Fallen Angel (Club Burlesque) Read Online Free Page B

straight from the club, or are we lucky enough to be getting a surprise performance from the great Moxie, the Burlesque Ballerina?
    “No performance tonight, Justin.” She couldn’t help but smile. He was handsome and charming and seeing him always reminded her of when burlesque was new and mysterious and unattainable to her.
    “Come say hi to Martha—I know she’ll change your mind.”
    “You guys did miss an inspired performance tonight,” Alec said.
    “I have to get out more. Martha has kept me tied up.” Mallory and Alec exchanged a look. From what they’d heard about the couple from Bette, Justin might have been speaking literally.
    “You go say hi to Martha—I’m going to catch Billy,” said Alec. Mallory nodded. Fine, let him deal with Billy. She couldn’t stand the way he talked down to them, like he was New York royalty and they were serfs in his kingdom.
    Justin took her by the hand and led her through a crowded room toward the bar, where a petite blond woman was mixing pink cocktails and pouring them into champagne flutes. Waitresses flanked her with trays at the ready. Justin snapped a glass up and handed it to her.
    “What is it?”
    “Red velvet champagne cocktail. You’ll love it.”
    She took a sip. It was extremely sweet. He was right—as she was someone who loved dessert more than drinks, it was perfect for her.
    Martha spotted them and waved them over. She was stationed on a chair next to a long table covered with what appeared to be gift bags stuffed with pink tissue paper and tied with wide pink ribbons.
    “You look gorgeous, as always,” Martha said to Mallory when she bent down to kiss her on the cheek. Unfortunately, Mallory could not return the compliment, as much as she would have liked to. The woman looked as unappealing as ever, with her overweight, pear-shaped figure, and stringy, brown hair, her sausage feet stuffed into orthopedic shoes. The contrast to her model-hot husband was always jarring. When Mallory had first met them, she’d assumed their relationship was purely a business transaction: he lived off her fortune, and she was squired around town by a hot piece of man-candy. But the more she saw of them, the more she realized they truly enjoyed each other’s company and shared a love of fine art, food, partying, and subversive sexuality.
    “I love, love, love your costume!” Martha effused. “Please tell me you’re going to perform? We threw this little gathering together last minute, and I feel terrible we have no entertainment.”
    “Oh, no, not tonight, Martha. I’m exhausted. I came straight from the Blue Angel.”
    “Just a quickie—it will only take five minutes and will make the whole night! Justin, find her some music.”
    “Guys, really, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I’m just not in the right headspace tonight.”
    Justin and Martha exchanged a look.
    “No pressure, doll. We just thought it might be fun,” said Martha.
    “Okay,” Mallory said, eager to change the subject. “So what’s new in the world of vaginal optimization?”
    “I’m glad you asked! Your party favor will answer that,” Martha said, reaching over and handing her a bag.
    It was surprisingly heavy.
    “What is this?”
    “Open it,” Martha said, with unabashed glee.
    Mallory lifted a weighty cardboard box out of the bag and opened it to find a wide glass pot filled with what appeared to be pink jelly.
    “Strawberry jam?” she said.
    “No! It’s for your vagina,” Martha said.
    Mallory looked at her blankly and then examined the pot. The label on it read H ONEYMOON T WO .
    “You coat the inside of your vagina with it, and the gel makes it slick and tight—and presto, you’re a honeymoon virgin again.” Justin said.
    “Wow. This is really . . . inventive,” Mallory said.
    “Not everyone makes the effort to Kegel,” Martha explained. “Or their muscles are so far gone, it doesn’t work. Regardless, I’ve come up with a quick fix. It’s not even on the