A year ago.
Janice Yanizeski had been separated from her wife for about three months. In those three months, Janice had been frequenting a club called the Kingpin's Lounge. It was the first bar she had happened upon in moving into her new apartment and, since she'd not really made many friends since moving to New York City, it had seemed a reasonable place to go get a drink and drown her sorrows. That it was a gentlemen's club only made it better. She could focus on the Kingpin's prettiest girls rather than a wife who wouldn't return her calls.
When asked later, Janice wouldn't be able to remember the first couple of weeks. It was all just a blur of drunken tumbling to and from the Lounge, bouncing naked flesh, and nasty headaches in the morning. Janice considered going back home to Arizona on the best days and considered calling Annabelle Riggs, already back to using her maiden name, to call her a selfish bitch on the worst days. Janice did neither of those things. She just kept going to Kingpin's Lounge.
Kingpin's Lounge was a classy establishment, a little bit of Vegas in New York. The club was clean and the security kept it relatively clear of dirtbags. Well, the kind of dirtbags that would mistreat or otherwise harm the ladies. Wilson Fisk, the owner, was very protective of the women who worked for him. While Janice was sure that there was some other less than sterling activity happening at the Lounge, there was a clear rule that it was not to involve the women. It was because of that rule that it attracted some of the most beautiful women Janice had ever seen into its employ.
The night that everything changed for Janice was Felicia Hardy's first night of work. She was sitting in a booth by herself, nursing her fourth Amaretto on the rocks, when the lights dimmed dramatically. She looked up at the mainstage, where spotlights had dropped onto the curtain. "If I may have your attention, Lounge Lizards," the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. "This kitty cat is sure to make you purr. This is her debut at the Kingpin's Lounge and I know you will all want to welcome her generously. Please say hello to the Black Cat!"
The crowd went wild as the curtains were drawn and the spotlights dropped, revealing the silhouette of a curvy woman with one hand on her hip and the other over her head. The music lowered as the woman stepped down the stage as the spotlights came back up, highlighting long, shapely legs before pausing at the Black Cat's hips. She wore a black thong with a white fur-lined waistband, rocking those hips as she walked her way further into the spotlight.
Janice leaned forward at her table as the woman came into the light. The slinky top she wore, sheer black material with matching white fur lining over the shoulders and down the front, covered a simple black bikini top. And while the spotlight remained over the most perfect, round breasts Janice had ever seen before, it was when the light reached the Black Cat's face that made all the difference in the world.
The Black Cat's skin shone from the heat of the lights but it didn't cast a glow the way her bright smile did. She gave a wave and a wiggle of her behind before shrugging the top off of her shoulders. As it dropped to the ground, the music was cranked high amid a cheer from the crowd. The blond bombshell gripped the pole at center stage and gave a twirl with an arm outstretched. After a quick spin, she pressed herself flat against the pole before dropping into a split, one arm up along the pole and the other behind her as her back arched.
"Another Amaretto, miss?" a voice startled Janice from the Black Cat's performance. She tore her gaze away to acknowledge the waitress, a scantily-clad redhead who wore pigtails and a schoolgirl outfit.
"Uh, no." Janice sat up more in her seat and drained the remainder of her glass. She pushed it aside and handed the waitress her tip. "Thank you, I think I've had enough."
The waitress shrugged and began to walk away. Janice reached her hand up. "Could you bring me a water, please?" She got no answer as the waitress retreated back to the bar. Janice, however, had already returned her attention back to the Black Cat, who had begun to unfasten the clasp that held her bikini top in place.
The spectators erupted as the top fell to the Black Cat's bare feet but the dancer had already lifted herself up the pole and had the back of her leg hooked around it, leaning back until she could survey the room upside down. She slowly slid down the pole until she was inches from the stage, her legs extended in another split, this time over her body. Dollar bills were spilling onto the stage and the Black Cat hadn't even started to work the crowd that had jammed themselves into the front row.
Janice hadn't dared move from her booth, though now that the Black Cat was stage-level, it was harder for her to see. She could see the woman's platinum blond hair bounce with movement as she crossed the stage in a crawl. Janice could only see the action from behind the first lucky man to slide a twenty dollar bill into that furry waistband. The Black Cat remained low for sometime, accumulating quite a bit of cash from what Janice could see when the woman finally stood again, her song coming to an end.
"The Black Cat!" the announcer shouted triumphantly at song's end. Blowing a kiss to the crowd, the new girl stooped to gather the money from the stage, tucking it anywhere she could, even using her slinky top to hold some of it. "She'll be working the floor later tonight so be sure to give her a lot of Kingpin's Lounge love. Coming up next, your favorite and mine: Dazzler!"
Janice didn't remain in her seat to watch Dazzler dance. Once she realized she wasn't getting her water, she got up from the booth to move to a table that was more centered in the club. She remained there until another waitress came by and did bring her a water, waiting and watching the door that the Black Cat would have to come from in order to conduct her floor shift.
When the Black Cat finally emerged from backstage, she was greeted by an onslaught of requests for private and lap dances. She was the belle of the ball as she made her rounds, smiling and laughing as dozens of men competed for her attention.
Janice was content to watch that first night and for weeks of other nights. She was drinking less, she found, as she watched the Black Cat dance, often just holding her glass for long moments as she stared transfixed at the stage. As such, she was waking up refreshed in the mornings, even after being at the Lounge until closing time, and getting more accomplished at work. The urge to call Annabelle gradually diminished until Janice was the one not answering text messages or returning phone calls. Eventually, she stopped wearing her wedding band entirely.