Money Can't Buy Everything

Chapter 15 Strip Advice

---Derek's POV---

I get up and looking down at my phone that's still in my hand. I see Josh's name so I click on it, hearing it ring only once before he picks up. "Did you find her? Is she ok?" I heard from Sarah in the background, obviously hanging out with Josh now. "Yea, she told me where she was at, so I went there and met up with her.. We talked for a minute and I told her I liked her and she said she liked me too.. but we kissed.." I said to them, not finishing my thoughts, as Josh asked, "Did it suck that badly? Were you just that out of practice?"

I shook my head, replying, "No it was amazing and probably the best I have had, but she stopped the kiss and declared how much she liked me, so she can't be in a relationship with me. She doesn't want to hurt me with her secret that she said I would hate.. I don't believe anything could be that bad to hate her for it.. but she got on her bike and rode away from me after that. So I don't know if that was bad or good." I explain to them as Josh says, "bad" and Sarah says, "good" at the same time.

"Baby, how can running away from him, full speed, be a good thing?" He asks her as I groan out, at his example, but she responds. "She never likes anyone, so that for one thing says so much about him and the impression he has left with her.. It's also awesome that she admitted that she has feelings for him.. She doesn't do that.. and she runs from things that scare her, in a good way.. but she always comes back. She is a committed woman.. Just give her time and maybe she will come back.. she has talked about leaving this town for a while too though.. so I don't know, maybe Josh is right." She says now, second guessing herself. I groaned out, not knowing if I f*#ked this up or not.

"OK, I'll talk to you guys later." I said to them as they both responded at the same time again making them both giggle like a sweet sappy couple does.. Why couldn't this have gone that well with Missy? But she is worth working for and I'll prove it if she would let me. I hung up the call trying to call Missy again.. but she sent me to the voice-mail again.. dammit.. I shouldn't try to push this.. She wants space, so I'll give her the rest of the night before I try again.

I turned around to leave before I heard from behind me. "I thought I told you to stay the f*#k away from her and here you are kissing her.. upsetting her more than she already was.. so she ran away.. You know, that must be some sort of record. I have never kissed a girl and it sucked so badly, to the point of scaring them away into a run, to get as far away from me as possible. That must be embarrassing for you." Beefcake or better known, as Drake states to me, as he is still walking full speed in my direction.

I roll my eyes at him before saying, "She is afraid of hurting me but said she liked me like I like her." I spat out at him between my teeth as I clench my jaw in annoyance. "Sure she did.. was that before or after she ran?" He asks sarcastically now laughing at my expense still inching closer with his arms up as if he wants to punch me.

"Well I think the better question is to ask what the f*#k you did to her earlier to upset her so much? I guess yesterday and today.. you know, she said she never wants to come near you again." I mocked him as I shove him back away from me. This action causes him to swing at me as I dodge and swing, making slight contact with his jaw. We both step back, staring each other down. "She didn't mean what she said yesterday and I was telling her that today." He says to me as I scoff at that while we are apart, really circling around each other trying to square up as much as we can.

He tries to kick my legs but I jump back, then saying, "Why won't you just get the hint that she doesn't want you.. ever.. get over it man.. She said she liked me.. You lost, so find someone else to harass." I spat, jumping forward, before swinging and hitting his cheek. He grabs for it as he swings, hitting me in the side as I groan out.. But have enough strength and momentum to really knee him in the thigh, and this somehow sends him to the ground with a temporary dead leg.

"You don't know what she really wants." He spats at me as I scoff and state for him to hear. "Neither do you, but maybe next time you don't tell her what she wants you ask her what she wants.." I knee him in the nose then shoving him down as I turn around strutting away, getting to my motorcycle and climbing on to leave. "This isn't over asshole! Stay the hell away from her!" He yells from behind me as I flip him off and driving back to my house for the rest of the night.

I get home, making myself dinner before taking a shower and trying to fall asleep.. This fight lasts all night to the point that I can't even get to sleep. I groan as I toss and turn in my bed thinking about how I might have f*#ked up.

I can't help but pull out my phone and staring at her messages she sent me before I write to ease my consciousness. 'I hope I didn't f*#k everything up with you because of that one amazing kiss.. I would really like to say I'm sorry if I bothered you but I really enjoyed that and want more with you.. I'm sorry if that bothers you.. can I please just see you to talk with you and explain things?' I pushed send to actually send out the message before I chicken out. I groan out before rolling back and forth once again for hours until I somehow fall asleep.

