by Rebel Adams
“Of course we are.” Abigail wasn’t too keen on walking. They moved slowly along the sidewalk; the air was heavy. It left a fine layer of sweat on her skin, and made her instantly want a shower.
“You can walk anywhere in this town,” Scott said. It was really that small; the whole town was in one little block. As they walked, they passed the Sheriff’s station and he looked in the window. The sheriff was sitting behind the desk. Abigail could see his eyes were closed.
“Is he sleeping at work?” She noticed the desk beside his and wondered if that was where Scott spent his days.
“He is. He wakes up when it counts, so I leave him alone mostly.” They continued walking a bit longer before they turned down a side street and stood in front of a small cabin-like home. “Here’s the rental I was telling you about.”
“It looks cozy.”
“When my wife and I were first married, we lived here. With plans to start a family, we needed more space, so we moved there.” He pointed to a house two doors down which looked a little larger than this one. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being this close to his wife. Would she have to interact with her? Furthermore, why did it matter if she did? Realizing she had been quiet for way too long, Abigail was going to ask him what his wife did.
“You’re married!” The words, which came out, were not what she planned. Her voice was high and squeaky, very unlike her.
“No, I was. She left me five years ago, and never gave a decent reason for it. I am trying to get in your pants though, Abigail. I don’t want to talk about my wife.” He winked at her as she moved towards the house.
This actually caused Abigail to laugh at how inappropriate he could be. “You’re trying to get in my pants, huh? Too bad I’m wearing a dress then.” She pushed the wooden door open after he unlocked it for her and stepped inside. It reminded her of Billy and Lila’s home the way it was one room.
“Okay, it’s time for me to hit the hay, have a lot of plotting to get to tomorrow.” She tried to usher him out, but he was attempting to hang around.
“Don’t you want a tour?” He grinned as he edged into the living room a little more. She sighed, looking around. There was no doubt he had redecorated the area when his marriage ended. It had lots of trout and bear décor spread about. There wasn’t anything feminine about it.
“I see the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. There isn’t anything else, right?”
“You have to see the back porch and how you can see all the stars.” He moved through the house to the back and slid the door open for her. She followed, knowing he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Scott was right; she could see all the stars and the view was amazing. Their reflections sparkled in the water. Their hands accidentally touched on the banister and she jerked away quickly. It wasn’t because it scared her, but because she felt little chill bumps rise up where his skin had touched hers.
She needed to get him out of there in a hurry. Obviously not being around a man for a long time made her more sensitive to them, and she needed to keep her head in the Benton game.
Leaning in to her, he lowered his voice. “You know if you need someone to cuddle with…first night in a new place and all.” She shivered a bit but pushed him towards the door.
“It’s time for you to go. I will see you tomorrow and we’ll figure out more of our plan.” Once upon a time, she would have bathed in this man’s attention. Even though she was only eighteen when she met Benton, she had a lot of experience with men. After their dad passed away, her brother had tried to keep her away from the boys. She always climbed out of her window as soon as he was asleep. The bed was calling her name, but she never made it off the couch. She fell asleep thinking of how much she had changed while she had been away.
When Abigail woke up, she had a slight twinge in her back from sleeping at such an odd angle on the couch. She showered until the water ran cold and she felt ready to face the day. Her plan was to figure out where the closest mall was. She needed to shop for some clothes for her new job and to seduce her ex-lover with.
Since her car was at Moet’s, she would ask Stella to tell her where she could find the mall. The walk over was another way to help her wake up for the day. It was a muggy day again and she was already starting to sweat from the short walk. Entering the bar, she wasn’t expecting to see Scott already there and in his uniform. He looked good.
Despite men in uniform being cruel to her, throwing her in and out of cells, and sometimes openly sexually harassing her, she was still turned on by the sight of a uniform. There was clearly something wrong with her. She was glad she had fixed her hair and put on makeup before leaving the house.
“Hi,” she said and sat on the stool next to him, taking a large inhale of his coffee.
“Hi yourself,” he smiled as Stella appeared with another cup of coffee just for her. She could have hugged her for it. “I figure with whatever skills you possess and my police skills, we can get the job done.”
Abigail wanted to say something hateful about his comments but bit her tongue. The skills she possessed were not exactly legal and better kept secret from a man of the law.
“How are you two doing today?” Stella winked at her, getting the wrong idea. Abigail forgot how gossipy a small town could be. Knowing what she was thinking, she shook her head at Stella indicating to her she was wrong about them.
“We are fantastic, Stella. How are you?” Scott asked. He finished his coffee and she refilled it for him.
“I can’t complain. Abigail, are you ready to start tomorrow?” Stella questioned. Abigail looked around the small bar picturing the tables full of demanding customers.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. What’s the dress code like exactly?”
“Jeans and a black t-shirt will work just fine.” Stella smiled easily at her, and she decided she was going to like working for her. “You won’t meet my husband until tomorrow night; he likes to check out my new hires, but I think he is really going to like you.”
“How could he not?” Scott said.
