Dark Desire: A Paranormal Romance Novella (The After Dark Series, Book #1) by Rebecca Foote Page A

purse. 
Juliet dialed the number and a voice answered on the other end saying,
“Bailey’s Cove.”  This was a place she had heard of before, some kind of strip
club.  Feeling uneasy about working at that type of establishment, she almost
hung up.  Remembering her finances, however, she decided to at least check it
out.  Juliet made an appointment to meet with the manager next week. 
    After a few more days of her
exhausting schedule, Juliet looked forward to her appointment with the manager
at Bailey’s Cove. She pulled into the parking lot and went up to the club
entrance.  The outside windows were blackened and boarded up, so people
couldn’t see through the windows.  A large, pink neon sign with the club’s name
hung outside, above the entrance.  Juliet hesitated for a moment before going
in.
    Come on.  I can do this.  I’m just
looking anyway…  
    Juliet took a deep breath and opened
the door.  She had never been in a club like this before.  Sure, she had gone
to the occasional bar with friends, but never an exotic dancers’ club.  There
were several tables and booths at the back, a stage area in the front, and a
bar against the wall.  The stage was T-shaped and had a catwalk down the center
with two poles at the ends--it was obvious what those were for. 
    “Hi, are you Juliet?” asked a pretty,
petite girl with short, black hair. She looked almost like a pixie, standing
next to the bar in her cutoffs and tank top. 
    “Yes. I’m supposed to meet the
manager,” Juliet said, as she nervously bit her lip.  Come on! Stop being a
prude.
    “Oh, good we need another dancer. I’m
Veronica and I’ll take you to the back to meet Gerald. He’s the manager.” 
    Veronica led Juliet past the bar and
behind the stage.  They rounded a corner and went down a long hall.  “These are
some of the rooms the dancers change in.”  Veronica pointed to a large room
furnished with vanity mirrors and counters. Against the back wall stood a
clothing rack, filled with a variety of outfits: pink boas, sequined tops, and
a plethora of what looked like stage costumes.
    “You have to bring your own stuff for
your show though.”
    My show? That’s one way to put it.
    “Gerald is in the office.  It’s at
the end of the hall.”
    Juliet followed Veronica into a small
office where a stocky man with a black beard sat, looking through receipts and
adding up amounts.  He turned to look at them as they entered the office.
    “Gerald?  This girl is here about the
dancing job.”
    Gerald looked at Juliet, assessing
her natural curves.  “Very pretty…What’s your name?”
    “Juliet.”
    The man got up from his desk to take
a closer look.  “You’re about the same size as Crystal, our last girl; there
are a few of her things still here. Yes. I think you’ll do alright.  I need
someone four hours a night, at least three nights a week.  I’ll pay you an
hourly rate, but most of your money will come from tips.”  He sat back down at
his desk and began to go through the receipts again.
    “You ever done this kind of work
before?”  he asked as he kept working and didn’t look up.
    “No,” Juliet answered honestly.
    “There’s nothing to it.  Veronica
will set you up…Well, if you want the job, it’s yours.”  Gerald paused in his
accounting and looked up at Juliet, waiting for an answer.
    She felt hesitant about accepting the
job, but was determined to get out of her financial difficulty.   “I’ll take
it.”  She was almost surprised to hear herself say the words.  
    Wait a second! Wasn’t I just coming
here to check out the club?

Chapter
Two
     
    Juliet looked forward to quitting her
job at the restaurant, but still felt slightly apprehensive about her new job
as an exotic dancer.  After talking with Veronica a few more minutes, she
decided it didn’t sound too bad. 
    “It’s really easy.  Just pretend
you’re putting on a sexy outfit and dancing for your boyfriend.