Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
SUMMER
Amountain of a man perched on a stool at the door, his eyes half closed, headphones on, his bulk almost hiding the stool. As we approached, his eyes popped open and he said in a lazy, sleepy drawl, "Twenty-dollar cover, two drink minimum."
Evers handed over forty dollars, and the big man swung the door open. It was just bright enough outside that, at first, the inside of the club looked like a black hole.
The smells hit me as the door swung shut behind us, cutting off the light. Cigarettes and mildew. Sour alcohol and sweat. I'd never put a lot of thought into strip clubs, only enough to know that guys seemed to like the idea of watching women dance naked.
Naked was sexy, right? I hadn't even seen this place, and just from the smell, I could tell you it was not sexy.
The stage came into focus first. Ten feet wide and three times that in length, it was curved at the end, with two shiny gold poles and seats lined up all the way around. Spotlights were trained on the length of the stage where only one girl danced.
The music was old, a nineties hit I vaguely remembered. The dancer was still mostly dressed. If you could call a red thong and matching bra dressed. I guessed in a strip club that counted.
Her eyes closed, she swayed to the music, twisting her hips in the direction of the few men circled around the end of the stage. One reached up to tuck a bill in her thong and grab a handful of her ass.
I would have jumped and smacked him. She registered the bill but not the grab.
Other girls walked the floor in tiny skirts that didn't quite cover their rear ends and cheap fluorescent push-up bras that showed the top curve of their nipples. Evers led me to a table not far from the stage and gestured for a waitress.
The girl who came to the table barely looked old enough to drive, much less serve alcohol in a strip club.
She wore her bright red hair in two ponytails with fluffy bangs, heavy mascara, and bright pink lipstick.
I snuck a peek at her clear plastic platform slides.
If I'd tried to wear those shoes I would have fallen flat on my face.
I expected the same lazy, half-asleep attitude as the bouncer and the stripper on stage, but she flashed us a bright smile.
"Hey, y'all. What can I get you?" To me, she said, "I love your dress. That pink is so pretty. Did you get it around here?"
"Two gin and tonics," Evers said brusquely. I kicked the side of his foot with my sandal. No need to be rude.
"No," I said, smiling back at the girl. "I got it at Nordstrom's Rack. Summer sale."
"Oh, Nordstrom's. I wish we had one here. Our mall is so lame. Not that I have enough cash to shop. You know how it is."
She rolled her eyes, and I found myself agreeing, even though I wasn't exactly sure I did know how it was.
From across the room, a low voice snapped, "Jade!" The waitress swung her head to the bar where a short, skinny man glowered at her.
She rolled her eyes again and giggled. "I chatter too much, and it drives the boss nuts. I'll be right back with your drinks. Do you wanna run a tab?"
I looked to Evers who said, "No tab, just the drinks."
"Coming right up," she said, gliding across the room in those crazy high heels so smoothly I knew she must wear them for hours every night.
On the stage, the dancer was peeling off her bra, and the patrons’ attention had kicked up a notch, hands reaching out as she went to her knees and gyrated, hips thrusting, breasts motionless on her chest. Those were not real. Pretty, but not real.
I tried to keep my eyes on the dancer and not the men crowded around her. I didn't have to guess where the smell of sweat and cigarettes came from. Another place where the no smoking rule didn't seem to be in effect.
If I were up on that stage I wouldn't want any one of those guys reaching out to lay a hand on me. Half of them looked like they hadn't showered in a while, and the other half were just creepy. Hungry and a little angry.
Jade was back a moment later with our drinks. She set them on the table in front of us and said with an oddly innocent smile, "Either of you want a lap dance?"
I sucked in a breath, hoping Evers was going to handle her question. I had no clue what to say.
Did I want Evers to get a lap dance? No.
Did I want one myself? Also no.
Jade was pretty, and unlike The King's Club, she smelled good, but girls aren't my thing. Getting a lap dance in this moldy, dark club was not on the menu.
Smoothly, covering my reaction, Evers said, "Not right now, but can you sit with us for a minute? We're happy to pay you for your time."
Giving us a curious look, Jade thought for a second, then scanned the mostly-empty floor of the club. She made a signal to another waitress and pulled up a chair next to me.
