“Alright, Coach. My last set is done. I’m gonna head on out of here, okay?”
“You did extra good tonight, Black Beauty. Here you go.”
Hank ‘Coach’ Williams was my boss, here at Gentlemen’s Fancy strip club. He was his predecessor’s cousin and he was as slick and greasy as any side street car salesmen could be.
My mother worked for his cousin when he owned this busy as fuck strip club out here in the middle of nowhere. Like every male in Liberty, Montgomery and Chambers County couldn’t find a better place to go to. Gentlemen’s Fancy was the only strip club that was clean and more exotic than most. When I turned sixteen I had dropped out of high school to help support my mom.
She hadn’t been stripping for six years. Old age finally hit and everything left. Not that it mattered. As each year passed the money she brought had been dwindling. Only a few month into my sixteenth year, she began telling me it was time I pulled my weight. I couldn’t really do much, I worked at the only McDonald’s in town, but I didn’t ever make enough for rent or bills. My mom persuaded her old boss to let me work under the table until I turned eighteen and make it legit.
Did I want to strip? Not really, but what was a drop-out loser like me supposed to do to make money? There wasn’t much choice. Before he retired and let his cousin take over, he told me if I ever told anyone my real age, I’d be sorry. He was really intimidating, so I obeyed.
You’d think after the shit that happened with my father and then after he left town, my life would have been better. Yeah. Not really. Mother started getting depressed and she started taking drugs to help her ‘through the tough times’. She didn’t take them very often, but when she did, she was worse than my father ever could be. She was nothing like she was when I was a little girl. She was nice when I was real little but then as I grew older and the fights with dad became worse, her affections for me changed. When I found out she had been pregnant several more times and never had them…I’m sure that’s why she acted the way she did. She had me when she was almost seventeen.
Instead of letting her walk all over me, I fought right back. You’ve no clue how many times I’ve come to blows with the woman who was supposed to be my mother. Sometimes I won—other times, it seemed like the drugs made her stronger because she could make me black and blue.
Until a few years ago when I almost beat her to death. I was so close. My hands even wrapped themselves around her neck, squeezing until I almost saw the whites of her eyes. But at the last minute I released her. She coughed relentlessly and I told her if she ever laid her hand on me again, I’d finish what I started.
Yeah, I should have left when I had enough money, but some sick, twisted part of me felt obligated to take care of the only person who stayed in my life. A horrible person, but she was still there. I made good money that she could live comfortable. But I also saved money. I had about thirty-thousand dollars saved up. I wanted to leave and never look back. I was a drop out, so I needed a heavy pay load to get out clean and dry. I thought a hundred grand would be perfect to make a good exit.
“Beauty? Snap out of it girl.” Coach snapped his fingers in front of my face and it broke me out of my thoughts.
He handed me an extra benny with a sneaky smile on his face.
“What’s this for? I don’t need that. I’m not doing you any favors.”
His hand reached out and two fingers trailed down my cheek, passing over my neck and downward until his finger circled my nipple. Which, thank God, didn’t respond to him. I had guys trying to grope me since I started working here. None of them ever had any effect on me. Thank God.
“You’re a beautiful girl, Evony. You should try me on, sugah’. You might just like what I can give you.”
“No, thanks.”
Men touching me didn’t make me flinch anymore. They all did it. Smacked my ass or brushed their hands over the sides of my tits and hips like I’m their personal doll to play with.
Gah. Makes me sick. Is that why I was still a virgin? Maybe. That and all those times dad called me nothing but a whore just like my mother made me want to make sure I never ended up like her. Well, in the literal sense. I know she did more than just strip when I was younger and I couldn’t bring myself to just give it up like that. Or ever maybe.
I turned, ready to take my leave when his hand shot out and he grabbed my bicep in a tight grip.
“You should act a little bit more gracious to my generosity. I know how much you want to get out of this little town and that trashy ass trailer park. I could help you.”
This was the first time he ever mentioned me leaving and that kind of offer. But I knew his price would be way too much for me to pay.
“You’re my boss, not my boyfriend, brother, father or husband. I don’t need or want your help.”
“Ha. You’re never going to leave this town. You’ll turn into your mother. The town whore who will give it up for the right price. You’ll be nothing more than a hired prostitute. Your pussy is probably so used up and loose, a tank could fit inside.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Yeah, well every time you get on that stage it’s like you’re dancing just for me and it makes my dick crazy hard and ready to fuck you good and hard like I do your mother.”
“Did. And I don’t care how you react to me. There are over a dozen girl’s working here. You feel that way about each one. Now, I’m leaving. Bye.”
“Be here early tomorrow. I need you to cover for Rhapsody.”
It irked me that he used to sleep with my mother. It was to keep him quiet about my age after he found out I was underage. Sick fuck.
