“Fantastic job last night, guys!” Connor said. “You all did great, and I have it on good authority that the show went down really well with the ladies!” He paused while everyone wolf whistled. “Although, how we managed to get through it without anyone getting tangled up in their underwear or falling off the stage is beyond me. But, seriously, you should be really proud of yourselves after all the hard work you’ve put into learning and practicing the moves. The good news is that we made about $5,000 for the Hope Valley fund. However, it’s still a good way short of the money we need to raise to save our local businesses from being bought out by the corporate developers. And, it just so happens that I’ve received a call this morning, offering a very interesting proposition.” He paused dramatically.
“What is it then? Or are you planning on keeping us hanging all day?” Leigh said. Everyone laughed.
“Patience, grumpy bear,” Connor said with a grin. “We’ve been offered an opportunity to go on tour, across the state, and maybe even further afield, and repeat our show at various other venues.” There was a silence while everyone absorbed the news.
“How long for?” Bruno asked.
“If we do it, we need to commit for at least a month, but at this stage, it’s open-ended. I guess it depends on how popular it is.”
“Dude, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do it,” Bruno said. “I can maybe join in here and there, but with my shift patterns, it’s going to be difficult.” Everyone nodded, well aware how demanding Bruno’s job as a fire chief was.
“No, of course. That’s completely understandable,” Connor replied. “How about the rest of you?”
“I might struggle if it’s far from home, as my business needs a lot of attention right now,” Dalton said.
“That makes sense. I know it’ll be impossible for you to abandon your plot for days,” Connor said. Logan, Niall, Ryzard, Frankie, Olsen and Leigh all said they could make it. They worked as carpenters, homebuilders and tree surgeons, and they said they’d be able to fit their existing projects around the tour. Timo was quiet, feeling everyone’s attention on him. If he went on tour, there was no way he’d be able to try to track Raven down. Not that she’d given any indication that she wanted to be tracked down. And his clan needed him, and he cared a lot about Hope Valley. The thought of the downtown area turning into a mass of chain stores sickened him. There was no contest.
“Count me in,” he said.
“When’s the first show?” Niall asked. Connor grinned.
“Would you freak if I told you it was in Swanton tonight?” he said. The clan exchanged glances.
“Let’s do it! We’ve gotta do whatever it takes to save Hope Valley!” Ryzard said, and they all cheered and high-fived each other.
Chapter Five
As the bachelorette tour bus hurtled along the highway, Raven curled up in her seat crying, while Caitlyn rubbed her back and made soothing noises. Her sniveling alerted Jennifer, who jumped onto the seats in front of her and hung over the seat back.
“What’s wrong, honey?” she said, her forehead wrinkled in concern.
“She went all the way with one of the strippers last night,” Caitlyn explained.
“Wooh!” Jennifer exclaimed. “And you’re upset about that because?” Raven lifted her head and pushed her hair out of her face. It was damp with her tears and clung to her cheeks.
“Because I’m not that kind of a girl,” she said.
“Uh, what kind of a girl is that?” Jennifer replied with a trace of annoyance in her voice. “What do you think this is – the 1950s?”
“Jennifer, he’s a stripper. He was naked on stage. Everyone saw what he’s got, and then I went and had sex with him.” Jennifer propped her chin on her elbow.
“So you had sex with a seriously hot man. That does sound pretty terrible, I admit.” Raven started sobbing anew.
“I’ve never had a one-night stand before,” she muttered. Jennifer gaped, as did the other girls, who had noticed that something was going on, and were now piled around Jennifer too. When Raven looked up again, there were eight faces looking at her, wearing identical expressions of surprise.
“Well, congratulations! All I can say is it was about time!” Jennifer said, and they all nodded.
“Raven, loosen up. You had fun, right?” Amber said. “It was exactly what you needed.”
“You all have had one night stands before?” Raven asked, in an incredulous tone.
“Yup.”
“Sure have.”
“Yes sir-ee,” several of the girls said, among cackles and high fives.
“So I’m the only one who hasn’t?”
“Welcome to the club, honey,” Tasha said, in a kind voice. Raven let out a long breath.
“I guess I really am a small-town girl.” Everyone laughed and her cheeks warmed.
“Feel better now?” Caitlyn asked, squeezing her shoulders.
“A little.”
“Sooo… who was it?” Amber said.
“Uh, the guy who took her up on stage, obvs,” Jennifer said.
“It was him, right? It was so hot the way he kissed you,” Alyssa said dreamily. Amber gasped.
“He actually kissed you?” Raven nodded, her lips curving into a smile as she remembered the sensation of their lips meeting for the first time. “My guy only pretended,” Amber continued. “Which is a good thing, since I’m getting married and all. But if I was single, I don’t think I would’ve been able to keep my hands off of him!”
“They were pretty much the hottest guys I’ve seen in my entire life,” Jennifer said.
“So, what happened, girl?” Janice asked Raven. “I want a blow by blow description. Don’t leave anything out!”
