Where The Devil Won't Go: A Lucas Peyroux Novel (12 page)

Chapter 19

Night approached and the Quarter breathed
a little deeper. And like a vampire that wakes at dusk to suck the blood from
its victims, so too, had Bourbon Street.

After walking life back into her numb
buttocks, Cozy stood alone near St. Peter Street, having walked past Molly’s
Girls three times. She figured it would be easier to maneuver around the inside
while the club was filled up, so she waited until after the dinner rush when the
real partying began.

On the opposite corner of where she
stood, The Cat’s Meow drew the crowd’s attention to its huge open windows and
packed balcony. It was the Quarter’s most famous karaoke bar and a landmark in
which to give directions. Her stomach rumbled and tugged at her in waves. She
could beg for more food, maybe show her boobs again. Lucky Dogs were cheap and
filling and the corner vendor appeared to be straight. She cast her gaze into
the crowd if only to make sure those cops weren’t around. If she appeared to be
a local expecting someone,
drunk
tourists and college
kids looking to get laid might not bother her.

Neon lights under balconies radiated
adventure, beckoning wallets and purses to be opened for food, loud noise
called music, souvenirs, or a sexual experience. Sal had said take Bourbon
Street out of the equation and New Orleans could possibly return to her former
glory. She saw his point.

As the music and the crowds grew rowdier,
Cozy thought that perhaps it was time to enter the lion’s den. A cheesy car
salesman type stood in front of Molly’s Girls trying to solicit anyone who
would look at him. On both sides of the open door were large posters of
extremely attractive women wearing lots of makeup and little else. And inside
the doorway was a fantasy world colored in muted red light.

“Hey, dawlin’. C’mon in. Ladies drink
free.”

“Free drinks?” Cozy strained her neck
trying to see past the dark wall just within the entrance.

“Hell, yes. Female patrons classy up the
joint, ya know?” His eyes disappeared in a wrinkled smile.

Cozy pushed his hand away as he tried to guide
her in. Heavy Metal music blared from within, peppered with some
cat-calls
. Her stomach shrunk. “You have snacks? Like
pretzels?”

“Nuts and pretzels and popcorn. We got a
kitchen. You can order food from a menu if you want. Go on in.”

The man only waved his hand this time,
showing her the obvious path. She stepped in like it was a ride for a haunted
house, expecting half-naked ladies with clown makeup to jump out of the
shadows. The room opened to an expansive space, much bigger than she would
assume from outside. The stage was a large T-shape with a pole at each end. She
hugged the wall for a few feet until she hit the bar. A bowl of mixed nuts
prompted her to scoop a handful.

“Something to go with that?” An appealing
man who reminded her of Thor was one of three bartenders, all with porno actor
looks.

“Coke?”

“Excellent choice. I’d hate to have to
ask you for an ID.” He winked.

“It’s free, right?”

“Right.”

He pushed a tall, narrow glass towards
her. It had six ounces of Coke at best. She drank it down in two swallows and
took an ice cube into her mouth. The man refilled the glass.

“First time?” He asked.

Cozy dipped her chin.

“Sit back and enjoy. It’s really more
harmless than most prudes think.” He smiled and walked off to fill an order from
a waitress.

She propped one of her butt cheeks onto
the bar stool, leaving one foot on the floor in case she needed get-away
traction. In the distant glow, a gorgeous, curvy woman wearing Victoria’s
Secret type underwear wedged herself between a man’s knees. His middle-aged
friends cheered her on as she whispered in his ear. He agreed to something and
they both walked hand-in-hand to a back room closed off with a curtain.

Her vantage point allowed a partial view
of the couple through a seam. He sat on a small couch and the show immediately
started. Her ass found his crotch and she gyrated in circles. It didn’t take
long for her to unhook the bra, exposing her tits just inches from his face. He
raised his hands to caress them, but she caught his exploring fingers with
swift rejection. Instead, she placed his nose in her cleavage and her thigh
massaged the inside of his.

After the song ended, the man shook his
head in answer to a question and the attraction drained from her face. He
handed her money; how much Cozy couldn’t tell. She knew what strippers were
about, but this was Haley’s work environment. Tease a man, show your wares and
get paid for it. That was basically how she got her rent with Sal. Did Haley
work here as a dancer or waitress? Did she massage men’s cocks for a living?

She took her drink and a bowl of peanuts
to an empty table in the darkest corner. The rotation of the women flirted for private
dances, with clientele bellied up at the edge of the stage, inserting bills
into the g-strings of their favorites. Bouncers with earpieces had been
strategically placed around the room like giant Roman eunuchs ready to mess
someone up. She was a fly on the wall.

Talking to a dancer would be the easiest
route to go, but pick the wrong one and she could sour the entire crew against
her. Most of these girls were probably a tight-knit bunch like the cliques she
had experienced in high school. Was she being paranoid? All she wanted to do
was find out if her sister worked here. Find out if she was
well-liked
.
Maybe she’d even had a best friend here.

A hall with offices in the back caught
her vision. Perhaps Molly was in there, if she was even a person at all. Cozy should
talk to the owner of the place, but how do you bring up the subject of one of
their murdered dancers who, according to Titus, sold her body?

Or better yet, she could get a job here
and make some quick cash. What if it was days before Porter showed his face
again? What if he left town? She might just have to tell Lucas after all. Screw
the job application. Go big or go home.

The pendant hanging from her neck needed
to go in her pocket. Two songs later, after working up the courage and while no
one paid attention, she forced her butt from the chair and let her shorts fall
to the floor. She wasn’t wearing a G-string, but her panties were sexy enough.
The bartender Thor had left his station and the bouncers stood bored as she
pulled off her tank, sporting a lacy powder-blue bra.

