by Amy Muscat
Sucking in a deep breath and blinking away the tears and the sadness I told her, “I don’t wanna talk about this anymore. I wanna get tipsy with my best friend and dance with her.”
“That’s my girl!” She said already jumping to her feet.
We went back over to the bar and bought another round of drinks, Lottie paying for of course.
Taking a gulp of wine while she did the same with her GG&L we wandered over to the dance area and cut some shapes as Lottie liked to call it.
With my hands up in the air and my body swaying to the rhythm, I felt a sense of freedom in my dancing. I wasn’t dancing for a bunch of guys for money and taking my clothes off, I didn’t feel the normal rush of sickness as I danced tonight. I felt free to dance with my crazy British best friend and drink all night long with her, and we did. It felt liberating.
FIVE
Groaning, I turned over in my bed feeling my head pound with the movement. I turned my head and saw another body lying next to me. A very naked body from all the skin I could see on the persons back.
Groaning some more I reached for my phone on the bedside table looking for the time and saw a missed call from my parents and a voice message.
Dialing the voicemail it told me I had one new voicemail. I knew that. Idiots.
“Morning momma, we’re about to have breakfast, but I told nana I wanted to speak to you first and say good morning to you. But you didn’t answer momma and pop told me you was still sleeping and to tell you to call back when you’re up and your hangovers gone, what does that mean momma? A hangover? Pop won’t tell me and nana keeps laughing when I ask her. She so bad. So call me when you up momma Otay? I love you,” she told me in her little demanding voice, making me laugh and wake the person up next to me.
“Oh god, please shut the fuck up. Why are you shouting its morning for fuck’s sake,” Lottie said moaning. I think she’s developing turrets as all she does lately is swear.
“I’m not shouting you idiot, I was laughing quietly but because you’re a greedy bitch when it comes to alcohol and think you could drink an alcoholic under the table, you have a banging hangover. Which is what I was laughing at ‘cause Ivy called me earlier, and said something funny about hangovers, you seem to think every little noise is being shouted at you.”
“You bitch,” she said, hissing and squinting her eyes and wincing after a second.
“Shut up, you love me, and I love you and all that, but why the fuck are you naked in my bed?” Getting to the question that I’d been wanting to ask her for the last ten minutes.
“What?” She looked down at herself seeing that she was topless before shrugging and telling me, “I remember my bra digging into me during the night so I took it off and felt comfortable again and couldn’t be arsed to go find a top to put on, so I just went back to sleep like this,” she told me shrugging again like it was no big deal. And I suppose it wasn’t. We’ve both seen each other naked before, we’re women, we’ve all got the same bits. So it really doesn’t matter, beside I see naked women all the time at the club so...
“Right I’m getting up, I need coffee, and I need to call Ivy back, do you want one?”
“Yeah, please girl. Otherwise, I’m not getting up for shit.”
“What am I your slave girl now? Do I have to bring it in here?”
“Please, best friend in the whole wide world?” There she goes pouting again.
“Stop the pouting, you look pathetic,” I tell her, only because it’ll make her stop.
Giving me the middle finger as I got up to go to the kitchen. I swiped my phone’s screen before turning the coffee pot on and call my parents’ home number, but after it ringing and ringing I hung up and called my mom’s cell. She’ll have that on her, she always does.
RING... RING... RING... RIN-
“Hello?”
“Hi mom, good morning,” I say to her. I could hear Ivy giggling in the background telling my dad to push her higher.
“Hi baby. How was last night, did you have fun?”
“Yeah, we had a great time, actually. Haven’t done that in so long, I miss going out with Lottie,” I tell her, as it was the truth.
“Oh good, I’m glad you had fun baby, it’s about time you had a break. I mean I know Ivy isn’t a handful or anything, but you’re still only twenty-three and need to go out every now and then and enjoy yourself.”
“I know that, but I couldn’t do that all the time, fudge that, I mean this morning I woke up to a half-naked Lottie next to me,” I told her laughing at our morning situation.
Laughing too, she said, “I could just imagine, yeah, I couldn’t do that all the time either, but sometimes you just need to. You know me and your dad would always watch our grandbaby anytime you ask. So tell me where you went last night and what you did.” She said being nosey Nora.
I told her everything from the dancing to all the shots we had consumed and everything in-between, well except my almost breakdown, she wouldn’t be too happy about that.
“Mom, can you put Ivy on the phone before she starts thinking that I forgot to call her back please.”
“Sure, baby, one sec,” she said, and a second later I heard her calling out Ivy’s name and telling her I was on the phone.
“Momma!”
“Hi baby! I’ve missed you. Sorry, I missed your phone call earlier, I was sleeping.”
“That’s Otay momma, pop said that you would call me back anyway.”
“Yeah? Well pop knows me too well aye?” And my dad did.
“Yeah, guess what?”
“What?”
“We are at the park and we’re going to the movies later to watch the show and then we going to the diner and I can pick whatever I want, nana said and can have a big chocolate milkshake.” She told me with a smile in her voice, probably thinking about the large milkshakes that the diner serves.
“Oh cool. I want one too.”
