Big Easy Escapade

by Joan Rylen

  She laughed and shoved him off, so he reached for Lucy and leaned her back for his version of a gallant kiss. Lucy went with it for quite a while, until he finally set her upright. Foam Hat looked over the top of his sunglasses at her and wiggled his eyebrows before returning to his buddies.

  Vivian cheersed Lucy. “Enjoyed that, did ya?”

  Lucy grinned. “He is the funniest guy, wearing that hat and sunglasses at night. Not to mention, he’s a damn good kisser.”

  “Uh huh,” Kate said and Wendy laughed. Karaoke hour over, they made their way to the dance floor for a few songs and finished off their bucket before hitting the street again. They weaved through the crowd, making their way toward Canal.

  Kate hailed a cab and Vivian jumped in the front as the other girls piled into the back.

  “Where are you girls headed tonight?” the cabbie asked.

  “French House Cabaret, please!”

  Chapter 11

  The cabbie drove through the warehouse district and dropped the girls off under the porte cochere at the French House. They gave the doorman their names and said they were guests of Al’s. He motioned for a bouncer, who whisked them to a table front and center of the stage.

  Al, Adrienne and Jason were already there and watching the pre-show entertainment. The girls sat down after a round of hellos and hugs, then Al did his usual — ordered a bottle of bubbly, from a waitress wearing a black, strapless spandex bodysuit that stopped just below her ass.

  “That looks more like something you’d wear in the bedroom than in public,” Kate said.

  “I own something like that!” Vivian laughed. She soaked in the scene, which was different from what she’d expected. It was an upscale club and had several stages with poles. The tables were draped in black with small brass lamps in the center. Almost every table was occupied, some with couples, and the bar area was packed full of men, many of them watching one of the numerous big screens broadcasting March Madness.

  Lucy turned to Jason. “Is Daisy nervous?”

  He shook his head. “Nahhh, she’s a pro. She’s ready to rock it. You’ll be impressed.”

  “Gino told me she’s fantastic,” Adrienne said, then took a sip of her freshly poured champagne.

  “This is so exciting!” Kate said. “This is my first time in a strip club, you know.”

  Al leaned over. “They’re not all like this, honey. This one’s in a class of its own.”

  Vivian scanned the crowd and was shocked to see a face she recognized — GQ. She knocked Wendy in the arm. “Oh my god! Oh my god!”

  “What? Is everything okay?”

  “Better than okay! Look who’s here!” She discreetly pointed a few tables over.

  “Wow, he looks even better up close. Go talk to him!”

  Kate saw who they were talking about. “Yeah, go talk to him!”

  Lucy waved her hand to stop. “We don’t want you causing an international incident.”

  “I won’t. I just want to say hi.” Vivian got up and walked over to the table where GQ sat with two other men.

  He looked up at her with bored, hazel eyes.

  “Hey there! I’m Vivian. I saw you earlier today at Hotél Versailles. We almost booked there but switched at the last minute. How is it?”

  He shrugged. “It is fine.”

  “I think we may go back tomorrow for happy hour. I heard they have a cool drink they light on fire at your table. Have you had it?”

  “No, I do not drink.”

  Vivian glanced at his bottle of Perrier.

  “Well, I hope you enjoy the show. My friend, Daisy, is performing. I think she’s last.”

  “You as well.”

  Vivian turned and rolled her eyes as she approached the girls. “He’s a dud. Such a waste of beautiful features.”

  “What’d he say?” Kate asked.

  “Not much. A man of few words. It’s pretty obvious he’s not interested in what I’ve got goin’ on.”

  “Stupid boys,” Lucy said. “His loss.”

  “Don’t sweat it, honey,” Al said, checking his phone, then putting it away. “I saw that schmuck in here yesterday. Never tipped any of the dancers. That’s a sign.”

  The music stopped and a rotund middle-aged man walked onto the main stage with a microphone.

  Adrienne pointed. “There’s Gino. I think the show’s about to start!”

