Stripped - By Brenda Rothert Page 0,22

string of her panties.

As Sam took the stage for her dance, Abby hurried backstage. She grabbed her phone eagerly, her heart sinking when she didn’t see any messages. As she stuffed the phone back into her bag, she shook her head, frustrated with herself for asking him. Chris always wrote her back immediately. He probably didn’t know what to say.

Lap dances were in hot demand, and Abby went from one man to the next. She tried to keep her mind off Chris, but it was impossible. Their burgeoning friendship had been going so well, and she knew she had rushed him. Asking him to spend time with Sara and Audrey was a big deal for her, and he probably saw it the same way. They hadn’t even known each other for two months, though.

After nearly two hours of nonstop lap dances, she returned to the stage for another pole dance. Her feet ached when she finished, and she went backstage to drink a bottle of water and relax for a few minutes. She was afraid to check her phone again, but couldn’t stop herself from doing it. She exhaled loudly, relieved, when she saw that Chris had left her a message.

I’d love to. I’ll drive. Let me know when to pick you guys up.

Abby broke into a huge grin, staring at the screen and reading the message several times. Another one appeared as she was looking at it.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Had a gunshot wound.

Audrey and Sara were using large cushioned blocks to build a tower at a children’s museum exhibit. Abby smiled as she and Chris watched from a nearby bench.

“Sara’s a very happy kid,” Chris observed.

“She is. Audrey’s much more like me.”

“You’re not happy?”

“Oh, I’m just more serious, I guess. Introspective.”

“What kind of dancing did you take lessons in?” he asked.

“Christy’s Mom taught several different kinds, and we learned all of them. I liked tap the most, but I think ballet benefitted me the most. I was always too tall for serious ballet dancing, but I love it anyway.”

“Do you still get to do that kind of dancing?”

“Not much. But it helps me choreograph routines for the club. This probably sounds silly, but I take pride in my choreography. I try to make my dances artistic and challenging.”

“That’s not silly at all, Abby.”

“Mickey does theme nights sometimes, so I have routines for the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s...then there’s black and white night, costume night…You should see my Flashdance routine. By the end I’m wearing nothing but legwarmers.”

“That sounds like something I’d like to see,” Chris said, grinning.

“You can be my test audience if you want. I’m going to the club in the morning to practice something new I’ve been working on.”

“Do you want me to watch you?”

Abby looked away, feeling shy under Chris’ probing gaze.

“If you want to. It would be nice to get unbiased feedback from a man. They always think if you ask for an opinion, you’re interested in them.”

“Then tomorrow morning it is. So what’s black and white night?”

“We divide up, and half the girls are white, so they dress up in angel costumes. The other half get to wear black and be vixens.”

“Ah,” Chris said, his eyes sparkling. “And which are you?”

“I’ve been both. Which do think I’m best at?” she asked in a teasing tone. Chris laughed and shook his head.

“I bet you’re quite talented at both…Hey, whatever happened with the guy whose number you took?”

Abby waved dismissively.

“I never called him. I decided you were right. Or maybe I was right to begin with. It’s not a good idea to date men from the club. Right now it’s not a good idea for me to think of dating anyone. I don’t need any more drama.”

Chris rubbed his face in the darkness, wide awake though he had been trying to sleep for more than an hour. It was always hard for him to sleep at night since he was so used to third shift. But tonight he didn’t think he had a chance.

Abby asking him to watch her dance had almost undone him on the spot. The way her cheeks had flushed…and the image of her as an angel or a vixen, either one, had made him hard. He hoped she hadn’t noticed.

He wondered if seeing her dance would get the fantasies out of his system. They had intensified since she’d told him about accepting another man’s number. He was wondering if she would move on to