Raven looked at the expectant faces staring back at her. When she’d located the other girls the night before and reassured them that she hadn’t been abducted, she’d been so tipsy and spaced out that she’d gone to bed right away and passed out. Then she’d woken up that morning with a pounding head, and a conviction that she’d done something absolutely terrible. But now she was beginning to enjoy the fact that the attention was on her, and that she got to relive her experience with Timo.
“Well, once I got up on stage and got over my nerves, I loved having Timo dance with me. He’s so sexy, and his body – it’s beyond anything. I felt kind of protected by him. And when he kissed me, I felt like it was just the two of us there, and I forgot all about the audience watching us. After the show, I don’t know what made me go and look for him –”
“You went looking for him?” Carmel interrupted. “We assumed he bumped into you on the way to the bathroom. You go, girl!” Raven’s cheeks flushed.
“I don’t know. There was just something about him. I had this really strong feeling that I couldn’t walk away without even trying to speak to him.” She fell silent for a moment, as images of his body and recollections of his strong, gentle manner ran through her mind.
“So then you found him, and?” Jennifer prompted.
“He was out the back of the hall. There was a big garden, and he was sitting off to one side with the other strippers, having beers with a small fire going.”
“What? And you didn’t think to call us too?” Carmel said.
“I’m sorry. Everything kind of happened in a rush. And I guess I was a little tipsy, as I really wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Don’t worry, I’m just teasing. And then?”
“He invited me to sit down, on this hay bale or something, and have a beer. And then – we just started kissing. It was amazing. I felt like my feet were lifting off the ground.”
“Aww,” they all chorused.
“Soon after, the other guys got up and left us to it.”
“Subtle,” Jennifer quipped.
“I know. And then –” Raven broke off, not knowing how to explain what happened next. She took a deep breath.
“I basically asked him if he’d do a private show.” The girls whooped.
&nb
sp; “You got balls, girl,” Janice exclaimed. “Or, should that be ovaries? Anyway, so did he do it?” Raven’s face got even hotter.
“Uh. He said he’d strip if I stripped too. So we took it in turns, until we were all undressed.” The faces looking at her were full of shock, admiration and envy. Janice fanned herself.
“That’s about the hottest thing I’ve heard in a long while,” she said.
“And then we had sex,” Raven said, her embarrassment giving way to pride as she gained confidence from the girls’ reactions.
“What positions did you do?” Amber said.
“First I was sitting on the hay bale, with my legs wrapped around him. And then he turned me around and did it from behind.” There were more whoops and shrieks.
“You dirty girl,” Carmel said, deeply impressed.
“Is that wrong?” Raven said with a frown.
“Nope. It’s damn hot,” Janice said. “As much as I like having a one-night stand from time to time, I usually get shy with a new guy, and it’s missionary only.”
“Well, I didn’t get much choice in the matter, as he pretty much just flipped me over, but I sure enjoyed it,” Raven said shyly.
“I love that position,” Amber said.
“Yeah? I hate it! I hate having my big ass in the air like that,” Jennifer said. Raven gratefully fell silent, while everyone discussed their opinions on doing it doggy style. But as she replayed the scene from the night before; the way that she’d been pressed against the hay bale, Timo’s powerful body arching over her and his big, thick cock pounding into her, a glow of heat ran all the way through her body, and she crossed her legs tight.
“And what happened when Mr Sex God was done screwing your brains out?” Janice said with a wicked smirk.
“I realized that I had some missed calls on my phone, and I felt real bad about leaving you guys, so I took off.”
“And you got his number, right?”
“Nope.”
“Why not, girl?” Raven shrugged.
“He’s way too hot for me. And he’s a stripper. He probably has a new girl at the end of every show.”
“Raven, are you crazy? He was obviously into you.”
“At the time, maybe. And he’ll probably be into the next girl tonight as well.”
“I think she’s right,” Caitlyn cut in. “Sometimes it’s nice just to have some really hot sex, and not spoil it by trying to turn it into something it’s not, and getting disappointed when the guy doesn’t want to hook up again. Just celebrate it, hon. It was your first one-night stand, and it sounds like it was pretty special, as far as one-night stands go.”
“Thanks, Caitlyn,” Raven said. “That’s what I plan to do – daydream for a little while, then get on with my life.”
“Daydream away. I’ll be daydreaming about those ten sexy bodies on stage,” Janice said, a faraway look in her eyes.
“Can you believe they got fully naked?” Amber said. “I was happy enough when they got down to their underwear. I didn’t realize there was a whole lot more to come.” The other girls all piled in, loudly discussing their opinions on the strippers, and which one they liked the best, while Raven sunk into her seat and watched the view from the window, the memory of the night before like a pearl she was holding tight in her heart. She’d never been kissed like that, or taken like that before. She didn’t know if it would happen again, but right now, she wanted to treasure it as a perfect memory.
After a while, the girls retreated to their seats and fell asleep, their three-day hangover catching up with them. Some hours later, Raven woke up to the sound of the bus driver shouting “Russellville!” She and Caitlyn gathered up their stuff, hugged everyone goodbye and thanked them for a wonderful weekend, and stepped off the bus and back into reality.
*
When Raven woke up the following morning, the first thing she saw was the pile of clothes she’d been wearing during the weekend, discarded in a heap on top of her heels. Her heart sunk. It had been an amazing, beautiful time, but it was over now, and the day-to-day routine of work was waiting for her.
