Frozen

Chapter 2)

I parked a block away from the big imposing building that gave no indication it was just a warehouse other than the simple white lettering that said Insanity on the front. As I was waking towards it my mind was racing with a million different things.

I was probably underdressed for a popular nightclub. just wearing simple jeans and a knitted jumper with black heeled ankle boots.

I forgot to tell the babysitter that Bentley would try to haggle with her for more oreos.

My boss is a freaking hottie and I would never get any work done and would be firing my ass.

All these thoughts flew from my head when I approached the side of the building. This was because there was a line winding it's way around to the front. A line. What nightclub has a line at 5:15? I paused and answers my own question.

A nightclub where you needed to show up that early to even get in. I chewed on my lip and continued to the front, slower now.

When I got to the front of the line, the bouncer glanced at me dismissively then paused and did a double take. a slow smile slid across his face and he raised an eyebrow.

"You Brianna?" he asked, ignoring the girls adjusting their cleavage in front of him.

"Um yes," I said, shifting on my feet

"I can see that" the man murmured, giving me another once over. I wasn't sure what that meant so I decided to ignore it.

He noted this and continued

"I'm Reggie, you call me Reg. Go on in, Barn'll be waitin for you in his office," he said, pulling back the rope and letting me through.

I gave him a small smile.

"Thanks, Reg." I muttered, walking closer and closer to the throbbing beat.

As soon as I reached the opening, my eyes widened. the whole club was lit blue,green,purple, or some combination and the air was filled with a mix of mint and sex. One wall contained shelves upon shelves of expensive booze, a back granite bar stretching a few feet in front if it. Other than that the whole area was a dance floor and even this early, it was packed. On the wall opposite of the bar, there was a modern looking staircase which stopped halfway up the wall and branched out into ten different stairwells, each leading to a VIP area. The VIP areas were essentially smallish areas surrounded by a glass railing with a table and a dance area, except these areas were protruding from the otherwise empty walls at different heights and locations, which mean that the stairwells leading to them were crisscross info across the room at baryon heights and angles.

It was cool, it was different, it was absolute Insanity.

I took about ten seconds to take all this in, before scanning the walls surrounding the bottom floor for some sort of door. I saw one on the wall with the original stairwell and made my way around the dance floor to it. Once I got closer, I saw Management in shiny silver letters written on it.

I had only knocked twice when it open. Barney's face was carefully blank as he stepped aside to let me in to his office. As soon as the for shut, the noises from the club ceased to exist.

Soundproofed.

Oh, goodness, but my mind just ran with that.

I ignored the stirring in my lower belly and took a seat in a plush and arm chair across the bathing chair Barney had been standing next to. As soon as my butt hit the seat, Barney sat down. How... gentlemanly.

"So, you're a stripper," he started with absolutely zero promoting. I blinked and one eyebrow raised slightly.

"No. I was briefly considering becoming a stripper," I corrected. His eyes narrowed.

"If you've never stripped before then why were you considering it?"

My jaw clenched and I ground my teeth together.

"Isn't that my business?" I asked. He smiled a cold smile that had absolutely no pleasure or humor behind it and tilted his head.

"If you're gonna be working for me then I need to know why you needed money that desperately. if you're hooked in drugs or something, then-"

"How old are you?" I blurted out. His eyebrows drew together for a fraction of a second before his expression smoothed out again.

"Twenty-three, what about you?" He countered

"Nineteen. How do you own a nightclub at twenty-three?"

He grinned, except this time it was genuine.

"Long story, baby, and not one that I like to tell. So, let's get down to business," he drummed his hands on his knees a few times before getting up and walking over to the big imposing desk. Or, at least it was a desk based on the four legs I saw sticking out from under the door foot of papers scattered messily. He opened a drawer, sending a few papers to the floor which he ignored, and pulled out some folded shoes and a pair of shoes.

"This is your uniform," he said, tossing it to me, "you'll have section 8,9 and 10. Basically, you take orders with a smile, get the orders from the bar, deliver the orders with a smile, go to the next section, repeat steps a,b,c, and d."

"Easy enough," I mumbled

"Yeah," he agreed. "Don't screw it up."

I chuckled and unfolded the dress taking in the dark blue fitted dress, and black pumps.

"Are you gay?" I asked with more than a little hope. That would easily stomp out this little crush.

"No definitely not," he said, giving me a glance that could be interpreted as nothing other than heated, as if he was proving his point.

"Okay, then who picked this out and please tell me she got her very own small island," I said, holding up the shoes and the dress.

He grinned and sat down in front of me again.

"My best friend's girl, Hazel. The uniforms used to be whatever the girls wanted it to be we long as it fit the dress code, but you couldn't tell the waitresses from the patrons, so I wanted them to all match. Roped her in when they got engaged," he said with a fond smirk on his face.

"Engaged? Wow, are they your age?" I asked noisily.

"No, actually he's yours."

My eyes bugged out.

"Nineteen and engaged?" I practically breathed.

"Hey, when you know, you know, and they sure as he'll know." Barney said, chuckling. I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to imagine myself engaged so young and coming up blank.

"Your shift starts in ten, get changed then come and see me. it should fit, but I just want to make sure." he said, getting up and walking around to sit at his desk.

"Okay, where can I get changed?" I asked almost shyly. Without taking his eyes off of a apparently vital pierce of paper on his desk, he pointed at a door in his office.

"That'll lead to a hallway which will lead to a locker room." he said

I nodded and silently pushed open the doorway to the locker room.