  Gino welcomed the crowd and thanked them for coming out. He explained that the dancers being showcased were finalists for the Newcomer of the Year award being given out in Las Vegas.

  “So without further ado, let’s get this show started. First up tonight is Trikki Vikki, who comes to us from Miami, Florida.”

  Gino moved off stage and the lights dimmed. ZZ Top’s “Legs” started up and a single light shone backstage. A petite woman with freckled skin and jet-black hair pulled into a bun, glossy red lips, wearing reading glasses and a single strand of pearls strutted into the spotlight. Her boobs spilled out of the plunging neckline of her white top, which was tied just below them. Her silver metallic pencil-skirt reflected the sparkles from the disco ball.

  She danced in her clear, seven-inch platform heels to the pole in the middle of the stage, where she slithered around it once before throwing her glasses off. The song changed to “Pearl Necklace” and Trikki Vikki pulled her bun loose. Her straight black hair fell across her shoulders as she rolled around on the floor. Her top conveniently came loose and was next to go, but she was still partially covered by a tiny white bikini. As the song changed to “La Grange,” she ripped her skirt off, revealing a white G-string. She was officially ready to hit the pole.

  “Dear lord, I didn’t know a body could bend that way,” Vivian said, watching as Trikki Vikki moved from an unnatural position to having her legs clamped around the pole, hanging upside down.

  Vikki’s routine varied from the floor to the pole, lots of twirling and swirling. She closed out her performance with ZZ Top’s “I’m Bad and I’m Nationwide,” and boy, was she wide. Her splits went beyond horizontal.

  “Ouch!” Lucy said, squirming in her chair. Trikki Vikki ended with an impressive final pose on the pole.

  Gino came back on stage and announced the next dancer, Lala Lollipop. Her routine started out as little-miss-innocent to a sexed-up version of “The Good Ship Lollipop.” Her cocoa skin set off her lacy white bikini top that did not have a lining, and playful short skirt with a tulle underlining. She pulled a few lollipops from her imitation doily and handed them to guys in the crowd, including Al.

  He took it and laughed. “I wonder how many licks it takes to get to the center of her lollipop?”

  Adrienne smacked him on the arm. “Al!”

  He grinned.

  Lala flopped into the splits in front of them.

  “I wonder if she’s going to shoot them out of her cooch like I saw in Thailand once,” Jason said.

  The table erupted in laughter, and Lala gave them a dirty look.

  The Good Ship Lollipop set sail and Lala’s head-banger music was a bit much for Vivian, who was relieved when the next dancer took the stage. They watched a few other dancers perform until finally it was Daisy’s turn.

  Jason sat on the edge of his seat, focused on her. A drumbeat started and she crawled onto the middle of the stage, graceful as a jungle cat. She was dressed in a tribal outfit that tied on the side, and she had animal-print body paint on her arms and legs. Her hair was tousled and wild, and her eyes were painted in a glittery gold.

  “She looks amazing!” Kate squealed.

  Daisy brushed against the pole like a cat wanting attention, but unlike a cat, she reached out and spun sideways, one leg up by her head, the other gripping the pole. She did a few more tricks, showing her sleek yet muscular form, then a vine lowered, and she pulled herself halfway up to the ceiling. The rest of her time on stage consisted of acrobatic stunts using the vine and the pole. She looked more like a gymnast than a burlesque dancer.

  Halfway
through the routine Vivian noticed a balding, paunch-bellied man standing behind their table, eyes focused on Daisy. A trickle of sweat ran down his face. The French House might have been a nicer club, but it was still a strip joint, and creepy men were free to roam.

  As Daisy finished up, she swung from the vine to the pole, then to the floor, landing in the splits. The crowd went wild, cheering more for her than for anyone else.

  Jason beamed. “She’s got this competition in the bag.”

  Daisy took her bows, then walked offstage, smiling and waving.

  Lucy, still clapping, asked Jason if he’d recorded the music.

  “Yes, and I’m working on some new stuff for her, too.”

