The Don's Unexpected Princess.

" Marina , you' re up . " Owen said to one of the thirteen ladies present . “ Come , come . Look alive , ladies . ” He said trying to sound all preppy and get us as excited as he was for tonights audience . Owen always had been a ball of sunshine and vibrant energy since the day I became acquainted with him . The Bralettes — often referred to as Brazies — was the number one establishment in the small town of Limestead . Men frequented here often for the bar but always stayed for the ladies and these were not just any odd men that chose this place as their entertainment but the more higher end , wealthy business tycoons and the bigger city' s elite . Marina gave herself one last look in the bulb framed mirror and put her dancing face on . Each of us offered a different experience on the low centre stage and , if the men liked what they saw , they could always request a private meeting afterwards . Although I was an exception to that option , it was still highly entertaining to hear tid bits from the girls the next day . Marina was a professional in ballet dancing. How is that enticing , you may ask . Well , it' s ballet dancing with nothing else on her person aside from her red ballet shoes . Leah over here , with her short hair and slender body , was a master on the pole . She could pull stunts and swing around and maintain the most erotic of poses , it was really something to behold . It would explain why Leah was always the one requested then followed by her was Marina who come in a close second . The rest of the girls held pretty much the same allure but they were not nearly as striking as Leah or Marina . I stared at myself in the mirror and touched up my Kohl lined eyes to enhance my green eyes . It was a remarkable difference with the lining around my lid and lower lash line . It gave my eyes a depth to it that made the gaze come across as seductively dark . Leah stepped out a minute after Marina came back to the sizable dressing room . Her familiar , and much expected, shrill of victory echoed through the room . That meant that she had secured the biggest catch on that room . She would extract as much money from his as possible come tonight . I held no judgement for them . All of us were here for a purpose . Marina was here because she needed money to care for her two children . Leah joined almost six months before me and because she had nowhere else to go . Abbey — who wasn't really good at any specific dance but merely put on a killer show for the men out there — was here because her parents had disowned her when they discovered that she endulged in such things . I know a few of the other girls were here because they looked at it as their professional job and source of income . I was here in hiding and this was the safest place for me . I have been here for nearly six years now and had never once been close to or come close to being found out . After all , who would look for a princess in a place like this ? Peering down to my right arm , I made certain that my birth mark was covered up seamlessly and just in time too . “ Rose , — " Owen called out as Leah sauntered back in with a satisfied grin on her face as she clutched the sheet around her figure . ” you are up next . " I gave myself one last look before making my way to the centre stage out through the frilly red drapings that hid the shiny runaway like floor away from the audience . I specialised in the art of belly dancing . A dear old friend taught it to me a few years ago but in secret , of course. What sort of princess practiced such things. It would have caused a lot of chatter , not to mention , my father would disapprove entirely . It was pretty simple . Sway the hips to entire the male eye , control the stomach , balance from one foot to the other but all in calculated synchronisation . The body moved to the music . My hips catching every beat as I swayed all over the stage . As usual , there were roaring whistles as I caught the eyes of each and every man in that room . Their eyes feasted on whatever the costume revealed and they all lifted their hands to Owen and I knew , all to well , what that meant . Smirking to myself , I turned and moved my hips whilst balancing between my right and left foot , giving the audience a back view for a brief moment before it was time for a little chest action . I knew the beat was close to the end and soon enough , it was . I took my bow before walking away, intentionally swaying my hips . I let out a breath when I got back into the dressing room , wiping a few beads of sweat that had formed above my brow . Owen motioned at Abbey to get out there next and while she checked herself one last time, Owen looked at me with wonder in his eye . It was a look I got after each performance . “ You would be a mighty wealthy women if you allowed these men a private show . I had to tell all of them that you do not offer that service . ” He said highly amused at that . I let out a small laugh and shook my head . “ We both know that wealth is not what I was ever after . ” I winked at him and he followed Abbey back out there . Owen was family of a friend of mine from around here . Maggie and I attended the same finishing school a few long years ago . She made my arrangement with Owen to keep me here to help , initially , but I wanted to dance freely but with conditions , obviously . I could not have people be that close to me in a space that required me to be completely in the nude . It was far too risky and the last thing I needed was being found out . So , this arrangement worked out perfectly for me and Owen was never forceful with any of