---Missy's POV---

I read the sweet message that Derek sent me just now before I groaned out. "What's wrong Misty?" Bambi asks as she passes by me before Candy states for all the girls in the room to hear. "That groan sounds like man problems to me." I just nod not wanting to talk to much about this subject, but if there is anyone I can talk about being a stripper to.. it's probably the other strippers. "How do you balance having a man and stripping? Or do I just have to quit for my relationship to survive?" I asked the room of women just wanting some opinions. I get just that.. the room erupts in a whole bunch of opinions thrown from all angles.

"You can't have a relationship and strip." Candy states and Saphire replies, "you can if you never tell him." I see some of the women shaking their heads before stating, "No how can a relationship be honest and true if your lying about something very important.,. your job?" another answers, "Because it's not his business what you do in your time.. he is just lucky to get time with you." Some of the women groan out. "If she really wants to be honest she will tell him."

"What if I'm scared to tell him because of what he would think about me?" I asked no one in particular again.. getting more responses. "You don't even sleep with the guys or get touched. You have nothing to worry about."..... "What? she is still stripping and he has the right to know who she is showing her body?" another states. "He will just be jealous of the extra attention from men and that you're making more than him." another states makes me smile before I ask the hard question. "How do you know when it's time to quit? To finally try something new?" I asked again, making the room erupt louder with answers. "You don't quit!".... "You have to do what you feel is right."...... "You have to if you ever want a healthy relationship."....... "She can do what she wants and if he can't respect that then he doesn't deserve her!" I hear before Papi walks into the back which quiets the room down instantly.

We wait for him to tell us who is next, just quieting down and watching him with anticipation. "I don't know why everyone is so loud in here, but I'm not paying you to talk, I'm paying you to strip." He spats at us as we all say in unison with our heads down. "Yes Papi." He nods his head before saying, "Saphire on pole 1, Candy pole 2 and Misty pole 3... go now.. don't make me ask you again.. Bambi, Amber and Skyla are up next.. be ready. "Yes Papi." We all responded again in understanding.

One by one, we stood up and walked out of the dressing room to go out and dance the night away literally. This obviously puts a damper on dancing, normally, because it just reminds me of work.. but I still find myself dancing to the music while getting ready at home.. So I don't think I could ever hate music.. It's a type of stress relief I will always cherish. I hear my music start as I walk out from behind the velvet curtain, strutting out to the center stand where the pole is, that's in the middle of the stage. The cheers erupt in the room, but I can't see anyone that's not right in front of me, because the lights are too bright. Not being able to see the people out there makes it easier to just daze off and try to forget I'm here.. getting lost in the music.

I take hold of the pole and let my body take the momentum from my strut and weight, using it to swing me around before I use my leg strength to go up and wrap around the pole before I strip my top off and throw it out. Cheers get louder before I use my strength to hold into the pole so I can swing my body around. I stepped out, spinning before the the pole into my hand again. I keep spinning and doing jumps over and over again as if I'm in my play.. I just don't sing. I strip my clothes, layer by layer, until I'm naked. Then I do a couple more tricks that the guys seem to really like. I put on my special twirls before I bend and snap, turning around to strut back behind the curtain. The money gets swept up and put into a bag to hand over to me, making me smile.. I had a good night tonight, luckily enough.

"Was it good for you out there?" Saphire asks me as I nod, holding my bag up. "That's good.. so what are you going to do about your boyfriend?" Candy asks me sitting back down and sorting out her money. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't have a boyfriend but there is this guy I like, but I want to do whatever I can to make this work.. But I think that might mean that I have to quit here, but if I do.. then I won't have enough money to pay for my brother and his hospital bills." I said sadly to them, not knowing what to do.

"Well, if you can't financially make that leap, then don't.. If he can't have respect for you no matter what your job is, then you deserve better anyways." Saphire states to me, as I nod liking that.. But at the same time, not liking it because I don't want to hurt his feelings. " Well, I just don't want to hurt or bother him with my job." I say to them, as Candy quickly states in her know-how voice. "Be honest with him in the beginning and you, won't be lying at all or figure out how he would react before the relationship even starts." But she is probably right about that no matter how scary it might seem.. I might just have to tell him on my own terms and maybe he will accept me.