Adult Supervision Required

© Sarah Peis

Chapter 1

“I want cockporn,” Lena wailed.

“Don’t we all,” I muttered under my breath, then looked around the crowded supermarket, hoping nobody had heard her. “Not today, Sötnos. We still have some at home.”

“But I want—”

I clamped my hand over her mouth and speed-walked my way to the checkout. Not the smartest thing to do to a two-year-old who wanted popcorn, but we lived in a small town, and people liked to gossip.

I’d rather deal with my daughter’s wrath than once again be the talk of the town. We made it outside in record time, Lena wailing the whole way.

I was running late, my shift starting in less than twenty minutes, and I still had to drop my kids home and drive to work. Lena’s brother was busy shaking a box of cereal and ignoring his sister’s protests.

We made it home a few minutes later, Lena making sure we knew her displeasure at not getting any popcorn for the duration of the drive. My friend Stella was sitting on the front steps waiting when we pulled up.

“Sorry we’re late,” I greeted her, unbuckling the little hellions. She watched my kids for me on the nights I had to work.

I couldn’t really afford a babysitter, so when she offered, I had to put my pride aside and let her help. She was my friend—one of the few I had—and I just couldn’t do it on my own anymore. I worked two jobs, barely keeping my head above water, and needed any break I could get.

My day job was a virtual assistant, something I could do from home while watching the kids. Luca had recently started preschool, so I only had Lena most of the time. My second job was waitressing at a strip club. It paid well, but the hours sucked. I never thought I’d end up where I was.

“Don’t worry, I only just got here. Mason dropped me off,” Stella said, cuddling Lena to her and holding Luca’s hand. “But aren’t you going to be late for work?”

I checked the time on my phone and sprinted up the steps. Definitely going to be late if I wasn’t ready in the next three minutes.

I dropped the bags in the kitchen and raced to my room. My clothes were at work, so I would change there, and I’d ask the girls at work to help me with my hair and makeup since they could accomplish more in two minutes than I could in an hour.

Stella was getting the kids dinner when I came back out.

“Thank you so much. I’m sorry to run out like this. It’s been one of those days.”

She pulled the pasta out of the microwave and snickered at me. “As long as you don’t make me cook, we’re good. And it’s good to see you’ve been making sure the kids eat balanced meals.”

“Shut up. They’re on a pasta bender by choice. I didn’t make them.”

“Go, or you’ll be late,” Stella said, waving a spoon at me.

I kissed Luca and Lena goodbye and drove to work. Thankfully the roads were empty at this time of night since everything closed around five.

Even though I had less than ten minutes, I stayed in my car once I’d parked. My hands were clammy, my throat dry, and I had to take a few breaths to calm myself down. It was the same overwhelming emotions I had every time I got here.

I hated my job. I hated what I was forced to do. But most of all, I hated that I hadn’t been stronger and cut ties with my ex sooner. Because without him, I wouldn’t be in this situation.

I grabbed my bag and dragged my ass out of the car. It was just another job. No big deal. Anyone could do this. After all, I’d been doing it for over a year.

I made it to the back door and stopped again. Maybe today I only had to count to three hundred rather than the usual five hundred before I could force myself to go inside. But no such luck; not even being late could push my brain to count faster. When I reached five hundred, I forced a deep breath into my lungs and went inside.

Hastening my steps, I rushed through the hallway, clutching my bag to my chest.

“You’re late,” Smitty yelled at me as I rushed past his office.

“I know, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” I called back, stopping in the doorway.

He didn’t look up from the papers on his desk. “It better not. I have a business to run.”

I kept walking and burst into the dressing room a few seconds later. Most of the girls were in there getting ready, looking up when I stumbled inside.

“What happened to you?” Elle asked, watching me in the mirror.

Tia’s eyes widened at my disheveled appearance. “You didn’t use the conditioner I told you about.”

Star eyed me with raised brows. “What did you do to your eyelashes?”

They sat me down and fixed me up in ten minutes. I was so grateful I nearly burst into tears.

“Thank you so much,” I said and hugged them when they declared me ready.

They all towered over me, mostly because of the sky-high heels they wore, but also because I was short, having inherited my Japanese mom’s build instead of my Swedish Viking dad’s height. I shot them a shaky smile and rushed out to the bar.

It was still early, but the club was already filled with patrons. Business was definitely booming, and it helped that this was the only strip club around for miles.

I pulled out my order pad and greeted the two bartenders, Martello and Stephen. They were here most nights and good guys if you didn’t try to give them a shitty tip.

My eyes didn’t linger on them long; instead, they were drawn to the man standing next to the stage. I could find Sebastian no matter how crowded the room was. Call it my secret superpower. The most useless one at that, but I always seemed to know where he was.

 His blond curly hair was sticking up like he’d been running his hands through it. The muscles in his arms bulged when he crossed them over his chest, making me swallow. He was perfection in a six-foot-three package, and I’d felt an inexplicable attraction to him from the moment I first saw him a year ago.

Our interactions were limited to the occasional nod and looks—creepy stalker stares from me and assessing gazes from him.

Not that I’d tried to get his attention. I had no time to date. And the head of security, who was also a member of the local motorcycle club that owned the strip club, was definitely not a suitable match for a single mom.

Word was they’d gone legit, but nobody seemed to believe it. And I didn’t really make it my business to find out more about the motorcycle club. All I knew was Sebastian moved to town about a year ago when he also started working at the strip club.

I’d never seen him with a girl, but he might have one stashed away somewhere and didn’t bring her to the club.

Once I finished staring at him for the five seconds I allowed myself, I got to work.

The rest of the night kept my creep level to a minimum since I didn’t have time to do more than take a few sips of water every now and again. They really needed to hire more staff.

After fending off another slap to the butt, I leaned against the bar, eyeing the clock. One hour to go.

“Take a break. You look beat,” Stephen told me and nodded to the door.

I wasn’t about to argue since my feet felt like I was walking on nails. My new shoes would find a new home tonight in the trash can. Definitely not as comfortable as they looked.

“I’ll only be five minutes,” I called out, quickly making my way to the back.

Once in the dressing room, I pulled out my phone to check my messages.

Stella: Your kids are savages. They didn’t eat any of the cheese sauce, only the pasta. And who doesn’t love ice cream?

Stella: I mean, not that I gave them any. At least not much. Sorry, but they asked so nicely.

Stella: And they’re now sleeping like the little angels they are.

Stella: Hope you’re not creeping on hot security guy again.

I rolled my eyes and replied.

Me: They’re allowed ice cream, just not too much or the sugar will keep them up. It’s really more for your benefit than mine.

Me: And I’m not creepy. It’s only natural that my eyes would pass over him every once in a while. He’s here all the time.

Stella: Of course…

Me: Shut it, you’re making it sound like a bigger deal than it is. I should never have told you about him.

Stella: You are very talkative when you’re drunk. I especially enjoyed the part about his butt. Never knew there were so many words for lickable.

I wanted to die of mortification. This was why I never drank; I talked nonstop and had no filter.

Me: You better not have told anyone about this.

Stella: …

Stella: Only Malena.

Stella: And Willa.

Stella: Oh, and Maisie.

Me: You are the worst friend.

Stella: xx

I put my phone back and took a deep breath. I’d almost survived another night with only minor incidents. I could do this. I was a kick-ass bitch who took charge of her life. Even if that meant working at a strip club.

I made my way back out to the floor and finished my shift, making sure to catch another glimpse of Sebastian before driving home.