No More Tomorrows

Chapter 7: Bess to the Rescue

Aidan turned us toward a hallway to the left of the stage. He was using his right arm to shove his way through the large crowd and kept me tight against his body with his left. My mind had gone weirdly blank. After realising that Grant was in fact having sex with strippers it was like my ability to think had stopped. All my energy was being used to keep myself upright and to stop more tears from falling from my eyes. 

We came to a stop at the end of the long hallway and I finally noticed that the noises of the club were slightly duller here. You could definitely still hear the beat of the music but the noise of the patron's chatter had faded. 

Knocking twice on the door Aidan stepped us both inside and lead me to a chair. I realised he was handling me, gently but firmly directing my body because I'd lost the ability to do so. Bess was running her eyes over me. She could clearly see the mascara tracks on my face and the pain in my eyes.  

"I take it you found him?"

"Yeah we did. He was getting a lap dance from Roxy and then they went into the back rooms."

"Shit! That's not good. What can I do for you? Want me to interrupt them and have him thrown out with his pants around his ankles. I'll do it. Cheating Scumbag!"

I felt a loud laugh bubble out of me at the thought of Grant being shoved onto the sidewalk with his pants around his ankles, but it was quickly followed by more tears at the thought of why he'd have his pants down.

"No I've got a better idea." Aidan was again looking at me like he was trying to make a big decision.

"Are you going to need bail money? Or an alibi? Do I need to switch off the cameras in the back hallway? You know I'll do it. Men like him are why I just fuck for fun. No commitment equals no hurt."

"No bail money or alibi at this stage but I was wondering if the offer still stands for her to try out for the Open Auditions?"

That broke through my mental fog and I turned to look at Aidan like he'd lost his mind. Because clearly he had.

"What?"

I realised both Bess and I said the same thing at once, but it was Bess that he answered.

"What better way to say Fuck You to her soon to be ex than to strut her fine ass onto that stage. Show him what he's losing and walk away with a bundle of cash."

"Ooooh I love it! Revenge Stripping! Tell me gorgeous do you have any dance experience?"

"I did seven years of ballet and almost fifteen years of modern dance and hip hop. But I'm not stripping. I need to call an Uber and go pack a bag before Grant comes home. I can't face him tonight."

"That's where you're wrong. You can face him. Think of how he'll feel when he looks up onto that stage and sees his woman on display for everyone to see. Even cheating scumbags get jealous. What better fuck you than stripping in the same place you found him cheating."

"But I'm not the kind of woman who can take off her clothes in front of strangers. I'm not brave enough to do something like that. It's just not me."

"It could be. You just said you had over twenty years dance experience and I'm sure one of the girls would have an outfit you can borrow. You don't even have to strip to nude if you don't want. You can just tease the audience. They'll eat that shit up. With your innocence and the right outfit choice you could walk away from the worst night of your life with enough money to make first and last on a new apartment for yourself."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wasn't a stripper. Sure I could move. It was one of the things Grant loved most about me. He said that I seemed all innocent but when I got on a dance floor I lost my inhibitions, my shyness faded away. He'd even gotten into some fights back in college when guys tried to hit on me. 

Was I really considering this? I did need the money if I wanted to move as all our savings had gone towards Grant's education. But could I really go through with it?

"I don't want strange men seeing me like that. I'm not strong enough to handle that, what if the audience boos. They're used to the women out there who know what they're doing and I just can't take any more rejection right now. My own boyfriend prefers a stripper for gods sake, what hope do I have in making any money."

Aidan stomped over to where I was sitting and leaned himself into my space, putting his hands on the arm rests. Caging me in. His face was pissed off but his eyes were still kind. I knew he was worried about me but I really didn't think this idea was the best way to get revenge. I didn't even know if I wanted revenge. I just wanted my life back, I wanted the life we had before he took this job. Before he started having sex with strippers. 

"I already told you to stop that shit. When you walked towards me at the front door all I could think about was the fact that the crowd was going to go insane for you. That Bess was going to flip her shit and I found myself wondering if I could get one of the guys to switch with me so I could come inside and watch."

I felt myself blush at his words but they also stirred something inside me. Grant didn't want me any more but maybe another man would. Maybe Aidan was right and I could turn the worst night of my life into something else. No doubt I'd bawl my eyes out when I left here tonight but I could apparently do it with a pocket full of cash and not ever have to spend another night in the apartment with my cheating soon to be ex. 

"I'll do it. No idea if I'll be any good but I'll try."

"Thatta girl! I'll go talk with Star and see if she's got something clean you can borrow. You're about the same size. You work out a simple routine with Bess and we'll have you on stage within the hour. Fuck Grant and his work bros. His mates are going to be throwing money on stage while he wants to throw up. Having to watch and realise why you're here. Realise just what he's lost. Just how badly he fucked up." 

With that he stepped around me and headed for the door. With him gone from my space I felt my confidence plummet. What was I thinking? I wasn't a stripper. I didn't have the confidence to pull this off. 

"You're wrong you know. I can read your mind right now. You can do this. You've got the dance background so you won't embarrass yourself and with the lights you can't even really see the audience. Like Aidan said let him see you, let him see what he's lost."

I felt my lip tremble as I thought again about the fact that my boyfriend was currently in a backroom somewhere having sex with a stripper. 

"I used to be a stripper here, before I worked my way up to where I am now.  I stripped for years. Like you I didn't think I could do it, but had no choice at the time. I needed cash and I needed it fast. After a while I grew to enjoy it. Stripping is all about you. The woman on stage. Not the men in the audience. She's the one in control. It's her song choice, her costume, how much of that costume she takes off and most important of all - she's the one who takes home all the cash at the end of the night. They have to pay for the pleasure of catching a glimpse of you but can't touch you."

"I'll do my best but I'll need you to help me leave without Grant following me. I need a few days to get my head straight before I face him."

"No problem. We know how to handle troublesome patrons. Even have a handy little backroom we can detain him in for a while to give you enough time to get home and grab a bag."

"Okay. Let's do this."