Clementine's Bloomers

On the way home, Kate's mind was racing with images of what she'd seen. And she felt slightly better about Phil coming to the club, so long as he stayed in the front and didn't do a private dance. She picked up a pizza on the way home for dinner beating Phil by a few minutes through the door.

"Pizza, huh?"

"Yeah, just got home from the interview."

"How'd it go?"

"Good. She sounded like she wants to hire me. Pay's kinda low but it will get me out of the house and I can use my degree some."

"When would you start?"

"She suggested in about three weeks or so. She'll let me know for sure next week and give me the details."

"Great. I know you've been wanting to get back to work and this will at least do that for you."

-----

Kate did receive a nice job offer with a start date soon after Phil's anticipated trip to the Kitty Klub. She tried to keep her mind busy with decorating their new place and getting to know the community better but in spite of everything, her mind kept going back to her visit to the stripper bar. She never did tell Phil about her visit fearing he'd be upset or think she was spying or checking up on things.

She found herself intrigued by the whole stripping 'culture,' if you could call it that, and even did some online research about strip clubs and the women who worked there. Since her mind was so preoccupied with the topic, she found herself increasingly horny. Several times after doing her research and watching strip tease videos, she was so turned on she had to take care of things with a quick session of two-fingered tango. Also, for the first time since they were married, she indulged in some me-time with BOB, her battery-operated boyfriend. On the one afternoon Phil was able to get off work early, she attacked him right as he came through the door, laughingly demanding he 'put out' or get out. Phil gladly complied without question.

About two weeks before the anticipated bachelor's party, Kate's mind kept drifting back to the Kitty Klub and her experience watching Susan's dance up front and the private session in back. As she wondered what it would feel like to strip in front of horny strangers, Kate had a sudden thought. What if she got up on stage? What if she danced and stripped? She'd never make a habit of it, but she believed it would be interesting to try it, at least once. One time wouldn't be a big thing, would it?

Then another idea struck. She could dance on the night of the party! Maybe she could get permission to dance once and it would be in front of Phil! His coworkers didn't know her or even know what she looked like. Maybe she could wear a wig so they'd never recognize her in the future. Phil would certainly recognize her and she began to wonder what his reaction might be. She doubted he'd be angry and he might enjoy the prank she'd be pulling on him at the bachelor party. Her mind raced with all the possibilities until she decided she'd at least look into it.

That afternoon she hopped into her car and drove out to the Kitty Klub. The same bouncer at the door recognized her and asked, "Back for more?"

"Uh, kinda. Is there any chance I can speak with Carlos?"

"Lookin' for a job 'cause if you are, he's told me he's got a pretty good group of girls right now."

"No, I'm looking for a special favor. It's kinda hard to describe so if I could get three quick minutes of his time, I'd appreciate it."

"Let me check." He grabbed his phone, hit an icon and was apparently talking to Carlos within seconds. "Uh, Boss, nice lady here wants to bend your ear for three minutes. You available?....OK, I'll send her back.

"Uh, Sweetheart, he'll see you but make sure you don't waste his time. Go through the curtain..."

"The one that leads to the private rooms?"

"Yeah, that one. His office is at the very end. Good luck."

With her heart beating double-time in her chest, she slid around the side of the room, through the curtain and down the hallway. At the last door she knocked softly.

"Come in."

"Hi, uh, Carlos, right? I'm Kate and I have a big favor to ask of you," she said as she shook his hand.

"Since I don't know you, any favor would be huge. What's up?"

"Uh, well, this is kinda embarrassing, at least for me. You see, my husband is coming here in about ten days for a bachelor party for one of his coworkers and I, uh, I..."

"Out with it, Honey."

"Ah, shit. Well, here goes. I want to surprise him and do a dance here in the club when he's here."

The silence in the room was deafening as Carlos looked at Kate.

"So, one dance on one night, basically a one-off?"

"Yes."

"Ever stripped before?"

"No."

"You a dancer?"

"I've done some ballroom, modern dance and as a teen I even did some ballet, so, yeah, I can strut and move to the music."

He stared at her some more before going on. "Usually when I go to hire someone I have them do a trial run in front of a few of my employees and some of the other girls to make sure they can handle it. Then they do a show when we first open on a slow day. I don't think I wanna waste all that effort and time for a one-off."

