Best Served Cold

By

B.J. Frazier

Copyright 2021. All rights reserved

Published by B.J. Frazier Publications, LLC

B.J. Frazier Publications Edition, License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

This book is a work of fiction.

Therefore, all characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination.

Adult Reading Material

ISBN: 1978-1-957131-03-0

Table of Contents

Author’s Note

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Epilogue

About B.J. Frazier

Books by B.J. Frazier

Connect with B.J. Frazier

Author’s Note

This book contains erotic fiction with graphic sex and is intended for mature readers only.

My sincere and devoted thanks go to Thomas Antonson for his editing acumen and his uncanny ability to understand which word I really meant to use.

Sending thanks and *hugs* for cover art assistance to:

L.K. Lynch

Sean O’Toole

Seblin

Please visit my website: bjfrazier.com

I know there are a lot of books for sale, and I thank you for choosing mine.

Happy reading,

~B.J.

Severe Content Warning: B.J. Frazier books contain *plots* and *well-developed characters*

Enjoy!

Prologue

November 10, 2004

The nightmare was the same. It chronicled everything about that night. The room, the people, the music, the alcohol, the refusal.

Viewed in thirty-second snippets, it looked like the opening montage of a movie.

Except it was real life.

And something Raina Basil wanted to forget.

There wasn’t supposed to be alcohol. It wasn’t supposed to be a party. It was a volunteer celebration.

Readers on the Run were featured in the paper. Their message of literacy would be heard. It would look good on job applications. Its president, Spencer Grayson, was a grad student, a teaching assistant, a musician, and a songwriter. He wanted to teach high school.

The champagne cork popping.

“Hey ya” by OutKast blaring on Spencer’s iPhone.

The lights dimming.

Holly giggling and touching Spencer.

Their naked bodies.

Spencer invading Raina’s space.

Raina’s underwater-sounding No!

Spencer’s continued advance.

Chapter 1

November 11, 2004

“Did you understand my question, Ms. Basil?” Susan Chandler asked.

“I--I’m sorry. I just can’t stop from seeing it. When I’m stressed, it gets even worse. So I didn’t get much sleep last night,” Raina replied.

“My question was--did you say you’re stressed?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Again, Ms. Basil, you have to say yes or no for the record.”

“Sorry, yes.”

“Can you tell me what exactly you’re stressed about?”

“This whole thing. Being here.”

“You think testifying in court is stressful? It’s nothing more than telling us exactly what happened the night of January 23rd, 2004. I mean, you are telling us the truth, right? You remember that you took an oath to tell us the truth, Ms. Basil?”

“Objection, badgering the victim,” Broderick Colombe interrupted.

“Move to strike ‘the victim’, Your Honor,” Susan said.

“Okay. She asked about six questions, too,” Broderick added.

“Objection sustained,” said the judge.

“I’ll reword it.” Susan turned to the witness. “Did you swear an oath to be truthful, Ms. Basil?”

“Yes.”

“And will you be truthful?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s nothing to be stressed about, is there?”

“Um, I guess not.”

“Good. I’ll go back to my earlier question. Tell me what Ms. Hobart’s nickname was.”

“Um, Holly the Ho.”

“And was that about Christmas or Santa Claus?”

“No.”

“What does Holly the Ho stand for, Ms. Basil?”

“It’s short for whore.” Raina looked at Broderick but he didn’t engage.

“I see. So Holly the Ho is because she sleeps around?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Again, Ms. Basil--”

“I’m sorry, yes.”

“And I believe you testified earlier that Ms. Holly Hobart was your best friend at University of Minnesota, am I correct?”

“She was, yeah.”

“In fact, you previously testified that the two of you used to... let me make sure I’ve got your words correct... ‘let loose’ on the weekends. Is that right?”

“Yes, but--”

“On direct examination, you testified that you’ve never been involved in any other court case, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“But didn’t you give a statement to the police at the end of 2000 in a criminal matter?”

“I--”

“Yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“And that matter also dealt with criminal sexual conduct?”

“Yes.”

“In fact, Ms. Basil, didn’t you claim that another man had touched you inappropriately?”

“Yes.”

“But that case never went to trial, right?”

“No.”

“That case was closed because a key witness said you were lying, am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“Please tell the jury the relation of the key witness to yourself, Ms. Basil.”

“My mother.”

“I’m not sure I understood you, Ms. Basil. Did you just say that your own mother was the eyewitness who swore under oath that the incident never took place?”