“We can get another one when you pick me up, before we go home,” she said innocently, cheeky little girl.
“Oh, can we? Okay, we can but only if you can eat all your dinner tonight and Sundays lunch otherwise no milkshake. Okay?”
“Otay momma I promise to eat all my dinner, side’s nana makes me eat all the salad in my burger and says that I can’t have dessert anyway.”
Good going mom.
“Well, that’s because if you don’t eat all your greens you’ll stay short all the time and will never grow. That’s why you have to eat them.”
“I don’t want to stay like this ever and ever momma! Fine I’ll eat my greens,” she said, sounding put out by the whole thing.
Laughing at her personality, I told her that I’d call her later before I go out and to go play for a while longer and to enjoy her movie.
“Otay momma. I love you lots.”
“I love you back lots and lots.”
“Oh, tell Auntie Lottie I love her too. Otay momma byeee love you!” She shouted in the end, before cutting the call.
Shaking my head at her, I turned and made two coffees before taking them back into my room.
Lottie had drifted off, so being the good friend that I am, I put the coffees down on the bedside table and jumped on top of her.
“AHHH. OHMYGOD. You fucking cow. What the fuck is wrong with you? Fuck off, I’m sleeping here.” She didn’t sound too happy.
Laughing I got up off her and climbed over on my side of the bed and reached for the coffees.
“Here moaner take your coffee and get a bit of life back into you,” I tell her, still smiling, my laugh calming down after a minute.
Grumbling, she sat up and accepted the hot drink.
“What’s with you this morning? You’re all chirpy and lively. And why the hell are you not suffering from a hangover like me?”
“Because I don’t drink like a fish. And to answer your other question, I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I had such a great time last night or that I just got off the phone with Ivy and she sou
“Aww, she’s so bloody cute, I love her back. And I’m glad you enjoyed last night, I did too. I don’t drink like a fish you bitch. And I personally think you're happy because you woke up to me half naked in your bed,” she said grinning and wiggling her thin eyebrows at me.
Nodding seriously at her I told her, of course, that must be the reason, in the most-deadpan voice I could muster, before laughing along with her.
After drinking our coffee and Lottie finally putting on a T-shirt that she found on the floor next to my bed, I asked her if we were still doing brunch and shopping.
“Yeah, of course, we’ll leave in about an hour and a half, then we can hit the shops.”
Agreeing with her, I told her to get in the shower first as she’s gonna take 40 minutes picking out what to wear, so I’ll get in after her, to which she threw a pillow in my face, scampering off before I could retaliate.
An hour and fifty minutes later we were heading off to shop.
****
Arriving back home, I walked over to the sofa and dropped down with all my bags surrounding me, hearing the door close behind me, Lottie came around the corner and sat in the lazy boy opposite me ripping all the bags from her wrists and sighing in relief.
“Oh god, I’m fucked, like I literally can’t move any part of my body,” she said with a groan.
Totally agreeing with her on that. We had been shopping from eleven this morning and bought a lot of stuff that weighed a ton, but at least we got all the stuff that we needed to. Lottie got some new shoes for work, well she bought three new pairs and a couple of nice dresses and some more make-up. While I got some new tops and a couple pairs of jeans and some new work clothes. Ivy was who I really shopped for today, it is her birthday in two weeks, so I had to get her stuff for that. Well, the big stuff anyway, I could get the little things closer to her birthday. I got her iPad mini today along with a princess case and an iTunes voucher. I also got her some new clothes, a pair of boots and last week I had ordered a pair of customized pink converse with her name going down the side with glitter and one of the girls who I work with does all the Swarovski crystals on shoes and bags, so I asked her to put some on Ivy’s for me, I’ll have to give them to her tonight if she’s working.
“God, I can’t be bothered to work tonight, I really can’t,” I tell Lottie.
“Don’t go then,” she said like it was that simple.
“I can’t not go Lotts. I’ve promised Jimmy that I would be there tonight and I won’t let him down. Besides, I’ve spent a fortune today and I need to make at least some of that back.”
“I understand mate, you know I do, but sometimes it’s too much for you to do all by yourself. You know I’ll always help you out. Always, I’d give you my last penny if you’d take it, and I know your parents would do the same in a heartbeat. Hell, even my parents would, they love you and Ivy bu-”
“Your mom and dad are already helping me out by not asking for any rent on this place,” I interrupted her. This was one of her parents’ properties and they let us stay here for no rent at all, we just have to pay the utility bills, which me and Lottie spilt, well, I did try once to pay more as there two people on my side, but Lottie wasn’t having none of it.
“And yeah, my parents would help me in a heartbeat, but I could never do that, I’m the mom, I have to provide for my daughter,” I told her sternly.
“Well, before you interrupted me, I was gonna say that maybe you should get in contact with Ivy’s dad and make him pay for his daughter, he helped make her too and he has to pay for her at some point, the arsehole.”
“NO. I will not be contacting him anytime soon, and especially for money to pay for a child that he didn’t want. Fuck that and fuck him. If he doesn’t want to get to know the most-precious little girl there is then fuck him. Dick.” I said with such vehemence I was surprised. But I was entitled to speak about him like that, the bastard, after what he did to me.
