Vermillion

30

A few weeks had passed since Circe had been sent to the club. She was visited by Ilaria a few times to go over plans, but other than that she hadn't seen any of their familiar faces in a while.

She had gotten used to the atmosphere in the club.

Some nights she had to preform, other nights she was on waitressing duty and sometimes she had time off.

It was a tough job, nowhere for a 19 year old girl to be, but Circe was used to this kind of work, giving the fact that she sometimes had to go undercover in clubs for certain jobs.

She was sitting backstage with some of the other girls, preparing for a long night of performances and private dances.

"Hey doll" a female country accent came from behind Circe.

She turned and smiled at Candy, the oldest of the other girls there.

She had been kind to Circe when she arrived, showing her the ropes of the club and giving her tips on how to better her performance.

"Hi Candy" Circe replied warmly.

She had really started to come out of her shell as of late, not being as standoffish as before to new faces.

Circe stared at herself in the mirror, doing her best to hide the sadness in her eyes.

Her straight black hair was tucked behind her ears, falling just above her shoulders. Her eyes were decorated with smokey shadows, and her plump lips were painted red.

Her feet already began to ache from the platform heels she was wearing, the red latex of the shoes digging into her pale skin.

Her modesty was only barely covered by red lingerie, which was provided to her by Candy.

"You look gorgeous doll" Candy smiled, rubbing the girls shoulders in a comforting manner, knowing she would rather be anywhere but here.

She hated the way men stared at her, the way they jeered and whistled, the way they touched her body whilst her back was turned, caressing her soft skin, making her shiver in discomfort.

She felt like an object, and she knew, that in the eyes of those men, that's all she would ever be.

"And now ladies and gentlemen, what all of you have been waiting for, please welcome Arabella"

Raffaele watched as the girl clad in red lingerie made her way onto the stage, he was hidden in the shadows, so he wouldn't be seen by her.

Ilaria had decided she had enough of not being able to see her friend, unless it was for business, and threw a fit until Raffaele gave in and brought the whole group to the club.

Deep down, he was a softie, and he hated seeing his little sister in distress.

Ilaria, Fleur and Kaia sat in a private booth on the second floor, with a glass window so they could watch the performances. They were there to support Circe, and to hopefully spend some time with her at the end of her shift.

Mario sat in the booth with the girls, eyes glued to his phone in disinterest.

Circe, or, Arabella, placed her pale hand on the sleek silver pole, circling around it teasingly, swaying her hips as she moved.

She hoisted her leg up, wrapping it around the pole as she spun, locking eyes with hungry men as she did.

Everyone in the club watched intently as the girl moved her body around the pole to the music, jaws slack and eyes wide.

Circe could feel his gaze on her, and although she couldn't see him, she knew he was there.

He grunted as he watched her descend from the stage, straddling a lucky man in the audience on his chair, sensually grinding her hips into his.

His grip on his glass tightened, as did the material around his crotch as he continued to watch her dance.

She made her way back up to the stage, once again spinning around the pole, her legs spread in a seductive manner, further drawing in the people in the audience.

Raffaele walked up to the bartender, who immediately knew who he was and fixed his posture for his boss.

"I want a private room with Arabella after her performance" he told the bartender as the petrified young man nodded furiously.

"You did amazing as always, Bella" Candy cheered excitedly as she walked backstage with her.

Circe smiled in reply, walking back to the dressing room in a side hug with the other woman.

"Arabella you have a private dance in room 6"

Circe sighed and nodded as she parted ways with Candy, making her way upstairs to the private room, ready for another painstaking performance.

But as soon as she walked in, her blood ran cold and her heart rate increased. She didn't even have to look at him to know for sure, the feeling of his gaze on her alone was enough.

She knew Raffaele was here.

A/N: this is my shortest chapter yet, sorry, but i'm going to put another one out today before yous get mad at me lol.

sorry for not updating in a while, i haven't been doing the best, and i have also released my newest book, 'Hiraeth'

i would really appreciate if you guys would go give it a read <33