Free Revelations: Book One of the Lalassu by Jennifer Carole Lewis Page B

sauntered to the back of the stage, glancing over her shoulder at the rapt crowd. Slowly, she began to pull down the zipper of her own dress. “And we can all use more imagination.”
    Michael couldn’t help his body’s reaction to the thought of getting a glimpse of what lay beneath the sequined fabric. But he wished he wasn’t sharing it with sixty other people. Erotic arousal began to overwhelm the earlier amusement of the crowd.
    The drums and lights flared as all three dancers dropped their costumes simultaneously, revealing multi-colored corsets and knee-length fringe. Dancing and rolling to the music, the stage was a frenzy of decadent sexuality. The sense of release from the audience threatened to overwhelm him, but Michael’s gaze remained firmly fixed on Onyx. She smiled as she slowly undid the fastenings on her corset then held it closed, winking at the crowd as she flashed one side then the other. She teased them all as if each person were a private lover. Who is she and why am I here? The curiosity would drive him crazy if he didn’t get answers soon.
    Eventually the three dancers were draped in provocative poses, sparkling pasties and G-strings catching the stage lights. The floors shook with stamping feet and the music couldn’t be heard over applause and shouting.
    Onyx lifted her hands and the audience quieted as if puppets on her strings. “We are a dream come true and like all the best dreams, when the night is over… we’re gone.”
    The stage lights snapped off, leaving the club in absolute darkness. As the house lights slowly brightened, the panels were closed, and a young woman in a bikini twirling hula-hoops on her arms occupied the stage.
    Michael took a long swallow from his beer to moisten his dry mouth. That was what I was supposed to see . He was grateful it was over but still disappointed at the separation. The feeling of compulsion eased considerably. He still felt pressure to remain but nowhere near what it had been before. Yet he was no closer to knowing what he could possibly do with this newfound information. And more importantly, how long was it going to take before he could turn his attention back to Bernie?

    “Good show, Dani,” Becca congratulated her, stripping out of her signature “Ruby” jewelry. The backstage area bustled and glittered as performers hurried to get ready for the next act in the cramped and crowded cubicles.
    “Thanks.” Dani smiled, enjoying her hard-won respite. “Ready for the next round?”
    “I hope they have the sound system synched this time. Last night I didn’t know whether to shimmy or booty-shake.”
    The women laughed, hastily swapping out costumes for the next performance, due to start in twenty minutes. All except Tanisha, who played Opal. Frowning, Dani stepped over to where her fellow dancer peered out from the wings. “What’s up?”
    “He’s here again,” Tanisha whispered.
    “Redneck Whiskey Boy?” He’d shown up every night for the last week with his horrible clothes straining over his paunch and a dark mullet peeking from under a stained baseball cap. Glancing out, Dani spotted him in his usual spot, front and center at the long stage catwalk.
    “He was waiting in the parking lot last night. I asked Raoul to smuggle me into a cab out front and drive my car home later.” Despite her efforts to hide it, the fear in Tanisha’s voice came through loud and clear.
    Dani’s fingers tightened around the curtain, wishing she could simply pummel the ass and drive him out the door. But with Chomp’s bruises fresh in her mind, she suggested a less confrontational approach. “Switch spots with Ruby for the next number. It’ll keep you away from his side of the stage,” Dani suggested. “There is no way he’s native. Eventually the convention will leave or his business will be over and he’ll be gone. We only have to wait him out.”
    “Thanks.” Tanisha didn’t sound enthusiastic.
    “We stick together. Go get ready.”