I am so happy I took this job. My feet hurt like hell and I’m sweating like a pig, but I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. The dress I’m wearing does exactly what I hoped it would with the lights, and I know it’s getting people’s attention. Cosette’s cage is close enough that we can see each other, use each other for inspiration. It’s been a few hours, and the club is packed.

Maybe an hour ago I got my first big tip, my cage lighting up like a firework, and some of the club’s lights spinning to focus on me. It was only a minute or so, but that minute when every eye was on me, it was the biggest adrenaline boost in the world. Cosette and I have both been tipped since then, each spotlight session has us upping our game, trying to out-dance the other and the crowd fucking loves it.

We both have the biggest smiles on our faces, and I think that the people watching can tell that we’re having a good time. Even though I know she’s high, she seems okay right now—like the dancing is settling her. It lets me relax. The song changes from a frenzied speed to a slower electric song, and I like the way it makes me dance. Suddenly my moves are smoother, slower, more deliberate. White light hits my cage as the spots turn on me, and I launch into a solo, grabbing the cage and using the cage to spin it with me. I dip myself backwards, and forwards again, rolling my body in time with the music. And just as suddenly the lights turn off and there’s blue eyes instead.

Julian is standing on the balcony of the second floor, watching me with a smile on his face. That smile both warms me up and makes me shiver. My dancing changes again, because it’s not for the crowd anymore, it’s for him. I hold onto the top of the cage, swinging my hips and letting my short dress ride even further up my legs. He’s leaning against the railing, and I see one of his hands wander down as he watches me. I can’t quite tell because of the shadows, but it looks like he’s stroking himself through his pants.

Heat, fierce and real bursts through me. I love that I can make a man like Julian touch himself in public with my body, and suddenly I want to do it more. I use the cage like I’ve been hesitant to do up until now, hanging from the bars, and twirling, pushing my ass against the cage where he can see it. I let the straps of my dress fall off my shoulder and I pull up my dress and give him a glimpse of my panties.

The lights flash on my cage and I grin, dropping it low and bringing it back up again. The lights on the cage change—a tip on top of a tip. Now the lights are deep blue, matching my dress, and I feel like a star glimmering in my cage, ironically feeling totally free. I look at Julian and see him watching me with that same hunger that I saw when he was watching me at the audition. Only now that I know what that hunger leads to, I want more of it. I lose track of my movements, only dancing for him. The lights change again to bright green, the spots still focused on me, and I grab the bars of the cage facing Julian, pulling up my dress so I’m exposed and thrusting against the bars of the cage. I’m touching my breasts, letting my hands wander down my legs, grazing the edge of my panties. I don’t want there to be any question about what I want.

His mouth tips up into a smirk, and then he looks away, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. I hope he doesn’t take a picture of me like this, because the last thing I need is my mother seeing me humping a cage in a mini-dress on Facebook. But a moment later he puts his phone away and grins, holding his finger up like he’s telling me to wait. Just then, the music soars, club plunging into darkness as backlights flash on, neon graffiti pouring from the ceiling as the crowd roars. The only regular lights in the club are on me, and I have no choice but to dance, so I do. I give the crowd what they want, the sexy show they’ve been waiting for, and I’ve never felt so sexy, so powerful.

The regular club lights return and I look at my screen. That tip was for one thousand dollars. Seriously? What the fuck. My jaw drops, and I look at the balcony, at Julian—because it had to be him—but he’s gone. I look over at Cosette, to smile at her, and to share in the awesomeness. But she’s stock still in her cage, staring at me with what can only be horror. I thought she’d be happy for me, but she doesn’t look it. I notice I’ve stopped dancing and start to move again, only to hear a little ping coming from my screen.

