Dancing For The Mafia

4

Eliana

"Eliana Camila Peña you let him what?!" Lucia met my gaze in her mirror before turning around to face me, "I could kill you."

I sat up in her bed crossing my legs, "In my defense he's so fucking sexy Lucia, and the way he touched me..." I could feel my breath hitch just at the memory of his hands all over me, "I was coming before I realized that I let him have his way on that couch."

She slowly turned back towards the mirror and continued on her glam, "Just his fingers?"

"Yes Mom." I chuckled knowing I wouldn't mind if we had gone all the way. I used to have hookups here and there but they stopped as quickly as they started. I laid back in Lucia's bed closing my eyes thinking of tonight's first shift, Peter was different.

"Don't you dare get attached to him either." I pulled myself out of my head, "Who knows what other dancers this man has felt on during auditions."

I groaned softly rolling over and putting a pillow atop my head, "You're butchering my fantasy Lucia Wu."

"You're welcome." I could hear her get up from in front of her mirror, "Come on, we both have a long night."

She ripped the pillow from me and I turned my head to face her, "Bale has you on double again?" I wish Lucia would quit her job, she was too pretty and too smart to be working under douches.

"Not his fault this time, Samuel's been missing." She sat down on the edge of the bed putting on her shoes, "Probably crystals again."

I nodded in my head the possibility of that high, "Wait so how am I getting home if you're doing a double?"

She stood up grabbing her bag, "I made that account for us on that rideshare app for a reason Ana." She walked out the bedroom door her voice echoing in the hall, "For times like this, now let's go!"

*+*

As I sat in the chair working on my makeup, my anxiety about performing for the first time continued to become more intense. I applied gloss to my lips and exhaled, feeling my heart beat in my throat. I tried counting to fifty and backwards, "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet before you even hit the stage?"

Hazel sat next to me, her face half done with her glam for the night, "You weren't nervous your first time?"

She began to slowly unpeel the clear wrapper that housed a bright green candy, "I'm pretty sure the claw marks that I left are still up there." I chuckled softly, "You just have to find something to calm you down." She popped the candy into her mouth, "Trust me the atmosphere is tense but then it becomes so calm." She pulled her arms to her body, "You could feel the mist hanging around from the drinks and the AC. The breeze as it settles on your arm, the cool touch of the pole. It's all connected up there, you just gotta calm your accelerated heart beat enough to feel it."

I found myself nodding as Hazel continued to describe all the sensations of being on stage. I had encountered it all before years ago, the way she described it made it feel like yesterday. Made me yearn to feel that way again if I could just have that moment. Hazel put a hand on my shoulder, "All in all you're going to do great Eliana, I've never seen a girl go up there and fail at what she loves to do. Do you love to do this?"

I was hesitant on my answer knowing I haven't exactly performed in a while. But nevertheless the pole in my bedroom proved that my passion for pole dancing always had a place, "I've never loved so deeply."

She lifted her eyebrows for a moment at my response, "Then tonight is going to be one of the best nights of your life Eliana." She faced the mirror in front of her, "You're on in ten."

I paced slowly below the door to the stage, my heart pounding so fast that it echoed in my ears. I took a deep breath and tried to ease my mind, my reason for being nervous intangible. I've done this before and was great at it, why was I almost melting in my shoes now? The door opened and a large man dressed in all black greeted me, "You're up, the stage is dark so mind where you step but the pole should be easy to find."

He pulled me up to him, negating the choice to take the small stairs that were in front of me. We went through the door and he pulled the curtain back, introducing me to the dark stage that in front of it the purple lights of the club could be seen. All light seemed to stop at the front of the stage, the crowd of men below it visible. They were drinking and conversing waiting for the next dancer. Waiting for me.

"Tonight we have someone special on stage." I made it to the pole and watched heads turn towards me, "DeLeón's newest dancer Eliana, let's show her love." I pulled myself in front of the pole and at almost the exact same time, the lights and the music came on.

I presented myself in front of the pole before slowly sliding down it moving my hips erotically. I kept my gaze everywhere, too afraid of the crowd's eyes. One look was all it would take to throw me off.

Then just as Hazel described in the dressing room, the air sent a chill down my body. I became one with the pole using it as an extension of myself as I spun. I inhaled as I lifted myself off the ground and hugged the pole as I came down. The beat and my body vibrated together as I matched my internal rhythm to the music. I laid my head against the pole as I exhaled softly, my eyes settling on one thing.

Peter's eyes.

My heart lurched in my chest once the familiarity kicked in and I quickly whipped my head away as a burning heat settled in my cheeks. I pressed my legs together, the feeling of his fingers returning with just a glance in my direction. The music slowly began to fade out and I straightened myself against the pole. I glanced down, the anxiety returning as quickly as it left, "Alllright how was that?"

Applause started up and the large man came up to my side and nodded at me, "Great job sweetheart." He put his mouth to the mic once again, "DeLeón's newest dancer everyone, Eliana."

I tried to crack a smile as the lights on stage slowly began to dim and the applause with it. I took a deep breath and slowly walked to the back of the stage.

Hazel was standing where I was a couple moments ago with a wide grin. She rolled the candy in her mouth, "Decent my ass."

——
End of Chapter Four.