“Yes.”

“So you have a history of making false criminal sexual conduct allegations.”

“Objection!”

“Sustained.”

“Are you a virgin, Ms. Basil?”

“Objection, relevance, Your Honor,” Broderick practically shouted.

“What’s the relevance, Ms. Chandler?”

“If you give me some leeway, I can show you. I don’t have much more, Your Honor.”

“Very well but tread carefully.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. Ms. Basil, are you a virgin?”

“No.”

“Are you currently in a committed relationship?”

“No.”

“Does ‘let loose’ refer to relaxing?”

“Yes.”

“Not studying.”

“No.”

“Going to bars.”

“Yes.”

“Having sex.”

“Objection, Your Honor!” Broderick stood with such force that his chair flew back and hit the galley railing.

“You will be respectful in my courtroom, Mr. Colombe.”

“Yes, Your Honor. Objection to the characterization.”

“Is that a legal objection, Counselor?”

“Judge, it goes to Ms. Chandler’s attempt all afternoon to paint the victim as promiscuous to justify the Defendant’s criminal sexual conduct.”

“Mr. Colombe, you’ve been warned repeatedly not to say ‘victim’ as that’s what the jury must decide. I see nothing wrong with this line of questioning. Please proceed, Ms. Chandler. Objection overruled.”

“Thank you, Your Honor. The last question was: Does ‘let loose’ also include having sex, Ms. Basil?”

“It could, yeah.”

“In fact, you and your best friend Holly Hobart, whose nickname is Holly the Ho, started that weekend early. You testified that you went to the bars on Thursday, January 22nd, 2004 and ‘hooked up’ with some guys. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“And by ‘hooked up’, you mean ‘had sex’, right, Ms. Basil?”

“Yes.”

“And Thursday, January 22nd, 2004 was the day before the incident we’re in trial about today, right?”

“Yes.”

“You claim that on Friday, January 23rd, 2004, the very day after you had sex with someone from a bar, you were sexually assaulted by Spencer Grayson, is that what you want this jury to believe?”

“Yes.”

“Let me just back up a bit, Ms. Basil. Earlier, you testified you think Mr. Grayson is attractive, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“In fact, you and Holly Hobart discussed who would have the better looking baby with Mr. Grayson, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“And wasn’t there a race between the two of you to see who could kiss Mr. Grayson first?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

“What was it, then? I asked you earlier--”

“And I told you then that it wasn’t a race! It wasn’t even a bet; nothing serious!”

“Please don’t shout, Ms. Basil.”

“I’m sorry.”

“And what was that non-bet?”

“It was just nothing, we just promised to text right after a first kiss if--”

“A first kiss with who?”

“Spencer.”

“And that’s Mr. Grayson?”

“Yes.”

“I see. So the two of you were okay going after the same guy.”

“It wasn’t like that!”

“You wanted my client to kiss you?”

“No--yes, but--”

“Which is it?”

“Yes.”

“You were sexually attracted to him.”

“Yes.”

“And you had planned on sleeping with my client the night of January 23rd, 2004 before you went to that meeting, right, Ms. Basil?”

“Y-yes.”

“In fact, you brought a condom with you, correct?”

“Y-yes.”

“But Ms. Hobart didn’t leave the two of you alone, right?”

“No.”

“And when my client began to kiss Ms. Hobart, you got jealous.”

“No.”

“You wanted Spencer all to yourself, didn’t you?”

“No!”

“But when my client suggested that you and Ms. Hobart share him for the evening, you agreed, didn’t you?”

“No! I never agreed--”

“You consensually had sex with Spencer and Holly the night of January 23rd, 2004, didn’t you, Ms. Basil?”

“No!”

“It wasn’t until the next morning that you second-guessed your decision, isn’t that right?”

“No!” Snot ran down Raina Basil’s face as she sobbed.

“In fact, you made up this whole story to soothe your ego, isn’t that right?”

“No!”

“Objection, Your Honor, badgering the witness!”

“No further questions, Your Honor,” Susan announced.

Chapter 2

“Mr. Colombe wants to see us back in his office,” Raina told Holly when she exited the courtroom.

“Okay. So how’d your testimony go?”

“Shitty, it felt like I was on trial.”

“What’d she ask?”

“Holly, we’re not supposed to talk about the case.”

“Whatever. Broderick says it’s a slam-dunk case. And he thinks we’re gonna get a lotta money in the civil lawsuit.”

