Sovereign Ground (Breaking Bonds) (7 page)

“Do you care now?”

The stars don’t answer me.

I hear a dish against the sink, behind the trailer
wall. Reluctantly I slip into the clothes I left the house wearing. I’ll have
to call Sir Car Wash in the morning. I can tell Cal I started my period yesterday
at my lunch break. That should embarrass my sleazy ex-manager enough to avoid
any other questions. He’ll accept me back.

Thom is gone, and Lorna stands at the sink drying
a dish with a bleach-spotted, pink dishtowel. She glances up, but does not
speak. My stomach growls. There could be leftovers, but sometimes Lorna takes
those to work. Cheez-It crackers are safer. I grab a box, open it and take a handful.
I won’t bother with a bowl, since Lorna obviously just cleaned the last one.

They taste like a feast. I try not to shove them
all in at once. I take another handful, planning to finish in my room. As I
start to slide the box back into the shelf, it’s snatched from my fingers.

“Are you done?”

I have a mouth full of dry crumbs, so I just nod. Lorna
takes the bag from inside the box and holds it upside down over the sink.
Orange squares tumble to their death. She flicks the faucet up and turns on the
disposal.

I try to swallow but my throat won’t obey. I’m Rapunzel,
trapped in the tower of my body. Have I eaten the witch’s radishes?

She turns her head slowly, her body still facing
the sink. Her voice is low, warning.

“You didn’t wash your hands.”

I leave quickly, pleading the fifth.

After I close and lock my bedroom door, I press my
back to it and slide down until my seat meets the floor.

I’ll see Brody on Monday. I’ll dance again.

“Just bring the girls whatever they want.”

The brown, cork-lined tray wobbles in my hands as
I take it from Brody. He smiles at me, waiting for an answer.

“Just shots? drinks?” I reposition the empty shot
glasses to balance the tray.

“Yup.” He leans over so I can hear him above the
music. I wait for Brody to look down at the tiny outfit I’m wearing, shiny red
boy-shorts and a little scarf held up by strings. But he doesn’t. He only looks
at my face.

“Like a waitress?”

“Just tonight, Baby. Bella said you two were still
working on your act.” He smiles at my confusion and whispers, “Cori.”

“Oh.” Of course, a stage name. “Yeah, she did say…”

Brody shakes hands with a man that passes by.

He smiles at Brody. “It all came together, like
you said.” They pat each other’s shoulders and grin like they’re on TV, not a
crowded room. Several girls wear outfits like mine and pass out free drinks for
this invitation-only opening night.

“Did you bring the gown back?” Brody asks, while
he watches the man walk away.

“Oh, um…” I left it in the hose-storage box. “I’ll
bring it back tomorrow.” He doesn’t answer or look at me. He just crosses his
arms and surveys his dominion. He has a large diamond ring tonight and a watch,
both look new. There are about a dozen girls in short sexy gowns or lingerie,
mingling and laughing with the men. I can see partially obscured twosomes
behind the bamboo screens and three girls on the left corner stage dance in
sync, topless. It’s just one big party.

One of the girls steps from behind a bamboo screen
and waves at me, signaling me to come.

“All right then…” Brody turns away, he’s all
business tonight.

I walk toward her. I just look at the lingerie like
it’s a lacy swim suit. She meets me half way and grabs my arm. Her ribs show a
little under her skin.

“Let’s do shots.” Her voice squeaks with
excitement.

I want to tell her she looks like she’s had
enough.

“I haven’t had a single drink yet.”

Well, if it’s not alcohol, it’s something else. I
don’t bother to ask her name, and we walk up to the bar. Talia joins us. “Three
peppermint schnapps.” Talia leans forward and crinkles her nose at the
bartender. She seems friendlier without her two shadows.

“How’s my favorite girl?” The bartender calls
above the music.

“Sober.” She laughs. Talia wears a sea-foam green
set that makes her eyes glow emerald. She is possibly the prettiest girl I have
ever seen. Her wavy brown hair cascades past her shoulders.

“Uh-oh.” The bartender flashes a brilliant smile
offset by his dark skin. “We’ll have to fix that.” He puts three glasses on the
counter and has them filled in the time it takes him to say his name. “I’m
Trey.”

“Baby.”

“Nice to meet you. Want me to take those?”

I look down at my tray. “Sure.” When I reach over,
he takes the platter with one hand, and with his other, he strokes my fingers.
I gasp a little, surprised both that he did it and how good it feels. I look up
into his flirting, black eyes. He has super curly hair that shines under the
lights. I can’t stop smiling, so I look down.

Only one shot glass is left on the counter. It
looks like it’s filled with water. Talia and the crazy-eyed, skinny girl hold their
glasses, waiting for me. I lift mine to my lips. It smells like toothpaste and
tastes like gum on fire. They both drink it in one gulp. It takes me two. Talia
turns and waltzes away.

