short story

Tracey Thomas
Copyright© 2006 November 28th
All Rights Reserved

Short Story

Lap Dancing

Chingmord, a quiet East End town. Not a particularly nice town really. There seemed to be some incest problem going on. So many people looked the same as you walked up and down the high street. It was scary beyond belief.

The mousy look. That was the term given to this look. There was this group of friends who had just moved to Chingmord and had soon regretted doing so.

AJ was one of them. A beautiful dark haired girl of nineteen. She certainly didn't come from this out of place town. AJ’s parents came from Cyprus. She was born in the UK, but had the beauty and elegance of being from Cyprus. Chingmord was the first job she could get. Working at the local supermarket was just a way to keep her strict father happy. If daddy knew what his daughter did at night he would probably kill her.

AJ enjoyed dancing. She was a true all round dancer. Against her father’s wishes her mother had sent her to dance classes when she was just five years old. Before going to classes she was always dancing to any music coming on the radio. Her brothers would take the micky out of her, but this had never put anything in her way. Her father would frown as she pranced in front of him as he sat reading the Cyprus newspapers each day. He could see a woman in her that he didn't really want his daughter to be. He saw beauty that could get her attention that he didn't want her to have. He wanted his daughter to stay innocent, but as he sat there watching her little moves he knew that innocence would soon disappear.
“Oh George! Stop staring at her. You’ll put her off.” Tilda told her fat husband as she saw his distasteful expression upon his red-coloured face.
“What woman? How can I not look? She’s dancing right in front of my eyes.” He chuckled as he tried to suppress his fear.
“Look daddy! Don't I look pretty in my pink dress? Joseph said I looked sexy.” AJ blurted out not realizing what trouble this would cause. Joseph was her eldest brother of eighteen and he should have known better. Well, George was certainly going to show him the error of his ways. There was nothing that Tilda could do but sit and wait it out. Once George had a rage on she knew better than to interfere or she would feel the strength of his fist, not that he needed any excuse to use his fists on her. He was a very violent man and would punch anyone or anything that got in his way.
“Come AJ.” Tilda coaxed her tiny beautiful daughter into her opened arms, but AJ just started crying and calling her dad in her sweet voice.
“Go to your mother NOW! Get out of my sight!” He shouted at her making her shudder. Tilda reached out and grabbed her before her bully of her husband pushed passed and knocked her little frame over.

AJ still had nightmares to this day about that day fourteen years ago. Bad nightmares about seeing her brother being kicked and punched by her father. None of the family had recovered from that incident. Joseph nearly choked on his own blood that night. George had kicked his son’s teeth in and had left him lying telling everyone else that if they dared called an ambulance they would get the same treatment as Joseph had just had.

At nineteen, she still couldn't sleep with the bedroom door shut or with the light off. Unless, of course she was with a boyfriend and even then she would try to keep the light on. This didn't encouraged men to stay with her. They thought her a freak, not to mention that they couldn't sleep after sex. Now, as she was walking to her dance class she tried desperately to shut out the images of her father. He had mellowed over the years with the boys of the family, but his attention had turned to her ever since she had moved out of the family home. Six months ago she had managed to escape. He had finally agreed for her to go and she couldn't get out quick enough.

Her boyfriend at the time managed to convince her father that they had planned to marry as soon as they had saved the money to do so. This is what they had told him anyway, both knew they had no intention to stay together let alone marry.

That was six months ago. They had split up a week later, but George still believed she was still with Terrance.
“He’s going to kill you once he finds out you’re not with him.” Joseph told his kid sister as he walked her to her dance class.
“So what’s new?” AJ smiled in spite of her fear of it all.
“Is that all you can say? You’ll be in so much trouble when he does find out about all this, let alone the fact that you’re not with Terrance. What do you plan to do A? You can keep putting lies on him. I don't know how you have managed this far.” Joseph seemed to getting wound up as he continued talking.
“Look, I’ve got to go now, pick me up in two hours.” She didn't allow him to reply and just kissed him on the cheek rushing off to her class. He stood there watching her disappear through the big brown doors.


That night Joseph didn't go back and pick AJ up. She waited and waited in the freezing cold all alone. She had to get a cab to her flat. To say she was scared waiting there for nearly an hour in the dark was an understatement. Joseph would never let her down. He had become very protective of her over the years and she had always adored him. Family issues had brought them together.

AJ had just passed her first six week introductory course in lap dancing and tomorrow night she was going for an interview that her dance teacher had arranged for her. Lizzy had promised AJ that she would definitely get it because she knew the guy that ran the club. Eric wasn't a seedy guy. At fifty years old he knew the game. He looked after his girls. Never laid a hand on any of them, although he couldn't deny he wouldn't have minded doing so. He wasn't like that though. There was too much danger in the world without him adding to it

His club did look extremely seedy though. Being boarded up with a black door for an entrance with gold lettering it looked the seediest place on the planet and at night the place would come alive with burning activity. AJ had often wondered what went on in that place, but would never ask anyone. Working in the supermarket opposite the place she would daydream when she wasn't busy serving people. She worked on the till mostly and most days she had the till that looked out over at the boarded-up seedy place. Never in a million years would she have thought that she could be going in there to work.

