The Dancer

“Where the fuck is my skirt?”

“You mean that piece of dental floss you think is a skirt?” Gemma asked, laughing.

Dakota threw a shoe at her, which she deflected while pulling on a cut-off tank top over her bra. Next, she reached for a pair of boots and zipped them up. She twisted and turned, looking at herself in the mirror.

“I’m serious, Gemma. Where is my skirt?”

“I think it’s on the chair, at the bottom of the pile,” Gemma said before she left Dakota’s room.

Dakota huffed and looked at herself in the full-length mirror she had resting on the floor. She sat cross-legged in front of it, her makeup spread out all around her, and her hairdryer plugged into the wall. She sighed and lifted the hairdryer to the back of her head to dry the underneath. Once she was finished, she took the clip from the top layer of hair and dried it.

Music was playing from the speakers behind her as she unplugged the dryer and plugged up her curling iron. She then reached for her foundation and powder, applying both to her face. She dusted bronzing powder and then a layer of glitter dust on her chest and cheeks. She then moved to her eyes and started to work on the dark makeup for her eyes.

Once she’d finished with her makeup, she spent the next few minutes curling parts of her hair before standing up to get dressed. She found the black and white plaid skirt at the bottom of the pile on the chair and she rolled her eyes while she pulled the skirt on. It barely covered her ass, but that’s how it was supposed to be. The black ruffled underwear covered most of it, but the skirt with the underwear showed just the right amount of skin. She wore a matching black bra, and she found the bikini top to go over that.

She found her hoop earrings and slid them onto her ears. She piled black and silver bracelets on one wrist and put a stretchy bracelet on the other before pulling on her fishnet stockings and then leg warmers. She slid a ring onto her pointer finger before moving to her dresser. She opened her jewelry box and pulled out the black skull necklace.

Sitting down at her desk, she reached into the bottom left drawer and wiggled her fingers, looking for the right bottle. Touching a few of them, she found the right bottle. She opened it and pulled out a few pills, put the top back on and put it back in the drawer. She reached for another bottle and pulled it out, taking a few of those pills, too. Putting the bottle back in the drawer and shutting it, she reached to the black skull and unhooked the side of it, taking the top off. She one of the pills and put it inside of the skull and closed it, locking it. She put it over her head and pulled her hair out from the chain. She took the rest of the pills and put them in a small pouch inside of her purse.

Standing up, she moved to slip her six-inch heels onto her feet. She bent down and pulled the leg warmers down over the top of the shoe and stood up, making sure her skirt was smoothed down. She twisted and turned in the mirror, making sure everything looked alright. Unhappy with her hair, she frowned and leaned down on her knees. She gathered a section of hair at the crown of her head and reached down for the skull bow and clipped her hair.

Happy with the bunched section of hair, she smiled and gathered her makeup together. She put the makeup bag in her purse and pulled on the small pair of fishnet gloves on her bed. Once she was finished, she picked up her sunglasses, keys and her phone, heading for the door.

“Gemma! Let’s get this shit done! I’m ready to dance and drink, bitch!”

“Work comes first,” her mother said, standing up as Dakota came down the stairs.

“Always,” she replied, kissing her mom’s cheek.

“You look like a slut.”

“Thanks! I’m so glad you think so,” Dakota said, smiling brightly, turning in a circle.

“Do you have everything ready?” her mom said before her body shook with a cough.

“Yeah, I’ve got everything,” she said, smiling.

“Good luck,” her mom said, kissing her cheek. “Not that you need it, because you are amazing already.”

“Gemma, move your ass!” Dakota hollered up the stairs before pulling open the front door.

A loud thunk sounded behind her and she turned to see Gemma bending over on the stairs to pick up something she dropped. Her sister’s hair was pinpoint straight and pulled into a high ponytail in the back of her head, tied with a bow. Her eyes were dark, her lashes were long, and she was wearing more clothes than Dakota. She smirked at her sister but turned to head outside.

She got into the driver’s seat of the car, started up and found a song to listen to while Gemma took her time coming outside. Once her sister was in the car, Dakota lit up a cigarette and backed out of the driveway. She shifted into first gear and sped off down the road.

