by ANDREA SMITH
I’d purchased a new dance outfit for tonight. It was a white opaque unitard that had long sleeves and a plunging neckline. I had gold, sparkly four-inch spiked heels, and a white feather plume intertwined into the mass of brown hair piled loosely on top of my head. There was something extremely classy about my outfit tonight. Even Margo made a comment, as she put the finishing touches on my make-up and gold glitter, about how stunning I looked.
“Looks to me like you’re trying to impress someone special tonight, chica. I don’t need three guesses to figure out who it is.” Her tone was slightly admonishing.
“Margo, sometimes you act way older than your years. You do realize you and I are about the same age, right?”
“I don’t give a damn. You’re still a babe in the woods, and girls look after girls. That’s just the way it is here.”
“I’ll be fine. I just want to class it up a bit tonight. It’s a holiday. Wait until you see my Christmas costume.”
“Diamond, you’re a rarity around here. I hope you know that.”
“Is that a good thing?” I asked, giving her a sly grin.
“Absolutely, chica. Hey, I think they’re calling your number, sweetie.”
I’d selected my first number for my shift. It was “Girls, Girls, Girls” by Motley Crue. I’d worked out a perfect dance to it and had practiced all week long. I took the stage as the chords of the song started the upbeat.
On my third twirl, as I climbed the pole to execute my first upside down decent, I saw him. He was alone at the bar. For whatever reason, the flame-haired Garnet was sitting next to him, sipping a drink.
What the hell? Did he freaking buy her a drink?
They seemed to be in a deep conversation. He barely noticed me as I continued my routine, eyeing them both whenever my dance allowed me to look that way. When my number was over, I flounced off the stage, ripping the feather from my upswept hairdo.
“What’d I miss?” Margo asked, her expression clearly puzzled. “Did you slip? Land on your ass out there?”
“No - nothing like that. Not much of an audience out there. Isn’t Garnet on the clock tonight?”
“No, her shift was earlier. She switched with Emerald. She said she had a hot date.”
“I see,” I said, seething.
I wasn’t sure why the hell it bothered me. Slate and I were nothing to each other. He most likely fucked a different bitch on a daily basis. Why did it have to be Garnet, though? She was such a skanky bitch.
I went to my locker and got another outfit out for my next dance, which wasn’t for another forty-five minutes. It was much skimpier…pure glittery trash in red. I chose red because that was one color Garnet couldn’t wear with that hair color of hers. Maybe it’d be enough to distract Slate from his attentive conversation with Garnet. I was actually counting the minutes until it was my turn to go back out on the stage. I still had another thirty.
I was in the dressing room as Emerald was preparing to go out next. She looked so sexy in her black fishnet body stocking with built-in bikini crotch less panties and pasties covering her nipples.
“When are you out?” I asked her.
“Right after Ruby. She’s on now.”
“Which stage is next?”
“Center,” she replied.
That was the horseshoe bar where I’d spotted Slate with Garnet.
“Want me to take a dance for you?” I asked Emerald.
“Hey, I could use a longer break,” she admitted. “I’m so freaking premenstrual. I hope like hell I don’t start tonight. These outfits can’t even hide a tampon,” she remarked, laughing.
“It’s settled then,” I replied, smiling. “You take it easy. I’ve got this one covered.”
“Thanks, Diamond. I owe you,” she replied.
She ran out and told the announcer that I was switching dancing order with her so that I would be announced when the next song played.
A couple of minutes later, I was announced to center stage to the tune of Whitesnake’s, “Here I go Again.”
How fitting.
The beat was awesome to display many of the moves and additional gymnastics I’d added to my repertoire. I made sure I strutted my stuff right in front of Slate, who was still sitting next to Garnet, though I clearly had his attention now. I preened about like a peacock in front of him. Garnet’s displeasure was obvious as I ascended the pole and spun and twirled like she wished she could.
“Just another heart in need of rescue; waiting on love’s sweet charity…”
This song tugged at my heart, at my pride. It said all of the things that I felt inside of me and had for so very long. My dancing was my means of getting it out there, dealing with it in a healthy way. I lost myself to the music and the lyrics.
As the song ended, I wrapped myself around the pole and slid downward, allowing myself to segue into the splits right in front of where Slate was sitting, his eyes not moving from me.
I saw the hateful look that Garnet was directing my way. It didn’t faze me a bit. I raised my head up to look directly into Slate’s sapphire blue eyes. I saw something there as well. It was indistinguishable, but somehow I felt that he got it. He got me. I wasn’t someone to be toyed with, and he understood.
I rose up from my floor position and left the stage amid the loud applause, wolf whistles, and male shout-outs. This had been one of my best performances. It had been all about the song, and all about Slate. I truly didn’t know why.
I returned to the dressing room and quickly went to my locker. This was my last set for the night. I wanted to get into my street clothes and get the hell home. I changed into a pair of jeans and a hoodie, trading my four-inch heels for a pair of brown leather boots.
I told Janine I’d collect my tips tomorrow night when I worked. She was fine with it.
“Is everything alright, Diamond?” She had that motherly look of concern on her face.
