Stripped

by A. G. Khaliq

  “Yes, Boss…” I stumbled shakily, swallowing down a lump in my throat as I slammed my drink down back onto the bar table. “I was just taking a break…”

  I could feel my eyes prick with tears, not wanting to go back to the stage to dance, especially after I’d seen that man in the crowd.

  “Can’t I just serve drinks today?” I pleaded.

  Boss slapped my face, and my hand leapt to my face in shock. I couldn’t believe it.

  I couldn’t fucking believe it…

  “First you turn up late, then you have the audacity to take a break when you’ve hardly done any work?” he snarled. “Stay in your lane, you whore. Get back to work.” His voice dropped to barely above a whisper, and I knew he meant business, and that I shouldn’t argue with him. He’d hardly ever raised his hands to me before…

  Things were only going to get worse for me if I defied him.

  I could feel silent tears roll down my cheeks, even though I did my best to hold them back. I couldn’t believe he slapped me.

  This bastard…

  How dare he.

  My heart hammered against my chest, my breathing labored. I took several deep breaths in and out, doing my best to regain my composure. I knew it wouldn’t benefit me if I made a scene or argued back.

  It was either putting up with this or having to live on the streets…

  I had to keep reminding myself of that whenever things got too tough.

  “Okay, Boss, I’ll get back right away,” I mumbled.

  “Okay, good. I have a man who wants a private dance, and he’s willing to pay a lot of cash,” he hissed matter-of-factly, getting straight down to business. “Make sure you do everything he says. You’re not screwing this up.”

  Make sure you do everything he says…

  His words replayed themselves over and over to me, like a form of torture. Etching themselves into my memory. I knew this wasn’t good…

  It meant if this man wanted to touch me, I would have to allow him…

  I could feel my heart in my throat, feeling too weak and exhausted to fight back. I just wanted to get this night over with, and then go home to my bed. The sooner I got this over with, the better.

  “Okay…” I breathed.

  “Ready to go, sunshine?” came a voice.

  I looked up to see the man who wanted the private dance. He was an old man in his sixties, and he was wearing an olive green sweater, paired with light olive-colored trousers. He had pleated grey hair and grey eyes, and a wrinkly face. Blood continued to pound through my body, sizzling to the point that it felt like I had no fight left.

  “Y-Yes,” I managed timidly, shaking my head.

  The creep nodded, making his way out of the bar to the private lounge, and I followed him, sick churning in my stomach.

  From the corner of my eye, I could have sworn that the same mesmerizing man from the crowd was still watching me. Watching me follow this old, creepy man…

  But I figured it was just my mind playing tricks on me.

  “Okay, sexy…show me what you got.” The creep smiled, sitting down on the couch, bopping his head forward in anticipation. His predatory eyes smoldered with lust and darkened with desire as he drunk me in, staring at my body. Bile churned in my throat. I wasn’t looking forward to this at all.

  I pleaded with my body to move and start dancing. To start putting on a show for this bastard so I could just take my money and leave. But I felt frozen to the spot, suddenly barely able to move. Not being able to shift my limbs a single bit, and I didn’t know why. My body was pounding with fear.

  The creep stared at me agitatedly, getting tired of waiting. He folded his arms angrily, unimpressed.

  “Come on, why aren’t you dancing?” he snapped, rattling his fists impatiently.

  “I—” I stammered.

  “What?” he barked, furrowing his eyebrows, getting up on his feet, and stepping closer to me. I backed away from him slowly, feeling my eyes well with tears.

  “I can’t do this,” I croaked.

  The corners of his mouth formed into a frown, and he was no longer smiling. He looked pissed off, angry…

  Almost dangerous.

  I didn’t know what was wrong with me today. I was doing nothing my boss was asking of me.

  I’d reached breaking point, and I couldn’t do this anymore. I couldn’t keep living my life like this. Being treated as a lapdog, being treated as an animal.

