Will stiffens, looking around. “What show? What are you talking about? You didn’t say anything about a…”
But he is cut off immediately by the sound of a voice coming out over the PA system. A smoke machine blasts in the corner, sending a cold fog across the floor. Lasers shoot over the ceiling. It’s kind of ridiculous, but also kind of fun.
“Good evening, everybody! Welcome to Sweeney’s Friday night!” comes a voice that I instantly recognize as Ty’s.
It puts a sour taste in my mouth, but I will try to ignore that.
“Are you guys ready
to have a good time?”
A couple of hoots ring out from the back of the room and there is a smattering of clapping from over by the pool tables.
“I said, are you guys ready to have a good time? It’s Friday night, assholes! Let me hear some noise!”
Everybody but Will and I get in on the action, offering up a cheer, a yell, a whistle.
“That’s more like it! All right… you know the rules. Hands to yourself, unless she is asking for it! Singles are appreciated, you cheap bastards, but tens and twenties are better! These ladies work for a living. Let’s show them some hospitality!”
“Hold on, what is this?” I hear Will mutter.
But it’s too late. The show has started. I know he’s going to love it.
Three women walk out from the dark hallway at the back of the room, probably from the ladies’ room. The first two offer practiced, small-town beauty-queen smiles as they stride through the tables and barstools, moving their hips to the slow country jam that pulses through the speakers.
Big hair and glossy lips, they seem to be scoping out territory, trying to figure out where to best position themselves for tips. The first one is in a cute little nightgown that comes down just below her hips. I’m sure she is wearing panties, but I can’t see them from here. Her long legs end in bright pink slipper heels that clack against the floor as she walks past.
“Strippers?” Will asks quietly. “How is this even…”
“Oh, we’re not strippers!” the woman says suddenly, spinning around to reverse course and look him right in the eye. She shrugs one shoulder so that the strap of her nightgown slips down. I can see Will glance at the motion, then force himself to look back up at her eyes. Such a gentleman.
“This is a lingerie show, honey,” she purrs, just audible over the music. “Haven’t you ever been to a lingerie show?”
He glances at me, alarmed and half pissed. She senses his discomfort and smiles at me hopefully, giving our table one last chance. Then she seems to figure out she is not going to be making any money here, and shrugs sweetly as she abandons us.
“Well, you boys have a nice night. Just holler if you need anything, okay?”
As she sways to the next table, she leaves a cloud of sweet perfume in her wake. A dark-haired busboy delivers baskets of food and drinks while Will tries to figure out what he’s going to say next.
“Cass, did you know about this?”
I pop a fried pickle into my mouth, trying not to wince as the hot oil sears my tongue.
“Did I know about the burgers? Hell, yes. They’re great.”
“No… I mean, did you know about the—”
His voice trails off. I wait for a half a second and then follow his eyeline to where it ends. At the far end of the room, there is something that seems like it couldn’t quite be real. Something that seems framed up, out of place. But significant. Something… Someone.
Part of our military training is learning to separate intuition from noise. We learn to appreciate that sometimes your body understands a situation first, and it takes your brain a second to catch up. You have to know the signs: you feel alert or edgy. You feel like an animal. Your body is smart. It knows things quickly. Brains are slow.
Right now, we both know the same thing. That blonde at the end of the room. The one standing with her shoulders flexed, wearing only a pale pink set of bra and panties. The one whose lean, muscled frame practically vibrates with tension, her eyes darting nervously around the room…
That’s the one. That’s our girl.
Chapter 5
Libby