Dani's Slutty Striptease

This story is part of my Pandora's Box series. Although I believe each story can be read as a standalone, a full list of the entries and the chronological order to read them in can be found in my bio.

Comments and feedback are welcome as always!

An Awkward Chat

Dani groaned as the doorbell rang, rolling over in bed and rubbing her eyes. She had been half-awake for about ten minutes now, but the loud clang had now successful destroyed any chance to fall fully asleep again.

"Babe? You awake?" Jake's muffled voice came through the en-suite door.

"Yeah," Dani called back blearily, propping herself up on one elbow.

"Can you get that?"

"Who is it?"

"I dunno. Ava isn't due with Lucas for another half an hour or so."

"Ugh." Dani forced herself out of bed. She was naked, and she pulled on some white designer joggers and a loose blue crop top before tottering out of Jake's room, through the living room, and to the front door. The doorbell rang again as she grasped the handle, and Dani winced at the noise.

"Dani!" Five-year-old Lucas beamed widely as Dani opened the door, rushing through and hugging her around the waist.

"Hey handsome," Dani smiled, tousling his blond hair as she returned the hug. "How've you been?"

"Look what I have!" Lucas held up a plastic dinosaur toy, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Wow! What's that one called?"

"It's a Spinosaurus," Lucas said proudly, turning it over in his hands.

With all her attention focused on the excitable boy, Dani was caught off-guard by the sound of someone clearing their throat in the doorway. She glanced up and was greeted by the sight of Ava, Lucas' mom and Jake's ex. His baby mama.

Ava had a round, pretty face and long, glossy raven black hair. Serious brown eyes pierced into Dani. She was dressed strikingly in black, knee-high boots, black skinny jeans, and a red crop top behind a leather jacket. Ava appeared in decent shape, yet Dani couldn't help but focus on the tell-tale signs that she had previously been pregnant, evident on her exposed midriff: slightly loose skin surrounded a popped-out belly button, with faded stretch marks and scars wrapped around it. Dani was suddenly self-conscious of the obvious contrast with her smooth, perfectly pristine abs, her own skin tight and unblemished by the trials of pregnancy.

"Is Jake here?" Ava asked in a breathy voice, a hint of irritation clear behind the words.

"Uh, yeah, he's... on the toilet."

Lucas clearly thought this was the funniest thing ever and burst out laughing, and Dani stifled a grin at his reaction. But Ava didn't look as amused.

"Right. So you're Daniella?" Ava's eyes flashed up and down Dani's body, drinking in the appearance of Jake's sexy, college-aged girlfriend.

"Yeah, that's me."

A brief silence followed as Dani and Ava looked at each other awkwardly, Lucas still giggling in the background.

"I... I like your outfit. Are you going somewhere?" Dani asked, attempting to break the ice.

"Out with some friends, yes."

"Cool. I like your jacket. Where's it from?"

"I can't remember. I've had it a while."

"Oh. Right." Dani sucked air between her teeth. "Well, you can leave Lucas here with me. Jake won't be long."

"I'd rather see Jake first," Ava replied bluntly.

"Oh. Okay."

Another silence.

"I like your joggers," Ava said suddenly.

"Oh, really?" Dani's face lit up. "Thanks! They were super expensive."

"I bet. Being a stripper at Pandora's Box pays incredibly well, I hear."

Dani felt like a bomb had gone off inside her, stunned apprehension gripping her insides and twisting them.

"Excuse me?"

"That's what you do, isn't it?" Ava's hard, judgemental gaze bored into her.

"No. I'm a waitress," Dani replied indignantly.

"Same thing," Ava said, shrugging disinterestedly.

"It's not," Dani shot back, a spark of anger lighting inside her. "I don't do that kind of thing."

"Well, you hear all sorts about that place."

"I am not a stripper!"

"Don't take it personally. You've got the looks for it." Ava shrugged. "Plus you're clearly pretty free and easy about showing off your body."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, do you really think it's appropriate to dress like that around a little boy?" She gestured at Dani's half naked appearance with her exposed midriff, joggers riding low on her wide hips, and her plump breasts swelling the small crop top. Without a bra, Dani's nipples poked clearly through the fabric.

But Dani was shocked. "I've just got out of bed! And you weren't expected for another half an hour!"

"Plans change. I messaged Jake to let him know. If he hasn't seen it, it's not my fault."

"Hey champ!" Jake's voice boomed through the air, and Dani felt relief flood through her.

"Daddy!" Lucas shouted, running up to Jake and wrapping his arms around his hips. Jake made a growling noise and lifted the laughing boy into his arms, carrying him back towards the door.

