Nicole awoke to the sound of rain hammering against her apartment window and groggily rolled over to check her alarm clock. Without her glasses she had to squint to make out the green LED’s but after a moment she guessed it was around 7:00am, she groaned and rolled over hoping to get at least another few hours sleep before she had to wake up and prepare for her evening job. Her 25 years had, like most people’s lives, had some ups and downs. Born to a middle class family she was well provided for, throughout her school years she was always in the top 5% of her classes and her teenage years had transformed her from a girl into an attractive young woman, standing at approximately 5’7 with long auburn hair and a firm 32c cup bust.
Her fortunes had changed the day she left for university. Her family had driven the 4 hours across the state to her chosen school and helped her unpack and settle into the dormitory accommodation and as a final goodbye taken her out to dinner. Elated at the prospect of her first taste of independence she decided that was the best time to let her parents into her secret, to finally let them meet the real Nicole. She was nervous at first but as each word came from her mouth it became easier, that the boyfriends and prom-dates she’d introduced to them had been just well meaning friends, part of the rouse to hide the fact that she only had eyes for other girls. Scarcely another word was spoken for the rest of the evening, and their final goodbyes were curt hugs and polite “be careful’s”.
The weeks and months of silence that followed spoke volumes to Nicole, she had been right all along and years of care had been undone by a moment of misplaced hope. Four months later, just before christmas, the silence was finally broken. A long email appeared in her inbox which politely asked her not to plan to visit until her “wrongs” had been “righted”. She celebrated christmas and new year alone for the first time in her life, and at the start of the new term her dean of studies informed her that her last tuition payment had not come through.
Her savings covered that expense, but as the bills mounted she had to borrow, and begun a spiral into debt and repayments she could never keep up with. By the beginning of the next term she knew she couldn’t make the tuition payment and resigned to take a break from study. Her prospects looked up as moved between temporary office jobs saving what she could but after 6 months the economy took a downturn and she found herself without a contract. With loan repayments and bills still to pay but more too much independent spirit to grovel to her family she crossed the last line and walked into a local strip club with her resume in hand. That was 5 months ago.
She managed 4 more hours of fitful sleep before her alarm summoned her to get ready to face another day. Climbing out of bed she crossed her bachelor apartment and poured a cup of steaming black coffee, ate a breakfast of fruit, threw on an old pair of jeans and a sweater before heading out to the club. The rain had eased up by the time she set off and she wasn’t too wet when she arrived. “Look what the cat dragged in” was the comment that greeted her, Crystal (Nicole had never bothered to remember her real name) was an older dancer who was starting to rely more on technique than looks to make her money had disliked the younger girl the moment she met her. Nicole had learned slowly to hide her intelligence and distain for the work she was having to do which had set her at odds with girls like Crystal, it probably didn’t help that despite her usually sombre mood, Nicole was usually able to earn roughly the same on her looks alone. She’d made few friends among the DJ’s, bar and security staff, most of whom took it as a given that the girls would practice their lapdances and fuck them from time to time.
She walked into the dressing room and dried her hair and face on a towel sighing as she began to apply the foundation of her makeup and mentally prepare her outfit for the evening. “Nicole!” Her thoughts were broken by the only truly friendly voice she knew at the moment. If you looked up the word “bubbly” in the dictionary you’d find a picture of Amy, she was shorter than Nicole at around 5’3 with long blond hair, blue eyes and a set of slightly enhanced 32d breasts which bounced when she walked. She quickly moved towards the redhead and the two embraced. When Nicole had first arrived at the club Amy had agreed to teach her some dance moves and the two had quickly become friends, having the short blond dancing in her lap as a demonstration had awoken Nicole’s sexual desire for the first time since her misfortunes had begun and the two had shared a bed more than once recently. “Looks like someone has an admirer” Amy gestured to a box addressed to Nicole.
“Oh, you didn’t have to” Nicole blushed looking at Amy, but her expression betrayed that the gift wasn’t from her. “What is it?” She reached out to pick it up.
“Open it and find out!” Amy squeaked curiously.
“No return address, or stamp” Nicole examined the box suspiciously shaking it gently before finally breaking the tape seal with a nail file. Pulling the lid up she found a small glass perfume vaporizer filled with a pale, clear liquid. “Perfume?” She said quizzically. “You were mesmerizing last night, but this will make your act really raise the roof” She read aloud from the note attached to the bottle. She’d danced for a few men last night though non seemed into her enough to send presents. Cautiously she squeezed at the bulb and a fine mist of perfume shot into a clenex she held at the nozzle, bringing it to her nose she inhaled lightly. The scent was surprising too she’d expected something overpowering and tacky the kind of thing Crystal and her ilk were fond of wearing but the smell was subtle and sweet. Not the kind of thing she would perhaps chose to spend money on in a store, but she liked it, and behind her Amy nodded her own approval before adding “You have to wear it, it’s nice and he’ll expect it if he comes back”. Nicole knew that, if her admirer was a regular customer he’d look to smell it on her next time they met. She’d rarely seen a man visit two consecutive nights, but in the hope of solving the mystery (and maybe finding a generous tipper) she resolved to wear a similar outfit to the previous night and her new perfume.
Two hours later the club opened it’s doors to customers and Nicole slipped into a set of almost knee high, heeled boots and glanced at herself one last time in the mirror before heading out. Her outfit perfectly complimented her red hair and pale complexion, a firm, black lace corset and garter belt, finished with the heeled boots. A lot of men liked the slightly gothic look and it meant she didn’t have to force too many smiles if she didn’t feel like it. She’d learned early on that glasses were a liability so she’d taken to wearing contact lenses, tonight her naturally green eyes were masked by deep indigo circle lenses. She picked up the vaporizer and shot a fine mist around herself, breathed deeply and stepped through the curtain into the club.