Amateur Night Read online

  They were almost to the New Mexico border when it happened. A red light appeared on the dash with an angry buzz as the car began to sputter. Scott checked the surrounding traffic and quickly pulled to the side. As soon as the old Volkswagen stopped, steam rolled from under the hood. Muttering curses, Scott popped the hood and went for a look.

  “Looks like radiator trouble,” he yelled over the roar of passing traffic.

  When things had cooled down, Scott added bottled water and sealed the cap.

  “Okay, we’ve got to move fast—that water will drain quickly. Wasn’t there some kind of town off that last exit?” he asked.

  “I think so. What are we going to do?”

  “I think we need a major repair. Do you have any money?” Scott twisted to look out the rear window. When traffic allowed, he cut across both lanes and bounced through the grassy median. Soon they were headed back the way they came.

  “I have a little money. How much will we need?”

  “I have no idea. I hope not very much, because that’s all we have.” Scott’s usually flippant tone had turned grim.

  They had gone less than a mile past the last exit, but even so the car was steaming again by the time they found the tiny garage just past the sign that announced Edenville, Texas. Population 3,132. A single stoplight blinked red at the intersection. The service station shared the place with a convenience store, a used-clothing boutique, and a boarded-up building.

  “Howdy, folks, what can I do you for?” A smiling but intermittently toothed old man stepped out of the small garage wearing a coverall with the name Rocky stitched above the pocket.

  Scott explained the symptoms while Rachel surveyed the town. Some houses speckled the streets in each direction, but there were few signs of life. The hot Texas sun bathed everything in an unsparing glare.

  Rocky and Scott were now staring under the hood and speaking in the quiet tones usually reserved for hospital waiting rooms when the news was bad.

  “The radiator is shot,” Scott explained. “The guy is going to see if he can get us a new one from some junkyard.”

  They followed Rocky into his office and waited while he got on the phone. Rachel studied the many posters and notices papering the walls. Most were faded copies of faux memos meant to amuse, interspersed with service notices and pictures of barely clad models holding various automotive fluids suggestively. She leaned against one wall as Rocky hung up the phone sorrowfully.

  “I’m real sorry, folks. Best I can do is seven hundred dollars to get it here and put it in.”

  Scott paled and looked to Rachel. “I don’t have that much, do you?”

  “No, I’ve got maybe a hundred and fifty tops. I only budgeted for one night and a few tanks of gas.” Rachel arched her head back against the wall in despair. “Isn’t there someone you can call?”

  “My mother doesn’t have any money; if she did, she would have been at graduation. I’ve got a couple hundred left myself, and we still need money for gas.” Scott rubbed his face and looked around the grimy room, hoping for a miracle. His gaze stopped on a spot above Rachel’s head.

  “No way…” His voice trailed off.

  “What?” Rachel asked as she stepped away from the wall.

  He pointed to a small poster featuring brightly colored text and the provocative silhouette of a female figure.

  Every Tuesday Night Is Amateur Night at Eve’s Garden! Win $500! No Cover Charge for Ladies!

  “What’s Eve’s Garden?” Scott asked as he turned back to Rocky.

  Rocky grinned. “That’s our local strip club—I mean gentlemen’s club.”

  Rachel looked at Scott. “What are you thinking? It better not be what I think you’re thinking.”

  Scott’s familiar smirk had returned.

  “No freaking way! If you want to strip our way to a new radiator, go right ahead.”

  “I don’t think the local guys would give much to see me.” Scott’s tone grew serious. “I don’t know another way to get the money. Do you want to stay here? It’s only one night, and no one here will ever see you again.”

  “Are you nuts? You think I’m going to take off my clothes for a bunch of strangers? Have we met? Think of another way.” Rachel spun and stalked from the office back into the blazing sun. Scott followed close behind.

  “It will be our little secret. No one ever has to know, and I can’t think of another way to get the money, unless you think your family might send it. I would pay them back.” Scott looked genuinely stricken. “I really don’t enjoy asking you for money, Rachel. I’m sorry this happened.”

