I barely made the naked walk to the change room on my own. I had found a back stairway that got me there without passing through the lounge a few days earlier and started using it on such occasions. As warm water rained down over my body, I leaned against the cool tile wall, trying not to sink to the floor.
After what seemed like a few minutes, I was wrapped in towels and sitting in a comfy chair in the corner of the change room with three sets of eyes gazing upon me. I wasn't sure how I got there. I could hear Tyler calling out, "Ladies, I'm coming in!" and suddenly he was there.
"Bridget! Holy shit! Who did this to you?" Tyler asked as he dropped to his knees in front of the chair. "Do you need—"
"What? Why are you all—" I started to question the concern that surrounded me, then remembered what I had been up to for the previous two hours.
Gina rushed in and handed me a glass of water, "Bridget, I'm so sorry. I should have realized—"
Nobody seemed capable of completing a sentence. I sipped the water and was instantly reminded by the sting of my lower lip that repeated backhanded slaps were part of the 'play' the six men enjoyed.
"Bev says you have bite marks and bruises," Tyler said as he took my hand in his. "What happened?"
"Oh, uhm, I let them get... a bit carried away. I'm fine," I said as I started to pull the towel away from my chest.
"No, you don't have to show me," Tyler said. I exposed myself despite his words then watched as his eyes scanned my body.
"Fuck, Bridget! That's more than a little... carried away."
"The group that had her for a private, they did this," Gina said. "I... I should have stopped... Shit, Bridget, I'm so... so sorry."
I covered myself and watched rage flare in Tyler's eyes. "Who are they?"
"Six guys. They're some of the Coco regulars that have been coming in lately. They're still here. At a table in the back. I'll show you."
"Coco? Show me!"
"Tyler, no! I'm fine. I let them... I didn't stop them. I don't want you to—" I begged. But I wasn't sure what I didn't want. "Please, just let it be."
In some twisted way I started to believe the state of my physical being was what I should have expected. What I deserved. I could have brought it all to an end, but I didn't. So, in that same twisted way, I must have wanted the marks that littered my body. My mind had completely erased all the possibilities that had brightened the start of my week. Gone was the hint of the person I thought I could be. The girl that sat in that chair had given up on that other girl. The one that looked the same, but happier and more hopeful.
It was clear that Tyler wasn't content to let things be. He was pacing and talking but the words floated past me without registering. Somewhere in that time, one of the bouncers had entered and I had another rage filled set of eyes set on me. Tears rolled down the dark brown cheeks of the most intimidating man in the building. I was afraid. Afraid of what he and the other bouncers would do. Afraid of the trouble that might come because of me. Because I let those men break the rules and have their fun. I had convinced myself that I was to blame. The anger should be directed at me.
Tyler was on his phone, talking to Vic, one of the bouncers that was on a day off. "Yeah, I need you and a few others to come in— Yeah, sure, bring him along."
"Bridget, let's get you cleaned up, proper," Bev said as she helped me get up from the chair.
A while later, after doing my best to rid my body of biological traces of the six men, I was hidden in a baggy hoodie and sweats, and joined Tyler at the bar. He gave me a sorrowful look then turned his attention to a man named Tom as he approached.
YOU ARE READING
The Strip - Max
General FictionAs Max contemplates her exit from the business, she reflects on the events that eventually brought her under the stage lights at The Strip. Follow along as she recalls everything from the tragic event that changed her address and her life, through h...