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  Jason snapped out of his zombie-like state and rolled his eyes.

  “I’m in the shower, man!”

  “Well you better be outta the shower in five minutes tops, we got things to do, places to be”

  “So you keep saying.”

  Dee

  Club X's neon sign illuminated the sidewalk with its gaudy colours. If anyone was new to this town, they would probably think 'cheap' before they even stepped inside. However, it was also cheap drinks so for anyone who didn't mind the strippers around them; it was a popular spot for pre-drinks. As Dee got to the corner of the block she could see there was already a queue of people waiting in the barriers outside to get in. Most were men, but there were a few females too. She eyed up the line as she walked past just to get an idea of her clientele tonight. As she walked past the barriers and headed straight in the front door, a few people sighed and sent dirty looks her way, not realising she worked there. The security guard, Raoul, nodded at her as she entered. He was one of Dee's favourite bouncers at the club. He was a stocky Hispanic man with caramel skin and a friendly smile. He didn't speak too often, but would always smile and greet you, and if you had any trouble, he'd be sure dealt with it. Dee liked that he was quiet; it was a nice change from most people she knew. He never asked too many questions or got involved in her life, he just did his job and went home to his family; a nice man.

  Dee always showed a little early to work, just to get a free drink - or two - at the bar before her shift. One perk of working here was she never had to pay for a drink. The bar staff would just slip her them free of charge or sometimes the customers would send them over to her. Tonight Paul Harrison was working behind the bar, a cute mid-twenties guy with dark hair and stubble. He told people he was straight but Dee and the girls at the club knew better. She knew because her friend Keisha had a thing for white men and one night had tried it on with him after too much tequila. Although they had all watched the pair go into the back together, Keisha later told how he’d admitted he was gay but didn’t want anyone to know. She promised him she wouldn’t say anything but of course, Keisha’s big mouth let it slip. Dee kind of liked that Paul was gay. She knew he was being nice to her because he wanted to be, not because he wanted to get in her pants.

  Walking past Brooke, the stripper who was sliding down the pole as she entered, she approached the bar and took off her coat to reveal her skimpy outfit. She knew a few heads had turned around her and she smirked. As much as she sometimes hated the job, she couldn’t help but like the attention at times. Paul, who was shutting the till drawer after a transaction had seen the heads move and followed their gaze. His face lit up as he saw her. “Dee!” he exclaimed, moving to her as she sat down on the bar stool crossing her legs.

  “Tequila?” he questioned, but before she had even answered he grabbed a shot glass and poured it for her. Dee picked up the shot glass and knocked it back, barely wincing, gesturing for him to pour another, which he did. She leaned closer to hear him over the music and asked “Busy tonight?” Paul nodded and smiled at her.

  “You’re gonna get some big tips tonight girl!”

  Dee returned his smile and knocked back the second shot. It always made her feel better to hear it was a busy night. More customers meant more money.

  Dee sat for a minute at the bar, looking around. A large group of young men surrounded the stage, throwing dollar bills like there was no tomorrow. These men were barely men to be honest, they looked like university kids, sporting their chunky black glasses and beanie hats; probably rich kids come to experience a cheap night at the strip club before they moved somewhere more exclusive. They saw the likes of these kids come through the doors pretty often on a weekend. They'd show early, get their fill of women and throw a few bills before moving somewhere else for the night. They usually tipped well but they could get an attitude sometimes, sitting on their high horse thinking they're better than everyone else.

  Dee's attention moved back to the bar, watching Paul work. She watched him flirt with the girls and make them feel special, making cocktails and pouring shots. He really did have a nice smile. What a waste he was to women being gay, but how lucky some guy would be one day. He was pretty much the best looking white guy she had ever seen. He had these bright blue eyes that felt like they were staring into your soul or something when he looked at you, and his smile could make any girl weak at the knees. He had stubble rather than a full beard, and always looked presentable in his smart jeans and waistcoats.

