by A R Steele
“Pearl, stand up and get your clothes on. We’re not having sex. In fact, we’re going to go back to the main room. You can find your friend and talk to some other strippers. I can’t stay with you here.”
He gave back her money and moved toward the door, hoping that would tell her he was serious. Even if he just left her in here alone, that would be better than staying in here with her. This was seriously fucked up.
As he put his hand on the door handle, Pearl’s nails dug into his shoulder. “Wait, Sheldon. I just remembered what you were in school for.”
Shade’s blood went icy, and he stared at her with the chill running through his veins. “You do?” He didn’t have any more eloquent words.
“I do,” she said, nodding with a malicious smile curving up her lips. “You were studying journalism.”
He considered denying it, but that would have been useless. They both knew that it was true.
“You always wanted to be a reporter,” she said, closing her eyes as if going back to the memories of their few dates. “Sure is strange that someone who wanted to be a reporter would end up as a stripper. Isn’t it?”
Shade lifted his shoulders and lowered them, hoping she seriously just found it strange. “Things happen. People change.”
“Unless you’re reporting on the strip club,” she slurred.
Shade trembled. “Why would I do that?”
“You are, aren’t you? Do they know that you’re doing it, or is it a secret?”
“You’re crazy. You can’t tell anybody any of this. No one will believe you.”
“I don’t believe you. I know what you’re doing.” She took a step back, sitting down again and opening her collar to reveal a deep line of pale cleavage. “And you know what you have to do if you don’t want anybody to find out.”
Twenty-One
The older women around Jesse’s table were nice, even pleasant, but Jesse couldn’t keep his mind on the conversation. He kept thinking back to Shade and the things that Pearl had said. They gave him a hint that something was up with Shade, but nothing more than he had already known. He still hadn’t figured out the key piece to the puzzle.
Just as he repeated Pearl’s words to himself again, he saw Shade himself storm out of the champagne lounge. Stranger yet, he was dragging Pearl along with him.
“Excuse me for a minute,” Jesse said, getting up before he had even decided he was going. He had to see what was happening with Shade.
Acting on instinct, he followed behind Shade and Pearl. He was close enough to hear Pearl yell to let her go. “Get your hands off me!”
Funny, that wasn’t what she was saying a few minutes earlier.
He held back enough that Shade might not notice he was there. He hoped he wouldn’t. He wanted to get the most authentic possible read on the situation. But if Shade happened to need him, he’d be there to back him up.
Shade dragged her right up to the front door, where Austin stood just outside. The bouncer’s eyes widened as he took in the two of them. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“I need this woman out of here.”
Austin blinked at Shade, looking completely confused. Pearl was a small, nonthreatening woman. She appeared to be professional, even if she’d had a few drinks. However, she was frothing at the gills at the moment.
“What’s going on?” Austin asked.
“I need her out, and don’t let her back in. I want her banned for life from this club.”
Jesse was surprised to hear Shade speaking so firmly. What could Pearl have done to make him react like that?
Austin nodded. “All right, buddy. If you say she’s not welcome here, I believe you. Our strippers’ comfort is the highest priority.”
“Thank you,” Shade said, letting go of Pearl as Austin took hold of her.
Pearl writhed and wiggled, trying to get out of the bouncer’s grip, but he was a massive man. She had no chance against him. Now that she was being restrained, she practically screamed. “You need to get your hands off me, too! This isn’t right. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“She does seem a little unhinged,” Austin commented. From his vantage point just inside the door, Jesse had to agree.
“Hey, everyone in there!” Pearl shouted, slurring her words drunkenly. “I’m getting thrown out for absolutely nothing. Does this seem right to you? I’m a paying customer, just like everybody else.”
“Please get her out of here,” Shade said, coming back toward the door.
“I’ll leave,” Pearl seethed. “You don’t need to use force. I just have one thing to say, though. This man here is not who he says he is.” She pointed at Shade. “Whoever wants to know the truth about Shade, as he calls himself, can get in touch with me.”
Taking a step back as Austin let go of her, she put her hand in her purse and threw down a handful of business cards. “That goes for you, or you, or any of you,” she said, pointing at Austin, Jesse, and the room in general.
A small circle of people had surrounded the door, and their curious faces were poking out behind Jesse’s.
“All right, show’s over,” Austin said, placing himself between her and the door. His massive bulk would act as an effective barrier. “You said you were going to leave now, and that I wouldn’t have to use force. Prove it.”
“Oh, I’m done here,” Pearl said, walking toward the parking lot.
Her friend burst out of the door and came after her. “Pearl, oh my God!”
The two of them talked quietly as they got into a car. Jesse breathed a sigh of relief as they drove away. Even without knowing what had happened, he had been afraid for Shade.
Just as Jesse stepped out the door, Shade walked in. He stood by the door, panting. Jesse decided to see what he could glean outside, then talk to him.
“Good job getting her to go,” Jesse told Austin. “I was afraid you were going to have to get physical.”