“Whoa, slow down girl. Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up again, but it just annoys me greatly, when I see you struggle, not so much now, as you did in the past, but you still do, and the only reason you’re not struggling as much now is because you’re a stripper. And I know you hate it, you might sit there sometimes and tell me that it’s not so bad most of the time and a lot of the men just want a bit of companionship, but that’s probably only 20% of the men and they still want to look at your tits and fanny babe.”
“I know that Lotts, but what else am I gonna do huh? I won’t ask my parents for help, I refuse. I’m not gonna sponge off you. Your parents are already letting me stay here rent free, and I’m definitely not tracking him down and asking for any money. So this is my only option at the moment until something better comes up.” I tell her in a strong voice, letting her know that I’m not budging and to shut the fuck up about it.
“Okay. Okay. Fine, you know I am only trying to look out for you. It’s just the thought of those men, looking at me like that, I don’t know how you do it. I really don’t.”
“Well, I have a child to think of and all her needs. So I have to put her first, and if that means stripping for a little while then so be it.”
Conceding, she told me she’d drop it, and she did.
****
Around six o’clock, I jumped in the shower and shaved again. It was a quick one, and as I was getting out I heard Lottie on the phone to someone, laughing about something, but paid no attention to it ‘cause if I didn’t hurry up I was gonna be late for work and I still had to call Ivy, I told her I would call her about eight o’clock before she starts getting ready to go bed.
Quickly applying lotion and blow drying my hair, I rushed to my room and pulled on my underwear and a pair of skinny jeans and a long sleeved black top before slinging my feet into my black UGG’s. Throwing on my coat, before grabbing my bags, walking out into the living room, where Lottie was still sitting and was now watching a movie.
“Okay, I’m off I’ll call you when I get to the club and I’ll text you when I’m about to leave okay?” I tell her.
“Okay Pey, good luck with the pervs,” she said, grimacing when she said the word.
“They’re not all perverts Lottie, I’ve told you this, some just want someone to talk to, and if they have to pay a couple of dollars to do so, then so what?”
“Okay! Whatever, just go and don’t forget to text me, or I’ll ring the club,” she said in a threatening voice, and I knew she would.
“Right going now, love ya.”
“Love ya too,” she shouted.
Walking out the apartment building and into the street, I turned and headed to ‘Joe’s grill,’ it was just down the street from our place. I ordered a burger with small fries and a bottle of water before jumping on the bus that stops two minutes from the club.
After the twenty-odd minute journey on the bus, I got off at my stop and turned left on Bleecker Street and another left down Mercer Street and there it was.
‘ENTICE’ written in big bold glittery letters.
SIX
Walking into ‘Entice,’ I saw John the doorman/ bouncer standing near the entrance. He was head of security here, about 6ft 4in and 250 pounds of pure muscle. He had a massive crush on Amelia and all-round nice guy.
“Hey John, how’s it going?” I asked him.
Turning abruptly, as he’d been looking in the direction of the bar, he saw me and gave a sigh of what sounded like relief- probably thankful that it wasn’t Jimmy that called out to him and caught him looking at his daughter like a love sick puppy- and smiled a warm smile at me.
“Oh, hey Peyton didn’t see you there.”
“Hmm, I wonder why that was.” I was teasing him and he knew that.
Laughing, he looked back in the direction of the bar again and a sad, wistful expression overtook his face.
Patting him on his big muscled arm I told him, “Hey¸ one-day big guy, one day, but that day isn’t gonna come with you not doing anything, you’ve gotta make that day come true. Okay?” I tell him as encouragingly as I can.
“Yeah, one day,” he said, not sounding too optimistic about it.
“Chin up John, it’ll all work out in the end.”
Nodding to me over his shoulder I tell him I’d better go get ready and I’ll see him later.
“Okay girl.”
I looked around for Jimmy so I could pay my house fee, which on nights like this was $150, instead of $75, but couldn’t find him. But I did spot my favorite barmaid, and Johns crush, Amelia and walked over to the long old fashioned wood and brass bar.
Hearing the chair being scraped across the floor Amelia’s head popped up from the book she was reading and a smile spread across her face at seeing me.
“Hey Pey, looking forward to tonight? Dad told me you were working,” she said with her big blue eye’s smiling at me along with her lips. Amelia was Jimmy’s daughter, she was twenty-four, a bit bigger than most girls, but with curves in all the right places (she had a great ass, I want it), had long wavy black hair with pink dip dye halfway down her back (which I wanted to), she was a big time reader. Like massive reader. You always know when the mailman has been here, dropping off 20 or so books to her, making her smile all day.
Nutter...
I snapped out of my musing when Amelia gave me a pointed look, and I remembered she asked me a question.
“Hey, erm I suppose so, I mean I wasn’t meant to work tonight as you know, but your dad told me that I’d make some money tonight as these men have a bit of money apparently. Which, you know I don’t care about, but then he went and reminded me that it was Ivy’s birthday, like I’d forget that it is in two weeks and I might need the money if I wanted to get all her present’s. The bastard. Blackmailing me, just wait ‘til I see hi-”
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