  Once Paul had served all the waiting customers, he gave a nod to the other bartender on shift and walked round to the other side of the bar and sat on the stool next to Dee.

  ”Are you slacking off Mr Harrison?” she teased as he sat down. He laughed.

  “Oh, someone's flirty tonight. Keep that up for the customers.” he winked her way and she smiled. She enjoyed talking to Paul. He would always ask about her son and her family, actually taking an interest in her life.

  After chatting at the bar for a few more minutes and knocking back her third shot, Dee got up and walked toward the back room. It was situated between the bar and the ladies room, behind an unmarked door with a keypad lock on it. Sometimes they would get drunk customers trying to get in through that door for the toilet but since they didn’t know the code, there were never any bad situations. Dee punched in the number and went through the first door and then headed through the beaded door curtain on her right. She could hear Keisha before she could see her. As she stepped through the beads, Keisha shouted her way.

  “Girl…..” she drawled. “Them boots!”

  Dee laughed and approached Keisha who was sat in front of the mirror applying her eyelashes. She’d seen Dee’s boots in the reflection. Keisha swung around in her seat to get a better look.

  “Are these the Giuseppes?”

  Dee nodded. Giuseppe Zanotti shoes were one of Dee’s favourites. She busted her ass to save enough to buy a pair but it was worth it.

  Keisha started to feel up the leather on her boots and gushed about how much she loved them. Dee laughed and hit her on the arm playfully. Keisha was older than Dee, 27 in fact. She had three little boys, her oldest was ten and her twins were four. When Dee had first started working at the club a year ago, sheand Keisha had instantly hit it off. Keisha had her first child at seventeen, Dee had hers at twenty. She would always ask Keisha for advice and between shifts they’d share stories. Keisha’s baby daddy was serving a life sentence for murder, starting last year when the youngest were three. He had been in a gang since his teens and finally, the law caught up to him. Keisha didn’t talk about him very often, and Dee didn’t like to bring up a sore subject. She didn’t hold back asking Dee about her child’s father though.

  “You heard from Trey?” Keisha asked as she turned back to the mirror to finish applying glue to her eyelashes. Dee’s face darkened as she flopped onto the leather sofa opposite.

  “No. Son of a bitch won’t even answer my calls.”

  Dee wasn’t with Trey anymore, and she hadn’t been for over a year but she wanted her son to see his father, it was only fair to allow that. Lately Trey had been avoiding her calls, not answering her texts, and despite only living a couple blocks away, he was never home when she practically knocked the door down. She was tired of him messing her son around Tushaun was only two years old and deserved better. Dee and Trey were only fourteen years old when they met. From fifteen, they were an item. High school sweethearts she guessed other people would call them. They were, for the five years they lasted, but as soon as Tushaun was born Trey changed. He turned from a devoted boyfriend to a distant one. Then there was the cheating.

  As Dee drifted off into her thoughts, a shout interrupted them.

  “Dee!” Evan shouted. Evan was the manager of the club, a bald man in his forties.

  “You’re up.”

  Dee stood up and said goodbye to Keisha, thinking of Trey and his bullshit the whole way to the stage. But as she took her place at the pole
and the spotlight shone down on her, her thoughts evaporated with the sound of the music. Showtime.

  Chapter 3 – Club X

  Jason

  When Tom organised a night out for the two of them, he certainly didn’t leave anything to the imagination. He had it all covered: food, drinks, entertainment. Jason knew there was a reason he chose Tom as his PA; and not just because they were friends. They’d started out the night at this nice Italian place in an upscale area just outside of the hotel. He’d never seen a menu so extensive; you could choose from anything and everything. In the end, he ordered pretty much half of the menu for he and Tom to try. They obviously weren’t going to eat it all but he liked to be able to taste everything. Money wasn’t an issue for Jason, and it wasn’t that he was cocky with it; he just honestly didn’t even notice it anymore. He wouldn’t think twice about going into a store and buying whatever he wanted without looking at the price tags; he just knew he could afford it. He wasn’t greedy with his money, he never had been. He wasn’t born with money and growing up his family had struggled a little, so he fully appreciated what he had now. He regularly helped out at charity events and did everything he could for his family. He had bought his mother a new house, cars - everything she wanted. He had put his cousins through college, and made sure no-one ever wanted for anything. Despite all that, he had worked hard for his money, so intended to have some fun with it too - after all, he could be dead tomorrow.

