บททั้งหมดของ The Masked Stripper is my Wife. : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

LorettaI had barely settled at my desk when I got to the office when the intercom buzzed.“Loretta,” Mr. Owell’s voice came through, “My office, now”I stood, clutching my notepad and pen like stomach but I walked to his office knocked lightly on his door. “Come in,” he called.I pushed the door open. Mr. Owell was at his desk, a stack of papers spread across the surface. “You needed me, sir?” I asked, keeping my voice professional.He leaned back in his chair, his eyes trailing over me in a way that made me feel exposed. “Yes, these contracts need to be reviewed, sit.”I pulled the chair opposite his desk and sat down, placing my notepad on my lap. He slid a set of documents toward me.“Go through this and mark the sections with errors,” he said. “Of course, sir.” I picked up the papers, scanning them quickly.As I worked, I felt his eyes on me, my skin prickled under his stare, and I tried to focus on the words on the page.“You know,” he began casually, “you looked stunning at

Loretta That night, I lay awake staring at the ceiling. My body was exhausted, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw bills stacked like bricks on top of me, rent, utilities, and the reminder of my father’s debt. My bank account was shrinking so fast it felt like I was watching sand drain through an hourglass. I couldn’t flip back over. I hated the feeling of being powerless and hated needing Tonia to cover for me. She never complained, but I hate that I am a burden to her even though she earns more. She deserved better than carrying both of us. And then,a thought came to my mind, I have been thinking about it for a few days now. I could join Tonia at the club where she strips, I know she has brought up the idea of me joining her several times but I turned it down.But considering the situation I am in right, and how much Tonia earns, she comes home with cash, thick stacks of it most times, and she always paid her share of the rent on time, she even p

Loretta Two months in, and I have gotten used to the rhythm of the club, the heavy bass, the drunken cheers, the smell of sweat mixed with perfume. What I hadn’t gotten used to was how fast nights seemed to disappear. You walked in, changed, painted your face into someone else’s, danced, smiled, collected bills, and before you knew it, it was past two in the morning. A few weeks since I started at the club, and the shock of being on stage had dulled into something I could handle. I had learned how to move, how to smile at the right moments, and how to collect tips without looking desperate. Some nights were better than others, but I was surviving. I sat in front of the mirror, wiping away my stage makeup with a cotton pad, watching streaks of glitter and foundation smear across my reflection. My legs sore from the heels, shoulders tight from the hours of moving under hot lights, but it was a good kind of tired. Beside me, Tonia kicked off her heels with a groan. “God, my feet are s

Asher Prescott The city stretched out before me, the buildings rising tall against the evening sky. I leaned back in my leather chair, and the skyline framed perfectly behind me through the glass wall of my office. My tie was already undone, and sleeves rolled past my elbows. Paperwork sprawled across the desk, but my attention was split between the stack of contracts and the man sitting opposite me, Richard Hale, my lawyer, my oldest ally in business, and sometimes the only person who dared question me, aside from my grandmother.He tapped a pen against the corner of one folder, his brows knit the way they always did when he was about to lecture me.“Asher, these numbers look fine, but I don’t like the timing of this acquisition. The Prescott shipping deal just closed two months ago. Jumping into another investment now, especially one tied to nightlife, it feels impulsive.”I smirked. “Impulsive, that is not a word anyone uses to describe me.”“It’s exactly the word I’d use.” He sa

Loretta The next morning, I knocked lightly on Tonia’s door before pushing it open. She was standing in front of her dresser, robe tied around her waist, brushing her wet hair. Sunlight slipped in through the curtains, lighting up the small room.She looked up when she saw me and grinned. “Morning, money maker.”I closed the door behind me and walked in with a small bag in hand. I sat down on the edge of her bed, unzipped it, and pulled out the stack of bills I had collected the night before. I spread them across the blanket.Tonia stopped brushing, her eyes widening. “All that from last night?”“Yeah.” I stacked the notes into neat piles. “I didn’t even realize how much they threw until I got back and counted it.”She came over, sitting beside me. She picked up one of the bundles, flipping through it with her thumb. “Girl, this is a week’s worth of work for most the girls except those ones in the VIP. No wonder they were hating in the dressing room.”I smiled faintly. “It was good