Chapter 8

(Crazy Moose Saloon, Anchorage)

Ember was a 5-foot-ten "sandy" blonde, including her now exposed, and neatly trimmed bush. She had C-cup size breasts with nipples that stuck out as if to say "in your wildest dreams". Ember had come from one of the Dallas clubs during the summer, and was now working out her contract so she could leave and go home. She had just three more weeks to go. The money was good, in fact the best she ever dreamed of working as an exotic dancer, but the talent agency they had to go through, required more talents than just dancing.

Since her roommate had vanished the week before Ember was very anxious about any of the customers, and as it showed, her tips and private dances were way off. This had the "house mom" that managed the girls on her case all night to get out and mingle. If she didn't reach a certain minimum, they kept all she made up to that, and then they would just take 50 percent. She had to make better. So far she had done well on stage, but shied away from doing private dances. She pushed "Cameron" out of her mind, and lay on the mat at the stage end of the runway and did a few spreads, rotating around as she did and giving the men a peek at her exposed areas. WOW! When Ember did that it would make an Evangelist's tongue hard! Almost instantly, dollar bills, five's, tens twenties, and even a C-note suddenly were laying at the edge of the stage as everyone wanted a "closer look" at her "assets".

When she got around to the man that laid the hundred up there, he got a kiss and asked her to come and see him. Henry Bean was about to cum in his pants with anticipation. Henry was a regular customer and Ember was his favorite. He had been known to spend 4 or 5 hundred a night on private dances from her. Henry was a 40-ish slightly overweight man that stood just over five-seven. He ran one of the Aviation Services at Lake Hood Seaplane Base, and made good money. Being single, he didn't have a family to support, but Ember and Cameron "helped him spend it."

Cameron had gotten in trouble once for letting Henry touch her private areas during a private dance and had to forfeit her pay for the night as a "fine". After that the two had just made a show of fingering themselves and then putting two fingers in his mouth while he gratefully sucked them clean, while the other hand was getting ready to replace the first hand when he finished. Both girls had given themselves orgasms while doing this with him before and they loved it when the "wet spot" appeared on his pants.

They had come to trust Henry, and in fact had done two "private shows" for him outside of work for a cool thousand bucks they didn't split with the club. The two girls would take turns giving him a hand job and squatting on his face. Cameron used to give him an occasional blowjob, but neither had regular sex with him. Henry didn't know it, but the management suspected that he was responsible somehow for Cameron's disappearance.

Henry wasn't, and he was about as dangerous as a bunny rabbit. There was someone else there that night that was, and he had set his sights on a girl that went by Belinda. She was a petite little redhead that looked like she couldn't actually be of legal age, but she was. At least her ID said so. The bespectacled, clean-cut man moved down to the main stage along what the girls called "pervert row" and watched Belinda go through her routine. He asked her to come to his table, and left a big tip. When she did he introduced himself as Howard Stone, of the Stone Group Modeling Agency in Hollywood. He started with the usual BS about where she was from and if she had ever been in a movie. Of course he could help her get a role in a new Tom Cruise movie. Belinda had promised another man a private dance but would be back to talk more with "Howard". When she returned he was gone. He would be back.

Belinda finished her private dance, and went to find the man with the Modeling Agency. He wasn't there, so she went to the back to change her costume. A few minutes later she came back out to circulate, and saw him again. She went to sit with him and as if on cue, the waitress appeared to take her drink order. Belinda ordered a rum and coke.

"So who are your clients?" Belinda asked.

"Where do I begin?" Howard said. "I found Natasha Henstridge, but mostly I find what they call extras. Presently I am looking for a beautiful redhead to walk by Tom Cruise in his upcoming movie, where he turns to look at her while walking with his wife. You would be perfect."

"Yeah, right," Belinda said. "What makes me so perfect?"

"Well, you are the kind of girl that a guy just can't take his eyes off of," Stone replied. "When you walked up on the stage, I was so fixated on you that there was nobody else in this whole place but you. That is what we need."

"We?" Belinda asked. "Define 'we' for me."

"The producers, and script writers," Stone answered, realizing Belinda might not be falling for the spiel. "Tom is producing this one himself. It does involve a love scene depicting a brief affair he has with the girl."

"I get to do a love scene Tom Cruise?" Belinda laughed. "Oh, please mister. Hey, thanks for the drink. Do you want a dance or not?"

"No, you don't, have sex with the star," Howard replied, "You are only nude from the waist up. That is why I came here, otherwise I'd have to photograph you nude whether you were what I wanted or not."

