“I’ll make sure they’re taken care of,” I assured him.

“Thanks, Angel.” He kissed my forehead like he often did before walking away.

I watched him go for a second before pulling myself together.

“Oh! Look who’s here,” Tessa said as soon as I entered the dressing room.

I ignored her and tossed my bag into my locker before pulling my scrubs off. Tessa was a bitch; she was just like the girls I used to compete against in pageants. To her, life was a competition, and she was determined to come out the winner, even if she had to throw everyone else under the bus on her way to the top.

“Mick said I could work VIP tonight,” she said to one of the other girls in the room.

I ignored her again, knowing better than to tell her that it wasn’t happening. I was sure Mick had told her that…after she’d taken him in the backroom and given him something to convince him.

“Pixie said the guys coming in are some big-time land developers, so you know the tips are going to be outrageous. Thank God, because I need to have my tits redone, and that shit is not cheap.”

I rolled my eyes and headed for the shower room. I had met a couple of nice girls during my time here, but most were just like Tessa—a whole lot of hair, tits, ass, and not much else.

I stood in front of the mirror and put on a coat of red lipstick before standing back, looking myself over. The VIP dress code was different than the rest of the club. The required outfit consisted of a sheer, black overlay bra, black silk panties, a black garter belt with sheer hose, and black heels. My long, naturally red hair was pulled back on one side by a large flower; the rest was loose and wavy, flowing down my back and over one shoulder. My creamy, white skin, red lips, and smoky eyes made me look almost like a sexy vamp.

“You ready, Angel?” Sid asked, pounding on the door.

“Showtime,” I whispered before opening the door.

“You look beautiful. I’m going to take you in there and introduce you before heading out.”

“Sure.” I followed him down the hall to the club.

The Lion’s Den is well known in the area for its exclusivity. The walls are painted a dark brown, and the booths are designed into the walls, making the space feel intimate. The stage is in the center of the room, with a single spotlight shining down on it. Every booth has a girl assigned to it, and VIP has two girls. We aren’t allowed to interact with the customers without being asked directly to do so.

The club is less of a strip club and more of a place for men to hang out and drink while having beautiful women tend to them. If they choose to, they can watch the girl in the center of the room put on a show. I have been on stage several times in the three years I’ve worked here. I haven’t told Sid that I don’t like it up there, but he normally put me in VIP or assigned me to a booth for the night.

“Why are you so worried about these guys?” I asked Sid.

“They’re thinking about opening up a Lion’s Den in one of the new casinos they’re building.”

“That’s huge! Congrats, honey.” I squeezed his bicep and gave him a smile.

“One day, Angel, I’m gonna take you away from this place. I wanna see that smile every day.”

My heart did a little thud. Sid is a very attractive man, but he’s not for me. I don’t want or need a man. They get you all discombobulated, filling your head with a bunch of lies and then expecting you to follow them around. I did that once. I thought a man was going to save me from the hell I was living in. I gave him my virginity and my heart, and he gave me a child I wasn’t allowed to keep and a heart so broken that nothing or no one has put it back together again.

I looked through the two-way mirror at the men around the table in the VIP room.

“All right,” Sid said from beside me. “The man in the center at the table is John Barbato. He is the owner of three of the largest clubs in the city. The guy there on his left is Steven Creo. He’s some bigwig on Wall Street and has backed more than half the new clubs and casinos opening on The Strip. The guy to the right of John has a location they’re interested in purchasing.”

“Got it. Who’s working with me?” I asked him.

“Tessa. Mick said she would be the best out of the girls we’ve got on the schedule tonight.”

“I’m sure he did,” I mumbled, looking back into the room. “What other bouncers are on tonight?” I hated when Mick and Craig worked together. They were both more concerned about hooking up with the girls than what was going on out on the floor.

“Link’s here now.”

“Good.” Link was a good guy and a close friend. He also took his job seriously.

“All right, let me introduce you quickly before I head out.”

“Sure.” I followed him into the room. The men’s heads turned in our direction, and they were smiling.

“Guys, I want you to meet Angel. She’s gonna be your girl for the night. You need anything, you ask her and she will make sure you’re taken care of,” Sid tells them, gesturing to me.

“Nice to meet you,” one of the men said, smiling while the others nodded.

“Nice to meet you too.” I smiled back.

“Angel will be right back. Give me a minute, guys.”

“Sounds good,” the one who’d spoken before said.

As Sid and I stepped away, I heard from behind me, “Do you think the curtains match the drapes?” and they all laughed. I hated that saying, and I’d sworn that, once I was free of this lifestyle, I would kick the next man who said it in the nuts.

“Okay, I gotta head out. I won’t be back for two weeks,” Sid said once we were standing in the hall.

“Have a safe trip.”

His eyes searched my face. His mouth opened and closed like he was going to say something, but instead, he shook his head, kissed my cheek, and walked off down the hall, muttering something under his breath.

Tessa came around the corner a couple of seconds later with a smug smile on her face. I hated to admit it, but she was beautiful. Her skin had a natural glow that made her look healthy and youthful. Her hair was black and thick, reaching the top of her ass. Her eyes curved out at the corners, showing off her Asian-American heritage.

“You ready?” she asked, looking at me from head to toe.

I avoided rolling my eyes at her before stepping into the room behind her.

After we took the first orders, we stood back while the men talked. I learned a long time ago to zone myself out. We were there as eye candy and nothing else. There was a knock on the door, and I knew the drinks had arrived. Tessa answered it, opening the door wide, and the man who brought the tray in was someone I had never seen before. He looked to be mid-thirties, and he had long, shaggy, black hair and brown eyes.