  Once Jason and Tom had eaten as much food as they could stomach, ‘leaving some room for drinks’ Tom reminded him, they ordered shots from the waitress. After they were paid up at the restaurant, they walked down the strip of bars where they ordered at least one drink from each. Most of them were upscale places, wine bars and such, and so their night started out quiet. They sat on the bar stools and chatted about the day as they poured back whiskey doubles and Jason signed a few autographs for fellow customers who recognised him at the bar. They were all nice about it - they got their autograph and left; they didn’t scream or pass out, or hang around them all night, which was nice, he thought. Jason was almost starting to feel like a normal person until he spotted a girl outside of one bar taking photos on her iPhone, shortly followed by a small crowd all following suit. Tom had noticed too, and before long, he threw back the last sip of his whiskey and stood up, pulling his phone out his pocket. As Jason finished his drink and signalled for the waitress so he could pay up, he heard Tom calling their car to come pick them up. That was another thing Jason missed, just being able to jump in a cab like everyone else, but having their own personal ride was safer, it seemed, so they always had a driver they could call to pick them up and take them places.

  Tom ushered Jason out of the bar, and the two were met by a gathering of girls that had formed outside to gush over Jason and ask for pictures and autographs. Usually, Jason would take the time to do it, but tonight was supposed to be his night off. Nevertheless, he couldn’t take the guilt he felt as he passed them by, so he stopped Tom in his tracks. Tom raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was actually going to stop and sign all those autographs. By then he was feeling a little buzzed and wanted nothing more than to move onto the next place before things got out of hand. He watched as Jason pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to him.

  “Take our picture,” he said, as he got in the middle of the small crowd of girls and put his arms around one either side. The girls squealed and beamed, looking like all their wishes had come true, as Tom snapped a couple for good measure on the camera, handing it back to Jason.

  “I’ll upload it tomorrow” Jason told the girls, and their smiles told him everything, as he climbed into the back of the car.

  “You’re too nice, you know that?” Tom smiled.

  “I know” Jason drawled in his southern twang. “I can’t take the guilt man”

  The two of them laughed in unison before Tom told their driver their next destination. Jason didn’t know where they were headed, but as they drove, the streets got darker and dingier; there were fewer street lights and more graffiti. After about a fifteen minute drive, they pulled up to an intimate sized venue with a large neon sign that read ‘Club X.’

  “This is it?” Jason questioned.

  “Don’t judge a book by its cover, dude. Trust me, when you see the women you’ll change your mind.”

  Later down the line, Jason would remember that line and smile.

  As they stepped out of the car, they walked past the few people still queuing to get in, and towards the large Hispanic security man at the doors. Of course Tom had let the club know in advance they were coming - that was a huge advantage of being with Jason, you never had to queue for anything. The Hispanic man gave them the nod and another smaller, light-skinned man appeared from behind the doors and led them into the club to a section at the back, presumably the VIP area. There was a bottle of Grey Goose on the table, as well as champagne on ice and a couple of glasses. Jason still found that crazy, that once you have money, you never have to pay for anything, yet if you’re dirt poor, nothing comes free.

  They made their way into their seats, and looked up to the girl currently sliding down the stripper pole. She had caramel-coloured skin and dyed red hair, with a few tattoos dotted around her body. There was one on her thigh, a few on her arms, and a love heart on one breast. Jason watched her work the pole, and though he appreciated her skill, there wasn’t really anything enticing about her. He poured himself and Tom shots of vodka and they clinked their glasses together before downing them. He decided he was going to enjoy the night, despite Tom’s venue choice.

