Anastasia by A. Marie

Anastasia

Isat in my car with my eyes gazing down at the business card in my hands. My previous conversation with Liliana kept playing over and over again in my head. Stripping?

I didn’t know the first thing about stripping, but then my thoughts traveled over to my sister. Deep down, I knew that if I could make as much money as Liliana’s cousin does, then maybe I could also help my mother as well. All she needed was some mental help. Maybe with the right amount of extra money, I could provide that for her.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my phone from my pocket before typing the numbers on the card. Each number seemed to make my heart thump a little faster. Finally, I pressed the little green button signaling to call.

“How may I help you?” a lady asked over the phone. Her voice wasn’t exactly as welcoming as I expected it would. It seemed as though she were in a rush and the last thing she wanted was to be on the phone with some wannabe stripper.

“Hi, my name’s Anastasia. I was curious about employment,” I said, cringing. I sounded so awkward.

“Anastasia, hm? What are you, Australian, British?” she asked with a hint of curiosity. I didn’t even need to see her face for my nerves to flare up. Perspiration began coating my face and neck.

“Australian,” I muttered.

Annoyance settled in my gut. I hated how intimidated I was over absolutely nothing. It was very unlike me.

“Let me guess, you came here to America thinking it was the land of opportunity only to find out that it isn’t. Now, you have no money and no other choice but to strip or whore around, whatever the hell floats your boat, am I close?”

“Not even. I’m only calling because I need a job. I didn’t ask for your assumption of my backstory!” I snapped.

“Hmm, so you do have a little fire. I’m only a bartender, but how about I put you down for an interview tomorrow at noon? Since I like you, I’m going to offer you a little piece of advice―wear sexy lingerie under your clothes. Also, make sure you at least know the basics. See ya,” the lady said unenthusiastically before the call disconnected.

I stared down at the phone in my hands with wide eyes. That went a lot better than I had thought it would.

As I sat there in the parking lot, I turned on a video to show the introduction of stripping. Just as I was beginning to get settled, a knock echoed through my car from the window.

I looked over to see Liliana, who was looking at me as if I had just grown a second head. “Girl, what the hell are you still doing here?”

Finally, her eyes settled on the video playing out in my lap. When she saw the stripper showing off certain moves on my screen, realization settled on her features. I watched as she walked over to the other side of my car, where she climbed into the passenger side.

“Okay, help yourself.”

When I looked over at her, she had her lip gloss out and was applying it to her full lips. As soon as she finished, she puckered her lips in the rearview mirror with a smile on her face.

I watched with a raised brow as her body turned toward me.

“Did you call?”

“Yes, I called. They said I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow. Then, the girl went on to say that I should wear sexy lingerie and know the basics of stripping. I don’t know the first thing about stripping,” I told her honestly.

Clicking off the video, I went on to send a text to my little sister. I didn’t want to be out too late to the point that it would cause Alex to worry. Liliana only nodded her head as she continued to watch me.

Anastasia: Are you okay?

Her reply was almost immediate. I didn’t even get the chance to put the phone down.

Alex: Yes, I’m fine. I’m just bored.

Alex: Actually, the nurse just came in and gave me medicine, I think I am going to go to sleep instead. I’ll be asleep when you get here. Nighty, sis.

A smile made its way onto my face. My sister seemed to have that effect on almost everyone. She could make the worst person in the world smile if only she had the chance to.

Anastasia: Goodnight.

Just as I turned off my phone, I shifted over to face Liliana.

She smiled sweetly at me. “If you have time, would like to go to my cousin’s place. She could teach you a few things and tell you all about the place.”

I looked down at my phone once more before nodding. Starting up my car, the music began to blast as I drove out of the employee parking lot. Liliana was singing to every song playing on the radio, no matter what genre it was.

“Where do I go?” I asked, finding an excuse to turn down the radio. I thought it would finally cause a pause in her singing, but it didn’t stop her at all. All it did was make her sing slightly quieter before pointing to the left.

Following her directions, we finally made it to an enormous home resembling only something a millionaire would own. It looked so warm and nurturing due to the woods surrounding it. I was taken aback by its enthralling beauty.

With wide eyes, I looked over at a sleeping Liliana. What surprised me was how fast she could fall asleep. She had just been telling me directions not even two minutes ago.

“Lily, wake up!” I exclaimed.

She let out a groan just before her eyes popped open. She did not look pleased. It wasn’t until she sat up in the seat and looked around that realization ran across her features.

“She got this house from just stripping?” I asked, astonished. All Lily did was nod her head with a grin before opening up her door. I followed right behind her as I exited my vehicle.