  Rachel relented at his obvious remorse. “My parents are in Mexico this week. They offered to take me too, but I needed a little space. I don’t know how to reach them.” She thought for minute. “If I do this, you can’t be there. I’ll use another name, and we leave ASAP.”

  Scott stared at her in wonder. Rachel finally smiled and turned to Rocky, who had watched from the doorway.

  “How soon can you have the radiator?” she called.

  “I can have it here first thing in the morning.” He shook his head with a grin.

  “Order it.” Rachel turned to the still-speechless Scott. “I guess I’d better win, huh?”

  Chapter Three

  Rocky had dropped them off in his tow truck at a tiny motel directly across the street from Eve’s Garden. The bar itself looked almost respectable from the outside. Only a lack of windows hinted at the kind of entertainment offered within. They bought a room and waited for the club to open.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to do this.” Scott laughed.

  “See? You don’t know me as well as you think. Maybe your line about ‘living while we’re young’ struck a chord somewhere,” Rachel said as she inspected the room. The room smelled slightly of disinfectant, while the carpet and wallpaper had faded from years of use. A single bed sat in the center of the room, but she was too distracted to argue about it.

  “Whatever it was, I’m amazed. And impressed,” he added. “Have you ever even been in a strip club?”

  “No, but I’ve seen them on TV. You just dance around and take off your clothes, right?” Even as she said it, her cheeks began to burn.

  “How do I put this?” Scott began. “Short answer is no. It isn’t really dancing; it’s more like simulated sex. You hump the pole, you hump the stage, and you act like you’re fucking the whole room.”

  Rachel’s face dropped. “I’m not sure I can do that. I don’t even know how.”

  Scott grinned again. “Don’t worry—I have an idea.”

  Neon lights illuminated the club around the top of the room. One girl swayed to rock music on the center stage while a few older patrons looked on listlessly. Rachel allowed herself to be guided to a table but couldn’t bring herself to relax. The butterflies she had felt since volunteering for this plan now felt like a flock of geese in her stomach.

  “What am I supposed to do now?”

  “Watch the girls. This is the day shift, but it will give you some idea,” Scott whispered back as his gaze scanned the room.

  “You sure know a lot about these places.” Rachel eyed him suspiciously.

  Scott tried to look innocent and failed. “I struggled with a misspent youth.”

  “You’re still struggling,” she replied.

  Rachel watched as a new girl came to the stage. The DJ introduced her as Mariah. She was young, and smiled as though she genuinely enjoyed her work. Managing to keep an almost wholesome look, she wore a very naughty schoolgirl outfit. With her blonde hair in braids and a body with curves that women would kill to have and men would die to hold, she had captured the “girl next door” look.

  An old song with a driving beat started as she moved to the chrome pole. She whipped around it several times, finally hanging a leg around it and extending her body out as she spun. Even the most bored-looking customers perked up at her energy. Rachel found herself spellbound as the young blonde left the pole and str
utted aggressively around the stage.

  Mariah stripped off her tight buttoned-up shirt and threw it to the floor in time with the music. Underneath, she wore a lacy black bra. Pink nipples tried to poke through the fabric. Another chorus, and the tiny plaid skirt followed the shirt. Rachel glanced at Scott only to find him watching her own face. He smiled and turned to face the dancer. A moment later she felt his hand on her thigh. She pushed it off and shook a finger at him, not trying to speak above the music. He grinned and held his hands up in mock surrender.

  The stripper slipped back to the pole, her black thong revealing a nearly perfect ass as she pressed her chest against the metal. Her five-inch platform heels brought out every muscle in her legs. Rachel’s eyes remained locked on the figure on the stage; the girl could move. Another spin around the pole, and she was circling the stage again. She looked every patron sitting at the stage in the eye as she began to unhook the front of the bra. As her breasts came free, she cupped them, giving the men just a glimpse of pink nipples before she hid them under her palms.

  Rachel leaned forward. She had no sexual interest in the woman’s body, but she was curious. The blonde stopped and looked down at her breasts, massaging them a little. It was almost as if she became lost in her own pleasure for a moment. She seemed to be stroking the nipples with her fingers as she took a deep breath and looked around at the gathered audience. Her smile now implied she shared a dirty secret with everyone in the room.

