The afternoon sun reached its height and Jenny lay back on the grass wearing a bikini with a lot more substance than the one she had been in her dream. The ground around her was warm and slick from the sprinkler, but where she lay was nice and chilled. The coolness just underneath her back was a welcome distraction from the heat and it gave her the chance to lay for longer before it all became too much for her.

Inside the house, Britney was listening to country music and keeping herself busy with the vacuum as she continued to clean up the mess she had caused that morning. When Jenny thought back to the carnage she had walked in on, she couldn’t help but laugh. Her best friend really was a terrible, terrible cook.

She rolled over and lay on her stomach, letting the sun’s rays lick at her back and hopefully, give her a soft glow that would carry her through to the evening. She had work in a few hours, and even though she was used to the four walls of Tanner’s, the local strip club and bar, she had heard a whisper that a lot of the bikers were supposed to be there that night.

When Jenny had taken the job as bar girl, she hadn’t been prepared for how much it would affect her. She had started there almost as innocent as could be, but she had seen some things that had led her to discover there was more to life in her quiet little town than met the eye. The Forsaken Riders were bad and dangerous, but ultimately, they all had good hearts, and she had watched with adoration as she saw how they protected Slate Springs behind the scenes and kept trouble away from everyone’s doors.

It was strange for her to be on the inside. She had grown up in the town and had never really been aware of what was going on around her. But after working at Tanner’s, she knew one thing for sure, if the bikers suddenly disappeared, the town would be thrown into turmoil. They were the protectors of Slate Springs, a dynasty not to be messed with and one that wouldn’t go down without a fight.

She still remembered her first night on the job. She had gone there expecting to see naked girls, but not being prepared for how much the outlaws’ lifestyle would appeal to her. She relished in seeing them protect and fight, and she loved hearing snippets of conversation about the dealings they had going on out there in the desert. Jenny was as loyal as they were, and she knew the power of discretion. For this reason, she had been welcomed in and trusted like one of the outlaws themselves, and she took her role with them very seriously. She didn’t like to think of herself as a bikers moll, but at the same time, she was part of the inner workings of one of their businesses, and she had to keep a good head on her shoulders and know where her priorities were. When it came to work and the bikers, it was one of the only things she would never share with anyone, not even Britney. Jenny did a good job and she was right there in the thick of it, but she had heard the stories of the trouble that could come knocking on the door and she didn’t want to be so involved that she ended up getting herself dragged into something bigger than she could handle.

She had gone there after never having a boyfriend and she had been swept up in the excitement of the lifestyle. For her, it had become the norm. The more she thought about it the more she could see Britney’s point when she declared that Jenny only looked at bad boys. Maybe now she couldn’t see it any other way. The men that surrounded her on a daily and nightly basis were all from the wrong side of the tracks, but with hearts of gold. If only she had the nerve to put herself out there.

She sat up and rubbed the back of her neck. There had been plenty of times she had gone into work looking like a bag lady, maybe it was time she stopped dressing down and let her features shine. She was on a mission to make this her year, after all.

She jumped excitedly to her feet and hurried inside. Britney was still dancing around the kitchen cleaning away plates and the remnants of burnt pancake batter when Jenny flew past her with a wave of her hand and disappeared up the stairs and into her bedroom.

She closed the door and looked around. Her closet was full of clothes, but she never felt as if she truly had anything to wear. As she padded over and opened it up slowly she peered inside and decided to let fate take its course.

“Something will jump out,” she whispered to herself as she decided to close her eyes and let her fingertips dance up and down the rails in anticipation.

After she had done it for a few moments and had lost all sense of where her hands were she stopped and grabbed the first hanger she touched. She felt the silky fabric in her fingers and had to stifle a laugh because she knew exactly which top it was. When she opened her eyes she nodded with a smile.

“Oh jeez,” she said as she shook her head. “This is going to be interesting.”

