Part 27
Brian managed to hop in the car before Kevin pulled away.
“Get OUT, Brian!” ordered Kevin before putting the car in motion.
“No!”
“I don’t want company.”
“Too bad! I’m going with you to keep you from making as ass of yourself or causing problems for Chelsea.”
“What makes you think I’m going to do either one?”
“Because you’re headed to the place where Chelsea works to get your answers. If you’re going, lets go.”
With that, Kevin put the car in motion and they headed through the streets of Virginia Beach. There was no conversation between the two men. Everything that was going to be said had been.
Kevin found the club with ease and parked in a parking deck across the street. Brian had to jog to keep up with him as he used his long stride to his advantage. They had to show their Ids at the door before being allowed inside.
The entrance was dark and both men had to stop to let their eyes adjust. They were in a small room where there were restrooms off to one side, a place to store coats, and in the far corner, a TV. Kevin moved closer to examine what was being shown only to see dancers. At first, he thought it was of what was going on inside but after about a minute, Kevin realized that it was a tape because Chelsea appeared on screen.
“She’s pretty good,” commented Brian from behind him.
“Hmph,” snorted Kevin as he spun on his heels and headed inside where they met a second man who was collecting the cover charge. Paying, Kevin looked around, spotted an empty booth near the stage, and made his way to it.
Not long after taking a seat, a buxom blonde approached the table. “Can I take your order?”
“Beer,” answered Kevin.
“I’ll take a coke,” said Brian watching his cousin who was looking around the club.
They were clearly between dancers because when they’d entered, there was no one on stage but as soon as their waitress left, music began to play, the lights on stage began to change, and a dancer emerged from behind the curtains at the back of the stage.
The two men sat in silence watching several dancers as they performed. Each one was different, a style of their own that matched the music perfectly, and tastefully done too. No one was grabbing at the girls, they weren’t shaking their ‘assets’ in anyone’s face, and tips were put in a jar at the end of a long runway. There were bouncers strategically located around the runway as well.
The longer they stayed, it became clear to Kevin that the waitresses were also the dancers. They had two girls waiting on them and each one was friendly, polite, and quick to make sure their needs were taken care of.
It had been almost an hour and Kevin had downed three beers when Brian asked, “Are you satisfied? It’s not a sleazy dive like her brothers made it out to be.”
Kevin’s face was a blank mask hiding the pain he felt. Even though everything wasn’t as he’d expected, he blamed himself for putting Chelsea into this situation. He remembered how shy she had been each time they’d made love and he could only imagine how she’d felt the first time she’d taken the stage. He was angry…mostly with her father for kicking her out in the first place but with himself for ending things the way he had and with Chelsea for being so stubborn and not calling him.
When Kevin didn’t answer, Brian reached over to touch his arm. “Kevin…you ready to go?”
“Not yet. I have one more question I need answered,” he said as the waitress returned.
“Would you like another drink?”
“No thank you…we’re fine,” responded Kevin. “But you can answer a question for me.”
“I’ll try.”
“Do any of you do private shows or lap dances?”
“No lap dances but we do private shows. They have to be cleared with the manager first though.” She smiled and moved closer, “Are you interested in a private show?”
“Yes, but I was interested in a particular dancer….Chelsea.”
“I’m sorry but we don’t have anyone by that name working here.”
Kevin was stunned. He’d seen her on the video. “Do you know all the dancers? Maybe she doesn’t work the same nights as you.”
“No, I know everyone but we aren’t all here tonight.”
From behind the waitress, an older gentleman tapped her and asked, “Where’s Nikki tonight? She promised me a special song for my birthday.”
Excusing herself, she turned to the gentleman and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Edwards. Nikki won’t be back for a while. She was in a car accident Monday night.”
Nikki!! She wasn’t using her first name! No wonder this girl didn’t know Chelsea. Okay….don’t let on that you know her.
“Is she okay?”
“Jerry said she crushed her ankle and bruised her spleen but that she was extremely lucky. Her best friend was with her and was killed in the wreck.”
“Can we send her flowers or something?”
“I wish we could but she was very explicit with Jerry not to share her address with anyone, including the employees here. I’d love to go see her myself. She’s such a sweet girl and with her best friend gone, she’s alone. She told me once that she doesn’t have any family.”
“If you talk to her or see her, be sure to give her my best and that she’ll be missed.”
“I sure will, Mr. Edwards.” Turning back to Kevin and Brian, she asked, “Would you like me to get the manager so you can set up a private show?”
“Not just yet. Who’s your best dancer?”
“That would be Nikki but she’s out for a while.”
“The girl you were just talking about?” The waitress nodded her head and Kevin said, “Too bad. I’d really like to see her. You said she was a private person. Did she have any friends here?”
“She got along with everyone but there wasn’t anyone in particular that she confided in but she did give the new girls a lot of attention.”
“What about Jerry?”
“That’s our manager and the owner of this place.”
“Why the new girls?”
“She had a rough time when she first started. She cried before and
after her show for the first few times and when Jerry told her he was going to
have to replace her, she promised to straighten up. The next weekend, she came
in, did her thing, and never let on how upset she really was but you could tell
she was torn up.”
”Why was she so upset?”
“I don’t think she was upset so much as ashamed. I get the impression that she’s only doing this to make ends meet but like I said, she never confided in anyone here.”
“Thank you.”
“Still interested in a private show?”
“Not this time. I want the best and I’m not going to settle for second best.” Kevin pulled his wallet out and handed her his credit card. “Here you go.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Alone, Brian asked, “Are you happy now?”
“No.”
In exasperation, Brain asked, “What more do you want? She kept Annie away from this part of her life and she didn’t WANT to do this.”
“Then WHY? She could have found something else. Waiting tables at a nice restaurant would have brought in just as much money.”
Brian shook his head but said nothing. He knew there was no getting through to Kevin.
The waitress returned with Kevin’s credit card and he signed the receipt after adding a generous tip. “Thank you for telling me more about Nikki.”
Finishing their drinks, the two men left, unaware of the man watching from the bar.
