She stopped by the desk on the way to her room and asked if there were any messages. She was sure that there were none, but she thought she would check just in case Jim had decided to call or telegram and ask her to come back.
Raoul greeted her with his usual gold-toothed smile and asked how her day had been.
"Unfortunately, there are no messages for you. Were you expecting one?"
"No, not really, I just thought I'd check to be sure." It was the first time all day she had actually thought about the possibility of Jim's calling. When she talked with Mr. Ward everything had been in the past tense, now all of a sudden she was thinking in the future again. She would have to stop that or she'd never make herself get over him.
Mr. Ward was punctual, as usual and arrived right on the dot of seven. She was just finishing the last touches of her make-up when she heard his knock on the door. She answered and asked him to come in and have a seat while she put on her lipstick, then they could be on their way.
He handed her a gardenia and gave her a light peck on the cheek.
"A beautiful flower for a delightful girl," he said.
When he kissed her, she could smell the odor of the rum on his breath and he seemed a bit high. She thought that he must have had quite a few more after she had left him.
When they went downstairs, he asked Raoul to join them for another drink in the bar. He was most eager to join them and he whistled when he saw her.
"You look ravishing tonight, Candace. I wish I were the lucky man taking you out to dinner, but I have to stay here until ten or so."
"Well, why don't you join us when you get through. We'll be at the Kit Kat Club around that time I would imagine," Mr. Ward volunteered.
He accepted without a second thought and gave her the once over for the second time. The way he looked at her made her skin crawl and she was about to ask Mr. Ward to withdraw the invitation, but she realized that that would look awfully silly, especially since she was a guest at his hotel.
They adjourned to the bar and the same big Negro buck came over to wait on them.
His eyes scoured the group and rested on her. He licked his lips and smiled at the men without ever taking his eyes off her.
Maybe I shouldn't have worn this dress, she thought to herself. It is cut rather low and I suppose it does look like an invitation, but I have a nice figure and I don't think it is out of place. It must be my imagination.
"Hugo, bring the lady another 'Special' please and two rum and cokes for us," Mr. Ward said.
She started to tell him that she didn't think that it was such a good idea for her to drink that again, especially so early in the evening, but Hugo walked away before she could open her mouth.
She sipped her drink slowly and carefully and somehow it tasted different tonight, not the same licorice taste and actually much better than the ones she had had the previous night.
Raoul seemed to be almost drooling into his drink when he looked at her and his gaze was really too familiar. She felt as though she were sitting there completely naked. It made her feel uncomfortable, so she finished her drink as quickly as possible and suggested that they go for dinner.
Mr. Ward had Raoul call them a cab because the trip to the other end of the island was several miles and he did not have a car at his disposal. Within a few minutes they were on their way to The Emerald Bay Club for dinner and island music and a supposedly relaxing evening.
The dinner was pleasant enough, but somehow that old fear that she had felt on the plane began to return. The more he drank the more familiar he became and by the end of the meal he had his hand resting firmly on her knee and each time she tried to brush it away, he would just "pooh, pooh" her and tell her that she was like a daughter to him.
The wine had made her head a little light so she tried, once again, to ignore his advances and have a good time.
The ride "over the hill" was an experience in itself. They passed the road to the airport and went down another dirt road which was twice as bumpy and crooked. The car lurched from side to side and she was thrown first against Mr. Ward and next against the door until she felt as though she were going to be shaken apart. Finally they arrived at a small club with glaring lights which read "The Kit Kat Klub."
The club was dimly lit except for the flicker of candles on the wooden tables throughout the room and an occasional old-fashioned gas lantern. The only thing breaking up the large rectangular room was the bar and a small stage off to one side.
"I think you will enjoy the native entertainment here," he said. "It is different and very interesting, the only club of its kind in the islands."
The ceiling was pitch black and covered with a glittery substance which reflected the candles glow in various colors. It must be the sort of thing they put on Christmas decorations, she thought.
They were greeted at the door by a Negro man who must have been at least six feet five inches tall and so dark that he appeared to be purple. The only thing that distinguished him from the room was the whites of his eyes and teeth, as he smiled at them and directed them to a table near the stage.
"William, please meet Candace Mead, the young lady I spoke to you about earlier today."
He gave her a toothy grin and made some comment about her being twice as beautiful as he had described and held her chair for her.
"I'll be able to join you in a minute, Ward. Just let me get the girls set and I'll be right back," and he disappeared into the blackness of the room.
