Chapter 10
Elle
It was a Wednesday evening when I sat up against the wall of the dance studio, looking at my reflection in the mirror covering the opposite wall.
Lexi sat beside me, her hair slick with sweat, darkened by it. We looked like sisters, two little Aryan girls sat side by side.
Only she was prettier, and a better dancer. The girl was as graceful as a swan, and just as flexible.
We sat there now, panting as the other girls in the class disappeared out of the door. Our instructor, Claire, lingered for a moment in the corner before setting off as well.
“You will remember to lock up, won't you Lexi? I'll leave the keys in the lock for you. Just drop them through my office letterbox when you're done.”
Lexi had been a student here for a while, so was entitled to these little perks and privileges. This one simply meant she could keep on training and dancing in the studio for as long as she wished on Wednesday evenings.
I'd learned that Wednesday was her only night off, so we often went for a drink after to catch up. She might well have been the nicest girl I'd ever met. Everything I said was greeted with genuine interest. Not feigned or overdone, just completely real and sincere. She was so smiley and laughy, with one of the cutest giggles I'd ever seen. I was amazed that she was single,
“I don't really have time for a boyfriend,” was her answer. “What with my classes and my job in the evening, you know. Anyway, I'm not sure many guys would be happy about my job.”
It was something that she never really spoke about. She told me she just worked in a club. I assumed that she meant behind the bar or in the cloakroom or something. I wasn't one to probe in general, but had to ask.
“Why would a guy have a problem with your job though? Aren't you a waitress or barmaid or something?”
She screwed up her face a little. “Not exactly. I used to work behind the bar, now I work in front of it.” She was suddenly a little abashed, her words less bouncy and jovial.
“What do you mean?”
She paused. “I don't know Elle, its probably not something you wanna hear about.”
“Oh come on, you can't leave me hanging like that Lexi!”
“You'll probably disown me when I tell you.”
I said nothing but just stared at her with open eyes, nodding my head a fraction to coax the truth from her lips.
She took a deep breath. “I'm a stripper, OK Elle, an exotic dancer.”
My head flew back, shortening my neck as my eyebrows shot up in a look of genuine surprise.
“A stripper! No way!”
She nodded coyly.
“Shit, whoa, I mean seriously? A stripper? Are you pulling my leg or something? Is this a wind up?” I was laughing. I don't know if it was awkwardly or nervously or whatever.
Her tone remained drier than the Sahara. “Nope, God's honest truth.”
I sat back, my mouth open a little bit. I'm sure it wasn't the sort of reaction she wanted. But then, it was probably what she expected. I guess that's why she hadn't told me before.
“I never, ever in a million years would have pegged you for that. Seriously, a stripper?!”
“YES! I knew I shouldn't have told you. I knew you wouldn't get it.”
“Hey now, how do you expect me to react?! It's just so not you Lexi.”
“Well, to be fair Elle, you don't really know me that well.” Her words were a little biting, a little frosty. What did I expect? I was literally laughing in her face about her job.
Not cool Elle.
“I know, look, I'm sorry babe. I shouldn't have reacted like that. So is it like stage dancing in a club?”
Gosh this conversation was going to be totally out of my comfort zone.
“Sometimes. Sometimes it's private dancing.”
“And do you, you know....go nude?”
She nodded, her face still more disgruntled than I'd ever seen it. I guess that was understandable.
A short silence cascaded down onto us, an awkwardness hanging in the air. Maybe I should never have asked. Can I go back in time? Where's the Time Traveller and his machine?!
“So where is the club?” I asked finally, breaking this painfully awkward silence.
“It's on Pine Street, you probably won't know it. Not much down there really.”
I was careful with my words. I didn't want to annoy her any more or make her feel ashamed or embarrassed in any way. I had no place to do that. Lexi was a great girl, and a great friend. I had no idea why she did it, but she must have had a damn fine reason.
“So, how did you get into that?” I asked, ensuring my tone was light and not interrogatory in any way.
