The Pussycat Club

Then years went by slowly. The group grew more popular than they ever imagined they would. Winning awards, touring the world, having so many fans that streets had to be closed off. Even when it became an every-day thing, getting used to it was hard.

Nick couldn’t go out without being noticed by someone. He could go on a date without the lady’s face being plastered on every teen magazine and website in the world. His relationship with Manda Williford went terribly. And the world knew. And when he started dating Kara, the world knew as well. He longed for the old days when no body cared who he dated. No body followed him with cameras to see who he kissed. He longed for the simplicity he used to have with Thai.

He often tried looking her up in phone books. He had no idea whether she still lived in Tampa. Or whether she still lived in Florida for that matter. But her never found her name. He tried calling Flora, but the operator told him the number had been changed. Again, he had given up hope.

One weekend, he was able to get off and go visit AJ for a few days. He enjoyed time with his friends. Being cooped up in the house with Kara all day was getting a bit boring. As soon as he made it to AJ’s house, AJ suggested going out for a few drinks at a new club he knew of.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. Besides, you need some time away from the ball-n-chain.” Nick didn’t totally agree.

“She’s not a ball-n-chain. I’m thinking she’s it for me. Give her some credit, she let me hang with you knowing your habits.” AJ had to admit that any woman who let her man hang with him was a truly understanding girl.

When the got to the club, Nick noticed the neon figures of naked women all over the windows. Then he saw the name of the club.

“Pussycats? You got me going to a place called Pussycats?” AJ smiled as he walked in, slapping the hands of the bouncers in front of the door. Nick walked in cautiously. But when he saw a few topless girls walk by him holding drinks, he felt much better.

“Ok, I think I’m gonna like it here.” He said. A waitress led them to an available table near the platform. She took their orders, and then told them to enjoy the show. There was already a girl up on the stage dancing. She was a tall blonde who was just about to slide down her g-string.

“Oh shit man, they show everything here?” Nick asked, astonished.

“Yep, hence the name.” AJ stuck a ten dollar bill between her breasts as she crawled by. He would have given much more, but he knew there were better girls coming up. She blew a kiss at him, and winked her eye.

“She’s hot.” Nick said, reaching into his pocket to get a tip.

“Hey, wait til you see the other girls they got back there.” AJ teased. The blonde picked up all of her tips and went back behind the curtain. A female announcer started to introduce the next act.

“Now, the girl you’ve all been waiting for... the sensual sex kitten you all adore. You voted her pussycat of the year, and now she’s gonna show you her appreciation... welcome to the stage.... Diamond.” The whole room applauded. The curtains were drawn. There she was. Sitting on an Arabian-like throne wearing a sheer genie costume.

She slid off of the throne to the floor, forming a full split. Then she crawled like a cat to the pole, pulling herself up to her feet. She danced to the edge of the catwalk, bending over to let one of the men in the audience untie her top. Then she rested on her back, topless, lifting her legs into the air to remove the transparent bottom of her costume. Her g-string was silver like the rest of the ensemble.

She stood back up, then bent over with her back to the men. She spread her legs and touched her toes. Then, slowly, she pulled the g-string down. She was completely naked now, except for the covering of her face.

Slide slid up and down the pole, head over heels, round and round she went. Mind-boggling the men as to how she could move around like that with such ease. The music intensified as she sat down and spread her legs, giving everyone a good view. Nick couldn’t hardly breathe. She finally reached up for the mask covering her face, pulling it away.

Nick could hear his own heart beating. She stood up and men threw twenties at her by the handful. Nick stood up.

“Thai!!!” He yelled at her. She stopped smiling and looked at him in the corner. When their eyes met, she couldn’t speak. She ran behind the curtain as fast as she could. One of the waitresses gathered up her tips and costume for her. Nick sat back down. A tall, muscular man tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey man, if you know the girl, don’t call her name out like that. There are a lot of weirdos in this joint. We don’t want them stalking our star performer.” He said, in a deep intimidating voice.

“So she is Thai Donovan?” Nick asked.

“Yeah. But as long as you’re within these walls, she’s Diamond. Got it?” Nick nodded and the large man left. AJ started to laugh.

“Dude, that’s Thai? Your long lost love is a stripper man.” Nick hated that AJ brought that to light. He shoved him in the arm, but AJ was laughing so hard he couldn’t feel it. Nick got up and tried to find a way to get backstage. He saw the blonde who danced before walk out of a doorway with beads cascading from the frame. She was wearing something different, so he figured that the dressing rooms were back there.