Come to my office on your break. —J

Almost like he planned it, my cage starts to lower. People cheer as I come out of it, and my replacement climbs into the cage, lifted back into the air. I turn to the waitress who made the switch and ask her where Julian’s office is, and she gives me directions. His office is on the third floor of the building. Just like last night, the hallways I walk through to get to Julian’s office are quiet. I can hear the club music faintly pulsing through the walls, but it’s an afterthought. This behind-the-scenes area seems a lot nicer than the others I’ve seen. Almost plush. And when I find Julian’s office, it’s the same.

Clean white walls and a thick, soft, white carpet give the space a bright feeling even though it’s the middle of the night. There’s a big window with a nice view of Phoenix, and the night is one of those perfect Southwestern nights. All the stars are clear on the deep blue sky. Julian stands looking out the window, his back to me. I’m still a little out of breath from all my dancing, and I’m suddenly self-conscious about how I look, sweaty from dancing, dress practically falling off.

“Hi,” I say. Julian turns to me, that same feral hunger on his face. “Thank you for that tip. That was amazing, even though you didn’t have to do that.”

He steps towards me, coming around the desk, still not saying anything.

“I’m really happy I took the job,” I say, trying to fill the silence. “I’m having a good time.”

Julian loosens the tie that he’s wearing and tosses it to the floor, then he rolls his sleeves up on at a time. Anxious anticipation flutters in my stomach as I watch him. He never takes his eyes off me, and when he’s finished with his sleeves, he starts to undo his belt. He nods towards the desk. “Bend over it.”

Nothing but command is in his voice, and just like that, I’m wet. Standing there in a button down and slacks, staring at me with that power. I know that I can walk away, but I don’t want to. Because this is so damn hot, and Julian is so damn hot that I want it all. I want to bend over that desk and let him fuck me as hard as he wants. I keep my eyes on him as I walk to the desk, and lean over it. I don’t have to wait for him to tell me to pull my dress up over my ass.

His hands are on me then, stroking down my back to my ass, pulling my panties down. He leans over me, pressing his body to mine, and I can feel his cock pressed against my ass. He kisses my neck, and I feel his tongue as he licks me, tasting the salt on my skin. “Did you think about this while you were dancing?” he asks, hands still roaming my body, teasing my breasts and teasing around but never touching my clit. “Did you imagine that I was touching you while you were touching yourself in front of everyone?”

“Yes.” My voice doesn’t shake. I’ve never been so sure of anything.

Julian chuckles in my ear. “I think you might be an exhibitionist. I saw the way you liked being watched, how you kept getting more turned on.”

Everything in my body tightens at his words. It’s not true, it can’t be true. “No,” I say. “It was you. I was dancing for you. Thinking about you. Wanting you to see me.”

His hands still on my body, and I think that I’ve said something wrong. But Julian groans, his voice suddenly hot at my ear. “Do you have any idea how fucking hot that is?” He pulls back and I hear the tearing of a condom wrapper right before I feel his cock at my entrance. He doesn’t wait, pushing into me, and I moan. It’s only been a day and I’ve already forgotten how big he is. Just pushing in, he touches every part of me and it feels to fucking good. It feels like an eternity of him sliding into me, until I feel him against my ass, resting all the way inside me.

Julian’s hands stroke across my skin, digging into my ass. “I love the way this looks,” he says. “You taking all of me.”

“Fuck. Yes.” I grab at the edge of the desk, holding on as he pulls out, and slams all the way back in. Again, and again.

Fire streaks across my skin and a brief flash of pain as he spanks me. “You’re messing with my head, little dancer.” His voice is a rough growl. He thrusts into me again and spanks me again. “Watching you dance turns me on, makes me so hard I can’t do anything but fuck you.”

I’ve lost the ability to speak, the blend of feeling, pain and pleasure fizzing in my brain. “But,” he says, punctuating the word with another spank, “I want you all to myself too. I want to keep you here so no one can see you but me. So you’re all mine. And I don’t know which one I want more.”

My arousal soars at the possession in his words, and I shove my hips back instinctively, trying to take more of him. “Guess you’ll just have to keep doing both,” I say, breathless.