“A woman like that thinks she’s a lot tougher than she is.” Still calm, Austin bent to pick up the business cards that were scattered across the pavement. “I’ll keep these for evidence in case she makes any more trouble. There’s a chance we haven’t seen the last of her.”
Jesse went to Shade. “What happened?” he asked simply.
Shade shook his head.
Why was Jesse even surprised that he didn’t want to talk? “You’re not going to tell me anything, S?”
“I can’t even deal with thinking about it right now.”
“She must have been acting up pretty badly,” Austin said. The tone of his voice made it clear that it was a question. Considering that he had thrown the woman out on Shade’s request, he had the right to know why he had done it.
Shade looked at each of them in turn, his face reluctant but sincere. “We were in the champagne lounge,” he finally said. “She wanted sex, and she tried to blackmail me for it.”
Jesse opened his mouth, but he had no words. He could picture it happening. That woman was exactly the type of lunatic to do such a thing.
Austin was blunt about it. “That’s not cool.”
All Jesse could do was agree. “Definitely not. That’s just insane. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, S.”
Shade exhaled, looking at the ground. “I can’t believe that I did.”
“Do you need to take a break?” Austin asked.
“No, I’m fine. I’m just going to go back inside.”
Jesse watched Shade go back in. He was pretty confident if he thought he was going to be able to act normal for the rest of the night. Then again, he did have that talent at acting.
“Poor guy,” Austin said.
Jesse nodded. He didn’t doubt that Shade had told the truth, but he was leaving something out as well. What exactly had Pearl tried to blackmail him about? What had she meant when she said he wasn’t who he claimed to be?
“Yeah, poor guy,” he agreed. “I’m going to go back in, too. But… do you mind if I grab one of those cards?”
&nbs
p; Twenty-Two
Shade walked through the main room with a smile pasted on his face. He was glad that not too many people had seen the altercation. A few people had noticed when he had dragged Pearl out, and several had grouped around the door, but there hadn’t been much to see and they had gone back to what they were doing.
So he made his way over to a table of friendly-looking women, who all smiled at him as he sat down. “How’s your night going, ladies?”
“Great, how’s yours?”
He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. “Fantastic.”
He didn’t know if he was more furious or terrified. Pearl was an unknown quantity, and he had no idea what she was capable of. He hoped it was over now. She probably wouldn’t be crazy enough to try anything more, especially once she sobered up. But what if someone contacted her and found out who he was?
What if Jesse did? Jesse would hate him if Pearl told him the truth. If there was to be any hope of Jesse accepting him for who he was, Shade had to tell him himself. Jesse wouldn’t be happy about being deceived for so long. Shade had been lying to him for months, even as he fell for him. Jesse had every right to be pissed off with him.
Shade looked up at the women around him, realizing too late that his smile had fallen from his face. The fear of losing Jesse gripped him, and he thought about just how much Jesse meant to him. He would absolutely hate it if anything were to happen to their friendship. And the fact was, he wanted it to be more than a friendship.
“How are your drinks?” Shade said, grasping at something to say. “They look very… wet.”
The women looked at each other as if exchanging words in a glance. “They are pretty wet,” one said. The confusion on her face was obvious.
Maybe Shade could save this if he made a dirty joke. He tried to come up with one, but he had nothing. “I’m glad you’re enjoying them.”
As he looked around, he saw Brentley walking up to their table. His heart beat a little harder as the new manager greeted them. “I’m so sorry to take Shade away from you, ladies, but I’d like to have a chat with him.”
“You can borrow him as long as you bring him back.”
These customers were always so sweet. Shade gave them a look of genuine appreciation as he got up. He and Brentley went to Trenton’s office. Trenton was already in there, his stuff packed in beside Trenton’s. They had to be a tight fit in here. There was hardly enough space for one person, never mind two.
Shade and Trenton had always gotten along. Trenton seemed to like the amount of questions that Shade asked him. Some people were like that, flattered that someone was interested enough to be curious about them. Shade had asked him all sorts of things about running a strip club. He needed to get Brentley one-on-one one of these days, too. Well, if he still had an article to write. He was beginning to doubt it.
“We understand there was a situation,” Brentley said.
That was one way to put it. Shade sighed, adjusting himself in his chair. “Yes. It’s all okay now, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Would you mind telling us a little more about what happened?” Brentley asked, leaning in with his hands on the table. His button-down dress shirt was a sharp contrast to Trenton’s sloppy T-shirt.
“I’d rather not.”
Trenton rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a request, Shade. What happened?”
“I knew this customer in the past. I took her into the champagne lounge, and she got a little rambunctious. I brought her outside, though, and Austin dealt with it. There’s no reason for concern.”
“All right,” Brentley said, glancing at Trenton.
Trenton sounded more doubtful. “I suppose it’s all right.”
Damn, Trenton was supposed to be the one who liked Shade. He knew his answer was flimsy, but he had still expected Trenton to support him. Maybe his time here was running out.
He probably shouldn’t rely on being able to stay here for much longer. He did have plenty of material for his article. In fact, his boss had just been pressuring him to leave early.
