What does it mean to be loved? Love is unconditional, unbreaking, loving someone means you'd do absolutely anything for them! I had never experienced love, not from anyone. I wasn't the daughter my parents wanted, the one they could buy pretty dresses and Barbie's. Because of this I had spent many years practically alone, my little sister Miya was everything they wanted...needed. So I left, I grabbed my old duffle bag out of the wardrobe before stuffing as much in it as I could.
I ran down the stairs throwing the bag over my shoulder, the front door flung open revealing the shocked face of my mom.
"Where are you going?" She threw her keys on the table before slamming the door behind her.
"I'm moving out" I continued down the stairway standing before her
"Why? You cant move out, I don't give you permission" She attempted to grab the bag off my shoulder, yanking at my hair in the process.
"I'm 19 mom. I don't need permission from you, and even if I wasn't, do you seriously think id want to stay in this house much longer?" I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest, I was scared....but she couldn't know that.
"Fine, your a mess anyway. Your father will be happy that the disappointment is out of the house" she rummaged through her bag, before flinging a wad of cash in my direction. "Just go, obviously we aren't good enough for you."
"I don't want your dirty money. Give it to Miya, she can continue her long serving drug addiction". I threw the money in her face before running out of the house. I regretted how she found out, but I knew they'd probably blame it on me anyway.
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I had been saving money since I was 13. I walked dogs, babysat, delivered newspapers and even washed manky windows, and at the end of it I had managed to scrounge enough money for a plane ticket to New York a place I hoped would change everything.
But I was wrong.
If you weren't lucky, you could easily get swallowed up by New York and just forgotten. I had tried to get jobs, every kind of job going....but I just couldn't. It has been a week since I left home, and I was penniless and alone in one of the biggest cities ever. I was pulled out of my thoughts by the roaring noise escaping from an open door down an alley way ahead. I tentatively made my way down the alley, constantly checking behind me.
"Excuse me miss" A broad man bellowed before me, folding his bulging arms.
"Me?" I pointed to myself, before crossing my arms tightly.
"Do you see any other ladies down this alley way?" He gestured around me, my eyes following. I hadn't noticed the crowed of men who stood around, some chatting and some fighting.
"No..." I tried not to sound timid, but my voice failed me. "What is this place?"
"Well I suppose you could call it a club" he smirked
"So like a night club then?"
"Perhaps. But only men are allowed in..." he raised his eyebrows, waiting for me to realise.
"But your like halving your profit!" We stood silent for a while, before it finally clicked "Oh its a strip club then"
"We prefer the term Gentlemen's club" He paused, obviously considering something "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave unless you want a job...then I can help you."
"If I did who would I have to talk too?" I pulled my jacket around myself, the cold air cooling my bones.
"Angelo is in charge of recruiting the girls.." He looked away, probably expecting me to leave.
"Are you going to show me this Angelo?"
"Fine...follow me." He huffed loudly, before gesturing to one of the men who took over his post.
He led me down what was probably the longest corridor, the walls were covered with a thick purple velvet, heavy gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling which was covered in the same wallpaper. We stopped at the end of the corridor, as a small stocky man approached.
"Dom where's Angelo?"
"Where did you find your little friend Joey?" he smiled at me, his white teeth standing out against his dark tanned skin.
"Outside." they both smirked at each other, causing my eye brows to rise inquisitively. "She wants a job"
"Angelo will love her, she's exactly the type of girl he's been looking for"
"And what is that exactly?" They both jumped, obviously not expecting me to speak.
"bellissimo, fiducioso but a bit of a cagna" Dom laughed.
"What? I don't speak gibberish" he laughed at me again before sighing.
"Beautiful, confident but a bit of a b!tch" Joey muttered
"Excuse me! I am no b!tch!-"
"Look. You want a job or not?" Dom interrupted, obviously impatient. I nodded lightly, before they both took off down the corridor again.
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After what felt like a year we finally found Angelo. I stood outside his office, alone, as Dom and Joey had left me in this place. The door creaked open as a tall girl pranced out, her hair messy and her makeup smudged. "Enter" A voice echoed from the inside of the room. I pushed myself off the wall, straightening out my hair which clung to the back off my collar.
