Page 26 of Fragile

I knew he was warning me about dancing there, but it wasn’t a strip club, was it? From what my other classmates had said, I’d assumed they performed burlesque numbers which wasn’t so bad.

Turning towards the doors, the bouncer leaned over me to push one open, saying into my ear, “Go on, just check it out. If you feel it isn’t the place for you. I’ll see you back out here in a bit. Some of the staff are a tad rough around the edges but they don’t bite. I’m Trevor by the way.”

I glanced back at him and smiled, “Leonie.” Trevor was one of the good guys, I could sense that much at least.

Squaring my shoulders, I then made my way into the club.

To cut a long story short, it was fine. The décor was flamboyant but no different to any other nightclub I had visited since I’d been in London.

The bar area surrounded the dance floor and a large stage was at the end of the ballroom. It was dimly lit with a red ambiance and it was fairly dead. Trevor had said it didn’t open for another hour and a half and so it would be.

Securing my bag, I made my way over to the bar where a man was standing in front of the till, loading it with money from the looks of things. I was surprised I didn’t salivate seeing all that cash.

As I approached, he looked up and his eyes clashed with mine. He was a good-looking guy, quite tall with a rangy build and he had short shaved blonde hair. I would have put him in his early twenties.

He smiled warmly as he closed the till and I stopped at the other side of the counter. Music was on but it was turned down and I could hear the hum from the machine which was being used by a cleaner to polish the dance floor. There were a couple of other staff sorting some tables out behind me.

“Can I help you?” the man asked. I noticed he had a tea towel draped around his neck; very much the cliched barman.

“Yes, I hope so. I’m looking for a job?”

As I spoke, his gaze ran over me; drinking in my entire body and I felt a flush creep into my cheeks at his blatant scrutiny.

“Really? Here?” Again, another man who thought I didn’t fit the bill of your typical nightclub dancer.

“Well, I was wondering if there was any bar work going?”

He took a step back. “Do you have any experience?” he asked.

Pursing my lips, I wondered how best to answer and as usual the truth won. “No, not really. But I’m a fast learner.”

“What’s your name?”

“Leonie Smith,” I replied with a hopeful look.

A silence stretched between us as he contemplated whether he wanted to risk it. Surely it would be quite straightforward, serving people drinks? How hard could working in a bar be?

After that, Jamie, as he’d introduced himself, took me into an office in the back and started to ply me with information about shift work and the general rules of employment. He explained that the dancers earned more tips than the bar staff but I politely rejected his offer of an audition.

And that was how I got my first official job, working as a waitress.

*****

That first week of living with the Knight brothers flew by. We were all very much like ships in the night and I didn’t bump into Gabriel that much. Asher said that his brother had decided to study at the library and would continue to do so for the rest of that week. Gabriel was due to sit his final exams. His absence made me feel a bit paranoid; did he also leave the room when I entered it or was that part of my imagination?

I found my feet in the apartment and Asher lent me his old TV which we put in my room. This allowed me to watch my programs as Gabriel watched sports whenever he was at the apartment. To be honest, I too tried to stay out of his way; that strange chemistry between us was a distraction that wasn’t good. It was all pretty messed up. I was puzzled at how attractive I found him when all he did was walk around like a bear with a sore head all the time. A grunt here and there in between balling me out for being in the bathroom too long and making the house smell girly. How long I’d be able to put up with his brooding bullshit was anyone’s guess.

In between school and work, Asher and I hung out in his room quite often and it was nice. He was a true friend.

When I’d first told him about the job, his jaw had dropped but I’d been quick to explain that I wasn’t there to dance. I served people drinks and that was that. This had seemed to appease him, although only slightly. I didn’t say anything to Gabriel about it and he never questioned me when I came back to the apartment late.

My job at Aquarius would have been much more straightforward if it hadn’t been for the clientele; I’d had to bat off a few overzealous customers. I was a waitress and worked the tables and if anyone stepped out of line, I was supposed to report it to Trevor.

On my first night, I had shadowed a waitress who had been there for years, Melanie. She was one of those girls that had unfortunately been coaxed into having her lips done and they did not look good. On some girls, it worked but Melanie’s lips must have already been significantly large as they now appeared far too big for her face. I didn’t comment of course, I was nice, and I didn’t do bitchy ever. Her uniform was also way too tight.

The waiting staff were all female apart from Jamie who ran the bar and was indeed the son of the owner. Our uniforms consisted of short hot pants and a cropped tee with the Aquarius logo on the front. It didn’t overly bother me. I was a dancer and used to wearing tight, revealing clothes. After seeing the first couple of dance numbers, I was relieved I hadn’t chosen that route. The girls wore underwear; suspenders and stockings, the lot. Melanie said that some of the girls offered private shows in the back, but I didn’t ask her to go into any more detail. What I didn’t know couldn’t hurt. In my opinion, it was a gentleman’s club and not a strip joint. The girls didn’t actually get naked, well not the parts I saw.

It was Friday night, and after a particularly long dance workshop and a short, yet gruelling shift at the club, I clocked off just before ten and then took the Tube to the other end of Soho. The first carriage I entered was empty and feeling nervous, I moved to one that had more people in it.

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