earned it [h.s.]

1.

Lights.

Such bright lights shining down on me. Yellows mixed with pinks that gradually turned into red tones, surrounding me as always during my set.

"Showtime." I muttered to myself before putting on a soft smile. I flipped my long blonde hair over my shoulder while stepping out on the stage. No matter how many times I did this, there would always be the butterflies swarming around my stomach nervously as I took those few steps up to the pole.

I would always be scared to trip.

I would always be scared that my lingerie wasn't in its proper place.

I would always be scared that my lipstick was smudged.

Because what I aimed for, was perfection. There was no room for mistakes or slip-ups. Not that Ezra would mind or be disappointed in me if anything ever went wrong, but I'd be disappointed in myself. Like I was upholding this reputation for me, in competition with myself as always.

The lights slightly died down when the music started playing. Another one by The Weeknd, which was honestly what I usually opted for. The beats were just so sensual and invited me to wrap myself around the shiny pole in the middle of the stage. It called my name, my confidence growing with each step. The applause helped as well.

Due to the bright lights shining at me, I could truly only see the first row of people watching me. Most of them were men, but I saw a few females too. I smiled and shot a wink to Bill, one of my regulars. His cheeks flushed slightly pink under his thick glasses as he diverted his eyes away shyly. He was a darling, very generous with his pay and a personality so soft that all I wanted to do was wrap him up in a blanket.

He had a crush on basically every girl who worked here.

My high diamond heels took me around the pole, my hand closing around it as I got familiar with the beats and the space. The many eyes on me made me feel powerful, whilst the eyes of Ezra and the many security guards made me feel safe and protected.

I loved it here.

Lotus was booming tonight, another busy Friday. It hadn't been not busy on a Friday in a very long time. Ezra did good business and it showed, this was one of the most popular clubs in downtown London.

I danced slowly and sensually, adorned in a lingerie set that matched the lights coming down on me. These were my colours and everyone here knew it. Some girls did their sets in all red, others opted for a blue or a green. Out of all of them, Crystal was the only one who could make a set in bright white lights look amazing. I admired her for it, as did all the customers. She was hypnotizing. Somehow I was always glad my set didn't immediately follow after hers, because she was a tough act to follow.

Money bills were already being thrown on the platform I was standing on, pooling around my feet as I danced around the pole. I let myself lean away, arching my back and throwing my head behind me to let my long hair flow around. Simultaneously, it pushed my breasts together. I let my tongue dart out over my red bottom lip before turning around, sliding down the pole with my manicured fingers holding onto it for stability.

My core was working overtime doing these moves, this was truly so much harder than it looked. As I continued swaying my hips from side to side, my fingers toyed with the straps of the corset hugging me.

Cheers and whistles grew louder when I pulled the fabric off of me and dropped it to the ground, revealing my torso and the matching golden bra and thong I had on. This was as far as I went in terms of getting naked. Ezra urged us to keep it classy, after all.

More money got thrown on the stage as I continued spinning around the pole, pulling myself upside down until my hair touched the ground and my boobs near spilled from the bra. I mouthed along the words, locking eyes with one of the women. She seemed a bit uncomfortable and I could just tell it was her first time in an establishment like this. I sent her a small smirk which she returned before she took a sip of her champagne.