New Beginnings.

Chapter Three

Courtney is standing outside the dressing room waiting for me with her hands on her hips. She has her stage outfit on but her feet are still in her soft, pink slippers.

"Honey, what was that?" She asks with her eyebrows raised.

"What?" I ask, pretending not to know that she is referring to the kiss I gave the handsome man earlier.

She just shakes her head and puts her arm around my shoulder. "Honey, I think it is going to be good for you to get some time away from here. I have told you that relationships with patrons are doomed from the start."

She squeezes my shoulder maternally then turns me to face her. Her big brown eyes searching mine. After a moment she pulls me in for a tight hug and sighs. I feel myself starting to tear up. Courtney knows that I am losing myself here.

"Go home and take a hot bath. I'll tell Phil that you are taking the next few days off and you're only going to work Fridays and Saturdays for a while," She says as she holds me to her.

We pull away from the hug and she wipes my tears away.

After a moment I say, "Court, Phil said we're short staffed--he will never give me time off."

She laughs and says, "oh honey, I will talk to the little creep." I smile at her. Courtney runs this place and Phil would never tell her no.

We enter the dressing room together and she sits at the mirror to slick another layer of mascara on her already heavily clumped lashes.

I change into my sweats, a sweatshirt, and lace up my sneakers. Before leaving, I turn to Courtney and say, "take 'em for all they're worth." She flashes me a megawatt smile then blows me a kiss.

I exit the dressing room and wait to catch Randy's eyesight on the floor. We aren't allowed to be on the floor in our street clothes and I want him to walk me to my car tonight.

As I'm waiting in the wing, trying to catch his attention, the long-haired man I kissed earlier sees me. I blush, slightly embarrassed for my actions earlier and look down at my shoes. I turn away to leave out the backdoor, deciding it best to leave quickly rather than wait for Randy to walk me out.

I push the heavy metal fire door open and begin to power walk to my car. The parking lot is lit with overhead lights but I still don't want to attract any unwanted attention. I am almost to my car, when out of the corner of my eye I catch the handsome man jogging towards me.

I have my keys in my hand and instinctually pull my house key through my fingers in a defensive position, ready to strike if needed. He puts his hands up defensively again and says, "Hey, I thought we had made some progress here?"

I smile hesitantly and he looks down at his shoes. He seems unsure of himself, surprisingly.

"What's up rockstar? You seem nervous." I ask with a teasing tone.

He smiles slightly, looks up at me and says, "I'm trying to ask out a pretty stripper and don't want to sound like a creep."

His reference to me as a stripper turns my stomach and I feel my lip quiver. Tears well in my eyes and I quickly brush them away and turn away from him. This profession has casted a scarlet letter "S" on me. I am no longer a normal girl that handsome boys asks out easily. Now I am labeled: lesser, tainted. I don't think he means this, but my self worth is crumbling

"Hey," he says quietly and reaches to touch my shoulder. My defensive and protective instinct makes me pull away from him quickly and he drops his hand.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was trying to be funny and I came off like a huge dick." He says to me in a low tone.

"A tiny dick," I say back to him over my shoulder and he laughs.