Right place, right time.
"You're on in two minutes," I told her.
"I don't think so," she said. "I'm not one of your dancers."
I tried to put myself in her brain. If she didn't want to perform, why was this shapely dark-haired woman doing standing near the steps at the side of the stage dressed in a diamante choker and whale net black stockings? Except for the stockings she hid what she wore beneath a thin black coat that reached just past her knees. Since she looked ready for the stage, I assumed she was the next featured dancer. Why else would she dress like that? I know all the arguments that women should be able to dress how they feel. But she was here, dressed like that, near the stage inside The Wild Duck on what was clearly labelled Burlesque Night. Yes, I do know stocking varieties. I may be male, but I know how to dress a woman for a burlesque performance and whale net is practically compulsory in my view. I stared, to get her to concentrate on me. She hadn't backed off or escaped back into the club and she didn't seem nervous, so what was the problem? I asked her what her name was.
"Dilara," she responded, a name I hadn't heard before. "Shoshana told me to wait here and she said that she would be back in a few minutes. "Shoshana?" I asked her. What were these names? She told me Shoshana's stage name and I laughed.
"She's not in Perth," I exclaimed. Was someone in our isolated city pretending to be an international porn star?
This Dilara smiled, knowing something I clearly did not and stated it emphatically. "She most certainly is." I was not going to argue with that. And it relieved the tension between us, so I wondered again what this tanned beauty was wearing under the coat.
"Well," I told her, "she's not here now. This is the situation. A woman is meant to get up on that stage in," I looked at my watch, "one minute and perform for these people who have paid their money to watch her. If you are indeed here by accident then the expected dancer is apparently not here. Are you interested?"
"You're Mister?"
"Call me Rob."
She shuffled, unsure. "Okay, Rob. What would I have to do?" I looked her over. Although her coat hid the extent of her attributes, I got the sense that she had plenty to flaunt and something about her attitude suggested that she could quickly work out how to best use those attributes.
I explained to her in a patient tone "You have to dance to the music. Give the punters the impression that their attention is turning you on. And at some stage lose your clothes and finish the performance in your underwear. Do you think that you can do that?"
"I guess so."
I tried to read what was going on in her mind. She gave me no answer to that in the way she looked straight back at me. So I continued. "And there's money. I'll pay you what the booked girl was going to get." I quoted her an amount that attracted her interest. "In cash."
"And only down to my underwear?" she confirmed, looking a lot more comfortable.
'The Wild Duck would lose its licence if you go any further," I told her truthfully. That looked like the sweetener.
She considered me with serious eyes. "And I just have to dance."
"You just have to dance," I confirmed. I gave her my 'trust me' smile.
She smiled back, thought for a moment then nodded. "Let's do this," she said with no indication of nerves. She undid her coat as I waited, as I studied her face for any clues while wondering what was underneath. I put my hand out and she handed her coat to me without any hesitation having now decided on her fate. I almost whistled, taken by surprise at the sight she presented.
I quickly took the whole visage in. Relieved of her coat, she stood in a black mesh bustier that revealed her flat, somewhat taut chest below shapely breasts covered by a lacy black bra. A long black transparent skirt ran down to her ankles matching the bustier for the little of her that it hid. Not that she seemed bothered but with her coat off I could clearly see her stockings, garter belt and panties through the skirt. Sheer black panties that matched her lacy bra and like the bra covered just enough. And the whale net stockings, a garter belt and patent black heels.
I took a breath to let her see that I was impressed. She gently shook her long dark hair and stared at me with her large dark eyes that seemed to reflect precisely the effect that she now had on me. But I was still wondering. "If you are not here to dance, why are you dressed like that?" I asked her.
"Because I like to," she smiled.
"You have gone to a lot of trouble," I complemented her.
"Not really." She held her stare with just a hint of mischief in her eyes.
I was thinking of disputing her denial, but this was the moment. "Right, in that case you're on now." I gestured at the steps. And we were away.
As she stepped up onto the stage, the DJ noticed and cut the track currently playing. People stopped their conversations and focussed on the stage as the DJ introduced Dilara with a big bass beat number. She stepped tentatively towards the centre of the stage and from my vantage I could see eyes popping as they took in the sight of her. Her long skirt seemed to flow behind her. I watched her closely now expecting something memorable. I just got that vibe. She closed her eyes as she stood centre stage and began to sway to the music, eventually raising her hands above her head in a slow undulating wave that swirled all the way down her body, enhanced by that long skirt. She let herself flow to the rhythm.
It could have been a clichΓ© but the beauty of the woman on stage was heightened by the lighting, a spotlight in the dark and the music, a deep throbbing bass beat as those watching began to quickly realise that they were witnessing something special. People crowded towards the front of the stage to get the best view of her. It seemed to me that those at the front of the stage were literally mesmerised, open mouthed and wide eyed.