{ASS} NEW {Vickie Morgan} Exposed (MF, slow) [2/3]

[arte...@hotmail.com]

WARNING: This story includes sexually explicit material.

Please note any unfamiliar spellings and phrases may be due to the
fact I am English, not American.

I would like to thank the proof-readers for all their help

Any comments, including constructive criticisms, would be
most appreciated. Please send to arte...@hotmail.com

This work is copyrighted by the author. You may download and keep
one copy for your personal use as long as my by-line and e-mail
address and this paragraph remain on the copy. Any posting or
reposting on a website, other than the archive or Dejanews, or
to a newsgroup requires my permission first (but I'll probably say
yes). This story should not, under any circumstances be used to make a
profit by anyone other than the author

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Exposed, Chapter Two

As a wave of despair swamped her she watched tears trickle down her
reflected face in the mirror. She had no idea what to do now. The
studio didn't care about the consequences of their shows. Kate didn't
even know where to go. She couldn't return to the hotel room she had
shared with Harry last night, with Debbie right next door. She
suddenly remembered Harry making love to her last night and her stomach
clenched. Fighting the nausea, she tried to recall if she had any
money or credit cards in her purse.

Unexpectedly an arm came around her and someone gave her a brief hug,
before pressing a glass of water and a tissue into her hand.
Gratefully Kate sipped the water, trying to smile at the stranger next
to her.

"Rough day?" she said sympathetically. Kate nodded, mopping at her
face. "Here, let me do that," the stranger continued. "You probably
don't remember my name, it's Suki Divine."

"Kate Robertson," Kate responded politely. Suki smeared some cream on
Kate's face, then began wiping the thick make up off. "What are you
here for?" It seemed bizarre to be making genteel conversation under
the circumstances, but Kate didn't really know what else to do.

"Confessing to my family that I own and work in a strip bar," Suki said
casually. "They actually kind of knew already but I could use the free
publicity. Dad hammed it up great, doing all the moral outrage bit.
It's easy to see where I get my acting talent from." Kate was unsure
exactly how to respond to the explanation so she settled for smiling
weakly. Suki didn't really look like Kate's picture of a stripper.
She was changing into jeans and a shirt, and didn't really look any
different from any of Kate's respectable friends. If anything, she
wore less make-up.

"What are you going to do now?" Suki asked kindly. Kate sighed and
began to change out her Sunday best clothes. Her respectable blue suit
seemed dowdy now. She indignantly remembered Harry suggesting that she
wear this outfit, instead of some of the clothes she wore for going out
of an evening. This suit was for funerals and meetings with the bank
manager, not looking feminine. Kate now realised that Harry wanted her
to look as dull as possible.

"Bastard," she muttered.

"That's the spirit," Suki remarked. "They seem a regular pair of
creeps, those two. Sounds like you're well rid of them, if you don't
mind my saying so." Suki's unexpected support bolstered Kate's
flagging spirits. She dug out her purse and groaned when she saw how
little she had in it. Since they were travelling together, Kate hadn't
seen much point in bringing all her cards with her. The little money
she had would barely stretch to a Big Mac.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Suki asked.

"I don't want to go back to the hotel room, but I haven't got enough
money to go anywhere else." Kate rummaged around in her bag a bit more
and triumphantly came up with an envelope. "I have, however, got all
of our plane tickets." She took out two of them and vindictively tore
them into pieces. Suki gave an encouraging cheer and laughingly tossed
the scraps in the air.

"Why don't you come home with me?" Suki suggested, looking
sympathetically at Kate. "I live over the bar, with my partner,
business not sexual partner that is. I know it's probably not your
environment of choice but it has to be better than walking the streets
all night or going back to the hotel with that pair of losers."

"You mean, go to your strip bar?" Kate queried.

"Yep. I've got a spare bed and you won't have to go downstairs to the
bar at all. Of course, I understand if you don't want to."

"No, I'd be really grateful," Kate replied quickly, before she could
retract her offer. "To be honest, I'd really like to see what a strip
club looks like."

"Well, as long as you're not expecting anything glamorous," Suki
cautioned, " you're more than welcome."