“I have a private dance now. Bring me another in
10 minutes.” She holds all her fingers up like a drunk school teacher, turns,
and weaves her way through the crowd.

“You gotta watch Jewels.” Trey points at the
stoned girl with his chin. So that was her name. Trey hands me back the empty
platter. “Wait at least a half hour before you take her another.”

Trey chats while he pours drinks and wipes the
counter. He talks about sports and the weather, impersonal stuff. I lean
against the bar, listening to his deep voice. My typical inability for
conversation again overwhelms. I can’t catch all the words, but I like the
soothing cadence. I’m warm all over. I guess I should go ask the dancers what
they want to drink, but Trey’s my pied piper.

The music fades then starts with a building,
anticipating rumble. The lights dim and the stage in the center illuminates. Brody’s
voice taunts over an intercom. He introduces Bella. Lights swirl, adding to my
disorientation. When they stop, Cori stands feet apart, arms at her sides and
her head raised to the ceiling. She wears a skintight, black bodysuit. Her mesmerizing
dance, choreographed to exotic drums, alternates bursts of flame and removing
parts of her outfit. There couldn’t be anything more exciting than this, even
in Las Vegas. Blasts of heat spew from the flames.

In the end, she stands nearly uncovered, just a
string thing on the bottom, and the dragon tattoo on her back. The snake-like
body curves up her spine in black and teal. She turns and rests her chin
against the dragon claw on her shoulder. Her blonde spikes fall over her eyes
the same time as the last beat. She’s so good she choreographed her hair. There
is a hush before everyone claps and the lights increase.

I want to be near Cori but there is too much crowd.
I tap on a bare shoulder; it remains unyielding. I push. The woman finally
moves and I weave through the throng, like a termite in a stump. My efforts
leave a path behind me, but I have to force it. When I get to the stage, only
that familiar combination of perspiration and alcohol await me, not Cori.

A tickle slinks across my shoulder blade and up my
neck. I hold myself rigid, and start to turn. Just slightly above my line of
sight are the hazel eyes from the other night. His head looks freshly shaved,
no sign of the dark stubble I saw before.

“Don’t run away again.”

He seizes my elbow more firmly than necessary. I
try to pull my arm away, but that causes his fingers gripping my elbow to rest
against my ribs. By pulling back, I have just brought him closer. His crooked
nose flares a little when he smiles.

“Can I get a Jack Daniels?” He holds a new twenty
in his free hand. It’s folded length-wise and floats in front of me like bait, like
I’m a fish to be hooked. I hate that twenty.

“All drinks are on the house tonight.”

“Run and get me one.” He drops the twenty on my
tray and pats my bottom like I’m a child. Maybe not exactly like a child. “I’ll
wait for you behind the shoji.” He points to one of the three-paneled bamboo
screens.

My heart pumps more blood than I need as I return
to the bar. Trey’s face goes from surprise to pleasure and I feel like I’m coming
home.

“How’s my favorite girl?”

“Oh.” The infernal smile takes over again; I need
to restrain my errant lips.

“Oh, what?”

“I thought Talia was your favorite.”

He asks me to repeat before he understands. It forces
me to look at him and speak loudly.

“Well, you know…” He winks and puts both hands on
the counter like, he is about to do a push-up. “What do you need?”

I order the Jack Daniels and place it on the
platter.

“Do you want something, too?”

The schnapps earlier made me feel warm and loose,
party mood. I would rather party than feel like I’m at work all night. I turn
and look at the bamboo panel. “Sure, one more won’t hurt.” I’m not going to
drink like Thom. I’ll stay in control.

On my way back to the bald guy, Brody intercedes.

“Jack Daniels?”

“Yeah.” I lift the platter to him. He looks at me
as though I offered a mud pie, and not the ice cream kind.

“I don’t drink, Baby.”

Jewels stumbles by us. Brody hails her with a nod.
“Take this back to the bar,” he says and gives her my tray.

Jewels’ lips work out a petulant, “Sure thing, Brody.”
He doesn’t watch her walk away.

“Hang out with Cori tonight.”

“Okay?” I hear the inflection in my own voice, but
I didn’t mean to ask it as a question.

“She asked for you.”

This makes me feel like I just took another shot.
I don’t know why, but I love Cori like I would a sister. It’s as though I have always
wanted to know her, always wanted someone beautiful to know me.

Cori wipes the makeup counter in the dressing room
with a gray hooded sweatshirt.

“Hi…Bella.”

Cori turns and smiles. “Yeah. Did you see the
show? How did it look? Are you ready to put something together?”

