Behind The Scene

CHAPTER 15

I woke to a text from Charlie the following day, instructing me to meet Crystal at the club before lunch. Now that I was alone, I was becoming conscious of the bubbling nerves over performing in front of so many people. It was one thing to dance like that in private, but on a stage in front of a huge gathering of strangers, and my colleagues... it would take some getting used to, that's for sure. Even with that knowledge, I hadn't changed my mind. I was doing this for myself... and for Ross.
For the third time that morning, I glanced at the last text he'd sent me before I'd fallen asleep:
'I miss you xx'
He wasn't the only one. I missed him so hard that my heart ached with the loneliness. My mind and body were both pining for him, and still, we didn't have a time frame for when he could join me out here. I sighed as I shoved my phone into my purse and grabbed my keys. I didn't have time to dwell right now, I needed to show that I was serious about this job, and after the disasters of audition day, I wasn't taking any chances here.
The club was eerily quiet as I descended the stairs into the main room. I'd never been here whilst it was still closed, and it was an alien feeling to see the room so empty, no music blaring or lights glowing. There was a small thud up ahead, and rounding the last corner, I saw Davey, one of the barmen, placing a crate of drinks on the top of the bar. He turned as he heard my footsteps, arching a brow in confusion.
"You're here early," He said as I approached.
"Yeah, I'm meeting Crystal," I replied, hopping up onto a barstool and beginning to unload the bottles.
"She's not here yet," He told me briefly, lifting another crate up onto the bar and unloading that one, "What'cha doin' with Cris?" He asked.
"She's training me, I'm joining the dancers."
He was the first person that I'd told, other than Charlie, and I watched for his reaction intently, a little surprised when he seemed completely unsurprised by the revelation.
"I'm sure you'll do great," He smiled assuringly.
"Thanks."
The sound of more footsteps came from behind us and I turned to see Crystal walking down the stairs, her eyes glued to her phone as she navigated the steps from memory, never glancing up. She looked so different out of her work gear, I'd have been unlikely to even recognise her walking down the street like this, in a pair of worn jeans and gold, flat sandals, with a crisp white shirt that had long sleeves and was tied into a crop top at the front. Her short blonde hair was freshly washed and hung in subtle waves to her jawline, and the soft make-up gave her sunkissed skin a summery glow.
"Hey, Davey, can I get an orange and lemonade with lots of ice, please?" She called, finally looking up from her phone and then beaming at me as her shimmering blue eyes found me. "Hey!"
"Hi, you look gorgeous," I greeted her, hopping off the stool and gesturing at the pretty outfit, "I love those shoes."
She laughed and did a small twirl, tipping her foot to the side to let me see the shoes better.
"I got them at this small boutique by the beach, I can take you along sometime if you want, they have the cutest accessories."
"Absolutely," I agreed.
There was a clunk as Davey put the drink on the bar, Crystal thanked him and then picked it up, heading for the passageway out to the back and gesturing for me to follow her.
"I was surprised when Charlie told me that you were gonna do this," She said as we entered the staff room. "Not that you can't pull it off, I mean you're stunning and sexy so you have it covered," She laughed and plucked a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, throwing it to me, "Just seemed like you were happy enough with the waitressing."
I took a sip of the water, shrugging my shoulders.
"I wasn't going to. But I need the money, and after yesterday, I figured this was the best way to do it."
She gave me a knowing look and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the bar.
"You mean Dalton?"
"How did you know about that?" I asked.
"There's no keeping secrets around here. Especially where that bastard is concerned."
The acidity to her tone made me sure that there was a story there, but given how little I wanted to share about my experience with him, I offered her the same courtesy of not having to discuss it.
She took another large drink from her glass, then began to rummage through her locker, pulling out a black shopping bag and holding it aloft, beaming from ear to ear as she looked at me.
"Let's see what fits," She said happily.
