Dayton

Chapter 5

"Hey, are you working tonight?" Dallas asks after knocking onto the bedroom door to gain my attention while I stand in front of the full length mirror that is in the corner of my room by the dresser.

"Yes, I am. Arabella and Dakota are going to watch Darien until I come home at 2 a.m.," I answer, meeting his eyes through the mirror while fixing my hair into a messy, bed head look with gel.

"Okay, be safe please while there with any of the possible perverted people," he seriously replies with a deep frown.

This is a typical sort of phrase I hear every night before I leave for work from my brothers. I love that they worry about me like this. Now, in my time as an exotic dancer, I have had a few run-ins with some creepy people who do not understand the club's 'no touching' rule unless they have paid for a private dance. Even with a paid private dance, the 'no touching' rule is still in effect for our private areas. If customers do not follow this rule, or do not accept an employee or other customer's 'no means no', then they are escorted out of the building, and off the property, black listed, and a police report is filed. Johnny, the boss and owner of the club does not play with our safety, or the other guests' safety.

"I will be, and I love you, too," I smile at him through the mirror as I turn to face him since I have finished getting ready for work.

I am dressed in a pair of black leggings, bare feet that are slipped into a pair of black slides, and a loose long sleeve white shirt. I also have on light makeup covering my face, and body glitter. I will touch up both after arriving at work, and change into my outfit for the night - whatever that outfit will be. Some nights, Apollo wants us to wear matching outfits some nights, and other nights we can wear whatever we want as long as our privates are covered.

"Love you, too, little brother," Dallas grins as he walks back down the hallway to his bedroom.

Darien should be up from his afternoon nap on my bed any minute now. I am going to spend about forty-five minutes with him before I have to leave for work.

"Dada, up," Darien mumbles in his raspy, sleep filled voice, and I turn to him with a bright, cheerful smile as I scoop him off the bed to kiss his chubby cheek gently.

"Do you want to potty in the toilet?" I gently ask as we head toward the door; I have been trying to potty train him for a couple of months now, and he is doing well for his age.

He hums with a nod of his head, sot that is what he does before washing his hands, and we head downstairs to join our family in the living room.

Forty-five minutes later, I am kneeling in front of Darien to gently tell him; "Hey buddy. I have to go to work now, and you are gonna stay here with your uncles and auntie until I come home, okay? I will be here in my bed when you wake up in the morning. I love you very much."

"Otay dada, luve you," he mumbles as he rubs his tiny palms over my dried glitter on my exposed hands with a sad expression.

"It is okay to be sad, D because I am sad, too," I murmur. "I go to work to earn money, so I can buy you what you need, and fun toys sometimes."

He gives me a wide smile with a nod; "And I am gonna buy you a couple of toys for your birthday on Saturday."

He gasps cutely, making me smile widely with a nod; "That is exciting, I know. Now, may I give you a hug and kiss goodbye?"

He eagerly nods, throwing his little arms around my neck to squeeze as I give him a hug and kiss; "I love you, Darien. Please be good tonight."

"I goo', dada," he promises as I stand with him in my hold to hand him over to Dakota.

"Love all of you!" I call out while grabbing my work backpack off the counter as I make my way to the front door, and they call the same reply back to me.

Driving myself to the club, which is a fifteen minute drive, and once there, I park, and turn off the engine. Grabbing my backpack off the passenger seat, opening the driver's side door, climbing out, shutting the door behind me, and making my way through the back door entrance for staff only to the large open area of the dressing area.

"Hi Archer, hi Abby," I greet my friends with a wide grin as I walk past them to my makeup station, and place my bag onto the empty spot at my station.

"Hey Dayton," they greet back with large smiles from their own stations where they are applying makeup and body glitter.

They are already dressed in their clothes for the night, non-matching - Archer has on a pair of short, black, faux leather booty shorts that barely cover his ass cheeks, and a black harness across his chest and shoulders. His hair is styled messy. Abby has on a sliver-white glitter bodysuit that barely covers her ass and has spaghetti straps. Her curly hair is pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head.

"Did Darien give you a hard time when you left?" Abby asks worriedly as I wander over to my rack of clothes to find my outfit since it seems we are not wearing matching outfits.

"No, thankfully," I say, flipping through the clothes in front of me.

"I explained the best I could to him for his age as to why I have to work. I also told him that I am gonna buy him toys for his birthday on Saturday," I tell them with a large grin over my left shoulder.

"That is a good idea," Archer grins with a thoughtful smile as I turn toward the clothes again. "Speaking of his birthday, what should Abby and I get our little godson for his birthday?"

"Um, I dunno," I shrug, pulling down a pair of light blue sparkly booty shorts, and a matching choker for my throat. "Maybe large legos or a Superhero figure?"

They hum in acknowledgment as I move to my station, lay my clothing on the top, and strip out of my clothes in front of them, and the other dancers. Do not judge me, I am comfortable with my body, and all of us have seen each other naked plenty of times before. Yes, even my co-workers who are not my best friends.

Let's see, beside the three of us, there are two more dancers - Yuri, his name is pronounced Ya-ri, and Lucy. Yuri and Lucy have been here six months less than me while Archer and Abby have been here about a year longer than me.

"Alright people, gather around, and listen up," Apollo calls out to the five of us, clapping his hands together with a large grin from the center of the dressing area.

When the five of us are in a semi-circle in front of him, he continues; "We already have a packed house, so a little change in routine. The first dance is the group dance, then single dances. The single dances line up is Dayton, Abby, Yuri, Archer, and then Lucy. Once these are finished, you can dance single, duo or trios until the end of the night. Instead of another group dance, I want it split into two dances - first a trio then a duo. The trio is going to be Dayton, Archer, and Lucy, and the duo is Abby and Yuri. The group song is gonna be 'Watermelon Sugar,' by Harry Styles. Go out and be safe, and have fun."

When Apollo wants us to use this particular song for the group dance, we know the routine he wants us to perform. I hope with the trio dance, we can perform to the song, 'Save a Horse' by Big and Rich, but I will ask Archer and Lucy about this later. The five of us shake out our nerves as we split at the opposite entrances from the sides - three on one side, and two on the other side.

The house lights are dimmed by Apollo, and Charlie, the DJ, starts the song with Archer stepping out onto the stage first followed by Lucy, Yuri, Abby, and then me. After the song is finished, I move to leave the stage with the others, I notice Ajax leaning his backside against an end of the bar along with Apollo and Anderson. The three men grin at me when they catch my eyes, and my heart rate kicks into overdrive.