by BrettJ (c) 2013
At work the following Monday, Steve wasn't too sure how he should handle things with Fleur. She had left in high spirits on Sunday morning and she teased him about his ability to cook. "Most of the guys I know can hardly make a grilled cheese sandwich," she giggled as he made them hot fresh waffles. "You're truly a man of many talents, Steve." Steve realized that he had given a part of himself to Fleur, despite his mind telling him that would be an incredibly stupid thing to do. She wasn't like some of the β let's face it β
skanks
β he dealt with, Fleur had class and determination. Planning too far in advance would be foolish, because Steve still had no idea what her future plans were. He got ready to open the club and set up and a few minutes before 11, Fleur showed up. She was in a pretty skirt that showed off her great legs and was wearing thigh-high boots. They must have been new, because they were shiny and black and didn't look as if they had ever been worn.
"Yes, they're new," Fleur laughed, anticipating his question. "I figured that you would notice."
"I notice everything about you, Fleur," Steve told the attractive dancer. "You are kind of hard to miss."
"I intend to be, I want to be the center of attention. Eventually, I want to feature dance and earn a lot of money," Fleur told him as she sat down. "I want to be able to live the way I like and in the manner of my own choosing. I don't want to be beholden to anyone Steve, I've seen people go down that path and it isn't for me," Fleur told him.
Steve wondered what Fleur was trying to tell him. Was he getting the brush off already? He sure hoped not, his feelings for her were genuine because she was such a breath of fresh air to be with.
"I'd like us to keep seeing each other handsome, you're a sweet, good-natured guy and I think you'll make a good husband for someone some day," Fleur told him. "I don't think it will be me. Not now, maybe not ever. You were the best first time a girl could ever want and I want more of that, I'm not BSing you. But here's the thing β I want to go on the road once I get better at my act. I want to travel and see other parts of the country and be a big earner. A jealous boyfriend would get in the way. If you understand, please tell me so."
"Yeah," Steve nodded his head. "It makes sense Fleur, you're only 19, you shouldn't be thinking about marriage at this age."
Fleur smiled and with a bit of a giggle, whispered in his ear. "If you promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you the truth. I'm only 18, I fudged my age and no one checked. You won't tell, will you?"
Steve shook his head and looked at Fleur with concern. "No, but you should get some kind of ID that says you're 19 as soon as you're able. I might know someone who can fix you up."
Fleur stood up and kissed him. "Thanks babe, you are a great guy and I mean that. I owe you one and one day, you'll collect big-time. In the meanwhile, why don't you let me take
you
out to dinner this Saturday?"
Fleur put on a sensational show when she started and there was a huge ruckus. Steve hadn't seen the club that busy in some time and neither had his father. Evidently, the word had gotten around that Club Paradisio had a new dancer who was all
that
and more. Anton walked over to Fleur on Friday night and the way he was smiling at Fleur nearly made her melt. If he had asked her to run away with him on the spot, she would have done it. She was crazy about Steve and loved him to bits, but his stepfather ignited a fire within her she could not ignore.
"I've seen the way those guys look at you, Fleur," Anton smiled. "Like they're hungry dogs and you're the juiciest piece of steak they've ever seen," he said to her.
"Gee, thanks," Fleur said drily. "Just what a girl wants to hear, she's being compared to a side of beef."
Anton laughed. "You know very well what I mean, young lady. I bet if I checked, you've more than doubled the money you made in tips from the previous week. Our bar sales are up by 50% and we barely even had a lull today. The customers came in and they stayed for hours. We even had more than our share of women watching you. You've got the magic Fleur and everyone knows it. I'd be crazy to let you get away, so I'm going to do something I've never done before β I'm going to offer you a contract. Guaranteed money to insure you keep working here," he said and slid over a piece of paper with an offer written on it. Fleur stopped herself from gasping because the figure written there was more money than she expected to be earning in her first year, let alone a few weeks.
All of her life, Fleur had been a smart young lady. Because of circumstances, she had learned to stay one step ahead of the curve. She looked at the contract in front of her and she looked at Anton's face. She wanted to see if something in his expression would betray him. He was being very canny and Fleur knew she had to play a bit of a game herself.