Dancers and Killers (Closed)

[ladyoffiction]

"The men can get a little grabby at times, but generally they keep their hands to themselves. We dance for high class men, not those gross fatties that smell like sweat and barf. These guys come in here with suits and cigars. People say that our boss is some sort of crime lord, but that's just bullshit. He comes in every couple of weeks, gets a dance from one of the girls. Amber is his favorite. She's the tall blonde with the angel wings tattooed on her back. I don't know if he likes tall girls or blondes. You're pretty tall; maybe you'll dance for him."

As the short pink haired woman chattered on, Bella Turner took the time to look over the club. It was clean and fancy with big leather chairs, a nice burgundy carpet (with no stains), and beautiful women dressed in quality outfits. It was definitely the best strip joint she walked into. She was lucky to have gotten the job. Well, not exactly lucky. She had trained in ballet all of her life; she was talented, flexible in more ways than one, and had a great body. They were lucky to have her. Stripping wasn't Bella's ideal job, but the pay was good and the tips were better. She would be able to give her sister's a good Christmas this year after all.

At the age of 25, Bella was the legal guardian of three teenage girls. It was tough. Bella felt she had aged ten years in only several months. She had so much responsibility now. She had to take care of her sisters. They had all been in the adoption system before. Bella wouldn't let them go through that again. So, to support her foster sisters she had to drop out of her ballet school and get a real job. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of well paying jobs for dancers. Unless they're exotic dancers. That is how Bella found herself in one of the classiest strip joints in town.

The pink haired woman was Helen, aka Bubblegum, a 30-something year old with the body of an 18 year old girl. She was a chatty woman with slightly shaky hands and twitchy eyes. She looked over her shoulder every ten minutes or so, as if she were being watched. It was strange, but Bella had seen stranger behavior. It was a couple of hours before opening and Bubblegum had been assigned by the manager to show Bella around. The tour ended quickly considering how fast Bubblegum talked.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Bubblegum asked as they ended the tour in the dressing room. The older woman didn't hesitate to undress in front of Bella to change into her all pink costume.

Bella shrugged. "Well, I'm not dancing on stage, so I didn't think I needed one."

"Even when you're on the floor serving drinks you still need a name. You might get asked for a quick dance or something. No, you have to have a name."

Bella sighed. "Well, I don't know. I've always just been Bella."

Bubblegum stopped in the middle of her change and went to the wardrobe, looking through the costumes. There were a number of them, ranging from elven princess to naughty nurse. Bubblegum gasped and pulled out an outfit, holding it up. "Xena, Warrior Princess!"

***

Bella worked the floor, serving drinks and flirting with the patrons. Well, doing her best to flirt. She was a solitary person, always sitting in the background and watching people. She hardly ever interacted with people unless they were alone as well. It was strange and she was a bit awkward at first, but the men were drinking . They didn't care what she said, as long as she looked good. Surprisingly, a lot of people liked her Xena costume. With dark hair and angular features, she did sort of look the part.

The men in the club were obviously of a higher class. And most of the tables she served were holding some sort of business meeting. She overheard bits and pieces of conversations and despite her best efforts, she filed away the information. Bubblegum had said to forget about anything she heard while serving; a lot of dancers had gotten in trouble by trying to give information to the police. The dancers were supposed to act dumb and collect the money. But Bella was an observant young woman, and possibly too smart for her own good. The snippets of information she heard were starting to form into a picture in her head.

 

[ladyoffiction]

Bella was just going on her ten minute break when the manager stormed into the dressing room. "You! New girl!" He rushed over to her, his face red. He wrung his hands anxiously. "The boss is here. Amber has to get home to her kid, so he's requested you." Bella blinked at the news. She was going to dance for the boss? Well, that was fortunate she supposed. The other girls in the dressing room seemed to disagree.

"What?! That's not fair!"

"It's her first day! Why does she get to dance for the boss?"

"This is bullshit! I've been here for a year."

The girls were all in the process of dressing or undressing, so a lot of bare breasts and waxed pussies stared Bella in the face. She didn't say a word; it wasn't her choice.

"The boss requested her specifically," the manager said, clearly nervous to be around angry dancers. "I don't have a choice in the matter. He just has a thing for Xena." He turned his attention to Bella. "Follow me." Bella sighed, disappointed that she couldn't rest for a moment, but followed the manager obediently. On the walk up to the office, the manager spoke quickly and quietly. "Don't look him in the eye. Don't say anything. Do as he asks and do it quickly. I know you haven't danced before here, so let's hope your ballet background will come in handy. If he tells you to leave, leave quickly. And for god sakes don't listen to any conversations he might be having."