  “It was fantastic,” Wendy said. “And Daisy inspires me to get in better shape! Those push-up thingies she did with her legs wrapped over her shoulders were amazing.”

  “She’s impressive,” Jason said. “She works hard.”

  Al ordered two more bottles of champagne, and everyone chatted and watched the other performers as they waited for Daisy to join them.

  The showcase was over and one of the regular entertainers came out in a tight, white, shimmery mini-dress and wore big angel wings. “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes rang out through the club.

  “I love love love this song!” Vivian said and reached into her purse. “This girl gets my money.” She stood up and waved a few ones around. The stripper slowly made her way over, taking her time to unzip the front of her dress as she did. Vivian stuffed the money down her dress as Kate snapped two pictures.

  The bouncer started to walk over but Al waved him off. He leaned over to Kate. “No more pictures, sweetheart. And make sure that one doesn’t end up online anywhere.”

  Kate put her phone away. “Sorry. I didn’t know the rules.”

  Commotion erupted in the bar as one guy cracked a beer bottle over the head of another guy, who then punched that guy in the face. They went to the floor yelling and grunting. After a few moments, two bouncers appeared, pulled them apart and carted them toward the exit.

  “Amateurs.” Al smirked and shook his head.

  Jason checked the time on his phone. “Takes Daisy a while to get all that paint off, but she ought to be out soon.”

  They finished up both bottles of champagne, during which time Jason tried to call Daisy twice.

  “She’s probably back there talking to the other dancers,” Adrienne said.

  Twenty more minutes passed. Vivian could see the worry on Jason’s face as he tried calling again.

  He stood, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Something’s not right, she should be here by now. I’m going backstage.”

  Chapter 12

  Daisy toweled dry after scrubbing off body paint in the shower. She threw on a black, satin robe and flip-flops and walked to her dressing room. She sat at the lighted mirror countertop, brushed out her hair, applied some light makeup and turned the curling iron on before changing into a white miniskirt and turquoise blouse studded with silver sequins. She slipped on her new, favorite heels from Shoe-Be-Do and reassessed in the mirror.

  Stacey, one of the French House dancers, knocked, then popped her head in. “You were amazing tonight. You’re gonna win it in Vegas. Good luck, babe!”

  “Thanks,” Daisy called after Stacey’s echoing heels. She heard the back door slam.

  Daisy applied dark red lipstick and picked up the hair dryer. She blew her hair dry in about three minutes, flipping her head over and using a large, round brush to smooth out her locks. She flipped the switch to cool and blew it into her face.

  She looked at her red hair in the mirror. Lovin’ this megawatt color.

  She picked up the curling iron and twirled a strand of hair around it. She was hurrying, knowing Bam-Bam was waiting for her, but she wanted to look good. The look in his eyes when he first saw her was always worth the effort.

  A knock sounded at the door, and before she could respond a stocky, dark-haired guy walked in followed by a leaner, but definitely fit, dark-complected man.

  She didn’t turn around, just smiled at them in the mirror. “I’m sorry, I’m not —”

  The stocky guy presented her with a pink martini. “You earned this, that’s for sure. We just wanted to stop by on our way out to tell you how great your performance was tonight. We are with Desert Glitter in Las Vegas and would like you to perform at our club next week, if you can squeeze it into your schedule.”

  Daisy smiled and took the drink. “Nice place. I’d love to do a show at your club.” She took a refreshing sip and picked up her phone, clicking on the calendar. “I’ll be in town for four days and I think maybe Thursday night would work. I’ll have to check with the promotions people at the awards, to make sure they don’t have anything they need me to attend.”

  The leaner guy looked at her drink, then at her. “We understand completely and will do whatever is necessary to accommodate your schedule.”

  Daisy chatted with them about the competition in Vegas while she worked on the martini and her hair. Just as she perfected the last curl, she felt a little woozy.

  Did I eat today? she thought and started to say something but couldn’t. She slumped against the countertop and heard a crash right before everything went black.

  ***

  Jason walked toward the backstage door of the French House, a look of concern on his face.

