Page 78 of Sling’s Awakening

Oh god, Sling.

He knows I manage the club, but he hasn’t met stripper Gin. It’s one thing to go to a club and hang out, but it’s a whole different thing to have it be your girl up there dancing for other men. Some guys can’t handle it. I’ve seen too many relationships end because the guy loses his fucking mind, and that’s your girl's job. It’s how she’s putting food on the table, whether you like it or not.

Something tells me he wouldn’t be happy, but I guess what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. He’s probably busy with that fucking chode, anyway.

“I can’t fucking believe this.” Hex seethes as she paces back and forth in the dressing room. “Just where does he get off thinking he can demand shit like this?”

I open my mouth to respond to her, but she continues her rant.

“And to tell you you’re saggy?” Hex exclaims as she looks at me with wide eyes as her hands shake toward me in emphasis. “You! You’re a hot ass bitch. I can only hope and pray I look like you when I’m thirty one.”

“Babe, you’re turning thirty next year. You’re basically already there and you’re a fucking smoke show,” I tell her.

Hex waves me off. “Don’t remind me. If I knew he didn’t have that freaky coke-head strength going on right now, I would punch him right in the dick.”

“And the small fact that you need this job,” I tell her, unable to contain my laugh.

Hex has always been my girl.

She shrugs. “You and I both know that’s an empty threat. He can’t keep any of the new hires. This place would go up in flames without us.”

I close my eyes and hold my breath as I douse my face in hairspray, making sure my makeup doesn’t move under the lights as I think over what she just said.

Hex isn’t wrong, but also am I willing to risk it?

I fluff my hair at the root, giving it a little more oomph before I grab the curling iron and touch up some of the curls.

I’m not willing to risk it all right now.

“I get Jinx calling off because spinning around while you have the flu sounds fucking miserable, but Curse could have come in. Stripping on your period sucks, but we’ve all cut the tampon string before and sucked it up,” I grumble as I wrap a strand of hair around the curling iron.

I know I’m being a bitch, but this just all around sucks.

“I think she just didn’t want to be around Russ,” Hex adds as she does her hair next to me. “He’s been on one lately.”

I set the curling iron down and hold the curl while it cools. “I don’t know what the hell is going on with him, but I’m going to figure it out. It can’t continue like this. When I came in tonight, he was doing coke in his office,” I tell her, lowering my voice at the end in case he’s outside the dressing room door listening.

He more than likely isn’t, but you never know with him.

Hex rolls her eyes as she continues to mess with her hair. “Of course he is. ”

“I wish I were.” I grab another chunk of hair as I pick up the curling iron and wrap it around it. “So stay clear of him tonight.”

I don’t know how much he’s done or what else he’s taken. Everything seems to have him on edge, and I don’t know what would set him off.

“Fucking great,” Hex mumbles. “Do you know what you’re going to do for your sets?”

My head tilts back as a groan leaves my lips. “Girl, I have no idea. I haven’t been on stage in so long. I’m planning to rely on muscle memory and hope I don’t fall flat on my ass, I guess.”

God, I won’t be able to show my face in here again if I bust my ass up there in front of everyone. Maybe that’s what Russ is counting on. It would be an easy way to get me out.

“You’re not going to fall on your ass, Gin,” Hex tells me as she sprays her hair with the same can of spray I used on my face. “You’d be surprised what your body can do and what it remembers. I think you should look at this as your wellness check.”

I laugh.

My wellness check.

“Let me warm them up for you that way they know what to expect when they keep seeing the wellness check.” I laugh with Hex. “Especially when they see me in this fucking outfit.”