Take a Risk (Risk #1) (4 page)

Turning everything off and collecting her purse Lyssa locked up and set out on a mission to go shopping. To accomplish her own goal she needed a good disguise because this was a role Lyssa planned to nail. Colt wanted her to change her routine and shake this guy up and she had the perfect idea.

She waited three days, taking her time to try on dozens of outfits on and become comfortable in them. Flaunting her figure wasn’t part of her usual manner, but she wasn’t the shy type either. Her form was taut and limber enough, she worked out two times a week at the gym and did her yoga routine at least five mornings.

At around nine thirty on the third night she left her home and walked towards town. A few blocks from her place she got a cab and requested to be taken to Risqué. Although she didn’t know what to expect when she got there she knew that Colt – an ex-cop who she met through Chavez, a current cop – owned part of the club with his brothers, so the place had to be legitimate. She trusted that the women weren’t required to perform sex acts and drugs weren’t allowed on the premises.

Risqué was the perfect location for her next social experiment and it was the closest to safe she would get while still being genuine. Lyssa was actually quite excited about the possibility and opportunity before her.

This time she wasn’t as uncertain on entering Risqué. With her head held high, she strode past the bouncers on the door and made her way up the hall and into the bar, ignoring the patrons, pulsing music and the semi-nude women on stage and on the booth tables around the periphery of the room.

She’d say there were more men here this time, but there was no one at the bar. A few seconds after she propped herself onto a stool, the bartender came around the corner at the other end toward her. Now that she knew they were related Lyssa saw the family resemblance, this man was the same height as Colt, built with a bit more muscle but the same dusty dark brown hair.

‘Back again?’ he asked, retrieving wine from the fridge on the way to her.

‘Thank you,’ she said when he filled the glass he put in front of her.

‘No worries, it’s left from the other night so it’s probably flat.’

Smiling, she took a sip and shook her head. ‘It’s good.’

‘Low maintenance. I like that.’

‘I don’t imagine you serve much wine in here.’

‘No,’ he said. ‘Only when we’re told to have it on premises. Trapper isn’t here.’

‘I know,’ she said. ‘I’m not looking for Colt. I came here to see you, Blaser.’

‘First name basis, it’s like that, is it? So you’re intimate with my brother… rare for him… shame for me.’

‘Not exactly intimate, he works for me.’

‘I’m not sure he’d like that description, even if it’s accurate,’ Blaser said. ‘He doesn’t tell me about what he does and I don’t ask. Whatever information you’re looking for—‘

‘I don’t want information. I want a job, here.’

‘A job?’

‘Yes,’ she said, opening her jacket and leaning back to show the Lycra halter top she wore that displayed her midriff. ‘I have no issues putting my body on show.’

‘So I see,’ Blaser said, spreading his hands on the bar. ‘You say you’re not screwing my brother?’

‘No. Why? Would that make a difference?’

‘He’s the monogamous type and gets protective of his girlfriends. If I hired you to shake your tail at my customers—‘

Lyssa could see that Colt would be the type to have a problem with other men ogling his woman. ‘We’re not romantically involved.’

‘So why do you want to work here?’

‘I know Colt and Miguel Chavez,’ she said. ‘They’re good guys so I trust this is a decent place. I know there are no drugs here and no expectation for the girls to deliver sexual services on site.’

‘Or off-site,’ Blaser said. ‘We keep everything above board.’

‘Which I like,’ she said, so far she’d been honest but now it was time for a fib. ‘I need the money, Blaser, you’d be helping me out.’

‘Ok,’ he exhaled. ‘The dancers make the most money, but we never start girls there. You’ll waitress: take orders, bring them to the bar, and deliver them to customers. You’ll also arrange private dances for customers when they show an interest. The more you flirt the more tips you’ll get. If you work out waitressing then we’ll talk about moving you onto dancing. Waitressing is your probation.’

Much as she didn’t mind flirting and prancing around in her underwear she had no intention of moving up to dancing, she’d probably only make an idiot of herself trying that anyway. But she wouldn’t let Blaser in on her intentions.

‘Ok,’ she said.

‘We’re open two PM until two thirty AM. You’re expected to be here ready for work by the time your shift starts and waitresses stay on to clean up when they’re here to close. I can give you ten PM until close, Thursday to Sunday.’

