But it was a job, and a high-paying one at that.

 

Despite how low the attendance was on some days, the gigs here were coveted. Reliable, well-paid in advance, quiet clientele – from everything Ashe could tell, the club was open most days but only offered jobs on a limited basis, perhaps by seniority, perhaps to encourage new talent. All she knew was if they offered a night, you’d be stupid not to take it.

 

“Here you are!” The receptionist chirped enthusiastically. “Thanks for coming in tonight! You get two drinks – before or after the show doesn’t matter, as long as you’re all good for it. You know the drill.” She winked.

 

At the very least, people seemed to be recognizing her more and more lately. Ashe smiled and walked into the lobby, hand shielding her eyes from the bright neon light of the club’s motto shining above her. She headed down the hallway, drink tickets clasped in her other hand. She’d arrived a bit earlier than scheduled. A drink wouldn’t be the worst idea.

 

She found herself waiting at the bar, half sat in a seat as she checked her phone. It was early enough that the bar wasn’t staffed yet, though there were employees and a few patrons milling about. If Ashe was honest with herself, it wasn’t so much that she was being recognized as it was that people stared at her more often, these days. She’d been working hard lately – learning from every performance, changing her routines and outfits based on reception, working on the fine details of her makeup. As a performer, she was used to prolonged stares and attention, and a part of her took pride in the noticeable uptick compared to her previous times here. Though, maybe they’d just noticed she was tonight’s entertainment. Maybe the feeling of being watched, of being leered at was just plain old lust.

 

“First time at Ground Zero?” An unfamiliar voice caught Ashe’s attention. Their eyes wandered to her chest as she held the night-pass badge up half-heartedly, about to explain.

 

“Ah, no need, I see you’re entertainment. Well, don’t let me keep you!”

 

Ashe sighed as she watched the patron walk back towards the club floor. So much for being more recognizable lately.

 

No, no. That was hardly the approach to starting the night. Tonight, she was sexy, she was unattainable. She was confident. Her looks could kill. And by the end of the night, they’d never forget her.

 

“I remember you! Ashe, right? I’m Elle.”

 

Ashe looked up, visibly caught off guard. The woman couldn’t have been more than five years older than her, her hair swept into a short ponytail behind her. Most of the club members were older, but Ashe spotted a Member’s Only wristband on her hand holding a drink. Where had she gotten a drink?

 

“I mean how could I forget! That one night you did, I think maybe a couple of weeks ago… Phew!” The young woman mock swept at her forehead. “When you did that fake out, and it looked like you were about to fall off of the pole, but caught and lifted yourself before the very bottom, now that’s some lower body strength.”

 

Elle prattled on about the performance she had seen before Ashe had an opportunity to even speak. She did remember that performance – it was in fact over a month ago, before she’d started dedicatedly working on her routine, and she’d still apparently made enough of an impact that someone remembered the entire thing. It was enough to make her blush.

 

“You know, you’re actually kind of the reason I joined the club! It’s a whole process, with a waiting period and everything.” Elle flashed her wristband. “I’m still newish so I’ve got to wear this. I’ve been attending hoping you’d show up again, so I guess it’s my lucky day. You know, the other day I’d swung by and watched a show, not as good as you of course, but the performer then happened to…

 

…

 

“…ah, but it’s getting close to that time. Sorry the bartender hasn’t showed up yet. Do you want mine?” Elle offered her drink, before thinking otherwise and bringing it back to her side. “On second thought, don’t want to mess with your game. Find me after, and I’ll buy you one – how does that sound?”

 

She patted Ashe’s shoulder encouragingly twice and walked down the hallway, Ashe blinking away the flattering, albeit strange interaction she’d just had with the woman talking her ear off until her sense of time melted. She checked her phone and rushed to the dressing room with renewed vigor. Sure, she’d wanted to prepare a bit earlier, but the confidence boost was worth it.

 

Tonight, she was sexy, unattainable. Confident. In charge.

 

 

Ashe peered out from the back of the stage. A sizeable crowd, a few people in the preferential seating closer to the stage. Some employees, likely on break were watching from the sidelines. Just another minute, and she’d begin her well-rehearsed act. In half a minute, she’d be radiant, confident, blinding. Just seconds now. She took a deep breath, eyes darting around her soon-to-be captive audience. She couldn’t help but notice Elle was nowhere to be found.

 

But, she wasn’t doing this for Elle.

 

The music started, and so did she.

 

Moving and dancing to the rhythm was no difficult task. It was about flexibility, fluidity, being able to improvise slower movements while making eye contact and spreading her attention as widely as possible. She thrived like this, she loved this. Patrons whistled and egged her on, hollered compliments and gasped at her body, lithe, posed, perfect. Ultimately, this wasn’t about the recognition, or even the audience. Ashe did this because she was amazing while doing it, because she’d worked hard and owned it. Because she was beautiful at it. As she moved towards the pole part of her routine, she found herself panting not from exertion, but from excitement. From how well it was going, from how perfectly she was nailing every move. She couldn’t help but squeeze her thighs together, her body feverish with anticipation.