us . He was more a friend to some and an older brother to others . If any one of us felt even the slightest bit uneasy due to some of the men , they were instantly asked to leave without a second thought . I guess that's why the ladies were so happy here because , above all else , it was safe . An hour later , show time was over and , whoever had customers , were caught up with their company for the evening in the back rooms , while the rest of us were left to do as we pleased . For me , I would either go to my room at the far end of the hall — away from the other activities so to not be disturbed — or I would share a drink with Owen while he locked up and tallied the books for tonight . I placed some make up remover onto a cotton pad and started to wipe away the Kohl from my eyes . It took several wipes before it was all out and my eyes did not look like panda eyes anymore . I grabbed my floral , light weight robe from the hanger and threw it over my costume before getting out and into the , now empty , seatings where Owen was . As I got closer , I saw he had a drink at his side . Owen was in his mid - thirties . He had the most lushious chestnut brown hair I had ever seen on a man . He was much taller than I and his frame was quite slender which he often joked about hitting the gym to fix. He looked up when he heard the chair across from him move before turning his attentions back to his books . I grabbed his bottle and raised it to my lips, taking a straight swig and felt the liquid pleasantly burn the back of my throat . “ I hope you realise how exotic you look. It drives the men mad that they can see you but can't have you . ” Owen said , still looking at his books as he spoke . “I quite like it , Rose . I think that is why they keep coming back in the hopes that you would , one day , be available . ” I heard the light humour in his voice and couldn' t help but smirk a little . I nodded in agreement but my smile had faded away . “ I quite like it too and I intend to keep it that way . ” Owen nodded and then let out a scoff. He reached for the bottle and I handed it to him as I raised a quizzical brow in his direction . “ Care to explain that little sound you just made ? ” Owen let out a laugh at this point . “ You know that I care for all you girls equally but , and I mean this in the most polite way possible , if you became available Marina and Leah and the rest will barely stand a chance . ” I gave him a serious stare but he didn't seem to care . “ Oh , lighten up . You know that I' m right . ” He said, picking up his pen and jotting down his numbers . “ Yeah , you' re right but hush . ” He handed the bottle back to me and I finished what was left of it . “ Oh , I noticed something a little suspicious tonight . ” Owen said with a frown . He set his fountain pen down and looked at me , his brown eyes seemingly serious which was really a weird look on him since he was always laid back and jolly . I straightened myself onto the chair , paying full attention to him . “ What is it that you noticed ? ” I asked , feeling a slightly knot form in the pit of my stomach . Owen took in a head breath with that serious frown still marring his forehead . “ There were two men here tonight all dressed in black . They had this ora of mystery and danger about them . I'm quite certain that I have not seen these two in the premises before tonight . They were particularly interested in you . ” He said but his voice was clipped as if he , too , was trying to make sense of something . “ Maybe he was just interested in the after service . ” I suggested as reason but Owen immediately shook his head . He moved his head from side to side and rubbed at his neck to ease his tiredness . “ I thought so too but both the men seemed to be colleagues or partners maybe . They had a serious look to them . They did not come here seeking pleasure but something . . else . ” There was an edge to Owen' s voice that was only present if he was genuinely irked by something . I swallowed nervously , convincing myself that there was nothing to be concerned about . “ I did not notice any mysterious looking men lurking about when I was up there . Aside from the usual men that frequented , my eyes caught sight of no unfamiliar addition to the crowd tonight . ” He tilted his head to me as he pursed his lips before speaking . “ Exactly . Those two were not sitting with the rest of the audience but at the far end of the room where the lights only lends a faint brightness to near the bar . I don' t know , maybe I'm off , but they just spelt danger to me . ” He sighed then placed the shiny black cap over his fountain pen and tucked it in his breast pocket . “ I guess I would have to keep a look out for those two again tomorrow night . I mean , they could have just been innocent passerbys and I really could be mistaking their unfamiliarity to that of danger . ” He said with a shrug in a faint attempt to hush the topic down . I , on the other hand , felt the first wave of panic start to rise ever so subtly . Although it was unlikely that this had something to do with me , there was still a possibility that it was . It wouldn 't be wise to brush it aside and I made a mental note to be on high alert for the next few days or , at least , until Owen tells me that he hasn't seen them again . Owen left shortly after and I went to my room to take a shower and get into bed . To say that I was exhausted would be an understatement . It took a great effort to get prepared for these shows and once we were done, nearly all of us were tired . It was beyond me as to how Marina and Leah got the energy to carry out the after actions .