Birthday Stripper

***All characters are over 18 and are fictional. Any resemblance to any real-life persons or situations is purely coincidental.

.....

MORNING

Ethan Myers woke up that morning with a sense of enthusiasm but, at the same time, was very cautious about how the day would go. Like most people, he is happy it's his birthday, but he didn't want to get his hopes up on how good of a day it may be, considering how his previous few birthdays have gone.

He got out of bed, changed out of his pajamas for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. After he washed up in the bathroom, we went downstairs to the kitchen, where his mother, Linda, was waiting for him with her usual pancake birthday breakfast waiting for him.

"Happy Birthday!" she said out loud and ran towards her son.

They gave each other a big hug. Ethan was about to walk away but she grabbed his head with both hands and kissed him several times around his face. The last kiss was on the lips, and it stayed there for a few seconds. He hated when she did that, especially when the last kiss went on the lips, but she only did it on his birthday, so he let it slide. Like the pancake breakfast, the kissing was just a yearly tradition with her. It made her happy, so he let her do it.

They sat down for their breakfast. Ethan was devouring the pancakes. Ever since he was about six years old, she made him a large stack of blueberry pancakes for his birthday, with whip cream on top. She made it other times throughout the year, but she always made sure she did it for his birthday.

"So, are you excited to be going out for your 21st birthday?" she asked.

"I'm sure it will be alright," he replied, still downplaying his enthusiasm.

"It should be better than alright. You're finally allowed to legally drink alcohol; it's a milestone," said Linda. "Sure, you've been drinking beer for a few years now; I drink with you sometimes, but you can now legally go to bars and other places to drink with your friends."

"Sure, it will be great to be able to go to places without worrying about being carded. But if I'm going to be honest with you, based on my previous birthdays, I'm not getting my hopes up until I'm sure nothing bad will happen today."

Ethan had every good reason to worry. He had nothing but bad luck on his birthdays and just didn't want to set himself up for disappointment.

Around his 18th birthday, the COVID-19 epidemic started, and everything was shut down. He was in his last semester of high school and had to stay home to finish out the year online. He wasn't going to do much for his birthday that year since he was only 18 and it was the middle of the semester, but he was hoping to at least have a good get-together with his friends. By the time things began opening up again, it was several months later, and it was far too late to do anything for his birthday.

On his 19th birthday, there was a major snowstorm that shut down everything in town. The storm lasted a few days before it finally stopped, and by then the whole town was more concerned with plowing the streets, getting back to work, and getting kids back to school. Ethan had a party planned to make up for his 19th birthday, but the storm put the party on hold. By the time everything was settled, the idea for a party had just been forgotten.

On his 20th birthday, he was in the hospital with appendicitis. He let the symptoms of it go too long because he thought he was just having a stomachache; because of that, he had to stay longer in the hospital than it normally would take to get the toxins out of his system. Once again, his party plans were canceled. His friends did visit him in the hospital to hang out, but only two at a time because of the hospital's visitation rules. It was still the same; they visited him nonetheless.

Now it was his 21st birthday, a very big milestone for most young Americans. This year, there was no pandemic to worry about; the weather was good, and he was in perfect health. He couldn't foresee any problems for his birthday, but at the same time he didn't want to get his hopes up until he was sure nothing could go wrong.

"I know you've had some bad luck the last few years, but you should still try to be more optimistic about the outcome," said Linda. "You don't want those strippers to see you pouting, do you?"

Ethan was about to take another bite of his pancakes but stopped when he heard her mention strippers.

"How did you know we were going to a strip club tonight?" he asked.

"Please, it's your 21st birthday. There's mostly one thing men your age would want to do as soon as they can legally go there."

"You're ok with me going to a strip club?"

Linda laughed. "It would be very hypocritical of me to be against it, don't you think?"

Linda was referring to the fact that for several years of her life, she worked as a stripper. She started right after high school, when she wanted to get out of her mother's house because they weren't getting along. A friend of hers who graduated a year earlier told her how much money she was making from dancing and convinced Linda to give it a try.