 

…

 

Before Ashe realized it, she was soaring. Effortlessly her body wove into practiced movements as she balanced herself precariously, masterfully near the top of the pole. She blinked in confusion – how had she lost time in the middle of her routine? Judging by the song playing, it’d been…nearly five minutes? Maybe she’d practiced so much it was like second nature, that she’d zoned out… Irresponsible, but impressively so as the people continued to cheer her on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Closer to the ceiling of the stage, lights and figures reflected onto her from the club’s VIP luxury boxes hanging from the second floor. Ashe looked up at her reflection, hardly recognizing the confident, barely-dressed, flushed woman staring back at her. She knew they were one-way mirrors, and she’d gotten compliments before for that part of the routine. How did you know they were watching you? How did you manage to look directly in their eyes through the mirror?

 

They didn’t know – they didn’t know that secretly, that every time Ashe looked up with reverence, made eye contact with her obscured audience, she was watching only her own piercing eyes look back down at herself, enraptured.

 

This was all for Ashe.

 

The ending approached as she was suddenly thrust out of her self-enamored reverie by gravity and a pit in her stomach signaling the impending drop. She, she had zoned out again, had lost track, hadn’t realized, hadn’t the time to set up,

 

she fell,

 

she caught herself,

 

right before she hit the floor.

 

Ashe gasped for air as she felt her cunt clench rhythmically, fighting to keep her eyes from glazing over.

 

 

She extricated herself from the pole to the sounds of roaring ovation, nearly shaking, and immediately faced away not even daring to check if it was wet or not. She gave a quick bow to the front and hurried herself behind the curtains to gather herself. It was usually polite to see off the next performer, but she was– caught up in herself, only doing this for herself, no—

 

She was concerned about herself. Something was wrong.

 

She staggered down the stairs to the stage and slumped into a chair, her legs still weak from the exercise, and from…

 

She clenched her thighs out of embarrassment and immediately relaxed them, yelping at her body’s reminder, a lingering ghost of orgasmic pleasure.

 

She clenched her thighs again, mmff.

 

She clenched her thighs once more, a softer pang of arousal thrumming throughout her entire body.

 

She clenched—

 

“That, was, amazing!” Elle descended upon her with a light blanket out of nowhere.

 

“Let’s go, you seem like you need a break. Come.” Ashe shivered. Before she could protest, her legs began clumsily following in step as Elle grabbed her limp wrist forward, leading her to whatever destination she had in mind.

 

“Just to the dressing room, darling.” Elle turned around and winked. “Everyone’s out, and I’d love to talk to you.”

 

There was something exasperating about suddenly being thrust into work again, about having to smile and entertain and work an overeager patron, but Ashe was too tired, too distracted by her own body’s confusing reactions to pull away.

 

…

..

 

She sat back down. She blinked in confusion once again, the feeling of losing time and zoning back in somewhere else becoming frustratingly familiar. The face looking back at her seemed to be just as perplexed before melting into realization. She was sitting at the full-length mirror. They were back in the dressing room.

 

“Poor Ashe, you’re so out of it,” Elle purred. “It was such an impressive routine I can hardly blame you. You’ve outdone yourself.”

 

Ashe couldn't help but beam at the compliment, the recognition of her hard work. She was exhausted, but she watched her eyes shine with pride. She had outdone herself. She couldn’t necessarily remember this one, but she’d worked on it off stage for certain. It was all her. All for her. Her ankles crossed in youthful glee.

 

“Now, tell me about your outfit.” Elle effortlessly pulled the blanket off, unveiling Ashe’s revealing clothing, or utter lack thereof. “Is this at all in coordination with the song, or tied thematically to the theme of your performance?”

 

Ashe looked up in confusion. “No no, honey.” Elle tilted her chin back towards the mirror. “Don’t look at me. Tell me about you.”

 

She couldn’t help but shrink her body and cover herself with her arms.

 

“Suddenly shy?”

 

She couldn’t help it, she was… the performance was over. It was one thing setting up for the show, or practicing in the same mindset, but she was tired, and it was over, and her body was… her body was just tired, too. Maybe she’d practiced too much.

 

“I must say, it’s a really bold choice to have drenched panties be part of the overall look,” Elle murmured into her ear.

 

Ashe snapped her head back towards Elle in indignation and embarrassment but was met with a finger to her lips.

 

“Shh, baby. So eager to look into my eyes?”

 

They were green.

 

“I’m trying to do things a little differently today, and I’d like to talk about you…”

 

Her eyes smiled.

 

“Earth to Ashe?”

 

Elle’s eyes furrowed in surprise and amusement.

 

“You’re very easy… …to talk with!” She fought back a laugh as she took Ashe’s face with both hands and gently guided it towards the mirror once more.

 

“Tell me about the theme of your act,” she asked yet again. “There is one, surely?”

 

What answer was she looking for? It wasn’t that deep, she’d performed for the audience, for the club as her client, for…

 

“Unless this is all just for you?” Elle whispered, the words sending a shiver down her spine.