Suki had been right, Kate thought, the bar was anything but glamorous.
From the outside it was a square concrete building with no windows. It
had a car park lurking behind it and on the front a large neon sign,
which looked rather forlorn in daylight. Inside there was a small
entranceway with a ticket booth guarding the way in and plenty of
pictures of naked women pouting at the camera. Suki led the way inside
and Kate found herself in a large, dimly lit room. A wide bar ran
along one side of the room and there were small tables scattered
around. In the centre was the stage. A runway led out from a curtain-
shrouded doorway and ended in a large semi-circle with a pole in the
centre. A strange cocktail of stale smoke and alcohol combined with
furniture polish and floor cleaner. A couple of women were on the
stage practising a routine, while a tall man was directing several
others as they wiped tables and mopped the floor.

"I'll just say hello to my partner and check there's no crisis, then
we'll go upstairs. It won't take a minute," Suki promised. Kate
trailed after her, trying to look at everything at once. As soon as
Suki was spotted, everyone crowded around her asking questions about
the show. Kate stood awkwardly in the background, listening to the
exuberant chatter and feeling out of place, until the tall man
approached her, smiling.

"I thought I knew all of Suki's friends, but I don't remember meeting
you before," he said with a slight accent, taking Kate's hand.

"No. That is, I'm not exactly . . ." Kate stopped and tried to start
again. "What I'm trying to say is that I only met Suki today so that's
why you don't know me."

"I thought I would have remembered such a charming lady," he said, and
kissed the back of her hand. Kate was taken by surprise and completely
flustered. Snatching her hand away, she eyed him warily.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow and
looked at her quizzically. "Well?" she demanded crossly. "Do you go
around kissing complete stranger's hands all the time?"

"Only the female ones," he replied with a wink. Kate scowled at him.
Men were not her favourite creatures at the moment and this particular
one seemed to be amusing himself at her expense.

"Oh, lose the phoney accent," she snapped. "You sound ridiculous." To
her astonishment he threw back his head and laughed out loud.

"As smart as you are beautiful," he declared, speaking in a normal
voice. "Where did Suki find you? Are you going to be working for us?"

"Working for you?" Kate echoed questioningly.

"You're a bit older than our normal girls but you've got a nice
figure," he informed her, looking her up and down appraisingly. "Do
you have any previous experience?"

"What kind of experience?" Kate asked, not sure if she had been
insulted or complimented

"I take it you've never stripped before," he said briskly. "Some kind
of dancing training always helps, or a bit of theatre work. Do you
have any costumes or props with you?"

Before Kate could formulate an answer Suki interrupted them.

"Hey Steve, I see you've already met Kate. She's had a rough day and
no where to stay tonight so I brought her home with me."

"You mean she's not here to work?" Steve asked.

"Of course not," Suki replied. "Don't tell me you've been wasting your
world weary European aristocrat impersonation on her. Why you think
that's how a strip club's owner ought to sound is beyond me."

"I tried, but she saw through it right away," he said mournfully. "And
now I've probably mortally offended her so that she'll never speak to
me again. I'm mortified."

Kate would have hurried to reassure him but she could see the laughter
in his eyes as he hung his head.

"Do you know this play-actor, or has he just escaped from a lunatic
asylum?" she asked Suki, looking down her nose at him. He threw back
his head and laughed again.

"You are one smart lady," he said. "I can see it's impossible to fool
you." His words immediately reminded Kate of the afternoon's
revelations and she quickly turned away as tears filled her eyes. For
a few moments her unusual surroundings and Steve's silliness had made
her forget why she was there. She could hear Suki explaining her
circumstances to Steve as she fought for composure. She braced herself
for the pity in his eyes when she turned back to face him and was
surprised to see anger there instead.

"There are times when I'm ashamed to be male," he declared. "What an
idiot! I'll give you the number of a friend of mine who's a divorce
lawyer. He's very good, and he'll make sure you get everything you're
entitled to. Now let's go and see what we can find to eat."