"But this is a one-time thing only. Surely you could do this without the trial run."

"I've got a reputation to think of. If you were a dud, it could hurt my business."

Kate had to chuckle to herself. An owner of a strip club was worried about his reputation! "Look, all I ask is for five minutes. I'll go home and practice and make sure it is reasonable. I'm even willing to watch a few of your girls' shows to make sure I'm doing things in the same vein."

"Hmm. What's in it for me?"

"You get all the receipts. I'll scoop up the cash and bring it to you personally. I won't take a dime."

"You willing to do a backroom session?"

The thought had never occurred to Kate. Certainly, she'd never do it with a strange man but maybe she'd be able to entice Phil back there. "Only if it is with my husband and if he does, all of his money will be yours as well."

"Interesting proposition. Hmm. Let's see what you got."

"What?"

"Let's see what you got. Take off your clothes."

"Uh, I think you can tell from the outside I'm generally decent looking and..."

"If you wanna do this, I need to see the goods. Again, I've got a reputation and my girls are all good looking."

"I've seen a couple and I'd agree, but what about Susan?"

"So, you've met Susan? She's special. She's our 'girl next door.' Nearly every strip joint has one of them. A lot of guys get off to someone like that because they get too intimidated by the babes but with Susan, they get to see some bare tits and ass from someone they could potentially see themselves with."

"I see. And you want to see...?"

"Yup and don't worry, you're safe here. I see more pussy in a week than most guys do in a lifetime and I'm not about to hurt you or take pictures or anything."

"You want me to do a practice strip show for you?"

"Nope. Just need t' see the goods."

"OK, uh..." Kate stood up and slipped off her coat and shoes before she turned to her blouse. As she undid the buttons slowly, she realized this would be the only time since she first slept with Phil that she exposed herself to a new guy. Even her doctors had been women. Once the buttons were undone, she pulled the tails from her slacks and dropped the blouse on the chair behind her. Next, her slacks dropped to the floor, she stepped out of them and stood facing Carlos.

"You're not done, Kate, wasn't it?"

"You want everything...?"

"Come on. You're gonna strip in front of several dozen guys. What's one more right now?"

"OK," she answered nervously. She reached behind herself, unhooked the bra and dropped it on the chair. Finally, the panties were slid down to her knees from where they fell to the floor. She stood up straight, thrust her chest slightly towards him and waited with a proud, defiant look in her eyes.

"Nice. Good tits. What are they, C or D?"

"Depends on the brand. Usually a D, sometimes a C."

"Turn around slowly. Nice ass, if I say so myself. Full, but not huge. No extra fat. You know, Kate, you're a fine-looking woman."

"Thank you," she replied with a nervous giggle.

"One thing, though. You gotta lose the bush."

"Oh, I've gone natural lately but I used to keep it cropped short and shaved to a narrow dart. Would that be OK?"

"I guess, but most guys want the pussies to be totally bare. You'll need to at least shave your lips so when you show your pussy off, they can see the lips."

"Does that mean you'll do this, I mean, let me do this?"

"Kate, all of my business brain is sayin' not only 'no' but 'hell no.' But somehow, I think I want to give this a shot. Maybe I could turn this into the beginning of something like an amateur night or something. Anyway, you have a deal."

"I do? Thank you, Carlos," she squealed as she ran over and gave him a hug before remembering she was totally nude.

"You're welcome. Now, a few things. I'll need the exact date so I can warn the announcer and let the girls know. I'll try to have Susan there as your emotional support girl. You'll need to pick your music and bring it on a flash drive. Try to keep the song to about five or six minutes. New dancers are nervous, tend to strip too quick and then end up dancing nude for too long. The thing to remember is the 'tease.' The more you tease, the better the reception and the better the tips."

"Wow, it's a lot to remember," she said as she started dressing. "How about I call you tomorrow with the details?"

"You could but give me your number and I'll have Susan call you. OK?"

"Yes. And thank you, Carlos. I'm sure I'll be nervous but I promise you I'll deliver a decent show, maybe even a good one. I'll practice a lot."

"Good. Nice meeting you, Kate. Oh, one last thing. You'll need a stage name."

"Kiss Me Kate?"

"Nope. You need a totally new, fake name. How about Darling Clementine? Kinda cute and I'm sure we'll never have need for the name again."