 

“…me.”

 

“Good girl,” Elle gushed, her hands dropping from Ashe’s cheeks down to her shoulders, rubbing them gently. Her voice lowered. “When you were performing, the boxes – could you see who was in them? You stared straight at me, you know.”

 

Idly, Ashe realized that Elle had been watching the whole time.

 

“But you weren’t looking at me, were you? Who were you looking at?”

 

Ashe’s hips twitched as arousal like lightning struck between her legs.

 

“…me.”

 

“So confident, so about yourself! I love it,” Elle panted into her ear as her hands started gingerly playing with Ashe’s nipples. “Does that turn you on? Seeing you display yourself for others?”

 

Was it that, the display for others? She watched her reflection lightly furrow her brow.

 

“Or was it,” Elle appended quickly, “seeing the lengths that you yourself can go to?”

 

Ashe gasped at the ministrations, voice caught in her throat.

 

“So what really turns you on is…”

 

“Me,” she whimpered.

 

“You’re telling me you get off on seeing you debauch yourself?” Elle barked with laughter. “Oh, I knew I was right about you, selfish girl.”

 

That sent alarm bells ringing through her head, alarm bells that were immediately deafened by a piercing moan from her own lips.

 

“You can’t fault me, Ashe.” Elle twisted the other nipple idly. “After all, it’s ‘you’ that I want. And what ‘you’ are, is delicious…” She nibbled her ear and trailed her tongue down Ashe’s neck.

 

“Delectable,” she planted kisses down her shoulder.

 

“And in danger.” Elle bit just above her collarbone.

 

Ashe fought a pained, lustful yelp.

 

“You see, I want to see, ‘you’, debauch yourself some more…would that be alright?” Elle asked with fake concern. “Would it be okay if you became more depraved? Not for me, but for…”

 

“… …me…!” Ashe gasped as pangs of pleasure left her breathless, helpless.

 

“You sure? I mean, if you really want.” Elle put a palm to Ashe’s back, heaving with shuddering gasps, slick with sweat, and pushed firmly.

 

“Kneel.”

 

Ashe yelped as she tumbled forward, her hands catching against the mirror, unconsciously bringing herself to look back up as she caught her own eyes in her reflection once more.

 

“You know,” Elle mused idly, crossing her arms, “I knew that first night I saw you that this was how we’d end up, somehow. Well, I entered membership, jumped through the hoops and all, so I guess I did put in a good amount of effort,” she chuckled. “You’ll be my first, you know.”

 

“…Me.” Ashe gasped, almost doubling over from the thought of it.

 

“Yes, you! And so I’d like for you to also want it…you know, to consent.”

 

A flicker of concern flashed across her features in the mirror. Consent to what?

 

“It doesn’t matter what it is, you little slut,” Elle growled. “All that matters is that ‘you’ are going to do it. That ‘you’ will do it. Won't you?”

 

At some point, Ashe realized that she’d lost most of what little clothing she had on, that her body coursed with arousal and throbbed with every movement. She hadn’t noticed; she was so focused on…

 

“Your eyes, baby. Bring them back.” A soft, encouraging voice that could do no harm brought her attention back up to her reflection. “There we go. As I was saying… who’s going to do this?”

 

“…M-me?”

 

“You want to be mine? You want to leak yourself away for me?”

 

Ashe had caught glimpses of what the club looked like when performances were over. What would her eyes look like, gone, as helpless as the rest of the girls who were often paraded on the floor like trophies? Would she look as lost as they were? Would she look nearly as happy?

 

Elle whispered into her ear once again. “A part of you yearns to see the light leave your own eyes. And why would you deny yourself that?”

 

Ashe’s body was still as it came, her hazy eyes locked onto her reflection’s, the only evidence dripping down her thighs.

 

“My bad, not for me, no. No, this…” Elle trailed her fingers against Ashe’s trembling wet thigh. “This is all for you baby,” she cooed. “All for ‘you’.”

 

…

..

.

 

“Back, are we? Keep touching yourself.”

 

Ashe’s panties had been removed, and her hands pawed against her body without a thought. Elle sat behind her on the stool, her hands draped over Ashe’s shoulders possessively.

 

“Who asked for this?”

 

“Me,” Ashe panted.

 

“Who’s doing this to you?”

 

“Me,” she whimpered, her reflection’s eyes steadfast.

 

“Who’s making you feel this good?”

 

“M-Me!” Her voice croaked as she drew closer to oblivion.

 

“Who’s going to break you?”

 

Ashe let out a guttural moan as she came, soaking her fingers and the floor underneath. Her piercing gaze, turned empty, turned gone as her eyes rolled up into her head and she slumped against the mirror, limbs limp and lifeless against her mirror image.

 

Elle stood up and stretched, utterly sated with her own private performance. “I’ll be right back with that drink I promised you dear, and…” She spotted two slips as she leaned down to pick them up. “…your own two! My, oh my.” She bit her lip as she stared at the unconscious, empty girl by her feet.

 

“I’m afraid soon there won’t be very much of ‘you’ left.”