Cleo

I flushed the toilet and grabbed a wad of tissues to hold over my mouth. I crouched onto my heels and took deep breaths to relax my nausea. Going to work wasn't the best idea, I guess...but I wanted to maintain a little bit of normalcy before I was bedridden.

Stripping and dancing on the pole wasn't a problem tonight. The problem was when I walked into the dressing room and saw some weird bitch eating purple eggs. I had to speed out of there and into the bathroom to throw up from that smell.

I walked to the sink and wiped my teary eyes with a tissue. I washed my mouth out to get rid of the disgusting throw-up taste and adjusted my outfit and hair. I held my hand over my still flat stomach and took a deep breath.

"Go easy on me tonight, baby," I whispered. With one last look in the mirror, I walked out of the restroom and let out a sigh of relief when the girl with the pickled eggs was gone. I adjusted my make-up in my vanity and got into my zone before stepping back into the loud and crowded club.

I was done on stage tonight thankfully, so now I was just mingling. My feet absolutely thanked me for that. The purpose of the girls that were on the floor was to socialize and of course, get men to spend money. It was easy enough to get a man to spend money on anything...if you chose the right one.

I walked around the club and winked at passing people that were checking me out and I walked to the bar. Rich men always seemed to hang out here.

"Hey, can I get sparkling water," I said to Nick, the bartender. He smiled at me before turning to get what I asked for and I took the chance to look around. Plenty of guys were looking at me but I was looking for a specific type of person...

You.

My eyes landed on a handsome man that was sitting alone with a bunch of empty glasses in front of him. He sipped on his drink as he looked me up and down and I tried my best not to have a disgusted look on my face. It wasn't that he was gross, it was just that when I made eye contact with strangers, it was instinct for me to give them an attitude.

Nick set the drink down in front of me and I thanked him before making my way in the man's direction. I bumped into him purposely and gasped loudly.

"Oh no," I said dramatically. "I'm so sorry."

I grabbed a bunch of napkins from next to us and I wiped his arm where the water spilled. "It's alright, love. I got it."

"I'm sorry," I said as he took the tissues from my hands. "It's been a long night."

"I can only imagine," he said with a laugh. "I just saw you on stage."

I let out a small forced giggle and tilted my head as I batted my lashes. "Did you like what you saw?"

"I did," he said as he fully turned to me in his chair. "It looks even better up close."

"I'd love to stay here with you, but I have clients..." I said with a small smile as I pointed behind me. It's all in the eyes, Cleo. I believed the eyes to be the most important thing when it came to getting someone hooked on you.

Over the years I learned how to make someone feel like they were the most important person in the world...just with a simple look. It was the equivalent of making their world stop around them without letting myself fall into the same trap.

He and I locked eyes and I slowly made my smile falter as if this was as some moment that we were falling in love. Call it manipulation, but I call it payday. I was good at what I did, which was why I was the highest-paid stripper in Juva and The Underworld.

I shyly blinked away and we laughed awkwardly. "I should go."

Let's do this. Turn and walk away.

I did just that and took a couple of steps away from the seated man.

Glance back. If he's still looking, you got him.

I slowed down my steps and looked over my shoulder at him to see him still looking at me as he sipped on his drink. There we go. The next step was jealousy. Make him remember that although there may have been a connection, he does not possess you...yet.

I walked up to one of the other men that had been watching me and I made the same eye contact with him as the other one. He began dancing with me and laid his hands on my hips. I moved my body to the music and the man did the same.

Look again, if he's looking...you OWN him.

I looked back at the seated man as I danced against this one and his eyes were still on me. I looked away from him and turned back to the guy I was dancing with.

"I'll see you around," I said as my hand lingered in his. I stepped away from him slowly and turned to walk away.

Repeat.

I turned back to the man I was dancing with and found himself still looking at me as I thought he would and I sighed to myself. Too easy. I walked back to the bar to get another drink and the man sitting at the bar got up from his seat and moved next to me.

"I'm Carlos," he said as he held a hand out.

"Cleo." I accepted his hand and his eyes lingered on mine. I waited for them to drop to my body or anything but they didn't. Shit, either he's a good guy or he's in love. The wedding band on his finger told me which one it was and I dropped my guilt. If he was cheating, he deserved to have his heart toyed with.

"How much for us to be alone?" He asked.

"A private dance?" I questioned. He nodded and I looked around for an answer. Of course, I knew how much, but guys like him love dumb girls. What's dumber than a stripper who doesn't know her rates?

"Umm," I hummed with a frown. "One thousand."

"Per hour?" He asked.

"Per minute."

"Damn! You got it like that?" He asked.

"I'm the best out here," I said in a sultry voice as I tugged on his tie.

"Hmm," he smiled as he looked at my hand. He moved his hand to his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took out his card and held it between his fingers out for me to take. "I need a couple of hours with you."

"You want me to dance for you for two hours?" I asked. Fucking bitch! I kept a seductive smile on his face but I was getting heated. My feet were already dying.