  Being treated as a slave for my motherfucking boss.

  Not being able to have a say in anything. Not being able to be my own woman. To make my own choices. To break free from the chains of my life.

  The only image I had in my head was of the man I had just seen in the club.

  The way he was looking at me, with so much interest and curiosity.

  The way his eyes were piercing mine.

  “Come on, don’t be like this,” the creep encouraged, doing his best to egg me on. “It would be a shame for me to have come all this way for nothing. Your boss made me a lot of promises…and if those promises aren’t fulfilled, let’s just say, there’ll be trouble for both of you.”

  “Sorry, sir, but I have the right to refuse anything I don’t want to do,” I mumbled in my own defence, swallowing. “If you have a problem, you can go somewhere else, or ask somebody else for a dance.”

  He cracked up with laughter, looking amused, like he wasn’t taking me seriously. I stared back at him with an uneasy expression on my face, because I had no idea of what this man was capable of. I could feel my heart pound in fear. I’d never stood up for myself like this before…

  I guessed that was why people treated me like trash.

  “I can make it worth your while, babe. I can make you rich, you’ll never need money again.” He smirked, biting his finger in anticipation.

  He still didn’t understand the fact that no meant no. No didn’t mean that he should carry on persuading me to agree.

  “Sorry, sir, no,” I repeated firmly.

  He folded his arms angrily, his veins suddenly pulsing their way to the surface of his skin. His pupils dilated, as if I were staring back at a monster. A fucking beast.

  “You think you have a choice?” he said quietly, his low voice causing me to jolt upwards as I began sweating profusely. “You dare to say no to me, you whore?”

  I stepped backwards, mortified, suddenly terrified of the man was standing before me. He looked like he wanted to murder.

  “W-What…what are you gonna do?” I cried out.

  “You will sleep with me, whether you like it or not!” he demanded, grabbing hold of my arm with such a force that I almost tripped. I could feel my life flash before my eyes as he began tugging on my clothes.

  I couldn’t let this happen…

  I couldn’t let this fucking happen.

  “No…no!” I screamed.

  “Shut your mouth!” he growled, leaning in for a kiss.

  As he did this, I took the opportunity to kick him hard in the crotch with my high heels. He cried out in pain, clutching his privates.

  I ran as fast as I could. As fast as my legs would move.

  I bolted through the crowd in the club, and Boss caught my glance, with murder written all over his face.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he called out after me, screaming angrily. “Come back inside right now!”

  I ignored his screams, allowing them to fade into the loud music. I wanted to forget reality for a while. Wanted to forget that this was my life.

  Wanted out, even if it was just for one night.

  I had to keep running. I didn’t want to face Boss tonight. I didn’t want to have to go back into the private lounge with that bastard, and be forced to do things I didn’t want to do.

  I didn’t want this life anymore.

  My eyes grew hazy as my surroundings blurred around me. Before I knew it, I was in an alleyway near the club, and I had no idea where I should go, or which way I should turn.

>   “I need to get out of here before Boss finds me!” I cried out. “I’m in big trouble!”

  I bent down and clutched my chest in agony, doing my best to regain my strength because my feet were searing in pain from running in these high heels. As my heart-rate started to return to normal, and I slowly moved my eyes back upwards, I was greeted by the last person I expected to see here.

  The mesmerizing man from the crowd was standing before me in the alleyway, his arms folded, with a look of genuine concern on his face. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  What the hell was he doing here?

  “I’m Lazarus,” he said quietly. “Come with me. I’ll take you to safety.”

  I swallowed a lump in my throat, not knowing why this man wanted to help me.

  But I also knew I had no choice but to put my trust in a total stranger…

  Because my life depended on it.

  raven

  I gave him a timid nod, hardly able to get any words out. Hardly able to string a sentence together, because my throat suddenly felt dry.

  “He’ll catch up in a few minutes. Go hide somewhere, and I’ll speak to him and throw him off the trail so he doesn’t find you,” said Lazarus.