‘That works for me,’ she said, thankful he hadn’t asked her to do a dayshift.

‘Come back tomorrow at eleven. I’ll have one of the girls give you a tour. You’ll get three uniforms, but you’re free to wear your own clothes as long as they fit requirements and you’ll have to provide your own shoes, platform spikes.’

‘What are the uniform requirements?’ she asked, seeking out waitresses in the slices of bright light spinning around the room.

‘Micro-mini skirt and plunge halter bra, what are you? Thirty-four C?’

Impressed, she blinked at his indifferent observation. ‘Yes. How did you know that?’

‘I’m good at my job,’ Blaser said. ‘Have you worked in a joint like this before?’ She shook her head. ‘Cherry then.’

‘What?’

‘We’ll use your real name on your paperwork, but around here we’ll call you Cherry.’

‘Ok,’ she said. ‘We’ll do paperwork tomorrow?’

Someone approached the bar and Blaser backed away. ‘See you then.’

He went to the waitress who gave him an order and Lyssa gulped down half of the wine still on the bar. Now that she had secured the job she took the time to look around. The décor was tasteful and the T-shaped stage had three poles on it, one at each end point and shimmering white material served as the backdrop.

A security guard remained by the door Colt had taken her through, which led to backstage and the stairs to the offices. On the wall far away from the other end of the bar was a door marked private, which she watched a woman lead a man through, this had to be where the private dances took place, but she’d find all that out. Now the research could begin.

‘It’s ok,’ Lyssa said. ‘Take your time.’

‘I’m still struggling with the idea of this,’ Martin Schifford said.

‘You’ve had a few sessions now,’ she said. ‘We’ve discussed your childhood and your parents. You’ve told me about your work and about your wife. But we do need to address the issue and the trigger point.’

‘The incident at my father in-law’s.’

‘Yes. You witnessed a horrendous event. It must have been very traumatising,’ she said. ‘Were you physically injured?’ From the hospital notes she knew that Martin hadn’t had any serious physical injuries, but she had to get him talking about the event somehow.

‘Not badly,’ he said.

‘But you and your wife haven’t been intimate since this event, have you?’

Shaking his head, she read embarrassment in his countenance. ‘Has your wife attempted to initiate—‘

‘Yes,’ he snapped. ‘But I don’t understand how she can think about that.’

‘Why not?’ she asked. ‘Did witnessing what you did affect your view of sexual behaviour? Was there an assault on—‘

‘No, it was him,’ Martin asserted and his frown was laced with anger.

‘Him, who?’

‘My sister in-law is flighty and she always has been, and… she had a disagreement with the family and was… she ran off.’

‘Your sister in-law?’ Lyssa asked, wondering what the sister in-law had to do with this “him”.

‘We didn’t see her for months and when she came back she had this… this man with her…’

‘And this man is somehow connected to the event that took place at your father in-law’s?’

Martin shifted, squirming in his seat and refusing to make eye contact. ‘He’s macho and overbearing, his chauvinism is ridiculous. But since my sister in-law brought him into our lives… my wife won’t stop talking about him.’

‘And you think that your wife desires this man?’

‘I wonder how she can be so impressed by him and still be satisfied with me.’

So it was an inferiority complex that he was struggling with. If that was the case then that was an easy fix, providing that Martin was willing to do the work. ‘Do you question your own masculinity?’

‘I never have,’ he snapped. ‘I mean, I work hard, I earn a lot of money, and I do right by my wife. Women have always been impressed by me.’

‘But you’ve seen a different kind of man introduced into your life and that has thrown up questions for you?’

‘I suppose you could say that.’

‘We are all different, Martin. Just as we are all attracted to different kinds of mates. You are not attracted to your sister in-law, are you?’

‘Of course not!’

‘Then there is no reason to believe that your wife is attracted to your sister in-law’s partner. Perhaps she too is just intrigued by this new kind of man who has been introduced into your lives.’

‘He’s not in our lives anymore,’ Martin said. ‘He was very briefly, but we have not heard from him or my sister in-law again.’

‘Then that chapter is closed.’

‘It should be,’ he said. ‘But my wife insists upon talking about it all the time, especially when we’re alone with her parents.’

