Free More Stories to Make You Blush by Marie Gray

night before she went back to work.
    Vincent was out, and she spent the whole day getting ready. She wanted everything to be perfect: champagne, gourmet meal, soft music. First, she would tell him how important he had become to her. Then she would tell him that she had not been totally honest and it disturbed her. She wanted a stable, monogamous relationship with him, so they had to be as honest as possible.
Voilà!
If she put it that way, how could he hold it against her?
    Next, she meant to explain that this work she had been doing for years made her very happy, but that she was ready to give it up if he really could not accept it. This last part was painful, but she had to face it; she would, in fact, give up her work for him. A future with him seemed so full of promise! And if that is what he wanted, he would surely give her time to find something she liked to do just as much—even if she had to go back to school! Besides, his financial situation seemed more than comfortable.
    Vincent would no doubt be happy she had trusted him enough to tell him everything. So why was she almost sick with anxiety? Because more than once she had seen disdain in the eyes of people she liked and respected when she told them what she did for a living. And she would not be able to bear that disdain coming from him. Anything but that! She tried to convince herself that he wouldn’t react that way; he was open-minded and not so puritanical as to condemn her for such a thing! But she was wringing her hands with worry. For of all possible scenarios, this one was the worst. She could take it if they broke up, or if she had to change professions, but to see the man you love looking down on you …
    Anyway, it was too late to change her mind; Vincent would be there any minute. Brigitte paced the apartment obsessively, enough to wear out the rugs!
    Vincent was late. He chose his moments! She had told him clearly that tonight was important, that she had something to tell him. Why was he late?
    To distract herself Brigitte turned on the TV to watch the six o’clock news. The newscaster was just reading the headlines:
    â€œArmed robbery in a branch of the Midland Bank …” “Major drug bust at the airport …”
    â€œA very well-known exotic dance club threatened with loss of its license …”
    She only half watched the first two stories. The third made her heart skip a beat. She had been afraid the club in question would be Chez Pierre, the club where she regularly worked, but instead it was the city’s best known male strippers club, whose owners were contesting city bylaws.
    As she looked at the screen she saw one of the club’s owners in company with a few “dancers,” one of whom was trying his best to avoid the camera. But the jaw, the hair, and the tan revealed as much as the face would have.
    â€œI guess I’m not the only one who’s got some explaining to do,” thought Brigitte, suddenly feeling so much calmer.

When Our Friends Let Us Down
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    It was a weeknight and the bar was almost empty. I’d been in the city two days and didn’t know anyone, not a single living soul I could share my recent happiness with. And I felt like having a drink to celebrate! I had been on cloud nine since the day before I left home. I was just starting to realize that you sometimes have to go through a rough patch to really appreciate the good things in life. I sat down comfortably at the heavy oak bar, leaning on my elbows, and patiently waiting to catch the eye of the sympathetic looking man working behind it. I didn’t have to wait long. When he brought me my scotch, he noticed the glow on my face. He said it was nice to have such a happy looking customer for a change. He asked me what was up; I asked him how much time he had. Looking around the desolate bar a bit gloomily he said,
    â€œAll night!”
    I couldn’t resist; I got right to the