“So, I need to know where the nearest mall is because I’m going to need some work clothes, and some clothes in general. I can’t go back to Sassy Girls.”
Stella laughed, “I don’t blame you. The nearest mall is about two hours from here if you want to drive that far. Hold on, I’ll get you a map.” Stella walked back to the office and Scott turned towards Abigail.
“So, you are going to let me help you take down the big guy?” His question came out more like a statement.
“I am for three reasons only. One, I don’t know the area well. Two, I might need protection if things get hairy. And three, you look good in that uniform.” Why did she say that? Now he was smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
“If you want to wait for me to get off duty tonight, I can take you to the mall. I mean, if you need help getting there. Also, that is.”
“Scott, I’m a big girl. I can go to the mall by myself, besides we have a date tonight.” She smiled at him.
“We do?” He put his arm around her and pulled her towards him.
“Yes at the Lucky Leopard.” She moved away from him, leaving him confused.
“The strip joint?” He stood up from his stool and stared at her. She grabbed his cell and entered her number into it and texted herself.
“Yes, sir, it’s the first place we are going for information. We’ll meet here to discuss the back story, so come over when I text you.” She smiled as Stella brought back a map and showed her where to go. Walking out the front door towards her car, she left Scott to think over what that meant.
He followed her out. “Hey, Abigail, hold up. I know a thing or two about prison and criminals. I pretty much know it takes one to know one. The things the mayor did — that you know about – you were in on them, too, weren’t you? Did you go down for them? I feel like this goes deeper than just revenge on a man for cheating on you.” He was waiting on her to tell him what he already knew, but he needed to hear it from her. It would mea
n she trusted him.
“Nope, you’ve got me all wrong, Scotty. I’ll see you tonight.” With that, she hopped in her car and left him staring after her.
“I’ll find out if you are lying,” he said to himself, going back in to finish his coffee.
A few hours later when she got back into town, Abigail was pretty pleased with her purchases. There were two dresses, lingerie for when she finally was alone with Benton, and work clothes. She hadn’t spent too much money and the drive to and from the mall, while long, had given her time to clear her head.
She met up with Scott at Moet’s and they came up with their back-story. They were a new couple, but she needed money out of Benton and that’s why they were there. She was sure she could appeal to the woman inside of the stripper. Their story had to work.
Abigail drove and Scott directed her to where the place was located. The dress she was wearing rode up her leg a little, and he had an overwhelming desire to put his hand on her thigh. He didn’t though; keeping his hands to himself was the best scenario. If he couldn’t get it together, he might have to sit on them.
“This place we are going is kind of shady. What do you think we are going to find out?” he asked.
“Everything,” she said, “shady is perfect for him.”
He tried a different approach, “Have you ever visited these types of places with him?”
She smiled as she looked over at Scott’s seemingly innocent question. “Where do you think he met me?”
He was staring at her again, and now he was picturing her in stripper heels strutting across the stage. Being able to see it in his mind didn’t make it any easier for him to wrap his head around.
“You were a stripper, like, an actual stripper?”
“I was, just topless though, no full nude stuff. I was a stripper when we met, and for the first year we were together. There’s good money in it and if you are lucky enough to find a safe place it’s not a horrible way to make a living,” Abigail replied.
“How old were you when he met you?” Scott was still kind of shocked but also intrigued.
“I was eighteen when I started stripping, and when he stumbled into my life. Stop picturing me naked and focus on the task at hand,” she teased.
“I wasn’t.” He had been, but he needed to stop. This girl was dangerous. She was using him to get back at her ex-boyfriend, who she still wanted back after she got him arrested. That was the definition of a dangerous girl. He had done some research on her before they went on this little mission and was waiting for the right time to spring it on her.
They pulled into the Lucky Leopard, which, from the outside, didn’t look like anything more than a normal bar, until you noticed the classy leopard print sign on the outside, and the neon nudie moving sign beside it. They walked in without any bouncer stopping them, and took in the place. There were red booths everywhere with a bar to the right and a stage complete with two poles in the center.
In the back, Abigail noticed a door with leopard print curtains hanging on it. They needed to get behind those curtains.. She would have to get a private dance with the girl Benton was secretly seeing, and then she could try to get the information. Hopefully bringing a grand in cash would be enough to get the information she needed.
“Now what?” Scott was watching one of the dancers who had just come out on stage. She hadn’t taken off her clothes yet so he wasn’t all the way distracted.
“Now we find whoever Benton has told all his secrets to.” Abigail was moving towards the bar as Scott kept his eyes on the stage and tried not to bump into the tables.
“We find her and then what?”
“Then we get a lap dance.” She smiled and made her way up to the bar. They were the only patrons in the place besides two guys sitting in front of the strippers, so it wasn’t difficult to get there.
“We get a lap dance?” He was obviously not following along; she laughed and asked the bartender for two rum and cokes.
“What do you ask for when you want a private dance from one of the strippers?” she asked one of the guys sitting around. The guy was large and she would almost bet he doubled as the bouncer on busy nights.
