That’s what I
do, then it doesn’t bother me at all.” Veronica smiled at her broadly.
“I would if I had one, but I get the
idea.”
Veronica laughed at her comment.
“Okay. I have to go over the club rules with you.”
“Rules?”
“Yes. Gerald tries to keep this place
clean, or at least look that way, so the city won’t shut it down.” Veronica
walked around the back of the stage and Juliet followed her out onto the
catwalk.
“So we’ve got the poles over here,
and the more tricks you can do, the better your tips will be. We have two
girls here, Ginger and Stacey, who are really good at pole-dancing.”
For a split second, Juliet felt
nauseated at Veronica’s description of the girls’ tricks on the poles and
laughed nervously. Veronica noticed her tense reaction.
“Don’t worry, Juliet. Nobody gets it
perfect the first few times. The key to it all is to just relax,” she
suggested, patting Juliet on the arm lightly. “You’ll do great. I can tell.”
Juliet tried to listen to Veronica’s
advice with optimism and detachment. It was the only way she could get through
it.
“Like I said before, you have to
bring your own stuff for your show. But, there are a few outfits that Gerald
keeps around for everyone, just in case we need extras.” Veronica led her back
to one of the dressing rooms down the long hall. She selected a flimsy, but
very sparkly G-string that barely stayed hung up on the rack.
“This is pretty, but I wouldn’t use
it. I’d stick to the boas or tops… never the bottoms.” Veronica continued her
cautionary advice on the best outfits to use, as she proceeded to lift items
off the rack. She held up a school girl uniform in front of Juliet to see how
she looked.
“See? I think something like this
would be great for you. A lot of girls like to perform role play shows—it
really gets the customers going.”
Juliet turned to look at her
reflection in the mirror as Veronica held up the outfit. She didn’t know what
she thought about it. She looked kind of cute, but knew that ultimately, she
would have to become comfortable, and quickly, at being naked in front of
strangers.
Can I do this? she wondered as she considered her
reflection.
“Oh, yeah…the club rules are no drugs
and no sex on the premises,” Veronica paused for a moment. “Some girls do
though, but you’re not supposed to. If the cops find out, the club will get
shut down.”
Momentarily, a wave of nausea rippled
over Juliet as she listened to Veronica speak casually about drugs and sex.
She grew quiet as she contemplated how far Veronica went to earn tips.
“Well, that’s most of it anyways.
Come early on Friday and I’ll get you set up and introduce you to the other
girls.”
Juliet smiled, holding back feelings
of uncertainty, as she agreed to return on Friday. She left the club and
traveled home. Once there, she flopped down on her bed and pondered her
situation as she drifted off to asleep . Exhausted
with life’s tribulations, Juliet’s sleep took her to unfamiliar places. In her
mind’s eye, a silhouette began to form from the blackness—a figure of a man
with beautiful, intense, blue eyes that glowed as he watched her. He haunted
her, for she could never fully see him, only his silhouette as he lurked in the
shadows. The dark stranger called her name in a hauntingly familiar way.
****
Unsettled by her nightmare, Juliet
attempted to get ready both physically and mentally before going to the club as
scheduled on Friday. She wondered if her strange dream meant anything, but
shook it off when she met Veronica at the club. They walked down the long hall
toward the dressing rooms and entered one room where three girls were getting
dressed in stage outfits and fixing their makeup in the mirrors. One had
short, curly, blonde hair and wore the sparkly G-string that Veronica showed
her before and nothing else. The second had
Christina Baker Kline
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