We strolled to the house, but just before Liliana could ring the doorbell, it opened.

“Lily,” a beautiful woman said, opening her arms. Liliana happily walked into them, smiling so big. It was something she couldn’t stop herself from doing. Her smile was always there on her face, and it also happened to be one of the most contagious things to ever exist.

“Janice,” she returned the greeting.

Finally, they pulled apart and Janice smiled at me happily. She was slightly taller than average height, and she had a body to kill for. Just like Liliana, full lips sat perfectly on her face.

“Is this the friend you told me about? Anastasia, isn’t it?” she asked, raising a perfect brow at me. Nodding, I watched as she tied her long, beautiful curls up into a bun, making sure to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. She nodded toward the inside of her house before backing away from the door.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, extending an arm for a handshake. She completely ignored my outstretched hand and went straight for a hug.

“These Italians wouldn’t be able to keep their hands and eyes off of you! You’re gorgeous, has an accent, and a nice body. Plus, you’re a natural blonde. We don’t have anyone like you at the club. The men there seem to love anything exotic and erotic,” she said, smirking as if a plan was forming in her mind.

“Come, let’s teach you how to be irresistible!” She smirked before grabbing my hand and dragging me toward a room.

The moment we were inside, I noticed how it was just a dim room with a stripping pole right in the middle. Chairs circled it and the thought of me being up there caused a blush to form on my cheeks.

“So, the first thing I am going to teach you is called the ‘outside step,’” she said.

I turned toward her to see that she was already removing her shirt and walking right up to the pole and wrapping her hand around it. It was almost as if a switch turned on. The kind woman I had seen before quickly turned into a desirable woman.

All she did was plant her foot a centimeter away from the pole before circling her leg around it and repeating the process. She gave me a curt nod before getting off. I took that as my cue, so I repeated exactly as she did. I had to do it about five times to get the hang of it, but once I did, Liliana and Janice were both clapping their hands.

“You’re a natural,” Janice complimented.

A smile made its way onto my face as I got off of the pole, allowing Janice the chance to teach me something else.

“Today, I am going to teach you all the basics. We can practice every single day until you’re caught up, but I think you’re going to make an excellent student.” She smiled.

Nodding my head, I took off my shirt and slid out of my pants, leaving me in just my unmatched bra and panty. I was ready to do this for my sister and my mother.

* * *

Hours dragged on.Janice taught me everything I needed to know for the next day. Who would’ve guessed that stripping was a lot harder than it looks? Not only that, but it was also exhausting.

Now, Janice thought it would be smart to assess before calling it quits.

“Do a Pirouette!” Janice shouted out over the music. I stood on my tippy toes a couple of inches away from the pole before spinning with my hold remaining on the metal stick. Then, I leaned back against it with my foot against my knee.

Janice gave me a thumbs up with a proud smile on her face.

“A Fireman Spin!” Liliana shouted, laughing slightly. I did the outside step before clamping my knees on the pole as I dragged myself down while keeping the spin. Liliana and Janice looked at each other with a nod.

“Okay, um, do a Chair Spin,” Liliana said.

I grabbed onto the pole before spinning my body around, all while sitting on air as if I were sitting on a chair. It took a lot of muscle strength. Thankfully, I had my weekly visits to the gym to keep me in shape.

“Okay, last one, do a Back Hook Spin,” Janice called out. The Back Hook Spin took a lot of work, but I managed to learn it after a lot of failures. I grabbed onto the pole before spinning around and hooking my back right leg around the pole just as my body slid down, all while keeping that spin.

“Perfect! We’re finished, and don’t forget about the other ones you’ve learned today as well,” Janice said just before the music cut off. I happily jumped down from the pole and put my clothes back on.

We walked out of the room and over to the dining room where there was wine already laid out for us.

I didn’t want to drink since I would need to drive back to the hospital, but I still accepted my glass. “So, please inform me about this whole club thing. I saw a guy today with a lot of tattoos and he seemed scary.”

“Tattoos? Were they everywhere on his skin?” Janice asked with wide eyes.

“Yes,” I drawled out, thinking about the man. “He had this angel tattoo on his neck.”

“That was Mr. Rossi. He rarely comes to the club. None of the girls have ever even seen his face, we have only heard stories about him. The man you need to look out for is Mr. Romano,” she said. This only made me more suspicious.

“Okay, but why?”

“Let’s just say many people compare him to the devil. If you thought Mr. Rossi was scary, wait until you meet Mr. Romano,” Janice said. My eyes wandered over to Liliana to see she was passed out with her head knocked back on the chair.

“What the hell am I getting myself into?” I whispered to myself.