‘And that frustrates you, have you told her that?’ He shook his head. ‘At this point my advice to you would be to open communication with your wife about why she feels the need to bring up this individual. It is possible that her answers will make things clearer for you, and the conversation will give you a good communication point to start from.’

‘Do you think so?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Let’s schedule another appointment for next week and you can tell me how it goes with your wife.’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Yes, ok then.’

They scheduled the appointment and Martin excused himself. He should be an easy enough case, but it was a shame to see him dejected by his wife’s obsession with another man. Lyssa wondered if her own stalker had a family, and if they had any hint as to his own unhinged fascination – her.

Suzette had called earlier in the day for a chat and to make plans for the weekend, but Lyssa had to cut the conversation short. Eventually, she would tell Suzette about her new research project at Risqué. The project doubled as an opportunity to change her routine as per Colt’s instructions. But Lyssa wouldn’t be able to explain the details now, not when she couldn’t reveal her association with Colt.

Clearing up after her last patient, she quickly showered and changed her clothes into something Risqué suitable. Donning a calf length coat, she hurried out, wondering at who was watching. To prevent her course from being too obvious, she traversed a few blocks to hail a cab to Risqué.

When she got there, Blaser was at the bar as always. He was with a blonde who towered to five eleven in her heels. As beautiful as she was, the blonde certainly wasn’t too young, more like in her late twenties. Her platinum blonde hair had red inserts and her breasts were barely contained in her white wet-look two piece and matching thigh-high boots.

‘This is Crystal,’ Blaser said to Lyssa with his attention on the waitresses approaching the bar. ‘She’ll show you the ropes.’

Blaser vanished to fill the new orders and Crystal looped her arm through Lyssa’s. ‘Cherry is a great pick. Blaser says he hired you as a favour to Colt. Are you guys friends?’

‘I guess you could say that,’ Lyssa said as Crystal directed her toward the door by the stage.

‘The other girls will notice if you’re cosy with management.  But Blaser is good to all his employees, I’ve been working here since day one, I know him pretty well.’

A bassy tune came on the speakers and two scantily clad women came onto the stage at her side. But Crystal opened the backstage door and took Lyssa through.

Crystal pointed to a curtain on their right. ‘That’s the stairs to the stage. There’s a corridor at the end that leads around to stairs for the other side.’

‘I won’t be on stage.’

‘Not yet,’ Crystal said. ‘But it won’t take you long to get up there. Blaser is a soft touch for his girls. If you don’t already know, he and Colt don’t always get along, so I’d advise you to stay out of that sticky hot mess, if you can.’

‘Thanks,’ Lyssa said.

‘Those stairs you won’t ever use,’ Crystal said, pointing to the stairs Colt had taken Lyssa up to his office. ‘Here’s our office.’

Opening a door just beyond the stairs Lyssa entered to see a communal changing room. Two rows of lockers with a padded bench between them stood in front of the door. Further to the left was a wall of mirrors with a host of makeup spread across it. To the right were rows and rows of hanging rails covered in underwear and costumes.

‘Past the outfits are restrooms,’ Crystal said and produced a small key from her cleavage. ‘Your locker is number twelve.’ She handed over the warm metal key.

The women hung around the mirrors on stools and lounging on a long couch. None of them paid much heed until Crystal shouted. ‘Gals! This is Cherry, she’s new around here, so y’all make her feel at home.’

Around here few people had such a southern twang, but Crystal obviously wasn’t local. Most of the women checked Lyssa out, but they quickly went back to their conversations.

‘They’ll warm up to you soon enough,’ Crystal murmured with a glittering grin. ‘Blaser won’t hire anyone under twenty-five. We’re mostly a good bunch, bad apples get weeded out quickly, but that doesn’t mean we’re exempt from enjoying a good gossip and a giggle.’ She took Lyssa to the clothes rail. ‘Do you need something to wear?’

Lyssa took the clip from her hair to flip and fluff it, then removed her coat to show the baby blue halter plunge bra and matching micro mini. Dressing up was lots of fun and although she knew her outfit covered more than most of the outfits the women wore, she had complied with guidelines.

‘Excellent.’

‘I need you to know that I don’t expect preferential treatment,’ Lyssa said. ‘Because of my connection with Colt.’

‘You’ll probably get it because the brothers are big on family.’

