Tip Rats

Part 30 - Charity

At Santa Monica Boulevard the boys headed east and walked for a short eternity, passing through several suburbs, none of them Hollywood. As they reached West Beverly Hills it was getting quite dark and Ned's tolerance for meandering had reached its limit.

'This is fucked Chris, we've been walking for ages, I'm getting a bus'. Ned received no opposition to his suggestion and the boys found a bus stop and caught the 2/302 taking them the rest of the way, which was still several miles, along Sunset Blvd to Hollywood.

'It's gonna be a mission getting home' Andy expressed as the bus crawled through the traffic.

'Better get good and pissed then' Chris replied as he gawked out the window at the bars and restaurants filled with fame seekers and gold diggers, all at varying levels along the stairway of shattered dreams.

When the boys got off the bus they were at odds as to what to do. Chris wanted to go back towards where he saw a bunch of scantily clad ladies milling about. Ned and Andy wanted to sit down somewhere with a drink. Chris was pleased when a decision was made to go back a ways from where they alighted; at least they had seen what lay in that direction, continuing ahead would be delving into the unknown.

After tramping along for a few blocks they disappeared into a busy looking bar called Benny's Ballroom. It was dimly lit, bass heavy and filled with a wide variety of posers and maggots. The boys managed to acquire a table and treated themselves to a variety of American beers. The boys found themselves to be quite popular with some very sexually suggestive women who had engineered their garments to allow for maximum visibility of tits and arse whilst still maintaining a minimal level of modesty.

A girl, who alleged that her name was Charity, wedged herself onto the edge of the bench. Charity was sporting a substantial set of breasts that were being precariously contained within a flimsy strapless dress. The faint edge of her areola was peeking just above the seam of her bandeau, like the corona during a solar eclipse. It was this hint of a nipple that Chris had immediately taken a liking to. He'd already bought her several vodka and soda's, trying to woo her with tales of snakes and crocodiles, oblivious to the fact that Charity's affections required a deposit and a shower rather than charm. Charity would whisper into Chris's ear from time to time, causing a simpletons grin to spread across his face.

'These chicks work at a joint called Platinum down the road, we can get in for free if we go with them' Chris yelled across the table, straining against the rabble. 'Whadya's reckon?'

Ned and Andy both shrugged their shoulders.

*

The boys were escorted to Platinum by Charity, the halo of nipple still peeking over the horizon of her dress, and one of her cohorts who insisted that her name was Fabergé. True to their word the boys were waved through the door by the two juiced-up gorillas providing security. Once through the doors they were greeted by a floor-lit staircase leading below street level, making for an eerie descent. At the bottom of the stairs the club was surprisingly vast with a raised runway stretching from the distant back wall to the horseshoe shaped bar in the centre of the space, giving the whole setup the look of a giant, horizontal cock. The runway was also floor-lit and housed three large poles that ran all the way to the roof, each one being attended to by a buxom young lady, two of whom were completely naked and one who was in the process of seductively removing her underpants.

All three boys stood silently, momentarily paralysed by what they had been presented with.

'Do you guys want some drinks?' Charity asked in her best, well-practiced sexy-voice which came across more patronising than arousing, like she was talking to a baby or a dog.

Chris responded with a silent nod, still absorbed in all the gyrating. Charity strutted toward the bar and Fabergé led the boys to a table located under the arse of the girl dancing on the pole closest to the bar. The bar itself was attended by two semi-clad beauties under the supervision of a short, stoutly built bald man who had an old-style revolver tattooed above each ear.

Charity returned with three bottles of Coors Light which she placed on the table before taking Fabergé by the hand, 'excuse us fellas, we've got a few things to do' she whispered with a wink before leading her partner away towards the back of the room and through the curtained doorway marked with a large 'staff only' sign.

The three boys sipped their beers in silence, mesmerised by the spectacle. The silence was broken by Chris who voiced his desire to get some one dollar notes. The beers went down quickly and the place was beginning to fill up with more and more gawking out-of-towners, all led in by pumped up tarts with promises of a good time.

Andy rose to his feet and temporarily ripped his gaze from the stage, 'another one boys?'

Ned and Chris both gave him a nod and Andy shuffled around to the front of the horse shoe. Ned looked on as Andy was greeted by one of the barmaids wearing a black thong and with black tassels stuck over her nipples. After exchanging words that were lost in the thumping bass that boomed from the speakers hanging from the ceiling, Andy's face contorted into a mixture of confusion and disbelief. After another short exchange the expression morphed into one of outrage. Ned leaned forward attempting to lip-read as Andy waved the barmaid away and stormed back towards the table. Andy's return from the short journey to the bar coincided with the arrival of Charity onto the stage, which Chris greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause.

'Let's go fellas' declared Andy, 'no amount of nudity is worth 15 bucks a drink'.

'What?!' spat Ned, nearly choking on his last mouthful of beer.

'Yep, these three are gonna cost us 45 bucks' snapped Andy pointing at the table.

Ned stood abruptly, knocking his chair over and joined Andy in looking expectantly at Chris whose eyes were darting between them and Charity's now fully exposed nipples.

'Fellas c'mon!' Chris pleaded, 'look at this place, from this table I can see like 12 tits, and that's not counting the ones in the mirrors. Plus, I think Charity's keen for one'.

'I'm sure she is mate, but it'll set you back a shitload', Ned replied.

'She's already fleeced you for a mint' added Andy already leaning towards the front door.

'Nah, she's not a hooker, she's a dancer'.

Ned looked at Chris incredulously, surely he was not that naïve. 'Are you coming or what?'

Chris hesitated and the glanced over his shoulder where Charity's bare arse was orbiting a foot above his head 'Nah, I'll see you back at the hotel'

Andy stopped at the top of the stairs and asked the gorillas at the door where they might get a good feed nearby. The larger of the two, who looked like the type of bloke who ate on the toilet, recommended a place called Roscoe's a couple of blocks further on.