"Where are you going?" Alex asked questionably. She always had a gift of telling when someone was lying. Also, I knew that telling her the truth would cause her to try and talk me out of it. So, with all of that in mind, I plastered a fake smile on my face as I leaned down to kiss her on top of her head.

"I have a job interview today," I told her. Alex nodded her head slowly just as I was beginning to pull away. What she didn't know was that I was wearing a lacy pink lingerie that Janice had let me have since it was too small for her to ever wear.

"Why are you getting a different job? I thought you liked working at the diner. Lord knows I miss the food you used to always bring home," She said, laughing slightly. I looked down at her and I tried to hide the sadness in my eyes. As much as she tried to hide it, she looked drained.

"I want a second job," I muttered honestly.

"What? I thought you were going to go back to school and work on a degree. I hope you are not getting a second job because of me, Nana. I promise that as soon as I am done and out of here, I will help pay for everything. I'm tired of you having to sacrifice so much for mum and I," Alex told me. Her eyes were blinking for longer periods of time. I knew that she was drifting off to sleep.

"Go to sleep, Alex. I'll be back," I told her. She was nodding her head slowly. I gave her one last sad smile before walking out of the hospital room. The doctor was talking to a family, but then he momentarily made eye contact with me. It looked as though he had something to say, but he was forced to turn his eyes back to the couple.

I walked right out of the hospital as hurriedly as possible before getting into my car.

-

My eyes were on the girl I presumed I had been on the phone with. I could tell by the way she was looking at me. It was as if she knew exactly who I was even though I was sure we had never met.

Looking around the dimly lit club, it wasn't packed with many people. There was a girl dancing on the pole in nothing but a pair of panties. As I looked around, I noticed all eyes on her, or they were bust throwing back a drink.

The entire vibe for it being a club at noon on a Monday wasn't bad. It felt more loosened than anything.

I turned back towards the bartender girl. She had her black hair up in a high ponytail and lips painted in red lipstick. I watched as she began to walk towards me.

"Anastasia?" She questioned, a smirk booming on her face as she gave my body a once-over. My eyes watched as she nodded her head in acceptance.

"I am assuming that you are the woman I spoke to on the phone," I confidently replied.

"Yes, the name's Kayla. Walk with me, I'll be taking you to the employment director," she had declared. Kayla didn't even provide me the chance to say anything as she turned around and began to walk me in a direction that led to the back of some stage.

I strolled in right behind her just before an automatic door could close. The hallways seemed to last forever. It took a good couple of minutes before we finally made it to a door. She twisted the doorknob and opened it up.

"V.V., we have a new girl," Kayle spoke. I stepped into the room a little more to see a man with chestnut blonde hair. He was wearing a white suit and was seated inside of a large room on the couch. I glanced up towards the stripper pole and could feel my heart sink in at the realization that I am actually going to do this.

"Okay, Kayla, you may leave," he suggested. She sent a small smile my way, whispering the light sound of a 'good luck'. I gazed at her until the door had shut leaving us inside of a room all by ourselves. He was smoking a big cigar, nevertheless leaning back in his seat.

"Your name is Anastasia, correct?" He had asked. I could hear the slightest Italian culture in his voice.

Finally, I looked off in the direction he was sitting in. Having to remind myself to breathe, my heels clanked against the pavement as I walked slowly towards him and into a seat.

"Anastasia Smith," I answered. He smiled slightly, nodding his head as he looked down at my body before his eyes settled on mine once again. It was the look almost as if a lightbulb flickered on his head the more that looked at me. For some strange reason, I was not fearful.

"My name is Valerio Vitali, the girls all call me V.V. Now, this interview is more like an audition. It isn't going to be something you may be used to, but if at any point you feel uncomfortable, please be sure to let me know," he replied kindly. Nodding my head, I felt a feeling of relief flow through me.

"I am going to have to ask you; do you have any experience in pole dancing?" He queried. I could feel my heartbeat pumping in my chest as I looked at him.

"No, I've only worked as a waitress in a diner," I tell him truthfully.

"Perfect. Let me tell you something, dancing is the body's way of releasing emotions without words. It isn't dirty and it isn't scary, but it is beautiful. So, I am going to dim the lights a little and play some soft music. All I want is for you to convince with your body that you, Anastasia, are beautiful," he stated.

My mind was trying to find some way to make me feel at ease. It wasn't until the lights dimmed and the music began to play that I made the decision to do this for my sister. Taking a deep breath, I removed the t-shirt I was wearing as slow as possible.

"Eye contact. Eye contact shows confidence as if you own what you are doing," Valerio said. My eyes met his, and I could see the interest lurking behind them. While never looking away, I slid my shorts down my legs and let them pool at my feet.

He had a proud smile on his face as I walked up to the pole. My back was turned towards him at first, but I quickly grabbed onto the pole and tossed my head back to look at him. I did every move Janice had taught me, including a freestyle of my own.

When I had finished, he was clapping his hands. I watched when he got up from the couch and walked towards me. "I love this pink on you," he said, nodding his head.

My breathing was heavy as I strolled down from the pole.

"As you were dancing, I was thinking about something that will especially set you apart from the rest of the girls. The pink, blonde hair, blue eyes, and the thought of a Barbie doll is what had come to me,'" he thoughtfully spoke. His words fell from his mouth in a way that made me think of someone attempting at the right answer.

