Candy.

She hated the scene. Music blaring, multicolored flashing neon lights on the dance floor and the grinding of sweaty drunk humans in the most disgusting manner ever. She hated it but every three nights in a week she was there.

She would walk to the dressing room and dress up for the night, she would doll herself up in the sexiest way possible depending on the theme of the night. It had been her routine for the last five months, at first she hated it.

She hated the fact that she was nothing more than an object of enjoyment. Then she got used to it. She learned to block out all the noise, all the catcalls but she hated the touching. Touching wasn't usually allowed but she flinched whenever a client got too close.

She always flinched.

But this Night wasn't a normal night, and Oscar their club manager had been screaming the particular date into their ears for weeks. They had been preparing for the night for weeks. What they were getting ready for, Lacey had no idea. But it was going to be big. Knowing Ecstasy and the things it was involved with, she knew it could be someone important who was coming over. She just didn't know who it was going to be either.

Nor did she particularly care, as long as she was getting paid for her work, she could care less about what was going on with the club.

She had detached herself from such things a long time ago.

"Still getting ready?"

Kitty her coworker asked and Lacey shrugged. Her dressing table was a complete mess, it always was but that didn't stop her from finishing on time.

"Just putting on finishing touches. Any idea what's going down?"

Kitty shrugged as she examined herself in a full length mirror next to Lacey. Her fishnet tights seemed a little too out of place in their theme but Kitty didn't seem to care. She loved standing out in some way, something Lacey always detested. She would do anything to blend in and look mundane.

"Oh I don't know. I just heard a few of us might be chosen to go to the Red room later."

Hnmmm. Lacey thought as she picked up the masks they were going to put on. The theme was masked beauty and each one of them had a mask that matched their outfit. Lacey was especially grateful for the theme, She would very much like to remain unseen during everything.

Kitty fixed her dyed red hair in the mirror and Lacey admired how she had been able to curl it in such a sort time. Kitty was the perfect example of a blowup sex doll. Most of the men who came to the club called her that. And it was true.

Her boob implants were bigger than the rest of her body, but she had an impressive tiny waist and long shapely legs. It drove men crazy when she always had to do a move with her legs up in the air on the pole. She even had a signature move with it.

Apart from the physical qualities which only seemed to attract the men, the one thing Kitty had that Lacey loved was her large bright baby blue eyes that looked like they were still stuck in her prepubescent years of innocence. Something about them also drove men crazy and Lacey could understand sometimes when she found herself staring into her baby blue eyes.

"I heard the owner of the club might make an appearance too."

Kitty whispered and Lacey raised her eyebrows. No wonder Oscar the club manager had looked stressed all evening. He had been unusually prickly ever since she arrived, at least now she knew why. She had never met the owner of Ecstasy and most of the girls in the club also claimed not to have met him before. She wondered what he looked like, what he was like. If he was a he or she.

She certainly hoped that he was nothing like Oscar. The thought of him being anything like the club manager was already sending shivers down her spine.

"Ready?!!!"

Oscar asked as he walked in and the murmuring paused.

"I need you all to be on your best behaviour tonight. We're going to have special guests among us."

Oscar was somewhat too tall for his build; were he a few inches shorter he would be all the more handsome for it. He wore plaid suits mostly and he always matched his outfit with a bowler hat. His face was mostly obscured by a red scraggly beard that clung to his skin like winter ravaged ivy tendrils. He also had somewhat odd eyes, his eyes were too squinty and beady for his broad face but his gaze was sharp. Always.

And they were directed at Lacey. Lacey blinked and tried to look away but it was already too late, Oscar was already in front of her before she could pretend not to see him.

"And you. I know you're just getting the hang of this. This must all be overwhelming."

He said as he laid a hand on her shoulder, Lacy had the itching urge to throw his hand off her but she took in a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll be fine. I've been practising."

She said and Oscar smiled lightly, it was a sinister smile, one that took up his entire broad face.

"That's good. But you have to be ready for other things. I know you signed a contract... And there are things you said you didn't want to do... But tonight maybe you'd like to consider going the extra mile."

Oscar said carefully and Lacey blinked. She knew what he was getting at. She knew what he meant. And she had never been so happy that she had signed that contract when she did.

"I understand."

She said with a sigh and Oscar smiled.

"That's my Candy. Have a magical night."