"You're getting real heavy you know!"

"Dani said you were doing a poo!" Lucas grinned.

"I said he was on the toilet!" Dani gasped as Jake started laughing.

"Not to interrupt," Ava said icily, her voice slicing through the air. "But can I speak with you a moment?" Her question was levelled at Jake. And it wasn't a question.

Jake's smile faltered slightly, but he still had an easy-going expression on his face as he walked towards Ava, gesturing for them to talk in the hallway. But Ava shook her head and gestured at Dani.

"No. We're staying here. She can go somewhere else."

Dani scoffed indignantly. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here."

"Dani's right," Jake said, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he defended his girlfriend. "Don't do that Ava."

Ava raised her eyebrows. "Seriously Jake?"

Lucas looked a little nervous, his eyes now darting between his parents, and Dani felt a pang of sympathy for the small boy. "It's fine Jake," she said, forcing a smile and resting her hand on his arm. "I'll leave you to it."

"No. Stay." Jake replied firmly, his eyes still fixed on Ava.

"Jakey, it's cool, I swear. I'll just wait in the bedroom."

Jake turned his head slightly towards Dani, one eye still on Ava, and huffed. "Alright, fine."

Dani gave Jake's arm a little squeeze before turning and pottering into the bedroom. A thin layer of agitation still coated her from Ava's accusations, but she did her best to quash it as she seated herself on the edge of the bed. Dani picked up her phone and stared at it absent-mindedly. She had hoped to eavesdrop on Jake and Ava, but couldn't hear anything even after getting up and putting her ear against the door.

Eventually, after a few minutes, Dani heard footsteps approaching. She jumped back and landed heavily on the bed as the door swung open and Lucas charged in, followed by Jake.

"Dani! Dani!" He jumped on the bed next to her, grinning widely. Dani still couldn't get over how much the small boy looked like Jake.

"Look who's all excited," Dani beamed, giving him a friendly shake.

"Dani! We're going to the waterpark!"

"Wow, that sounds amazing!"

"Are you coming?" Lucas stared at her with his big, blue eyes.

"I'm not sure I can, I haven't got my swimsuit with me."

"I have two pairs of trunks! You can borrow one!" Lucas insisted earnestly. "Not the seahorse ones though, those are mine."

"That's a sight I'd pay to see," Jake chuckled from the door.

"How was Ava?" Dani asked, gesturing at the front door as Lucas started absent-mindedly playing with her hair.

"Oh, she's fine. She's just stressed about school stuff. Don't take it personally."

"Heh. She doesn't seem to like me much."

"She's convinced you're a stripper at Pandora's Box. I don't know where she got that idea from, because it definitely wasn't me. And, for some reason, nothing I say can convince her otherwise. But that makes you a bad influence, as far as she's concerned."

"A bad influence? On Lucas?"

"Both of us, I think," Jake said, laughing lightly.

"What's a stripper?" Lucas asked innocently, still tracing Dani's thick, messy curls through his fingers.

"Lucas, where's your dinosaur?" Dani asked quickly, hoping to distract the young boy from his questioning.

Lucas shrugged. "I dunno. On the sofa probably. What's a stripper?"

Dani looked to Jake for help, who was watching them with wry amusement. "Ask your mother. She brought it up, she can tell you."

"Fine," Lucas huffed, sliding off the bed to retrieve his toy. Jake took his spot, seating himself beside Dani and combing his fingers through her chestnut tresses.

"What are your plans for today?" he asked softly. "You're more than welcome to come to the waterpark with us. We can swing by yours and grab your swimsuit."

"I'd love to," Dani replied. It was a great day for it -- the sun shined brightly outside, illuminating the closed curtains and bathing the bedroom in faded light. "I made plans with Martine though. She'll go ape if I back out."

"Ah that's right," Jake smirked, "it's your big girl's shopping spree, isn't it?"

"Yep. Highly sacred. No waterpark is more important than that."

As if on cue, Dani's phone started to buzz on the nightstand.

"That'll be her."

Dani made to stand, but Jake was closer to the phone, and he reached over and passed it to her. Flashing a smile of appreciation, Dani hit the answer button as Lucas tottered back into the room with his plastic dinosaur.

"Morning slut! I'm outside, so get that fat booty of yours out here!" Martine's excited voice rang out across the room, and Dani flinched at both how loud it was and the realisation that her phone was on speaker.

"Booty!" Lucas grinned, starting to laugh as Jake looked absolutely horrified.

