Chapter 287

Chapter 8

Megan

Fuck, how could I be so stupid? I let him kiss me, and I kissed him back. Why the hell did I do this? I take my mask off once I’m in the changing room and make my way to the showers. Courtney and Yasmin follow me. They don’t need to say it. I fucked up. I don’t know what came over me. I have never licked a member. Jesus Christ, it’s obvious my daughter got her brains from him because I have none.

“Fuck,” I scream as I get undressed. This has screwed everything up, and I don’t need these feelings.

“It’ll be ok,” Courtney says.

“How?” I ask and realise I’m crying. Now I’m annoyed that I’m crying.

“He doesn’t know for sure it’s you,”

“He said my name, Courtney,” I say as I turn one of the cubicle showers on and step in, shutting the door behind me. “He knows it was me,” I say and look over the door panel at them. Courtney has taken her mask off, and so has Yasmin.

I hear the door to the shower room open, and then heeled boots click on the tiled floor. I sigh heavily, knowing it’s Elena; she’s going to be so angry with me. She stands with Yasmin and Courtney, her arms folded across her chest.

“Leave us, please,” she says to Courtney and Yasmin. They nod and leave, giving me a sympathetic look. “I’ll wait for you to finish showering, then you can tell me what that was out there,” she says. I nod and watch her sit on the bench, out of sight.

“He’s my ex,” I say loud enough for her to hear.

“There are ears everywhere. Tell me after your shower,” she calls back. I know she’s referring to the other girls, they could be listening outside in the changing room, but I feel Courtney will be staring down any girl trying to listen in on this conversation. Many of the girls say her name suits her when she’s angry. Angry Courtney could be the queen of hell.

After my shower, Elena hands me a towel. Courtney came in halfway through to give me my wash bag. I comb through my hair; I managed not to get it wet. I get changed into my usual pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt. I sit down next to Elena and look at her.

“I’m sorry,” I say to her. “I know you want that partnership, and if I need to quit or if I’m fired, that’s fair,” I tell her. She chuckles a little and shakes her head.

“Child, if I fired every dancer who kissed a client, I’d have no dancers,” she says to me. Then there’s a knock on the door. “Come in,” she calls. The door opens, and one of the bartenders walks in with a bottle of alcohol and two glasses filled with ice. He hands them to her and smiles.

“Anything else, Madam?” he asks. She shakes her head and says thanks to him as she unscrews the bottle. He nods and leaves, and I was right about Courtney guarding the door as I see her standing at the door with her arms folded. The door shuts, and Elena turns to me as she pours brown liquid into each tumbler.

“Thank you,” I say, and down the liquid, it burns a little as it goes down, but it’s got a smooth richer taste than I thought it would.

“Thought you might need it,” she says and pours me another. “Tell me what happened,”

“He’s my ex,” she nods at me. “The ex, my baby daddy ex,” I state, and her eyes widen a little. “Yep, I thought I’d never see him again. I can’t honestly tell you what happened. Everything in me was telling me to run, to come into the back and tell you I couldn’t work tonight, but when I saw him, like, really saw him, all these emotions came rushing at me. I guess only one wanted to come out,” I explain.

“He doesn’t look like a drug addict, interesting,” she gives me a sympathetic look as she knows all about my ex. “He wants to see you,”

“No,” I say before she can even finish her sentence.

“And speak to you, he didn’t look happy,” she adds.

“He’s getting married. He shouldn’t want to see or speak to me,” I state.

“Love is complicated, ma chérie,” she says to me as she moves my hair out of my face.

“He doesn’t love me, and I don’t love him, not anymore,” I say, and I’m not sure I believe that myself.

“You need to go home and snuggle up to Mon petit monstre and deal with this tomorrow,” she pauses and looks at her watch. “When are you at work again?” she asks.

“Tomorrow,”

“Take tomorrow off,”

“I can’t; I need to work,”

“It’s ok. Yasmin and I will work and split tips,” I hear Courtney call through the door. I sigh and smile a little.

“See, now get the rest of your makeup off and go home. I will deal with Mr Peters. If he doesn’t sign the contract after that performance, I have no idea what will make him,” she states, making me blush.

“I’ve never done that to a client before,” I say.

“I know, it was the sexual tension, it nearly turned me on, and I was standing at the other side of the room,” she states.

“Is Sam ok?” I ask.

“He is fine, angry at himself for allowing Logan to get so far with you, now go, everything is fine,”

“Ok,” I say, and we both walk out of the shower room. The changing room is empty, apart from Courtney. I sigh and hug her, “I’m sorry,”

“Why? With you gone, we might get more tips,” Courtney says, making me smile.

“Where’s Yasmin?” I ask.

“Talking to Logan and Carl to get them to leave,” and it’s then Yasmin walks in. She gives me a small smile.

“He’s leaving, said he’d be back tomorrow,” Yasmin says. I sigh in relief and go to the dressing room to remove my make-up. “He’s going to ask questions,” Yasmin tells me.

“I know he is, and I’ll answer them. I’ve always said I’d answer any questions he has,” I explain. This is the truth. I’d vowed that when I did come in contact with him, I’d tell him everything. I never thought I’d meet him now or while I’m working here. “What did you tell him?” I ask.

“That he needed to leave, that demanding to see you right now won’t solve anything. He needs to calm down and see you when you’ve both got over the shock,” she tells me, and I smile. “Although he called you a whore,”

“Great,” I say as I hold cotton pads soaked in makeup remover to my closed eyelids.

“David and Carl looked like they wanted to punch him for that,” I smile again.

“This is such a mess,” I state.

“He’ll understand,” Courtney says.

“And if he doesn’t?” I ask as I wipe my eyes gently with the pad and look at her.

“If he doesn’t, then that’s his problem. Sometimes life gives us shit choices, and we have to go for the better one. If he can’t see that, then he’s not the man we think he is,” she states. I nod in agreement and turn back to the mirror to take the rest of my make-up off.

“I should go back out. I need to earn some money tonight,” Yasmin states.

“Me too,” Courtney says.

“Ok, I’ll see you both when you get home,”