“Well, I know this is gonna sound funny, but I actually wanted to do it. Seriously. I love dancing, and it's just another style I enjoy. I really don't mind getting my kit off, never have.”
“But those guys ogling you. Isn't that a bit, I dunno, creepy?”
“That's a frame of mind. I find it sexy. The power I have over them, it appeals to me. And, well, this place doesn't come cheap, so the money really helps!” Her tone was lightening up again, a cheeky grin spreading over her face.
“And anyway,” she continued, “it's not like an open strip club where anyone can come down. Any potential client is carefully vetted, so it's all safe and secure. Seriously, any place owned by the Logans is always well organizedand safe.”
No way. The Logans! The name shot into my head like a bullet.
“What's than name again?” I asked, trying to keep a lid on my shock.
“The Logans. A guy called Kyle Logan runs it. It was owned by his dad, Charles, but he was killed not long ago. I guess maybe Kyle owns it now.”
Holy shit! Alice's boyfriend runs a f*cking strip club!
I couldn't contain my amazement at it, my face flying wide open. “So weird. Such a small world! So Alice's boyfriend runs a strip club?!”
Alice. It just came to me. She'd told me a while ago that she met Lexi through work. And she was seeing Lexi's boss.
NO WAY! That's how they met! She was a stripper too!
“Hang on,” I said quickly, the realization hitting me like a sledgehammer. “Answer me this. Truthfully. Is Alice a stripper as well? Is that how she and Kyle met...at the club?”
Lexi screwed up her face as she liked to when faced with a difficult question. I didn't know her that well but I knew that she was dreadful at lying.
She nodded slowly, an “i've been caught” expression on her face. “Yep, although she only worked for a few months. She doesn't do it any more.”
I literally couldn't believe it. Although, it kinda all made sense. Alice had been really coy when I'd asked her how she knew Lexi. She'd said they used to work together, and then shut down. Well, at least that was one of her secrets drawn into the light.
The fact that Kyle ran a strip club didn't shock me at all, though. I mean, the family owned a bar, a club, a casino. Why not have a strip club as well? They probably owned a brothel too. Maybe a bookies. Pretty much anythingthat dealt in a vice.
“Hey, Elle.” Lexi's voice brought my back into the room and out of my head. “If you talk to Alice about this, don't react like you did with me. Seriously, I know she won't like that. If it were me, I probably wouldn't even mention it to her. Bit of a sore spot.”
“How come? What happened.”
I was never much of a gossip but this was just too good to miss. I felt like I was an extra in Days of Our Lives or something, all this family drama going on around me.
“Well, it was always forbidden that any staff members see each other. Kyle's dad, Charles Logan, he was not a guy you wanted to mess with. He ruled that place with an iron fist. I mean, I liked it because it meant no guy would ever get frisky. But it also applied to staff. If you got together, or even just had a one night stand or something, you'd be in big, big trouble. Like, lose your nuts trouble. Seriously, there was this one security guard who wascastrated for dating a stripper. Castrated! Can you imagine that!”
I really didn't want to.
“Anyway,” she continued, “when Charles Logan died, I guess Kyle and Alice thought they could become official. So she stopped working there and the rest is history.”
But it wasn't quite, was it. I remembered back to the night I arrived. Crash had been furious with Kyle, and they seemed to be arguing about Alice. It seemed that maybe Crash was trying to continue where his father left off. He did seem to have that dominant way about him.
“It's like living in a soap opera round here,” I said, “Even people's secrets have secrets.”
“Yeah, well, I've got mine out of the way! Other than that, what you see is what you get with me.” She laughed, her jovial spirit returning.
“Anyway, I'm sure you've got a few little secrets of your own,” she kept on. “Like moving here mysteriously in the middle of the year. You still haven't told me about that.”
“Yeah, well, that's a long story!”
She looked at the imagined watch on her wrist. “I've got time...”
“OK, buckle up babe, cos this ones a doozy.”