Behind The Scene

CHAPTER 17

When I made it back to the staff room, the girls were brimming with pride and excitement, all rushing to congratulate me on a job well done. I couldn't hide my delight at having pulled it off, and I accepted their celebratory drinks eagerly. The adrenaline that had taken hold on stage was still coursing through my body, making me want to head back out there and keep going for as long as I was able to stand. I felt better after that one performance than I had since stepping foot in LA. To be the centre of everyone's attention out there was a heady experience, one that I couldn't wait to have again. I hadn't even glanced at the money, it felt like it wasn't even important right now, despite that being the biggest reason for doing this in the first place.
"Great job, Selena," Charlie called from the door, cutting through the laughter and cheers of the girls and myself.
I whirled around, a flush of heat creeping up my neck as I met his gaze.
"Thank you," I replied, my voice coming out a little weaker than intended as I struggled to shake the intensity of how I'd danced for him out on the stage toward the end of my performance.
As if he knew where my mind was going, his lips arched upward in a small smile, before he slipped away, leaving me confused by the way that my muscles had tensed, and my body ached with an uncomfortably strong need for contact.
Over the following couple of weeks, I continued to train, and after my successful first time, I'd begun performing more frequently, even taking on private dances too. The more that I did, the more that the money got better, but so did the incredible and euphoric feeling of being on stage and being appreciated. Whenever I had a day off, I found myself counting down the time before I could get back up there.
I'd continued auditions, but had no success since the advertising campaign. With all the disappointment that was coming from the job that I'd wanted all my life, I was relieved to have something that was able to boost my mood and be enjoyable to indulge in. I threw myself into my work, taking extra pole classes in order to progress quicker and make more of a splash at the club.
Ross still hadn't joined me, and now there were even longer periods of time going by between our calls. He was working all hours, and training for the move during his time off, leaving little time to chat. Unfortunately, given the sexual nature of my new job, I was finding the lack of contact with him now, harder than ever. Each night on stage, before dozens of men and women all looking at me with lust and hunger, left me craving some attention and affection, and with no satisfactory outlet, my body was in a heightened state of arousal almost twenty-four-seven.
"Are you sure you can't sneak off?" I asked flirtatiously.
"I wish I could, baby, you have no idea what you're doing to me right now," Ross replied with a moan as I finished telling him just how much I needed his help to soothe my body's many aches.
"I think I do," I chuckled.
There was a loud bell on the other end, signalling another call for the crew and I sighed, as once again he had to abandon the call to rush off.
"And alone again," I groaned, throwing my phone down on my bed and wandering off to the bathroom for yet another cold shower before work.
That night, I wasn't sure if it was the sexual frustration, or the desire to escape my own head for a while, but I threw myself into some of the most elaborate moves that I'd tried so far. The pole had become a huge part of my routines, and with my latest class, I'd nailed another, more extravagant upside-down spin, which I threw in at the last minute, much to the appreciation of the gathered patrons surrounding the stage.
When I finally came off stage, I was in desperate need of a cool down, my skin practically humming from the lingering touches of various men who'd been tucking their notes into the edges of my underwear.
"Interested in a private show?" A man's voice called out behind me as I took a bottle from the mini-fridge in the staff room.
"You shouldn't be back here, Sir," I said firmly, straightening up.
"Maybe not, but you're here, and I couldn't exactly request your services when I couldn't find you," He said with a shrug.
He looked harmless enough, a thirty-something blonde, in a silver suit, clearly a fair few drinks down, and not looking to stop any time soon.
"Then head back out and wait for me to come back into the club," I laughed, stating the obvious and shooing him away.
He pouted and produced a large wad of cash from his inner pocket.
"Can you make that now?" He smiled broadly.
The money was a tempting offer, but it was never wise to appear too eager. I shook my head and waved him off again, watching as he promised he'd be waiting and finally left the room.
When I returned to the club floor after a few minutes, I was instantly stopped by the man again. His persistence was rather amusing, especially when he almost tripped over as we began to head upstairs. With the amount of alcohol he'd had, it would be a miracle if he managed to remain conscious for the entire dance.