The upstairs apartment was surprisingly bright and spacious. Soft
evening sunshine fell through generous skylights in the ceiling. It
was mainly open plan, and the few walls were painted bright cheerful
colours. Plants were scattered around, adding to the airy feel of the
apartment. Bowls of potpourri and incense burners filled the air with
soft aromas. Kate took a deep breath and felt some of the tension
leave her for the first time that day. Suki tossed Kate some towels
and a bathrobe and directed her to the bathroom.

When she emerged, damp and refreshed, Bob Uncle's Talk Show was just
starting on the TV. Steve and Suki were perched on a sofa watching
it. Kate stopped in her tracks and numbly watched her face appear on
the screen as the whole nightmare repeated itself. A stranger might
have thought that she showed no reaction, but Kate could see how each
word hurt, flaying away her self-respect and leaving her raw and
exposed. She dimly heard sympathetic murmurs from Suki and Steve, but
she focused on Harry's face. Not once did she see a flicker of remorse
or regret on his face as he tore her world to pieces. At last it was
over and she took a deep breath to compose herself. She walked forward
as calmly as possible.

"I'm not surprised they cut the remark about the tacky talk show," she
remarked lightly. Steve and Suki looked around with startled faces.

"Oh sweetie, I thought you were still in the shower," Suki said
remorsefully. "We would have turned it off if we'd known you were
there."

"Don't worry about it," Kate replied, trying to smile. "I had to see
it sooner or later. Oh, look, you're on now Suki."

"Here, have a drink," Steve said, passing her a glass of wine. "You'll
need it to get through Suki's performance. She makes my acting look
Oscar class."

"You're just jealous that I got on TV, not you."

"Hey, I was drinking at a bar in an episode of Dallas, I'll have you
know," Steve said, pretending to be indignant. As Steve and Suki
tossed insults and crazy remarks at each other Kate relaxed again.
Once the talk show was over they all moved into the kitchen. Kate was
given a pile of carrots to peel and another bottle of wine was opened.
Kate was slightly surprised to find that they were feeding everyone,
not just the three of them. A big pan of pasta and a large bowl of
salad were set out on a table and people drifted in and helped
themselves. Kate found herself sitting on a sofa with two skimpily
dressed women and a very big long-haired man who introduced himself as
'Tom the bouncer'. She was slightly surprised how commonplace their
conversation was, considering their profession.

She drank more than was probably good for her, but found she was
brooding about what Harry had said. She tried to dismiss his words,
but it wasn't that easy. She didn't know where the idea came from, but
the more she drank and the more she thought about it, the more she
liked it. Draining her glass she went to find Suki and Steve. To her
surprise they took a lot of convincing.

"I just don't see how stripping for a lot of strangers is going to make
you feel better," Steve said again.

"I've been humiliated in front of millions of people today," Kate
said. "My husband publicly said that I was less attractive naked than
Debbie was fully clothed. My self-esteem needs to know if I'm really
so unattractive. I could go to a bar and see how many men I could pick
up, but this seems like a better way. It's a golden opportunity. I
can't see why you won't let me do it."

"What if you go out there and end up making a fool of yourself?" Steve
asked. "Where will your self-esteem be there?"

"I used to take dance lessons when I was at school. If you helped me,
why would I make a fool of myself?" Kate asked. "Or are you trying to
say that Harry was right and no one would be interested in seeing me
naked?"

"No, no, of course not," Steve replied quickly. "It's just that you're
such a nice lady."

"So are all of your girls that I've met tonight."

"I give up. Suki, you explain it to her," Steve said.

"I can see both sides of the argument," Suki admitted. "People who
come to strip-clubs aren't usually the cream of society. But on the
other hand I can see why you think it would help your self-esteem.
There's a unique feeling walking down the stage with loads of men
willing to pay money just to see you naked."

"So you'll let me do it?" Kate asked.

"I think we should go downstairs to see if we can put a routine
together for you. If we manage to produce something that looks
professional enough, I don't see why not." Elated, Kate ignored
Steve's disapproving look and headed downstairs.

Copyright Vickie Morgan, June 1999
E-mail arte...@hotmail.com

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