  As the two of them watched the rest of the girl’s dance, they chatted and laughed between themselves, before the girl left the stage and a man’s voice on the microphone announced

  “Now.... give a warm welcome to the beautiful Dee!”

  Jason watched as a girl strutted up to the front of the stage. She had dark cocoa skin, and long black curls that fell past her shoulders and onto her breasts, which were pushed up to emphasize her cleavage. He watched as she curled one leg around the pole and twirled seductively around it.

  “Shut your mouth, you’ll catch flies.” Tom joked.

  Jason snapped out of it and laughed along with his friend, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the girl on stage. Dee...

  Dee

  When Dee’s last dance of the night had finished, she headed to the dressing room, pushing past a few drunks standing in the doorway, one of whom leered towards her trying to get in her face. Nonchalantly, she shoved him out of the way with one hand, sending him stumbling the other way. She heard him mumble something but ignored whatever he had to say, barging through the dressing room door. She heard laughter coming from inside the beaded entrance, and she knew the belly laugh was Keisha’s; no-one could mistake that raucous sound. As she peeled back the beads, she saw Keisha sitting on a chair in front of the mirror, reapplying her lip gloss through bouts of laughter, with another dancer, Jenai, slumped on the sofa opposite, a fat joint in her right hand.

  “Hola sexy mama!” Keisha remarked, as Dee entered the room and took a seat on the sofa next to Jenai, who smiled her way.

  “What’chu guys laughing at?” Dee questioned, as Jenai handed Dee her blunt.

  Keisha laughed once more, before spinning round in her chair to face them .

  “Girl! You would not believe the hot mess that is working here”

  “Who?”

  “You know that new girl...Raspberry Swirl or some shit.”

  It wasn’t uncommon for girls to use a pseudonym to hide their real identities. Dee personally thought it was pointless. When you come from a town like hers, everybody knows everybody; it wouldn’t be long before somebody saw her and spread it to the rest of the town. The girls who usually used a pseudonym usually had a rich daddy who was putting them through school. Anything they earned here was their pocket money.

  “What she do?” Dee questioned, remembering the young white girl with the strawberry bl
onde hair she’d seen on her last shift.

  “Little hoe-bag been working here like, a week? She done gone home with a different dang customer every night. Think somebody need to explain to her it ain’t that type of business.”

  Dee raised her eyebrows as she blew out a billow of smoke. “For real?”

  “For real. She even tried to go home with Paul last night...and girls, we know she definitely barking up the wrong tree there”

  Dee and Jenai burst into laughter. “Want to say that a lil’ louder, Keesh? Don’t think Paul heard you.”

  At that, Keisha put her hand over her mouth. “Shit. I ain’t supposed to say nothing.”

  “We already know!” the girls announced together.

  “Yeah but...shut up! Let’s get some drinks.”

  Just then, Dee’s phone began to ring in her purse which was on the floor across the room. Keisha, closest to it, opened up Dee’s purse. Before she handed the phone over, she glanced at the caller ID.

  “It’s Trey! Oh girl, pur-leazeee let me answer it, I’mma go ape-shit.”

  Dee held her hand out and gestured for Keisha to hand it to her.

  “No Keesh.”

  Keisha sighed and handed it to Dee.

  Dee took one last puff of the blunt in her hand, and stubbed it into the ashtray on the arm of the sofa, before accepting the call and putting it to her ear.

  “So now you call back.” She started.

  “Yeah, now I call back, ‘cuz you done left 20 million voicemails on here. The fuck you get off calling me a bad father?” Trey’s voice shouted through the phone.

  “Maybe ‘cause you done ignored your son for months, Trey!” she barked back. She felt the anger rising in her stomach like verbal bile and her hands began to shake as she felt ready to explode at his words. Keisha and Jenai watched intently, not speaking as they listened to the one sided conversation they could hear from Dee.