by Dawn Atkins
“Minor stuff. Stalls for the johns, new electrical. Gotta be done. For safety reasons.”
“I approve all expenditures.” Duke’s jaw tensed.
“Right. And I hire all staff,” Jackson said, not backing down. “What’s with the new bartender?”
“Dupree’s a friend of my nephew’s. Stan vouches for him.”
“I won’t manage a place with people I don’t trust.”
“Dupree’s got experience.”
“I’ll bet.”
“He’ll be no problem and Taylor could use the help.”
“We’ll see.”
“I’m serious about okaying expenditures,” Duke said.
“Then I guess I should tell you I hired a crew to haul out the furniture from the back room and sell it.”
“You did what?”
“Relax,” Jackson said in a low voice that seemed to soothe Duke. “We get a percentage. Should be enough to cover the cupboards I want to build.”
“You want to build cupboards? Hang on now—”
“For storage. We’ll use the space as a break room and for supplies. The girls need a dressing room to themselves.”
“What are you doing, Jax?”
“The right thing. Selling the furniture should cover the prefab stuff I’ll buy. So no net expense.”
The two men eyed each other, while Duke’s ruffled feathers settled. She admired Jackson for sticking to his guns and presenting the girls’ demands so matter-of-factly, like a done deal, despite his own doubts about them.
“I know what you want,” Jackson soothed. “It’s all fine.”
Duke held his gaze for a second, then seemed to slump into the chair, as if arguing was too much trouble. “Everybody knows what I want these days. Stan thinks I should open a combo bar-Laundromat. Suds and Duds, something stupid like that. He thinks I’m made of money and his friends scare the hell out of me.” He turned to the stage, taking in the dancers. “So why are they prancing around with clothes on?”
“They’ll have costumes for the show,” Heidi said, irritated by his dismissive tone. “This is just a rehearsal—a taste of what’s to come.”
“Costumes? Who’s paying for that? And nobody said anything about live music.” He eyed the band, frowning.
“Jasmine’s making the costumes,” Jackson said in his calm-down voice, “and the band’s working free. If the show flies, we give ’em a percentage of the door.”
“Looks to me like you’ve got the inmates running the asylum.”
“The inmates?” Heidi said. She opened her mouth, prepared to object, but Jackson grabbed her knee, stilling her.
“What Duke means is why mess with success?”
Duke nodded. “Men come here to see women as naked as we can get ’em. If they want a show, they go to Vegas.” He seemed caught by the dancers’ moves, though. Impressed in spite of himself.
“That’s the idea,” Heidi said. “This will be a taste of Vegas right here in Phoenix. We’ll draw new customers. Couples, not just men. More liquor sales, more cover charges.”
“Yeah?” He turned to her, half-smiling, as if he were amused by her interest.
“Especially if we advertise. Tell him, Jackson.”
“I thought we’d use the New Times ad to promote the show.”
“I’m not throwing money at this.”
“The ad’s already in the budget,” Jackson said. “We just use a photo of the revue, add a couple lines of copy. Heidi will work up some publicity to go with it.”
“To reinforce the impact,” Heidi added.
Duke looked at her, then at Jackson, putting something together in his mind. He looked back at Jackson. “I don’t get this, but we go back a ways, Jax. So, one week’s ad, one weekend trial. If receipts drop, we’re done.” He winked at Heidi, then pushed wearily to his feet. “No outlay on the cupboards.”
“No problem.”
Shaking his head, Duke headed to the bar, papers in hand.
Jackson watched him go, then turned back to her, a wry smile on his face. “Duke thinks you’ve got me twisted around your little finger.”
“He does?”
“Don’t look so innocent. You know you do.”
That gave her a shiver of pleasure and a rush of power. “You mean I can have my way with you?” she teased.
“Be careful…I’m only human.” There was the familiar sizzle.
“I know…. Me, too.” She’d never had to exercise this much self-restraint in her life. It was worth it, though, she was pretty sure. Because now they were working together for the dancers’ sake. And it was helping Jackson, too. She was delighted to see his enthusiasm build, his energy return, focused on the music he loved, his dream. It wasn’t a radio station, but it was close.