“Broderick?”

“He said to call him Broderick,” Holly smiled.

“He’s so old.”

“He’s only thirty-three. And we’re almost twenty, so.”

The pair walked to the prosecutor’s office. “It was uncomfortable answering questions about that night when Spencer was looking at me. And he’s wearing a suit with his hair slicked back. He never looks like that,” Raina commented.

“Broderick says it’s just a show for the jury. He said whoever puts on the best show wins.”

“It shouldn’t be like that. It should be about the truth.”

Holly shrugged.

* * * *

“Sorry to keep you ladies waiting,” Broderick smiled.

“You’re fine,” Holly gushed.

“So I wanted to talk to you guys about some things.” Broderick opened his briefcase and took out his laptop. “There were some surprises on cross-examination, Raina.”

“She--she kept twisting my words,” Raina explained.

“That’s what defense lawyers do. You did nothing wrong,” he tried to soothe but his face was accusatory. “So what was that case from 2000?”

“Um, well, it’s not something I really talk about anymore.” Raina glanced at Holly then twirled the tassel on her purse.

“Hey, Holly,” Broderick stood up and took out his wallet, “why don’t you get us a snack?”

“Sure, anything special?”

“Surprise us.” Broderick watched her walk away. “Now, Raina, about that case?”

“I--it really wasn’t ever a case. It didn’t go to trial or anything.”

“It’s important that I know what happened. I asked you if anything like this had ever happened before and you told me no.”

“Because it wasn’t like this.”

“What was it?”

“It was... he came into my room--”

“Who did?”

“My mom’s boyfriend.”

“Did he have sexual intercourse with you?”

“No.”

“Okay. What did he do?”

“Just... he tried to--to...”

“Was there any kind of sexual contact?”

“Yeah.”

“And who did you tell about it?”

“I called 9-1-1.”

“The police showed up and then what?”

“They talked to me and him, and then my mom.”

“Your mom was home?”

“No, she got there right before the cops did.”

“But she signed an affidavit saying she was there.”

“Yep.”

“And you’re saying her affidavit was a lie.”

“It was. And I’ve lived with my Aunt Charlotte ever since.”

Broderick pushed a box of tissues toward Raina as Holly returned.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’ll be okay,” Broderick spoke for Raina. “But I’ve gotta ask. Did you have a bet about who could kiss Spencer first?”

“Omigod, no!” Holly shouted.

“We--we said we’d tell the other if it happened,” Raina countered.

“Okay. Did the two of you have a consensual threeway with Spencer that night?

“No!” both girls declared.

“But you planned on having sex with him, right?”

“No,” they both said.

Broderick turned to Raina. “But you told Susan that you hoped to have sex with him that night.”

“She kept twisting my words. That’s why I got mad.”

“So you did or didn’t plan to have sex with Spencer that night?”

“Didn’t. I mean, yeah, Holly and I talked about it but just goofing around. Not like we’d actually do it.”

“You also told Susan that you brought condoms with you.”

“Because I could only say yes or no. Because, like, I always have a condom in my purse.”

“I see. That condom wasn’t specifically for Spencer, you’re saying.”

“Right.”

Broderick sucked in air and held it as he leaned back. “Susan Chandler did a lot of damage this afternoon. Holly’s nickname.” He shook his head. “I asked you about things like that before this trial began. If I had known about the nickname, I could’ve reacted better. Susan’s a master at using that type of stuff. She skirts the laws.

“If I would’ve jumped up and objected, it would’ve looked worse. Now that it’s out, I’ll have to think of something else,” he told Holly.

“What about how he drugged us?” Holly asked angrily.

“I’m not saying Spencer’s not at fault or that you’re lying. But the truth is up to the jury. And I’m not sure how to rehabilitate this.”

“What’s that mean?” Raina asked.

“Let me think about it overnight. Can I buy you ladies dinner? It’s been a rough day.”

“Sure!” Holly said.

“No, thank you.”

“All right. Do you have a way to get home?” Broderick asked.

“We took a Lyft,” Holly said.

“I can drive you home after dinner,” Broderick offered.

“Sounds great!” Holly beamed. Raina reluctantly agreed.

Chapter 3

“Why are you up so late, Aunt Char?” Raina asked when she returned from dinner.

“It’s a staff development day tomorrow, and I figured you’d want to talk.”

