Chapter 3: Strippers
Charlotte found herself relaxing as they served the food. The Chinese men were polite mainly, saying 'thankyou' a lot and smiling. Amongst themselves they spoke Chinese at the table and she did not know what on earth they were talking about. But she found each time she approached a table some or other of the men on the table, and sometimes the whole table, would turn their attention to her. They asked her innocuous questions like, "Where do we go to eat good English food around here?" or "Have you met the King?" Nowadays the King's Palace, Buckingham, in the centre of London, was falling to pieces, and the Royal Purse could not afford the workmen and materials to restore it. Balmoral had long been sold to a Saudi prince!
"No I never met the King," she laughed. "I hear he travels about still in taxis, but he hasn't been abroad for a long time."
To make conversation, as the Chinaman had encouraged them to do, she asked the Far Eastern men about where they came from and which line of work they were in, without becoming too dull or nosey. Many of them worked for Far Eastern conglomerates, and were here to site cheap labour factories in the fallen West, or they had come to buy up properties or nearly collapsed British interests from their impecunious owners.
The City of London as the financial hub of the world economy had collapsed quickly those few years ago. Newer stock exchange trading markets had been developing in China and other areas of the East. Shanghai and Hong Kong became the centre of gravity of the world's investment markets. The biggest corporations were now in the East, and trade in their shares took place there, not in London. Even New York's Wall Street had declined. It was still big and influential, but the USA was not what it had once been.
The stockbrokers had shed staff and closed offices. The money had drained out of London in stages. It had not happened all at once. Financial markets and the property market had slowed and crashed. The markets stabilised in turn and then crashed again, resulting in an inexorable collapse. The money had seemed to flow out of London with the River Thames.
"Are you married lady," asked one of the Chinese men, who seemed to be looking at her with close interest.
"I am," she replied honestly.
"What will your husband think of you coming here with us?"
"I don't know! But he'll have to accept it if I do tell him. There's no money coming from anywhere else."
"We are sorry if we place you in a difficult situation. You have something we wish to acquire, while we have plenty of something you wish for. Therefore we do a trade. It is a fair trade?"
"I suppose it is," she agreed, "and quite an adventure too," she giggled, feeling nervous about what might be to come.
The Chinaman placed his hand in her naked crotch. She felt invaded, like a product to be tested and purchased, and yet thrilled at the same time. The thrill of a stranger's hand between her legs was something new, exciting. For many years now nothing good, nothing different or exciting had happened to her. This in a sense was another humiliation to pile upon her other woes; but instead it excited her. She liked to be wanted, not for the work she could do, but because she was a woman, for the person she was. To think that strangers could make her feel wanted in this way was good. Her body was not her persona, but it was part of the real her. She tingled because it was not her husband touching her. She realised her husband's touch had become too familiar. At last someone else, it did not necessarily matter who, was interested in her.
After the food, and while the businessmen were being served their coffees and drinking more alcohol if they chose, it was time for the strip show to begin. The lights dimmed further and a spotlight hit the 'stage'. Two younger ladies, attractive early twentysomethings hit the stage, one at a time and then together. The first to appear was blonde and classically built, like a naked magazine model of years gone by, tanned skin, as if she had been on holiday in the South of France or Majorca, where models went in the old days. Without doubt she had a beautiful strong face. The other was brown haired and slim, possessing the natural grace of youth. They danced against an imaginary pole, bending and smiling erotically, while their flimsy clothes peeled off one by one. How could they dance so beautifully? They both looked fabulous.
She supposed that she had almost looked that good when she was younger, but now she sagged in some of those places, and her flesh did not seem so smooth. Charlotte raged with jealousy. She had been feeling good about this party. The eastern men seemed appreciative of them and had condescended to flirt with them. She had been feeling that these men would be glad to pay for sexual favours from them all. With the arrival of these young beauties the charm of her friends and herself, inexorably entering middle age seemed to evaporate. Every one of these men would be aching for contact with the young ladies' fresh beauty. She knew they were beautiful. They were completely gorgeous. She almost wanted to touch them herself. They were so sexual, even though she had never been one for experimenting with other women. It would have been like touching her own daughter. She could never do that! She had no doubt the men would not feel that way about their age difference with these young ladies.
As they came off stage through the enraptured ranks of Far Eastern men the applause was loud. The men were polite too, as if every one of them was behaving themselves in case they might be lucky enough to receive the favours of the young goddesses. The Chinaman, who was hosting the evening at the microphone, spoke in Chinese to the guests. Presumably he was thanking the 'girls' and remarking upon their energising performance. Sharon leaned towards the Chinese gentlemen closest to her at their table. "What's he saying?"
"He say thankyou to young ladies for beautiful performance. He say we can ask them later if any of us would like more private and personal show, but he is not sure they will do anything extra. They have fulfilled their contract and have been paid well for their performance, he say. He also say he will ask would any of you waitresses like to have a go at striptease on stage for short while."
"No fear, said Charlotte. "There is no way I am going to make a fool of myself up there, particularly after those youngsters have shown us how it should be done."
"Its only a bit of fun," said Sharon. "They don't expect us to be too professional. I think I might have a go, not on my own though. Aw come on Charlotte. It'll be fun. Can't you see these gentlemen are all hot for it. Haven't you seen the way they're all over you already. You'll look great. They're gagging for you!"
