Chapter 187 – Competition

• I go on stage three times that night, and each time afterwards men beg me for a private dance. But I just laugh and shrug, telling them that’s not my style, but even as I say it I bite my lip a little, letting them think that maybe they can convince me. It works, too, because each of these men crowd the edge of the stage when I go on, throwing more money, desperate to show me how generous they are, how much more they’ll give me if I just dance with them when I come off the stage.
• After my third dance, though, I don’t come out again, not wanting to see any of those men. Instead, I tip one of the waitresses and ask her to go get Frankie, to bring him back here so that we can sneak out the back.
• When he comes through, he doesn’t look directly for me – instead looking around the women’s dressing room with real curiosity.