Raina had lived with her aunt since she was thirteen. Charlotte had married her high school sweetheart and had wanted lots of children. That dream was cut short when Charles MacNeil died of a brain aneurysm at age twenty-six.

Charlotte referred to her marriage as the best eight years of her life. She never remarried, claiming Charles was her soulmate. Instead, she poured her love into Raina and her elementary students.

“Thanks. I do wanna talk,” Raina confessed. “Where are you going?”

“It’s a chocolate night, I think,” Char answered.

“I’ll help.”

Armed with bowls of chocolate ice cream under chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles and a side of chocolate milk, the women returned to the living room.

“I didn’t like the way that expletive cross-examined you,” Char said. Working in an elementary school setting, she learned to be creative with her vocabulary.

“Yeah, she totally twisted everything I was trying to say,” Raina agreed.

“What’d the prosecutor say?” Char asked, as she brought a mound of ice cream to her mouth and took off the top layer.

Raina rolled her eyes. “I dunno.” She shrugged and took a drink of milk. “He says he believes me but I don’t think he does. I mean, he summed up my testimony as ‘damaging’. But the defense attorney already knew Holly’s nickname. I dunno,” she repeated and ate another bite. “He’s not even gonna put Holly on the stand now.”

Char gave her time, knowing there was more to the story and not wanting to push.

“Holly’s so... ugh!” Raina shook her head.

“I thought she didn’t testify?”

“No, but Broderick took us to dinner after, and she didn’t stop touching him. And he encouraged her!”

“Well, he is very cute.”

“Auntie Char!”

“I’m just sayin’,” she shrugged.

“Okay. But like, he’s in his thirties.”

“Are you jealous?” Char teased.

“Eww.” Raina shuddered, indicating the thirteen-year gap was gross.

Char laughed. “So what’s the upshot?”

“Broderick wants to plea bargain.”

“Why?”

“Because he said that whatever the truth is, the jury’s perception is all that matters. He said the sentence will be severe, and Grayson will plead because it could be worse. So, he’d get, like, five years in prison or whatever.”

“Okay. That seems reasonable.”

“I guess.”

“What else is bothering you?”

Raina swung her spoon in the air. “The cop with Broderick. There’s somethin’ about him. I don’t like him.”

“He’s the one who brought you to me after--”

“That was Eddie Garmond, the creeper who took Mom’s side?!”

Char nodded. Raina rolled her eyes and dug deeper into her bowl of ice cream. “I wonder if he told Broderick and that’s why neither of them believe me.”

“There wouldn’t be a prosecution if no one believed you, honey.”

“Uh-huh. Good thing Holly’s with me or there probably wouldn’t be!”

“Who’d Broderick drop off first, dear?”

“Me. Why?”

“Just wondering,” Char said, shaking her head.

* * * *

Six months later, Char’s concern was validated.

In Raina’s circle, it was well-known that Broderick and Holly were engaged in more than attorney/client relations. In fact, Holly displayed their Vegas trip on Snapchat and Instagram. What happened in Vegas didn’t stay there.

Raina concentrated on her studies to be a teacher. She found it difficult to walk past certain areas, even if Grayson was behind bars. Plus, she had a civil case against him. Her lawyers said the plea agreement would help their case tremendously.

Her world came crashing down again, however, toward the end of Spring 2005. An assistant attorney general for the state came to her dorm for a disturbing conversation. After which, Raina leapt into her car and drove straight home.

She pulled into the driveway as Char pulled into the garage. “What’s the matter, dear?” she asked, rushing to her niece’s side.

Raina burst into tears as she hugged her mother figure.

“Let’s go inside,” Char guided.

Raina looked around. The ranch home had been her safe haven for seven years. The brick exterior was duplicated around the fireplace, and the picture windows overlooked Priebe Lake. The waves that had calmed her in the past seemed to tease her.

She shifted her gaze to the photos on the mantle. She and her mother, Cheri, taken at a Sears photo studio when Raina was three. Both smiled broadly but Raina thought Cheri’s was probably directed at the photographer.

Why does she still have that out in the open?! Raina wondered.

The center picture was Char and Charles’ wedding day. And the one to the right was Charlotte squeezing Raina at her high school graduation.

“I’m glad you had Uncle Charles.”

“Raina. What happened?” Char ignored her comment.

“He’s out.”

“Who’s out of what?”

Raina burst into more tears as her whole body shook. “Grayson,” she said between sobs.

“Grayson’s in prison, honey.”

