Page 19 of H E R
“Idid. The bastard said he already knew that. He asked her himself on the way in. He likes ‘em young, Mels. What am I supposed to do?”
My body freezes; I’ve heard too much. Mayor Carlton has pedophilic desires and pays a great deal to keep it a secret. Here I thought him sick to enjoy girls half his age strip. No, it’s way younger that hits his sickening funny bone. And I get to catch the perv—it’s my lucky day. I watch Melanie’s face fall and she reaches for the bar as if to stabilize herself.
Robert looks to the ground and then recovers. “Don’t make him wait.”
I serve the already drunk guys their fruity requests, shove the tips into my apron, and sneak underneath the bar. If I’m to do this, I mustn’t be seen heading in that direction.
The left-wing is a fairly large chamber with a burgundy red, plush rug, deep purple walls with gold piping, and there’s a single white and very long U-shaped couch with round cherry wood end tables on each side. An extraordinary chandelier hangs from the center of the room, its light a dim, omniscient shade that makes the room look more like a womb. Directly across from the couch is a small stage with two dance poles. Behind that are layers of wine-colored satin curtains separating a hidden corridor from the entire room.
I find refuge behind the curtains and crouch near the edge, my camera in position. Bridget isn’t here yet, and Mayor Carlton is angrier than a rattled bee. The bastard positioned himself right in the center of the couch, a glass in hand with what seems to be brandy served with a few cubes of ice. Three security guards, no doubt his, linger behind him, each standing with their hands folded in front of them.
“I’ve been waiting for half an hour! What’s fucking taking so long?”
The guard to his left, my right, moves, and seconds later returns with a very timid, beet-red Bridget. She’s wearing red panties, a sheer and sparkly red tutu, along with a simple black bra. She’s barefoot.
Mayor Carlton licks his lips and extends his hand to her. “Oh, so sweet, come here, baby. Come.”
She’s frozen in place, staring at her hands and fidgeting uncomfortably.
“I won’t ask you again, baby.”
Bridget looks up, startled, and it takes all my strength to not run out there and insult him and then run away with her. My first instinct is to throw an oversized raincoat on her, put her in some slippers, then serve her something warm while she sits comfortably and safe. My hands are trembling, and I realize I’ve been holding my breath. So I sit on my ass and rest the camera on my knees to steady it.
Bridget moves cautiously toward Carlton, but doesn’t take his hand. Instead, she readjusts her tutu and squares her tiny shoulders, her chin up high. “You’ve requested a dance, yes?” Her voice is small, but surprisingly strong, in a way.
El cerrosmiles wickedly and signals to the pole. He nods at one of his guards, who steadily walks toward one of the end tables and starts the music. It’s a fancy Bluetooth speaker–I think it’s the first time I’ve been in the presence of one, but I remain still, not once eyeing it, and keep my eyes on Bridget andel cerro.
Bridget’s face is full of fear, and her eyes are glistening. My camera catches this, he does not, because when she turns back toward him, she’s morphed before us. I’m reminded of Jasmin, how she, too, transforms drastically before my eyes. Bridget takes hold of the pole and slowly slides down and begins a rather awkward dance.
I’m thrown back, unable to keep watching. So instead, I focus on the camera, making sure it stays on cue, and I go numb. Such corruption and sickness, I can’t bear it. Bridget turns suddenly and faces my direction and bends, then grasps her ankles. Carlton’s breath hitches and he moves to stand. It’s really the first time I’m seeing him; I’ve only ever heard of him but have never had the pleasure, or disgust, of seeing him in the flesh.
Oddly, something about him makes me think of Piper and her sister Macy. Mayor Carlton has the same reddish hair and light green eyes. His square jaw matches that of Piper’s, his nose exactly like Macy’s, the way his mouth sets in a thin and pleased way. And now that he’s smiling like a fool, I realize his smile is a copy to Macy’s.
No!Didn’t Mayorcerrohave two daughters and one son? Yes… what were their names?
My thoughts are quickly scattered whenel cerroapproaches much too close for both Bridget’s, and my, comfort. He suddenly reaches out and grasps her hips, pulling her toward him. He leans down and stuffs his face into her neck.
“You smell so good, baby.”
“Please, I’m only here to dance. No touching allowed.”
Her voice trembles and her next breath catches in her throat as he lowers one hand to cup her ass. He squeezes, then slips his hand inside her panties. She screams and he shoves his hand deeper. I can’t bear it. I shut off the camera, toss it into my apron, and I’m about to attack him with all I’ve got when Howard appears out of nowhere. He’s standing behind Mayor Carlton, all tall and beefy and menacing.
“Enough! This isn’t that kind of place and she isn’t that kind of girl. Let her go!”
Shocked, Mayorcerrolets her go and Bridget runs out of the room. As quickly and as quietly as I can, I walk backward and sneak out to the main floor like a fucking fox.
Jasmin pushes me into the maintenance closet and shuts the door. “Fuck, Justice, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. What the hell happened in there? I was so worried! I sent Howard to check things out, just in case you’d been caught and were slowly getting killed or something. Did he see you?”
Her voice is panicked, and I want to reassure her that no one saw me, but I can’t. The words can’t find their escape; they’re stuck somewhere between my lungs, throat, esophagus, pharynx,whatever.
Jasmin shakes me. “Say something, Justice. Did they catch you? Oh, God, they caught you!”
“No,” I manage to croak out. I shake my head, trying to clear it. “No, I wasn’t caught. But if you didn’t send Howard over, I would have been.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mayor Carlton requested a private dance from Bridget.” I nod as my best friend’s eyes go wide and she gasps, her hand clutching her chest and then her mouth. “She was doing her thing, and the next thing you know, that fucking pig gets up and starts fondling her goods. Right before I could kill the fucker, Howard came in and stopped him.”