He slipped back there, following the voices of the women. When he reached the dressing room, they all stopped and stared. In the back, he saw Thai packing her duffel bag and counting her money.

“Excuse me.” He said to each of the women as he made his way to her. They whistled at him and one even pinched his behind, but he didn’t pay attention to them.

“Thai. Please talk to me.” She turned around. Her tears made her mascara run and she looks awful. One of the other women too a tissue and wiped Thai’s face.

“What do you want Nick?” She questioned.

“I want to see you. Talk to you. It’s been almost six years.” Her looked at her in her robe. Looking just as beautiful as she last time he saw her.

“Wait outside, let me get dressed.” He turned and went to wait for her.

“Is that who I think it is? Thai!” One of the girls said.

“Yeah. But he ain’t all he’s cracked up to be.” Thai responded.

“Mickey’s gonna be pissed.” Another girl said.

“Well, what Mickey don’t know won’t piss him off, will it? Will it?!” All the girls nodded and turned as if the never saw Nick come in. Thai slipped her jeans on and a shirt. She put all of her money in her purse and headed for the door. As she passed the bouncers outside, she gave them a little message.

“You guys never saw me leave here with him. You saw me leave alone. And I left cause I had cramps or something like that, ok?” They both just nodded. She slipped them some money and they went back to bouncing.

A man driving a black Mercedes pulled up outside the club. He got out and opened the door for Thai. He started to shut it, but she held her hand out and he let Nick in.

“Thai, why are you working here?” Nick asked, but she put her finger up to his lips to silence him.

“We’ll talk at my place.” She commanded in her sharp New Yorker’s accent.

The driver pulled up in front of a high-rise apartment building. When they got out, she gave the drive money also to keep his mouth shut. He drove away and Thai led Nick up to her penthouse apartment.

She double-locked the door once they got in. Then she went into the back, probably to her bedroom. Returning wearing a robe again.

“You wanted to talk, let’s talk.” She said, sitting down on the couch.

“God, it’s been so long. I’ve missed you so much. I don’t know where to begin.” he looked at her, so lovely yet so sad inside. The fire that used to burn in her eyes had died.

“I tried reaching you so many times. I called your Aunt Flora’s, but they told me her number changed.”

“Yeah, well, Aunt Flora got married. She’s living in Monterey, California.” Thai answered.

“I wrote you all the time.” Nick added.

“I know. And I got the letters. But can you blame me for not writing back?” She looked nervous. Kept glancing at the clock.

“It’s good to see you again. I just never imagined seeing you dancing like that.”

“I gotta make a living. If I got the body, why not flaunt it? It got me here. Out of the diner. Out of the stinkin’ town. Besides, I like stripping.” She tried to convince Nick that she was happy with her lifestyle, but she couldn’t keep from crying.

“Thai. You’re intelligent. You’re beautiful. You’re talented. You could be anything you want to be. You don’t have to do this.” He reached out for her and held her. Her hair still smelled the same. So did her body against his. He couldn’t fight his urges to touch her.

He placed his hand on her leg and moved it upward. He kissed her lips. They still tasted sweet after all the years. He started to pull her shirt off, but she stopped him.

“I’m getting married next year, Nick. We can’t.” Nick saw the huge rock on her finger. But he could care less. He wasn’t going to let the chance to make love to his true love slip away.

“Don’t fight it. Do what feels right.” He whispered in her ear. She let herself go. Not resisting his advances. Nick carried her to the bedroom as if he knew exactly where to go.

She stretched out on the bed as he undressed her. Then he undressed himself. He started be kissing her arms, from her shoulders to her fingertips. Then from her breasts to the tips of her toes. Just as they were uniting, he whispered something into her ear.

“I never stopped loving you, Thai.”

Both had been with several different partners after the break-up. But they never felt as good as they did together. Thai thought about what her Aunt Flora told her. How she and Nick would make beautiful music together. It was then she fully understood that message.

Hours had gone by, and the two lovers hadn’t budged from the bed. Nick tickled her sides as he planted a trail of wet kisses from her ear to her shoulder.

Suddenly, a door slammed. Then heavy footsteps. Thai jumped up and pushed Nick out of the bed.