"This is one of the top places for girls to work in the islands. The tips are good because the prices of the drinks and entertainment are high. They cater to a very special clientele as you will soon see," he explained, while William was gone. She wasn't sure that she liked the looks of the place, but decided to reserve her opinion until she was there longer. After all, perhaps it was built like this just for the tourists. They always like things that are supposedly authentic.
He ordered two banana drinks from a young Caucasian girl who was waiting on their table. She didn't look to be much over twenty, her own age, and didn't seem the least bit embarrassed by the skimpy costume that she wore. The top was so brief that she was afraid that the girl would come right out of it, and the leotard bottom half was cut so that it revealed the greater amount of her full, round young buttocks.
"Good evening, Mr. Ward," she said. "Good to have you back for awhile."
"Thank you Becky, nice to see you and I must say that you are looking fine, just fine. Meet Candace, she may be lucky enough to get a job here. That is if I have any pull with the boss," and he laughed maliciously.
"I'm sure that you can arrange something, you always do," she answered half sarcastically. "But I'll talk to you later, got to take care of my tables, you know."
About fifteen minutes later, William returned and joined their table saying, "Raoul just called and he will be here shortly, we're to save him a place."
William gave her the once over again and smiled at her. "You certainly have all the qualifications we're looking for, so you can have a job if you want it."
"That's fine," she said nervously, '"but I do plan on taking a few days off right now just to relax and I couldn't start work for about a week, if that's all right."
He assured her that that would be just fine, but why didn't she come by the next afternoon and one of the other girls could show her the ropes of cocktail waitressing so that she wouldn't have to waste time and learn on the job.
She agreed to return the next day about two and get fit for her costume and talk to some of the other girls about what was expected of her.
She was just finishing her second banana drink when Raoul arrived and sat down very close beside her.
"Glad I got here before the show started, I wouldn't want to miss any of it!"
A small combo was setting up their drums on the stage and she could hear the rustling of the curtains as the show was about to start.
All of a sudden a bright red light went on in the center of the stage and a very attractive mulatto girl about 28 appeared in front of it. It gave her skin a copper glow which complimented the tight-fitting, white satin gown she was wearing. The gown was cut as low as the waitresses’ costumes and revealed a full, firm bronze bosom with marvelous cleavage. She wore long white gloves, dangling sparkly earrings which were barely visible from underneath her perfectly coifed black hair. The drums started a rapid, monotonous beat and she began to chant an island melody which wasn't very good.
"Singing is not her major talent, my dear," so don't worry; you won't have to listen to that all night. It's just that she thinks she can sing so William lets her do a number or two before she goes into her real act."
Candace nodded her head politely and wondered just what her act was, but she could imagine it would involve stripping and she wasn't sure she was going to like this at all. She had gone to some of those places with Jim in Miami and had been terribly embarrassed.
When she finished her song which seemed to last for hours, she glided languidly about the stage, moving back and forth in time to the beat of the drums. She moved as though she were caught up in a jellied substance, swaying so that you could see every curve of her body ripple under the clinging gown. Her hips undulated sensuously backwards and forwards as though she were making love to some imaginary man in front of her. She went through some contortions with her body that Candace would have thought impossible in such a restricting outfit, but as the drums increased their rhythm she moved faster and faster. The spotlight followed her across the small stage and when she reached the side nearest to where they were sitting she reached behind her and teasingly released the hooks at the waist of her gown.
The soft material fell carelessly around her ankles revealing her long, firm legs which were now completely bare except for a thin net-like covering over her pubic region, yet gave the impression that she had nothing on. As she moved across to the other end of the stage, you could see the cheeks of her buttocks bounce slightly as she undulated her hips in a snakelike fashion. At the other side she released the top half of her gown and that, too, fell to the floor. A gasp of appreciation went up from the other half of the room as the material dropped and when she turned her breasts were completely bare except for the same net covering with a few tassels to hide the taut nipples of her high, full, bronze breasts. Her arms were still covered by the gloves and this seemed to enhance her sensuality as she glided from one end of the platform to the other. The tassels which barely covered her luscious breasts caressed the softness of her bosom as she walked, with the proud, pointed nipples swaying gently to the rhythm of the music. The filmy net which covered her pubic mound seemed to lay lightly over the tops of her thighs, but it was raised in back so that the fullness of her ripe sensuous buttocks was clearly visible. She moved suggestively, lewdly as though she were a living sex goddess. Her whole body was controlled by sexual tension and she knew that each move she made was drawing attention to the fact that she was a sensual, perfectly built woman and she knew how to use her body. She revolved slowly around the stage giving everyone just enough of a suggestive glimpse to arouse even the most stoical. She let her hand slide up her body and cradle her voluptuous, golden breasts in her hands so that all could enjoy a better view of their firmness and supple fullness. As her hands slid down her body, she pulled gently at the tassels, which had been covering the taut, pinkish nipples of her bosom, and she tossed them to the floor. For a moment she stood there, a slight film of perspiration had formed on her skin and gave her a warm, reddish glow, and the audience could view her proud, pointed breasts as they hung completely free and naked before them.