  Al pushed back his chair. “I’ll get him past the bouncer.”

  Kate jumped up. “I want to see what the back of a strip club looks like!”

  “Come on, girls,” Adrienne said. “Let’s go see what the heck’s going on.”

  As they approached, the bouncer was shaking his head and waving Jason away. Al stepped between them, and soon the bouncer nodded and allowed them back.

  Adrienne walked by the bouncer and touched his arm. “We appreciate you taking such good care of us, Bruno.”

  The back of the club still looked like the warehouse it had once been, only the small offices had been converted to dressing rooms.

  Jason hustled down the hall, calling Daisy’s name. He poked his head through a room with multiple dressing stations. “Have you seen Daisy?” he asked a sailorette and a nurse.

  “Who?”

  “No.”

  He kept moving and looked into the few dressing rooms they passed, which were empty.

  They came to a bathroom, and Vivian walked in calling for Daisy. The toilet stalls were empty, as were the two showers, one still wet. She exited and shook her head. “No one’s in there, but someone has taken a shower recently.”

  Jason turned the knob on the next closed door they came to just as Trikki Vikki opened it.

  “Shit! You scared me,” she said.

  “Have you seen Daisy?”

  “No,” she said, curtly. “It’s not like we’re friends. She does her thing, I do mine.” Vikki tried to get by him but he blocked the door.

  “When’s the last time you saw her?”

  “I don’t know. Get the fuck outta my way.” She pushed him and moved past. “I’ve got a private show to get to.” She looked the girls up and down like they were trash, then flung open the back door.

  Jason dialed Daisy’s number again. Lionel Richie’s “Hello” echoed from down the hall. He followed it and bent down to pick up a phone. “It’s hers,” he said, then turned the phone toward them.

  The screen was shattered but Vivian could still make out Jason’s smiling face and the words “Bam Bam.” She walked to the door of the dressing room closest to the exit. A strappy, silver, studded shoe lay on its side in the middle of the floor. She glanced up at the lighted mirror above the dressing table where a vase of flowers had been knocked over. The purple ribbon around the vase had bled into the water, staining the white laminate countertop and still slowly dripped onto the floor. The burning scent of hair and chemicals reached her.

  “This is dangerous,” Vivian said, unplugging a curling iron from the multi-plug outlet on t
he wall. The lavender puddle was inches from a short circuit, or worse. The live feed from the stage showed on a small monitor in the corner. The naughty nurse was already down to her skivvies and in full swing on the pole.

  “Isn’t that her Shoe-Be-Do shoe?” Wendy asked, pointing to the high heel.

  Lucy gasped. “She’d never leave that behind.”

  Jason bent down to pick it up but Al stopped him. “Hold up there, chief. I wouldn’t touch anything. Adrienne, call your brother. I’ll get Gino.”

  Adrienne pulled out her phone and began dialing.

  “Who’s your brother?” Jason asked.

  “Cop.”

  Jason leaned against the wall and sank slowly to the floor. He put his head in his hands.

  Kate went to him and rubbed his back. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “No, something really bad has happened. I can feel it.”

  Chapter 13

  After talking to her brother, Adrienne shuffled the girls and Jason into a large, empty dressing room down the hall. “The police are on their way. Won’t take them long to get here.”

  Vivian flipped through the outfits that hung on a portable costume rack. “Holy cow, check this out.” She held up a sliver of black lace material with elastic ties falling here and there. “How does this work?”

  Kate walked over and picked up two of the ties. “You put your legs through these, and these two tie around the back.” She held up two straps that were connected to a silver ring at the top of the material. “These go around your neck.”

  Lucy slapped at Kate’s hand. “Don’t touch that!”

  “You are a sneaky kinky, aren’t you,” Vivian said, putting the hanger back.

  “Shaun doesn’t complain.” Kate flashed her sneaky smile.

  They heard commotion down the hall and Jason headed for the door, but before he reached it, Al appeared with Gino and two uniformed officers.