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touch.’
    I shrugged. ‘You don’t have to worry about me. I don’t even know how to lap dance. It’s my first night.’
    ‘Bullshit’ he spat.
    ‘It’s true. You’ll see when I get on the podium. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know any pole tricks. I’ll probably fall off the goddamn thing.’
    ‘You must have stripped before?’ This one looked forty but was probably twenty-seven. He was balding and paunchy. Office jobs seemed to do that to a fellow.
    ‘No,’ I lied.
    ‘Are you nervous?’ asked the youngest.
    ‘I’m shitting bricks.’
    Fat guy leaned back and laughed, spilling scotch on his ample thigh. ‘So what made you decide to do this?’
    ‘I’m studying to be a beauty therapist,’ I said, ‘and the fees are, like, so expensive. I was working part time in Coles but it just wasn’t enough money.’
    ‘Not putting yourself through medical school then?’ he sneered.
    You impotent prick, I thought, smiling sweetly.
    ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ The young one was awkward in his cheap suit. ‘What does he think about you working here?’
    ‘No, no boyfriend.’ I tried to look wistful. ‘I don’t think you can do this sort of work and have a relationship.’
    The young guy nodded. ‘I’m Tim.’
    ‘Vivien’
    ‘Like that’s your real name.’ Fat guy nudged bald guy.
    ‘Tim’s in love.’ They laughed and Tim blushed. ‘Hey, Vivien, Tim’s never been to a titty bar before. Why don’t you give him a lap dance?’
    ‘Yeah,’ laughed bald guy, ‘it’ll be hilarious. Like two virgins trying to have sex.’
    Fat guy took out his wallet and angled it so I could see his big wad of cash. He plucked out a twenty and checked it carefully in the low light, making sure it wasn’t a fifty. He held the note out then pulled it back when I reached for it: ‘Uh-uh.’ He pointed to my leg. His fat sweaty fingers fumbled around my garter.
    ‘OK, Tim, let’s go.’ I stood up.
    ‘Can’t you do it here?’ bald guy whined. I shook my head and led Tim over to the couches. He sat down with his hands in his lap.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I’ve never done this before.’
    ‘It’s pretty easy. You’ve just got to sit there and try not to touch me.’
    A schmaltzy song by some American boy band was playing. Not my preferred stripping music but it would have to do. I looked over at another girl lap dancing and copied her. I swayed in front of Tim, took off my top and shorts, and then my bikini. I put my knees on either side of his legs and pushed my breasts close to his face.
    When I put a palm to his chest for support I felt his heart beating like a frightened rabbit. At the end of the second song I bent over in front of him.
    ‘There you go,’ I said, putting on my clothes.
    ‘That was great.’ Tim stood up. ‘Do you want to come back over and have a drink with us?’ His companions were laughing and waving. Aurora saved me.
    ‘She’s due up on the podium, sweetie.’ She took my arm and led me away. ‘I can’t believe you got a dance out of those tight-arses.’
    ‘Hardest twenty bucks I ever made.’
    ‘It gets easier. You ever worked in sales?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I used to work at a cosmetics counter, commission work. It’s quite similar.’ Aurora opened the door to the girls’ room. ‘There was this one girl, Samantha, not that great looking, average body, but she came here with a telemarketing background. Direct sales? Made an absolute fortune. Bought a house.’
    ‘Wow.’ We were at the backstage area, peering through the curtains.
    ‘You’re on two,’ said Aurora, ‘the middle one.’
    A statuesque redhead was hanging upside down on the pole, spinning around.
    ‘What the fuck,’ I said.
    ‘That’s Flame. She’s a pole-dancing champion, won the state finals last year and came runner-up in the nationals.’
    Chloe had mentioned that Flame was kind of like Frank’s girlfriend. ‘I can’t do that.’
    ‘You don’t have to. Just go and be sexy.