Synergy (2 page)

Dee
thought about Rashaad Bryant on the way to work. She thought about
what his future could be if he lived in a better city than this
one. She often had the same thoughts about her own family,
especially her son. He was practically still a baby, but she always
worried about his future. She wondered if she would ever get out of
this town, and how she would do it. She knew handfuls of people who
always proclaimed they were 'getting out of this fucking town' but
she had yet to meet someone who had grown up here and started a
better life somewhere else. People got stuck here, it was a
trap. 

Chapter 2 –
Showtime

Jason

As he
let the water from the shower head pound down on his body, heat
steaming up the bathroom, Jason Taylor immersed himself fully under
the flow and ran his hands over his dark brown hair, letting his
fingers entwine through the locks. Massaging his scalp gently,
Jason closed his bright blue eyes for a moment and thought about
the events of the day. He remembered the plane ride over to Detroit
and how he’d had little sleep despite flying on the best personal
jet money could buy as well as being given duck feather pillows and
blankets. He’d never found sleeping  while travelling easy to
do, whether it was on a plane, train or car; he was always aware he
was moving and that put him off. This didn’t really work out well
for him since he spent most of his days travelling back and forth
from city to city. He opened his eyes once again, and moved out of
the way of the water. By now, the bathroom was filled with steam
and he had to squint to see the objects around him. He grabbed the
two nearest bottles to him and held them close to his face, one eye
shut as he read the labels. Seeing one labelled ‘shampoo’ he put
the other bottle down and squirted some into his hand, then rubbed
it onto his head, lathering it in his hair..

 
He had come to Detroit to work with a
songwriter and producer by the name of Tim Sky. He was extremely
honoured to be able to work with him, as he had had success in his
own right as well as having written countless popular songs for
other artists. Jason had always written his own songs, but now and
then it was nice to work together with somebody else on a project,
and with a new album in the works, he was looking for exciting
artists to collaborate with. He wished that in his line of work it
was enough to just come to Detroit for the purpose of recording
with someone and literally do that then go home, but he knew it was
never that simple. In his business, it was always about showing
your face, about promoting what you’ve got going on, and keeping
people interested in you. Already today he had done both a TV and a
radio interview, in which they asked the same damn questions as
always. 
What’s the new album going to
be like
? Well, you can’t tell them
anything there, ‘coz then the mystery will be
gone. 
Have you got a
girlfriend
? No, I’m too busy. That wasn’t
a lie either. He’d had relationships before, but he’d been single
for a while now. It was too hard to keep a relationship alive when
you were so busy and never in one place for too long, plus most
girls found the ‘celebrity thing’ too intimidating, or they wanted
you 
because 
of the celebrity status. Dating another celebrity was also
too hard, because they were just as busy as you.

Jason
finished shampooing his hair, and started to rinse it off. As foamy
shampoo ran down the plughole, he thought about what tonight had in
store for him. He had been writing in the studio until this evening
and he’d barely had time to get back to the hotel when his best
friend and personal assistant Tom had insisted they go to some
strip club he’d heard about.

Tom Hewitt had been Jason’s best friend since they were
kids. Their moms were friends so when they both had sons at the
same time, they automatically became like brothers. They had
attended the same school, gone on family vacations together and
generally had been together through every childhood and teenage
milestone. Jason always knew he was going to sing, and so when he
joined a band at the age of fifteen and a few years later they made
it big, it was natural for Tom to come along and join him on every
tour, promotion and event alike. It was a natural progression when
Jason went solo after the band split up that Tom became his
personal assistant. For the most part it worked. Being so close,
Tom knew what Jason liked and didn’t like, but as he also had to be
professional, sometimes their friendship ended up a little strained
from day to day. Despite everything though, they remained best
friends and Jason knew he’d never find another like him, especially
since these days it was hard to tell who was actually there for you
and who was interested in your money or your fame.

If Jason
had his way, he probably would have stayed in tonight and slept,
the Lord knew he needed the rest. He had just finished a worldwide
tour that had lasted over a year, so although lying low and
recording was downtime for him, he felt he still wasn’t rested
enough. Tom, though, had other plans. He had sent Jason to his room
to get ready and then he was ‘taking him out.’ He wasn’t sure where
they were going but he had heard him mention a strip club in the
plans. Reluctantly, he’d agreed.

Jason
and Tom were staying in the best hotel they could find, their rooms
next to each other. Of course, a handful of security was also
stationed at the doors. Jason hated the fact he had to walk around
with an entourage, but he knew it was for the best. He knew from
experience some girls could go pretty crazy and if anything, it
saved them rather than himself. Sometimes though, he did just go
out alone and hope no-one noticed him, and on occasions, it did
work.

Jason
finally rubbed shower gel over his muscular abs and chest, and then
under his arms before moving back under the water and letting it
drain off his body. Finally clean, he cleared his mind and stood
silently under the showerhead, enjoying the sound of the running
water as it pounded over him and felt the heat radiate through his
body.

As he
stared idly into the steamy confines of the bathroom, a sudden
knock on the bathroom door made him jump slightly, shattering his
rare moment of peace and quiet.

“
Jase!
 
You better be getting ready in there!”
 
Tom’s muffled voice said
through the door.

Jason
snapped out of his zombie-like state and rolled his
eyes.

“
I’m in the shower, man!”

“
Well you better be outta the shower
in five minutes tops, we got things to do, places to be”

“So you keep saying.”