I closed the door behind me, the room falling dark. A dim red light lit up one corner of the room where a large black desk sat. Angelo sat behind it, his broad shoulders flexing as he placed his hands behind his head. His face fell into a contented smirk, his hair also messy.
"Sit down" His voice filled the room, as I stalked towards him. I sat down opposite him, the cold leather armchair dipping slightly. "So. Dom and Joey tell me you want a job in this fine establishment"
"well...any job really"
"I need to set one thing straight. If you come to work here, there is no leaving. The line of work we work in is very exclusive, we cant have people finding out about our little business here." He leaned forward, his face becoming illuminated by the red light. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen, his every single feature was utter perfection. "You could be very successful here, I just need you to be sure"
"So..what does this job involve?" I leant backwards
"Well, obviously we run a gentlemen's club so its not all rainbows and lollypops. You'd obviously be one of the show girls, you'd get your own room, costumes and stage time. We only make our girls perform, but obviously its up to them if they want to...earn a bit on the side." He paused "Whats your name?"
"Vanessa"
"farfalle" he muttered. He realised my dumbfounded expression "it means butterfly. Its a very beautiful name...very fitting. Now obviously you have a character to emulate"
"Cant I just be me?" I smirked.
Angelo burst out laughing, clutching at his chest. "Oh farfalle! Don't be silly." He pretended to wipe the tears from his eyes "The men don't come here for daddy issues and mood swings. They want an experience... Let me think... We need a bad girl, someone dangerous and dark... do you think you could do that?"
"I suppose I could."
"Great. Well I have work to do, get to know the club, meet the girls... you start tomorrow." He shooed me away, before looking back down at his work.
I closed the door behind me, before turning and looking both ways...I had no clue where to go."You must be new around here?" I jumped slightly before seeing the girl who was stalking her way towards me. Her blonde hair was tightly wrapped around curlers on her head and she wore a thin pink silk kimono. "is it that obvious?" I asked, trying to hide the fact I was terrified of what I had just signed myself up for."No... but Joey told me to come get you and show you around..." her face lit up "I'm Carly but around here I go by Angel" she looked at me expectantly "Vanessa" "you look like a Vanessa!" she chirped "do you have a stage name yet?""no... do I need one?" "it's preferred.. plus you don't want some pervert knowing your real name." she turned around and began walking down the corridor, noticing my lack of movement she yelled over her shoulder "are you coming or shall I just leave you there like a lost puppy?" ---"and this is the main stage" she pointed to the large wooden
My meeting with Christiano had left me completely frazzled. I was in such a state of shock, that I completely forgot where my room was. I kept walking the hallways avidly looking for my door. Eventually I found the room, running inside I closed the door firmly behind me. I cannot believe what just happened, I had thought I had more self restraint than that but there was just something that made me trust him..which I knew was absolutely stupid because it would come back to bite me.I needed to sort my head out, was I actually beginning to sucombe to this lifestyle? After one of the longest shower in history I threw myself on the bed, allowing the soft silk covers to suck me in.----"svegliati baby" a vague voice echoed through my dreams. "'svegliati" a warm hand caressed my face, shocking me awake."what the fúck?" I blurted out, my heart racing inside of my chest"hey mind your language baby" Christiano stood up off the bed, straightening up his suit."why are you in my room? have yo
"Get what ever you want" Christiano looked up briefly from his phone before looking straight back down.He had decided that I needed to go shopping as it was a, and I quote "girl thing". "I hate shopping" I groaned, my eyes searching the racks of clothing before me."But when I brought Angel shopping she practically died on the spot" he looked so confused... "I thought all girls like to shop?""I am not a typical girl. Shopping is my last priority" I huffed loudly, trying to emphasise my boredom "you are trouble already." he tucked his phone away in his blazer pocket before turning and looking across the street "ice cream? please say you like ice cream" "i love ice cream!" ----Once we had finished the most chocolaty sundae ever Christiano took me back to the club. It was strange seeing normal people, living normal lives. Even though my stay had been short, my world had become completely different.As we walked back into the club the air was filled with shouting. "But I haven't b