"Clementine it is. Thank you."

Once back in her car, Kate suddenly started to shake with nerves. She had done it! After stripping in front of a complete stranger, she had arranged for a surprise strip show for her husband in front of his colleagues, yet none of them would know it. She was sure he'd be blown away and though it would be a big surprise, she figured he'd go with it. And after her dance, maybe she'd try to get him to go in back for a private dance!

-----

Susan called bright and early the next morning. "Kate, I heard the good news. Are you excited?"

"More nervous than anything."

"Carlos wanted me to help you, you know, get an outfit and plan your dance. Maybe help you with a practice dance."

"That'd be great."

"What's your stage name gonna be?"

"Clementine, you know, like Darling Clementine."

"You mean like in that old song?"

"Yeah. Carlos picked it."

"Hey, maybe we can work with it. When can I come over?"

"Why not now? Time's a wasting."

In less than an hour the two were sitting in Kate's living room drinking coffee. Susan was clearly excited about Kate's planned dance and kept throwing out ideas, most of which Kate wasn't too thrilled with.

"Wait, I've got it. You'll love it."

"What?"

"You're gonna be Clementine, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you dress up like a woman from the eighteen hundreds before you strip?"

"Uh, that might have possibilities."

"You know, long dress, corset, chemise and bloomers!"

"Where would I get those?"

"There's an intimate apparel shop here in town and they have a few Victorian items."

"Maybe we should go there and figure things out."

"Yeah and we've got time to modify them for stripping. I mean, you can't be slowly unbuttoning the corset, could you? Would take too long."

Thirty minutes later they were at Sally's Slinkies, an upscale lingerie shop. Without telling Sally about the stripping, Kate was able to try out all the items needed. Sally pointed out modern corsets weren't as binding as in the 1800's and could easily be taken off by the wearer with a hidden zipper in back or in front. Under the corset Kate would wear a thin, sexy chemise. Next came the bloomers.

"These are crotchless," exclaimed Kate.

"Yes, back in the day women needed to remain modest and they'd simply squat to pee right through the slit. No need to pull down the whole garment."

"I don't know," hesitated Kate before Susan jumped in.

"Kate, it's exactly the right thing, you know..." she winked.

"Oh, yeah, I see. So, what will these three things run?"

Next, they went to a costume shop and quickly found a long, Victorian dress with a low bodice. Back at her house, Kate laid the items out.

"Now, we need to convert these for stripping," offered Susan. "The dress should be easy. We can put two tiny dots of Velcro in back so you can easily pull it open before you drop it to the floor. Can you sew?"

"Not really."

"I have to modify my costumes all the time so I'll come back tomorrow to help with that. The corset already has a zipper and all we'll do is tie a ribbon to it. You could bend over and let one of the guys pull the ribbon down."

"Yeah, that'd work."

"You can pull the chemise over your head and the bloomers, well they can simply be pulled down, after you let everyone see they're crotchless."

"Is that such a good idea?"

"Hell yeah. You can bend over and wiggle your ass at the crowd and they'll see your puss. Perfect! So, I'll bring over my sewing equipment tomorrow to fix those two items. Now, let's plan on the music and outline your dance."

They spent quite some time looking for music to dance to. They both felt it should be easy to listen to and not be hip hop, which might clash with the Clementine image. They kicked around several ideas until they hit upon using an old tune from the eighteen hundreds which had a nice melody and a pulsating beat. She could incorporate some old dance steps from reels and polkas into her act.

"OK, now let's do some early planning on your acts, as I call them. Each item of clothing is an 'act.' We know how long you'll be up there since the song is nearly six minutes long. You've got four items to remove so you'll want to plan on one item each minute or so leaving you nude for about a minute and a half. That's perfect."

"Are you sure I need to be nude that long? I thought I'd pull off the last thing right as the lights go out."

"No. You've gotta give them something or they'll sit on their wallets. Now, let's move the furniture back and use your living room as a practice stage."

Susan and Kate spent the next hour outlining a dance routine before Susan had to leave for her next shift at the Kitty Klub.

"Now, you need to keep practicing and work on your timing. Try to use the music to divide up your routine into five parts. See you tomorrow."