“He was in prison. But, thanks to Holly and Broderick, he’s out. Free. Like nothin’ ever happened.”

“Raina. We were at his sentencing. The judge went beyond the plea agreement and locked him up for six years. It hasn’t even been one yet. Is that why? The judge didn’t have the authority to do what he did?”

“No. It’s because Holly started fucking Broderick while the case was still going on.”

“What’s that gotta do with Grayson?”

“Something about how it was unethical and makes his agreement moot or he gets to withdraw it or something. I’m not really sure but the attorney general came to my dorm room.”

“The attorney general? Why?”

“I dunno. An assistant or something. She told me that everyone knows because, well, you know, her social media.”

“The attorney general? Why?”

“No, Holly. So everyone knows about the relationship. So Grayson gets to withdraw his plea, which he obviously did, and they offered him another one, which was for a reduced crime and reduced sentence, which he’s already served. Like, when he was first arrested. So he’s free and on probation.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Apparently that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that what he did to me was unethical and immoral. The only thing that matters, apparently, is what Holly and Broderick did. Their unethical and immoral--behavior or whatever--make it so that Grayson is free.”

“Oh, honey...”

Raina’s tears turned venomous. “So I called my attorneys on the way home. They said the new arrangement is gonna affect the civil case. And in light of everything, I’m gonna hafta pay the expenses they’ve incurred so far, even though they said they’d take it out of the settlement. Because they don’t think we’re gonna get a settlement or it’s gonna be a lot less or something. But with all the depositions, transcripts, interviews and stuff, it’s already over fifty thousand dollars. And that doesn’t include their time. And it’s gonna be at least double that to even get to a settlement. I can barely afford college, Aunt Char!”

Even though Charlotte lived comfortably, she wasn’t flush.

“Expletive! Do you have a plan?” Char asked quietly.

“I’ve been trying to think of one,” Raina sighed heavily. “I... I don’t think I can go back to campus, even if he’s not there. I can’t pretend like nothing happened. I think I’m gonna hafta drop out.”

“No! Raina, you cannot do that! You’re so close to graduation, and a career after that.”

“A career that doesn’t pay much. You know that, Aunt Char. At this point, I don’t even think I can be around kids, anyway. I don’t think I can trust anyone.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Like, ever again.”

Chapter 4

Lenore Jackson, or Lennie, had lived across the hall in Raina’s dorm. Their relationship had been superficial; a few shared meals and greetings when they walked past each other. Things changed after the trial.

Distraught, frightened and in disbelief, Raina couldn’t control her tears one night at dinner. She unleashed the horrors of January 23, 2004, the attack, and subsequent betrayal by Holly and Broderick. Lennie was a good listener, and had placed her hand over Raina’s in comfort.

“I’m gonna go to law school for jis this thing, Rain.”

“Oh, I don’t... I mean, you shouldn’t change your life just because of what happened to me, Lenore. And my name’s Raina. Rain is what happens when the world cries.”

Lenore burst into laughter. “Girl, please. Ain’t no one’s plight gonna change me. I been plannin’ on bein’ a lawyer since I got placed in foster care at the age of six. Because someone’s gotta look out for those who can’t look after themselves.”

“Oh, sorry,” Raina mumbled, embarrassed.

“And what’re you gonna be, a poet or somethin’? World’s cryin’, all right. Shit,” she laughed again. “Seriously, though, I thought your name was Rain. I’m still gonna call you Rain ‘cause it’ll be our thing,” she laughed again. “And I go by Lennie.”

“Well, then I’ll--”

“Don’t you dare say you’re gonna call me Lenore.”

Raina smiled. “All right. I was gonna say that I’ll have to get used to answering to Rain.”

“Shit, girl. Really?” she grinned.

“Uh-uh,” Raina shook her head, “but I couldn’t tell you that you were right!”

Both girls giggled, and their friendship was sealed.

“I can’t help with the legal shit you got goin’ on but I sure as shit can help with the money situation.”

“Oh, no, I’ve already got loans up my expletive. I couldn’t take money from you.”

“Up your what?”

Raina giggled. “My expletive.”

“That’s what I thought you said.” Lennie frowned. “You don’t swear?”

“It’s from my aunt. She could embarrass a sailor but she’s an elementary school teacher. So to prevent herself from slipping in front of sensitive ears, she swapped swear words for ‘expletive’ years ago.”