Her movements were graceful, deliberate and sensual, her hips pulsating and grinding in time with the music or in time with an imaginary lover. Her whole body glistened in the red glow of the lights as she swayed to and fro, slithering across the stage.
Candace glanced over at Raoul who was busy trying to hide the obvious bulge in his trousers with one hand, while he sipped his drink with the other.
Disgusting, she thought, but she couldn't take her eyes off this sexy girl as she sauntered with calculated movements around the platform. The spotlight was slowly changing from a red to a purplish and finally a blue light as it followed her while she moved. The light was becoming slightly brighter and when it reached the full beam, it revealed that she had removed the net covering over her thighs and the only thing which now covered her loins was a G-string made of pearls.
She began to move slowly down the steps of the stage and out into the darkened room where the tables were, the light following her the whole time. The drums began to increase the rhythm and her undulations became more and more violent until it seemed she was in the throes of an orgasm. The lighting changed rapidly with the beat of the drums, accentuating first her thrusting breasts and pulsating belly, then her loins which were pushed forward and wide-spread as she rocked back and forth in time with the music. She wiggled onto one of the tables closest to the stage and her breasts were flaunted sexily into the face of a man who could no longer control his excited breathing. She wiggled about on the table, giving the people in front of her a revealing view of her wide spread thighs as she went through erotic and lewd contortions. Her whole body seemed to be vibrating and pulsating like a jackhammer, her hands exploring every luscious curve of her fully rounded sensual body. They ran over the curve of her breasts, the swell of her hips and rested invitingly at the V of her mound. She kicked her legs high in the air as she got down from the table and moved slowly back onto the stage. For a moment she stood there, her hands on her hips, giving everyone a last look, then turned and the spotlight went out.
You could hear the rapid breathing all around the room and although she could not see very far in the darkness, she could hear the rustle of material as women were straightening out their skirts and the occasional sound of a zipper being adjusted. Raoul appeared to have regained his composure, although a faint trace of perspiration showed on the foreheads of the three men at her table.
"Well," she said, being the first to break the silence, "that was quite an exhibition. I've never seen anything quite like that before, and doubt that I ever will again except in here."
"It didn't offend you, did it?" William inquired.
"No, not really, I guess. I was just a little unprepared for what was going to happen, that's all."
She had to admit, even to herself, that it was an extremely erotic display and that for awhile she could feel herself getting caught up in the sensuousness of the girl's actions.
After the show the club began to empty somewhat, but Mr. Ward ordered another round of drinks for the table and didn't seem to be making any effort to break the evening up. Several of the other girls stopped by the table to say hello to him and it appeared that they all knew him quite well. She wondered whether this is how all the girls that worked there had gotten their jobs.
She was getting a little woozy from all the drinking she had done that day and the hour was late, but the men were huddled across the table from her and were whispering so quietly that she could not distinguish what they were saying, but it made her uncomfortable to be left out of their conversation. After all, she was a part of the group.
She tapped Mr. Ward gently on the arm and asked him if he could take her back to the hotel or call a cab for her; she really felt that she should call it a night. He told her that he would be with her in just a moment if she would excuse them for a few minutes longer. She excused herself and headed in the direction of what she assumed was the ladies room. She walked past an open door which was obviously the dressing room for the girls that worked there and she couldn't help but overhear a smattering of their conversation.
One girl was saying, "I wonder if Ward will throw another one of his special parties this time?"
An answer came from somewhere else in the room. "If he does, I hope that I don't get invited. I went to the last one and I couldn't walk for a week!"
"But he does take care of the girls very well, I understand, and I could use the extra cash."
"Oh well, we'll just have to wait and see."
Then she heard Becky's voice, "I wonder where he met the new girl that's supposed to start here next week. Wonder if she knows about him yet, poor kid."
The conversation puzzled her, but she certainly didn't like the sounds of it, so she moved quickly back to the table and waited for him to take her home.
When they arrived at the hotel, he let her out of the cab and told her that he would pick her up the next day and take her back to the club for her briefing.
She wondered how she could get out of it and what she would do for a job if she didn't keep the appointment She tried to put it out of her mind and maybe things would look better after a good night's sleep.