Anastasia by A. Marie

Anastasia

The smell of booze and sweat infiltrated my nose as I walked around the club. Even though I should have been anxious, I couldn’t help the swarm of happiness in my heart. Alex was doing a lot better. Her treatment was really helping with not allowing the cancer to spread further. It always made my day to hear Dr. Flores talk about how well she was doing. Since Alex was getting healthier, I truly began to worry about her finding about my secret job.

Janice was still giving me lessons every day. Sore muscles and bruises pinched my skin, and I still had trouble getting up on some mornings.

Despite all good things, I still hadn’t heard from my mother in a long time, but everything else was 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.

There were a lot more people than there were during my interview. Men in suits were everywhere. They were speaking a foreign language, downing drinks, laughing. Women perched themselves on poles while others swayed their hips as they pranced.

“Anastasia! Come, you have the next dance. I will show you where to set up,” Kayla said, appearing out of nowhere.

I followed her into a back room where a few women were putting on makeup. There were about fifty vanity mirrors. All of them had curling irons, straightening irons, and makeup.

“This one is yours,” Kayla told me before pointing toward an empty space. It had pink plastic lingerie with knee-high boots to match. 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, and pink eyeshadow.

“Be ready in thirty, Barbie.” She winked.

Once Kayla 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 reflection. Thirty minutes wasn’t long at all, so I quickly turned on the curling iron and began to curl my hair.

When I finished with everything else, I threw on the pink plastic clothing. The bra lifted my breasts a lot, making them look bigger and perkier than they actually were. Even my panties hid themselves in my butt. Then, I slid on the boots. The heels were about five inches tall, and they made noise with each step.

“Barbie, really? How pathetic.” The leopard girl chuckled as the girl next to her began to laugh. It was quite ironic, seeing as she was dressed as a leopard.

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Janice said, walking into the room.

The leopard girl narrowed her eyes at me before facing herself in the mirror.

“You’re on. Remember what we rehearsed,” she whispered in my ear before giving me a small wink. I took a deep breath as nervousness spread through me.

As we walked out of the room, I couldn’t ignore the whisper I heard, “You said Mr. Romano is here?”

I thought it would be impossible for my heart to thump so wildly in my chest. The man everyone was so scared of was going to be out here somewhere. I really had to do good if I wanted to keep this job.

We walked toward 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 Valerio gives us a different part of ourselves. Switch off Anastasia, now you go out there to be Barbie! You’re sexy, so go show them exactly what I know you can do.”

The lights turned pink and music began to play. It was my cue. Pulling back the curtain, I revealed only my leg in the knee-high pink boots. I then stepped all the way out with the beat of the music. I bit down on my finger before I trailed it between my breasts, then lower, to the waistband of my panties. Men began to shout in appreciation as I pulled the hem of my plastic thong low enough to almost catch a small glimpse of my womanhood.

Leisurely, I strolled toward 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 back in his chair dangerously. His hair was slicked back and his eyes were focused on me. He had to be the most beautiful man I had ever seen. If it weren’t for the flashing red lights and the nonexistent, yet huge beware sign on his forehead, I might’ve actually been tempted to get his number.

I grabbed a hold of the pole and did a pirouette that caused the men to throw money. Only then did my body swing around the pole before I stayed in the air, revealing almost 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 sight fell on the man. He was wearing a smirk on his face. My body moved of its own accord toward the edge of the stage. Men were quick to slide money into my boots, my bra, and my panties just so they could cop a feel.

Finally, the music ended. I walked off the stage, hearing the foreign cheers of all the men. Just as I was about to head off to find Janice, my wrist was grabbed. A gasp fell from my lips when I quickly noticed it was the man I had seen while I was dancing. Not only that, but the look in his eyes caused fear to strike within me.

“I want a private dance.”

I got to see him up close and personal. It took my breath away how perfectly sculpted he appeared to be. “I-I don’t do those.”

His eyes glazed over with mischief. The man’s hand never let go of my wrist. I wasn’t sure what to do in this position. All that I had been taught was pole dancing. Private dancing was not in my beginner’s manual.

“Ten grand,” he whispered in my ear. I thought about it for a second before finally agreeing. Ten grand was a lot of money. He hand settled on my waist, walking me toward the VIP section.

Based on the way his clothes and shoes seemed to drip in riches, I could tell ten grand was nothing to him. I should’ve guessed that he was VIP. No one would offer a stripper ten grand just for a dance if they didn’t have money to spend.

