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Chapter 42
July 2005
The Fourth of July
was disrupted by the approach of minimal Hurricane Cindy. The
Category 1 storm came ashore July 5/6 near Grande Isle, causing
no damage.
The Cat 3 storm
on its heels was not so benign and had a very familiar nickname.
Dennis was indeed a menace as it revisited destruction on July
10 to the Panhandle of Florida that was still reeling from Ivan
the year before. The nation wondered if 2005 was going to be
another Summer of Storms for the Sunshine State.
~*~*~
In Louisiana, like
many places in the United States, there is a tradition for men
to celebrate the impending marriage of one of their fellows by
drinking too many alcohol beverages and ogling naked women. The
places of business that cater to this type of activity are known
by several names: adult cabarets, gentlemen's clubs, strip joints,
or nudie bars. There, women between the ages of eighteen and
forty entertain the clientele by dancing badly on stage to loud
music while removing their clothes. The amount of clothes removed
depends on local ordinances and customs. Most establishments
of this kind in Louisiana limit the performers to topless dancing,
keeping on their thongs or g-strings. Some require pasties upon
the nipples. Few are fully nude clubs.
However, this is
not how the exotic dancers, as they prefer to be called, make
their money. After a three- or four-song set, the dancers work
the patrons, asking for private dances. Surprisingly, the quality
of the dancing has little to do with the earnings of a dancer.
Rather, if they can successfully chat up the regulars and guests,
they can bring home over $500 a night.
Establishments,
such as Aphrodite's Dreams in Metairie, have small private rooms
for table and lap dances, and larger ones for special events,
like bachelor parties. That was where Will Darcy found himself
on a hot July night, along with Chuck Bingley, John Buford, George
Katz, Mike Breaux, and the guest of honor, Chris Breaux.
"So, why did
we pick this place?" Will asked Chuck.
"A co-worker
suggested it," Chuck replied. "He had his cousin's
bachelor party here and said it was great."
"How bad can
it be?" Buford chimed in sarcastically. "Expensive
drinks, naked women. A good time to be had by all."
At that moment,
the manager of the club, a heavy-set, middle-aged man with a
goatee, came in with a scantily dressed waitress. "We all
set, gentlemen?"
"Yeah,"
answered Mike Breaux. "We got two dancers, right?"
"Yep. Got a
real nice act for you. They've been workin' together for the
last couple of months. Very hot. We'll have the waitress take
care of your drink order, an' the girls'll be here in about ten
minutes. Y'all enjoy yourselves, gentlemen, and thank you for
patronizing Aphrodite's Dreams."
The club was pushing
champagne, but this was a beer crowd. After the drinks were served,
a couple of lights came up in the low-lit room, and from the
speakers a voice said, "And for your pleasure, Aphrodite's
Dreams presents Sugar and Spice!"
The door opened
and two young women came in, both masked. One was blonde, wearing
bright pink lacy lingerie with white thigh-high stockings, boa,
and high heels. Her partner was a brunette in black leather and
garters. The blonde's mask was silver and the brunette's was
red. They struck a pose, the brunette behind the blonde.
"Good evening,"
said the brunette in a low voice, "I'm Spice."
"And I'm Sugar!"
cried her partner in a higher tone.
"And we're
here to entertain you!" they said in unison.
An up-tempo techno
dance song came on, and the two began gyrating together. Spice
was slim and tall, while Sugar was petite and voluptuous. Their
hands moved sensuously over each other as their hips moved in
time with the music.
William was certainly
no regular patron of gentlemen's clubs, but he could not find
the writhing the two considered dancing in any way enticing.
It seemed rather silly. However, he noticed that at least one
of the party seemed to enjoy the display. Mike Breaux was shouting
encouragement to the pair, along with rather lewd suggestions
as to how to improve the performance.
The song ended as
the two ripped the masks off each other. Sugar's long hair partially
obscured her face, while Spice's sharp features were in full
view. Another song started and Spice began dancing solo. She
pranced before the assembled men flashing her smallish breasts.
She twirled on her heels, holding her bra high above her head.
She finished her dance in Buford's lap.
"Are you the
guest of honor?" she asked, her breasts heaving.
"Umm…no,
ma'am. That would be that gentleman," he pointed
out Chris.