“Yeah, everything’s good. It’s just hard, you know, with both Lindsey and Jack gone. It’s kind of lonely, I guess.”
“Okay darlin’, you take care. I’ll see you tomorrow night then.”
“Yeah, until then,” I replied, heading out the door.
I didn’t bother with getting a bouncer to walk me out. I left through the back, not wanting to face Slate, who was probably still sitting with Garnet and hoping to score for the night. I was certain he would have no problem. Garnet made no secret she would offer her pussy up on a silver platter for Slate.
I’d left the building through the back and was nearly to the corner where the last bus of the night would pick me up, when suddenly, out of nowhere, strong arms grasped me from behind, whirling me around. My heart plummeted to my stomach. I immediately let my instincts kick in and took a defensive stance, one that I’d learned in kick boxing.
My eyes fell upon my attacker’s deep blue eyes. It was Slate.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed, my adrenaline pumping, poised to protect myself.
“What the fuck are you doing walking out here by yourself at night? I thought the bouncers saw you out safely after your shift.”
“You seem to know quite a bit about what goes on here, don’t you?” I was lashing out at him, not sure why.
He cocked an eyebrow at me quizzically. He wasn’t getting that I was out of sorts with him. Neither was I.
“Look,” I said, trying to normalize my tone and body language so as not to appear to really give a damn about this man who, for some odd reason, intrigued me. “I’m fine. I’m nearly at the corner. The bus will be by shortly, no worries.”
“I’ll wait with you,” he said firmly.
“Why?”
“It’s not safe for a girl to be out by herself this late and in this neighborhood.”
“Yeah, I know. Lots of biker riff-raff hanging around lately, I’ve noticed.”
He gave me a sardonic look with a slight rolling of the eyes, definitely
not a biker reaction.
“So you have something lined up later with Garnet?”
“What’s it to you, babe? Do I sense some jealously going on?”
“Yeah, right. That’s close,” I murmured.
“Hubby waiting for you at the crib?”
“Maybe.”
He smirked, shaking his head. “You know, if you were my old lady, I wouldn’t let you outta my sight.”
“Why’s that?”
Before he could reply, the bus was slowing down and pulling towards the curb. He moved swiftly, pulling me up against him. His hand roughly tilted my chin upward. His mouth covered mine, his lips taking full possession of mine. I struggled against him momentarily, until my mind was fuzzy with desire and I didn’t want to resist.
His tongue traced my lips and then entered my mouth, thoroughly exploring it with a sensual rhythm. He lightly nipped at my bottom lip. I laced my arms around his strong neck as I heard the hydraulic door to the bus open. He shoved me away gently.
“Go home, Diamond Girl. You don’t belong around here.”
With that, he turned on his heel and headed back to the club. I saw Garnet standing at the door of the entrance. She’d been looking for him…that was obvious. I turned and stepped onto the bus with shaky legs. His kiss had left me wanting more. I wasn’t sure why.
chapter 11
I heard from Jack on Friday afternoon as I was lining up my dance costumes for my shift that evening. He wanted to make sure that I was keeping up with bill payments and to let me know he would be coming home for a week on Sunday afternoon. It was a short break in his schedule. Then he would be off again until he came home for Christmas.
My parents were expected back before Christmas. I felt guilty for not staying in touch with them. My mother had always done everything my father had told her to do, and had done it exactly as my father had wanted it done. It bugged me as an adult, having seen how that felt. I resented the fact that my mother had never carved an identity out for herself. She had never instilled that need in me while I was growing up.
Right now, I needed to concern myself with how I was going to get through the week with Jack home, while still showing up for my shifts. I’d totally decided against telling him I had a part-time job…period. I would talk to the girls to see if I could get one of the late shift girls to take my shift for three nights next week.
I sat down in Jack’s office at the computer and pulled up the Excel spreadsheet he’d created for me that was titled, “Samantha’s Financial Records.” It was kind of an odd file name, but Jack was anal like that. He’d shown me how to go into our online banking with the password and pull up our joint account. I saw where a recent electronic deposit had been made for $9213.77. That seemed odd to me.
I clicked on the transaction number to get the detail. It simply said “Cash” and referenced that it was an ATM deposit. The location was Manassas, Virginia. I decided it was probably one of the sales offices where Jack was conducting training. I wasn’t sure why a cash deposit of that amount had been deposited into our joint account. I made a note to ask him about it when he was home.
I went through the Excel file and selected the payees who had a “Due Date for Payment” current or within the next three days and highlighted them. I then submitted payment amounts required on the on-line tool for our account, and posted the confirmation number in the column marked the same.
There, I was finished with that.
No reason for Jack to bitch or smack me around.
I powered off the computer and put the files away.
I took extra care with my bath this afternoon, as I prepared for work. I shaved and waxed, plucked a couple of errant eyebrow hairs, and selected one of the new outfits I’d purchased by mail order. I was now on a first-name basis with the UPS delivery guy.
Tonight, I was going to wear a black lace, layered mini dress. The front was a princess, Lolita-style neckline. It had an open back, and a matching, black lace G-string was worn underneath. I was going to wear my black, leather, four-inch, spiked heels with ankle ties. My nails were painted a bright red.