Oscar said as he walked away.

Ecstasy was brimming with life and people while the stage was being prepared. Everything was ready, the lights of the room had been dimmed so low that the only lights in the room were on the stage. Lacey couldn't see a thing as she put on her mask backstage, but she knew the stage like the back of her hands. As usual the arrangements were the same. Four on the stage. The rest of the four in the crowd. Till their performance was over. Unlike other nights where they had to perform for a long time, Oscar had made them cut their time into two. Lacey suspected their special visitor or the guest of honor was a very impatient person. And once he picked who he wanted to go with him to the Red Room, the show was over.

Lacey had never been to the Red room, it was her choice and what she signed up for. The Red Room was filled with atrocities that most of the girls couldn't speak of. It was every man in ecstasy's wildest fantasy. To be in a room where he had complete control over his subject. Or subjects. From the little that Kitty had told her, the first and only time she had been in the Red Room, it was just an empty room that could be changed into anything.

It was also mostly used as a simulation chamber where role play was performed. Right in front of her eyes, Kitty had claimed the Red Room had turned into a class room where the man who had taken her acted like her professor.  Kitty didn't sound like she wanted to relive such an experience again.

When the music started, everything else faded away. That was how it always was for Lacey. She immersed herself fully into the sound of the music that she couldn't see or hear a thing. The only thing she concentrated on was the sound of the music and the pole in front of her.

With the music and pole. She wasn't Lacey anymore. She was Candy.

Aidas Vladimir rarely visited his club. Rarely. But with the recent unrest in Aron City, he felt compelled to check up on each and every of his establishments, especially the ones that made him the most money. And Ecstasy was at the top of the list. He was conscious of his surroundings too, he had his enemies lurking around and he might have trusted the news of his arrival with a few untrustworthy lots. Like his club manager Oscar for example, Aidas was seriously considering firing the incompetent fool. Perhaps he would replace him with his assistant Imelda, who had proven to be of far greater use than Oscar had ever been.

He shifted in his chair as he watched the strippers on the pole. The night was still young, the VIP lounge had a few notable people in it but he was strangely bored. Oscar had been doing everything to make sure he was comfortable but Aidas didn't really tolerate his fussing.

And the show, well Aidas couldn't wait to leave.

A movement on the stage caught his eye and he found a dark haired stripper moving gracefully on the pole. Weird, he had never seen her before.

She looked exquisite.

She had a grace in her movements that the other dancers didn't have. Her body was slim but curvy, not a spec of blemish on her smooth skin. Her hair was long and fell like a sheet of chocolate waterfall, silly and straight. Even though half her face was covered by the horrendous mask they all were wearing. He could still see her full lips painted in devil red lipstick.

Even though he was rarely around, Oscar always sent him an updated list of all his employees and Aidas studied them by name and face. He never forgot a face.

He signalled to Imelda he leaned in slowly.

"Who's that? The one in the middle, long dark hair."

Imelda watched the girl for a few seconds.

"She's new. I'm afraid I don't recognise her."

"Ask Oscar."

He commanded and Imelda was gone in a flash while Aidas still kept his eyes on the young girl. There was something about the way she moved. Something extraordinary.

Of course, he had seen his fair share of beautiful and exotic dancer, but there was a grace that the girl danced with that almost looked like it was magic. Almost unusual... And there was something strangely familiar about her.

Imelda arrived with a bumbling Oscar, who looked more than ready to grovel at his feet.

"My King."

He mumbled as he bowed lowly.

Aidas rolled his eyes.

"Who is she?"

"Oh! That's Candy. Our new addition."

Aidas grunts lowly.

"Why didn't you tell me? How long has she been here?"

"Barely three months sir. I did send you an updated list just last month sir. Perhaps it skipped your mind?"

"Hnmmm. Maybe. What's her name?"

Aidas asked and Oscar shrugged.

"Lacey Evans. She's very young and very good too! Can you believe she isn't a professional?"

"I've made my pick. I want her in the Red Room with me. Her only."

Aidas's tone was final. But Oscar still lingered with sweaty hands.

How was he going to tell his boss that Lacey signed a non exclusive contract with the club? She was only a stripper in Ecstasy and a stripper alone, she didn't sign up to meet clients.

"Is there anything you'd like to add?"

Aidas asked as he turned to Oscar with a glare.

"No! No. Everything's okay."