The stripper had cheesy pink hearts pasted over the nipples of her lopsided, slightly droopy breasts. The hearts had tassels dangling from them. The tassels matched the streamers that were hanging from her g-string as she attempted to 'shake dat ass' on the tiny, round stage. Her ass shaking would have been more interesting if the body part in question hadn't been flat as a pancake. Still, she was making a go of it and maybe, if a guy got drunk enough, she was attractive. Maybe. Cal doubted it. All he saw when he looked at her was stringy brown hair, bad flower tattoos and a cheap spray tan that had run in several places before it dried.
As Cal made his way past the stage and headed towards the bar, he realized that he'd never wondered what type of girls worked at a small town strip club before midnight on a Thursday. Now he knew. The ugly ones. The tired ones. The ones who had been rode hard, put away wet and then forgotten about. Girls who could be bought for less than a $20.
One of the strippers slipped off her platform stage and stumbled into him. She caught his arm and immediately grinned up at him through bright red painted lips. She was missing a front tooth. “Hi sexy. I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?”
He narrowed his eyes at her, taking in her frizzy blonde curls and glittery leotard. Miniature rubber ducks were floating around on blue gel inside the plastic heels of her shoes. “You don't need my name.”
“Touchy touchy.” She let go of his arm. “Your wife know your here?”
Cal gritted his teeth and tried not to react to her catty tone. He was in a shitty mood but that was no excuse for picking fights with hookers. “Sorry. And yes. It's my bachelor's party.”
“Its your last night as a free man. You poor baby.” The blonde blinked her false eyelashes at him like she didn't buy the excuse. She pressed herself up against him so that the exposed skin on her stomach was pressing against his side. “I can show you a good time, if you're interested?”
“Oh my god, I never thought I'd see you in a strip club.”
Cal turned to see a short brunette with breasts the size of melons headed his direction. She was wearing a feather boa and not much else. “Virginia.”
“I go by Blossom here in the club.” Virginia swished her curvy hips from side to side as she rocked towards him in a pair of spiked platform heels. She was grinning crookedly at him. “Calvin, Calvin, Calvin. What would your Momma say if she knew you were here?”
“She knows I'm here.” Cal crossed his arms over his thick, muscular chest and took a step away from the blonde. He didn't want her touching him.
“I thought I saw Breedlove a few minutes ago. I told myself I had to be wrong because we all know David doesn't pay for women. Only time I've ever seen him in here before, he was dragging Ian out the door. I guess he's here with you?” Virginia licked her lips. He had a hard time looking at her without remembering the bucktoothed carrot top she'd been in elementary and middle school. The friendly, awkward girl who had dropped out pregnant at 14. He'd never actually wondered what had happened to Virginia after she'd left her job at the gas station near the interstate, but he guessed he knew the answer to that question now.
“Yeah. Tonight's my bachelor's party.” Cal put extra emphasis on the last two words.
“Oooh. You and Gracie finally tying the knot?” Virginia flipped her boa back over one rounded shoulder. She was a bit on the chubby side, for a stripper.
“We are.”
“You interested in a little personal entertainment?” She winked at him. “We can have some one-on-one time. Or two-on-one, if you want Breedlove.”
“Hey!” The blonde spoke up. “I saw him first. If anyone's going to make money here, it should be me. I was already talking to him before you walked up. He's my customer.”
“Actually, I think we're about to leave,” Cal said.
“Cal isn't ever going to be anyone's customer, Becca.” Virginia rolled her eyes. “He's too good for us. I'm just having a little fun with him.”
“Ain't no man too good for me,” Becca argued with a shake of her curls. She looked back up at Cal. “You're not hot enough to be too picky.”
“He's rich,” Virginia said flatly.
“How rich?” Becca stood up a little straighter and smiled even wider at Cal.
“Stupid rich,” Virginia replied. She rubbed her thumb and her forefinger together.
“Really?”
“And married. Rich and married.” Cal really didn't feel like playing these games. He reached for his wallet and pulled out a $20. He dropped it into Virginia's outstretched hand. “Buy yourself something that covers some skin.”
