closed starter ⇾ @mariexbecker
where: dark sensations, bridgeport when: march 2021, early morning, after closing time notes: tw for mentions of past drug use
It had become routine to help out at the end of a shift. Most of the girls just danced and left, seeing it as any other job in the world. But the club was different for Thea. Working at the strip club gave her a sense of power she’d never known was possible. For Thea, things had always been about surviving. She’d done what she had to do from a young age to scrape by but now living here and feeling as good as she did - she was living. And it was largely thanks to her boss. Marie had given her a chance, given her a job behind the bar when she was at her most desperate. Marie had seen the marks on her arms from the drug abuse, the trembling of her hands and sought to help. She’d given her a job and Thea found her feet. She turned to stripping purely because it gave her a sense of control she’d never had before - these men were paying just to look at her body. She could do what she wanted and they weren’t allowed to touch. Anyone that made her feel comfortable would be dealt with swiftly.
Maybe that was why she loved working here so much. She had power, she was safe. And Marie was the reason for it. Maybe that was why she’d insisted on staying after the club was closed to help clean up and ensure Marie would be okay. She didn’t like the thought of her alone in the club and Thea had no issue with spending a little extra time there. After all, she had nothing else planned.
“Seems like we had a good night here,” Thea said, biting into the apple she’d been playing with for the past ten minutes and hopping up to sit on top of the desk Marie was working at. “The club seemed really busy. I guess people need to let loose a little more.” She couldn’t stop herself from grinning at Marie, the woman she’d come to look up to and leaned up, stretching her limbs above her. “You ever think about getting an assistant or something to help you out with all this? Seems like a lot of work.”