Fallon forgave herself, but believing in herself was the problem. She got another job as a bartender in one of the most recognized strip clubs in Rudolph. It was hard, doing and seeing things she never thought she would ever do. But she had to fend for herself and Danika. She hated being a burden on Chica.
Her shift was over, but she wanted to stay a little longer. She sat on the stool of the front bar and watched her friend mix and mash drink ingredients.
Fallon's soles hurt from standing for so long. She craved a hot water feet crub and some oil massage on her feet.
Ashley whispered to her over the loud music.
"Psst."
Fallon leaned forward on the front bar to hear what Ashley wanted to say.
"Check that guy out." Ashley said quickly before going to back to muddle alcoholic beverages for the man standing in the front bar.
"What guy? There are several guys here, Ashley." Fallon pointed out.
Ashley settled the man before shifting to Fallon. She reached over and turned Fallon's neck.
"The one with the shawl over his neck?" Fallon asked.
"A shawl? I wasn't talking about the grandpa. Look at that hottie on his phone."
Someone went to stand in front of Fallon, obstructing their view.
"Hey, small ass, get out of the way." Fallon laughed. The man in front of Fallon had quite some ass, and he was making a good show of it.
"He must be such a gentleman, carrying his girlfriend's ass." Ashley continued to joke.
"I haven't seen your hottie." Fallon whined.
Another customer went to stand in front of Ashley and so Fallon was left alone now to figure out hottie herself. She saw someone look around briefly before going back to his phone.
"Have you seen him?" Ashley asked.
"I think so."
Their eyes met and she looked away instantly, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by checking him out noticeably.
Ashley was back behind her. Customers were coming in singles than in groups today. Naked strippers walked up and down the club; giving lap dances and dragging men away from their seats onto the stage.
Fallon was waiting for another more thirty minutes. By then her soles would have relaxed.
"He's checking you out." Ashley yelled, clapping and jumping like an adolescent.
"Okay?" Fallon asked, not catching her drift.
"You should be looking in his direction bitch!"
Another customer interrupted the two friends and Ashley got doen to business.
Fallon's phone chimed in her hands and she turned it to see the message. It was Chica.
"Take your time at work. The baby is fast asleep."
Fallon's eyes watered at the message. Chica was a selfless person. The only friend who had grown to become Fallon's only family after the death of Leroy. She quickly replied the message and shoved her phone into her pockets.
"Tequila please."
The deep rumble of the masculine voice forced her to sit straight up. It was the hottie. Ashley grinned widely at her. Fallon brought out her phone again. She needed a distraction, something to keep her busy so she wouldn't be ogling hottie.
"Hi." Was he talking to her?
Fallon looked around to be sure he wasn't addressing someone else.
He chuckled. His deep throaty laughter overshadowing the music in the club. How was that even possible?
"I wouldn't be talking to anyone else if you weren't sitting there."
Fallon blushed. He knew how to use his words.
"Oh." Esmeralda muttered, trying not to say much so she wouldn't stutter.
"I see you around most of the time. I figured i would have to man up one day to speak to you." He had tattoos on his biceps and forearms.
"One shot and lime." Ashley told him.
When he raised his hands to slide his credit card, Fallon saw outlines of more tattoos on his stomach. She quickly looked away.
She was supposed to be mourning Leroy. She wasn't supposed to be having eyes for other men. Leroy would do the same if he were in her shoes.
Ashley giggled at something hottie said, looking at Fallon and giggling some more.
"Your friend says you're a good dancer." Hottie was smiling as if he had just discovered a big secret. Fallon thought she saw something shiny on his tongue, like a piercing.
She glared at Ashley who was onto the next customer, smiling at the customer like she had done with hottie. That was their job, smiling at customers so they would feel at ease and come back next time. Fallon laughed at the business logic. Customers coming back to the club to drink again didn't sound so decent.
"She doesn't know what she's talking about. I only know how to flex a few moves." Fallon told him.
He was yet to touch his tequila, and Fallon wondered why he had bought it when he didn't plan on drinking it.
"Oh, tell me about it."