"Damn it!" Dani yelped, mashing her phone screen with her thumb to turn off speaker. She glanced apologetically at Jake, mouthing 'sorry' to him as she stood and left the room. Lucas was still giggling madly on the floor, his face alight with mirth.

"Marti, you were on speaker!" Dani gasped, half mortified and half amused.

"Pfft. I'm sure Jake has said far worse to you in bed."

"No, I mean his kid just heard you say that!"

"Ohhhh." Dani could hear Martine physically cringe just by the tone of her voice. "Well, that's not my fault. Shouldn't leave your phone on speaker."

"Ugh, Lucas' mom is gonna freak if he remembers that."

"I thought you were Lucas' mom?" Martine quipped, the teasing tone evident in her voice.

"Hilarious," Dani replied dryly. "Because I totally got pregnant when I was 15."

"Look, we could discuss the semantics all day long, or you can move your fine butt out here and we can go shopping."

"I still need to shower. I only woke up like ten minutes ago."

"We'll swing by our place then. You can freshen up, then we'll get going. C'mon, I'm parked on double yellow lines. Move your ass."

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming," Dani said, rubbing her temple. "I'll be right down."

She hung up the phone, and pottered gingerly back into Jake's room.

"Booty!" Lucas screamed literally the second she entered, laughing with glee.

"Sorry," Dani winced apologetically at Jake, who was watching his son with his eyes curled upwards in amusement.

"It's all good. At least he isn't repeating... the other word."

"What, 'morning'?"

"Very funny."

"Anyway, I've gotta go," Dani said, gathering up her things. "Marti's outside."

"Oh." The sound came from Lucas, who suddenly stopped bouncing and looked up at Dani with wide, sad eyes. "Are you leaving?"

"I'm sorry, Lukey," Dani said, genuinely remorseful about disappointing the small boy. "I'll see you very soon, I promise. On daddy's birthday."

Lucas nodded slowly, clearly not comforted by this. "But we're going to the waterpark," he explained, as if this single fact was an immutable law that would compel Dani to stay.

"I know, Lukey. You'll have a great time with daddy."

Lucas looked down at the floor, his arms folded and his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

"I'll see you on Saturday?" Dani asked, swinging her bag over her shoulder and stepping up to Jake.

"Of course," he smiled, as they leaned in and shared a passionate kiss. Jake pressed his hand gently against the back of Dani's neck, his fingers dancing lightly across her skin, and she exhaled as sparks tingled down her spine.

"EWWWW!" Lucas slammed his hands over his eyes and dived face down onto the bed, ensuring he couldn't see the sordid display before him.

Both Jake and Dani chuckled as they drew apart, staring deeply at one another with wide and adoring eyes.

"Bye Lucas," Dani smiled, bending down and giving the small boy a shake on the shoulder.

Lucas just whined wordlessly into the sheets, partly out of disgust for what he had just witnessed and partly still out of disappointment that Dani wasn't accompanying him to the waterpark.

"Lucas, don't be rude," Jake said pointedly as Dani stood back up.

"It's all good," she smiled. "Have a good day, you two."

Brand New Digs

"C'mon, let's go!" Martine urged, as Dani opened the back door of the battered Toyota they shared and threw her stuff onto the seat.

"Chill, babe" Dani replied, swinging into the passenger seat and securing her seatbelt. "Nobody ever gets tickets down here anyway."

"Yeah, well, I don't wanna risk it," Martine said, glancing in the mirror as she pulled away. "We don't all have your bundles of cash to pay off tickets."

"If you get one, I'll pay it."

"Now that's what I expect," Martine nodded, shooting Dani a cheeky grin. "On that note, have you heard anything from your boss?"

Dani shook her head as they turned onto the main road, and she leaned forward and flicked on the radio. "Still no vacancies, last I heard."

"Damn it," Martine sighed. "Surely Pandora's Box has room for just one more waitress? Like a certain stunning blonde with a killer bod?"

"I really thought they'd be able to squeeze you in," Dani said, a hint of remorse in her voice. "Olivia left so recently. That vacancy must have been snapped up instantly. Otherwise I never would have promised anything."

Martine shrugged dismissively. "I appreciate you trying, babe. What happened to her, anyway?"

"Who? Olivia?"

"Yeah."

Dani felt a hot flush run through her as she remembered Alma telling her why Olivia, a feisty redhead with cute dimples and a dazzling smile, had been let go from her waitress job at Pandora's Box.

"She, uh... she got pregnant, actually."

"Did she really?" Martine said, a knowing smile spreading across her face. "How interesting. Playing Pregnancy Craps, I bet?"