Linda was never too shy about her body and thought it was a great way to make a living. She was a beautiful woman with long red hair, a slim frame, and a perfect set of double-D tits. She liked the attention she got from her looks, especially how men threw themselves at her. Because of this, she made a killing as a stripper.

She stopped briefly when she was 22, when she found out she was pregnant with Ethan with her then boyfriend. They got married, and she decided to become a stay-at-home wife and mother, something she really enjoyed. But a couple of years later, the marriage failed after he ran off with another woman, never looking back. Needing to take care of her son, she went back to stripping while her mother, whom she got back on good terms with, moved in with them to help take care of Ethan while she worked. Her mother was surprisingly supportive of her career choice.

When Ethan was in his last year of middle school, she decided it was time for a career change. She mostly did it because she was afraid of what might happen if kids at Ethan's school found out that she was a stripper and gave him hell for it, especially when he was about to enter high school as a freshman in the next school year. She saw nothing wrong with being a stripper, but she knew how kids can be, and she didn't want him to have any trouble because of her.

One of the dancers she used to work with a few years earlier was making a lot of money as a pharmaceutical sales rep. She helped Linda get a job with her company as a sales rep, and within a year, she became the third best sales rep in the company. Several years later, she became a sales supervisor for the company and has worked in that position ever since. When Ethan was old enough to take care of himself, Linda's mother decided it was time to move to Florida, as most elderly people liked to do. Ever since it was just the two of them.

When Ethan was about 16, he heard a few rumors about his mother's previous profession. He didn't believe them at first, but thinking back on a few details he knew about his mother, he was starting to suspect it may be true. She used to work a lot of nights, she always had stacks of dollar bills, and he distinctively remembers a few of her friends calling her Ruby. He used to think it was just a nickname because of her red hair, but now he suspected it was her stage name. To top it all off, she never seemed to be too shy about her body. There have been a number of times over the years where he has accidentally seen her naked, and she never seemed embarrassed by the situation.

It took him some time to get the courage to ask his mother about it because he was afraid of how she would react if he was wrong. Either she would be insulted by the accusation or find the whole thing hilarious. He was also prepared to accept it if it turned out she indeed used to be a stripper. After he confronted her about the rumors he heard and the evidence he heard about her and she admitted everything. She told him everything, from when she got started to why it all ended. This was a complete shock to him; he was really hoping he was wrong and just being stupid. Even after he promised himself that he would be accepting of her past, he still found it hard to believe. It took him some time, but he learned to accept that part of her life.

Eventually, some of his friends did find out about his mother, and he had to confess to them about it. They didn't give him a hard time about it, which gave him some relief. But they did occasionally make a joke about it, which he couldn't blame them for because he would've done the same thing if he were in their shoes. But they never went too far in their jokes or said anything negative about her. All of his friends loved Linda; they considered her the coolest of all their friends' mothers.

"I guess I should've known you'd be cool with it," said Ethan.

"Of course, I am. In fact, before I realized what your plans were, I was going to take you to one myself and buy you a lap dance."

Ethan laughed. "I definitely believe you would."

PARTY TIME

Later that day, five of his best friends, Mike, David, Jaylen, Billy, and his sister Becky, all came for a pre-party get-together before they went out to the club. His mother surprised them all with a birthday cake and insisted they all sing happy birthday and have just one piece of cake before they left. It was kind of embarrassing, but Ethan let it go because it made her happy. She also got him his favorite cake, so he wasn't too upset by it.

Afterwards, Linda took him aside to give him Ethan $300 in cash, mostly in ones and the rest in small bills. She said she wanted him to have as good a time as he possibly could at the club. He thought it was too much money, but since it was his birthday, he decided to just accept the gift and thank her.

Before they were about to leave, Ethan saw how everything was going well for him today. He was half expecting another disaster to keep him from going to the club and celebrating his 21st birthday with his friends. But so far, nothing bad was happening, so he decided to let himself be more excited about tonight.

