Sink or Swim

The music was pounding into my ears, I was teetering from slight tipsiness on my sky high heels, and I hadn't given a dance in over thirty minutes. I was more than ready to grab my coat and head home when two other dancers came up to me wide eyed and looking a little uncomfortable. Which was just about the strangest look you could ever see in the middle of a full-nude strip club. No one around here was uncomfortable with anything, ever.

"What's going on?" I asked them. "Why do you look like there's an actual ghost in here?"

"You have to go handle room #3." they said almost in unison.

I gave them a quizzical look but they walked off into the throngs of the club and left me alone, staring down the back hallway to the private rooms. What the hell could be back there that I had to handle? There was no end to the list in a place like this, I just hope they weren't being assholes and giving me our one 80 year old client who never learned to keep his old, age spotted and wrinkly, hands to himself.

I felt a little more sober than I had before the encounter with my fellow dancers and was able to walk down the hall without wobbling on my heels, but when I opened the curtain leading to room #3 I almost feel right on my face as I saw the man sitting in the center chair.

There was a drink in his hand and by the glossed over look in his eyes you could tell he wasn't really seeing me at all. Yet nothing on earth could ever hide who he was from me: Max Green. The boy who'd grown up tormenting me, protecting me from douchebags, and comforting me when everyone else ignored my existence after my dad died. My best friend in the entire planet had somehow found his way into my club, which was the worst possible news ever. Especially since he didn't even know I had taken up a job here.

"Holy shit." I whispered to myself, hoping against hope he would be far too drunk to recognize me. "Hey big boy," I said louder, getting his attention and resuming my dancer persona and approaching him with a seductive strut. No matter who he was I still had to perform.

"Whoa." He managed to say. Even that one word was slurred with drink. "I told them to send me the sexiest girl here," he hiccuped. "But damn, you've gotta be an angel or something." I had to keep my self-control under lock and key at this point because his S's were so slurred it was like trying to be seduced by Kaa, the snake from The Jungle Book. All that on top of being called sexy from a man who clearly didn't recognize you as his best friend. Alcohol was a bitch sometimes.

"Oh yeah?" I answered in a purr, twirling my hips for him as his hands reached to touch me. I slapped them away and reminded him that he could only look, no touching. He whined and begged to be the exception, they all want to be the exception. Only this time, Max was smart enough not to push his luck. Instead he sat on his hands and opted to just moan and bite his lower lip a lot.

To say I'd never thought of Max in a sexual way would be a lie. He was pretty damn attractive and his over protectiveness could actually be pretty sexy sometimes, especially when he god a little aggressive with whoever was bothering me. But right now, seeing him lust after my twirling, shaking, barely covered in much more than glitter body... Right now is when he was the absolute sexiest I'd ever seen him, and I assume the same went for him since his pants looked like they had grown two sizes in the crotch since I came in.

After another minute or so his eyes finally widened, in horror or surprise I couldn't tell. But it was enough to make me stop moving and ask him what was wrong, still using the nice purring voice I reserve for my favorite customers.

"I know who you are." he said as I started to dance for him again. I leaned over, resting my hands on his thighs and giving him a full view of my cleavage. I didn't reply to him yet, I wanted to see the gears turning in his brain to try and see if he truly did recognize me. I decided to test him.

"They call me Kitty." I smiled, twirling and showing him the kitten tattoo on my neck that gave me my club name. I doubted if he ever payed attention to me enough to know that I had any ink, but when I stood back up to look at him his face had gone white.

"Y/N?" he said, making me almost stumble. "Oh my god! Y/N!" He started a personal monologue about not knowing I worked here, not knowing it was me dancing for him, and then the sudden and abrupt realization that he had gotten a boner over his best friend. He ended it by standing up and declaring that he had to go. "I'm sorry, I can't."

He headed for the door and I muttered a half-ass sarcastic comment about the confidence boost and he turned around in time to see me slump into the chair he was just occupying. I didn't know why his reaction bothered me, but it did. I felt like even though I found him attractive in all the right ways he'd never see me as anything more than a friend. Or maybe sister would be the right word for it. Seeing things from his perspective now made me realize why he'd never hit on me: he saw me like a sister and even though I had never addressed any feelings for Max I realized I saw him as my own personal love story.

Best friends who grew up to be in love. Who hadn't fantasized about that kind of love story at least once? My problem was that I had lived it and now had it crush the confidence from me.

"Y/N..." Max started. I jumped up, telling him to just go, before walking out of the room and down the hall to the door marked "Dancers ONLY". Behind that door was our private dressing rooms and lockers where we kept our other clothes and purses.

I changed quickly and headed out the back door to my car, not caring if I'd get busted for leaving a little early. I got my car door open just as Max came around the building to find me. He called out for me and I wanted so badly to ignore him and just drive off, but he ran over to catch me before I could close the door.

He yanked the door open, nearly taking my arm off with it, then pulled me out of the car. Before I had time to ask him what the hell he was doing he had me pinned to the back door and was kissing me like his life depended on it.

"I've been blind." He said after he finally pulled away from me. Leaving me a puffy lipped and panting mess. "You've loved me all along, haven't you?" My answer was not saying a word and avoiding all eye contact. Confirming his suspicions. "You got anyone back home?" he smiled, it was seductive and revealed his plans for the night in one crooked grin.

"Get in the car." I told him, smacking his ass as he went to obey. He gave me a look and I knew tonight was going to be a good night.