"Heh. How else?"

"Very interesting indeed," Martine grinned, shooting Dani a sly look.

"Marti, I haven't played Craps in months."

"Yeah, because of Jake. Sometimes I wonder how big your belly would be right now if you two hadn't hit it off."

"No you don't," Dani replied, feeling her heartbeat quicken. She had wondered the same thing herself a couple of times. "Besides, I'm not playing again. I've decided. Even if something were to happen with Jake and me."

"Smart decision," Martine agreed, occasionally glancing at Dani but with her eyes otherwise fixed on the road. "I thought you enjoyed it though?"

"It's... it is fun," Dani admitted, blushing a little. "But it's just way too risky. I shouldn't have played it once, let alone twice. I got so lucky. I think Olivia only played three times. It can get you just like that." She snapped her fingers to emphasise her point.

"Keep your freedom and your body, I think," Martine nodded, before another cheeky grin materialised on her face. "You'll have plenty of time to make some babies with Jake anyway."

"He's not interested," Dani said simply, thinking back to their conversation the night before. "And neither am I. Not yet, anyway."

"Come on, Dani," Martine said, flashing Dani a knowing smirk. "I saw the way you were gazing wistfully at Ruby yesterday."

"It's not real," Dani insisted, going slightly redder. "It's just stupid biological urges or whatever. I don't want a baby."

Martine nodded in understanding, and for a few seconds there was silence. But then she turned and looked at Dani again.

"You wanna know what I think?"

"I feel like you'll tell me anyway."

Martine's grin grew wider. "I don't think you want a baby. At least, not just any old baby. But you definitely do want Jake's baby."

"Bullshit," Dani shot back, going crimson in the face as her stomach twisted lightly with butterflies.

"You do!" Martine gasped, before breaking into a cackle. "Oh my God, Dani! That's so cute!"

"Shut up!" Dani stammered, wishing she wasn't stuck in the car. "I don't want to get pregnant, whether it's Jake's or not."

"Liar," Martine said, her face lit up with glee. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Jake's a total catch. You'd have such an adorable little family."

"Marti! Stop!" Dani gulped. An image of her and Jake with a trio of beautiful blond children flashed through her mind, and she desperately quashed it. "I told you, Jake isn't interested either. He has Lucas already."

"Bullshit!" Martine exclaimed, her eyes narrowing as she turned to look at Dani. "That boy needs to get his priorities in order. Babe, if I were a boy, I'd wanna knock you up ASAP."

"Shut up Marti," Dani gasped, unable to stop herself from laughing as Martine's infectious grin got wider. "I don't want to get knocked up!"

"I'm serious girl. I'd be trying to stuff a baby into you 24/7. Barefoot and pregnant, all that shit."

"Stop!" Dani yelped, laughing harder. "Marti, that's so fucking weird!"

"Got you in a good mood though, right?" Martine smirked. "Alright, fine, you can stay baby-less for now. But considering what we're buying for you today, I don't think Jakey boy will be able to resist the urge on Saturday."

The drive didn't take long and, a few minutes later, the two girls were back home. Dani unlocked the front door and the two girls stepped through into a student flat that had changed a lot over the past few months.

One of the walls in the main hallway had been knocked out, creating an open-plan layout for the entire apartment. Rather than entering into a long, dark hallway, any visitors to the flat now found themselves in a spacious and well-lit central living space with a similarly open-plan kitchen at the far end.

In addition to this, the flat had received a fresh coat of paint, and virtually all cracks, stains, damp patches and other blemishes had been fixed. The carpets and flooring had all been switched out for more luxurious and more expensive designs, and the bathroom had been improved with a window for natural light and a brand new sink, shower, and toilet.

Lastly, several of the windows in the living room were now replaced with a pair of wide glass doors that opened onto a small balcony, perfect for Martine and Dani to sunbathe on when the weather was good without having to leave the flat.

And all of it had been paid for by Dani.

She had kept the secret of her newfound wealth from Martine for several months after starting at Pandora's Box. Even after coming clean the guilt had continued to gnaw away at her. As such, she had committed to nothing less than a complete renovation of the entire apartment to make amends, transforming it from dingy student digs into a modern, first-rate apartment. True, their landlord had jacked up the rent considerably in response. But Dani was easily able to foot the bill for this as well, and the two girls now possessed by far the fanciest housing of any in their social circle.

"Be quick," Martine urged as the door closed behind them. "The mall will be heaving once everyone gets off work, so we gotta get there pronto."

"I'll be at least 45 minutes," Dani admitted. "Go sunbathe on the balcony or something."