Human - Sevdaliza

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Luscious

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"Angel?"

I tried to mask my shock as she looked at me with teary eyes.

"I didn't know where else to go."

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I rubbed my hands together, trying to give them any semblance of heat before I rummage in my bag for a cigarette. I hastily lit it, taking a long drag as I rolled on the balls of my heels, the winter air biting into my skin despite my coat.

How long was she going to be?

It was all a waiting game and this had been the third and final option of the day to try and get Angel into another reputable strip club after the Boss so kindly kicked her out of ours, the bastard.

A small smile tugged at my lips as he crossed my mind, quickly disrupted by the slamming of the club door behind me.

"Fucking idiots," Angel muttered as she stormed out of the club, hastily setting off down the street and leaving me in her wake.

I threw my half-used cigarette on the ground and rushed to keep up with her as she muttered indistinguishable phrases to herself. I didn't say anything and softly took her arm in mine, pulling her into the closest coffee shop I could find and ordering two coffees for us both.

I kept silent, wrapping my hands around the warmth of the coffee as she stared into the milky abyss, seemingly wanting it to go up in flames.

"So, I'm guessing it didn't go well?" I tentatively asked, earning myself a hard glare in my direction.

She only let out a sigh and, taking a sip of her coffee, her shoulders slowly relaxed.

"I should just move back home at this point."

My eyes went wide at her suggestion.

"Are you out of your mind?" I questioned, baffled that moving back to her hell of a home would even cross her mind.

"What else can I do?" She exclaimed, drawing the eyes of a few customers.

I glanced around the room before taking her hands into mine and forcing her to make eye contact with me.

Keeping my voice low and controlled, I tried my best to console her, "We'll find something, don't let this get to you."

A small smile tugged at her lips as she pulled away from my hands and clasped them over her coffee.

"You're shit at consolation, Lush," She said, taking a sip from her coffee, "You know that right?"

I sighed, returning my hands to my coffee, not satisfied with her poor attempt at deflection. I eyed her from over the table, as she gulped the rest of her coffee and dodged any eye contact.

After only a few beats of silence, she gave in and spoke.

"Look, Lush, I am and will always be eternally grateful for your help but it has been a week and there's no hope," She paused, her hands fiddling with the now empty coffee cup, "You're already struggling to support your brother and I can't have you sleeping on the sofa for much longer."

I watched as she tugged at the frays of her jumper, seemingly closing in on herself.

New York was a harsh city for the toughest of people and it seemed that Angel had almost reached her capacity for the amount of bullshit she could take. Only one thought lingered in the back of my mind, Strippers made money, lots of money, and almost all of mine was spent on Robbie's sky-high tuition which left me wondering why she didn't seem to have any resources.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind, it was time for a different approach.

With a short-term solution in mind, I picked up my phone and bag, "Give me a minute, I'll be right back."

Before she could stop me, I was already out of the shop and dialling Phillip's number.

It only took me five minutes to convince him of what I needed and I beckoned Angel through the window to come and meet me outside.

"What are you doing?" She asked, a little giggle slipping out as I pulled her along the road, a grin mirroring hers growing on my face.

I dodged her questions for another fifteen minutes before we stopped in front of a small flower shop.

She looked at me with a questioning face as I swept a hand in front of the place, showing it off as if it were my prized possession.

"Follow me, princess," I mockingly said before pulling her forward and into the shop, which made her smile a little.

A few customers lingered around the shop, chatting lowly and pointing out different flowers and colour combinations, discussing them as if their life depended on it. I smiled at a few customers that I recognised from earlier shops, looking for arrangements for weddings or birthdays but before I could get wrapped up in a conversation over whether they should go for a more purple or blue arrangement, I dragged Angel to the 'Staff Only' entrance.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I spotted Phil in the corner smoking an Elf bar and ignoring all of the customers currently inside the shop, despite him being the owner.

"Hey Phil, this is the girl I was talking about," I said, walking into the room and offering him a smile.

"Lia," He exclaimed, "It's so good to see you, I haven't been able to chat with you for ages."

I smiled at him, relieved that he was such a welcoming person despite the agreement that I would have to resign from this job to make room for Angel.

"How's your mother?"

He stood up, tucking his vape away and smiling, "She's fully recovered but let's not talk about that, who's this you've brought to meet me?"

I smiled, moving out of the way to reveal Angel, standing close to the door and obviously unsure of herself.

"This is the girl I was telling you about," I prompted, looking over at her to continue the conversation but when she didn't make a move to speak, I continued, "She's friendly, enthusiastic, adaptable and could probably sell water to a drowning man."

Phil was a scrawny, tall, gay man with a mop of black hair which never seemed to be combed through and hated dealing with customers, even though his business depended on it. He was a sweet guy but could turn at a drop of a hat if a sale didn't go through but from what I had gathered, it had been a dream of his ever since he was a child to open up a flower business and had finally succeeded in doing so, which made it even harder to part from the job.

He glanced at me approvingly before laying his eyes back on Angel, a customer service smile growing on his face. When it came down to it, he didn't care who was manning the shop as long as they were honest,  reliable, and got along with him reasonably.

"What's your name?"