“I still think Doug should give us dressing rooms.”

Dakota turned to look at her sister in the dark. It was after ten at night and they were heading to work: a nightclub in downtown Las Vegas. They’d been hired on when they turned eighteen as dancers, and once they became twenty-one, they were the most-watched dancers in Las Vegas. Not only did they have the honor of dancing on the platforms beside the DJ booth with two other girls, but they served as well and they brought home the most tips.

That was the reason Dakota didn’t understand why they were still doing their second “jobs”. They brought home more than a grand each night, yet for some reason it never seemed to be enough. She understood why it was beneficial, as her mom had lung cancer and most of the money went to chemo and treatment and hospital bills, but they had an almost lavish lifestyle. They never wanted for anything, and they had more shit in their house than a normal person needed.

“There’s no need for it, really. It’s a nightclub on top of a restaurant attached to a hotel, Gem. There’s no room for a dressing room. We’re lucky we have our own private bathrooms.”

“See, if he could just expand those a bit, we’d be fine.”

“You really want to get dressed in front of everyone else? You want them to beg to use your makeup and borrow your clothes more than they already do?”

“No, I guess not. Fuck that. I swear if Angela asks one more time to borrow those stupid pair of shoes, I’m going to fling them into the ocean.”

“…Because we live in the middle of the desert,” Dakota said, rolling her eyes.

“Fuck you, you know what I meant.”

Dakota smiled, flicked her cigarette out the window, and took off down the ramp onto the highway. She shifted into fifth gear and zoomed in and out of the traffic on the road.

They made it to work quicker than she would’ve liked, but they still had time to smoke one more cigarette before they went in. They worked in shifts. Normally, there were twenty or thirty minute shifts, but Gemma and Dakota had asked for an hour on the platforms. The other girls could still do thirty minutes and they’d take over again, like normal. Doug Fontaine, the owner of the restaurant and nightclub had agreed. He couldn’t say no to his two biggest money-makers.

Going into the main room, music was blaring and people were moving about, setting up, cleaning, and making sure everything looked alright. She took her bookbag and headed to the DJ booth where a set of stairs led up to the platforms on either side.

“North! You look fucking delicious,” Marcus, the DJ, said as she ascended to the top.

“Take a picture, baby,” she said, winking before she bent over to put her bag underneath his booth.

“Damn, North. Your ass is magnificent,” he said, whistling.

“Keep it up and you’ll be out of a job from lack of hands,” she said, but she was smiling.

She knew he was kidding and that he wasn’t really hitting on her, just the same as he knew she wouldn’t cut off his hands. She kissed his cheek before she descended the stairs to head for the bar.

“Aubrey! What can I do, cara?”

“Can you bring me those bottles of Jack, please?” the redhead said as she moved different bottles around.

“Absolutely,” she said lifting the box of liquor off the floor.

She carried it to where Aubrey was standing and set it on the counter. She pushed herself up onto the counter and started pulling bottles out, handing them to Aubrey when she needed them. When she was finished, Aubrey tossed something to Dakota. Catching it, Dakota’s eyes lit up as she saw the pink bubblegum wrapper.

“You’re the best, Aubs,” Dakota said as she unwrapped the gum.

“I still don’t understand what your fascination with bubble gum is,” Aubrey said, shaking her head.

“It just tastes so freaking good,” Dakota replied before she popped the square into her mouth.

“North!”

She whirled around at her nickname and saw Doug entering into the club. She slid off the bar and put one foot in front of the other as she walked towards her boss.

“Don’t do that prance for me,” he said, but he was smiling.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Doug,” she said, batting her eyes.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. You and Gem ready?”

“Aren’t we always?”

“Alright. Make me some money, then,” he said and winked to her before walking away.

Dakota rolled her eyes and looked at one of the computer screens behind the bar. They had ten minutes before the doors opened and Dakota went further behind the counter to make herself a drink. Normally, go-go dancers weren’t supposed to drink, but Dakota and Gemma weren’t average go-go dancers. Frankly, they didn’t give a fuck, either. They told Doug when they started dancing that they were going to be drinking. He finally gave in.

