Breaking Eden - (rough draft)

1 - Welcome to Harvey's (2/7/2021 update)

Video: KI: Theory - Bring Me Down

Feel free to tell me what you honestly think and rip it apart, good or bad, I'm all ears. I'm in the middle of doing final self edits before I start looking for Beta readers. And don't forget to vote, comment, and share to help get Breaking Eden to #1! :0)

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1

Welcome to Harveys Burlesque Theater

"Yo, Eden!"

A head perked up across the room, a makeup brush still poised against its cheek.

"You're up in thirty."

Eden Burrows' waved Ricky into the crowded dressing room. "Come zip me up first, will you?"

"It would be my pleasure, darlin'." Ricky strutted in like a rooster would his hen house, licking his lips at the flashes of lacey thongs and bare skin.

He weaved through the costume racks, while breasts of every size, shape, and skin tone temped him to touch what was untouchable. Yet the dancers paid him no mind. They continued to dress, or undress, with little to no care. Modesty didn't exist at Harveys Burlesque Theater. Tits happened.

Eden applied the last few strokes of rose-colored blush, turning this way and that way to admire her creation.

They're going to eat you up out there. Her grin widened with hope. They'll beg like dogs. And when they do, I'll turn them away with this very smile.

Her attention fell to her sketchbook. The one that housed all of her costume designs, her original creations. Ten-grand would make her dreams a reality.

Eden scanned her cluttered station, still lost to her future desires, when a silver pearl edged comb caught her eye. She snagged it free from beneath a mound of bobby pins, gathered her hair to the side of her head, and slipped the comb up and back to lock it into place.

"Lookin' mighty fine ladies, mighty fine indeed. Man do I love my job!" Ricky clapped his hands.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Eden bared her back to him. "Then again, I've never been one to turn down a compliment."

He snagged the golden tab between two thick, brown-skinned fingers and tugged. The zipper didn't budge. "Damn, girl, suck it the fuck in."

"I am!" Eden crossed her arms over her chest, pressing the fabric into her body.

There was a flash of dark brown skin and a laugh unlike any other. "Ricky, you best not be callin' my girl fat."

"Since when have I turned down a thick girl?" Ricky managed to pull the zipper up, "You know I like my women like I like my burgers. Hot, thick, and juicy, baby."

Eden glanced over her shoulder. "You never turned down anyone."

"Oh, so now you're callin' me a hoe." His mocked hurt was short lived as Diamond pushed passed him. His gaze devoured her curves.

"You know what they say." Diamond grabbed a dress off a nearby rack and held it up to inspect it. "If it talks like a hoe, walks like a hoe, and acts like a hoe. Then it must be a hoe." She nudged Eden on her way to her station. "Tell him, Eden."

She didn't get the chance.

"Damn, can I get a little of that shake, shake, shake?" Ricky's attempt at twerking fell flat and gathered the attention of every female in the room. One by one, their giggles turned into full-blown laughter. He waved them off. "Y'all don't even know what you're missin'."

"You must be the only black man alive that don't know how to move! You gotta put a little pop in it." Diamond popped her booty against his crotch, chanting, "Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

He clutched his chest and fell back against the countertop. Makeup brushes, tubes of lipsticks, and eyeliners rolled beneath his weight. "Woman! Are you tryin' to kill me?"

"And that's why we'll never work. You couldn't handle this ass, Boo Bear." Diamond stepped into her pink Marilyn Monroe style dress and shimmied the fabric up her body. She turned her back towards Ricky, "Zip me up before you start?"

"I'd love do more than just zip you up my sweet African Queen."

"Is that right?" Diamond trusted her hips backward, pushing Ricky away.

Eden observed her friends with burning envy. They fought so hard against their mutual attraction, but stubbornness kept them apart. She turned back toward her reflection to touch up her lipstick, yet her eyes lingered on their reflections a moment longer.

With a heavy sigh, Eden focused on the emerald-colored gown that clung to her slim curves. She readjusted the detachable skirt, cinching it tighter and higher around her hips to give her a cleaner hourglass figure. The hooks were old and needed fixing, along with its hem, and the fabric had seen better nights.

Her attention fell once more to her sketchbook. Another two or three months and she'd have saved enough money. Hope surged within her. The thought of having something new, something special and uniquely hers, kept her pushing forward even in times of rest.

"One of these days, Dee, you'll let me take you out and beg for another date."

Diamond laughed. "Oh really? You gonna take me to get one of them thousand-dollar burgers I keep hearing about downtown?"

"I was thinkin' more like Applebee's."

She shot him a look of contempt. "Cheap ass."

"Damn, what did Applebee's ever do to you?"

"That's strike two." She jabbed him in the chest with two red-tipped fingers.

"Now hold on a second. What was strike one?"

"Your ass can't dance." Diamond readjusted her blonde wig in the mirror and met Eden's gaze. "And if you can't dance, you can't fuck. Ain't that right, Eden?"

"It's true." The girls dissolved into laughter.

"Man, forget you both!" Ricky waved them away and two-stepped his way towards the middle of the dressing room. This brought about more laughter. "Your loss, Dee. You're just gonna have to miss out on these fresh moves."

"Boy those moves ain't been fresh since Soul Train."

Ricky clapped his hands, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. "Okay, Y'all. We got a packed house tonight. So, what does that mean?"

"Money!" Everyone chanted.

"I can't hear you!" He shouted. "What does that mean?"

"Money, money, money, money. MONEY!" Their collective voices reverberated around the room. The shrill sound rung in Eden's ears, yet her smile grew with everyone else's. There was money to be made and she wanted it all.

"You best fake it 'til you make it 'cuz their pockets run deep and they're lookin' to make it rain." He hollered over their applause. "Have a great night!"

Eden ran a gloved hand over her hair, smoothing out her waves and any leftover flyaways. Her red lips parted into a wider grin. There was a gluttonous gleam in her eyes.

Tonight, will be fantastic! I just know it.