Dee

 
Club X's neon sign illuminated the sidewalk
with its gaudy colours. If anyone was new to this town, they would
probably think 'cheap' before they even stepped inside. However, it
was also cheap drinks so for anyone who didn't mind the strippers
around them; it was a popular spot for pre-drinks. As Dee got to
the corner of the block she could see there was already a queue of
people waiting in the barriers outside to get in. Most were men,
but there were a few females too. She eyed up the line as she
walked past just to get an idea of her clientele tonight. As she
walked past the barriers and headed straight in the front door, a
few people sighed and sent  dirty looks her way, not realising
she worked there. The security guard, Raoul, nodded at her as she
entered. He was one of Dee's favourite bouncers at the club. He was
a stocky Hispanic man with caramel skin and a friendly smile. He
didn't speak too often, but would always smile and greet you, and
if you had any trouble, he'd be sure dealt with it. Dee liked that
he was quiet; it was a nice change from most people she knew. He
never asked too many questions or got involved in her life, he just
did his job and went home to his family; a nice man.

Dee
always showed a little early to work, just to get a free drink - or
two - at the bar before her shift. One perk of working here was she
never had to pay for a drink. The bar staff would just slip her
them free of charge or sometimes the customers would send them over
to her. Tonight Paul Harrison was working behind the bar, a cute
mid-twenties guy with dark hair and stubble. He told people he was
straight but Dee and the girls at the club knew better. She knew
because her friend Keisha had a thing for white men and one night
had tried it on with him after too much tequila. Although they had
all watched the pair go into the back together, Keisha later told
how he’d admitted he was gay but didn’t want anyone to know. She
promised him she wouldn’t say anything but of course, Keisha’s big
mouth let it slip. Dee kind of liked that Paul was gay. She knew he
was being nice to her because he wanted to be, not because he
wanted to get in her pants.

Walking past Brooke, the stripper who was sliding down the
pole as she entered, she approached the bar and took off her coat
to reveal her skimpy outfit. She knew a few heads had turned around
her and she smirked. As much as she sometimes hated the job, she
couldn’t help but like the attention at times. Paul, who was
shutting the till drawer after a transaction had seen the heads
move and followed their gaze. His face lit up as he saw her.
“
Dee
!” he
exclaimed, moving to her as she sat down on the bar stool crossing
her legs.

“
Tequila
?” he questioned, but before
she had even answered he grabbed a shot glass and poured it for
her. Dee picked up the shot glass and knocked it back, barely
wincing, gesturing for him to pour another, which he did. She
leaned closer to hear him over the music and
asked 
“Busy
tonight
?” Paul nodded and smiled at
her.

 “
You’re
gonna get some big tips tonight girl
!”

Dee
returned his smile and knocked back the second shot. It always made
her feel better to hear it was a busy night. More customers meant
more money.

Dee sat
for a minute at the bar, looking around. A large group of young men
surrounded the stage, throwing dollar bills like there was no
tomorrow. These men were barely men to be honest, they looked like
university kids, sporting their chunky black glasses and beanie
hats; probably rich kids come to experience a cheap night at the
strip club before they moved somewhere more exclusive. They saw the
likes of these kids come through the doors pretty often on a
weekend. They'd show early, get their fill of women and throw a few
bills before moving somewhere else for the night. They usually
tipped well but they could get an attitude sometimes, sitting on
their high horse thinking they're better than everyone
else.

Dee's attention moved back to the bar, watching Paul work.
She watched him flirt with the girls and make them feel special,
making cocktails and pouring shots. He really did have a nice
smile. What a waste he was to women being gay, but how lucky
some guy would be one day. He was pretty much the best looking
white guy she had ever seen. He had these bright blue eyes that
felt like they were staring into your soul or something when he
looked at you, and his smile could make any girl weak at the knees.
He had stubble rather than a full beard, and always looked
presentable in his smart jeans and waistcoats.

Once
Paul had served all the waiting customers, he gave a nod to the
other bartender on shift and walked round to the other side of the
bar and sat on the stool next to Dee.

”
Are you slacking
off Mr Harrison
?” she teased as he sat
down. He laughed.

“Oh, someone's flirty tonight. Keep that up for the
customers
.” he winked her way and she
smiled. She enjoyed talking to Paul. He would always ask about her
son and her family, actually taking an interest in her
life.

 
After chatting at the bar for a few more
minutes and knocking back her third shot, Dee got up and walked
toward the back room. It was situated between the bar and the
ladies room, behind an unmarked door with a keypad lock on it.
Sometimes they would get drunk customers trying to get in through
that door for the toilet but since they didn’t know the code, there
were never any bad situations. Dee punched in the number and went
through the first door and then headed through the beaded door
curtain on her right. She could hear Keisha before she could see
her. As she stepped through the beads, Keisha shouted her
way.

“
Girl…..” she
drawled. “Them boots
!”

Dee
laughed and approached Keisha who was sat in front of the mirror
applying her eyelashes. She’d seen Dee’s boots in the
reflection.  Keisha swung around in her seat to get a better
look.

 “
Are these
the Giuseppes
?”

Dee
nodded. Giuseppe Zanotti shoes were one of Dee’s favourites. She
busted her ass to save enough to buy a pair but it was worth
it.

 
Keisha started to feel up the leather on
her boots and gushed about how much she loved them. Dee laughed and
hit her on the arm playfully. Keisha was older than Dee, 27 in
fact. She had three little boys, her oldest was ten and her twins
were four. When Dee had first started working at the club a year
ago, sheand Keisha had instantly hit it off. Keisha had her first
child at seventeen, Dee had hers at twenty.  She would always
ask Keisha for advice and between shifts they’d share stories.
Keisha’s baby daddy was serving a life sentence for murder,
starting last year when the youngest were three. He had been in a
gang since his teens and finally, the law caught up to him. Keisha
didn’t talk about him very often, and Dee didn’t like to bring up a
sore subject. She didn’t hold back asking Dee about her child’s
father though.