The moment we were in the red room, I closed the door behind us. There was no pole, just a couch. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. He sat down on the couch, his intense eyes never leaving mine.

I didn’t know the first thing about private dancing. The thought of running away immediately rammed into my brain as I glanced between the intimidating man and the door.

He had a smirk on his face as he watched me. I wasn’t even doing anything, just standing there in a pit of my indecisiveness. He seemed to have a lot of sex appeal that piqued my interest.

“You seem nervous. Come sit,” he said, patting the seat right beside him.

I looked over at the innocent cushion before walking over to sit down on it. I was so close to him that the smell of his cologne wafted into my nose. He took a long sip of the drink in his hand before reaching over and setting it down. I bit down on my lip as the music began to play in the background. He seemed quite patient.

Thinking back to the ten thousand dollars he was willing to spend, I took a deep breath and climbed on top of his lap.

The mystery man appeared shocked by my actions. I straddled his lap with my back to his front. I wasn’t sure what to do next, but I let my body move against his to the sound of the music. My eyes shut as I began to get into it, my lower region rocking against him. His body was rigid and tough, I could tell he was very muscular.

It wasn’t until his hand wandered to cup my bottom that I stopped. Janice had told me all about the man who owned the club. He was adamant about his women’s safety.

“You’re not allowed to touch me. It’s against Mr. Romano’s rules,” I told him, my back still facing him.

“You must be new. What’s your name?” He chuckled. His voice was so sexy, it made my thighs clench together.

The man grabbed my hips before turning me to face him as his eyes settled on my breasts. Slowly, his eyes wandered back over to my face.

“Anastasia. Who are you?” I asked.

The way my heartbeat seemed to accelerate did not go unnoticed. It might’ve been because as my eyes searched his, I couldn’t see anything but emptiness and lust.

“Mr. Romano. Now,” he paused, searching my eyes for some response. Fear flooded my body as he stated his name, and I was sure he could see it. “Open your legs.”

My breathing quickened, and I didn’t know whether to defy him or not. “I’m not a prostitute. I just dance, okay?”

He licked his lips again with a smirk that never faltered. Slowly, he lowered me onto the couch. My bareback hit the cushioned seats as my wet pussy never broke contact with the middle of his slacks.

“I just want to welcome you, Anastasia,” he said, burying his face into the crook of my neck. My eyes shut at the sensations I was feeling. He was unintentionally grinding into me and everything just felt so right.

“You welcome everyone this way?” I whispered. He chuckled slightly, his lips lightly grazing my neck.

“Just you. I promise,” he responded.

When his hand gripped the hem of my panties, I wanted to explode from the sensations. Desire was clouding my brain with every movement he was making. I wasn’t sure what was so intoxicating about this man, but I knew that I couldn’t get enough.

He pushed my panties off to the side, where they stopped just where my boots began. My breathing was too heavy to even allow any thoughts.

I looked down, preparing for him to stop, but when his eyes met mine—I knew I wanted it. He locked me in a trance with the way he peered at me. A shudder ran through my body when his finger lightly grazed my wet lips. As he entered me, I wiggled against his hand, moaning. He then added another long finger in between my walls, and it really had me screaming out. I was humping against him, dying for more friction.

Finally, I closed my eyes because I couldn’t take it anymore. He was diving into me, kissing, sucking at my neck. When he began to rub my clit, I lost it. My head was tossing back in excitement to accommodate the strokes of his fingers.

“Oh, shit,” I moaned out.

Soon, I shook hard and lost myself in the intense sexual satisfaction he was giving me. He hardened his grip on my thighs and explored deep into me with generous finger strokes.

“Oh!” I gasped as my hand found his thick hair. My legs wrapped around his head, making sure I kept it in place. With both his fingers, it didn’t take long for me to come.

When I looked up at him, he placed the digit he had fingered me with inside of his mouth. Everything he did was absolutely sexy. I quickly pulled away and got up from the couch.

My mind was bouncing off the walls. I didn’t know what to do. He was just staring at me without saying any words. I made sure to stand in the corner of the room, making sure I was as far away from him as I could be.

“Valentino,” he said.

My eyebrows came together as I looked at him. He smirked in response before getting up and walking toward me. His hand landed on my hip as his head buried itself into my neck. I was pressed against the wall with his erection pressing into my stomach.

“I want you to call me by my name. Valentino,” he said.