A short while later, we were both standing amid a pile of brand new lingerie and skimpy clothing. It was all top of the range stuff and made of beautiful laces and silks in various colours, far out of my price range, and superior to anything that I had back home.
"That is gorgeous on you," Crystal cooed as I modelled the latest lingerie set she'd thrown at me.
I stepped up to the mirror and nearly gasped. With our similar sizes, it fitted almost perfectly, and it was beautiful, with delicate black lace sitting over a deep teal satin. The slightly too-small cups made my natural D breasts look even bigger now, which I was sure wouldn't turn out to be a negative in this line of work and with the tall, black platforms that I'd put on, my legs looked unbelievably long.
"I think that we have a winner," She said proudly.
Throwing the other things back in the bag, she set aside a few pieces, both ones I'd tried and ones I hadn't, then stuffed the bag back in her locker.
"What's that for?" I asked, pointing out the clothes.
"You have to have a few options, can't wear the same thing," She chuckled warmly.
"You don't have to do that, I'm sure I can find some stuff," I lied, not wanting to take such expensive things as gifts.
She shook her head, turning me back to the mirror and standing behind me.
"If you look anywhere near as sexy in that lot, as you do in this, then it's worth it," She said sweetly, "Besides, you'll have the money to buy more real soon, this is just to get ya started."
"Thanks," I replied, smoothing my hands over the soft lace, "You'll be coming with me when I buy more," I added with a laugh, "Gotta make sure I have an expert opinion."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Once Crystal was changed too, we went back out to the club floor. She flicked on the lights and turned the music on low, wanting me to experience everything as close to the real thing as possible whilst I practised. It was a strange feeling to step out onto the stage in such revealing underwear. I felt the eyes of someone watching me as soon as I stepped out onto the floor and located Davey eyeing me up from the bar, his eyes widening before he turned away as I looked over.
A piece of me was a little disappointed that he turned away so quickly. It was nice to have someone looking at me like that again. Having no one to look at me like that was a huge downside to having a long-distance relationship.
"You'll get used to it," Crystal laughed behind me.
I really think I will. I thought to myself, trying to tame a smile
Crystal spent a little time telling me the rules of being a dancer at the Platinum Rose. Being sure to tell me of the key rules regarding on stage expectations, and our freedom regarding private dances. Once I was all caught up with the need-to-know stuff, she began to teach me the practical portion of today's events. Starting with how to walk, something which I was confused by given my capability to walk since a child. Turned out that there was a knack to it on this stage, something that I learned pretty quickly after taking my first tumble on the slippery surface in my deathly high heels.
"Damn, that's something I don't fancy repeating in a hurry," I said with a wince as she helped me to my feet, trying to keep a straight face.
"It's what having no treads does to you on a surface like this," She shrugged, sliding her foot across the floor beside me as she remained stationary, showing me how easily it coasted across the polished stage.
"I take it barefoot isn't an option," I added sarcastically, stretching my limbs to shake off the bruised feeling running through my body from the abrupt contact with the hard ground.
"Probably not," She teased.
"We should work on that."
She laughed at my persistence then persisted to show me how she walked across the stage.
"The trick is to dance as you move, patrons don't mind waiting for you to get to them, as long as they get a show on the way," She informed me, sauntering to the end of the stage slowly through using rhythmic sways of her hips and body. "Keep it slow and sexy if you're unstable, then it doesn't show, as you build confidence you can mix it up a little more freely, but for now, safety first."
I took a tentative step forward, mimicking some of her simpler moves, and gradually I made it closer to where she stood without faceplanting into the stage.
"Awesome," She cheered as I stopped beside her, "There's also another way to do it, especially when starting out, or if you've had a couple too many."
She caught sight of my amused face and shrugged.
"We all do it sometime," She waved an arm and continued, strutting back to the pole with the ease and grace that only someone with her experience could manage. "You use the pole as a prop, use the pole to help you up and down, but don't show that's what you're doing. Here," She explained, lowering herself to the floor and maintaining eye contact. "You don't want to do this."