She got ready sluggishly and left the house while her parents were still asleep, ready for the long trudge to work. Her crappy car had broken down a year earlier, and it still sat in the driveway. She’d planned to sell it for parts and buy a new one, but since she’d been saving for the bachelorette party instead, she hadn’t managed to scrape enough together to add to the cost of the new car. She didn’t really care. Short drive or long trudge to work, it was all the same. The day ahead was still going to be crappy, and at least she got some exercise when she walked.
The sky was already a dusty blue, and it would stay that way all day. Her hometown seemed duller than ever, its strip malls and billboards extra depressing. She thought about Hope Valley, about all the cute boutique stores and individual bars and restaurants. It seemed like a really happy place. Why couldn’t she have been born there, instead of in nowhereville?
All the girls at the party lived in better towns and had more interesting lives than she did – except for Caitlyn, who was the only one who understood how empty life in Russellville could be. Raven was currently working at a hair salon, as a washer and prepper and odd-job girl. She was supposed to be training as a hairdresser, but she didn’t have any passion for it. It was just another job she’d fallen into. She’d wanted to go to college, but hadn’t had the money, and she’d watched Jennifer and Tasha go to college out of state and never return, while she was stuck there. Getting older every year, and still single.
After an hour of walking, she arrived at the salon. She took a key out of her pocket, unlocked a padlock, rolled the shutter up, and so began another day of washing hair, listening to her boss complaining, and getting measly tips from mean old ladies.
*
Three weeks passed and the bachelorette party became a distant memory. Work, sleep, and bickering with her parents about why she couldn’t afford to move out characterized her life. When she and Caitlyn could afford it, they went out in the town, drinking at the same old grimy bars, talking to the same stupid guys. Raven’s only real pleasure was late at night, when she was hidden underneath her comforter, and she thought of Timo and the incredible sex they’d had, and her fingers started to wander between her thighs. No-one could compare to him and his smoking hot body. And he was the only man who’d ever given her an orgasm. Up until that night, orgasms were something that happened furtively when she was alone, not things to be shared with someone else. Every time she came, it gave her a kind of satisfaction to know that he was the only other person capable of making her feel like that.
She hadn’t forgotten Hope Valley either. The essence of it hung in her memory, as a vision of a perfect existence. As she trudged to work, she daydreamed about all those pretty streets, and imagined herself walking along them, eager to start work at a job that she enjoyed.
Having Amber’s wedding to look forward to made things a little easier. It was held two weeks after the party, in her home town four hours away. Amber’s parents paid for the whole thing, and it was an elaborate, tasteful affair. Raven and Caitlyn had a great time being her bridesmaids, helping her to get ready and joining in all the excitement. When they followed her down the aisle, Raven wondered if it would ever be her turn to be the one in white. When Amber threw her bouquet, both she and Caitlyn lurched for it, but Amber’s little twelve-year old niece caught it instead.
“That about says it all,” Raven said with a wry laugh over the little girl’s head.
When Raven got back to Russellville that night, she felt queasy from the car journey and in a bad temper. She didn’t begrudge Amber a shred of her happiness, but it seemed so unfair that some people could have so much, and others so little. She wondered what her parents would contribute to her wedding if she ever got married. Probably some off-color jokes on the part of her father, and mean-minded comments from her mom, she thought.
The next day, she woke up feeling queasy. She hardly
ate all day, the smell of the chemicals in the salon only making things worse. Probably something I ate at the wedding, she thought. But it didn’t let up the next day, or the one after that. And for the following three weeks the pattern was the same – waking up feeling nauseous and headachy all morning, then being able to eat a little in the afternoon. She lost a little weight, but she wasn’t exactly grateful for it.
One Monday, the queasiness was worse than ever. She thought about calling in sick, but she knew Marlene would most likely fire her. Jobs were pretty scarce in Russellville, and there was always somebody waiting to fill your position.
She made it to work, and the fresh air made her feel better. By the time she walked into the salon, she was back to normal. But, half an hour later, she was putting a silver tint solution on a crabby old lady’s hair, when her stomach lurched hard. She dropped her utensils, ran out of the door and threw up in the street.
She stood up slowly, leaned against the wall, and wiped perspiration from her brow. What the fuck was that? she thought, and her stomach gave a vengeful gurgle. She looked across at the city. Far in the distance, some pylons from the local industrial plant were just visible, pumping gray smog into the atmosphere. It’s this town. It’s making me sick.
“Where the hell have you been?” her boss demanded when she walked back into the salon.
“I’m sorry. I got sick,” she said. Marlene grunted.
“Well get back to it.”
“Marlene, would you mind if I went home? I still feel sick, and I think the smells in the salon are making it worse.” Marlene whirled around, glaring at her in disgust.
“Raven, you get back to work right now, or you won’t have to worry about any bad smells in here!” she hissed. Raven stared at her, and something snapped. She hated Marlene and her mean, bullying ways. She hated the salon, and the cheap customers she had to deal with. And she hated her dull, repetitive job.
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love Page 4