His chuckle is dark. “I guess so.”

Julian grabs my hands, pulling them behind my back and crossing my wrists so he can hold them both at once. I feel a rush of wetness at the ease of it all, how quickly he takes control. He spanks me again, harder this time as he starts to truly fuck me. Ripples of pleasure wash over me, and my nipples harden against the desk. Pleasure and pain. My ass is burning now, but he doesn’t stop spanking me. “Such a naughty dancer, teasing me from her cage.”

He plunges deeper, and suddenly I feel my orgasm dawning, rising quickly. “Oh god, Julian,” I say it, practically scream it. “Please.”

“More.”

“Fuck me. Make me come, make me scream, please.”

Julian releases my wrists, grabbing my hips and slamming into me. The slap of our skin together turns me on even further, and I’m moaning now because I can’t help it. The way he’s filling me up is breaking me open, unleashing pleasure that I’ve never felt before. I’m trembling with it, vibrating, exploding. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…

He strokes deep every time, pushing into me at the same time he’s pulling me toward him, fucking as hard as he can. My breath is coming in gasps, and I’m so close, so close, so close. Julian reaches down and around, fingers stroking my clit, and he whispers to me, “Come for me, little dancer.”

And damn it, I do. My orgasm breaks over me like the most perfect wave, delicious pleasure washing through me as he continues to thrust into me, drawing out my climax as he finds his own. My pussy spasms around his cock, trying to keep him close. Julian almost collapses on top of me, his body pressing me into the desk. His mouth is at my neck, breath heavy as mine. “What are you doing to me?”

I laugh, “Whatever it is, it’s not just you.”

He lifts himself off of me, cleaning up, and I pull my underwear back on and fix my dress. I feel empty without him inside me, and I’m tempted to suggest a second round, even though I know I’m due back to the dance floor any minute. Julian comes over to me, framing my face with his hands. “I like you, Libby Valentina.”

“I like you too, Julian Rivers.”

He smiles, this one brilliant and boyish. “That’s good to hear. And if you’d like, I want to take you out. Somewhere that’s not the club.”

“Really?” I gasp in mock horror, “But then where will you fuck me into oblivion?”

His eyes darken, and I risk a glance downwards to see him hardening again, and I smirk. “The club is always available for that.”

“Good to know. So when are we going on this date?”

“Soon,” he grins at me.

I roll my eyes. “Soon? That’s all I get?”

Julian leans down and kisses me, lips soft and sweet, quickly turning hungry. He pulls away like it’s the last thing in the world he wants to do. “That’s all you get, little dancer.”

“Fine. I suppose I should go back to work now.”

He smirks. “I suppose so.”

I head to the door, noticing for the first time that I left it open, and any one of the club employees who has access to this hallway could have heard us—seen us. The thought doesn’t make me as upset as I thought it would. Who knows, maybe Julian is right. Maybe I am a little bit of an exhibitionist. I look back only once, gratified to see him staring after me.

I run into Cosette as I come out of the elevator, rushing towards the back doors of the club where I’ve noticed people take their breaks. She has a pack of cigarettes in her hand. She seems less jumpy. Maybe she’s come down from the high. But smoking is another one of her warning signs. “Hey, Cos,” I say, stepping in front of her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she says, but she doesn’t look at me.

“What’s going on? I thought you quit smoking. I thought you quit getting high.”

She taps the pack against her hip. “I did, I just do it when I’m anxious.”

“Anxious? Why are you anxious? Did something happen?”

She laughs, but it’s the kind of laugh where nothing is really funny. “It’s nothing, I promise. I’ve got to go. Not much time left on my break.” She pushes past me before I can ask her anything else. Something is clearly bothering her, but she’s not going to let me ask what. At least not here. Again I hope that when we’re at home and things are calmer she’ll talk to me. Back on the dance floor, I get back into the cage, lifted back into the air for my second stint as a star.