"Oh?" Belinda said, "I am what you want? You and a dozen other men in here willing to pay for my time."

"How about I pay you, and you don't need to dance?" he asked.

"I guess that works," she said, as he put $100.00 on the table.

"I still need to photograph you nude so Tom can see that you are perfect for the part," Stone continued. "I don't think we can do it here."

"I KNOW we can't do it here," Belinda replied. "I don't think I trust you to go anywhere else with you though. I think you are just a BS artist."

"Do you want to call Natasha herself and find out if I am who I say?" Stone asked, "I'll have to dial the number, since I can't give it out."

He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number that was answered by a software program on his PC that was interactive. Then he handed her the phone.

"Miss Henstridge residence," the male voice said in a British accent.

"May I please speak to Miss Henstridge?" Belinda asked.

There was a slight pause, and the male voice said, "May I say whom is calling?"

"Tell her it's a friend of Howard Stone," he suggested.

"Belinda Bradley," she said, "a friend of Howard Stone?"

"Ah, yes," The man said after a slight pause. "One moment please."

In the background, she heard muffled voices, and a woman's voice saying, "Thank you, Robbins."

There were footsteps approaching, and then a woman's voice saying, "Howie? Is that you?" showing familiarity with the man. Then there was a pause. Belinda handed him the phone.

"Hi, Tasha," Stone said, "I have a prospective star here that thinks I am some sleaze bag with a scam. Tell her I am for real." Then he handed the phone back to her, discretely pressing the "4".

"Honey, you can't go wrong with Howard," the supposed actress told her. "You let him introduce you to the right people, and why am I telling you this? You're the competition. Hey, I need to run. Good luck with your screen test." Then she hung up, or rather the computer disconnected.

Belinda handed him back the cell phone and asked, "What do I do now?"

"Well first I need to take some pictures with my digital camera, so I can send them on to Tom and he will have them to show how much better you are than the other five ladies," Howard told her. "When do you get off work? Or will tomorrow be better?"

"I have to stay until around 4 in the morning," Belinda said, "Let me call you when I can get up."

"I just remembered," Stone said, "I need to get back to LA for a shoot tomorrow night so we will have to do it early."

"Meet me at the Donut place just down the road here about 5, then if you must." Belinda said, "I hope I am not too ragged out from dancing all night."

"That will be good," Stone said, "I will see you then. I'll arrange for the use of a studio for the shoot. See you then."

Belinda began to have second thoughts later in the night; but then again, she did talk to Natasha Henstridge on the phone that verified his story. Nobody could fake something that well. Not a two-way conversation, or could they?

While they were in Nome, Bill found out that he and Danby and Mary Donnelly would be working the Bush Company.

"I hope we can maintain a professional attitude about this," Danby said. "I am so nervous about it I just can't get past being naked in front of men, let alone even consider I am bait for a serial killer."

"You will have backup," Dawson reminded her. "Yes, you and then Chris is going as a blind guy with a 'seeing-eye dog'."

"Plus two more male officers from Fairbanks," Lt. Randall added.

"I just hate to think where the only place I can hide my gun is," Danby remarked. "No place to hide a wire, either."

"There you are wrong," the Lieutenant said. "We had a specialist make hair decorations with tiny transmitters in them, and tracking devices. Of course if you pierced anything we could put them there as well."

"My EARS!" Danby added. "My ears are pierced, so that should be sufficient."

"I was teasing Danby," Lt. Randall replied. "Yes we have three different sets of earrings made as well. We will not lose you."

"Mary is doing this too, right?" Danby asked.

"She is supposed to get back with us today sometime," Randall answered. "I feel sure this is important enough for her to do it. Besides she is already trained for undercover work."

(Anchorage, that evening)

Mary and Mike discussed the case of the disappearing dancers with great apprehension. It wasn't so much that she was bashful about her body, but that she really needn't work at all with her inheritance. Mary had hoped to retire, and have a baby, but she was by far the most beautiful of all of the Alaska State Troopers' female officers. Lisa Danby was not hard to look at either, nor was Faye Hammond from Fairbanks. It was just that compared to Mary, it was no contest.

Mike agreed to come in on his nights he wasn't working and help watch her. Sgt. Tim Sealy would monitor the rear of the club from a vantage point in a nearby apartment. He and Corporal Hammond were already there. Faye was going under the stage name of "Cricket."

Lisa would be "Tawny" and Mary would go by "Destiny". There were two other undercover troopers that masqueraded as customers to protect Hammond until some relief arrived. That night was Sealy's night to watch over the lady officers.