Page 14 of Triplet Tease

When I went to work, I didn’t expect to lookup and lock eyes with the man who’d set my pulse racing thatafternoon. We’d seen each other across the room.

After standing frozen to the spot for a fewseconds, like a rabbit caught in headlights, I scuttled off to hidebehind the bar. I washed up glasses and then asked Francesca to letme clock off right there then. I told her I wanted to watch dancersin readiness for my stage debut, but I’d stay behind the bar sothat I’d be ready to jump in and help out if the place becamecrowded.

Hiding in the dark recess, I watched for alittle while. Eton didn’t come to find me. Eventually, I went outto the locker room.

Fuck,Eton, of all the bars in all the city, why did you have to walk intothis one? Why, when I’m at my place of work?I said to myself in the locker room as I paced the very short fewfeet from wall to wall and back again.

Why can’t you get to know me first,without any preconceived ideas about my job?

I wasn’t ashamed of doing an honest day’swork, and I admired the women who had the guts to get up and dancethe way they did. So, why didn’t I just walk right back out there,pick up my tray, and get back to work? Why didn’t I walk right overto him and start a conversation? That would be the behavior of arational human being who wasn’t embarrassed to admit where sheworked.

It’s not me, Eton, it’s you. You didn’twave or say hello or come over to talk to me. You just stared at me,and it was a bit weird, frankly, while I was just doing my job,waiting tables.

Who are you with? I didn’t get a look atthem. Are they your brothers? Why didn’t you introduce us?

Yes, my insecurities were a part of thisproblem. They were probably all bright, and I was a high schooldropout.

Or didn’t he want me to know he’d been to aplace like this? That might have been it. Just as I didn’t know howto react, he must have been caught by surprise at seeing me.

Jesus, you’re a single adult. I’m asingle adult. There’s nothing to hide.

At least, that was what I told myself, but Idecided this was a good time to knock off early as I had permissionfrom the boss.

Habitually, I checked my phone every time Itook it out of my locker at the end of the shift. Who didn’t? Ilistened to the voice message.

Hi, Siena, it’s your mother. I arrive onSaturday, and I’m staying at the Hilton. I’m looking forward toseeing where you’re living now and hearing all about your new job.Just let me know when is a good time for us to meet.

I let out a sigh heavy with regret. I wished Ihad more to show for the ten years since I’d left home, somethingto make her proud. Getting the money together to get out of debt andback on my feet would be something.

“Siena, I’ve heard you’re joining ustomorrow.” Crystal stood in the doorway. She held up a blacksuitcase. “You might want to rummage in here to see if anythingfits. We’ve been running a recycling club among the dancers.”

“Oh, I intend to go shopping tomorrow.”

“Beforeyou spend any money, have a look at what we’ve got. We’ve got twomore lockers full of spare clothes in our dressing room. You shouldcome in and take a look. If you want something, you have it, honey.When we find we’ve got a costume that we never wear, we drop it inhere to share or for emergency use. It’s just like at home whenwe’ve all got things we’ve bought but never get out of thecloset. Here, we share those items.”

I looked at the bag. “That bag is like theback of the closet. What a good idea.”

“Exactly. Even if there’s nothing in herethat you’d like to keep, it’s good to know we have something foran emergency wardrobe malfunction. Between us, we delve into theseclothes more often than we’d own up to because our planned costumeslet us down.”

“How does a costume let you down?”

“So many ways.” Crystal shook her head.“You’ll see. Straps tear off at the worst moment. If you needanything, just ask. Good luck tomorrow. Break a leg.” She curledher fingers in a dainty little wave.

Crystal had given me something new to worryabout on my journey home: all the ways my costume might break andfall off me while I danced on the main stage. I figured it wouldn’tbe too bad, whatever happened; the customers wanted to see my clothescome undone.

“Oh, yes. One last thing, the best bit ofadvice anyone can give.” She paused, and her eyes grew bigger.“Comfortable shoes.” She giggled. “You want to come into thedressing room now and have us all help you sort out your costumes andyour routines?”

What an offer. I didn’t need to hear ittwice. I needed all the help I could get to prepare for the followingnight.

Damn it. I was going to become an eroticdancer. I intended to work my ass off, pay my debts off. That waswhat I needed to focus on—my independence. Not letting any manderail me again. And not allowing some guy I’d had coffee withprevent me from becoming the independent woman I wanted to be, nomatter how sexy he looked.

He was hot and sexy and all that. But he didn’tpay my bills, and he was only in town for a few days.

Behind the scenes, the girls soon took my mindoff Eton. Between dances, they showered me with bits of old costume.It turned out, loads of unclaimed or discarded bits and bobs lived inthe dancers’ dressing room. By getting creative, there was enoughto put together several outfits.

They also had me practicing dance moves whilethey tucked paper inside my clothes, chiefly in my panties and bra.It wasn’t as easy as it looked.

We had a lot of fun, and it made me focus onthe practical matter of maximizing my income from the next nightonward. After a couple of hours, I’d decided what to wear and howto work my moves to get the best effect from my costume changes.

---