Sin Looks Good On You

Part 7*

"Oooo, look at my girl! She goin' places, I can feel it!" Diamond whoops loud enough for everybody to hear as Mario hides her face behind her hand as best she can. "Stop...you're embarrassing..."

"With the weave and the nails, you servin' up looks too, bitch!" Diamond continues to clap as Mario finally crosses the parking lot and she laughs. "All I did was get some nails and some hair, nothing else's changed!"

"'Nothing else?'" Diamond looks Mario up and down before snickering again. "I see a slim ass waist that wasn't there last week, I'm sure. Your voice is higher, you walkin' different, even the blue eye shadow bitch!" She reaches out to squeeze Mario's cheeks quickly. "'Nothin' changed,' my asshole!" She finally lets Mario go when she chuckles herself and follows Diamond back into the building. "You know I'm just gassin' you up, Rio, that's how we work around here. Self-love and confidence is everything in a strip club, and we just want you to see what the rest of us see."

Mario sighs, remembering that her own grandfather wanted her to gain some of that 'self-love' but she just had to wait for it. To be completely honest, it was buried under years of self-hatred and dysphoria, but that wasn't on her mind right now. She couldn't really deny that Diamond was making her feel pretty good right now.

"Mister?! Where you at?!"

Diamond opens the curtain to the back rooms and pokes around, unable to find the woman who was supposed to be training Mario with her. "Rio's here, betta get your ass out here fo' I leave her on the floor!" She calls out louder before Mister emerges from the hallway puffing out a big puff of smoke into the air. Mario couldn't stop it, but her hand flies to her nose, and Diamond turns to her in haste. "What's wrong? Is it Mister's damn cigars?"

Mario nods, turning to face her and away from the smell. "My papa and grandad used to smoke those old cigars when we lived in Florida. They're like a luxury type of cigar from down south but it smells terrible anyway." Diamond raises her eyebrow because honestly, she never realized there was too bad of a smell to them before. But Mister just tosses her cigar towards the ashtray, landing it successfully as it finally burns out completely. "Rio! You made it!"

"Stop right there, old woman." Diamond holds out her hand to keep Mister at a distance as she point towards her right. "You got even more of a reason to stop smokin' now. Rio's real sensitive to em."

"Really?" Mister turns to Mario and she nods slowly, but Mister's still just looking her up and down. "Now why were you hiding this pretty face from me this whole time?!" She tries to get closer but Diamond holds her back to keep her at bay before Mister finally protests. "Oh please, she'll get over it! Besides, you never said that you were so pretty, Rio!"

Mario giggles again, putting her hand to her face and her giggles slowly morph into nervous laughter. "Well, I mean I'll always be genderfluid, and I have to admit, I was feeling pretty nervous before Diamond started saying this great shite about me."

"Because I mean it!" She protests before cackling with the rest of the group and Mister coughs, finally getting the smell of smoke off her breath with an added breath mint, and looks Mario up and down. They were about eye level, anyway, since Mister was wearing heels to bring her five foot eight height up to Mario's six feet.

"Lucky you, Diamond's already claimed you for the night, but I still want you to meet the rest of my girls who are working here, as well and learning the perimeter, so follow me." She motions, knowing that Diamond would pick up the slack and she does, pushing Mario forward until they finally walk past the curtain and the loud noises catch up with her.

Finally, she was reminded of the place that she had visited days ago with the people sitting down at tables, the bar bustling and busy while multiple men were watching the girl on the pole, and so was Mario. The girl was wearing a really thin lace, anyway, complete with a black bra that could barely contain anything as she steps on the front stage, getting down on her knees and putting her hands to her back. There's was a quick motion before the thread finally loosened and slide down her back, eventually hitting the ground softly as the men hoot and holler. They toss more and more money like they were practically made of it before she gives them a final wave and ricochets the strip of lingerie into the crowd and the song finally ends, also making the club erupt into loud applause.