“You say you want to see the leopard’s spot.”
“Really?” She thought the phrase would be a lot sexier. The bartender nodded, rolling his eyes.
“Okay, then the Leopard’s Spot it is. Now we just have to find our girl.” They each took a seat on a bar stool and turned towards the stage. The girl putting on a show was a red head with smaller breasts. She wouldn’t be his type. After a raunchy show to White Snake, the red head was off the stage to make way for a brunette. This one wouldn’t be his type either; she could enjoy her drink.
Scott watched Abigail with interest while he sipped on his drink. Every once in a while, he would glance over at her and stare for a minute. She was sure no girl had ever made him take her to a strip club. He had never met a woman like her before. She was about to ask the bartender what other types of strippers worked there when the Bunny Hop song came on and a Playboy Bunny lookalike came hopping out onto the stage. She had bleached blonde hair and huge boobs; she was their girl.
She squeezed Scott’s arm, “That’s our girl.” His eyes widened as he practically drooled over her. She felt a little twinge of jealousy and wondered where the hell that came from. They were in a strip club and of course, he was going to look, but the little green devil was still snaking its way into her mind.
“Wow.” He leaned forward to get a better look. She was surprised he didn’t crawl across the floor towards the stage.
“Is she the only blonde stripper you have here?” Abigail asked the bartender to make certain she was the girl.
“Yep, Candi with an I is the only blonde we have; the rest are brunettes and redheads. It’s some type of trend.” Abigail smiled at the way he told her the stripper’s name was spelled. This was definitely Benton’s woman.
Once Candi-with-an-i was done with her show, the strippers went to mingle with the crowd trying to find who was willing to pay for a lap dance. A few more people had come in while the dancing was going on, so they had more men to sift through.
When Candi made her way over to them, Abigail put up her hand to motion her to come over and bend down to talk to her.
“My boyfriend and I would like the leopard’s spot, if we could.”
The stripper looked Abigail over and then Scott. “Oh, you can absolutely have the leopard’s spot,” she said seductively and motioned for them to follow her.
As they followed her through the curtain, Abigail grabbed Scott’s hand and he jumped. Man, he was bad at pretending. She would remember that for future excursions with him. They immediately knew why it was called the leopard’s spot as there were red couches covered with leopard print throw pillows and a leopard print rug. Abigail almost felt like she would get dirty from being in the room, but they didn’t have a choice.
She watched as Candi poured three glasses of champagne and handed one to each of them. Turning the music on, she started with Abigail by rolling her body in front of her and bending over so her breasts were in her face. She moved on to Scott next, pushing his legs apart so she could move in between them with more rolling of her body.
It was at this point Abigail started to ask questions. “So Candi, I have a problem and I was wondering if you could help me with it.”
“What kind of problem do you need help with?” She turned her back to Scott and bent over.
“How much is this amazing show you are giving us exactly?”
“It’s three hundred for the leopard’s spot including the lap dance and the champagne. If you want something extra, it’s more.” She was straddling one of Scott’s legs and he was sitting on his hands. It was funny how he didn’t know what to do with them.
“I will give you two hundred more for a total of $500.00 if you give me some information on one of your regulars. “
Candi moved back over to her, sitting in her lap, and lea
ning back against her. “I’m listening.”
“My ex has been in here several times and I’m trying to get him to pay child support. All I need is a little dirt, something to help me get little Bobby some braces.”
Candi thought about that for a minute. “So you’re really not into strippers?”
“Oh, no, I am; I totally am. I fully expect you to take the money out of my mouth.” Abigail needed her to know she would still enjoy her company to keep her engaged in conversation. Scott looked over at her in surprise and she winked at him. “My ex is Tom Sizemore.”
“Shit,” Candi said and stood up, turning around to face her. “I should have known. That man probably has illegitimate children all over the country. How old is your son?”
“Eleven going on thirty,” Abigail sighed. “I’m assuming he’s told you all about what he’s doing?” Scott was impressed; Abigail was a good liar.
“I mean he has; the mayor and I have been screwing around for more than three years now. He’s been coming back here for that long. Pun intended.” Candi laughed at her own joke.
“Okay, so give me something I can use to get him to pay, please,” Abigail asked. Candi looked like she was thinking about it. She bent down unexpectedly and kissed Abigail. At first, she was testing the waters, but then she really went for it pushing her tongue into her mouth and grabbing the back of her head. Abigail returned the kiss knowing the stripper was testing her. After a few more seconds of groping, she pulled away.
Scott stared at both of them wide eyed now. Abigail knew he was probably turned on because most men enjoyed that sort of thing.
“So, his real name is Benton Sellers.” Candi started with the full disclosure. Abigail was a little surprised he gave her his real name, but she knew he liked to hear it during sex.
Scott looked miffed that she had lied to him about why she called him Benton.
“Sometimes he pays me in cash and sometimes he pays me in crystal meth. He brings his dealers in here to reward them when they have a good week. Young guys, college kids.” Candi had moved back to Scott and was dancing in front of him running her hands up and down her body.
