by Shara Azod
She reared back. “No today lover. It’s payday. You and I both know those dancers will be sashaying their asses in here looking for their base cash.” She pecked him on the lips.
“What do you see in her?” He twisted his head and peered at the stage. “That girl is vanilla as I have seen in a long time.”
“Really, I seem to remember a certain white boy straight off the bus, eighteen and still wet behind the ears walking into my club fourteen years ago looking for work.” Joy combed her fingers through his deep red strands.
“You have no idea how glad I am that a certain, very sexy, older woman with skin the color of rich toffee, decided to take me in.” He turned is deep green gaze on her and traced his finger down her nose. “You know I am a sucker for sweets.”
“Remind me I’m a cougar.” She groused before grinning.
“It wasn’t a complaint, and ten years isn’t that much older.”
“It’s too late to try and make me feel better.”
“You know watching you drop that ass gave me an instant erection.” He smacked her behind before sliding off the stool easing away from her. “Like your dancers, my bouncers will be stomping in here soon to collect their wages.” Royce rolled his shoulders. “I want to talk to a few of them about that incident last night.”
“You need to, I was a little annoyed and we both know that ain’t a good thing. And watch yourself, I’m still the boss.” She winked. “Respect this ass.”
A burst of boisterous laughter escaped through his lips. “I looked before I tapped it. Seriously how do you want to handle Palmer trying to recruit girls through here?”
“There are a few staff members working to help him. Once I figure out who they are, bitches will be made an example of.” Joy glanced at the stage. She had a responsibility to keep girls safe. It didn’t always work but damn if she didn’t try. “Is Professor willing to step in as another bouncer? I don’t want this shit lingering with the holidays so close. You know it’s a time of peace and all that jazz.”
“I asked but he didn’t respond. Who knows what’s going on in his head? What I do find curious is that he has been here every night for the last two weeks since you hired Toy.” Royce picked up his shot glass and tossed back the remainder of the amber liquid into his mouth. “I don’t think you’re the only one that see’s something in the girl.” He strode past her toward the back office.
Joy swiveled around to watch Toy as she swung around the pole. “That is very interesting.” She spoke out loud. Grabbing the small tumbler and bottle off the bar she walked around it to the back and dropped the glass in the sink before placing the bottle on the shelf. She checked her watch. Shaker’s Gentleman’s Club would be opening in a few hours for happy hour. She flicked the handle up and water flowed into the small sink.
The DJ stepped out the booth and trotted to the bar. “Can I get another refill on that soda?” Mickey slid his glass across the smooth surface. “When you going to decorate for Christmas, lady?”
“I got a tree. You want to put it up?” She yanked the dispenser up and pressed the trigger filling the glass with cola. “There might be a box of lights and ornaments but I can’t promise anymore decorations.”
Mickey shook his head. “Where is your Christmas spirit woman?”
“Oh that.” She snatched at her collar and peered down at her breasts. “Oh X-mas spirit are you hiding down there?” Joy squatted and grabbed the cash box before rising. She opened it and pulled out an envelope. “Here you go Mickey, try not to put it all up in your arm sweetheart.” She sighed. “Do I need to remind you if you shoot up on premises I will fire your ass. No second chances Mickey.”
“I know the rules and abide by them, can’t afford to fuck up at the only place willing to keep me working.” He winked before jogging back to the booth. Mickey hesitated and half turned. “We all got our vices Joy.”
“I know.” She whispered to his retreating back. “I wish I knew how problematic folks always end up on my damn doorstep.”
****
Royce paced through the dressing rooms. The large open room was full. Women in various states of undress lingered in curtain partitioned cubicles or sat the row of tables set up in middle of the room. A few of the braver ladies smiled and touched his am or felt his butt as he passed. He didn’t mind, for him it was part of the job. Joy didn’t think about their innocent flirtation the way he did. More than once she’d grab a woman by the hair and told the stripper to back off. He shook his head. When it came to the ladies of Shakers Gentlemen’s Club, he didn’t see them as anything but employees. The only woman he wanted was Joy Marie Tanner and this Christmas he would propose again. One way or another he would tie her to him. Hell, they shared a home and a business the next step should have been obvious to her but his woman was stubborn.