"As long as I get the job, I don't mind being Barbie," I said. Once again, my mind wandered to Alex. I was wondering what she was doing.

"You've convinced me, so you have it. Let's talk about money. Most of our women here rack up on tips, and we men have money to spend. You also get paid twenty dollars an hour. If you keep practicing and based on the way you look on that pole, you could end up walking out of here with no less than one-thousand a night. Since you are only beginning, I am going to start you out by coming in at six o'clock in the afternoon to two o'clock in the morning on Saturdays and Thursdays. If the men here want to see more of you, I will add more days," Valerio explained.

I nodded my head with a smile. I didn't even make a thousand per check, and he is saying that I could end up with no less than that amount per day. Also, at the diner I only made around nine dollars an hour. This job is offering eleven dollars more.

"Great. It was really nice meeting you, Anastasia. On Saturday when you arrive, just go up to Kayla and she will get you started," he added. I looked down at his outstretched hand before giving it a shake. After a curt nod, he exited the room leaving me by myself.

Suddenly, I realized I was still in nothing but a panty and a bra.

-

Alex was doing a lot better, Janice was giving me lessons every day. I still haven't heard from my mother in so long, but things were really starting to look up. It was finally Saturday, and that meant I would be working as a stripper for the first time in my life.

In the club, there were a lot more people than there was during my audition. Men in suits were everywhere. They were speaking a foreign language, downing back drinks, laughing. There were even more women. All of them were uniquely beautiful in their own way. Some were even giving lap dances.

"Anastasia! Come, you have the next dance. I will show you where to set up," Kayla said coming out of nowhere. I had followed her towards a back room where there were a few women putting on makeup. The amount of vanity mirrors seemed to be about fifty. All of them had curling irons, straightening irons, makeup.

"This one is yours," Kayla told me before pointing towards an empty desk. It had a pink plastic lingerie with knee-high boots to match it. On the clothing, there was a sticky-note that read 'Barbie' in cursive print. There were even specific directions written on it. They wanted my hair to be tightly curled, my makeup to be a simple pink lipstick, winged-eyeliner, lashes, and pink eyeshadow.

"Be ready in thirty, Barbie," she winked.

Once she exited, my eyes wandered to one of the girls. She was dressed as a leopard. Her nipples were covered by a piece of tape, and her panties were a simple thong with a tail hanging from it. She must have felt my eyes because she looked over at me.

"What? Do you have a staring problem?" She snarled.

Rolling my eyes, I turned back to my own reflection in my mirror. Thirty minutes was not a long time at all. So, I quickly turned on the curling iron and began to curl my hair.

Once I finished with everything else, I threw on the pink plastic clothing. The bra lifted my boobs up by a lot, and the panty hid itself in my butt. Then, I slid on the boots to each foot. It was about five inches tall, and it made noise with each step that I had taken.

"Barbie, really? How pathetic?" The leopard girl chuckled out as the girl next to her began to laugh.

"Oh, shut the hell up," Janice said, suddenly walking into the room. The leopard girl narrowed her eyes at me before facing herself in the mirror.

"You are on. Remember what we rehearsed," she whispered in my ear before giving me a small wink. I took a deep breath as nervousness spread all around me. As we walked out of the room, I couldn't ignore the whisper I had heard, "You said Mr. Romano is here?"

I thought it would be impossible for my heart to thump so wildly in my chest. We walked towards the back of the stage. Her hand was on my shoulder before she spun me around to look right at her. "This is why I love it when V.V. gives us a different part of ourselves. Switch off Anastasia, and you go out there to be Barbie. You are sexy, so go show them exactly what I know you can do," she smiled proudly at me.

The lights turned pink and the music began to play. It was my cue. Pulling back the curtain, I revealed only my leg in the knee-high pink boots. Then, I stepped all the way out with the beat of the music. My teeth bit down on my finger as I trailed it in-between the valley of my breast. It lowered to the top of my panty. Men began to shout in appreciation as I pulled the hem of my plastic thong low enough to almost catch a glimpse of my area.

Leisurely, I strolled towards the pole. Just like Valerio had told me, I made eye contact. What I didn't expect was to make it with one who sat looking dangerously. His hair was sleeked back and his eyes were focused on me.

I grabbed ahold of the pole and did a pirouette that caused the men to throw money. Then my body swung around the pole before I stayed in the air revealing all of myself as my legs split into a V-shape. The shouts began to get louder once I spun around and down the pole until my legs froze in the splits.

Once again, my sights fell on the man. He was wearing a smirk on his face. My body moved on its own accord towards the edge of the stage. Men were quick to slide money into my boots, my bra, and my panties just so that they could cop a feel.

Grabbing a man's head, I placed it directly in front of my breast before pushing him away. The man gleamed in happiness and he threw even more money at me.

Finally, the music ended. I walked off the stage and could hear the foreign cheers of all the men. Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed. I looked up and saw that it was the man I had seen while I was dancing. The look in his eyes caused fear to strike within me.

"I want a private dance."

-

hey guys. so, how did you like the chapter? you guys have finally got your wish, and let's just say that you are in for a real treat next chapter.

thank you so much for reading. i hope to see you all next update. also, thank you guys for being so hilarious in almost every comment. you guys are amazing!

stay safe,
- a. marie

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