Chapter 50

It felt great getting out of Southern California. Atticus booked me on a first-class flight to Miami, and the Pussycat also provided me with a limo and a suite in a five-star hotel. I had to admit all the VIP treatment made me feel like I was royalty. I also discovered that even though I hadn’t danced for a month, I hadn’t lost any of my ... ummm... skills on the stage. I worked the crowd into a frenzy during each of my sets. When I wasn’t grinding on the pole, the club had set me up with some rich businessmen for the VIP room. I was able to give a couple of handjobs and a few blowjobs there. Just like I’d done when I was dancing in Dallas, I required all the men to wear a condom before I took them in my mouth. It seemed that all of those wealthy old guys wanted to get a little time with that new blonde pornstar who was taking the industry by storm. By the end of the night, I’d made just a little over $25,000, and unlike my days in Dallas, I didn’t have to split any of it with the club.

The next morning, I caught an early flight to Dallas. Fortunately, Atticus had made arrangements with the club to wire my earnings directly to my bank, so I didn’t have to carry the money around with me. Also, it was the 24th of December, my birthday, my 19th birthday. So much had changed in only one year, and it was difficult to comprehend at times. I looked out the window as we got closer to landing. I could see the tall buildings off in the distance.

Dallas. Home. Except it’s not. L.A. doesn’t feel like home, either. Salome is home...

A year ago, back in Salome, I was a high-school student struggling to find my way in the world. My plans and my life revolved around my then-boyfriend: going to college with him, marrying him, and starting a family with him. Of course, that didn’t work out, and my world looked much different now. My brief stint at Hooters, dancing for Tony at the Rhino, and then embarking on this new ... ummm... career while Atticus and Danielle guided me. As the plane touched down in Dallas, I couldn’t help but feel that I was somehow coming full circle.

I took an Uber to the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Dallas. Staying in a five-star suite was something I was going to enjoy, especially since it was on Tony’s dime. That was one of the conditions that I had Atticus write into the contract, and Tony must have really wanted me as a featured dancer because he’d grudgingly agreed to it.

Dallas isn’t exactly a tourist destination on Christmas Eve, so the hotel was glad to give me an early check-in. It was nice to freshen up before I hit the stores for some last-minute shopping. With my arms loaded down with shopping bags, I reluctantly Ubered to my parents’ house. Time for some holiday fun, I thought sarcastically. As far as they knew, I was still just an erotic dancer out west; I hadn’t been able to broach the subject of my new profession yet. I hated lying to them, but I had a pretty good idea of what their reaction would be, so I’d be putting that ugly moment off for the future. But I felt that the time to come clean was now. Better for them to hear it from me than from someone at the church or, God forbid, a billboard!

When we pulled into my parents’ driveway, both of my parents came out to meet me. After I tipped the driver, I exchanged big hugs with my mother and father. “It’s so good to see you, Jenna,” he whispered into my ear as his strong arms held me tight. “Happy birthday, honey.”

I closed my eyes and reveled in his warmth and kind words. “Thank you, Daddy. It’s so good to see you.” For several moments, it almost felt like all the ugliness that had transpired between us had never occurred, and maybe we had a chance to be a family again. I knew that wouldn’t be the case after they learned what I was now doing for a living, but it felt good to pretend that everything would be okay even if I knew that was only a fantasy.

My father helped me carry all of my shopping bags into the house, and when I stepped inside, I saw Grammy sitting on the couch. When she saw me, she immediately rose up, and we exchanged a tight hug. “I’ve missed you terribly, child.”

A little tear streaked down my cheek. “I’ve missed you too, Grammy.”

“Look at you. You’re such a beautiful young woman,” she said as she gently wiped the tear from my eye.

“Thank you,” I said shyly.

“The weather girl said we might have snow tomorrow. Wouldn’t that be nice? A white Christmas for us all!” She hugged me again.

There it is, that warm Christmas feeling that I haven’t felt for so long.

Our Christmas dinner was amazing, and it brought back many wonderful memories from my childhood. Even though there were only four of us, my Mom had prepared enough food to feed a small army. She’d made a turkey, a large ham, mashed potatoes, bread dressing, and several pies, including cherry, my favorite. Throughout our meal, the conversation was pleasant and light. It was as if they’d all made an agreement not to bring up the past. However, it still felt like there was a large elephant sitting at the table with us that we all pretended to ignore.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. My parents rarely drank, but it was our family’s tradition to have wine on Christmas Eve. Honestly, it did help take the edge off. We all ensured that our conversations were light, and my parents spent most of the time updating me about their jobs and their new life in Dallas. Grammy also shared her experiences in her retirement community and told us about all of the souls she was working on saving.

Once it reached about 10:00, we all said goodnight, and I grabbed my overnight bag and headed up the stairs to my old room. When I opened the door, it was like stepping into a time capsule because nothing had changed. My pink ruffled comforter was still on my bed, and all the pictures on the wall reminded me of my past. So many pictures of my high school ex-boyfriend, pictures that, for whatever reason, I’d never gotten rid of. As I looked at my smiling face with Dave’s arm around me, I remembered the happy times I’d had with him and pondered how different my life would be right now if all those plans we made together had come to fruition.

I slipped out of my clothes, put on a big sleeper T-shirt, and slid under the covers. As I slipped off to sleep, I thought how good it was to see my parents and Grammy again. They seemed intent on rebuilding their relationship with me and letting go of our turbulent past. However, I should have known that our pleasant evening together was just the calm before the storm.