The darkness was my friend and the music was my heartbeat. As my hips swayed and my body swerved, I felt nothing but the heat of the moment and the thrill of the night. Though I wore little more than a revealing pair of shorts, my breasts exposed for all to see, I felt secure, as I owned the spotlight.

Dancing on top of a bar table was my corner of the world. In that corner, no one could touch me, and no one could harm me. If they wanted more of me, they had to pay and even then all they’d get is a kiss and a closer look at my body.

When the music had died and the dance was over, I took my bra and strapped it back on. The show was over and it was another girl’s moment to shine. It didn’t matter; for the fifteen minutes of fame, I had garnered well over a hundred thirty bucks. It wasn’t much, but I could stretch it until the next night.

I headed to the backstage area of the nightclub, where the girls could rest between their shows, and slumped down on a big leather couch.

“Damn Noelle, you look exhausted,” Krystin said when she took a seat opposite me. Krystin was one of the new dancers but she definitely had a lot going for her. She had wild short hair, seductive dark eyes and a figure most girls would die for.

It wasn’t like I didn’t consider myself hot, though. With a perfect 32-26-32 figure I knew I had the ideal curves and form and I had the long, auburn hair that lots of guys dig. It was just sometimes I felt like being hot wasn’t enough because to this day, I’ve never had a long lasting relationship.

“I am exhausted,” I answered. “I danced three times tonight and I waited tables. It’s still not enough.”

“Yeah, I hear you,” Krystin said. “I got a little boy, he’s going to go to pre-school soon. Can you imagine what I’ll have to do to get the money to support all that?”

I shook my head and sighed, “Fuck this, you know? We’re young, hot and gorgeous… I bet we can get a better job out there somewhere.”

“Do you have a college degree?” Krysten asked, with a sarcastic note but even without it, the joke was all over her face.

I shook my head.

“Then don’t dream too big,” Krystin told me with a wag of her finger. “This is about as good as it gets. At least we’re just waiting tables and strip dancing. I heard about a club of rich billionaires where girls can auction off their virginity; too late for me, I guess. I lost my virginity back in high school.”

“Would you believe I’m still a virgin?” I asked with a naughty smile.

Krystin laughed, “You? Girl, you wave your tits at every customer that walks through the front door.”

“Oh but I am,” I admitted. “Virgins are always the naughtiest, kinkiest bunch. Sure, I strip and dance and let them cup a feel every now and then, but not once have I ever really tried fucking. Well, I almost did back in high school but a teacher walked in right while we were making out and I had the guy’s dick in my hand.”

We both laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Krystin offered me a drink – a nice, chest-warming cocktail that had a sweet taste but a strong alcoholic punch to it – and then moved over to sit beside me. She smelled of chamomile.

“I’m buried in debt,” Krystin admitted. “I don’t even know if I can pay rent this month. I didn’t pay last month either.”

I sighed, drank and nodded solemnly, “Me too. I’ve got a big credit debt to pay and my rent. I also have an outstanding salary loan I need to pay. I’m like inches away from sucking some old guy’s cock just to get the cash.”

“You naughty little bitch,” Krystin laughed at me. “You don’t even know the first thing about pleasing a guy like that.”

“How hard can it be? I open my mouth and let him slide it in,” I tried to reason out. “I can do that… maybe. I don’t know, who cares? We’re already doing everything we can in this stupid strip club and it still ain’t enough.”

Krystin shrugged, “Life’s glorious, ain’t it?”

We toasted to each other and drank the night away. I took care not to get too drunk, however, because I still had one more dance to do and it was the most energetic one for the night. I did my best not to get tipsy while juggling my breasts and swaying back and forth on top of the customers’ tables.

For my efforts, I earned an extra thirty dollars. For a lot of girls, they’d consider this job enriching and could get wealthy. For me, who had a lot of debts to pay, even this amount wasn’t getting me anywhere.

I needed something else.

* * *

By three in the morning, my shift was done and I took a moment to sit back in my car and relax, allowing the alcohol to swirl out of my system before I’d drive back home to my shitty apartment. As I rested, I took out my phone and logged in to my Facebook account.

There were a ton of messages – mostly from strangers who just wanted a nude photo or for me to strip on camera for them. There were always those rude assholes and I learned how to ignore them all and just focus on chatting with my friends.

I scrolled passed some of the usual posts. A lot of my high school batch mates were successful professionals now. Others were still in law school or medical school. It was amusing to see them post about their achievements in life while I was stuck here stripping for drunks.

“Huh?” I muttered when I saw a post from a friend I hadn’t spoken to in years.

It was Daxter and his brother just died.

Quickly, I sent him a message, “Hey, I just found out about your brother. I’m just sending my condolences to you and your family, okay? I hope you’re all right.”

He probably wouldn’t even notice my message. I knew he was a big deal nowadays. Our batch was so proud when he became a firefighter but not even a year passed and everyone saw he became a big model. That made him even more popular.

It didn’t matter though. I sent my thoughts and wishes and that was all that mattered. I then tossed the phone to the back seat and drove off home.