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8
EMILIA
Jase and I settled on the dark suede couch and waited for the first dancer who was auditioning. Ours wasn’t some seedy strip club with neon signs and dancers who’d seen better days. We’d worked hard to build a reputation for Meteor as the place for New York’s elite to come and relax in total privacy.
We had entrances shielded from the paparazzi and lookie-loos trying to identify our patrons. Some of them included politicians, judges, celebrities, and businessmen keen to ensure their wives didn’t find out they attended the premises.
The first lady to audition for us was a bust. She stumbled around the pole as though she were drunk. I wasn’t sure if she’d taken something before arriving or was just nervous, but if she couldn’t successfully dance for the two of us, she certainly wasn’t going to be able to handle being on stage in front of potentially hundreds of club members.
I sipped on a club soda with lime as we met dancer after dancer. Jase also stuck to something non-alcoholic, although his choice of beverage was a Coke. We liked to have clear heads when speaking with potential employees, even though we had access to more alcohol than we could drink in a lifetime.
We talked for a few minutes after each audition and made a decision as to whether we’d hire the dancer or not. After a couple of hours, we were down to the penultimate dancer. It was the woman whose photographs had intrigued me the week before when I’d flipped through her file.
We stood as Duncan let her into the private room we used for the auditions and she greeted each of us with a firm handshake, introducing herself. I liked that. I could tell she’d done her research about the club—and us—because of her answers to the standard questions we asked.
I told her about the nursery we had set up for the employees, so their children were close by and safely being cared for while they worked. It had made sense to us when we’d learned how many of the female dancers had young children and unreliable care for them, and they felt better knowing their kids were safe and secure.
This dancer, Luciana, was of Colombian descent and had a two-year-old daughter. She volunteered she was a single mother during our discussion, and it became clear she needed this job based on what she told us. She was trying to make a better life for herself and her child, and being offered a spot at Meteor would help make that happen.
I liked her from the moment I met her. After we finished asking our questions, she stood up to perform the dance she’d been asked to prepare ahead of time.
“Just to be clear, you are not required to strip for the audition. We just want to see you dance.”
She nodded at me. “Yes, that was explained. Thank you.” Moving over to the pole, she nodded at me and I pressed a button to start the music she’d selected.
Luciana was mesmerizing to watch. She moved fluidly, the motions beautiful and addictive. I had no doubt she’d be popular with our patrons, and Jase seemed to agree. He leaned over toward me so he could whisper in my ear.
“She’s lovely. I think she’d be perfect for Meteor.”
“I agree.” We smiled at each other and then gave Luciana our full attention until she finished her performance.
Once it was over, we both stood. “Thank you for your time today, Luciana.” Jase shook her hand. “Both Emilia and I were very impressed by your performance. We’ll have Duncan give a contract of employment to you, and he’ll work with you to arrange childcare for your daughter when you need it.”
Luciana’s eyes widened in surprise and her mouth fell open a little. “Really? I got the job?”
“You got the job.” I gave her a warm smile. “Welcome to the team.”
She let out a little squeak, her face lighting up. “Thank you so much! You have no idea what this opportunity means for me and my daughter.”
“You’re a very talented dancer,” Jase complimented her. “We’ll be lucky to have you working with us at Meteor.”
She shook our hands again enthusiastically and slung her handbag over her shoulder, before slipping through the curtains to exit the room.
Sitting back down again, I rested my head on his shoulder. “I love when people seem eager to come work for us. I think she’ll fit in nicely.” All the people who worked at Meteor were a kind of family. There was no rivalry or quarreling; they all genuinely wanted to be there and helped each other make as much money as possible.
“She will.” He paused for a few moments before continuing. “I guess there’s no more delaying it.”
A laugh burst out of me as I straightened up. “Nope. Time to let Brodie Pierce audition for us.”
The door opened once more and Duncan stepped into the room, the man who was apparently desperate to work at Meteor right behind him. “Well, howdy, y’all!”
I stood and took him in. There was no denying Brodie was an attractive man with a hot body he obviously took care of. He was wearing a pair of jeans that looked as though they’d been spray-painted on him, along with a pair of worn cowboy boots and a Stetson nestled on his head.
And that was all. He was topless, his hairless chest tan and nicely muscled. He sported a six-pack I’m sure went over well with the ladies.
We introduced ourselves and Duncan joined us on the sofa, with me sitting in the middle. After asking him to tell us a little about himself and listening for what felt like an hour as he listed all of his features and accomplishments, we finally got around to the dance.
I was barely able to stop myself from rolling my eyes when his song of choice began and I recognized it was “Pony” by Ginuwine. How original.