The small private room was set up ready, and after the man took a seat, and the music began, I started to put on a show for him. We were allowed to perform however we wanted in here, set our own limits and boundaries, as long as we never crossed the line. It was more freedom than on stage, and I was fully taking advantage of it tonight. Dancing provocatively for him was making me hot, and when I climbed into his lap and felt his body stiffen beneath me, I was driven to an even higher level of arousal, one which had me stripping off my top as I rolled my hips and pressed my breasts against him. The dance was almost over when he overstepped, moving a wandering hand between us, where he attempted to pull my panties aside.
"Nuh-uh," I scolded him playfully, keeping the professional level of flirtation at the forefront of my mind whilst I refrained from slapping his hand away.
"Oh come on," He whined, "I can tell you want it as much as me."
I tugged his hand away and continued the dance, this time being a little firmer as I replied:
"That's not on offer, this is a dance."
His other hand promptly made to pick up from where the other left off, but before he had enough time to pull it off, I slid from his lap, standing up and putting a distance between us.
"Okay, we're done."
He rolled his eyes and clumsily got to his feet.
"You're such a tease," He said in a childish manner, refusing to move another step.
Choosing not to engage, I summoned security from the door and stepped aside as they escorted him back downstairs.
I'd only been back downstairs for a few minutes, when Drake approached me, asking me to meet Charlie in his office right away. Following his instruction, I went straight there, where Charlie called me in as soon as I knocked upon the door.
"Are you okay?" He asked with concern, "I heard you had to have a man shown out."
"I'm fine," I assured him, "He was just a little too drunk, tried to take things a bit too far."
His eyes blazed, frown lines creasing his forehead.
"What did he do?" He snarled.
Without thinking, I crossed the room and stopped in front of him, my hands gripping his forearms.
"It's fine, he didn't do anything. I handled it," I said firmly, rolling my eyes as I finished with a mutter: "It was probably my fault anyway."
"What do you mean, 'your fault'?" He asked.
"It's nothing," I shrugged, releasing my grip on his arms and turning away.
"Oh no you don't," He replied lightly, stopping me in my tracks and then perching on the edge of his desk as he looked at me pointedly.
I bit the inside of my cheek as I wondered how best to explain to him why I was blaming myself mostly for the incident. It wasn't like it was a comfortable topic of conversation to have with my boss, and yet... looking at Charlie, I didn't see my boss.
"I've been having these feelings a lot lately," I began, "Especially since starting dancing."
He crossed his arms over his chest, squinting at me in mild confusion.
"What feelings?"
"It's a fairly sexual job, and given my home situation, I mean..."
I rather hoped he'd draw the conclusion himself, but when he didn't, I sighed, burying my face in my hands, and bursting out:
"I'm fucking horny all the time."
My words seemed to echo around the room on repeat, and I felt like I might die of embarrassment for a moment. But when Charlie's laugh broke the silence, I felt as if a weight was lifted from my chest, and I couldn't stop myself from joining in.
"I'm sorry," Charlie spluttered as we struggled to curb our laughter.
"No, I am," I said, expelling an exasperated sigh. "I nearly caused another issue here, just because I couldn't handle my feelings."
He tipped his head in my direction, shaking it slowly.
"That's nonsense, you didn't nearly cause anything, you just did your job. He took it too far, not you."
I appreciated the understanding and kindness that he was showing me, but there was still a piece of me that knew I wasn't in enough control back there. I needed to be sharp in this line of work, keep a handle on how things were going and where they were headed at all times.
"I just got carried away, I guess," I muttered, "I've been alone for months, and it's been taking its toll the entire time, but now... it just feels so much harder."
"I can imagine," Charlie nodded.
"When I'm up on that stage, or in the private rooms, I feel wanted, and appreciated and it just... It makes me feel good," I explained, "Then I go back home, and I'm alone, and I crave that feeling all over again."
He got to his feet and reached for me, his brow furrowing as he tipped my chin up to look at him.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to feel that way," He said clearly, "You're a beautiful and talented woman," His thumb brushed against my jaw as his ocean blue eyes locked with my own, his voice softening as I leant into his touch, "You deserve to be appreciated. You deserve to be worshipped, and have every one of your needs taken care of."