She leaned forward, bracing her arms on the table, showing her breasts to their best advantage, her arm sliding next to mine. She did smell good, and her skin was as soft as it looked. The tacky miniskirt and barely-there bra aside, she didn't look like she belonged here.
"So, you don't want to go into a back room?" she said, raising an eyebrow and giving me an appraising look that brought a flush to my cheeks.
I was completely out of my depth. I'd been shoved on stage in the middle of a play and no one had given me my lines. Evers didn't answer her question, so I forged ahead. "No, I'm looking for my dad."
"I figured it might be something like that.
We get couples in here every once in a while who want to walk on the wild side, but they usually don't look like you two.
We're not supposed to talk about the customers," she shot a look at the bar where the bartender glowered in her direction, "but I'll tell you what.
You tell me your dad's name. If I can help you, I will, for three hundred bucks and your purse. "
"My purse?" I looked down at the pink linen clutch in my hand. It matched my dress and shoes perfectly, but I could find another purse.
"Yeah, your purse. I have a top it would look awesome with." An expectant look in her eyes, she waited.
"Deal," Evers said. "His name is Smokey. Smokey Winters."
Her eyes lit up and she laughed, the bubbles of sound too bright for the dim, grungy room. Quietly enough that she wouldn't be overheard she said, "Oh, I know Smokey."
"Then spill," Evers said coolly. His eyes narrowed as Jade slid her chair closer to mine, draping an arm around my shoulder and leaning in, pressing her breasts against my side.
She caught his look. "I don't want the boss to think we're just having a chat.
As far as he knows, I'm trying to talk your girl here into a champagne room.
You pay him for the champagne room and once we're there, you're going to give me the three hundred and the purse and I'm gonna tell you everything I know about Smokey. Sound good?"
Her voice was light and friendly but beneath it was steel. If Evers said no she'd get up and walk away, telling us nothing. To me, almost apologetically, she said, "I want to help you, really, but I can't lose my job over it. I've got bills to pay."
Evers nodded. "Be right back," he said in my ear, "don't move from this seat without me."
I just smiled. He had nothing to worry about. There was no chance I was wandering around The King’s Club on my own.
Evers got up and stalked to the bar. I took a sip of my gin and tonic, my eyes watering at the strength of the drink. Jade saw and giggled again. "He likes a heavy pour for the first drink," she said in a low voice, "gets the customers to open their wallets faster."
That made sense. I took another sip of the gin and tonic. "Do you guys get busier than this?" I asked, feeling stupid when Jade giggled again.
"Oh, yeah. Not so much on weeknights, but tonight we'll be hopping. We're the only club in town. You want something bigger, better, you have to go all the way to Greenville. This place may look like a dump, but the girls who know how to dance don't do too bad."
I remembered the way Jade had moved in her high, high platform heels and said, the gin loosening my tongue, "I bet you're a good dancer."
Another giggle. "You sure you don't want me to show you? I love dancing for girls. Not as grabby, and you smell better."
"I was just thinking the same thing about you," I said and flushed red, draining the rest of my drink so I couldn't say anything else. I couldn't embarrass myself if I couldn't talk. Jade gave me a squeeze as she laughed again.
"Green Apple glitter lotion," she said. "Looks great under the lights and smells so yummy."
It really did. I didn't think glitter lotion fit into my life, but I'd love something with that green apple scent. I made a mental note to check my favorite lotion store and see if they had anything similar.
Evers appeared beside my chair. Reaching to take my hand, he pulled me from my seat.
Jade moved to his other side and looped an arm through his, guiding us to the back of the club, past the long length of the stage to a dark hallway with numbered doors the same purple as the exterior of the club, the numbers in the same flaking gold paint as the sign.
Jade pushed open the door marked 1 and led us inside. I don't know what I'd expected in a champagne room, but it definitely wasn't this.
The word champagne conjured a certain image.
The cracked faux leather sofa, stripper pole bolted in the middle of the room, and worn, stained carpet were not it.
I heard myself say, "Where's the champagne?"
Evers huffed out a laugh.
"The champagne is extra in the champagne room," he explained under Jade's giggle. "This little venture is costing enough as it is, and I have no idea what they call champagne here—"
The door closed firmly behind us as Jade said, "You don't want it. Trust me."
"I figured," Evers agreed.
Jade strode to the side of the room, turned on a small stereo and music filled the air. She gestured to the couch.