The girls watched as Cookie slammed her locker shut. She was visibly upset. Goldie then turned and whispered to Tender, “Girl, be on point tanite. You see dat look on her face? She’s tight! She gotta li’l gully-ass mob up in here too. So somethin’ might jump off … I don’t know why dat bitch Kat sounded her like dat. But she always set shit off witout thinkin’ ’bout da repercussions … Anyway, like I said, keep ya eyes open and watch ya back …”

LOOKING LIKE A WOMAN of ill repute from the prohibition era, Tender took to the stage in a red micro-mini skirt with matching long black satin gloves and a feather in her hair.

On cue, Tender began to dance to one of her favorite rap songs, “What Y’all Niggas Want,” by Philadelphia rap star Eve. She had to hit the DJ off with a little something extra to make sure the songs she liked to dance to got played while she was on stage. She had become a professional crowd pleaser.

All around Tender were at least half a dozen other dancers doing their thing. But all eyes were focused on her. She had star quality. In a few short months she had mastered the art of striptease.

The gymnastic training she got in school now came in handy. She could work the pole. She could climb it, then extend her legs into a split. She could interlock her legs around the pole, bending backward, and slide down the pole into a handstand. She left the other strippers in awe. Out the corner of their eyes, they watched to see what she would do next.

After reaching the ground and getting back on her feet, slowly, Tender unfastened her outfit and seductively dropped it to the floor. Now, she was nude, except for her thigh-high fishnet stockings, stilettos, and gloves. Having completely captivated her audience, she bent over using the pole for support. Individually, she began to make her ass cheeks bounce. She then elegantly dropped to the floor spreading her legs wide, giving every man a full view of her neatly shaved vagina. Playfully, she touched it, fueling their frenzy. She flip-flopped into various poses. She crawled on all fours. She even jumped on the bar and gave some lucky guy an up close and personal peep show. He got his jollies off by feeling her up every time he placed a bill in her stocking.

At this point the DJ hollered into the mic, “Dis ain’t a free show! Tip da lady!”

The customers willingly obliged, lavishly tossing money at her.

As Tender wrapped up her show and gathered up her money, she glanced around the club for Goldie and Kat. She spotted Goldie in the corner giving some dude a lap dance. But Kat wasn’t anywhere in sight. Maybe she’s using the bathroom or VIPing with a customer, she mused.