She sat down then reached for the pole and simply tugged herself up.
"Right," I nodded, noting how unprofessional it looked.
"It's clumsy and frankly, you look like you fell over on the street and happened to grab a nearby lamppost."
Getting back onto the floor, she took up the same position as before.
"This is something to keep in mind for any time you find yourself on the floor, whether by choice or by falling, which happens to us all, I promise," She began, "If you're down here, use it to benefit yourself. You're on their level now, so use eye contact, flirt and use your body language."
She began a simple, yet effective, routine on the stage floor, keeping eye contact with me as she sensually moved, showing off her incredible figure.
"Then we incorporate the pole," She added, spinning in place and reaching out for the pole, "A quick glance over your shoulder, a smouldering look, it can all work for you," She pressed on, acting out what she told me, "Then you can bring yourself up, work the pole though, it has to be a dance, not an aide."
"Got it," I said firmly, taking it all on board.
"Good," She retorted with a flourish, "You're up."
For the next half an hour, she had me working on getting from one end of the stage to the other, lowering to the floor and making it back to the pole where I had to get back up again, all the while creating a sultry and seductive performance for the imaginary audience. It was harder than I'd have initially thought from watching the girls on stage. Natural instinct automatically interferes, preferring the simpler option rather than the right one for the job, making it all the more tricky to master. Thankfully, having taken some dance classes when I first pursued my acting career, I wasn't totally clueless when it came to knowing how to move my body. Not that it was a patch on what I was having to do here, still, it was a platform to throw myself from, and with the help of Crystal, I was picking things up pretty quick.
"Now, the pole work, we'll be going to a pole class two to three times a week, this will get you used to using it and teach you the more advanced stuff. For now, I can show you some basic moves that can start you off." Crystal explained.
The clock ticked on and on, and as the hours passed, I gradually managed to compile a strong collection of moves into a short performance.
I ran it through over and over again occasionally taking additional notes and being instructed by Crystal. By the time that our practice session was done for the day, and we retreated back to the staff room to change, I was exhausted but excited to keep learning in preparation for getting up on that stage.
"Have you chosen what name to use?" Crystal asked helping herself to another bottle of water.
"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling my boots on and accepting the one she held out to me.
"Well, some girls prefer to use their actual name, and others a stage name, it's entirely up to you."
"Is that why you go by Crystal?" I asked with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes and swallowed a gulp of water.
"It's always been my nickname, missy," She pouted, shoving me playfully, "But yeah, I thought it was somewhat less, stripper-y than my real name."
"I think it's pretty," I assured her, "Even if it does sound like the brand of a chandelier," I teased.
She almost choked as she laughed, making me duck away from her to avoid the water which promptly flew from her mouth.
"I've never thought of it like that," She said, finally recapturing her breath, "I can see what you mean... Cristobel Chandeliers does have a ring to it." She looked at me and shrugged as she then asked: "So what do you think?"
"I dunno, everyone knows me as Selena anyway, I don't have anything that makes sense to switch it to now."
"Maybe Lena?" She suggested.
"No," I bit back a little too quickly, catching her by surprise. "Sorry," I added, "It's just... that's the name my boyfriend calls me. I'd rather not hear it from a stranger whilst I sit in his lap."
She patted me on the back, nodding in understanding.
"I get it. And I know how hard it is to keep stuff like this from someone you love. But it'll work out, and until then, you're not doing anything wrong, it's not like you're cheating. Just dancing."
I could hear the logic in her assurance, but it wasn't like it soothed away the guilt. No matter how innocent my intentions may have been, the actions themselves were far less ideal. If Ross had known that I was doing this, then I was sure he'd be hurt, and going ahead with it meant that I'd accepted somewhere inside myself that his dislike for me partaking in something like this, didn't matter to me.