The Finest Line by Catherine Taylor

boy, he’s in Silver Dreams .”
    Mairead shook her head. “What’s
Silver Dreams?”
    “A strip bar.” Kylie grinned at
the shock on Mairead’s face. “It’s a very classy establishment of
course. I know all of the girls there.”
    Mairead was having trouble
getting her head around the image of James sitting in a strip bar.
It wasn’t exactly the setting she had imagined for where she wanted
to declare her undying love.
    “Are you sure it’s James?”
    Kylie frowned and dialled her
phone, walking away from the music which was the only other sound
in the club. Everyone had taken an active interest in the events
unfolding especially after Kylie’s interpretation of Mairead’s
plight.
    She watched Kylie return. “Tell
me it’s him.”
    Kylie nodded but had lost some
enthusiasm. “It’s him. Miranda is one hundred percent positive but
Mairead... “
    “What?”
    “He has a woman with him.”
    Mairead nodded. “That will be
Vanessa, his friend. She’s not his girlfriend. He told me. They’re
just friends.”
    Kylie wasn’t convinced. “Are you
sure?”
    “James has no reason to lie to
me.” Mairead grinned at Kylie and put her arms around her waist.
“You look more nervous than I am but you mustn’t worry. I’m ready
for this. If it doesn’t happen the way I hope, then so be it, but
if I don’t do this then I’m going to go mad.”
    Her dearest friend sighed and
nodded, looking around at the crowd gathered about them. “Well what
are you bitches gawking at? I need a show of hands. Who thinks that
Mairead should make a declaration of her totally weird and fucking
unbelievably romantic love for James?”
    Hands shot in the air with
cheers of approval. The verdict was unanimous.
    Silver Dreams was
appropriately named with its mirror balls, mirrored walls, silver
streamers and three chromed poles set into a silver stage. The
decor complimented the sparkling colourful costumes of three girls
who were entwining their bodies around the poles.
    Mairead was amazed at their
talent, having never thought of pole dancing as anything more than
some sleazy entertainment. Yet she could see how much strength and
co-ordination was needed to allow the girls to suspend and twist
gracefully at various angles and poses.
    Their beautiful toned bodies
were evidence of disciplined fitness and Mairead marvelled at how
liberated they must feel with their bare breasts and thongs giving
them a freedom her gymnastics costume had never afforded her.
    How much prettier they looked
with their long flowing hair than the tight bun Mairead wore during
routines. One girl had a jewelled and feathered headdress while
another wore a Venetian half mask that added mystique.
    “That’s Gina,” Kylie told her.
“Her husband thinks she cleans office buildings at night.”
    “She’s married?” Mairead was
stunned.
    “These girls are dancers not
whores, completely different kettle of fish.”
    They sat at a table towards the
back where it was mostly shadowed. Mairead looked about the crowded
venue whose patrons were mainly men. Some sat at tables and in
booths along the side of one wall, whilst others milled about the
stage, waving money. The dancers would work their routine to leave
their poles and slide along the stage where the money could be
tucked into their thongs or collected from the stage.
    “I don’t see him.”
    Kylie sat up. “Here comes
Miranda. She does the choreography here and trains up the new
girls.”
    Miranda was tall, bleach blond
and pretty with an enormous smile and a very short robe tied about
her. She greeted Kylie with a kiss and immediately did the same to
Mairead, before sitting down with them.
    “Oh my god, I can’t believe I am
sitting with Mairead Kavanagh.” Miranda squealed. “I am like one of
your greatest fans. You are so fucking amazing.”
    Mairead smiled humbly. “No
different from the girls up there, except I do it horizontally,
rather than vertically and don’t look half as