the pole dancers innocence

A Fresh Start

     Silver and Scott talked non-stop on the drive to the loft. It was situated down town in a kind of broken down part of the city. Trash floated around in the gutters of dirty streets and people just seemed to hunch their shoulders and plow down sidewalks quickly to get to their destinations. The nice part of town was actually only ten blocks away, but this part was dark and depressed. It's like everyone was taking a vacation from their lives and just barely getting by. It wasn't long before they pulled up to a tall dingy building and parked the truck in the back lot. Scott helped Saoirse wrestle her luggage out the back and helped Silver with her one bag. They walked towards a back entrance.

     "Brady owns the whole building, but we only occupy the top two floors." Silver explained." He has the very top for his living quarters and studio, and we live on the 11th. We are about 20 bodies. It's completely wide open with sectioned off sleeping quarters. A huge kitchen we all share, and very large living room where we congregate and bounce ideas off each other or sing, or play, or just plain visit. You're gonna love it! You're not alone here. We're family!" Silver grinned broadly.

     Saoirse couldn't help but smile back. "It sounds wonderful!" and she meant it. 

     Once in the building they headed to a bank of elevators. Pushing the button they waited for the car. "What are on the other floors of the building?" Saoirse asked as they stepped into the elevator and Scott hit the button for 11.

     "Oh he plans to rent them out to businesses once the revitalization of this side of town finishes. Actually they haven't even started yet, but Brady is hopeful." A bell dinged heralding their arrival on the 11th floor. They stepped out and into a huge family room. There were several couches and coffee tables strewn about and pillows and carpets on the floor around a low table in the center. Bodies were either lounging, sitting or flat out laying around on the furniture and music was playing and filling the air. Several pairs of eyes looked up and waved at Scott and Silver. "Hey everybody!" Silver called out. "This is Saoirse. She's a dancer. She needs a place to call home. Where's Brady?"

     A willowy girl in barely any clothes lifted a hand in the air and waved it about. "I think he's in the kitchen trying to get Gretchen to fix him a sandwich." She responded.

     "Thanks Kelly." Silver grabbed Saoirse's arm and started pulling her into the room and towards a huge kitchen area. "Scott, just drop our bags in my space?" He nodded and took all three bags off while Silver took Saoirse into the kitchen to meet Brady.

     A middle aged man was seated at the kitchen bar. A huge sandwich in his hands half way to his opened mouth. A pixie of a girl stood at the stove and was stirring a huge pot with the most wonderful smells emanating from it. "Silver!" The guy smiled when he saw her. "Who's your friend?" He bit into the sandwich. His grey eyes sliding over Saoirse's body.

     "This is Saoirse. She's a dancer and is looking for a place to call home. I was hoping she could stay here?'

     "I don't have a free sleeping space at the moment, but if you're willing to share yours I don't see why not. It would help you out too with the rent." He shrugged and continued to eat his sandwich. "You a stripper too?"

     Saoirse blushed. "I'm a ballerina, but as Silver stated. Dancing is dancing if it's in your soul."

     His grey eyes squinted. "You got a job?"

     "No, not yet, but I can pay the first month's rent. I have some savings, and Silver said she'd take me to the club she works at and introduce me. Hopefully I could work there. For a while anyway." She shrugged.

     He nodded his head. "Well if you can move I don't see Dominic turning you away. You're pretty enough. A little skinny, but that's a dancer. Always skinny." He shook his head. "Okay. " He dusted crumbs off his hands. "Show her the space and get her settled. Show her the chore schedule and explain how our communal living works. She'll be your responsibility for the first two weeks. After that sweetie your on your own. Can you cook?" He looked up at her expectantly.

     "I'm very good at Irish dishes. My Da never complained." She grinned.

     "Irish huh? Well I like corned beef. Sounds good. We'll put you on cooking detail once you get settled down." He pushed up from his bar stool and rinsed his plate in the sink and dropped it into the dish washer. "I'll be back for dinner Gretch!" He kissed the tiny girl on the forehead and headed out the door. He stopped midway through and looked over at Saoirse. "Welcome to Chicago pretty lady" He grinned. "I think you'll do fine here."

Then he disappeared. Leaving Silver and Saoirse to stare at Gretchen. Who was smiling at the both of them. "I'm Gretchen. I'm a poet. Or writer. Which ever takes me. I'm trying to get my prose published, but it's taking longer than expected. I'm the cook tonight so..."

     Silver smiled. "She's also the best one in the house. I think her talents are wasted. She should be a chef."

     Gretchen grinned. "I am one! That's my day job! I work at Tony's Ristorante. So if you'er ever in the neighborhood." She went back to stirring her pot.

