February 14, Valentine’s Day is an important Hallmark holiday for smitten crushes & blushing admirers. Cupid is fluttering today for sure in the strip club. Today is a day to be filled with copious pleasantries and surprises. Valentines Day 2020 was the same as any other Valentine’s Day. The pandemic has not become a worry yet, and we have yet to know what’s to come. On this day, there is an array of flower arrangements at the club’s front door waiting for its recipient to pick them up. They are usually roses in a variety of colors sent from customers. Flower arrangement also comes in different sizes. One year, there was an enormous bouquet that towered over at the rest of them. It was so large, I was pretty sure it wasn’t for me. Surprise! It was for me. It was so large I had to dump the water out and place it in my car in pieces and rearranged them at home. Some dancers do not take flowers home, for various reasons. Those arrangements would then be donated to another girl who can enjoy them at home.
It always feels good to receive such surprises from whom I call “fans.” However, be wary of accepting expensive gifts. A nice gesture can easily be confused for hidden agendas and menacing motives. Preferably the best practice is to accept cash only!
I can recall an expensive gift I had received on one Valentine’s Day. For my love of photography, I had gotten a studio camera from a customer at the club. I thought it was a very sweet gesture. I accepted the gift and thought nothing more of it. In fact, I was using it throughout the entire year, and then came the following Valentine’s Day. I was surprised by 6 large police officers who came to arrest me at the strip club. The customer claimed that it was given as a transactional payment and that he did not receive his end of the “transaction” and accused me of stealing. Talk about having my heart skip a beat! There were many policemen at the strip club that came to do this “fun arrest.” They surely did not need 6 police offers to come to arrest me. I was caught off guard and never thought it would be me that would be cuffed and perp walk out of the strip club.
I didn’t know why I was getting arrested. I had no idea that it was over that camera! The large policemen in full gear cornered me in the dressing room. I was confused. They didn’t even allow me to change out of my dress! They however allowed me to take off my 7-inch heels and put on my boots, while we are dead in the middle of winter I asked if I could put on my coat over my skimpy dress. I did the perp walk right in front of the DJ booth where the music has halted and I felt all the eyes and inquisitive minds on me more than when I was on stage.
I was directed out the back door and cuffed outside and placed in the backseat of a police car. I was cuffed the entire ride, all the way to the police station, as I realize that I have a bag of weed in my coat pocket. “Oh no.” I thought. They eventually found it when they were processing my personal items. Weed was not officially legal, so they crumpled it upfront of me. They counted out my money and it was still early in the evening that I have not made much yet. I was short bail $10. They suggest I get this money before the bondsmen leave for the weekend and I will be held in a county jail for that time. Funny to think that I have received more than $10 from these policemen when I was dancing for them just last week.
I thought this charge was absurd! After they booked me, they tossed me into a cold hard cell. The policeman was nice enough to toss me a felt blanket to cover up with. I took the opportunity to catch up on my nap, besides, I just had gotten back from an international trip, taking photos with that camera.
I knew my girls would figure out how to bail me out. Although they were not allowed to leave the club to come to get me, they were able to send out a guest. The police officers made sure to ask me if I knew who this person was before he released me as if all of a sudden they cared. I didn’t know him at all. He was a sweet elderly fellow. He paid my bail and gave me a ride back to the club. It was 11 pm when I returned to the club.
The lesson of this story is to be cautious and be wary of accepting grandiose gifts especially given in a strip club.
The court case has long been dismissed. I’ve yet to see the mug shot they took of me, with my hair and make-up all done up. This was a case of obsession and I was lucky he didn’t become a stalker. He wanted me & I was unaware of his obsession to marry me and when he realized that wasn’t going to happen he wanted to bring chaos into my life.
Heartbreak is inevitable on Valentine’s Day. Most guys go into a strip club seeking a gal to mend their hearts. Some guys enjoy having their hearts broken and by the same gal on a regular. And some other guys have gone the round of girls and have yet to find a compatible match. Some guys are still waiting to be acknowledged with hopes to have some time next to her. Spoiler alert, if you don’t have any money to give her, she may just always be too busy.
Valentine’s night is a popular evening for couples. It’s harder to approach couples. It takes more couth. The woman usually leads. She will either like you or won’t. It’s most uncomfortable when you can sense her uneasiness. Do I still dance in front of her? Do I still take off my clothes? Do I dance for her husband who sitting next to her? The answer is all yes, as an entertainer, I performance no matter how uncomfortable it may feel.
Dancing for couples is more of a challenge. You will have 2 sets of hands to constantly swat away. Women seem to think the rules less apply to them in a strip club and they will be quicker than me in taking off their clothes! Women feel softer, smell sweet, and are more generous. I would try to direct their energy & attention towards each other instead of having all their focus on me. Believe it or not women patrons are more aggressive and handsy than men are and you will get solicited to be a 3rd companion on their date.
Valentine’s Day 2021 is of a different kind. I have stopped dancing since the club closed when the pandemic hit (March 2020). It has been about a year of quarantining and social distancing. No hugs, no kisses, not even handshakes! Valentine’s 2021 is the year of genuine love. I no longer receive flowers and gifts from randoms guests at the strip club, but rather I got to enjoy this day with people who are within my closest circle, the ones that really matter. I did more giving than receiving this year and I enjoyed that so much more.