That excitement was short-lived when Mike suddenly got some bad news to share. He had a friend who worked there as a bouncer and was going to get them in without a cover charge. He just called Mike to let him know that there was a kitchen fire at the club and the fire department had to come and stop it. The rest of the building was OK, but the club would have to be shut down for an unforeseeable amount of time.

"Sorry, Ethan," said Mike. "Better luck next year."

"It's OK, I should've known when I saw how well my day was going," said Ethan.

They all discussed whether or not they should try another strip club, but there weren't many options where they lived. The only other one was more than an hour away; it was actually the club that Linda used to work at, but she didn't say anything when they mentioned it. They discussed the idea of just going to a regular bar and drinking, thinking they could just go to a strip club another time. But they couldn't settle on a place to go that was good enough for them.

"Guys, why not just hang out here?" said Linda. "You know we have a finished basement here with a bar."

A long time ago, when Linda began to make some good money with her job, she converted the basement into a place where people could have some fun. There was a bar with a large assortment of liquor and beer, a pool table, a big-screen TV, and a seating area to watch it. They had a lot of family get-togethers there over the years, and Ethan and his friends always enjoyed hanging out in their basement.

"Yes, but the idea is to go to a bar so Ethan can finally use his real ID," said David.

Ethan gave him a stern look when he said that. His mother was cool, but he wasn't sure how cool she would be knowing he had a fake ID to go to bars with.

"David is right, but we can't decide where to go, so let's just hang out here in the basement," said Ethan.

They all decided it was probably for the best and made their way down to the basement. At the bar, Ethan passed around whatever beer or preferred drink they wanted. Their main plans were to go to a strip club, not just a bar. But all things considered, they figured this was the best available option for them.

"It's too bad, I was really looking forward to strippers tonight," said Billy.

"I got so many dollar bills in my pocket, I have no idea what to do with them now," said Mike.

"I was really looking forward to getting a lap dance," said Becky. She was the only woman in their group of friends and was a lesbian. She didn't like the idea of going to those clubs without a guy friend there with her.

"There will be other times," said Ethan.

"Or maybe you can still have one," said Linda. "As some of you all know, I used to be a stripper and--"

"Are you offering to--"

Ethan gave Billy a sharp jab to the arm before he finished that question.

"Although that does sound like a fun idea," she replied with a little laugh. "I was going to say, I still know a few women who still dance and occasionally perform at parties. Mostly for bachelor parties, but they also do birthdays and other events. I'm sure I can get somebody to come here tonight for you all."

Everyone was excited by that idea. Even Ethan's excitement returned. While Linda made a few phone calls, Ethan and his friends continued drinking in the basement and playing pool. They also decided to finished off the birthday cake since they were already going to spend the evening in Ethan's home.

Linda came down a while later with the good news.

"Ok, I made several calls and found one person who is available tonight, and she said she will be here within the hour," said Linda.

She paused while giving everybody a chance to cheer to show their excitement.

"Who is she?" Becky asked.

"She goes by the name Diamond," said Linda. "She's blonde, beautiful, and has big tits. They're fake, but I'm sure you all don't care."

"Will she do lap dances?" Billy asked.

"Yes, she said she would," said Linda. She paused so they could cheer again. "Except for you, Ethan."

"What? Why not me?" Ethan asked.

"Because for you, we're doing a champagne court," she revealed. "Which is thirty minutes of alone time with her and some champagne, just like how they do in the clubs. That will be my little gift for you."

Everybody cheered again. A couple of them patted Ethan on the back, telling them how much they loved his mother.

A half hour later, Linda had to come back to the party for some bad news.

"I'm sorry everyone, but my friend's mother slipped in the shower and broke her hip," said Linda. "She has to take her to the hospital and won't be coming tonight."

Everybody groaned in disappointment.

"Of course, that will happen to me," said Ethan. "Don't get me wrong, I hope her mother is alright, but it just goes with the theme of how my birthdays have been."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help make your birthday more special," said Linda.