For herself, she loved the sense of accomplishment she’d begun to feel. The dancers consulted with her on which dances to include in the revue, how long they should be, what order they should be in. She’d helped them work out a few personality snarls along the way, too.
At first, Nevada had been too rigid a taskmaster, Jasmine had been late to practice and brought Sabrina with her, and Autumn had been reluctant to invest extra time in something that might not pan out. Heidi had talked them through it. She’d babysat Sabrina, showed Autumn the math on the income and eased Nevada back a bit.
She’d worked up the ad, too, drafted news releases and now she would talk up the show with entertainment reporters. She’d consulted with Jackson through it all, coordinating practice sessions with his band. They were a good team. He calmed her when she got nervous and she boosted him when he had doubts.
Sometimes she wished they’d never slept together, so she wouldn’t have this terrible tension in her chest—and in her sex—whenever they were together. Other times she thought if they could just have sex again, they’d have everything either of them ever wanted. Which, of course, was completely crazy.
A WEEK LATER, Heidi sat in her salon chair waiting for the three dancers to arrive. Autumn was coming in for a haircut, Nevada for a touch-up to her extensions—though Heidi planned to talk her into a more elegant cut—and Jasmine was having her nails done. A second purpose was to show her their newly finished costumes.
Heidi tapped her fingers on the arms of the chair, catching the attention of Esmeralda, the nail technician, who frowned and rolled her chair close enough to capture Heidi’s hand. She studied her nails, then shook her head. “Dear Goddess of Light, look at these blobs of keratin. You are a disgrace to the beauty business.”
“Sorry,” she said. Tension had her chewing her cuticles lately and she kept her nails short for convenience.
“How about a free manicure? As a thank-you for all the new clients. I’ve never done so many specialty nails in my life.” Heidi had passed out Esmeralda’s cards at Moons and the dancers and waitresses were trickling into the shop.
“Nails get in my way and polish chips too easy.”
“Then let me read your palm.” Not only did Esmeralda do nails, but she also read fortunes. Her slogan was “Esmeralda knows hands…inside out.”
“I’ve got clients coming in now.” Heidi didn’t want to learn her life would be sad, her career goals unmet, her love life a web of mistakes. Even if she didn’t believe her future was etched into her palm, she didn’t want to take a chance on hearing bad news. Luckily, the bell jangled, signaling the dancers’ arrival.
Jasmine, Nevada and Autumn waltzed in, dressed in tight, short clothes and hooker heels, costumes in plastic over their arms. Everyone in the salon stared—Blythe’s client under the dryer, the one in the waiting area and the woman she was giving a weave. Even Blythe, serene in any storm and impossible to shock, stared, a foil square poised in her uplifted fingers.
“Costumes, Heidi!” Jasmine squealed, rushing forward. “Wait’ll you see.”
“You can change in there.” Heidi pointed toward the rest room, but the dancers tossed the plastic-shrouded items onto spare dryer chairs and began wh
ipping off clothes.
In seconds, each had donned a different costume. Autumn wore a white see-through, boa-trimmed robe over a transparent orange blouse and thin, flame-colored skirt. Jasmine had on a harem outfit with numerous glittering veils and Nevada wore a body stocking with small, white balloons representing bubbles from a bubble bath.
“Wow,” Heidi said. “How perfect.”
“And they fit the choreography to a T,” Autumn said. “Show her, Nevada.”
Nevada leaned down and snatched a veil from the hip of Jasmine’s harem costume with her teeth.
“Easy to remove with teeth or toes.” Autumn demonstrated, flexing her big toe at Jasmine’s navel to whip away another veil. She spun, did a backbend and bit off another veil.
The watching customers exclaimed in delight. “Oh, sugar, do that again,” the woman under the dryer said.
Heidi’s cell phone rang as the dancers repeated the move. Frowning, she answered it.
“Heidi? It’s Mike.”