I was in need of some male attention tonight. I was in need of Slate’s attention.
Ever since the kiss, it’d been difficult to get him out of my mind. I chastised myself for even considering getting involved with someone that reckless, dangerous even. What the hell? I was entitled to some temporary insanity after the lackluster existence I’d had with Jack over the past eighteen plus years.
Margo noticed the change in my demeanor almost immediately when I got into the chair. Maybe it was the new dance costume, and the bright red nails. Or maybe, it was when I requested she use longer lashes for tonight and do up my green eyes in smoky dark grey shadows, with black liner and no glitter.
“It looks like someone has plans for tonight,” she remarked, pulling my brown locks up on top of my head into a long ponytail. “Maybe Garnet will have something to say about that.”
I looked at her reflection in the mirror. Our eyes met.
“What’s that supposed to mean, Margo?”
“Just seems to me that the both of you may be hot after the same dude, that’s all.”
“And your point would be?”
“The point is, I like you, Diamond. I like you way better than Garnet, but you’re outta your league if a bitch fight’s on the horizon over that biker.”
“What biker?” I asked, innocently.
“Don’t play me,” she said. “Garnet’s rough and she’s ruthless. And the bottom line is, she’s been here longer than you. Janine doesn’t like fighting amongst the girls. If push comes to shove, you’re out honey and Garnet’s in. Ain’t worth it, darlin’.”
I gave Margo a prize-winning smile.
“You’ve done a beautiful job on me, as always, Margo,” I said, pressing $40 into her hand. “Thanks.”
I heard her call after me as I went into the lavatory. “She left here with him last night, Diamond. I just thought maybe you should know.”
I was glad the door to the bathroom had shut behind me once her words had sunk in. My legs immediately turned to jelly. I sought refuge in one of the stalls, her words continuing to reverberate in my mind over and over again.
I felt my stomach knot up with a feeling that wasn’t familiar to me. It was a mixture of anger, jealousy, and a little bit of hurt and disappointment thrown in for good measure. I had no reason to feel those things. I had no right to feel those things. Slate was nothing to me. I was nothing to Slate. I needed to stop allowing insane distractions to keep me from dealing with the real issue: my disaster of a marriage, better known as the big lie.
I dabbed at the corner of my eye with a piece of toilet tissue. I refused to let this bit of news cause me to ruin the awesome make-up job that Margo had just completed. I managed to regain my composure and finished up in the bathroom.
My first number out was a request from one of the regulars that came in to the club. His name was Joey, and he was a nice enough guy. He’d never activated my creep radar. He was a lonely, married guy in his early forties, not too bad on the eyes, either.
The tune he selected was “Feeling Good,” by Michael Bublee. It was a slower tune, with an almost “striptease” beat to it: a very bold and sensual arrangement.
Once I took the stage, I saw Slate sitting with his biker buddies at the next horseshoe stage. This was perfect.
I slowly danced over to Joey, using the music to move my body sensually as I went to the pole in front of him. I did a slow fireman’s spiral around the pole, arching my back so that I could feel the tip of my ponytail hit my scantily-clad ass.
I did a slow, seductive climb and hitched my leg around the pole, arching my back as I twirled downward in front of him. I left the pole and danced seductively over to the edge of the stage where Joey sat, his eyes glued to my cleavage and crotch. As I rolled my hips provocatively, I raised my right leg up parallel w
ith the bar, and allowed myself to spiral slowly around it.
I noticed from beneath my nearly closed lashes that I had Slate’s attention. He’d stopped in mid-sentence to gaze over at me.
I licked my red lips for Joey, dropping down to kneel in front of him, and presenting him with an unobstructed view of my pushed-up breasts. I did a side roll, sweeping my outside leg around so that I was now in an outstretched position on the stage, my torso less than a foot away from Joey’s face.
As the song ended, I could feel the heat of Slate’s stare on me. I loved the fact that he was bothered. I could feel his vibes from the next stage over.
I smiled at Joey. His eyes had widened in pleasure at my slow, sensual dance for him. He licked his lips, smiling back as I blew him a kiss. I whispered I’d meet him at table six in the back as I left the stage. I heard some loud applause along with the usual cat whistles as I descended the steps and went behind the curtain.
Pearl was up next.
“Wow,” she said, “you’re a hard act to follow tonight, girl. Give the rest of us a break, huh?” She was smiling at me.
“Thanks, Pearl. You’ll do great, as always,” I assured her as the music started and she was announced.
I made my way out the side entrance to the main floor and was immediately greeted by a scowling Slate. My first instinct was to simply walk by and ignore him, but that would only prove to him that I was jealous or trying to make him jealous, which was the truth. I quickly decided another strategy was in order.
“Hi, Slate,” I greeted with a smile. “I don’t think Garnet comes on until later.”
“What the fuck did you think you were doing out there?” he hissed, not bothering to hide his anger.
“What I’m paid to do, baby. What’s it to you?” I asked, putting some heat in my voice.
