Love Cruise

Beneath the surface

Two

Anabel

I sat in the room, cleaning my makeup as I stared into the long mirror I was sharing with three other ladies who were doing the same. I didn't dare take my makeup home like that, looking the way I was.

That would be unless I wanted my grandmother to die early of an heart attack and I didn't want that. She was the only one I had left on this earth as family as I had lost both of my parents when I was five. She had been the only one left for me and I couldn't break her heart that way.

I had already removed my sultry white dress. I always wore white for my strip dance as it meant purity and I'd realized that it turned the men on watching me dance as provocatively as that in what was meant to be pure.

I could have worn red to be a temptress or black and be a bad vixen but I didn't want that as I felt those colors were too common. I wanted something different, a trademark that I would be known for and was glad when the management agreed to sew my own dress with a white material.

I changed into my usual attire of shirt and a pair of jeans. That was what I wore whenever I left the house and got back in. Of course, she was concerned that I was working only at night but I had been able to convince her that I was a sales attendant at a twenty-four-hour convenience shop.

I had told her that it was far from home and she would only stress herself when she had said she wanted to follow me to work to see how it was. She had agreed to stay back, considering her age and I had been so relieved.

I had found a picture of a convenience store online and showed her, telling her that was where I worked and prayed that she believed me and didn't ask for more proof.

She had believed me and that was how everything got resolved. I was baby girl and I was sure that she didn't think I could have done anything wrong. She was a believer of all that was good and wouldn't ever have assumed that her darling granddaughter would be dancing almost naked to feed the two of them.

She would die immediately and continue blaming herself even in the grave. I didn't want her to feel that bad. I loved her too much that I didn't want her feeling bad that she had failed me or did anything wrong in raising me. That was why I had made sure the club I was working in was far from home.

I didn't want to accidentally run into her on days she decided to take a stroll in the street and have her see me come out of a club.

It wasn't like I wanted to work at a club, dancing as a stripper and keeping secrets from my grandmother but that was the fastest way for me to make cool cash. I had applied to various companies after I was done with community college but I didn't get any job.

The jobs were quickly snatched up by the bigger sharks with advanced degrees.

I couldn't sit still and do nothing as the bills were getting higher and freaking me out. It was a relief when I had found the job in this upscale club and it had promised me a hell lot of salary and bonuses that I couldn't have ever dreamed of.

The club had wealthy clients who were ready to splash money all around for their pleasure and the owner of the club didn't hold back from paying his employees well as well. He believed that happy employees provided better services and better services equaled satisfied clients and more money.

After learning of how much I could save and earn, I had quickly thrown away my shame and reluctance, jumping into my newly found life with vigor. I had been working and saving all these while and in a few years time, I was going to be rich enough to start my business and do something that I could boldly tell my grandmother that I was doing. I would be able to stop lying to her and do what would make her proud.

Asides the fat salary and bonuses, I got tips from the clients sent to me through the bouncers as they were leaving the club. Even though I gave the bouncers a percentage cut of the tips, the money was always still okay for me. I always had enough to sort out my bills with the tips from the clients and bonuses from the club that I didn't need to touch my salary.

I smiled as I thought of the huge dump of money resting in my account and growing.

"Is something funny?" Saline, a colleague, said as she sat beside me, breaking into my thoughts.

I blinked and turned to her. I had totally zoned out of this room. "What?" I asked her.

"You were smiling." She said as if I didn't know that I was smiling. I was asking why she was bothered that I was smiling.

"I know."

"Lucky girl." She smiled and winked at me.

I frowned. What was that for? Did she come to work this evening with the intention to tease me?

"You seem confused." She said, noting the expression on my face.

"Of course, I am." I nodded, looking at her. "Do you care to explain why you are teasing me? It's too late for that."