  “O-Okay,” I breathed.

  I looked around, and noticed some dustbins at the back of the alley. I quickly crept behind one, allowing the massive bins to conceal me. My heart pounded against my chest. I knew I would be dead meat if my boss found me here, especially after defying him. I didn’t want to learn what he was capable of.

  He’d already treated me so harshly over me just making small mistakes.

  Blood roared in my ears as I made silent prayers to God in my head, praying to Him to protect me. Thanking Him for sending this Lazarus character to help me. I just hoped that Lazarus would be able to keep Boss at bay.

  I took a peek around the bin, and saw Boss standing there with Lazarus. My heart leapt to my throat as I quickly slid back into position, making sure I was hidden properly.

  “Hey, I recognise you from the club,” I heard Boss say. “Have you seen the girl who was performing? Dark brown hair, slim, busty. She ran off, and I can’t find her anywhere.”

  “Come to think of it, I think I have…” Lazarus replied. “I think she was on her way to the coffee shop down south.”

  “Yes, I’ve got her now!” Boss exclaimed in gratitude. “Thank you so much, drinks are on me whenever you come down to the club next.”

  “It’s okay, glad I could help,” Lazarus replied, letting out a forced chuckle.

  I stayed in position, making sure I waited for a few minutes until I knew Boss was gone. I peered over the bin to see Lazarus making his way back to me. The coast was clear.

  I got up and dusted myself off, still sweating profusely. Lazarus stared at me with his hazel eyes, and I had no idea what he was thinking right now. It was hard to read him. There was a long silence between us both.

  “Thank you so much, I owe you my life,” I said finally, swallowing.

  I scratched my arm nervously. Lazarus seemed immersed in thought, his eyes not leaving mine for a second.

  I could feel his eyes scan me from head to toe. Here I was, wearing such revealing clothes, and I felt massive waves of nervousness wash over me. He wouldn’t say anything…he just kept staring at me.

  But he seemed to stared at me out of what looked like genuine concern. Like he wanted to help me. He wasn’t staring at me like I was a cheap whore. He was staring at me like I was a goddess.

  It was a strange feeling I wasn’t used to. I hadn’t been expecting this at all. I thought he was just a man in the crowd who I would have forgotten after a few hours…but here he was, standing in front of me. Speaking to me. Staring at me.

  And I didn’t know what to think of that.

  “I…erm…” I stumbled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. “I’ll go home now,” I managed finally.

  “I won’t let you go home alone at this time of night.” He shrugged flatly. “There’s a lot of creeps about. You don’t want the same thing that happened inside to repeat itself, do you?”

  “Of course not…” I mumbled, swallowing. This whole situation had caught me off-guard, and I could hardly think straight. I couldn’t believe I was about to go home with this man.

  But he’d saved me. And he didn’t seem like he had sordid intentions. He hadn’t laid a finger on me, and he’d helped me get away from a creep as well as my boss.

  I knew for sure I wasn’t going to make it a habit of going home with men I just met, but I also knew I didn’t have much of an option. With Boss looking for me, I had to go somewhere he wouldn’t think to look.

  And I knew that he wouldn’t think to look at Lazarus’s place.

  “I left my top and leggings in the club…” I murmured, dazed.

  “It’s fine, I can let you borrow one of my shirts. I’ve got some in my car.” Lazarus shrugged.

  “Thank you.” I swallowed.

  He gave me a reassuring smile before he turned on his heel and showed me to his car. My heart hammered against my chest as I followed him, not knowing how the night would unfold. Not knowing anything about this man…but the longer I spent with him, the more curious I was. He seemed like a mystery.

  “Here, take my shirt,” he said, as he slid into the driver’s seat and ruffled through his belongings. He passed me the shirt as I slid into the passenger’s seat, and I put it on. It smelt of his woody cologne, and I could feel sudden warmth overcome my body. I felt a sense of belonging.