She got to her feet.
"Too bad." She walked over to Chris and leaned over,
giving him a very good view of her trim body and perky breasts.
"Don't worry, baby," she crooned, "you're gonna
have a good time tonight!"
With that, she returned
to Sugar. It was now time for her solo striptease. It was quickly
apparent to Will that Sugar was less experienced than her partner;
her moves were more forced. She made up for it with her curvier
body and wide smile. When her top came off, there was applause
from more than one of the audience. She strutted her stuff before
the assembled men, taking time to shake her goods for each and
every one of them.
Will was experiencing
a strange feeling of déjà vu as he watched
Sugar's dance, when the girl did something strange. She paused
before Chuck Bingley for a moment, and then quickly turned her
back to him, wiggling her ass in his face. Will, over to the
side, could see that her face was slightly panicked.
She ended her dance
and quickly returned to Spice's side. She whispered something
in her ear, and Spice nodded. Sugar rearranged her hair to fall
over her face as Spice spoke to the group.
"I understand
someone's getting married." The men laughingly gestured
to Chris. Spice whispered something to Sugar, to which she nodded,
and the brunette turned back with a grin on her face. "The
rules are simple, boys - no touching or the show's over. No hands,
arms, or lips, okay? Just relax, and enjoy the show."
She moved to Chris.
"Hmm…I don't know if you can handle me," she said
as she stroked his face. "I'll let Sugar do you." She
looked at Darcy and then Chuck. "Now, you…" she
moved to Bingley, "you wanna lap dance, baby?"
Before he could
answer, the music started again. Spice turned away from Chuck
and began moving her hips in a seductive way. She stuck her thong-covered
ass in Chuck's face before slowly sitting down on his lap, facing
away from him. She was undulating in Chuck's lap, leaning back
against his chest. Chuck's face was getting red, which delighted
almost everyone.
Meanwhile, Sugar
started to perform a lap dace on Chris. Her moves were similar
to Spice's, but she seemed to keep her face turned towards Will,
and away from the others. For his apart, Chris stared straight
at the ceiling, trying to ignore the topless girl in his lap
and the crude outbursts of his brother.
Will had to admit
that the initial strip-tease of the girls had affected him, but
as the performance went on, he became rather detached. He found
that it got boring after a while, so to pass the time he began
to analyze the difference between the two girls' techniques.
Spice was definitely
the more seasoned of the two, he thought, as her movements were
relaxed and unforced. As for Sugar…
Just as he turned
his glance to the buxom blonde, he noticed her eyes looking into
his. Familiar eyes. He started. Eyes that he had seen before.
Elizabeth's eyes.
Sugar saw the shock
of recognition and broke eye contact. Her moves became even more
jerky and nervous. Will began examining her face and body in
earnest, trying to remember where he had seen her before, and
trying to figure out why she looked like his Elizabeth.
She was not Elizabeth,
of course. A mere glance told him she was shorter and duskier,
in spite of the blonde dye job. He knew she wasn't a true blonde
by her eyebrows. Lizzy had gorgeous chocolate brown tresses.
No, this young woman's hair was really a mousy brunette, about
the color of…
Will started again.
He remembered a group of photos lovingly displayed on a wall
by a grieving mother.
He knew who she
was.
Immediately, Will
put on his most placid and disinterested face. The last thing
he wanted to do was to let Sugar know he was on to her. He idly
watched the two performers complete the lap dances and joined
in the applause.
"Hey, how 'bout
some action here?" demanded Mike.
The girls performed
their last lap dances on Mike and Buford, after Will declined
Spice's offer. At the end of the set, Spice collected the tips
as Sugar gathered their discarded clothing. Bras back on, the
two exited the room.
The group wandered
into the main room to share a last beer. The guys swapped stories
of wild stag parties in the past, while Will kept a lookout for
either Spice or Sugar, a plan forming in his mind. Finally the
beers were done, the tab was settled, and Chris and Chuck announced
that they were taking off.
Mike started complaining
about how the group had turned into a bunch of "pussy-whipped
faggots" for wanting to call it a night. "Me and Will
ain't gotta worry 'bout no wife," he cried as he dropped
an arm around Darcy's shoulder. "Let's close this sucker
down, bro!"