"Yes, I do," he said. Bored ass bitch.

"I got you, Carlos," I said as I took the card. "Nick will take you to the private section." Nick nodded at his name and I gestured for him to take him. "I'll meet you there in a minute."

I walked through the crowd to my boss's office and opened the glass door. He looked up from the chair and smiled. "There's my favorite girl. What you got for me?"

"One hundred-twenty grand," I said as I placed the card on the desk and sat down on the chair across from him.

"You're too good," he laughed as he took the card.

"I have to dance for two damn hours," I groaned.

"Not necessarily," he said as he swiped the card to charge it. "Get a few bottles from the bar and get him drunk. Hopefully, he'll pass out in a few minutes."

"I like how you think, boss."

"Ima need you on stage as soon as you're done with him, though," he said.

"Isn't Carly supposed to be on?" I asked.

"She has to leave early and I need the club hyped tonight. You got me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got you," I said in a dismissive tone.

"I'll add a bonus on your check, trust," he said as he held the card out for me.

"You better."

"Be careful going out there. Your fans are here with some roses," he laughed.

I groaned and shook my head as I left through the door. He called this frequent group of men that came to see me all the time my fans. He joked about them but I found them more obsessive than anything.

They threw roses on stage whenever I was dancing and I kept a smile on my face but that shit...annoying as fuck. No girl wants to be pricked in the ass with a thorn.

I grabbed the bottles from the bar that my boss told me to and walked to the private room that all my scheduled dances took place in. I held a bottle in each of my hands and opened the door with my foot.

"Hey boo," I said. He took a swig of his drink and sunk into the couch. I set the drinks down on the small table next to us and I removed his card from my bra and passed it to him.

In his drunken state he missed the multiple times to get in and I finally just slipped it into his pocket. He pulled me down on top of him and I hid my discomfort with a laugh. This wasn't new for me and I genuinely wasn't worried about any threat. There were guards outside, plus I knew how to fight.

"You paid me to dance," I said sweetly as I stood up.

"How much for more?" He slurred as he grabbed his crotch.

"Oh baby, you couldn't afford it," I said as I grabbed a bottle from the table.

"I'm a millionaire," he laughed.

"Exactly." I opened the liquor and passed it to him. He took gulps as he watched me and I walked to the pole in the room. His eyes followed me and I began dancing to the music in the room.

Like routine, I danced throughout the room until I was in front of him. I moved my hips and bent down which at that time, he put his hand on my ass. I slapped it away and looked over my shoulder.

"Come on now, you didn't pay enough to touch."

"How much for that?" He asked.

"That's like asking how much to kill me," I teased. Xavier and Caspian and I had an understanding. Lap dances were fine along with mindless flirting, but touching is where they drew the line. If I crossed it, my ass would be on fire.

"I'll pay double," he said.

"For what?" I asked as I moved to the music. I slowly moved my hips down until I was between his legs and he smiled down at me.

"Let me spank it," he whispered.

"My ass?" I asked.

"Yeeesss," he drawled.

"Once?" I questioned.

"Just one." Desperate mother fucker. Who pays 100k for a slap on the ass?

You just got it like that, CleCle.

That's a damn fact.

"Make it triple and you have a deal," I said. It was highly unlikely but he was already this drunk and if my boyfriends found out about this, they would kill me. Might as well go out with a bang. A bang to the sound of two-hundred-fifty grand.

"For triple, I want three AND a kiss on the cheek."

"Deal," I said as I stood up and held my hand out. "Card."

He pulled it out and laid it flat on my palm. I shot him a wink before leaving the room and going to my boss again. When I opened the door, my coworker was sitting in the chair and they were having a heated conversation.

He looked up at me and smiled as I slowly walked in. "Everything cool?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You need to charge two-forty to the card," I said as I held it out.

"Two-hundred forty dollars?" He asked as he took it from my hand.

"Grand."

They both looked at me in shock and I shrugged. "He's drunk as hell and he wants to smack my ass."

"You're fucking amazing. That's not what we offer, how'd you come up with the price?" He asked in amusement.

"I know what I'm worth."

"So that's what you're worth to touch your ass," the girl in the chair said smugly.

"Shut up, key. All someone has to do to FUCK you is give you twenty bucks and a pack of cigarettes. Don't start with me."

Her mouth dropped and my boss burst into laughter as he passed me the card. "You're such a bitch, Cleo."

"And I am, hoe. Cry about it." She rolled her eyes at me and scoffed before leaving the room. I didn't know what these bitches got from hating on me but it would never be easy for them to put me down.

I walked back into the private room where the man was still sitting and drinking and I passed him his card. I bent over the couch in boredom and glanced at him.

"Let's get this over with."

꧁꧂

Author's Note
If Cleo didn't do it...

I always love Cleo POV lol, she's hilarious 😌
Now about that guy and the money,It's a hella good offer...hopefully the boys don't find out.
Lmk your thoughts ✨