My eyes shut as he gripped my neck and turned it in the opposite direction of his face. A whimper climbed out of me when he pressed me harder against the wall.

“Fine,” I whispered.

His lips grazed my jawline and I wanted to melt. The second he let go of my neck, I turned to look at him right in his eyes. There was so much desire swimming around it was terrifying me. When my eyes wandered down to his lips, I quickly looked away.

“Until next time, Barbie,” he stated.

When he let go of me, I felt like I could finally breathe. Then, he walked out of the room, leaving me in there all alone. I quickly swallowed the air I had been holding as I tried to organize my thoughts.

He was the man everyone was so afraid of, but Valentino didn’t seem like the worst person in the world. He appeared more dangerous than scary. I opened the door and exited, only to be met with the loud music of the club. I quickly made my way toward the back when I was pulled by someone.

“Where the hell did you go?” Janice asked, her eyebrows pulled together, worry drawn all over her face.

I bit down on my lip before looking around in search of Mr. Romano. He was nowhere to be seen. It was almost as if after our little heated session, he had disappeared.

“If I tell you, you have to promise not to judge me,” I tell her.

Her eyebrows were still raised as she awaited my answer. I grabbed onto her arm and took her somewhere more private.

“You know Mr. Romano, right?” I asked.

Her entire face dropped as she nodded her head slowly. “The man I told you to keep away from because he lives a very dangerous lifestyle?”

“Yes,” I drawled out guiltily.

“Gosh, Anastasia! What did you do?” she questioned.

My shoulders dropped in defeat. I hated that I let him do what he did, but I didn’t hate how pleased he made me feel. It made my body ache for more, but I knew that I couldn’t let that happen.

“I didn’t know who he was at first. When he asked for a private dance, I was going to let him down. Then, he offered me ten thousand dollars so I said yes because I really need the money,” I explained calmly.

“You gave him a dance? That’s fine. It is honestly kind of shocking, though, he never asks for dances. He checks out the club for a second and then leaves,” she informed me.

“That’s not all,” I whispered.

Her mouth dropped. For a second, I thought she was frozen. Janice wouldn’t even blink, and it was starting to scare me.

“I promised Liliana that I would take good care of you. You do realize that you are on Mr. Romano’s radar now. What he chooses to do with you is out of my control. He’s a lot more dangerous than you think,” she proclaimed. It was hilarious how scared she looked for me. He seemed like a harmless man. Maybe everyone was just overreacting.

“How dangerous of a lifestyle could he be in? It’s not like he’s in the mafia or something.” I laughed. I saw that she was not laughing with me. Her face was as hard as stone. “He is, isn’t he?”

She let out a sigh before nodding her head. My face immediately dropped. All I felt was fear strike itself into my heart as I thought back to what happened.

“So, this club is, what? His way of laundering dirty money? Now that I think about it, all of these men are mafia men, aren’t they? That’s why they always wear the damn suits!” I exclaimed in absolute horror. Everything was beginning to click into place as the wheels in my head turned.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Janice, what the hell did you get me into? I didn’t sign up to be working as some mafia stripper,” I told her. The danger I could put myself in didn’t even play as a factor in my mind. I only worried about my sister. I didn’t want her to be put in any danger.

“Look, it isn’t as bad or scary as you think. Valerio is in the mafia and he wasn’t a bad guy at all, right? It’s just Mr. Romano and Mr. Rossi that any of us girls worry about. Everyone else is absolutely harmless,” she said like it was absolutely nothing.

Shaking my head, I walked away. I wasn’t upset with her, I was upset with myself. I should’ve listened to Janice when she told me about Mr. Romano. Something about him was just pulling me in and it was impossible to stop it.

I spent the next couple of hours trying to get the entire situation out of my mind. I mingled with a few girls and even got to be a waitress. Luckily for me, there were no more men asking for private dances with an offering of ten thousand dollars.

As soon as my shift was over, I made my way backstage, where I grabbed my phone, my keys, and everything else I had brought before changing back into my regular clothes.

I completely forgot to say goodbye to Janice as I exited the club and headed over to my car.

The moment I started up my vehicle, I could feel a set of eyes burning into me. I looked up and my eyes caught those familiar sets of blue ones. It was Valentino himself, leaning against the wall with a cigar in his mouth.

I licked my bottom lip as I stared at him before starting up my car and driving away from the club. I was going to stay away from him, he was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

For my family, the last thing I could afford were anymore risks.