Chapter 31
It had been two weeks since I'd spoken to Jen, since she'd revealed to me what exactly had happened to her. That same night I'd encountered Kyle in my room, slept with him, and started a secret and potentially dangerous relationship. I was truly running the gauntlet, and there was still a lingering feeling that Jen's paranoia was based on truth. After all, there was no reason for her to lie, no reason for her to feed me false truths.
It was a Saturday morning when I chugged along in my car towards Mrs Jones' studio. Despite the fact that I now had plenty of money, I didn't even consider the option of replacing my clapped out old banger. No, she'd been with me through thick and thin, and I owed her more than that.
I hadn't seen Mrs Jones since that night, and there were a few things I needed to get straight. I parked the car in the small lot outside the building and went inside. I could hear music, light through the wall, as I approached the studio door.
I peered in through the glass and saw a girl, twisting around a pole, her body petite and athletic. Mrs Jones stood in front of her, gesticulating with her hands, and talking. I could only imagine she was giving words of advice, of guidance.
The girl on the pole spun round towards me and I saw her face for the first time. Oh my God - Lexi!
She was flexible and graceful, her blond hair tied up in a bun, a pair of tights and skin-fitting T-shirt showing off her figure. She wasn't as curvy as others, she didn't have a full breast as I did. She was more lean, more slender and small, her tiny height making her ridiculously petite.
The way she moved made her look more like a ballet dancer, her official dance training conditioning her to be precise with her movements. Exotic dancing, as I now knew, required more fluidity, more instinct. I could almost hear Mrs Jones' voice as she watched on, imagining what she might be saying.
Release the shackles Lexi, live in the moment. Let your hands fall over your body. Be seductive with your eyes, draw him in and don't let him go.
I drew out my phone and looked at the time - 10.02 AM. I was scheduled to begin with Mrs Jones two minutes ago. I took a breath and knocked at the door. They both looked up sharply, peering through the glass to see who the intruder was.
I opened it and walked in.
“Alice,” Mrs Jones exclaimed, “you're here.” She sounded surprised.
“Yes,” I nodded, “for our 10 AM session.” I quickly turned my attention to Lexi. “Hey babe, funny seeing you here!” I could see her face roll up into a contented smile.
“Hey Alice! I finally made it!” she said loudly, unable to suppress her joy.
I was happy for her. I was what she'd wanted for a while.
“Did you not get my message Alice?” Mrs Jones' words brought my attention back to her. “I was instructed to cancel your session, and all future sessions.”
A frown appeared on my face. “Really? By who?”
“Mr Logan. He insisted that you no longer needed any...work.” The final word was subtly emphasised.
Mr Logan could mean one of two people, both of whom might have very different motives. “Which Mr Logan?” I asked.
“Kyle,” she said. “He told me I was to cease instruction.”
A thin smile grew in the corner of my mouth. I knew he was trying to extricate me from the entire process.
“Lexi here has been promoted to take up your remaining lessons, just to see if she has any potential.” I could see Lexi's expression dampen at the idea that her elevation was only in response to my demotion. Clearly that hadn't been made clear to her.
“I'm sorry you came all the way down here,” she continued. “I don't know why the message didn't get through.”
“Well perhaps the trip won't be completely wasted,” I said. “I wonder if you can spare a few minutes to have a word.” I looked over at Lexi. “Do you mind babe?”
She shook her head. “No, no, of course, that's fine. I'll just wait outside.”
“Take this,” said Mrs Jones, picking up a mat from the side of the room. “Do some yoga outside as you wait.”
Lexi took the mat and left the room, leaving me alone with Mrs Jones. Time to get some answers.
“So what is it that you want to talk about Alice?” she asked, sitting down on the center stage and crossing her slender legs.
“It's just something I heard, something I was told. It's been troubling me.”
Her expression was indifferent. “Go on.”
“Do you remember a girl called Jen? You taught her last year.”
“I remember all of my students.”
“Well, do you know what happened with her. Do you know how I got involved in all of this?” Her face changed slightly, stiffening. It looked like what I was about to say wasn't going to be new information to her.
“I understand that she was your room-mate. That's how you met Mr Logan.”
I nodded. “Yes, but there's more to it than that. She left college suddenly, told me she'd been kicked out. I believed it until recently.”
“Recently? What happened?” Her voice was turning more inquisitive.
“She came to me two weeks ago, told me some unsettling things.”
“Yes?”
“She said that she was being groomed to be a prostitute, that the same was happening with me. She told me that was your job: to liberate us sexually and make us want to go through with it. Is that true?”
Her disposition remained calm as she sat there. “My role, Alice, is to help you both physically and mentally. It sounds like Jennifer has been accusing me of indoctrinating you in some way. That is not what I do.”
She had an authority and composure that made me believe her, trust her. I suspected that Jen was just being paranoid, that she'd perhaps made more of it all than had actually happened. After all, she still chose to sleep with Mr White from her own free will.
“No, I understand that, you've been a big help for me.”
And she had. Without her there was no way I'd have been able to do what I'd been doing with such confidence. She'd taught me to play the role, to disconnect my personal life with my persona as a stripper. It made it all bearable, easy.
“I'm glad you feel that way Alice, but I must say Jennifer's accusations don't surprise me. She wasn't the easiest student. She found it hard to separate the job with reality. When I heard that she'd run out on her client, it wasn't a particular shock. I'd advise you ignore what she told you Alice, it will only make things harder.”
“Thank you Mrs Jones. Thank you for putting my mind at ease. And for everything you've done for me, it has changed my life.”
Whether that was for good or bad, I wasn't quite sure yet.