He took another glance around the room, Joy had a strict code about drug use for her employees. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, he passed the corner and noticed Toy huddled in it with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her hot pink costume was familiar, he bent his head and narrowed is eyes. It was one of Joys.
She peered up and nodded curtly. Tonight was her debut as a dancer.
Royce leaned on the door jamb, “scared?”
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Terrified.”
“It’s good to have a healthy dose of fear. It keeps you grounded. The trick is not letting the emotion consume you. You’ll do fine.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Joy believes it and I only have faith in a few people in this world. She is one of them.”
A server rushed up to him, teetering on her six inch heels, she wobbled and grabbed his arm to before tumbling over. Beads of sweat peppered her top lips and her electric blue wig was slightly askew. “Johnson sent me. Out front - Joy…Palmer…Prof-”
Royce forgot about the little dancer he was trying to reassure. He ran to the clubs entrance. Those three people together were a volatile combination. Muffled, music exploded through the back when he opened the door. The club was filling up with customers and the bar was already crowded with people. He darted past them and hit the steel door with a thud. The barrier flew open slamming into the wall.
Joy wasn’t more than five foot seven with her heels on and she kept her lithe, dancer’s frame slim. She marched up to Palmer and took a swing at him, connecting with his jaw. He stumbled back and she flexed her hand, shaking it. “Stay the fuck away from my girls!” The muscles in her neck strained as she screamed.
Palmer straightened puffing his chest out. He raised a wide hand, back side turned up. “Bitch!”
Professor yanked Joy back. Her heels scraped the sidewalk and she swung her arms. Royce sprinted to them, catching Joy as she stumbled back. He thrust her at Professor and calmly stepped close to Palmer, getting in the pimps face. “Want some? Come get some.” He held the older man’s gaze.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I only came for the show.” Palmer adjusted his suit jacket. “Royce, you need to get your bottom under control before she finds herself in a serious accident. Be a real shame to lose such a fine woman.”
He understood the insinuation of Palmer calling Joy a whore. It was a subtle dig that wouldn’t be lost on her.
“Mother fucker! You don’t scare me I remember when your punk ass only had one skank.” She strained to get free of Professor’s hold. “And she was only good for a two dollar lay.”
“If anything happens to Joy I will know exactly where to look. If I show up at that hovel you call your house I’m bringing hell with me. So consider carefully Palmer about what you think you might want to do.” Royce tilted his head and leaned in almost touching his cheek. “I’d have no problem slitting your throat in your sleep for that woman behind me.” He straightened and smoothed the pimp’s lapels. “So do us both a favor. You stay on your side of the street and we’ll stay on ours.”
As if on cue, a gaunt woman with stringy hair called out from the sidew
alk across the lane. “Daddy?”
“Case and point.” Joy muttered.
Royce didn’t acknowledge her statement. He wouldn’t show any weakness. Instead he stood his ground and waited.
Professor spoke up breaking the strain surrounding them. “From a logical stand point it would be smart to walk away - umm – Palmer. Although I haven’t been a bouncer for some time I haven’t forgotten the basics of kicking ass.” His tone was dead pan.
“This ain’t over.” Palmer mouthed. He took several steps back before spinning around and trotting across the street.
Royce watched the guy run away. He dropped his head back but the tension between his shoulder blades didn’t abate. Shakers Gentleman’s Club had been an establishment for over twenty years. Joy inherited the place from the old owner but in the last few years the area started to decline. She kept the place open, usually hiring the down and out that seemed to amass in this section of town to do odd jobs around the place. Thanks to his security team they never had an issue so the higher class clientele continued to come.
