Sugar and Spice

Must be dreamin'

Chapter song is ' Ain't nobody' by Chaka Khan<3
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They say time flies when you're having fun. However it's nights like these where I'm counting down the minutes on the clock, desperate for the time to pass quicker.

Don't get me wrong I love my job but it's hard to concentrate when you have a million and one thoughts running through your mind. I had just come off the phone with my brother Christopher and just like every other time , he slut shamed me and called me disgusting for working in such a ' provocative' place.

He's never supported the idea of me working in a burlesque club but at the end of the day I don't give a shit what he thinks. He lost the right to have any opinions on me when he left me down that alleyway in seattle, bloody and bruised.

He watched those men steal my purse and beat me to a pulp and still had the audacity to leave me there. So I did the only rational thing I could have done: left him in Seattle and moved to San Francisco in the hopes he'd never find me. Which obviously didn't work but I warned him if he ever came for me it wouldn't be pretty. Don't ask me what I'd do because I haven't thought that far yet.

I left everyone and everything behind.
Besides, I've been more taken care of here than anywhere else.

The club is run by a wealthy man called Carlos, nobody knows his last name but what we do know is that he cares for his dancers a great deal. He has a strict ' no touching unless consensual' policy which is greatly appreciated amongst his employees.

Carlos isn't here every night, only really on the weekends so while he's gone doing whatever it is he calls businesses, he leaves Luke in charge.

Luke is similar to Carlos only he's half his age. He treats us like family. He took me under his wing when he saw me wandering the streets of San Francisco like a lost puppy. He introduced me to Carlos who was more than happy to give me the job.

Tonight is one of those nights that Luke was charge. I always felt safe around Luke because I knew he put us before anyone.

I had a clear view of the club from where I was sat at the bar on the second floor. The blue and purple strobe lights bounced off the walls, reflecting off the empty glasses that were gradually piling up on the tables.

The girls and I had finished our routines for the night, now we just had a few hours left to entertain the lonely rich men. Light work if you ask me. It really doesn't take much.

The club was located downtown so our regular customers were the classic businessmen type; sharp suits, crisp shirts, looking to de-stress after a long day.

Michael handed me a glass of scotch , on the rocks just how I like it. Michael was one of the bartenders working at ' Sugar and Spice', he joined just after me so we've grown pretty close over the past year. He's one of my best friends, aside from the flirty comments here and there.

I nod a thank you to him and guzzle down the drink. We aren't really supposed to drink on the job but since it's Luke in charge tonight he doesn't mind.

" Alright, spill." Michael arches an eyebrow as he waits for me to speak as he continues to dry some glasses with a cloth.

I gave him a confused look, " What do you mean?"

" You've have that look on your face you get when something shitty happens." He looks at me expectantly.

I sigh and place my now empty glass down on the mahogany bar top, " Alright you got me. It's my brother again. He's begging me to come back to Seattle but he doesn't understand that he's lost all my trust and it probably won't ever be regained." I ranted while rolling my eyes.