with each step I took.

There were a few men who tried to pull me into their sections, but there was a silent understanding between us dancers.

If someone was already working in a section, you couldn’t enter their area until they were finished.

You never stepped on another girl’s money.