“That’s kinda funny. Anyway, I don’t loan money to nobody. I was talkin’ about gettin’ you a job. A fuckin’ lucrative one.”

“Where?”

“Bada Boom!”

“The strip club?”

“We like to refer to it as a gentlemen’s club, but yeah.”

“So ‘fuckin’ lucrative’ was literal?”

“No, it’s illegal to fuck for money, Rain. I’ve gotta work in about an hour. Come with me, and I’ll show you.”

* * * *

Lennie knocked on Raina’s door twenty-five minutes later dressed in silver. The shiny, tight dress gleamed against her dark brown skin. Her makeup had flashes of silver, highlighting her best features. Her eyelashes were silver, and she had several well-placed silver gems that sparkled in the light.

Her stage name was Silver.

“Oh, wow,” Raina said as she opened her door.

“You like?” Lennie asked as she spun around.

“You look good in it. But it’s just not something I can do.”

“What, take your clothes off? You do it every day, girl.”

“Was that a joke?”

“Yep. You’ll come to learn that I’m fuckin’ hilarious.”

The girls talked on the way to Silver’s car and Bada Boom! “The money’s in stripping, straight up,” Lennie explained. “But you can also be a server. Once the guys get drunk, the tips get bigger. They’ll try to pay you the way they pay us--in your clothes--but, trust me, it’s worth it.”

Raina grunted.

“You’re gonna need a stage name, Rain.”

“But I’m not goin’ on stage.”

“Yeah, but you don’t want people knowin’ how they can contact you.”

“Oh.”

“When you’re in there, you’re not you.”

“Huh?”

“Girl, you’re their wildest fantasy. Even if you’re keeping your clothes on, you gotta make ‘em believe that you’ll fulfill their every desire.”

“I thought I’m just serving drinks?”

“You want tips, don’cha?”

“How far are you saying I gotta go, Lennie?” Raina was worried.

“The law says you can’t do anything. No sex, no kissing, no touching of private parts. That’s the law.”

“Uh-huh, and what’s the practice?”

“By law, I gotta tell you that’s the practice.”

“That’s what I thought. I think this was a bad idea. I can grab a cab home.”

“Rain, you’re not hearin’ me. You don’t gotta do none of that. But you do gotta pretend like you would. You feel me?”

“By law, I can’t, right?”

“You can’t what?”

“Feel you,” Raina grinned.

“Girl, shit,” Lennie rolled her eyes but smiled. “What’s your stage name gonna be?”

“Well, can’t I just be Raina, like Cher? Drop my last name?”

“No, you can’t use your real name.”

Raina thought. “Oh, got it! I’ll be Meryl.”

“What?”

“Meryl Streep’s my favorite actress.”

“Girl, you gotta be provocative-soundin’.”

“How ‘bout Bette? You know, Bette Davis’ eyes were provocative.”

“I don’t even know who that is, girl, but no. Somethin’ sultry. You know, I’m Silver, and I wear only silver. It’s my thing. How about Tiffany or Barbie or Candy?”

Raina scrunched her face.

“Blaze, Sunshine, Venus?”

“Hmm.” Raina’s left eyelid spasmed and closed halfway. “How about Storm? You know, like I’m a rainstorm,” Raina smiled.

“Storm it is. Now you gotta remember to answer to Storm... and sugar and baby and honey.”

Working as a server in a strip club wasn’t her dream job but she needed to pay the lawyers. Plus, she was depressed, and Lennie’s positivity was infectious. Fast, easy money seemed more like a miracle than a bad idea.

“If it gives me the tips you say, I’ll answer to anything,” Raina said.

“Thatta girl!”

* * * *

The business sign was a woman wrapped around a pole with Bada Boom! across her tits. It flashed neon which was barely visible in the sunlight. The building looked more like a warehouse than a place of ill repute.

Raina’s heart rate increased as they parked in back and entered through the employees’ door. The hallway could’ve been an elementary school, Raina thought. It was narrow with white walls and grey, industrial carpet. Plus, it was clean.

Lennie walked into Barry Drucker’s office. He sat hunched over his desk and peered at photographs through a magnifying loupe; his glasses on his head. He flirted with being obese and was on the verge of going bald. His white shirt sleeves were undone at the cuffs and rolled halfway up his forearms. There was a ruby class ring on the pinky finger of his right hand, and a wedding band crushed the ring finger of his left.

“I got someone for ya, Barry,” Lennie interrupted.