  Rachel let out a sigh as the blonde dropped her hands. Beautiful, full breasts were on display, topped by perfect hard nipples. The stripper returned to action, bouncing around the stage and making the mounds on her chest jiggle with a life of their own. She laughed as she mounted the pole and flipped upside down. Her breasts hung, but not much. She wrapped her legs tightly and let herself drop a full two feet until her head was nearly to the floor and her blonde braids draped below her.

  Rachel jumped when Mariah slid down the pole, afraid the girl would crack her skull, the future doctor in her picturing possible injuries. She didn’t notice at first that Scott had taken the opportunity to place his hand on her thigh again. She opted to ignore it this time.

  The dancer had reached the climax of her act. As the music pounded on, she scissored her legs off the pole and flipped herself back on to her feet. Another tour of the stage, and she stopped in front of one lucky older man. He waved a few bills at her, of what denomination Rachel couldn’t see. She bent at the knees and pulled her G-string from her hip. The old man slipped the bills into the string. With a wink she patrolled the few other men sitting against the stage, and each made his contribution. She gathered the bills and dropped them without a look near her discarded skirt. Next, she began to swivel her hips in time with the music. Again she cupped her breasts and pulled at the nipples, then ran her hands down her sides and let her thumbs hook into the sides of her G-string.

  As the song reached the last chorus, she slipped the G-string down her legs. Rachel had to cover her mouth; she hadn’t expected full nudity. She had only seen another woman’s sex from the corner of her eye in the locker room, or in textbooks. Here was one on full display a mere twelve feet from her. She noticed the pussy was shaved bare with prominent lips. Rachel had to turn away—directly into the amused eyes of Scott.

  The song ended, and the dancer made another circuit on the stage, picking up fresh bills tossed there by smiling men. Some attempted to grab or caress, but she playfully slapped each hand away to the jovial laughs of her fans. Somehow the place had come alive for that one dance, and every man there had migrated to the stage. Everyone, that is, but Scott, who had been slowly sliding his hand higher on Rachel’s leg.

  “You want to move the hand?” She fixed him with a stony stare.

  “Sure.” His hands inched farther up to her crotch.

  Rachel couldn’t help the laugh that slipped out. “Wrong way, perv!” She plucked the hand off and cast it with mock anger from her leg.

  “Good thing you shaved those legs.” Scott’s comment made Rachel blush, and the nerves she had been suppressing burst forth again.

  “Scott, I can’t stand public speaking. How am I going to get naked in front of a bunch of leering guys?”

  “I know—let’s ask an expert.” Scott pulled a ten-dollar bill from his pocket and waved it at the stripper, who was just finishing putting on her G-string and bra.

  “Hi y’all! Did you enjoy the show?” Mariah asked. Up close she seemed younger, and while she wasn’t performing, her sexiness seemed enhanced instead of diminished.

  Scott gave a quick summary of their situation, up to the fact that Rachel was going to enter the amateurs’ competition that night.

  Mariah studied Rachel with an appraising eye. “Honey, you came to the right girl. I’m not working tonight, but I think I can give you some pointers.”

  “How do you do it? How can you get on stage and take off your clothes for strangers?” Rachel asked with a note of desperation.

  Mariah laughed and sat down at the table. “Two things help me every time. One is a shot of Jack Daniel’s, and the other is the thought of how much money I need to make that night. You ever danced for a man before, hon?”

  Rachel struggled not to blush and failed. The constant burning in her cheeks was beginning to irritate her. “No, I never have.”

  “Well, why don’t we go to the Champagne Room? No one’s going to be using it during the day.” She turned to Scott. “Sugar, that will be twenty dollars. Relax, y’all are getting a deal—it usually costs a hundred to get in there.”

  Scott handed the money to Mariah with a smile. Rachel knew what he was thinking and gestured to him to behave.

  A few dim lamps in the corners reluctantly lent the room an amber light. Plush benches ran along the walls, with deep red, textured wallpaper hung above. It could have been a set from an old mafia movie. Mariah led them to a center seat and sat them next to each other.