     Saoirse followed Silver back through the living room and off down a hallway. "We have large shower rooms. She explained along the way. Girls on the left side, guys on the right. We're co-ed, but not to the extreme unless you want to be. We do have a couple here that can't stand to be away from one another." She giggled. "They make smut films. But who's judging?" Silver showed her into a small space with two twin beds. and beads hanging over the entryway as a door. "This is home." She plopped down on a pink covered bed. The other bed was covered with clothing and folded bedding and a pillow sat at the bottom. "That will be your bed." She jumped up and started clearing the clothes off. "Here I'll help you make your bed." They shook out the sheets and placed them neatly on the bed. Fluffed the pillow and stuffed it into a pillow case. There was a comfy purple comforter as well.  After the bed was made Saoirse set her bags on the bed then starting putting her clothes away in the extra dresser and spare closet. "Do you have a place to stretch and work out? I have a few kinks from sitting so long on the bus and could use some floor time and stretch."

     Silver nodded. "Yes we have a dance room. It's upstairs in Brady's space, but he doesn't mind if we go up there. He had it fixed up specially for us dancers. We just need to keep the music moderate so he can paint. You want to change into tights and head up there? I could use a work out too."

     Both girls stripped down into leotards and grabbed a hand towel and slung it over their shoulders. Saoirse grabbed a small ipod and headphones. All the music she liked to dance to was on it. She put her toe shoes over the same shoulder as the towel and followed Silver to the elevators. They noticed Scott and a couple others guys in the living room strumming guitars and talking. Silver waved at him when his eyes met hers. Then the elevator door slide shut and they went up one flight.

     Silver took her down a hall and opened a door to a room with wooden floors, mirrored walls and a dance bar along one wall. There was also a dancer's pole. there were a couple metal folding chairs leaning against the wall and they each opened one and threw the towels over the backs. Then positioning themselves on the floor they both started stretching their muscles and moving their backs and legs to limber up. Silver pointed to a boom box and docking station on a folding table. "If you have some special music you dance too you can play it there. Why don't you show me what you got and then I'll show you how to work the pole." Silver grinned. "You'll need to have a little experience with it tomorrow for the audition."

     Saoirse plugged her ipod into the docking station and classical music piped out. She began in first position and slowly began telling a beautiful story about the music with her body. Flowing and circling around in graceful motion. Her hands and feet in perfect position. Her back bowed and arched and flawless. When the music ended. There was silence. Saoirse's face bowed down and a soft expression fluttered across her face. Clapping broke the quiet. It was Brady standing in the doorway. A look of wonder on his face. Silver was in her chair struck dumb. Saoirse dropped off her toes and moved towards the chair where Silver was sitting.

     "That was amazing!" Brady stated quietly. " Haven't seen anyone dance like that in a very long time. Why aren't you dancing ballet young lady? That was beautiful."

     Saoirse blushed. "I did. All my life, but my partner dropped me almost a year ago and I broke my hip and sustained back injuries. My troupe is in Europe on tour. With another dancer on pointe. My partner has a new partner. His fiance."

     "His fiance?" Silver's nose wrinkled. "And no one thought that wasn't convenient?" She shook her head. "Sounds mighty suspicious if you ask me." She mumbles.

     Saoirse turned redder. "Da thought the same. Tried to get an investigation going to bring charges against Ivan, my partner, but they hurried the troupe out of country quickly. So I'm waiting till they get back. In the mean time Da secured the video tapes of our rehearsal. It pretty much confirms his deliberate dropping of me. Actually he positioned him self wrongly and didn't even attempt to catch me. We made copies and all ready turned them into the police. I'm just waiting for them to land back into the United States and sue both the company and Ivan for damages."

     "Well good for you!" Silver patted her shoulder. "Because anyone who dances like you do belongs on a stage! I mean, I'm a dancer, but no where near your caliber. I can bump and grind with the best of them though." She giggles. Then walks across the floor and turns on the music. Sweet dreams by the Eurythmics pipes into the room. Silver grabs the upright pole and begins grinding against it. Sliding up and down. Looping her legs around it and twirling around it. Tossing her hair about and flexing her core and arching her back. A sultry look on her face the whole time. She pastes her back against the pole and dips low to the ground with her feet planted firmly and her thighs slowly spreading as the song ends. Her head falling forward and her hair cascading around her face. Brady claps for her as well.

     "Sexy as hell Silver. As always!" He grins largely.

     Silver rises and smiles affectionately at him. "Brady is our resident fanguy." She reached out and messed his hair. "He loves to watch us practice when he's not being inspired to paint. Don't you Brady?"

     He shrugs. "I give good pointers too." He turns his eyes to Saoirse. "Sweetie, you are amazing as you are, but I don't know if you can , you know, dance all sexy like Silver. You're more classical."

     She walks over to the boombox and restarts Silver's song, Then taking her place next to the pole she starts swaying her hips and slowly crawls up the pole flips and crawls back down. arching her back splitting her legs and back bending very slowly to the floor into the splits. Then arching her back into the pole she grabbed it and flipped upside down with her split legs in the air, and using her strength in her arms, held there while the song ended. Her head tipping back and her red ponytail falling softly over her shoulders.

     "Well color me wrong!" Brady whispers. "I guess you can be sexy in an entirely classic way" He breathed.

     "Damn girl! Show me up to my own song." Silver laughed. "You can definitely work a pole. No pun intended." She giggled. "You do that tomorrow and Dominic will for sure put you to work."

     After showering and having dinner with everyone there at the loft Saoirse made her way back into the bedroom, crawled into bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.