Will started to
become anxious, as his plans were dependent upon being alone.
Fortunately, Chris came to his rescue. "Mike, you came with
me, and your ride is leaving. Don't worry, there's a bar having
ladies night just down the street from my apartment."
"Well, shit,
why didn't you say so? I'm tired o' payin' ten bucks for a beer,
anyhow. You comin', Will?"
Will begged off,
and followed the crew to the parking lot. He purposely delayed,
following the Breauxs to Chris' SUV and taking his leave of them.
By the time he was moving towards his BMW, the others were pulling
out of the parking lot. Still, Will sat in his car and counted
to one hundred before returning to the club.
~*~*~
The dancer known
as Sugar was backstage, freshening up her makeup, when the manager
stuck his head into the dressing room.
"Hey, Sugar,
got a live one for ya in room three. Solo. Asked for you particular."
"What's he
look like?" she asked, hoping he didn't have spiky blonde
hair.
"White - dark-haired
- dresses well. Got money."
She looked at Spice.
"Go on, honey, I'll be on stage," Spice reassured her.
Sugar nodded and
adjusted her costume. She gave Spice a kiss and left for her
appointment. She walked through the club to room three, declining
a couple of offers for drinks. She nodded at the bouncer, stationed
near the private rooms for the dancers' protection, and then
entered the room.
The space was dark
and sparse - only a couple of chairs lit by low, indirect light.
The dance music filtered in through the walls. She saw her customer
sitting back in one of the chairs, his legs crossed.
"Hey, honey,"
Sugar said as she crossed to the speaker control. "Want
me to dance for you?"
"No, thank
you," said the man. "I just want to talk to you."
Sugar shrugged.
It wasn't an unusual request; some of the customers were very
lonely and only wanted a pretty, half-dressed girl to talk to
them for a half-hour to feel wanted and appreciated. It was one
of the bigger surprises Sugar had when she entered the business.
She had thought the guys would only be interested in her tits,
not her time. She walked over and took a seat next to him.
"Did the bouncer
explain the rules?" she asked.
"Yes, he did."
Sugar peered at
him. "Weren't you part of the bachelor party earlier?"
"Yes. My name's
Will."
She stuck out her
hand. "I'm Sugar. Glad to meet you, Will. What brings you
to Aphrodite's Dreams?"
"Originally,
to celebrate my friend's upcoming marriage. But now, I wanted
to spend some time with you."
"Umm…you
know we don't date the customers."
"Yes, I know.
I've got a girlfriend."
"Okay. You
want me to take off my top?"
"Whatever you're
comfortable with."
Sugar pulled off
her bra. "You want something to drink, Will?"
"I could use
a beer. Get yourself something, too."
Sugar got up and
ordered a draft and a diet lemon-lime over the intercom. She
had learned from Spice that it was a bad habit to drink while
working - it was easier to stay in control if you were sober.
She returned to Will and made small talk while waiting for the
drinks. He talked about his job - he was in shipping, he said
- and his lack of experience in places like Aphrodite's Dreams.
A soft knock on the door signaled the waitress. Sugar took the
drinks, and by the time she got back, she saw that Will had placed
a hundred dollar bill on the table.
Sugar glanced at
the money, and then looked Will in the eye as she handed him
his beer. "Uhh…honey, we can close out your tab later."
"This isn't
for the tab - it's for you."
Sugar got nervous.
"Will, I don't know what you're expecting, but…"
"Nothing but
your time, Sugar. It's a tip."
"Thanks. Just
want there to be no misunderstanding." Sometimes the new
customers thought the girls did a lot more than dance topless.
While the vast majority of the dancers weren't prostitutes -
it was a good way of getting yourself banned from the good clubs
- it wasn't unheard of that a girl might get desperate enough
to pull the odd trick every now and then or attach herself to
a "special friend." Sugar had never been in that situation,
and as long as Spice was there to help, she never would be.
Will took a sip
of his beer. "So tell me about yourself. How did you get
into dancing?"
Sugar took a sip
of her soft drink through the stirrer-straw. With a lime in it,
the customers thought it was a gin and tonic. "I was like
getting out of a bad relationship, y'know? I was looking for
a place to crash, and I walked into this bar in the Quarter.