They stopped in front of the door and the manager took a deep breath. He was extremely nervous, as if he was the one who had to dance for the boss. "There's a sound system in the back corner. Find some music and dance your ass off." He opened the door and pushed her in.

And that is how Bella found herself standing in front of Anthony Moretti wearing a skimpy Xena costume. She wasn't easily intimidated, but this man oozed power and danger. She immediately didn't like him. Remembering what the manager said, she dropped her gaze and went to the sound system, turning on music before stepping front of the boss and starting to sway to the music. Her ballet background definitely didn't prepare her for this. She wasn't exactly sure how to dance sexy. She decided to just move her body to the music and use her flexibility to her advantage. She lifted her leg and stretched it straight above her head before dropping it slowly and continuing her hip swaying.

Bella:
http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/203599_162172567134757_4853442_n.jpg
http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2011/06/Eliza-Dushku-Torchwood-White-Collar.jpg
http://watikalemon.com/watikalemon/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/jwarren-Eliza_Dushku2.jpg

 

[ladyoffiction]

Bella almost jumped when the phone rang, but then mentally slapped herself for being jumpy. It was his office, after all. Of course he would be receiving phone calls. She quickly turned down the music and kept dancing as instructed. She didn't see the point since he just turned his back on her, but she let her hips sway to get the feel of the music. She recalled some of the things the dancers on stage did and decided to practice a bit. She didn't have a mirror but she had learned to visualize how she looked. She didn't look very good. She just wasn't the type to dance dirty. She figured the best thing for her to do was add a little grace to each move. Sure, it wasn't exactly sexy, but she hoped it would work.

She stopped dancing when she overheard him threatening a man's wife and daughter. It was the daughter part that got to her. She immediately thought of her youngest foster sister, Kelly, who had been raped by her own father. She was so traumatized that she was now a mute. Bella always swore that if she ever encountered the bastard, she would kill him. And as Antonio almost promised to fuck a little girl, she felt that rage building up inside her.

As he turned back around to face her, she met his gaze. Her dark eyes were fierce and threatening, though her body was relaxed and calm. She had her own dark past, her own skeletons in her closet. But for a little girl, she wasn't afraid to add a few more. She didn't even glance at the money, she just held his gaze. "You sick bastard," she said, her voice thick with disgust. "If I had no morals like you, I would have killed you by now. Johnny paid his debt to a bald man with a big red nose. That's the man you should be threatening. Not a fucking little girl!"

 

[ladyoffiction]

It wasn't until he started yelling that Bella realized what she had just done. Antonio was a dangerous man and she had just threatened his life. She admitted to listening to a customer's conversation and she butted her nose in where it didn't belong. She was in trouble. Despite the fact that she was scared for her life she held her ground, her jaw and fists clenched. Thinking back, she wouldn't have done anything differently. She just couldn't stand by while a man threatened a little girl. When he stood, she took a few involuntary steps back. He was a lot bigger on his feet. She was tall, so he only stood and inch or two taller than her, but he was a bulking man. Even through his suit she could tell that he wasn't just flab. He was anything but.

Bella was forced into the door, her arm screaming in pain. She kept still, knowing that any struggle would just make the pain worse. Still, she grit her teeth, whining slightly in pain. She snorted in disgust when he licked her neck, shaking her head to get him away. That's when he made his first mistake. He threatened her. Bella wasn't some lost, sick little puppy who would crawl back to him apologizing. She would make his life a living hell if she could, just to prove that she could. And then he made his second mistake.

He let Bella go.

She cradled her sore arm to her body, crawling away from him. She reached one of the chairs that sat at his desk for the lowly scum he ordered around and used it to pull herself up. The legs were made of steel, but the chair was light. Acting fast, she picked up the chair and crashed it down on Antonio's shoulder. Letting go, she swung her long leg and hit him right in the balls. With a final elbow to the back, she raced to the door. "Consider this my 2-week notice," she said as she slipped out. She raced to the staircase and practically flew down them. She had to get out before he called his thugs to grab her. She reached the main part of the club and quickly slipped through the crowd, keeping her head down. Her bag was in the back. All she had to do was grab it and slip out of the backdoor.