“Yeah?” Barry set the loupe aside and brought his glasses down to size up the new recruit.

“What’s your name, honey?”

“Raina Basil.”

“No, your name-name.”

Raina looked at Lennie, who mouthed, Storm. “Oh. Um, Storm, sir.”

“Like you’re gonna make everything wet?” Barry laughed at his own joke until he coughed.

“She’s only here as a server, Bear,” Lennie warned.

“A server?” Barry rolled his eyes as he took a hankie from his back pocket to wipe his mouth.

“Trust me. She’s gonna be great. I already told her everything.”

“Friend of yours?”

“We go to college together.”

“Yeah?” He turned to Raina. “You gonna be a lawyer, too, sugar?”

“No, I want to teach little kids,” Raina answered.

Barry nodded. “C’mere,” he said. “Tell me which is the best.” He pointed to the photographs on his desk.

Lennie scanned the sheet of thumbnails before using the loupe. Then she handed it to Raina.

“What am I looking for?” Raina asked.

“Whatever you want,” Barry said.

All of the pictures showed a model holding a pink teddy bear in front of her naked body. At closer examination, the bear was facing her, between her legs. Raina wouldn’t let Barry know how embarrassed she was, despite her blush.

“Umm...” she looked from Lennie to Barry as she stood up and set the loupe down. “I’d say the third one in from the left on the top.”

“That’s what I’d go with, too!” Lennie exclaimed.

“Tell me why,” Barry pressed.

“Um, because she looks the most relaxed. Like, um, normal, natural,” Raina said.

“That’s very good,” Barry said.

“Thank you.”

“She workin’ your shift with ya, Len?”

“If you can take her.”

“Just so happens that Tiffany’s not comin’ in. I was gonna have Powder Puff do double duty as server but now she can work the back room, and Storm, here, can fill in.”

* * * *

Lennie took Raina to the uniform section of the wardrobe room. “Pick your color.”

“Black fits with Storm, right?”

“I keep tellin’ him to get rid of black. When the show’s goin’, the house lights are black. You’ll get washed out. Pick a color.”

“Red’s kinda cliché. How about yellow to juxtapose sunshine and storminess?”

“You better knock off the C-note words, girl. You’re the ultimate fantasy, remember?”

“Oh. Right.”

“Yellow’s perfect. Get your size. We gotta go.”

The uniform was a glorified bikini. A mere shelf, the strapless top lifted boobs and threatened to toss them overboard. The bottom highlighted the lower portion of the booty. It was satin and looked wet when the lights hit it.

Lennie was the headliner so she introduced Raina to the bartender and bouncers. There was just enough time to do a dry run of the layout before the first customers came in.

“I gotta head in the back. You’ll see me on stage. I’ll keep an eye out. You’ll do fine.”

Lennie never rushed, so she didn’t run. But anyone monitoring her gait knew she was a half a step ahead.

No sooner had Lennie left than Britney got in Raina’s space. “You the new chick?” Without waiting for a response, she continued. “I’m Britney. Anything on that half of the room is mine. The half with the bar is yours.”

“Great, thanks! And nice to meet you!”

Raina thought it was a benefit to have the bar side. But she learned it contained less tables. Plus, she didn’t have to walk as far to serve the drinks, which meant a lot of down time.

Raina watched Britney sway her ass as she sauntered to the bar and back, seducing the entire room of customers. Raina studied the men.

After getting used to being called Storm, honey, sugarlips, lover, and the shock of the first slap of her ass, Raina settled into her role as flirtess. The yellow high heels made her feet burn, and she was grateful she was close to the bar.

After the shift, the girls met in the dressing room. “Barry doesn’t care what shoes you wear as long as they’re heels. So make sure to get your own before your next shift,” Lennie told Raina while she removed her makeup. “But hey, girl, you got your first shift down, and you looked great, from what I could see.”

“Thanks,” Raina smiled.

As they reached the exit, Lennie nodded to a bouncer and said to Raina, “Make sure you don’t leave here without one of these guys.”

“Okay?” Raina shrugged.

“They make sure you make it to your car alone, if y’know what I mean.”

“Oh.”

When they got in the car, Lennie asked, “So what’d ya think?”

“I think I made almost two hundred bucks in one night!”

“Yeah, they love givin’ the newbs extra love. Don’t worry if the tips go down a bit next week.”

“Oh, okay. Still, it’s good money.”

“I told ya, girl.”