“Mike? Oh, hi!” She’d had only fleeting conversations with her brothers since she’d sent back the money and some of their gifts. There was so much her brothers didn’t know about her life she hardly knew what to talk about. Plus, she’d been so busy helping with the show, she hadn’t had much time. “Can I call you back? I’ve got clients right now.”
“How are you, bunny? Really?”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Are you still getting along with your roommate?”
“Absolutely.” If only we hadn’t had sex. But Mike meant Tina, of course, not Jackson. Sheesh.
“She travels so much. Aren’t you lonely?”
“Not a bit.” Which was true.
Autumn spun, whipping off her Phoenix bird skirt with a rip of Velcro, revealing a feathered G-string. “Too much crotch?” she asked the women.
“Too much what?” her brother asked.
“Too much…off,” Heidi improvised. “Some friends are showing me their shopping bargains.”
“I’m glad you’re making friends.” He’d die if he knew they were strippers. Her brothers would think Shear Ecstasy odd, too, since it was located in a beauty boutique that centered around a boudoir photography studio. Entering the building, you were immediately presented with soft-focus bedroom shots, which also lined the walls of the salon. Heidi’s world was filled with sexy stuff—here and Moons and home.
“Don’t sound so worried,” she said. “It’s like you expect the worst.”
“No news feels like bad news. You should call us more. Did you get all the classes you wanted?”
They didn’t even know she wasn’t going to school. Maybe now would be the time to start with the truth. Ease into it. She swallowed, watching Autumn toss scarves through the air to land in the spectators’ laps. “Actually, Mike, I’ve decided not to register until next semester.”
“You what? You’re not going to school?”
The women applauded loudly. The one under the dryer managed a wolf whistle. “Take it off,” she yelled.
“What’s going on there?” Mike asked crossly.
“Ninety percent off. I need to get more established at the salon.”
“But we thought you were in such a rush to move so you could make the fall semester.”
She’d been in a rush because she was scared to lose her nerve.
“Is it money? Why did you send back the check?”
“It’s my decision. It’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.”
“Take it all off!” The woman under the dryer was really getting into it.
“Who is that?” Michael asked.
“We’re, um, stripping…color. All the color. Look, give my love to Mark. I’ll call you later. Bye. Love you. I’m fine. Bye.”
She clicked off the phone, her ears burning, her face hot with guilt. At least she’d delivered some of the bad news. Eventually, when she had things under control, she could laugh with her brothers about her little start-up troubles.
“So, what do you think, Heidi?” Jasmine asked. The other dancers looked equally eager for her opinion.
“The costumes are fabulous. You did great, Jasmine.”
“She did, didn’t she?” Autumn said. “Pure genius.”
Jasmine beamed at Autumn, who’d been noticeably more positive with Jasmine since that counseling session in the dressing room and a couple of follow-up discussions. Jasmine kept checking with Autumn about possible purchases, too, which helped Autumn’s attitude about her friend’s maturity. Hardly an eyeroll passed between them these days.
“Full rehearsal today before work,” Nevada said. She’d told Heidi she had a history of quitting when things got hard, but she was sticking to the revue like the balloons Velcroed to her bodysuit.
“Yes, O, Queen of Pain,” Autumn said, but she was smiling.
The dancers changed back into their street clothes and handed each customer a small stack of flyers to distribute, urging them to bring a crowd.
Heidi got started washing Autumn’s hair and Jasmine sat at Esmeralda’s station to get her nails done. Nevada parked in Heidi’s salon chair with a magazine to wait her turn.
“Who was that on the phone?” Autumn asked, her voice echoing in the sink. “You looked nervous.”
“One of my brothers worrying about me.” She lifted Autumn’s head and scrubbed the hair at the back.
“He should worry. You work in a strip club, hon.”
“There are tons worse jobs than that,” Nevada said.
“At least your brothers care,” Autumn said quietly, while Heidi rinsed. “My brothers don’t give a damn about me until they need money. And they always need money.”
“They mean well, I know,” Heidi said, applying cream rinse.