After she’d made her drink, she climbed the stairs to the DJ booth. She set her drink in the designated area and popped her neck.

“Aight,” Marcus said, fist-bumping Gemma. “Do your thing.”

He turned to Dakota, then. He held his fists out and she slammed hers on top of his before he slammed his on top of hers. They finished by slamming them together and he lightly pinched her chin.

“Get ‘em, North.”

“You got it,” she said, smiling.

“Hey, I got a surprise for you later on in the night,” he said, pointing his fingers at her. “You better be ready!”

“I always am.”

People at work were the only ones to call her North. When they’d first applied, Doug had found it funny that she was Dakota from North Dakota. She had rolled her eyes, but when he hired her, the name ‘North’ stuck. To be completely honest, she loved the nickname.

He put his headphones on his head and turned the music up. The building shook with the bass of “A Milli” by Lil Wayne as it blasted through the speakers. Dakota nodded her head as she got into the music. Just as her hips started moving, people started milling in.

They didn’t have to wait an hour for the entire club to be filled to the brim with people. Dakota moved around as Marcus faded M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” into “Swagger Like Us” by T.I. The club was off and racing, the drinks were flowing, people were dancing and having a good time. There was a small group below the DJ booth ogling the two girls who were dancing.

Angela and Tallie came to relieve them and she grabbed her cup as they made their way down the stairs. Dakota lost Gemma as she navigated her way behind the bar. She held her fist up for Aubrey to bump it as she started pouring herself a shot. She took it and looked at the computer, figuring out what orders needed to be made.

She grabbed a bottle from the refrigerator below the counter and set it in a bowl of ice. She made three drinks as well, listening to the song Marcus was bringing in. Lil Jon had always been a favorite of hers to dance to, and “Act A Fool” was no exception. She bounced her head as her hips swayed a bit while fixing the last of the drinks.

She carefully shook her hips as she made her way to the V.I.P. section to hand out the drinks. It was no surprise to her that a bunch of guys were sitting there, women on their arms.

“Got damn,” one of them said, seeing her come up the stairs.

The right side of her mouth lifted into a smirk as she set the tray down on the table and took the drinks off of it. She popped open the bottle and set it back in the ice before putting it on one of the tables as well. The guy sitting in the middle leaned up from the woman on his side to grab her hand. She looked up at him as he pulled her hand closer.

“You is sexy,” he said, kissing her knuckles.

She felt the bill being pressed into her fingers and she winked at him before grabbing the tray and walking down the stairs. She swiftly glanced down to see the one hundred dollar bill in her hand and she quickly stuffed it into her top, moving back to the bar to help Aubrey out.

When her serving time was up, she moved back to the platform to find Gemma already there. She took a large sip of her drink before setting it back into its place as Marcus transitioned into another song.

“White button up shirt, sunglasses on at your one,” Gemma said before taking her position.

Dakota stepped onto the platform and moved her hips and arms while her eyes searched the crowd. She glanced to Gemma who nodded to her right and Dakota followed her gaze. She found the guy: white buttoned-up shirt, crisp jeans, and expensive-looking sunglasses on his face. White teeth shone as he moved around to talk to his friends. He was perfect.

Dakota kept her eye on him for the rest of the night. Each shift, she’d gone down to the bar and chatted him up. He’d promised to wait for her after the club had closed. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her after that conversation and she wanted it that way.

Marcus had obviously listened to her when she told him to play some good stuff because each song that played she’d been able to get into. She didn’t need to dance to keep the guy’s mind on her, but it definitely helped.

She had twenty minutes to go when Marcus got her attention.

“You ready?” she read his lips say.

She just rolled her eyes, turning around to shake her hips and ass before dropping down and standing back up. Just as she started getting into the song, Marcus phased it out and started a new song. As she recognized “Swing” by Savage, one of her favorite songs, she threw her head back and laughed. She smiled at Marcus and nodded to Gemma as she listened to remixed version that Marcus had created.