Maybe it was time to move Shakers to a better area. Whenever he mentioned the idea to Joy, she would shake her head and mumble something about protecting the innocent folks who couldn’t leave. His woman had a big heart and he feared the time when it would get her in trouble. Once Palmer was across the lane he turned to face Professor.
“You back again?”
“I finished grading papers early.” His friend shrugged.
“Uh-huh, funny tonight is Toys debut on the pole.” Royce focused on Joy. She shivered in the brisk breeze. He needed to get her inside and out of the cool air. “You and me babe need to have a little talk.” He grabbed her wrist.
“Royce…baby?” her tone dropped.
“Baby my ass. We’ll use the back door and have a private chat upstairs or I will carry you through the club either way we are discussing your penchant for violence. “
“Palmer started it.”
Professor laughed and drifted toward the entrance stepping over the thresh hold.
“You can’t take that asshole lightly.” Royce sighed.
She wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t but who else will stand up to him.”
“You can’t take care of the world.” He turned them blocking her from the wind and stroked her back.
“But I can handle the little piece that I occupy.” She giggled. “If there was ever a time to have one of those miracles happen that we see in the Christmas movies, now would be it.”
“Joy.”
“Come on Royce, I want to see how Toy works the stage.” She tangled her fingers with his.
The knot that formed in the middle of his back eased. “We are going to have a chat later.”
“Of course but first let’s take care of business.” She tugged him toward the door.
Chapter Two
The red emergency lights over the exits gave the club an eerie ambiance whenever the club was empty and dark. Christmas lights in various colors flashed at intervals dispersing the gloom. Joy snorted. Mickey had covered the DJ’s booth in a multiple strings of Icicles. Guess he spent his money on some things other than drugs. He looked so gaunt lately she was starting to worry and made a point of making him eat by buying him lunch or dinner when he was around. She sat at the bar and spun around on the stool. Shakers could use a little updating. The chairs were starting to show wear. She grimaced at faint butt impressions worn into some of the seats. Some of the tables had knicks and a few had deep gouges. No doubt from the strippers wearing stiletto heels during the table dances. She stared at the stage. A couple of spotlights needed bulbs and a new curtain would be nice since her sewing skills weren’t the best but she’d repaired the current one to the best of her ability. The shabbiness wasn’t glaringly noticeable but she could see them and she wouldn’t exactly call the place upscale if she didn’t take care of it.
Joy rose from her seat and dragged her fingers along the wrought iron half wall that divided the bar area from the stage area. They’d closed hours ago and after a quick check around the place Royce went upstairs to their apartment. She’d sat in the office going over paperwork when he’d checked on her. Actually, she’d been shuffling files, finding busy work because she wasn’t ready to go home right then. She exhaled. Since the altercation with Palmer, Royce has been pushing for them to move. No matter how long she thought about it she didn’t want to move from this location. She walked by the platform to the short staircase that would either take you across the stage or to the back where the dressing rooms and offices were located. Joy crossed the dais.
It was hard to state her position to Royce, she’d explained it numerous times but he refused to see her point. His grass roots, Bible belt upbringing didn’t make any allowances for the world she once lived in. Joy was flawed, plain and simple.
She didn’t have the excuse of a hard childhood, and grew up in a middleclass neighborhood with loving parents. Her problems in her youth were she thought she knew everything and didn’t want to abide by her parents rules so she left home at seventeen. With only a high school diploma, finding work was hard. Joy found out very quickly she couldn’t finance the lifestyle she wanted on minimum wage jobs. That old saying youth is wasted on the young sprung to mind. If only she’d listened to her parents. Her life might have been different instead she ended up caught up in the game. Seduced by quick money she became and escort and her busiest time of year was Christmas when her clients were at their loneliest. She had no good memories of that time and usually didn’t celebrate the holiday for a few reasons but mostly because it reminded her of stupidity during that time.