“Family can be a pain,” Jasmine said from the nail station. “When I go to my mom for sympathy—when I’m desperately down—what does she do? Jump all over me about my bad decisions.”
“She should get Little Miss Positive lessons from Heidi,” Autumn said, sitting up so Heidi could cover her hair with a towel. “Look how they helped me.” She put a finger to her cheek and twisted it, wearing a supersweet smile.
“You’ve got a ways to go.”
“Come on. I’m giving you one-third fewer eye rolls, at least.”
“My point is that my mom kicks me when I’m down, right? But, get this, when I told her about the new routine she made her usual disgusted face, but I didn’t even feel it. ‘Come see the show, Mom,’ I told her. ‘Just come see.’”
“Not bad,” Autumn said.
“I was like Teflon. Her bad vibes hit me and bounced off.”
“You felt confident,” Heidi said, leading Autumn to her chair for the cut. “So her criticism doesn’t wound you.”
“Your brothers must have freaked about you working at Moons,” Autumn said. “What did they say about you living with Jackson?”
“They don’t know yet,” she said, running a comb through Autumn’s hair. Not willing to share her uncertainty with the girls, she didn’t explain all the other things they didn’t know about her life. Like everything.
“What’s the big deal?” Jasmine said. “Lots of men and women are roommates.”
“If you want, you can move in with me,” Esmeralda threw in. She’d posted a notice on the salon bulletin board, wanting someone to help with utilities.
“Thanks,” Heidi said, wondering, as she had when she first saw the posting, if that might not be a smart thing to do.
“Wait a minute,” Jasmine said slowly. “Are you sleeping with Jax still?”
All eyes honed in on her.
“No. Not anymore. No.”
“Good,” Autumn said. “Jackson is Jackson. Don’t think you can change him. People don’t change. Especially men.”
“I don’t buy it,” Jasmine said. “No man on earth doesn’t need a little redo. I wouldn’t take one as is. No way. What’s the point of getting involved?”
“And there’s your probl
em,” Autumn said.
“And yours is that you hook up with guys who are all talk. Jackson’s not like that. Jackson has honor. He’s one of the good guys.”
“But limited,” Autumn said, holding Heidi’s gaze in the mirror. “And not the kind of guy Heidi wants. She’s just getting out there, mixing it up with college guys, am I right?”
“Sure,” she said, feeling hollow inside. She pictured Jackson’s expression when he looked at her sometimes—as though he needed her to fix what was wrong, fill what was empty. Sometimes she thought he might be what she needed, too—a safe place to be—a haven, a comfort, an outstretched hand when she needed a boost.
“Damn,” Autumn said softly.
Heidi’s attention jerked to the mirror and Autumn’s stare. “What?”
“He got to you, didn’t he?” she whispered.
“No. I don’t know. I just…ache…you know.”
“You have to be strong,” Autumn said.
“Hey, who’s studying to be the psychologist here?” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
“Everybody’s an expert at something,” Autumn said. “I know bad relationships like the back of my hand.”
“And I have a master’s degree in bad mothering,” Jasmine said with a sigh.
“You do your best,” Autumn said, which made Jasmine blink in surprise.
“I’m a world-class quitter,” Nevada said with a pained laugh.
“Oh, for those days,” Autumn said. “Now you never stop. You’re driving us into the ground, Nevada.”
“We have a show coming up.”
“You’re all doing remarkable,” Heidi said. “The show, of course, but look how you stood up for yourselves at Moons.”
“We did good, didn’t we?” Jasmine said, beaming.
“You did great,” Heidi agreed.
Autumn leaned forward to grab the stack of college course schedules Heidi had left next to the comb jar. Jackson had made the rounds to all the junior colleges in the Valley for her, even snagging the new ASU pamphlet. “What’s with all this?” Autumn asked.
This might be the perfect time to mention school to Autumn. “Just looking at options. You live on the west side, right? Check out ASU West. Might be an accounting class you’d like. My brother hired a woman to do bookkeeping for Copper Corners with just a two-year associate’s degree.”