“I’m going to step outside for a break, if you don’t mind,” he said, standing up.
The owner and the manager nodded, so he went back to his locker and grabbed his phone. Once he was outside and out of the bouncer’s earshot, he dialed Krista.
“Hello?”
Her voice was sleepy, and Shade kicked himself. He had completely forgotten that normal people were usually asleep by midnight. It might have been a Friday, but Krista was older. Well, it was urgent.
“Sorry to bother you,” he said. “I just had a run-in with someone I used to know.”
The sleepiness disappeared from her voice. “You mean, someone who knows you’re a reporter?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t suppose this person was careful and cautious and had no plans to expose who you are, or you wouldn’t be calling me,” she said flatly.
“No, it’s not that easy,” Shade said. “If only! It’s more of a ‘disgruntled ex’ kind of situation.”
“Shit.”
Shit was right. This whole thing was pure shit. Shade wondered how he had gotten into this. He should have stayed back in Haberdee where this kind of thing wouldn’t have happened.
Of course, then he would never have met Jesse.
“I don’t know what to do,” he told her, leaning against the brick wall. “I don’t know if it’s safe to stay here.”
“You said you have enough material for the article,” Krista said. “Just go with it.”
“I could, but it won’t be as good as it would be if I were to stay.”
“Not as good is better than nothing,” Krista said.
“So you think I should leave?”
“There isn’t even a question.”
“But…”
Shade trailed off, unsure of what to say that could be persuasive. He had no real reason to stay here. He just didn’t want this to be over. He wasn’t ready to leave this life behind. His life here was good, and he was getting used to the mask that he wore. He liked this side of himself. He liked being Shade rather than Sheldon. He had never aspired to be a stripper, but he enjoyed it as much as he enjoyed being a reporter. Maybe more.
“Quit,” Krista said. “Or just don’t go back. From what you’ve said, this place doesn’t sound like the kind of place where you have to give two weeks’ notice.”
Shade shook his head, his back pressed against the wall. He didn’t want to quit, even as he saw that it was the only thing to do.
“I want more material,” he said. “I could gather so much with another couple months here. We’re only halfway through the story. There’s so much left for them to do, and I want to be here when it happens.”
“You’re overthinking this,” Krista said, sounding sleepy and unsympathetic. “What you have is going to be enough for your article. You need to leave now.”
Twenty-Three
Lucas opened Elijah’s door when Jesse arrived. Jesse said hello politely. They talked more often now that Lucas was dating Elijah, but Jesse still didn’t know him that well.
Jesse hadn’t seen Elijah in a while. They had made more of an effort to hang out over the first couple weeks after Elijah had left the Tool Shed. Back then Elijah had still been selling to Jesse, so it was only natural for them to get together. Now that Elijah was no longer dealing, their hangouts were just for fun.
After what had happened last night, Jesse really needed someone to talk to. Elijah knew Shade, and he knew how things went at the club. Jesse could think of no one better to ask about this.
“I’ll let you two hang out,” Lucas said, heading into Elijah’s room.
Jesse and Elijah sat down at the kitchen table. Elijah’s appearance left Jesse neutral now. Shade had completely overshadowed his attraction to Elijah. Jesse could see how good Elijah and Lucas were together, and how he and Elijah wouldn’t have worked out. They were both too bad. They would have dragged each other lower instead
of lifting each other up.
“You want to smoke a joint?” Jesse asked.
“Ah, I better not. I’ve still got more studying to do later. I’ve barely been smoking lately.”
“Oh, okay. How is school going?”
Even here in the shared living space, Elijah’s textbooks were everywhere. A notebook was open, and Jesse glanced at the scribbled notes on social work. He couldn’t see Elijah sitting in class and paying such close attention, but he supposed it did make sense. Elijah had a hard upbringing, so he naturally would want to help people in the same situation.
“It’s good,” Elijah said. “I just got my first exam back. I got eighty-two.”
Jesse tipped his chair back, raising an eyebrow. “No way!” He wouldn’t have guessed that Elijah would be a top student.
“Yeah, I’m enjoying it. I mean, it’s boring at times, and some of the classes are better than others, but overall I think I’m going to like being a social worker.”
“I’m happy to hear that. You never liked being a stripper. I always felt bad for you.”
“Yeah, I didn’t make a secret out of that,” Elijah said with a laugh.
“I’m pretty sure the entire club knew you didn’t want to be there.”
“So, what’s up with you, man? How is everything at the club?”
“Weird, actually.” Jesse fiddled with his rolling papers, eventually shoving them back in his pocket.
“In what way?” Elijah asked. “You’re not dating one of the guys, are you?”
Jesse glanced at him, actually amused by how he used to daydream about the two of them being together. “Not dating, but…”
“Fucking?”
“Just once,” Jesse admitted. “But it’s confusing.”
“Shit, don’t leave me hanging. Who was it?”
“You remember Shade, right?”
“Of course,” Elijah said. “He was… nice.”
He sounded like he was holding back, so Jesse decided to be straightforward. “He’s nice, yeah, but he is a little secretive.”