  “I don’t think we can go back to my place…my boss might go there and he’ll go nuts,” I mumbled, as Lazarus began to drive.

  “It’s cool, you can come to my place.”

  “My sister is at home alone, I can’t leave her there,” I breathed, suddenly afraid.

  “We’ll pick her up first,” Lazarus reassured me, pushing his foot down on the accelerator. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  I nodded sheepishly, feeling a little relieved. I didn’t know if I were stupid to trust this man so quickly…but I guessed only time would tell as the night took its course. I would probably only stay at his place for a few nights until the heat died down with my boss, and then I would probably never see him again…

  Right?

  So why did the thought of never seeing this man again twist my insides into knots? A man who’d shown me genuine kindness and generosity…

  Nobody had done that for me for a long time.

  It was like he was my glimmer of hope. The small light in my shit life.

  But I knew I couldn’t get attached. He was just being kind to me…

  Nothing more.

  Lazarus parked outside of my apartment, and I swallowed in embarrassment, because he had to witness me living in such a rough area. An area where knife crime was paramount, and there were police patrolling the streets every other day. Not to mention my apartment was almost like living in a bin.

  I shook my head, doing my best to push my doubts and insecurities to the back of my mind. I made my way inside my apartment, and he followed suit, not saying a word. I was welcomed by Sophia, still sitting on the couch, and she was still watching Prison Break. She’d probably gotten through about three episodes since I’d been away.

  “You’re still awake? I thought I told you not to stay up too long,” I commented, smiling.

  “You know I can’t keep my promises.” Sophia giggled, turning around to face me. “I was enjoying the show too much. I only have two seasons left.”

  I nodded in response, but I knew we couldn’t stick around here for long and just spend time talking. We needed to get out of here, fast.

  “Anyway, we need to leave here now, in case my boss shows up.” I sighed, exhausted. “I got into a bit of a sticky situation at work.”

  Sophia got up on her feet with an alarmed expression on her face.

  “What did you do?” she asked. Her eyes darted backwards and forwards between me and Lazarus, looking confused as t
o why he was here.

  “It doesn’t matter, just get a few of your things, and let’s go,” I said quickly.

  “And who’s this sexy man?” she said coyly, biting her finger at Lazarus.

  I wanted to snap at her for being inappropriate, but Lazarus let out an amused chuckle.

  “He’s a friend from work,” I lied, smiling.

  Sophia nodded.

  “Okay, I’ll go and get my things,” she exclaimed.

  “Make sure you get all your things!” Lazarus called out after her, as she left the living room.

  “What do you mean, all of our things?” I mumbled, turning around to face him.

  “You won’t be living here anymore. You’re coming with me,” Lazarus said, his eyes piercing mine.

  “W-What?” I swallowed. I was caught off guard by this, and didn’t know how to react. “But after today, I won’t have a job, I’ll hardly have any money…”

  “Don’t worry about any of that,” Lazarus reassured me.

  “B-But...”

  “Just trust me,” Lazarus soothed. “We can talk about this later.”

  I had no idea what to think of this, and I had no idea what any of this meant. But I also knew I had to trust him…

  So I let out a feeble nod.

  “Erm, okay…” I managed, scratching my arm awkwardly.

  After we got all of our clothes, we left the flat and drove off with Lazarus. Lazarus made his way to his apartment, driving down the motorway at high speed. He played songs on his Aux to try and lighten the mood and put us at ease, from songs by The Weeknd to songs by French Montana. I tried to relax, but my heart was hammering against my chest the entire journey.

  He arrived at his apartment, parking his car in the driveway, and we made our way inside.

  He had a beautiful penthouse apartment, with a gorgeous city skyline view of London through the windows. It looked so expensive…

  I’d never seen anything like it before. Something so magnificent, so breathtaking. Working-class people like me never got luxuries like this. I knew there was more to this man from the first time I laid eyes on him. I knew he looked powerful and wealthy.