Slowburn

Chapter 12

        When I entered Fuoco Lento, "slow burn", I knew patrons would already be inside. It was thirty minutes before my usual Wednesday shift, but the club has been open since 4pm. I went looking for Raquel since she is the one who needs my help with a task. I didn't have to look far since she's usually the floor hostess who makes sure everything is running smoothly in the main room. 

When she saw me she waved me towards the back where we met up after she was done talking to a member of this establishment. 

"Hey girlie, so we're gonna be in a bit of a tight spot tonight since I have to cut out early and one of our shot girls didn't show. Have you ever worked in service before?" She asked me and my mind went blank. I thought this was a clerical task. 

"Like...out there?!" I gaped at the doorway. She chuckled. 

        "Don't worry about it. We aren't having you out there dancing or anything. I'm going to have one of my veteran girls take over as floor manager because she'll know what's expected, but I'll need a bottle girl. All you have to do is carry the alcohol from the bar to the table who ordered it. I'll give you the run down before your shift starts. Can you do it?" She asked me. 

Did I even have a choice? "I'm not gonna lie Raquel I am kind of freaking out right now" I continued to gape at the door which led out to the thudding music. "Don't freak out! It's like being a waitress" she grabbed my forearms and gave them a light squeeze.

"What would I have to wear?" It all felt so daunting. I'm terrified to even come out of the office to introduce myself to the dancers back here, never mind serve the actual patrons. To be IN the Gentlemen's club. God, they'd see my face. I'd be right there in the mix of everything. I am going to have a panic attack in a minute. 

        "Hey, focus" she snapped her fingers in my face. Weirdly it did focus me. "We can play up this nervous-shy-girl act as your 'character' for tonight. That's all it is. Acting" she assured me. "The nervous and shy thing is not an act for me" I reminded her. She chuckled. 

"I know darling, but we need you," she told me. Renzo told me I needed to help her, so again I didn't see that I had much of a choice here. We were in the office, but she used the hand on my forearm to start dragging me to the dressing room of the dancers. 

"Teagan's a good girl. She'll help you" Raquel's eyes darted over several heads before she stopped at one. There are about 40 dancers in rotation over all the nights this place is open, so I could probably never remember everyone's name, but I do recognize a few faces. Teagan wasn't one of them.

        When Raquel called out for her, a girl with naturally light brown hair with some dark undertones to it popped her head out of the crowd and approached her manager curiously. Probably because it's the first time I'm showing my face here. 

The closer she got the more apparent her naturally curved body was to me, and her beautiful bone structure. Wow, the girl was stunning. She wore a robe similar to what I saw Dallas wearing last week. 

"I'm gonna ask you a little favor" Raquel smiled at her girl. "Uh oh" Teagan teasingly popped a hip out. Something about the way her body naturally swayed reminded me of Megara from the Hercules movie. The two of us introduced ourselves and Raquel explained what she needed. 

        "We'll find you something you can be more comfortably dressed in. We will play off the 'shy girl' routine like Raquel said" Teagan took my arm from her manager and started leading me further into the closet room that's about triple the size of my bedroom at home. 

"I'm not used to...displaying myself" I tried to find the polite words. "I can tell. Don't you worry. That's our main job here. You be the cute bottle girl and ignore the idiots out there" she nudged me teasingly. She's the first of the dancers to be kind to me.