‘Do you think that the other girls will resent that?’ Lyssa asked in a low volume.

‘They won’t say anything to your face,’ she said. ‘If you’re nice to them and they like you then they’ll get over it. They’re used to mine and Blaser’s friendship and they like to use it to their advantage when they can.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘If they want something, or they screw up, they come to me. That way, I can handle Blaser.’

‘Handle him?’ Lyssa asked, wondering just how Crystal did that and how close the pair were.

‘Up until now no one has been able to handle Colt, he does things his way, maybe you can change that.’

‘Don’t put any money on it,’ Lyssa said, Colt and her weren’t as close as Crystal obviously thought.

‘We’ll see. Put your purse and coat away and I’ll show you the private dance area, you might have to take drinks in there sometimes.’

Lyssa did as she was told and Crystal took her back to the bar and showed her the communal lap dance area and the six private rooms leading off it for the privileged private dances. Blaser approved her outfit, gave her a rundown of the routine, and she was shown the different zones of the room. Each night she’d be allocated a zone, which the girls organised on a rotational basis. Crystal introduced her to some regulars until Lyssa was already feeling at home.

Not much more than an hour must have passed when she caught sight of a familiar figure at the bar. Her smile joined her on her return to the bar and she slid her tray to Blaser who took it and slunk off.

‘Quite a change of routine,’ Colt said, having watched every step of her return.

‘I did as I was told, rule number two.’

‘This wasn’t exactly what I meant. What made you choose this?’

‘Research,’ she said. ‘I’m interested in what men who frequent these places get.’

‘What they get is a good time.’

‘But why?’ she said, drumming her fingers on the bar as she surveyed the room beyond him. ‘Sexual behaviour fascinates me.’

‘Did you tell Blaser that?’ Colt asked. Remaining in his stool, he leaned back against the bar to follow her line of vision.

‘No, he thinks I need the money. The research only works if the participants are unaware of it.’

‘So why are you telling me?’ he asked.

‘I’m here because of you and trust works both ways, right?’

‘So you want me to keep your secret from my own flesh and blood?’

‘You and Blaser don’t often get along for long,’ she admitted, continually checking the customers in her zone, but Crystal had taken to the stage so there was more drooling than drinking going on. ‘He hired me as a favour to you anyway.’

‘Who told you that?’

‘Crystal,’ Lyssa said. ‘I came in last night and talked to Blaser. Didn’t he tell you about this?’

‘I didn’t come in here last night or today. I’ve been watching you.’

‘And you didn’t see me come in here last night?’

‘I did, but I figured you were looking for me.’

‘Well you did say that you would call,’ she smiled. ‘This works out better for us both anyway. You can’t keep coming in as a patient. This stalker will see you and you could run into Suzette. Also, my patients stay for a whole hour; they don’t run out after ten minutes like you did. My admirer will see your departure as suspicious. And if he’s bugged my place then we can’t talk freely, I’m guessing that you’re confident he hasn’t bugged Risqué.’

‘He hasn’t bugged this place or yours, no one is listening in your office.’

‘In my office?’ she said, turning to Colt in a slew of concern. ‘What about the rest of my house?’

‘I didn’t go upstairs,’ he said. ‘But the stairs on the left, inside your front door, they go up to your residence, don’t they?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘My office door is just on the right of the lower floor, as soon as you come in the front door, you know that.’

‘Your front door is unlocked and unattended all day.’

‘My clients have to be able to come in.’

‘And anyone can wander upstairs,’ he said.

She knew her clients and trusted them not to go snooping, it had never occurred to her that strangers might come in while she was in session.

‘Are you trying to freak me out?’ she asked.

‘Not my job.’ He took a sip from his glass on the bar.

‘Should you be drinking? While I’m here you’re technically working.’

‘I would just love it if our stalker turned up here,’ he said, taking another drink. ‘If he does, all I have to do is recognise him, I’m not going to go ninja on his ass. I only work security for Blaser when I absolutely have to. Anyway, it’s just soda.’

‘Great,’ Lyssa said, noticing a table in need of service.

Taking his glass away from him she drained the rest of the drink and went to work. Polite as could be, despite the inebriation of the customers, she took the order and relayed it to Blaser who went to work filling it.

‘You’re doing good so far, do you need a break?’ Blaser asked.