"Maybe you can strip for us, Ms. Myers," Becky joked.

Ethan gave her an angry look.

"What? I know you're not going to punch me in the arm," she said, very smugly.

"No, but he will punch me in the arm for you, so quit it," Billy said angrily to his sister.

"She's joking, but why not?" said Linda.

Everyone laughed, even Ethan.

"Good one, mom," said Ethan.

"I'm serious. Why don't I put on a show for you all?"

Everyone went silent when they realized that Linda was being serious.

"You can't be serious, mom," said Ethan.

"Why not? I still have the moves and the body for it, and I really don't mind showing off what I've got. I can come out of retirement for one night and perform for you all."

Everyone was still silent for a very long time.

"Well, why not?" said David.

Ethan was about to punch David in the arm before someone else spoke.

"If you really want to, it could be fun," said Jaylen.

"I was joking, but if you're willing to give us a show, I'd like to see it," said Becky.

Billy and Mike also agreed that it was a good idea. Ethan just stood back, stunned that his closest friends were agreeing to let his mother perform a strip show for them. It was one thing when his friends joked about how hot she was; it was something that all friends do about each other's mothers. But it was another thing to actually let it go this far.

Ethan started yelling at his friends about this. They argued back that it was just this one night, and it could be a lot of fun. The argument kept going until Linda intervened by taking her son away from them to the other side of the room to have a private conversation with him.

"You can't be serious about getting naked for my friends," said Ethan.

"I am serious; it could be a lot of fun," said Linda. "I kind of miss it, and this may be a good opportunity to perform one last time."

"I can't believe I'm trying to convince my mother not to strip for my friends," Ethan said as he rubbed his temples from the migraine he was suddenly feeling. "My birthday curse just keeps getting worse and worse."

"It doesn't have to be a curse if you enjoy it," said Linda.

"I'm not going to enjoy seeing my mother naked."

"Why not? It's not the first time you've seen me naked."

"Those were accidents," said Ethan. "It happens when you forget to close the door to your bedroom, or the bathroom, or a couple of times when you thought it was OK to change your clothes in the laundry room for some reason."

"And the few times you caught me sun-bathing topless in the backyard," she reminded him.

"Now I have to ask, was that all by accident, or was any of that on purpose? Because that seems to be the case a lot of times, I've seen you naked."

"They were all accidents," she assured him. "But at the same time, I don't have a lot of modesty, so I don't mind getting naked in front of people, even in front of my own son. In fact, if you weren't such a prude about it, I'd be walking around the house naked a lot more often."

"I can't believe my mother is upset that I don't want to see her naked," he said, feeling very annoyed by the situation.

"Well, you don't have to see me strip if you don't want to," said Linda. "I'll just perform for your friends while you sulk in your room all night about it."

"So, you're going to do this whether I'm ok with it or not?"

"Yes," she answered. "So, you might as well stick around to make sure things don't get out of hand. And who knows? You may enjoy the show yourself."

Ethan had to think hard about this. His mother was going to strip whether he liked it or not, and as much as he liked his friends, he didn't trust them enough to not try anything with her if he wasn't around. He figured he might as well stick around for supervision.

Also, he had to admit he might actually enjoy himself because even he thought his mother was a sexy woman. As much as he felt embarrassed over the years whenever he accidentally saw her naked, he did like what he saw. For a woman in her early forties, she kept herself in very good shape. He did find her very attractive; so much so, she showed up in a few wet dreams he had about her.

"Ok, I'll stick around, but only to keep an eye on things," said Ethan. "Also, I'm going to have to insist on setting some ground rules with them when you do this."

"As long as the rules are reasonable, I'm willing to go with it if it makes you feel comfortable with everything," said Linda.

They went back to his friends, who were awaiting their answer about Linda's offer to perform for them.

"Ok guys, I've decided to let my mother perform for us," said Ethan, and everyone cheered. "But there will be some ground rules."