Only, I didn't know what kinda bar it was, you know what I mean?"
"No, not really."
She laughed. "It's
not the kinda place you take the tourists, unless they're from
San Francisco, comprende?"
"Oh, I see."
"Well, anyway,
I'm getting all these dirty looks from the regulars when I meet
Spice. She really helped me outta a jam; she put me up and got
me my audition. So, here I am."
"An exotic
dancer."
"Yep."
"How come you
didn't just go home?"
"This
is my home, Will."
"You have another
home, Lydia."
Sugar started. "What
did you call me?"
Will Darcy looked
her full in the face. "Lydia Boudreaux, you have a home
in Chackbay. I've been there - I've seen it."
Lydia leaned back
in her chair as fear gripped her. "Who…who are you?"
"My name's
Will Darcy." He placed his business card on the table. "I
know who you're running from, Lydia."
"I'm not running
from anybody."
"Yes, you are.
You're running from Greg Wickham and for a good reason. My cousin's
on the NOPD - I know all about Wickham."
"How do you
know so much about me?"
"I'm dating
your sister."
Lydia thought about
that. Jane's married, and Mary's dating Bubba, last I heard…
"Lizzy? You're dating Lizzy?"
"That's right.
I've been to your parents' house. Your family's really worried;
there's a missing persons alert out for you."
Suddenly, Lydia
felt exposed. She retrieved her bra and put it back on before
she answered him. "I was right," she said to herself.
"That was Chuck out there tonight."
"Yes, it was."
"Oh, god."
"I don't think
he recognized you."
"Thank god
for that." She chuckled. "I almost did a lap dance
on him, did ya know that? Shit, how would that have gone over?"
"Not too well."
"How'd you
recognize me?"
"The blonde
hair threw me off, but your eyes - they look like Lizzy's."
"You were looking
at my eyes? Crap, I gotta work on my routine."
Will grinned. "Wouldn't
have helped."
She stared at him.
"Sounds like you've got it bad for my sister."
"I'm not here
to talk about my love life, but about your life. Lydia,
you should go home."
"No, I can't!"
She grew agitated. "You don't understand…"
"Lydia, your
mother has built a shrine to you in her living room! You can't
let your family remain in that much pain any longer."
Lydia shook her
head. "No…no I can't… You better leave."
Will realized he
wasn't getting anywhere. "Okay, calm down. I'll leave -
and keep my mouth shut - under one condition."
"What's that?"
"You meet me
in a public place where we can continue this discussion."
"Why would
I wanna do that?"
"One - because
Wickham is still out there. Whether you believe it or not, Lydia,
you're in danger. Two…" he pulled out another hundred,
"there'll be three more of these waiting for you."
He placed the bill on the table next to the first. "Five
hundred dollars - two now, three later."
"Just to meet
with you. How do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't.
Any more than I can trust you to show up. Fair?"
"Yeah, that's
fair. Where and when?"
"Are you working
tomorrow?" At her nod he said, "Then we'll meet on
Sunday. Do you know where the Morning Call is?"
"Behind Lakeside
Mall? Yeah, I know it."
"Are you up
by the afternoon? Can you meet me there at, say, three o'clock?"
The girl nodded
again and Darcy got to his feet to leave. Just as he reached
the door, he turned. "Don't be late, Miss Boudreaux. Because
at five minutes after three on Sunday, I'm calling my cousin
on the force just before I call your family. Good night."
Without waiting
for a response, Will left the room, settled his bill as quickly
as he could, and left the depressing place.
~*~*~
It was after midnight
when Chuck pulled into the driveway of his beloved home near
Covington. He quietly let himself into the darkened house and
tiptoed to his bedroom. He stopped when he saw a sliver of light
from beneath the bedroom door.
Opening it, he beheld
Jane sitting up in bed, reading a book, a lamp lit on the bedside
table. She glanced up at her husband's entrance.
"So, how'd
it go?" she asked as Chuck approached her side of the bed.
"Fine. Chris'
brother, Mike, got two dancers." He leaned down to give
Jane a kiss. She lifted one hand to pull his head closer, while
placing the book away with the other.
"Mmm…were
they pretty?"