I looked over to Angel noticing that her nerves were pulling her face every which way and nudged her to answer his question.

"Alexa," She said, "I'm delighted to be able to be offered this opportunity."

Phil broke out into a grin before reaching for his vape again, "Let's do a trial, make one of those couples buy an arrangement of flowers and you got the job," He said, a cheeky grin growing on his face.

Angel's face turned from one of nerves into someone desperate to prove themselves, 'Yes, sir."

She hurried out of the room, the door shutting hurriedly behind her before most probably approaching one of the young couples and helping them with their order.

"Are you sure you're okay with giving up this job?" Phil asked, prompting me out of my stupor.

My head turned towards him, my body tensing before relaxing at his sudden exclamation.

"Yes, I'll survive," I reassured him.

He pulled out his vape again, taking a hit and sitting down, dodging the mops and brooms that were leaning against the wall as if they were decorations.

"It's just that I know how hard you work to support that boy, he's your whole life and I don't want to cut you off for someone else, but we simply can't afford a new worker, it's either you or her."

"I managed to smile at him, even though my heart was breaking at losing this job.

"Trust me, Phil, she needs this job more than me and I can vouch for her in any way you need, just get her to sign all the necessary forms and she's yours."

He took a hard look at me again, seemingly scrutinizing my every movement, every little tug of my lips before finally giving in.

"If you think she'll do well here, then I'll believe you, you know how close I hold you to my heart Lia, and I can't believe that you're giving up your job for someone else."

I could only smile at him, appreciating all he had done for my brother and me.

"I promise you, Phil," I said, grinning from ear to ear, "She will do wonderfully at her job, just give her a chance, she deserves a break just as much as me," I finished, turning away and leaving the Staff room, only watching as Angel made her rounds with all of the customers, giving advice and securing sales.

She was so wrapped up with her possible sales that she didn't notice me leave the shop and lit up another cigarette as I walked back to my apartment.

I only watched as the sun set over the bustling streets, the smile on my face falling as the reality of my own life settled upon me.

With one less job and one less source of income, how could I continue paying Robbie's school tuition? It was hard enough to make ends meet with this job.

It just meant that I needed to work harder and book more private dances, which would be relatively easy if the Boss wasn't blocking almost every single request with me.

I shook the thoughts from my mind as I made my way home, knowing that Robbie would be needing dinner.

30 minutes later, I shoved my key into the door and checked the cupboards, seeing what we still had in stock and noticing the unopened bag of lentils on the shelf next to a tin of coconut milk, which made my mind up, I would make some daal, which would last Robbie and me a day or two before I would have to go shopping again.

Over the next hour, I created a meal for us both, plus Angel whenever she got back from work before checking the time and realizing I had to be at the club in less than an hour to do inventory and check that all the girls had what they needed meaning that I would have to pack my dinner and eat it on the way.

Taking the pot off the heat, I wrote a note for Angel and Robbie, telling them where I was and that some naan as well as some basmati rice in the cupboards if they wanted.

In less than five minutes I had packed my duffel and was on the way to the club.

When I entered, though, the overall aura of the place was different than usual.

It had been over a week since the boss and I had our 'meeting' and tomorrow I had secured a private meeting with the mysterious Japanese man, Kenji. Curiosity flooded my mind as I thought over their heated and secretive discussion, it seemed as if Kenji wasn't a man to be messed with.

What had surprised me though, was the way the Boss treated me at the club, as if nothing had transpired between the two of us, as if he didn't offer me tea and a ride home. Instead, we had settled into a routine, I brought up the problems I had with the new management and he dismissed me and my anger would get the better of me.

Tonight, however, when I stepped into the club, he stood in the middle of the room shouting at people, whom I would assume to be his minions, to move tables chairs, rugs, bottles and anything necessary to make the place as perfect as it possibly could be.

Slowly, I approached him.

"What is happening here?" I asked, a small smirk pulling up the corner of my lips as I watched some men struggle to pick up a sofa and move it to the other end of the club.

He barely even glanced at me as he continued scrutinizing the place.

"Ophelia," He started, his voice low and commanding, "My bosses are visiting tonight, delighted with my recent progress and are expecting to have fun."

Finally, he looked towards me, not an inch of any emotion other than coldness in his eyes.

"Tell your girls to be on their A-game tonight, I expect no slip-ups, I don't want anybody to embarrass me," He commanded, "And if they do they can expect this to be their last night working here."

I only nodded, accepting my role in his orchestra, before attempting to move away and to the dressing room.

Just as I reached the door, he called out to me, "Oh, and Ophelia," He didn't even look in my direction, "We will be taking our drinks in the Owners Suite, and you are the only person I trust enough to do a competent job of serving us."

He finally looked in my direction.

"I expect you there at midnight, playing the piano as we walk in, you may bring another girl to accompany you, your choice."

Again, I didn't utter a word as I turned away and made my way to the dressing room.

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oops its been awhile, but don't fret i'll be posting more often because i'm now an official WATTPAD CREATOR!

it's insane ik

anyways,

enjoy this chapter and look forward to more ;)

what do you want to see in the future, any suggestions?

also, what's up with Kenji, do yall like him?

okay bye