The manual was completed Wednesday afternoon. I phoned the client and arranged to deliver it on Friday. Because I didn't have to stay overnight, I booked a morning flight to Dayton with an evening return.
My presentation went off without a hitch. No one found so much as a misspelled word. When I presented my invoice, there was a little grumbling, naturally. Because I had delivered a week earlier than expected, I walked out with an extra two thousand dollars. Nancy would certainly be pleased with that.
I left my car in the airport parking lot so Nancy wouldn't have to pick me up. I took only my briefcase, which was five pounds of book lighter and five thousand dollars heavier. I couldn't complain about the weight change. I stopped at my bank's ATM to deposit the check before heading home.
The house was empty, and Nancy's car was gone. I checked my watch and noticed it was close to the time that we had arrived at the strip club the previous Friday. She had probably entered the contest again. If I hurried, and if the traffic was right, I could get to the club in time to see her dance, then take her out to dinner to celebrate the bonus.
The only available table was in the back of the room. One of the female employees was dancing as I sat down and ordered a scotch on the rocks. I glanced around the room. The audience seemed much the same as the previous week. The noise level was about the same. A loud cheer went up each time the dancer dropped a piece of her costume.
As the music ended, a door to my right opened and Nancy and some guy I had never seen before came out. She was only wearing a G-string, a matching buckskin leather bra, and buckskin moccasins. She gave him a quick kiss, and he walked away from her. She looked around the room. Her mouth dropped open in shock when she saw me. She sat down beside me. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I got home a little while ago," I said. "When I didn't find you at the house, I figured you would be here dancing. I thought I'd surprise you for a change. They paid me an extra two thousand for delivering early, so I thought we might go out and celebrate."
"That sounds like a great idea," she said. Her voice had no enthusiasm. "I'll be finished in a little bit."
"Who was that guy with you when you came out?"
"Just a customer."
"Customers usually aren't allowed in employee areas in most businesses."
"It's a special room." Her expression was grim.
I stood up. "Could I see it?"
Someone tapped me on the shoulder. "Excuse me, buddy, but I'm next with her," he said. I turned to face him. He was the man I had sat nex to the previous Friday night. "Oh, hi. You're the lucky husband."
"That's right," I said.
Nancy stood up and placed a hand on his chest. "I'll be with you in a minute, honey," she said. "We have to talk a minute. Marriage stuff."
"Okay," he said, "but make it snappy."
Nancy took my hand and led me to the door and opened it. She closed the door behind us. I looked around the room. There were two chairs along one wall and a double bed in the middle of the room. Her clothes were on one chair. She sat on the edge of the bed, and I sat beside her.
"What is this place?" I asked. I looked at her questioningly, but she didn't respond. "A bed in a strip joint? I don't get it. Why are your clothes in here? This doesn't look like a dressing room." Again she was silent. "He said he is next with you. "What did he mean by that?" More silence. "Talk to me, dammit! What's going on here?" Suddenly I was in shock. "You're mostly naked when you come out of here. Some guy says he's next. Oh, my God! He's waiting to fuck you!"
Nancy stared at the floor. "I can explain," she said almost inaudibly.
"What is there to explain? You're a whore. What's the price of your pussy?"
"A hundred dollars."
I stood up and turned my back to her to hide my tears. After a minute, I turned around. "Why?"