“You're not married yet. You have another couple of days before the wedding, don't you?” Virginia frowned at the $20.
“Damn, he is rich, ain't he?” Becca eyed the money hungrily.
“He is, but you're wasting your time flirting with him. He's only ever had eyes for Grace Malone and she's not going to give him up.” Virginia fluffed her hair and shrugged at Cal. “Kind of a shame none of us other girls ever got a chance. I wouldn't have minded being your girlfriend, Cal.”
“You're not my type,” Cal struggled not to look uncomfortable as Virginia looked him up and down as if he were a piece of meat on the butcher's block. He was relieved to see David heading his way across the dimly lit room.“I've been married since the day I said 'I do' on the playground in 2nd grade.”
Virginia pursed her lips at him thoughtfully. “You're a strange breed, Walker. They just don't make men like you anymore. You remind me of my grandpa.”
“I'll take that as a compliment,” Cal said as David walked up to them. “You ready to go?”
“I've been ready to go,” David said. “Strip clubs have never been my scene. Malone's outside on his phone. Ian just texted me to tell me he's not coming because he can't get anyone to watch Hannah Mae.”
“You shouldn't leave so soon. We have a lot to offer,” Virginia said.
“I'm sure y'all have lots to offer. Like gonorrhea, syphilis, crabs and herpes.” David flexed his muscular, heavily tattooed arms, cracking his shoulders and back as he stretched.
Becca let out an angry gasp and raised her hand to slap him. David caught her wrist without flinching. “I wouldn't do that if I were you.”
The blonde's eyes got wide. Virginia stepped in between the blonde and David. “If you're going to start a fight, you're going to have to pay me more than $20.” Virginia held her hand out expectantly.
“Why would I pay you at all?” David asked. The black dress shirt he was wearing was brand new, classy and expensively tailored, but it did very little to hide his true nature.
“Why not?” Virginia asked. “I already told Cal that I could make him a very happy man. You, on the other hand...”
“What about me?” David asked with a smirk. No amount of expensive clothing could hide the tension he always carried between his shoulder blades or the sharp look in his hooded green eyes. David was always on edge and the sleazy strip club was pushing his natural wariness to rarely seen and never pleasant highs.
“You scare me,” Virginia said. “You've got a dark side.”
David laughed softly as he released Becca's arm. She pulled her arm back and cradled it against her chest. “You have no idea how scary I can be,” he said.
“You ready to go?” Cal asked him. He was used to David's bad ass act. It didn't impress him in the slightest. People tended to underestimate him when they measured him up against David, but he was more than capable of holding his own.
“I didn't have any desire to come into this dump in the first place,” David said. “Coming here was Ian's idea. He insisted.”
“And then he no showed,” Cal pointed out.
“Can't have a bachelor's party without titties and beer,” David mimicked Ian's hard Southern drawl.
“I'd rather be shooting pool,” Cal said. “The girl I have waiting for me at home looks better than anything I've seen on stage in this club.”
Becca let out a loud humph.
“I'm right there with you, brother.” David rubbed his palms together. “Want to grab Addison and go to Leon's?
“Sounds good to me,” Cal said, even though he really didn't feel like going out at all. He briefly debated asking David if he would consider abandoning this who ridiculous bachelor party idea and go back to the hardware store with him instead? David was one of the only other people in the world who he trusted to double check the discrepancies he'd noticed in the store's accounts earlier today. He wanted at least one other set of eyes to confirm his suspicions before he took them to his Dad or Pappy.
Of course, he'd look like a paranoid jackass if he canceled his party and nothing was actually wrong with the books. There was a serious possibility that all the stress he'd been under during the last few months had made him start seeing problems where there weren't any. He couldn't afford to be wrong on this one.
“Leon will probably let us drink free since it's supposed to be your bachelor party,” David said.
Cal nodded. “Let's go. There's nothing I want here.”
“Me either.” David looked unmistakably relieved as they headed for the door and left the sad, depressing strippers staring after them.