Express & Star

Sex in the Suburbs: Some people lap dance but they are just prostitutes. Not me and not here.

It stands out like a beacon on West Bromwich High Street making no excuses of what is on offer inside. A bright blue and white sign reads 'The Bing!' – a contemporary frontage on an 18th century building.

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Two burly men stand guard on the door of the gentleman's club on the corner of Victoria Street and ask for a few coins to be put in the collection box as a token gesture as this particular night is free.

Two flights of dimly-lit stairs lead up to the club – with three, bored-looking dancers sitting on the top step in lingerie, stockings and high heels.A murky room smelling of stale alcohol waits behind them with not a single other customer inside.

A stage with a pole forms the centrepiece, surrounded by a number of dark wood polished tables. Sitting down it is not long before a girl with an athletic body and long black hair, wearing pink underwear, approaches and asks to take a seat before shaking hands.

There may be stories of girls on lap dancing posters looking nothing like the girls at the actual venue. But on this occasion, the girl – who we are calling 'Laura' – could have stepped right off the poster.

Explaining the price system she says: "It's £60 for a 15-minute private dance and you may touch me where you like if you wish, it's £150 for half-an-hour or we have a VIP section at the top of the building."

Being led upstairs to a private booth with two leather sofas and a mirror behind each, Laura asks for the money straight away. She takes the cash, dances, and takes off her clothes. During the dance, she reveals that she has come over from eastern Europe where she had been a dancer for more than five years.

She explains that she had tried 'normal jobs' that didn't pay well before she responded to a job advert as a dancer.

And does she enjoy her work? "Yes, it is ok. I see it as a clean job. I can do around 30 dances a night. Some people do this and they're just prostitutes. Not me and not here. There is no sex in this club."

The dance finishes and she continues to talk while knocking back two shots of tequila and a cocktail with cola in it. A perk of the job? Or Dutch courage before the start of her shift, maybe?

She makes numerous attempts to arrange for a second private dance. Her attempts fail, excuses are made to leave. And Laura walks back to the bar for another shot of tequila.

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