With a deep breath, she rounded the table
and entered the mix like a car entering traffic. She touched a well-dressed,
middle-aged gentleman on the shoulder and he smiled as if porn had magically
jumped out of his television. He wanted a dance and to her amazement, the
bouncer never looked twice as she led the gentleman behind the curtain.

#

Cozy snapped her bra cups together in the
front before taking the money. Her dance routine wasn’t much different than
dirty dancing with Ash. The man adjusted himself before pulling out forty dollars
and stuffing it into her cleavage, letting his touch linger. She had found
herself turned on at this point, not by the man, but for having the power to
give an erection. He exposed large, overlapping teeth in a smile and she ruffled
his hair, pushing him back toward his seat.

The two twenties scratched her boobs as
she entered the floor rotation to scan her next prospect, but someone tapped
her shoulder instead. “Excuse me, young lady.”

He was a dark-skinned man in his forties,
well-built
in his tailored suit. His hair strived for
perfect uniformity and he wore the same earpiece as the bouncers. She took him
to be the boss, but getting his attention had been the intention all along.

“Need a dance?”

“Come with me.”

“I was planning on it.” She combed her
fingers through her hair with the most dignity she could muster, and then
weaved between tables to retrieve her clothes. The man returned to the rear
hallway with the arrogance of expecting her to follow.

She felt the stares of the room, like
space aliens who knew she wasn’t one of them. Again, doubt about this plan
crept in. Screw asking about Haley tonight. This was just a lark. Learning
about Haley as just another dancer was the best way to go. But, first she
needed to get hired.

They entered his office two doors down
where the man sat in an impressive cushioned chair behind a decrepit desk. The
walls contained an array of photos of men and women she didn’t recognize,
although one man looked like a young George Bush. A Saints bobble head occupied
the corner, probably used to set his employees at ease.

Two scars on his forehead became apparent
in the harsh light and Cozy wondered if he got cut in a bar fight. His eyes
were narrow and sunken with dark circles, like he might have been European.

A tall, sexy woman with long dishwater
blonde hair with bangs also entered, closing the door. The guy swiveled, leaned
back and brought both his index fingers together at his lips. Cozy quickly
dressed, glancing at them like they were a principal and teacher.

“You called the cops?” She asked in jest.

“What’s your name?”

“Keri Sullivan.”

“Love the accent. How old are you?”

“Eighteen, but I lost my license.”

“Eighteen’s legal to enter as long as you
don’t drink.”

The woman exhaled as if bored. Cozy
relaxed having the presence of a second person, and a female for that matter. Cozy
said, “Your bouncers should pay better attention.”

“I saw you on surveillance the moment you
entered.” He swiveled his laptop to face her. “The bouncers acted on my orders
to let you dance. You don’t think we know who all our girls are?”

“Okay. Did you like what I did out there?”

“Believe it or not, strip clubs become
monotonous. People like you make things interesting.”

“Don’t fuck with me.”

“We’re just getting to know one another. I’m
Raymond Corondelet. Call me Ray.” He looked at his laptop screen and spoke into
his collar. “Vince, table twelve. Keep an eye on him.”

Cozy made up for lost air with a very
deep breath. “You’re in charge here, right Ray? You look like you enjoy power,
whether it’s firing someone or just ordering a po’ boy.”

“I do like my sandwiches made correctly.”

“Jeez. I feel like you’re going to take
me out back and smack me around.” Cozy glanced at the woman. “He’s not going to
smack me around, right?”

“Why did you undress and dance for one of
my customers?”

“Looked like fun.”

“Fun if you were wasted, showing off for
your sorority sisters… You wouldn’t be hard up for cash would you?”

She shrugged. “Not hard to fathom.”

“You seem intelligent. What’s your story,
Keri?”

“Kicked out of my house.”

“Where did you call home?” He inquired.

“Empire, down south.”

“Homeless?”

“I’m not on the street. I got a place.”

The man had fierce coyote eyes. “So, you
want to dance?”

“I want to make money.”

“What if I offered you a chance here?”

“I’d do my best.”

“Well, normally I’d want an audition, but
I think you’ll do fine. This nice lady behind you is Tabitha Wheelhouse.”

The woman bit at her cuticles. “Nice to
meet you.”

“Talk about liking power? She’s the boss
when I’m not around. Hell, she’s pretty much the boss even when I am here.
Anything you want, any problem you have, you go to her. You guys go talk, but
not in here.”

The lady pushed off the wall. “C’mon,
Keri. There’s a probation period before we officially hire. You can get your
hands on proper ID?”

“Sure.”

“Let me show you around. Tell you how
things work.”

“Good luck, Keri,” Ray said as they left.

Cozy followed the confidently bored woman
into the main room where strobe lights popped and the bass thumped. They sat at
the very table Cozy had found earlier and faced the action. Tabitha held up two
fingers to a waitress,
then
pointed down at the table
like a mob boss. That was so cool. Her eyes finally relaxed.

“You’re extremely beautiful, Sugar… For
this kind of work.”

“I’m not sure what that means.”

“Well, you got your different types that
work here… Hot body – bag the face, plain face, exotic face, androgynous,
black, brown, pale,
ethnic
, with curves or showing
ribs. What’s common between these women is that they’re sexy, but flawed. Your
face has nice symmetry. You’re beautiful and you’re eighteen. Your body is
tight. That’s rare.”

Cozy pointed. “That one on stage is
beautiful.”

“Velvet? No, she’s stripper hot. Paint on
the makeup and do up the hair and she’ll turn heads at a party, but her family
tree grew in a trailer park. Believe me, I make my living as a talent scout.
How are your tits?”