Over the years she quietly distanced herself from her family and childhood friends because she was embarrassed at what she’d become. Her only saving grace was while the other girls tuned to drugs to numb the hellish existence of life as a paid whore, she’d refused to give in to that life. She’d made her bed and she would lie in it sober. It was hard enough keeping track of shit without having her mind clouded by the haze of narcotics. Joy wrapped her fingers and the cool metal pole and swung around. Back then suicide occupied her thoughts on a daily basis.
Her pimp, she chuckled and corrected herself. The man who ran the escort service insisted on being called a partner but in truth he was no different that Palmer. She had been the bane of that bastard’s existence. Where he provided the drugs, she offered to help her friends find rehab. If Don Lee set them up with a porn film crew for a few quick movies, she made sure the girls were coherent and usually accompanied them so they wouldn’t get taken advantage of. She’d walked into her situation with her eyes wide open but Don Lee had recruited some truly young girls who didn’t know better. When he brought her a thirteen year old run away and told her to train the child, she’d had enough. First chance she had she got that girl the hell away from Don Lee by dropping the young lady off at a police station. That motherfucker beat her ass for her defiance. She’d never forget the feel of his belt licking across her back, ass and thighs, it was Christmas Eve.
Mister Jockey, Shakers previous owner took one look at her that night and offered her his storage room above the club as a hide away. Slowly, the old man moved stock to the basement freeing up room for her. He offered her an opportunity to dance so she could earn a living and encouraged her to go to college. She closed her eyes and released the pole as her memories changed like she was turning pages in a photo album. He stood up to Don Lee and offered to buy her. It amazed her that in this day and age shit like this still happened in the cities underbelly. But the elderly guy never asked for anything and the one time she got the nerve to ask why he did it. His response shocked her. It was such a simple answer.
Don’t let what I do fool you. It’s a job and my girls are clean, healthy and well paid. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. Drug addicts, prostitutes, beggars were no different than anybody else in Jesus’s eyes so who am I differentiate? I’ve watched you, you’re a good girl, a little
headstrong but I saw how you spent your tip money to buy hot meals for the homeless family living out their car on that empty lot. I’m just giving back by helping you because once when I was at my lowest someone helped me.
She dropped her head back. It wasn’t the adults she was trying to feed at the time. But they had two young children, both under ten that didn’t ask for that life. The idea that those kids were hungry disturbed her. She shuddered. Ole man Jockey passed away when she was twenty-five and by then she was managing the club. She never expected him to actually leave the place to her in his will but she was thankful. Over the years she did what she could for the needy people in the neighborhood. Sometimes they’d accept the help most times they didn’t. Usually folks thought they were preying on her generous nature and as time progressed people figured out her compassion didn’t make her stupid. She always gave a person more than enough rope to hang themselves. She showed her appreciation to Mister Jockey’s memory by following his philosophy. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to celebrate Christmas.
Royce asked her why she took to Toy but he wouldn’t understand her motivation because she’d never revealed her complete history to him. No one liked to admit their fuck-ups and opening that door would probably send the younger man running back to the mountains he’d took the bus to escape from so long ago.
Toy wasn’t a child. She was a grown twenty-five year old woman. The girl must have lived a truly sheltered existence because Royce was right; she had no clue about street life do’s and don’ts. Leaving the girl working at the gas station convenience store would have been fine until she stopped to fill up her sedan one day and saw Palmer sniffing around. In that instance she saw the frightened eyes of that thirteen year old kid in Toy’s face and knew she wouldn’t let it be. Until then her and Palmer had an unspoken agreement. He stuck to his side of the street and she stuck to hers. The gas station happened on be on his side. Her decision would probably come back and bite her in the ass but there was no way in hell she was going to allow that young woman to discover what she already knew. No doubt Toy understood that life could be hard but she sincerely hoped the girl never found out what a vicious bitch it could be.