"They were
okay."
"Did they get
all nasty? Did they give lap dances, like they do on TV?"
she referred to an HBO show.
"Yes, they
did," he grinned.
"Did you get
all excited, Chuck?" She groped him with her other hand.
"Oh! I see you did!"
"It wasn't
them, honey. I kept imaging it was you doing it."
"Really?"
her eyes sparkled. The sheet covering her upper chest slipped
away, revealing her lack of a nightgown. Marriage was full of
surprises for Chuck Bingley. One of the more pleasant ones was
learning that his angel of a wife slept au naturel. Jane
loved the feel of cool linen against her skin, and Chuck loved
knowing he was sleeping with a naked woman every night. It made
things easy when the urge was upon one of them, as it was tonight.
Chuck chuckled as he removed his shirt, while Jane unfastened
his trousers.
"My goodness,
Charles! You drove all the way home in this state?"
she said seductively. "This appears to be a dangerously
chronic condition! You need intense treatment right away."
With a smile, the lovely nurse applied the "treatment"
topically with her hands and mouth.
Within moments,
Chuck joined his wife on the bed, giving as good as he got. Eventually,
the two were engaged in the eons-old dance of life, each striving
to give pleasure to the other, before collapsing in ecstasy.
Later, as the pair
lay intertwined in the now-dark bedroom, Jane asked her husband,
"Did you really imagine it was me giving you a lap dance?"
"For a few
minutes," Chuck admitted as he stroked her hair. "But
it got too intense. I was afraid I was gonna make a mess in my
pants."
"Well, I'm
glad you didn't and saved all that for me."
"That's one
way to look at it. I was more worried about making a fool out
of myself."
Jane grinned, gliding
her fingertips over her husband's bare chest. "I was thinking
about you being in that place all evening - how excited those
girls were trying to make you. It was making me excited."
"Well, you
told me you were going to wait up for me. You notice I didn't
waste any time getting home."
"You didn't
leave early on my account, did you?"
"Nope, the
party was over when I left."
Jane smiled. "Would
you like me to give you a lap dance?"
Chuck's face lit
up. "Oh, honey, that would make my year!"
She giggled. "I've
never done it before. Maybe we would have to visit one of those
places so I can learn."
Chuck turned to
Jane. "You'd really want to go to a titty bar?"
"With you -
it might be funny."
"Have to be
someplace where they wouldn't know us."
Jane rolled her
eyes. "I would hope so! I would die if I ever met
somebody I know in one of those stripper places."
"We won't be
going to Aphrodite's Dreams, I'll tell you that." Chuck
plopped on his back.
"Why? What
happened?"
"I don't know
- it was weird." He turned his head towards Jane. "You
know, I only go to those places when somebody we know is getting
married. Some kinda rite-of-passage thing, I guess." Chuck's
gaze returned to the ceiling fan. "Anyhow, I got the strangest
feeling about one of the dancers tonight. Like I had met her
before."
"Really? Had
she been at one of the other places before?"
He turned to her.
"I don't think so. No, it felt I had met her outside of
the club - with her clothes on, of course."
"Maybe she
came into the bank for a loan?"
"Maybe. Aw,
hell with it. I'll never see her again."
Jane was in a teasing
mood. "Are you going to miss your little nudie-doll?"
Chuck rolled back
onto his side. "No way, Janie, not as long as you're here."
He kissed her slowly and hungrily.
"Mmm…I
thought you were tired, honey."
"Give me fifteen
minutes, and I'll show you who's tired."
Jane grinned in
the shadows. "Now, that's the kind of talk I like to hear."
She kissed him back.
Chuck got serious.
"I love you, Janie. I don't know what I would do if I didn't
have you and the kids."
Jane lovingly placed
light kisses his face. "I love you too, Chuck."
His hand stole between
them to lightly caress her slightly swollen belly. "Think
Junior here would mind if I love his mother again tonight?"
Her laugher bubbled
up in the darkness. "I'm sure she won't mind. I know
her mother doesn't. After all, that's how she got there."
"I love it
when you're pregnant. You're the most beautiful pregnant woman
in the world."
"I love that
you make me feel that way."
They continued to
talk to each other in the deep of the night, until words were
no longer enough.
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