*~*~*~*

Sharon was hostessing tonight, and led Marina to her usual table in front of the stage.  She was joined shortly by Jozy, Cass’s lover, and another friend.  “Marina, this is Jeanine. She’s slumming tonight.” Jozy threw her head back and laughed heartily.

“Well, as long as you understand,” Marina grinned at Jeanine, “this is a high class slum.”

The three women were still laughing when Sharon brought Marina and Jozy’s usual drinks, and took Jeanine’s order. 

“So,” Jozy leaned over and whispered in a conspiratorial voice, “do you have any idea what they’re up to?”

Marina shook her head.  “Not a clue.  Jenny just told me tonight.  I didn’t even know they’d been rehearsing something.”

Jozy rolled her dark eyes.  “Girl,” she waved a hand, “they been at it for days and not a hint outta Cass.”

Frankie flipped a switch behind the bar that turned off the jukebox, and another that lit the stage in blue spots.  The first dancer began her routine.

“I guess we’ll have to wait a bit to find out,” Jeanine sighed, eyes lit with excitement.

Two more dancers performed as the club filled and the girls teased the growing crowd and got them pumped.  Tips tucked into thongs, skimpy bras, tops of stiletto boots were liberal, and drinks flowed freely, particularly at Marina’s table as she and Jozy entertained Jeanine with stories of the dancers, including their own, paying no attention to who was coming and going behind them.

The domme and the butch slipped in during the third dancer’s performance, pushed their way through the crowd and settled down in the shadows at the end of the bar, beyond the reach of the down lights.  Frankie studied their faces as she took their orders and served their drinks.  They weren’t regulars, and nothing like the usual crowd that the club attracted.  She made a mental note to keep an eye on them.  The domme looked middle aged and hard core, and Frankie was protective of her girls and who they left with.

As the third dancer exited backstage, Frankie nodded to Sharon and they thumbed down the lights.  All of them.  The club went completely dark except for the neon signs  behind the bar that cast an eerie glow into the room and just enough light for customers to make their way to the few remaining vacant seats.  A shadowy figure walked onto the stage with a ladder, climbed up and did something overhead, but it was so dark, even Marina and Jozy couldn’t tell what was going on from a scant four feet away.