"I watch dance videos online." Fallon said quickly. She didn't want to talk about her childhood. Reminiscing often brought her heartache and the unwanted feeling of disappointment.
"That wasn't the answer I was expecting, but it'll do. Hip-hop or ballet?" His dimples were on full display as he smiled.
"Both." Fallon replied.
Fallon took some lessons during her childhood days. Her dancing lessons came to an end when she turned a dancing class into a karate practice one day. One of the bullies had thrown her up and refused to catch her.
As soon as she had recovered from the fall a few minutes later, she went back to the routine so she could smack him across the face and hit him in the jaw.
"Nice. I have a dance crew, actually. I'm just managing it for the main time until my friend is back from surgery."
He looked down as he spoke. He didn't seem to like the fact that he was talking about it. So Fallon didn't say anything else. He had brought up the subject matter, anyway.
He was yet to touch his tequila. Was he okay? He turned on his stool to watch the ladies on the pole.
"You didn't flirt with him." Ashley whispered behind Fallon who shrieked when Ashley's cold fingers touched her skin. Ashley's hand had been in the ice a few minutes ago when she put ice cubes for a few customers.
"I don't flirt, Ashley. Flirting means you're ready for it if he makes a move."
"You know you won't get married to a Bishop after these abstinence." Ashley remarked.
Fallon gave her a hard look.
"What has that got to do with flirting? It's just not my thing. The last time I tried to flirt back at someone I asked him the kind of air he likes to breathe." Fallon's voice was low. Ashley didn't catch the joke at first but when she did, she erupted into wild laughter.
"And dressing like this won't get you the hot guy you might be aiming for." Ashley teased.
Fallon looked herself over.
"I'm not even aiming for any guy. Besides, I dress like a young adult." She retorted.
Ashley shook her head in the negative and looked in hottie's direction. One of the strippers was coming his way.
"You dress like a parent, Fallon. You don't even look like you're in the club 24/7."
"How do I look then, pray tell?" They were always having this conversation.
"Like you live in a convent, no offense." Ashley replied, raising her hands in surrender as she shifted to attend to a customer.
The whole club cheered as the stripper went to sit on hottie's lap. Mandy. The girl was good at it. Her breasts were bare and she had boobs tape on her areolas. They bounced as she walked. Her round bottom jiggling with her springy gait.
"Get him!" A woman yelled over the loud music.
Mandy climbed the barstool hottie was seated on. She climbed onto his lap and touched his chest. The music changed as if on cue and she lifted herself up and down on him.
Hottie looked at Fallon who was looking elsewhere. He gripped the stripper's waist, putting a stop to her gyration.
"I'm with someone."
Fallon whipped her head around.
"Old killjoy." A man screamed.
Ashley was smirking. Who was the someone?
"You have someone but she ain't in this club." Mandy said to Hottie, resuming her gyration. She was going to give him a lap dance.
Mandy's voluptuous breasts were covering his face now. Why was hottie not playing along? Any man would be grateful to get a lap dance from a girl like Mandy.
Hottie pushed Mandy off his lap. The stripper's mouth was turned down in disgust and utter disappointment. The club jeered at hottie.
"She's not even here." Mandy snapped.
"She's right here on the next stool."
Ashley whistled. Fallon raised her brows at hottie who was beside her now. He touched her shoulders and massaged it. What was he doing?
"Play along." He whispered.
"Fallon? Him?" Mandy asked confusedly, pointing at the two.
Fallon was too surprised to speak. Hottie was trying to get away from the stripper obviously, but he didn't have to claim her hostage.
Ashley was smiling as though she had masterminded it.
"Just play along. We'll leave together tonight and go our separate ways once we're outside the club."
This, she could do. But she didn't even know him. Her coworkers were staring dumbfoundedly. If she had gone home earlier she could have escaped this entanglement. She blamed Chica for asking her to take her time.
Mandy strutted past her, wiggling her buttocks and bouncing. Hottie's cologne held her still under his touch. She didn't move for fear of losing his smell. Just how had this happened in such a short period of time?