The next day Susan finished working on the outfit. The dress would have tiny Velcro dots which would pull apart easily and the corset's zipper had a ribbon tied to it. The plan was for her to 'accidentally' remove the dress first.

"Then what you could do is turn to the crowd, put your index finger on your lower lip and mouth 'Oops' to the crowd like it was an accident."

"Great idea."

"Then to remove the corset, you should wave your finger at a guy and have him pull the ribbon down all the while your feet are moving to the music. After that, you slowly pull the chemise up but leave it covering those wonderful boobs of yours for several seconds. You wanna make 'em wait."

"Got it."

"Now you're down to your bloomers. You'll need to bend over at the waist facing away from the crowd. Let 'em see your puss."

"Will it show?"

"It will if you put your hands on your cheeks and pull the cloth away from the middle. Again, your feet will have to be moving to the music while you're doing this."

"Good idea. Uh, one thing we haven't discussed. I need a wig to disguise me. I don't want any of my husband's coworkers to recognize me in the future."

"I've got it. A red wig with pig tails, kinda like the Wendy's girl. We could paint on some freckles, too. That would go great with the costume and the 'oops' thing."

"Oh, Susan, you should be a theater or a dance director. You've got some great ideas."

"Thanks. This is so fun. I hope you're able to pull it all off without getting too nervous."

"I do, too. Maybe by making things so tight with the music and the timing, maybe I won't have time to be nervous."

"You'll do fine. Look, I've gotta run. Work on your routine for a couple of days and I'll come back Wednesday and you can do some full practice runs with me at that time. OK?"

"Yeah. And thanks again for all your help."

Susan dropped by twice in the days leading up to the big event helping Kate with tiny details. Otherwise, Kate was on her own. She went through her routine seemingly dozens of times making sure she had the timing, her footwork and her moves down pat. She always had to stop well before Phil got home to move the furniture, hide her outfit and make their home look as normal as possible.

-----

On the big Friday night, Phil almost ruined everything. He arrived home early and seemed in a slightly sour mood.

"What's up, Honey?"

"I'm not sure I'm going."

"You mean to the bachelor party?"

"Yeah, it's not the thing for me."

"I thought you decided you'd make an appearance so you could bond with the rest of the team and then duck out kinda early."

"Yeah, but even so..."

"You know, you should go. I'm not worried about you or us so I'll wait here and when you return, well, you can tell me all about it. Go on, have an extra drink and try to have some fun."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

Once he agreed to go, Kate let out a silent sigh, ate a quick bite with Phil and led him to the door. "Have fun, Honey. I'll be waiting for you," she knowingly lied with a sly wink and a promising smile, "And remember, no private shows."

"I won't, I promise you."

As soon as Phil drove down the driveway, Kate went to her closet and pulled out her bag with the costume and the wig. With nerves aflutter, she hopped into her car and drove slowly to the Kitty Klub. Once she saw Phil's empty car sitting on the front lot, she drove around back, left her car and walked up to the employee entrance.

"Sorry, Sweetheart, this is for employees only."

"Yeah, I know but I'm dancing tonight. I'm Kate. You can ask Carlos."

"Oh, sure, go ahead."

Inside, she found the dressing room and to her delight, Susan was already there.

"Hi, Kate. Welcome. Nervous?"

"Yeah, a little, no, make that a lot!"

"Here, let's get you made up and your clothes on. You'll go on right before me in about twenty-five minutes or so. I'll be right off stage in case anything happens."

"Can I peek at the audience?"

"Sure. Follow me."

Between the curtains Kate could see a dancer doing some work on a pole and right in front of the stage was a table of guys including Phil. He would be up close! Her mind began to race about the possibilities. She was sure he'd recognize her even with her wig and fake freckles but she wondered if maybe she could get him to be the one to pull off the corset! To delay him figuring out who she was, she decided to alter her routine a tiny bit and begin her show with her back to the audience and turn around right before she 'accidentally' lost her dress.

Back in the dressing room, she told her idea to Susan who completely agreed. After she dressed, she pulled her hair up, slid on a tight, nylon head-covering and the red wig. Susan helped paint large 'freckles' across her cheeks and nose before standing back and claiming, "No one, except for your husband, would ever recognize you. You look great. Now you need to relax until your name is called up. Did you give your music to the DJ?"

"No. I'll run it to him now."