LaraIt's showtime.We're dancing. There's no sign of Dexter as he didn't book a session with me beforehand. I still have to do this, though, as people might find it suspicious if I only ever dance when Dexter is around. Anyone could book me. I'm prepared for that, too. In a few hours' time, I have five separate private shows. I'm amazed by the amount. It's about fifteen minutes each, and I can make a respectable amount of tips. Ambrose will pay me afterward. It's quite a lot of money for me, and that is what keeps me dancing for these strange men who gaze upon my body with lust. At first, I'm afraid, but then I realize that they're not allowed to touch me, not if I don't want them to. I do what everyone else does; I let them touch my waist and my belly. Oliver says it's a good way to build a connection with the clients. That way, they'll keep coming back. I let this happen, but they never take it far. I count the seconds until I'm done. Then, I return to the main area after tucking

LaraAfter work, I find Ander in the living room of our apartment. I'm exhausted, mentally and physically. I try to paste a smile on my face and ask, "Hey, bud. What have you been up to all day?"He stands up and walks up to me to give me a hug. His arms are loose around me and he's not enthusiastic at all about any of this. I feel so bad. He says, "I've just been playing around.""Yeah?" I ask. "Weekend is coming up. I'll ask my boss for a few days off so we can go on a trip. I've been making really good money. Should we have a pizza for dinner? What do you think?""Sure," is all he says.The pizza comes and we have his favorite, which is pizza with pepperoni. We're eating directly across from each other. I watch his face for any emotion but he doesn't give anything away. He's eating silently. I then ask him, "Is something wrong? Something you want to talk about?"He puts his slice of pizza down on his plate and says, "You never told me much about my dad."I feel acid burning all th

DexterThe room is completely dark and what little light is streaming into the room is coming from the lamp post outside. It’s bathing the entrance in an orange light, but that isn’t enough to fully see. I look around for the kid and don’t see him, not right away. By now, he’s probably seen that I followed him, so he must be hiding. Before I utter a word, I look around in hopes of spotting him. I have no luck.“Kid?” I ask as I look around. No answer comes from him. I add, “I saw you come in here. Are you seriously going to act like you’re not here?”Still, no answer. “Fine. We’ll just stay here the whole night. I have time.”He’ll definitely hesitate after this. Nobody wants to be caught sneaking in anywhere. As for me, I could always say that I found the door open. I fold my arms and lean against the doorframe. Although I’m curious to look around, I know better than to turn on the lights. Finally, I hear a sigh. “I just came in for some snacks.”“So, you are here?”“Could you cl

LaraI’m the first to break the kiss.We stare into each other’s eyes for a long while. To me it feels long, but perhaps only a handful of seconds have passed. Dexter lowers his eyes and looks the other way before stepping away from me altogether. He appears embarrassed. This display of—I’m not even sure what that was—dampens my feelings of anger for a moment. Maybe it’s because I’m just too stunned to react. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles before reaching for the door and leaving. Once the door is closed, I wipe my mouth with my hand repeatedly but even that doesn’t make me feel clean enough. Ambrose walks into the room almost immediately. “What happened? Did he attack you?”“Yes, he did.”“Let me see,” he says as he angrily strides toward me. I show him my neck and he seethes. “I should have done something to prevent this. I should never have let him come in here!”I touch my neck gingerly. I space out for a short while and think back to the kiss while Ambrose goes on about aborting the

LaraI've just dropped off Ander.He's enjoying school more than I thought he would. He's adapted so quickly even though there's so much he doesn't know. The good thing is that I didn't neglect his education as he was growing up. I taught him how to read and do sums. It's paying off because this teacher, a Mrs. Ferrel, told me that she's impressed by his skills. I couldn't be happier. But my happiness is marred by the fact that I might not have a job by the end of this week. It's been seven whole days since I saw Dexter, and I'm starting to think that he won't come back at all.If he doesn't, then it means the end of my employment. I'll have to talk to Ambrose about it and I'll do it as soon as I arrive at the strip club. I'm someone who likes to have things organized, so I want to know what my choices are. I've decided that I want to remain in the city and I'll do anything I can to stay here. Life in Elwood was too simple and not right for a growing boy. He doesn't have to live w