“Put your clothes on, now. Get in the closet. Hurry.” She whispered. Nick did so, hiding in the closet just before Mickey entered the bedroom.

“Where the fuck have you been all night?” Mickey asked, clearly drunk. Nick watched him through the cracks in the closet door.

“I felt sick so I came home. I thought John or Rob would have told you.” She said nervously.

“Where’s the money you got tonight?”

“O-on the table right there.” She stammered a little, obviously scared.

“You too sick to do something?” He asked, not caring whether she felt up to it or not. He started to unbuckle his belt as he talked.

“No, Mickey. I can’t. I’m really not feeling well.” She bargained. He pushed her down on the bed and crawled on top of her.

“Mickey, please. Not tonight. We’ll have all kinds of fun tomorrow night. But let me rest tonight, huh? Danny called earlier, why don’t you got out with him and let me sleep a while, Baby.” She pleaded. He silenced her by kissing her roughly, then pinning her to the bed.

“I didn’t give you that goddamn ring for you to get tired on me.” She managed to slip out from under his grip and fell to the floor.

“Come on, Mickey. I can’t. I’m feeling really sick. I could puke any minute.” She walked out of the room, and he followed. Nick stayed silent. He could hear their conversation that way.

“Thai, get your ass in that room. Don’t let me tell you again.” She continued to make up excuses.

“You bitch!” Nick heard him hit her, and then her body hit the wall. Nick ran from the closet to the living room where she was. But Mickey was already gone, the front door left wide open. Her nose leaked blood and so did her mouth. She hated for Nick to see her that way, so she hid her face.

“You have to go. You have to go now.” She mumbled. “Go now before he gets back.” Nick picked her up and carried her to the sofa. He ran out after Mickey, all the way to the lobby and out of the front doors. But the driver in the black Mercedes had already driven away.

When he went back up to Thai, she was crying uncontrollably, taking a few valiums to relax herself. Nick got a wet cloth and cleaned her swollen face.

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” He said as he held her in his arms. He could almost feel the years of pain she endured with Mickey. It was then he noticed the scars on her legs and arms. They had been covered with make-up when she danced, but now the make-up had faded and they became visible.

“Thai, you can’t stay here. You have to come with me.”

“No. I can’t leave. He won’t let me leave. I have to stay. I belong here.” He stood up, angered at the thought of that man using his love as a punching bag.

“NO! Thai, you belong with me! In my life! I can treat you better than this. I will never hit you or leave you alone. Thai, please!” She pulled the ice away from her mouth.

“You have a girlfriend. I know. And she probably loves you. You can’t hurt her for me.” She countered.

“Well, at least let me take care of you. Let me find you some place safe to stay, far away from him. Some place you can be happy. I can’t rest if you’re not happy.”

“My place is here. He needs me. He wasn’t always this way. Once we get married, he’ll stop drinking. Then we’ll be ok. I’ll be ok.” Nick felt like he wanted to rip his hair out listening to her support him.

“You have to go. You can’t come back here anymore. It’s not safe.” She got up and went to the door, opened it, and waited.

“No, not without you!” He protested.

“When he comes back, he won’t be alone. And Mickey is known for doing crazy things. Don’t risk your life to try and save mine. I belong here, you have to go.” Nick wouldn’t budge. “Don’t get me wrong, I have wanted what we just shared since the day we met. And after all this time, it’s happened. But us being together, wasn’t meant to be. Which is why you have to go. Please go. For me, Nick. Please!” He couldn’t defy her. He kissed her, careful not to hurt her, and left with his heart broken all over again.

Once on the first floor, he passed Mickey and his two bodyguards who were going to take the elevator back up. He looked at Mickey long and hard. Not sure whether he should hit him or not. He had two men behind him, certainly carrying guns. Nick made the smart choice and left matters alone. The two men looked at Nick, knowing just where he had been and what he had been doing. But Nick got the feeling that they respected Thai and would never get her in trouble with Mickey. They would never tell.

“You going back up or what?” Mickey asked. His accent even sharper than Thai’s. He even had an Italian edge to his words.

“I get off here.” Nick said coldly. Mickey not really caring. Nick walked out to the street angry as all hell. He looked far up the top of the building and could see Thai standing in the window. Her slender silhouette, so statuesque and perfect. He wanted so much to go back to her and save her, but she was stubborn. There had to be another way.


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