She and Gemma started swaying at the same time, the music kind of quiet until the bass dropped and it picked up speed. Their moves were choreographed and in sync as they flowed. They turned, stuck their hips out, leaned forward, bent down, and shook their ass as the song went on. Dakota couldn’t keep the smile off of her face as she continued to dance, even after the song was over.

She made her way down from the platform and over to the bar to fix herself some water. Colin, the guy she’d been watching, made his way to her.

“Can you leave yet?” he asked, sidling up to her.

“What’s your room number?” she purred. “I should only be fifteen minutes.”

“Seventh floor, room 712,” he said, his hand moving from her lower back to her ass, squeezing a bit.

“Sounds great,” she said.

She tried to keep the bile out of her throat at how disgusting this guy really was, but her acting paid off. He didn’t notice anything as he turned and walked away, his ego higher than it was the night before.

He was in town until the next day; a weekend away with some friends. He couldn’t believe his luck when Dakota had spoken to him. Of course, he wasn’t about to get lucky, but he didn’t know that.

She hip-bumped Gemma as she finished off her water.

“You got it?” Gemma asked her, helping clear away some of the bottles.

“Yeah,” Dakota said with her voice low.

“Alright. You’ve got an hour.”

“Done,” Dakota said before grabbing her bag from the counter and turning away.

She put one foot in front of the other, her hips swaying as she walked towards the entrance of the club. She took a sharp right before the front doors and walked down the hallway to the lobby of the hotel the club was attached to. She quickly made her way to the elevators and pressed the seventh floor. In the mirror, she made sure her makeup was alright, her lipgloss was in place and she fluffed out her hair a bit. She applied a bit of perfume behind her ears and on her wrists before putting it back into her bag.

Once her perfume was on, she opened the skull necklace and pulled out a pill. She grabbed the grinder from her purse and put the pill inside before twisting. By the time the doors open, she was fully ready. She slowly walked down until she found the room and knocked slightly on it.

Colin pulled the door open quickly and she breezed past him. She placed her bag on a table and whirled around to see him walking towards her. His shirt was open and she was surprised to see a nicely sculpted chest with no hair on it. Unfortunately, he was tan all over, which brought suspicions to her head. Sure, girls could tan all day, every day, but when a guy did it, it just seemed weird to her.

“Shall I make us a drink?” she asked, signaling to the mini fridge.

“Absolutely,” he said, going to sit on the bed.

She turned her back to him as she got out several bottles and a couple of glasses. She took a few ice cubes that she assumed he’d gotten and put them in the glass.

“Where are your friends?” she asked casually.

“They got their own rooms,” he said, taking his shirt off.

“Well aren’t we lucky?” she asked, smiling over her shoulder at him.

As she picked up another liquid to mix it in, she unhooked the skull necklace and gracefully poured its contents into the glass. Turning around, she stirred the drink with her finger before retracting it and sticking it in her mouth.

“Delicious,” she said as she handed the glass back to him.

She turned back to finish making her drink which wasn’t as strong as his. She picked up the glass, turned, saluted him and downed her drink. Not to be outdone, Colin did the same thing even though he felt the sting of the vodka. She raised her eyebrow at him.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, winking. “I need to use the restroom.”

“Be my guest.”

She smiled and walked to the bathroom, making sure her hips swayed, knowing he was watching her walk away.

Once inside of the bathroom, she locked the door and breathed out a sigh. This was the second worst part of the whole thing: waiting for the pill to kick in. She couldn’t stay in the bathroom the entire twenty minutes, which meant she’d have to go out and interact with him until he finally passed out. She flushed the toilet, ran some water and unlocked the door.

When she moved back to the bedroom, Colin was lying with his pants and shirt completely removed. Dakota mentally vomited, but seeing the way his eyes kept trying to close, she smiled. It only took one kiss after she moved to the bed for him to be completely obscure.

Unfortunately, this was the third worst part of the entire ordeal: waiting. She paced the room, watched television, drank, picked at her nailpolish and redid her makeup. Twice. Finally, three hours later, there was a knock on the door. She stood up, walked to the door and yanked it open.

“You’re late.”