And she badly wanted to tell Joseph the good news. How he would have taken the news would have been another matter. Sometimes she could tell him everything and then there would be times that he would act just like their father but without the violence.

“Where to love?” The cab driver squealed his cab right up close to where she stood making her jump back in panic.
“Hey! Be careful!” She didn't mean to snap, but she was freezing cold and very disappointed in her brother for letting her down.
“SORRY!” The cabby said sarcastically. “Do you want a ride or not?”
“Huh?” She asked not registering him for a few seconds. “Yes! I’m freezing, my brother was supposed to pick me up after class.” She didn't know why she could be telling him this.
“OK then, get in. You should wear more clothes on nights like this. You’ll die your death in this. What are you studying?” The cabby couldn't stop imaging what he would love to do to this half-dressed girl in the back of his warm cab. She was gorgeous and AJ could tell he felt like this so she chose her words wisely to describe what she was studying.
“I’m studying dance. That’s why I’m dressed as I am.” Whoops! Had she said too much?
“Cool, a dancer. Never met a dancer. Been doing it long?” He asked hoping she would elaborate.
“All my walking life.” She could see his eyes in the rear view mirror working over her bare legs. She tried her best to suppress the excitement that she was feeling.
“So what dance are you learning at present?” He tried to appear that he knew what he was talking about, but AJ wasn't fooled, she played along with his game.
“I’ve just finished a course and I have an interview to go to tomorrow night.” There, that wouldn't give too much away would it? Of course it would and she loved the smile it brought to his handsome face.
“Well done! Hope you get the job. Need a lift to the interview tomorrow night?” He offered, hoping he would see her in her best clothes again.
“I would say yes, but the club is only in Chingmord which is only a bus ride away, but I am hoping my brother will come along to support me.” She felt disappointment rushed over her. He seemed a nice guy, this cab driver and he turned her on. This situation was having an effect on her.
“Close to your brother then?” He was genuinely getting quite interested in her now.
“Yes, quite close. He has had a very rough life with my father.” AJ explained with a soft sad tone of voice.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That’s tough. Have you yourself had it good though?” The cabby couldn't stop himself from prying now and he tried desperately to stop himself.
“No, afraid not. I managed to move out just six months ago by saying I’ll be marrying this guy at the time. We’re no longer together and my father doesn’t know this yet.” Just the thought of this made AJ smile nervously and she fidgeted in her seat making her short skirt rise higher than it was suppose to. Whether she was aware of this fact the cabby didn't know, but silence fell upon them as the cab sped along the dark streets.

The journey seemed to be taking forever, but somehow AJ didn't mind. She leaned her head back on the back rest and forced her hips to move forward. Making no move to pull the flimsy skirt down the cabby could see much more than he was supposed to. It was obvious by this that she had to be some sort of show girl and it made him feel sad. She was so beautiful and charming. But what did he know about her life. Perhaps she had no choice.

They arrived at her address fifteen minutes later to find several people seeming to be having a row or something. AJ woke up and purposely made herself decent again which meant she had every intention to show herself off to the driver. This made him feel flattered and very frustrated and sad all at the same time. He couldn't deny he was as hard as a nail down below. He just wish he could ask her out for a meal and no sooner as the thought had entered his head than the words came tumbling out.
“Look, I haven't done this before, but I’m asking you out for a meal. I’ll be honest, I’m married.” They were outside her house now with all kinds were going on which AJ was watching with dread.
“Drive round the block and I’ll give you my details. This here, doesn’t look good. My father is there.” AJ slouched down in the cab hiding from view.
“I’ll turn the meter off. This journey is free, OK?” With that he sped the cab off.

AJ didn't go home that night. She stayed with the cabby. He had clocked off for the night and they drove round the streets of the west end. He took her for that meal sooner than he thought he would. She enjoyed Indian food and so did he. They chatted the whole night rubbing legs under the table cloth. He had never cheated on his wife, but he was afraid he was just about to even though this girl was young enough to be his daughter. A daughter he never had, but he was drawn to her and he was aware that he didn't want this to be just a one night stand.
She didn't really know what love was all about. All that she knew was her body was reacting each time he looked at her the way he did.

In the back of his cab at one o’clock in the morning she allowed herself to be taken in any way he wanted to take her. She was his little girl and she wanted to behave all sweet and innocent and he loved it.

They made love and fondled each other until the sun came up.