  “Okay, honey, now watch this.” Mariah put her knee between Scott’s legs and pushed them apart. “Do you mind if I demonstrate on your boyfriend, hon?”

  “Oh, he’s not my boyfriend,” Rachel said.

  “Really? Y’all make a nice couple.” Mariah’s grin became a little more predatory. “I stand between his legs and look him straight in the eye. You’ll want to do that even from the stage. Make the guys feel like you really see them, you know?” She stepped in close and leaned over Scott until her breasts were just above his nose. Scott smirked but kept his eyes locked on the blonde’s chest, still concealed by the black bra. Rachel felt a tickle deep in her stomach as she watched them.

  “Now I sway my hips to the music and grip his shoulders real tight.” Mariah leaned her head back and pushed her chest out. “See how my tits stand out like this? That’s a good way to make them seem bigger. You can do this while leaning over the stage.” She stood and unfastened her bra. Once her breasts were hanging free, she reached down and pushed Scott’s knees together. Sitting next to them, Rachel couldn’t help but stare at the pink nipples just a few feet away. She could see the puckered skin where the areolae launched the pert nipples. Freckles dusted the top of Mariah’s chest.

  “Now I climb on and sit down right on his lap.” Mariah demonstrated. She gave him a quick hip thrust, and Scott jumped a little beneath her. Mariah looked to Rachel with a smile. “Are you sure you two aren’t fucking? It feels like he’s got a nice package in those jeans.”

  Scott snorted, and even in the dim light, Rachel was sure she saw him blush. She decided that was worth the twenty dollars all by itself. Mariah leaned in until Scott’s nose was squarely between her breasts.

  “Now there’s one rule here: no sexual contact. That means I can’t touch his bare dick, and he can’t touch my pussy. But I can put my tits in his mouth.” With that, she cupped a breast and placed the nipple against his lips. He gave it a small kiss but kept his mouth closed.

  For a moment Rachel imagined her own body straddling his in this d
ark room.

  His mouth would eagerly take her tit in. His tongue would lash her nipple while she ran her hands through his dark hair. She would pull his shirt off and reveal that smooth, hard chest. Then she would bring her head down until their mouths opened to each other and their tongues danced. His hands would reach up and grab her ass, pulling her into him…

  Rachel shook herself free of the vision as she focused on Mariah, who was now thrusting her hips into Scott’s. He ran his hands up along Mariah’s rib cage and made his way under her breasts. Rachel felt pressure building between her legs and wished she could unbutton her shorts and loosen them up a little. The liquid heat was pooling in her pussy, her nipples becoming sensitive under her bra. She needed to break the spell this scene had put her under.

  “Uh, Mariah? It’s real nice of you to show us all of this, but I’m just doing the stage show.”

  “Oh, no, honey, you’ll need to do a lap dance as part of the competition.” Mariah kept her eyes on Scott as she spoke.

  Rachel went cold and felt her stomach lurch. “A lap dance? With whom?”

  “Anyone you pick out of the audience.”

  “Shit!” Rachel exclaimed. Scott turned to her in surprise and began to laugh.

  “It’s not funny! Looks like you’re going to escort me to the contest after all.”

  “Damn!” Scott made a sarcastic show of regret. “Well, I guess I’ll let you give me a lap dance if you really need me to.”

  Mariah climbed off Scott and stood in front of Rachel. She slipped a knee between Rachel’s legs and edged them apart. Rachel looked up at the blonde in confusion.

  “Let me show you a couple more things.” Mariah knelt down between Rachel’s legs, her knees on the floor. She leaned in until her face hovered over Rachel’s crotch.

  “Go in like this—it’ll make the audience think of getting a blowjob. Then look him right in the eye and slide your body up until your tits are in his face.” Mariah moved slowly through each step as she spoke. Without thinking Rachel let her hands slide along the blonde girl’s legs as she rose. Her fingers danced of their own volition across the taut skin. She looked up into the dancer’s face and saw her looking down with a secret smile.