14. Phoenix #2
Uncle Glenn had told me the same thing and, like Titan, had worked with me on the proposal. Uncle Glenn been the one to choose the previous cameras and security system we were working with and felt the same as I did. With the upgrades in technology, it was high time the old system was replaced.
“All in favor,” Grandma said while I held my breath, waiting to see how many hands went up.
Turns out there was no need for self-asphyxiation, it was unanimous.
“Phoenix, I want those purchase orders submitted first thing Monday morning and the paperwork for the permits too. I’ll want to do a walkthrough once everything is in place, so let me know once the final pieces have been installed so you can take me through them.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.
We moved to the renovation model then, which meant I could sit back and sip the ice water in my glass while Uncle James took over, at least until he got to the cocktail line. That was my baby, and I’d outlined a bullet point presentation for it too.
“What about a signature classics line?” Mz. Ginger asked, “Or better still, let’s call it legends. I’d love to get in on that, and I’m willing to bet others here would be too.”
Hands went up, enough that we could easily put together a rollout event for those cocktails too. I started scribbling notes on the margin of the paper, including the names of those who were interested in taking part.
“Mz. Ginger, would there be a good day for us to sit down and talk marketing and launch strategies, as well as an event structure that would be different from the signature cocktail launch?”
“Absolutely, we’ll touch base after the meeting and line something up,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said.
Watching people get excited about my ideas was a different feeling. I was used to just being the muscle, the guy who stepped in to take the hit so our stunning array of talent didn’t wind up a mess of scars.
Like me.
Shit, no thinking about that today.
The meeting broke up a short time later, following votes to proceed with all the changes in the proposal, including the addendum I hastily penned to include the legends cocktail line.
I was standing off to the side, nibbling on a slice of bruschetta with basil pesto and shrimp, waiting on Mz.
Giner to finish a conversation, when my grandmother appeared by my arm.
“Walk with me for a moment,” she said, and headed for the door, leaving me no choice but to follow, though I did grab another slice of bruschetta on the way out of the meeting room.
She led me into her study, but instead of sitting behind her desk, she took a seat on the long leather sofa in front of the window and patted the seat next to her.
“That proposal you put together was impressive,” she declared. “And showed me that you’re both creative and motivated enough to take the ideas you have and turn them into something others can get behind. What I want to know is what took you so long to speak up?”
“I-I…”
She held up her hand when I started stammering, sparing me from trying to come up with a decent enough excuse.
“By the time I was your age, I’d been a dancer at the club for almost a decade,” she said.
“Oh, they were breaking the law when they let me up on the stage six months before my eighteenth birthday, but I needed the work. I was desperate for it, because it meant the freedom to no longer have to live in my father’s house.
I think I’ve done alright for myself, when you get down to it, but if you’d have asked me if I saw myself running a strip club for the rest of my days, I’d have told you I’d have rather used all of those years of dance classes and recitals on the kind of stage where flowers would be thrown at my feet at the end of the night, instead of dollar bills. ”
“I didn’t know you danced other styles,” I said.
“Oh, honey, I spent my whole life dancing,” she replied.
“From the time I was small, actually, I had a plastic barre in my room and videos my mama found with basic ballet tutorials. She and my old man saved up for ballet lessons. The only time I ever saw him dress up nice was when he came to one of my recitals. It wasn’t until after she passed that my old man soured on the whole thing, but that’s a story for a different time and not one that has any bearing on the conversation.
What matters is that you know that this business doesn’t have to be your future.
I’m proud of you for stepping up and thrilled that you want to have a bigger hand in making the club successful for all involved.
But if there ever comes a point when you realize that you have other dreams you’d like to pursue, you come see me, and we’ll have a chat and figure out the best way to make that happen for you. ”
“Honestly, Gram, I love working at the club. I don’t always love the issues and the bullshit that crops up, but the only dream I have right now is seeing how we can elevate what you’ve already built into a place that people seek out as much for the social aspect as the performances going on.”
“Yes, I noticed that in the horseshoe shaped booths you proposed, in addition to the risers, so those in the back would have an unimpeded view of the stage. While we both know that it won’t deter everyone from wanting to get a closer look, you’ve eliminated the need for so many chairs and removed a potential weapon.
I love the idea of smaller bars in the wings too, so everyone isn’t flooding up to the main one on a busy night because we both know what kind of logjam that creates and the potential for tempers to flare. ”
I nodded, because things did tend to get heated if the wait was too long, especially if it meant people were missing out on one of the dancers they’d come to watch.
“I caught your performance the other night,” she said, switching topics so fast it made my head whirl. “At Iron Paws and Leather Pups”
“Grandma!”
“What?” she said, cocking her head at me.
“It’s a leather club!”
“And?” She tsked. “Child, you act like I’ve never danced in one before.
The event was far tamer than the last one I attended, let me tell you.
For that I’m grateful; it took me three days to get over the hangover I had.
I swear my head was still pounding to the tune of the music when I woke up the morning after. Good times. Now where was I?”
“The, um…event,” I muttered, my cheeks heated by that point.
“Yes. You, Raleigh, and Murry make a great team,” she said. “And the designer, Dorian, I’ve never seen gear like he unveiled that night. I might have to drop into the shop and see what he has in leather catsuits.”
If my cheeks weren’t crimson before, they were flaming now, and with my hair pulled back, I couldn’t even hide behind it.
“I’m curious,” she said, while I sat there with an empty head and my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth. “What was it like on the catwalk, with all the cameras pointed at you? The way you carried yourself, it was like you didn’t notice them, but how could you not with as many as there were?”
“I noticed,” I admitted. “But I’ve done a few smaller shows with them, so I’ve kinda gotten used to it.
Raleigh and Murry have taken to modeling the way they did to dancing, so we do practice runs in the loft to make sure we’re showing off all the features of the gear that Dorian wants us to highlight.
Dorian has a friend from his modeling days, he’s, um, one of the men I’m dating.
Parker. He did a lot of high-end runway shows, and he’s been the one to give us pointers about the way we carry ourselves when we’re up there. ”