“Yeah. I’ll be here.”
I’d rather be here than at home and that surely was saying something.
It was about four in the morning when I left and made my way home. Mom was usually up. Her biological clock was set to stripper. She usually didn’t fall asleep until six.
So when I pulled in, I saw the lights still on. I locked up my mustang. My used mustang and walked passed the new Lexus she recently got, with what money, I don’t know and I didn’t care as long as she stayed away from me. I had to live with her but it was more like a prison cell. She didn’t know the combination to my safe, so I knew my stash was safe at least.
I walked in and there she was, sitting on the couch, dragging on a Virginia cigarette. A smirk lifted on her face when she saw me.
Great. She might not hit me psychically, but her verbal abuse was strong as ever. Her opening line—
“Finally give your virginity away yet?”
It’s like the fact that I’m stripping just makes it nasty and dirty while when she was in ‘the biz’ she was all lady like and sweet. Please. There was only one whore in this trashy trailer and it wasn’t me.
“Nope. And since you haven’t killed over yet, looks like I’m still in hell.”
“Stuck up cunt. I’m your mother.”
“You haven’t been my mother in a long fucking time, lady. Just say whatever the fuck you need to say because it looks like it’s burning at the edge of your tongue. So please just say it so I can shower and go to bed.”
“You know it’s Mary Winters funeral today?”
“Nope. And I don’t really care.”
“So you don’t plan on going?”
“No. Why would I?”
“I don’t know. Maybe to see Gavin.”
My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name. Just one, but it was enough. I got good at not showing any emotion so I just shrugged in response.
“Well, he’s expecting us. So better get your beauty sleep, Evony.”
“I’m not going to some bitch’s funeral who thought I was the reason her precious little boy left town. I have no love for that woman and I guarantee she held none for me. So when you go, tell Gavin good riddance.”
“Hmm…he did stop by.”
I had started walking past her when that stopped me. I turned and raised my eyebrow.
“So? He was a boy I once knew and why would he bother coming over here?”
“He is one fine piece of man-flesh, Ev.”
God. The nerve of this woman. She acts as if she’s my age and a roommate instead of my mother. Granted she’s only like ten years or so older than Gavin so if a guy was into the whole MILF/cougar thing, whatever but Gavin never stroke me as that type of guy. Not that I ever pictured him stroking anything but deep somewhere I would never want to mention, I hoped he didn’t see her as such. Not that I cared. I don’t. Ugh. Move on, Evony. Him being here changes nothing.
“And? I see fine pieces of man-flesh all the time. I can get fine pieces of man-flesh with a snap of my fingers. Why are you telling me this? Did you try getting into his pants? You would, wouldn’t you? Anything to make you feel less like the cunt you really are. Good night.”
“Right. Well. I’m going. Maybe I can get something out of it. Watching him walk away from me was good enough. That boy grew into one fine looking man. Tall as all get out, built like a brick wall and he wasn’t hard but he looked like he had quite the endowment.”
“Gah. Gag me. You’re fucking sick.”
“Just go. Get closure as they say. I mean, come on. He has grown up so good. Come on! I don’t want to go to that bitch’s funeral either. She was never nice to me either remember?”
“Ugh, fine. Now let me get some damn sleep.”
I walked away, hearing my mother chuckle as she walked to her own room. I walked into my bathroom, and took off my clothes. I probably could take a shower at the club but who knows what kind of peeping tom foolery Coach probably had. And I’m sure he had them. I kicked them towards the door and unbraided my hair before looking into the mirror.
Makeup still lined my face seductively. My skin just as pale as it ever was. I had a tattoo that started at my collar bone and ended at my navel. It made for interesting conversation when men saw me naked. My mother’s family was French and I felt like if no one knew what it said, I wouldn’t really have to get too much into it. I made up shit so men would just move on, which they normally did when my tits were on display. Better things to look at, obvi.
The only time I ever felt clean enough was when I was in the shower. I let the hot water spray over my body. I always let it scald me enough to burn me just a little bit. But it always felt so good to get men’s grubby hands and their dirty prints off me.
I washed my hair, got all the shiny shit out until it was like silk running down my back. When I felt clean enough, I got out, dried my body, wrapped the towel in my hair and just walked to my bedroom naked. It was just my mother and now that she spoke her peace, she’d retreat to her own room, going to sleep as well.
If I was going to go to a damn funeral, I was going to get some shut eye first. I would only get a few hours’ sleep though because I didn’t have shit to fucking wear.
I should wear some outlandish color instead of mourning black, but I didn’t want to be totally disrespectful. I was only a little curious to see how Gavin lived his life now. But before I laid down, I popped a few sleeping pills and let sleep over shadow any lingering thoughts of the boy who once lived next door.