“What do you do all night if you’re only on stage at the end?” Raina asked.

“I’ll tell ya when you’re ready,” Lennie smiled.

Chapter 5

Raina adjusted to her new life at Bada Boom! The hard part was telling Charlotte.

Raina waited until the end of the semester, when she moved back home, to reveal everything. To assist, she brought her aunt an ice cream sundae from their favorite place, Dairy Deluxe.

“Ooh, I get my favorite niece back and a sundae,” Charlotte mused as she hugged Raina. “Shall we eat on the patio?”

“Sounds good,” Raina said.

The two walked to the back of the house, which overlooked Priebe Lake in White Bear Lake, a suburb of St. Paul. Raina appraised the house, as if seeing it for the first time. It was a blue, tri-level on Riviera Street. She knew her aunt and uncle had splurged when they got it, but the lake was worth it.

It only had three bedrooms, and Charlotte used to say they’d need six bunk beds for all their kids. Raina turned out to be her only child, though, and the house was filled with her childhood accolades. How could she tell her aunt that she had dropped out of college?

“I need to talk to you,” Raina said as they sat in the white wicker chairs.

“I know you do.”

“You do?”

“Yes. You have that look about you.”

Raina absent-mindedly pushed her left eyebrow up, which stopped it from spasming.

“And you brought my favorite treat. You’ve got something serious on your mind, honey.” Char set her banana split on the glass table. “Okay. I’m ready to listen.”

“Don’t stop eating. It’ll help.”

“So it was a bribe,” Char laughed and took another bite.

“Not really a bribe so much as a buffer.” Raina took a bite of her hot fudge brownie sundae and looked across the lake. “This, right here, is my safe haven. My whole life, I’ve come here and have been calmed by this lake.”

Charlotte reflected as she gazed at the water. She knew it was best to allow Raina to speak in her own time.

“You know I’m not going forward with the case against Grayson.”

“Yes, but the attorneys think the case is still viable.”

“But to a lesser degree. And now I have to pay as we go. And you know all that. Bottom line is I owe an expletive amount to them, and, no offense, but I’m not gonna earn it as a teacher.”

“And you’re going to do what instead?”

“That’s the thing, Auntie Char. I’m not gonna do anything else.”

“I think this ice cream has clogged my hearing. Can you repeat that?”

“No, I mean, I’m not gonna get a different degree but I am gonna to do something else.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you’re going to drop out of college, Raina?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“And what manner would that be?”

“The past tense.”

“As in, you’ve already dropped out?” When Raina nodded, Char said, “Oh, Raina.”

They watched the little girl across the lake take a late-afternoon swim with her dad. She laughed and splashed, and he cried out in fake fright.

“Well,” Char sighed, “you were raised to be an independent thinker, Raina. But I also tried to instill the value of a good education.”

“Aunt Char, please don’t think this is your fault. It’s no one’s fault, really... except Grayson’s. But I’ve come to accept that my life is going to be very different from what I imagined.”

“It doesn’t have to be, sweetie. I told you I’d find a way to help you--”

“No, Aunt Char. It’s not about the money. I told you I can’t walk the same paths on campus anymore. It was difficult even finishing the semester.”

“I thought you said you already dropped out?”

“I meant living there.”

“Oh.”

“I got a job.”

“Okay,” Charlotte said cautiously.

“Hear me out before you judge me.” Charlotte nodded. Raina took a deep breath and blew it toward the water. “It’s at Bada Boom! but I’m not stripping,” Raina sped.

“I’ve often wondered what goes on in a place like that.”

Raina frowned. “That’s your reaction?”

“No, I have others, but that’s the safest one.”

Raina talked about Lennie, first impressions, and what the job entailed. Charlotte listened and nodded.

“This went a lot easier than I imagined.”

“Your aunt’s a hip woman.”

“Yeah,” Raina smiled. “Have you really wondered about places like that?”

“Yes,” Charlotte admitted. “But I always thought it’d be something I’d never know,” she added.

“It’s not a brothel, y’know.”

“I don’t know anything about it, I guess, except what’s in movies and the news.”

“Well, it’s against the law to have sex. And the only touching is when the men put money into the dancers’ clothing. Oh, well, and lap dances. But that’s only the girl sitting on the guy. He has to have his hands on the seat at all times, and they’re fully clothed.”

“Lap dances,” Charlotte began. “Do you give lap dances?”

“No. So like, I didn’t until a few weeks ago.”

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