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(...Continued from the previous reply)
~~~
At 1:45 am, Tony and Gina exited the lounge. Gina lit up the parking lot with a stunning, strapless green dress that hugged her features snugly.
Tony looked uncomfortable in a black, casual dinner suit. “I didn’t know we were going to the prom.”
Gina blew him a kiss. She pulled the front of the dress up. “This is why men have no business picking clothes for woman. I can barely breathe in this thing.”
“You look very… elegant?” Tony suggested.
Gina spit a piece of gum out into the parking lot.
“Okay, scratch that.”
Malcolm met them and offered to drive them both in his Mercedes. He wanted to discuss the details with Gina along the way.
Tony and Gina made other arrangements. It was agreed that he’d follow them in his Camaro just in case they needed to leave prematurely.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you,” Tony reassured her.
She nodded and got into Hathaway’s car.
~~~
“So where are we going?” The drive in the stranger’s Mercedes was making her nervous.
“I own a beach house fifteen minutes from here,” Malcolm said. “Dinner will be waiting for us when we get there, followed by a party on the beach. That’s where you come in. I’ll be giving a bit of a performance of my own, and you will dance to augment my narration. Can you improvise?”
“I’ve been doing that my whole life.”
“Very good. Based on what I’ve seen of your work, this will be easy for you.”
“Anything specific in mind? It’s your dime, after all.”
Malcolm turned to her and said, “I want the one you call, Fire. She will be perfect for what I have in mind.”
Of course.
After a long moment of silence, Gina said, “Okay, here come the questions: What’s so special about tonight that can’t wait for a more reasonable hour and what’s this performance you have planned?”
“Think of it as a late-night theater event. As you are well aware of your employer’s taste for the dramatic arts, I too look for similar talented individuals such as yourself to… how shall I put it… capture the crowd. May I ask you a personal question, Gina?”
She laughed. “Well, Malcolm, if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that, I’d be a rich girl by now.”
Malcolm quickly caught on. “Is that because you are very personable, or is it because some confuse sexuality for intimacy?”
Gina raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Spot on, Malcolm. You read between the lines fairly well.”
“I try to listen. Please continue. I’m… intrigued by your profession, and I mean that respectfully from an intellectual point of view—nudity aside. What’s it really like, Gina?”
“Well… I’ve seen them all in my line of work. Men from all walks of life come in and treat the fantasy as an invite to remove their masks, allowing them forbidden freedoms not found in the nine-to-five world. That’s how the scam works. They pay for the illusion of not only seeing what they desire acted out, but of being desirable as well. It puts them at ease. They see what they want to see from my performances, but they don’t see me. They come in, watch me dance, watch me take off all of my clothes and fall into the cleverly crafted illusion that the business provides. Men come up to me after a show and want to buy me drinks—want to get to know me. They think they’ve paid for that right by seeing me naked and that we’re instant friends. Frankly, it’s insulting. Even illusions have boundaries… and that’s usually when the line’s been crossed.”
“I see,” Malcolm said. “I’m sure you’ve had advances as well.”
“Plenty of those, but that’s to be expected. Let’s see… hand-jobs, blow-jobs, twosomes, threesomes, those who want me to masturbate and those who want me to watch them masturbate, whips, chains, pain, and my all-time favorite: shooting projectiles out my va-jay-jay.”
“Can you do that?” Malcolm asked teasingly.
“Can you?” she fired back. “Seriously, the ones that really get under my skin are the ones who want to know me. I can deal with the rude ones—it’s clear what they expect. But the ones who want the real me, get under my skin. Like, it’s not bad enough that they sat there and paid to watch me get naked, something they would never do with anyone they really cared about, but then they have the audacity to assume that I’m fine with it, and that it’s okay to get personal after that. Know what I mean?”
“Yes, I believe I do.”
Gina felt foolish babbling on to a complete stranger. “Sorry about that,” she said. “I guess I had that building up for a while.”
“No problem. That was very enlightening. Thank you.”
“So go ahead and ask your question and I’ll decide if it’s too personal or not.”
Malcolm laughed. “You’ve already answered my question… and then some.”
Gina, feeling guarded, asked, “And just what question was that?”
“I understand the nature of masks all too well,” Malcolm said. “In fact, tonight is all about removing those masks without creating an illusion to hide within. Tonight’s about removing the illusion entirely, which is the mask itself, and finding real freedom.”
Gina had no response to that. “So why don’t you spell it out for me, Malcolm. What am I getting myself into here?”
Malcolm turned, opened his mouth to answer, and then said, “Oh, I’m sorry. It looks like we’ve arrived. The rest will have to wait for dinner.”
“What convenient timing.”
Malcolm sighed. “Honestly, tonight will be better understood through the experience rather than attempting to convey it through inadequate words. It’s all harmless, I assure you. But if I’ve made you uncomfortable in any way, you’re more than welcome to terminate our arrangement and leave with your friend. I’ll be disappointed, but the show will still go on. Of course, the ten thousand dollars in my trunk will remain with me.”
“Let’s just get to it.” Gina felt the carrot being dangled over her head. “We’re already here and I’m starving.”
Malcolm gave her a wicked little smile.
He turned off the main road and onto a private drive that ran parallel with Lake Erie. Low sand dunes sprouting vegetation were scattered on both sides of the small, gravel road, which curved inland toward a modern, two-story home built on stilts. Solar panels dominated the irregular, slanted roof that faced the lake. With the exception of minimal lighting from within the house, the brightest lights were coming from torches surrounding a large glassed-in deck, overlooking the beach.
Gina was feeling more and more uneasy. Malcolm Hathaway had done a terrific job of only telling her what she needed to know, while politely dodging everything else. She looked back several times to make sure the Camaro was still following. Thankfully, Tony was still there.
As they approached the front of the beach house, Gina observed several expensive cars scattered across a large driveway.
Malcolm selected a spot at random and Tony pulled in next to him.
Gina exited the vehicle and covered her bare shoulders with a green shawl that Malcolm provided.
The air was cool on the skin, but not unpleasant for early October. Storm clouds gathered in the south and promised winds off the lake, and a chill by dawn. But for now, the humidity made it feel much warmer.
The night was deceptively still. Gina could hear waves breaking on the beach below the beach house, masking an uneasy silence. The full moon, slowly approaching its zenith, dispelled the darkness of the surrounding dunes, leaving a soft afterglow on sand and shadow.
Malcolm opened the trunk of the Mercedes, reached into a large leather satchel and handed Gina two bundles of hundred-dollar bills. “Ten thousand dollars, as agreed upon.” Malcolm quickly closed the trunk.
Gina stared at the two stacks in her hands. She was tempted to check the bills for blood stains. So this is what dirty money feels like. She almost inquired about the large bag of cash, but reconsidered, wanting to know as little as possible. Gina handed Tony the cash and he placed it in the glove box of his Camaro.
“Now that your services are paid-in-full, I hope the both of you can relax and enjoy the festivities.” Malcolm escorted them toward the house. “I must warn you, my friends can be a bit eccentric and down-right obnoxious at times. I apologize in advance for their behavior.”
“Unlike the atmosphere we’re used to at Herpies,” Tony cracked. “Nothing but quality family entertainment there.”
Gina elbowed him and whispered, “Behave yourself, Tony, or I’ll tell the boss what you called his dear love-child. And wipe that sarcasm off your chin, you’re starting to embarrass me.”
“Yes, dear.”
When they reached the front door, Marcus turned and observed the full moon. He glanced at his watch: 2:05 am. “Plenty of time,” he said cheerfully.
He led his guests inside.
~~~
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