Free Now or Never: A Last Chance Romance (Part 1) by Logan Belle Page B

They’re mostly empty.
    Justin waves to someone, or rather, he waves someone over.  And it’s Ms. Clear Heels.
    She’s not as tall as she appeared on stage.  But as she gets closer, I see her face is almost as flawless as her body, a chiseled nose, full, lush lips that might or might not be pumped with silicon, and thick-lashed brown eyes flecked with gold.
    “Hey, you guys,” she says, as if old friends.  I detect the hint of an accent – maybe Spanish.  “I’m Kat.”
    Justin starts chatting her up, completely at ease.
    “This is Claire,” he says suddenly.  I nod at her awkwardly.
    “Awesome.  You guys want a lap dance?”
    “She does,” Justin says.
    “What?”
    The song changes again.  Silversun Pickups “Panic Switch.”
    Kat smiles at me, then pushes my knees apart.  I gasp, look at Justin for help, and find he’s watching with a smile.  Great.
    She is inches away from my body, and those perfect breasts are now so close to my face if I lean forward I will plunge into them.  Then she turns her back to me.  The tattoo on her shoulder reads Cash Comes Quick When Looks Can Kill.
    Her hair brushes my thighs.  She smells like cinnamon.
    Facing me again, she takes my hand and puts it on her thigh.  Her skin is so firm it feels like rubber compared to the soft pliability of my own.  She is hot to the touch, and being physical with this strange women makes me feel electric, hyper aware of my senses.  She leans in as if to kiss me.  But she doesn’t.
    The music is loud, pulsating.
     
    When you see yourself in a crowded room
    Do your fingers itch? Are you pistol-whipped?
     
    Kat straddles me, sitting in my lap, then standing to gyrate.  Her hair swings around, occasionally brushing against my cheek or shoulder, soft as feathers.  I feel tense but loose at the same time.  There is something intoxicating about the alien feeling of her near me.
    The song ends, and I am surprisingly disappointment when she steps away.
    She says something to Justin, and he hands her money.  She leans down to whisper in his ear.  She looks at me with a smile.  Every muscle in my body tenses.
    Justin whispers to me, “She said if you want, you can go into a back room with her.”
    “Me?” I say.  “Why would I do that?”
    “Because you can,” he says.
    My heart is pounding.  I don’t know if it’s the strange alternate universe feeling of this club — like a windowless, clockless casino where you lose sense of space and time — or the way Justin is looking at me expectantly, or the inexplicable thrill of her lap dance, but I’m not ready to leave yet.  And if I’m not ready to leave, I should just go for it.
    I think of the constant flow of bills in this place, slipped into every hand, thrown onto the stage.  There’s a language of currency here I don’t fully understand.
    “How much does that, you know, cost?” I whisper.
    “I’ve got it,” he says.
    “I don’t want you paying for everything.”
    “We can talk bureaucracy later.  Now, go.”
    He says something to Kat, and she nods and smiles at me.  Then she holds out her hand.
    “Come on, babe,” she says to me.
    I stand up, looking behind me at Justin.
    “Have fun,” he says with a wink.
    “Wait here for me, okay?”
    “I’m not going anywhere.”

Chapter 13
    Kat leads me past the stage, down a short hallway, to a small vestibule curtained off.  Inside, she closes the curtain.  There’s nothing in the space but a long, padded bench.  I hear the music, but now it’s slightly muffled.
    “Sit down, babe.  Get comfortable.”
    Comfortable?  I’m so nervous, I’m shaking.
    I perch on the edge of the bench.
    Kat stands in front of me and unhooks her bra, baring her perfect breasts.  I look at the ground, at her high, clear heels.
    “Don’t be shy,” she says.  “If I didn’t like being looked at, I wouldn’t be doing this job.”  She smiles sweetly.
    Okay.
    I look up at her body.  And I feel a sense of