3 weeks laterI can't believe they haven't found me yet.Me and Sam really hit it off, we tried being friends, that lasted all of 1 day. He is better than Christiano, kinder, gentler. He let me move into his apartment outside of the city and I actually felt safe here. I knew the were looking for me, I knew Christiano was going mad. But I had to keep hiding, I hoped they would eventually give up... eventually realise I hadn't gone to the police and just wanted to forget everything that happened. I got a job as a barista in the local coffee shop, and for once in my life things were starting to look up. ---I heard the chimes jingle above the door from the stock room. I placed the magazine I was reading on the table before walking through to the front of the shop. A short stocky man stood on the other side of the counter, clutching onto a smart phone. "what can I get you?" "Espresso please." he barely looked up but kept typing away on his phone. I felt like I had see him before somew
"Do you know who these men are Vanessa?" Sam's eyes burnt through me"Of course she does" Christiano grinned wildly"Is someone going to tell me what the fúck is going on?!" I stared blankly at Sam, he had seemed so calm before today, I thought he was different, I thought I was safe"Calm down blondie!" Angelo chuckled, leaning against the wall."All you need to know is that... that..." I didn't know what to say... if I told him who they were they would kill him and probably lock me away in a dungeon somewhere. "Let's say I'm her old boss." Christiano began pacing around the room, his hands placed firmly in his pockets."okay I get that... but why are you so desperate to find her? she quit get over it dude!" Sam shut up. "I think you'll find 'dude' that she didn't quit but in fact ran away" I could tell her was going to loose it, he began rubbing his hands over his face, the smirk falling into a deep set scowl."Are you seriously that desperate that you have to gather up your... you
"Get in the car" Christiano's tone was cold and harsh."You don't have to be so mean. It's not like I have a choice!" he laughed lightly... why does he find everything I say funny?"just get in baby" I sighed, before stepping into the long black car that waited outside. I shuffled over to the seat as far away from Christiano as possible. "I won't bite... unless you want me to" he winked"can you just be normal for 5 minutes""I am being normal. This is my normal" he smiled, genuinely he smiled. I was shocked, I didn't think he could smile... his face would probably crack if he smiled for too long.----The car pulled up outside of the club, a crowed of men stood around as usual. As soon as we stepped out of the car they all fell silent and nodded towards Christiano. I'd never stopped and actually considered what it must feel like to be so respected by so many people... I'd never had respect before, I wouldn't even know how to deal with it.As we walked into the club Christiano shut th
2 weeks later "That was terrible Gabrielle" Dom shouted from his seat at the bar. "That was the worst dance I've ever seen" "Dom I will kick your arse" Gabrielle stood at the edge of the stage, hands on her hips "Hey its not my fault you can't dance very well" he held up his hands "Dom give her a break" Sasha walked in and sat down at a booth near the center of the room "I'd like to see you hanging upside down" "what is going on?" Carly sat down on the booth next to me, passing me a glass of vodka."Dom just walked into the lions den" "poor man. Them two are crazy" she picked up her glass before taking a sip out of it"Why is everyone just sitting around?" Christino walked into a room, a group of men behind him"Dom is being mean again" Gabrielle said as she stepped off the stage grabbing her kimono and pulling it around herself. "Dom is aloud to be mean. That's his thing..plus we had this conversation before Gabrielle, you need to respect my men, they keep you and your $10, 0
"I know what just happened was probably scary for you girls but can you please be quiet?!" Angelo stood on the stage with all of us seated around him, the room fell silent. "Thank you" he cleared his throat before looking around the room "Obviously it's not safe here anymore. If the Russians know we are here then all of our enemies know we're here" "stating the obvious" Sasha muttered, crossing her arms over her chest"Sasha did I ask for your contribution?" he stared at her until she submitted, shaking her head. "good. now we need to relocate the club... and that's going to take some time. so whilst we do that you girls are moving onto the estate" "seriously?" Sasha shot up off her seat, excitement rushing through her"yes..." Angelo trailed off, obviously worried by her giddiness... But I was worried too... not because of Sasha... The location of the estate was a mystery, I've heard rumours the whole Italian Mafia in New York lives there...and that's a lot of men with guns. Plus