I wasn't sure which of us moved first, as everything became a blur, all that I could register was how Charlie's lips were locked with mine in a bruising kiss as he backed me up until my body slammed against the wall, his hands gripping my body whilst his tongue invaded my mouth, brushing against my own with such raw passion that had me moaning and jumping into his arms. He swept us around as he lowered me onto the desk, sending the contents flying in every direction.
Our lips parted only long enough to tear at each other's clothes in desperation, our ragged breathing coming out in harsh parts between our urgent kisses. The buttons of his shirt scattered as I ripped it from his torso, revealing his toned and muscular chest, which I clutched tightly as he pressed it against me, making quick work of shedding my, now dampened, panties. My clit throbbed with arousal, desperate for some kind of friction to ease the agonising ache which I'd been suffering for too long. I moaned as he broke away to graze my jaw with his teeth as he palmed my breasts, rolling my hardened nipples between his fingers and kissing and nipping at the tender flesh of my neck. Blissful sparks of electricity soured through my veins as he worked my body like a professional, I'd been starved of this intimate affection and sexual pleasure for too long, I needed it more than I realised. I tilted my hips up toward him, feeling his hardened length pressed against me, through his pants. He growled against the crook of my neck as I reached for his belt and worked him free of the confines of what remained of his tailored suit. Not being outdone, he pushed me back down, his heated kisses now moving further south, before he closed his mouth over one breast, sucking hard and causing me to cry out in ecstasy, bucking from the table, whilst his other hand ran up my thigh nearing my core with rapid speed. My entire body was so tightly wound that I felt like I was on the verge of shattering into a million pieces, all the while his fingers rose higher until they slipped between my thighs, finding my slickened core and stroking my sensitive nub, Just one brush had me quivering against him, the pleasure so intense that I almost came instantly. He reclaimed my mouth, swallowing the following groan that came from deep within my throat as I gripped him tightly, his expert fingers moving faster and faster, whilst my nails bit into his flesh earning a guttural growl in response.
"Fuck, Selena," He panted, his cock twitching against me, "You have no idea what you do to me."
With the force of a train, my earlier phone conversation burst into my mind.
What the fuck am I doing?
"No... stop," I gasped, breathless as my mind fought to overpower the pleasure that was still enslaving my body.
His grip on me slackened as he pulled back, his confusion evident from the bemused look on his face. Seizing my moment, I pushed on through, getting to my feet and attempting to redress as quickly as I could.
"Oh my god," I kept repeating as I pulled on my clothes.
"Selena, it's okay," Charlie said soothingly, coming up behind me and putting his hand on my shoulder.
I shrugged it off, rounding on him.
"How is this okay? I have a boyfriend," I half sobbed, devastated by my betrayal.
"One you haven't seen in-"
"That doesn't matter," I shouted, feeling even worse when he looked down at the floor, nodding his head sadly. "I have to go."
Without waiting for a reply, I dove through the door, rushing to get out of the building as quickly as possible.
When I finally made it to the safety of my apartment, I broke down to the floor in tears. How could I have done this to Ross? After everything we'd been through, and all he was doing to be here with me, I repaid that by cheating on him. I felt sick, I couldn't believe what I'd done, and what was worse, was how much I enjoyed it. Charlie had made me feel amazing, and my body was still coming down from the highs of how he'd touched me. As if I could banish the thoughts from my head, I buried it in my arms, leaning forward over my knees whilst I rocked in place, wondering what to do and how I could make up for the huge mistake I'd made tonight.
A knock on the door made me jolt up, before recoiling a little as I stared at the handle. There was only one person that I could think of who'd be here now... and after what we'd just done, I didn't trust myself to be alone with him again. When I didn't answer, the knocking continued.
I suppose the sooner this is handled, the better. I thought, getting up and fearing the coming conversation where I was likely going to be fired. I checked my reflection in the mirror, rubbing away the stray tears in order to appear as composed as possible, before crossing to the door and opening it.
"Hey, beautiful."
I almost fell to the ground in shock as I struggled to find my voice, taking in the very real face before me.
"Ross?"