In her hand was a skimpy and very silky cream camisole which was low cut in deep v’s on both the front and the back. She smiled as she let her hands trace over it. She had been saving the top for when she had felt more confident, and she had to admit that even though it was one of those pieces of clothing that would always scare her, maybe it was time to take the plunge and just go for it.

“Go on, Jen,” she coached herself. “You bought it for a reason.”

She hung the top up on the side of her closet door and dove back in to find something for her bottom half. She had rows and rows of trousers and skirts, but she knew how hot and sticky Tanners could get, and the last thing she wanted was to make herself uncomfortable. She stopped at the section where she kept her shorts and cut offs and decided to go for a pair of tiny denim frayed shorts. She held them up next to the camisole and grinned.

“I can’t believe I haven’t worn this combo sooner,” she said as she hung the shorts up too and walked back over to her dressing table. As she opened the top drawer and started to flip through her accessories, she knew she didn’t want to be overdone in anyway. If she wore that outfit and a low pair of shoes or sneakers she would be able to get away with it whilst still being comfortable and cool. If she put on a ton of jewelry or a heavy necklace it would only make her hotter and a lot more stressed if the club was busy. She settled on a small, light, silver chain and a matching anklet and a few silver rings to smatter over her knuckles and then she smiled and nodded her head with satisfaction.

Usually, when she went into work at Tanner’s, she did it with her hair scraped back and her glasses on. She didn’t even need to wear them, it was more of just a style statement, but she had decided this was the night she would finally stop wearing a disguise. She was going to let the real Jenny shine through, and she was going to enjoy doing it.

She hopped into the shower and started the process of getting ready. She had never been one of those girls who loved the labor over her appearance, but she felt that this time it was justified. She had spent so much of her life shying away and she was riding the wave of confidence to finally let herself be who she always knew she could be. Ever since she had been a teen, Jenny had suffered with her confidence, or more the lack of it, and she had always hoped that one day she would be able to cast off the shackles that had kept her meek and mild. She was used to making sure she blended into the background and hid all of her best features, so that she wouldn’t attract attention. But as she had got older, she had noticed that her skin was pretty perfect, her eyes were a startling light blue in contrast to her olive tones, and her blonde hair made her appear such an exotic and unusual beauty that it was a shame for her to keep it hidden away.

The dream had done her the world of good. It had shown her what could happen if only she let it. And now, she was ready to embrace it all. She wouldn’t scrape her hair back into a tight bun and she wouldn’t hide half of her face behind glasses. She wouldn’t completely cover herself up so no one could see the definition on her body. She would ditch the shapeless knee-length sack dresses and wear the clothes she had been hiding in her closet for an eternity. Figure hugging clothes that would pronounce every inch of her. It would be empowering and it would be like she had finally emerged from her chrysalis.

Jenny was no longer going to be the caterpillar. Right there, at that very moment, she was turning into a butterfly. 

When she had finished and stood looking at herself in her mirror, she smiled from ear to ear. The woman who was about to walk out of that bedroom and unleash herself on the world was a stranger to many, but Jenny had seen her before, hidden away late at night when she had dared experiment with make-up and her forbidden clothes. After working around so many half-naked and beautiful women, she had seen how letting loose gave them more confidence and made them seem all the more stunning. Now she was ready to take a leaf out of their book, and although she knew she would never have the nerve to strip, she was ready and excited to show Slate Springs what she was all about.

She nipped in her waist with her finger tips and turned from side to side, checking out every inch of herself in the mirror and grinning.

“Not bad, Jen, not bad…” She smiled as she let out a satisfied sigh.

She may have waited a long time to finally let herself be free, but it felt damned good now that she was going to do it. Her confidence was soaring and she finally felt like the woman she was born to be. As she grabbed her purse and stepped out into the hallway, she was ready to take on the world, and no one was going to stop her.

“Come on, Jen,” she whispered as she approached the top of the stairs. “Time to shine.”

And with that, she walked down the steps, toward the front door and the rest of her life.