I love that she fills the room with conversation.
I don’t have to feel inept. I take a deep breath through my nose, searching for
the right word. “Fab-u-lous.” It comes out before I remember. Even though it
makes me think of the Wild Lily, it was just the only thing to say.

“Hmm.” Cori studies me like a new insect discovery.
Using Brody’s word eroded the intended compliment.

All the different hair spray and lotions combine
to make a cloying, throat-burning scent. I wish there was a window on either
side of the intensely lit mirrors. “Brody said you wanted some company.”

“Oh, I just wanted to hang out with you.” Cori
pulls out a five-dollar bill rolled like a straw, unfolds it and flattens it by
dragging it across the corner of the counter. She pulls up the sweatshirt again
and wipes the counter. Her hands shake, and she keeps looking at the door like she
expects someone. I can barely see the blue of her eyes with all the black
eyeliner.

My throat continues to burn from the aerosol. That,
combined with the two shots, makes for a merry-go-round in my head. I go to the
back counter and grab a couple bottles of water from the mini fridge. I bring
one to Cori. “Would you like this or do you want something else?”

“Oh. So you’ve moved up from drinking outta the
tap?”

Heat tingles from my core to the top of my head,
but she probably can’t tell with my dark skin. I adjust my sequined triangle top
and lift the carpet of hair from the back of my neck. “Well, if you don’t need
anything…”

“Baby come back.” She sings a familiar tune. “You
can blame it all on me.” Her voice is horrible. Cori moves her hands like she is
rubbing lotion into each one. “I had an anxiety attack and Brody couldn’t stay
with me. He gave me something to help.” She stands abruptly, walks over and
gives me a hug. “I need your company.”

I remember the side of the road: Hayden’s strong
arms holding me, the crazy terror of my anxiety attack. “I had one before…” First,
I let my hands rest on her spine and then I respond to her pull by squeezing
back. Cori has also met fear. We’ve both shaken that irrational hand. And just like
that, the words begin to flow between Cori—my new sister—and me.

I tell her how amazing her performance was. She
invites me to spend the week with her—since even though tonight, Monday, was
opening night—The TorchLight isn’t open to the public until Friday.

“We’ll visit clubs all week, party, and work on
your act.”

I pinch my lips, trying not to give away what this
means to me. Instead, I just nod lamely.

There is a thump at the door where Cherry, one of Talia’s
girls, stumbles. She regains her balance just inside.

“I thought you were leaving,” Cori asks.

“I’m waiting for Carlos to walk me out.” Cherry
whips out a tube of sparkle gloss and puts it on her lips so erotically I have
to look away. I ignore the conversation, which turns to how hot, Carlos, the
bouncer is.

“You didn’t hear about the stalker in the parking
lot?” Cherry shrieks with enthusiasm. “He can’t be too bright, sitting in a fifties-style
Chevy truck with a custom paint job. Purple, no less.”

I jump to my feet.

Cori and Cherrie both look at me as though I have burst
out in song—in Dutch.

“Is it a tan, blond guy?” I knock over a chair on
my way to the door. Who else could it be but Hayden?

I don’t know if either girl answers me because I
leave the dressing room, my heart drumming in my stomach. I press the metal bar
down and use my hip to budge the heavy back door open. The employee parking lot
behind the TorchLight awaits me. A whiff of the dumpster makes me gasp a little
with my mouth instead of my nose. The door latches behind me.

“Are you wearing that home too?” Brody’s voice
grumbles from the shadows. He stands like a panther, lithe, leaning. Only a
trace of his form is visible in the moonlight. “Should I count the spoons tonight,
Baby?”

Carlos’ face illuminates next to Brody as he
flicks a lighter and inhales from a cigarette. The cigarette hangs from his lip
when he finishes. He steps forward with arms crossed over his chest. This seems
a feat with the short length of them versus the massive muscles. He’s probably
an inch shorter than me, but I feel like I’m always looking up at him.

“He won’t come back.” Carlos takes three long
drags from his cigarette before he flicks it into the rock landscaping. He
presses the key pad next to the door, and a tiny light shines green before the
door latch sounds and he disappears inside.

I crane my neck one last time around the parking
lot.

“Expecting someone?”

An April chill freezes the sweat droplets on my
back. “Did you see who—”

“Nope, and you shouldn’t be so excited to run out
here and find out what kind of person waits in strip club parking lot.”

Doesn’t he mean “burlesque?”

Brody walks toward the door, and the force of his
presence corrals me toward it. “I don’t need my girls running around like this.”
He pulls at the corner of my top and the night air takes a peak. “For free.”

Brody keeps his left hand on my back and presses 5-9-7…
None of us girls has a number. We press the buzzer, look in the security
camera, and then someone buzzes us in. I quickly look down as his head turns.
When he punches the last number, I angle my chin to see.