Read Boston Avant-Garde 4: Encore for Free Online Page A

gave a view of the busy Boston street, and a fireplace crackled merrily in the far corner of a conversation area. At the other end of the long room, past the reception desk, Mellie Robertson sat in her wheelchair before a large glass enclosure full of birds.
    Tears burned in Suri’s eyes at the sight of her mother’s hunched form. Mellie had been a beautiful woman. Now she was nothing but a hard shell.
    Suri approached slowly, coming at an angle so as not to take her mother by surprise. “Hi, Ma. How are you today?”
    Mellie made a grimacing face, a grotesque smile of sorts that wrenched Suri’s heart in two. She was never sure what was worse, the empty gaze of dementia or the look that told her beyond doubt that her mother was trapped inside that withering body.

Chapter Four
    Lizzie squeezed Suri in a hug so tight she thought she might suffocate. “Good Lord, girl, I’m glad to see you in one piece! I sent Jericho to find you last night after you disappeared with that bottle of champagne. Are you okay?”
    Suri put on her most convincing smile. Lizzie had been the one to help unlock the Suri side of her personality that first month or two on the dance floor. She really liked Lizzie’s upbeat outlook. “I’m fine. Much better. I didn’t know you were working tonight.”
    “I swapped with Zoey. She has a parent-teacher conference tonight.”
    The spacious dressing room was starting to fill with the dancers scheduled for the night. Lighted booths rimmed the large rectangular space, but the central area was dominated by rack after rack of clothing. Each dancer claimed a prep station when they arrived, dumping their belongings in the locker underneath a counter where they could spread their makeup. Once they’d designated a home base, it was time to dig through the clothing to find the perfect ensemble for the night. Despite her errand to the nursing home, Suri had been lucky enough to beat the rush.
    Lizzie claimed a spot next to Suri and settled herself on a stool before her mirror. She began brushing her short black hair. “Zoey is really worried about all the trouble David is having at school. I wish I could help her, but I wouldn’t know where to start. Being in this business and having a kid has to suck. The hours just kill any chance of family time.”
    Suri organized her own selection of cosmetics and set to work. She had less than forty-five minutes to make the transition from music teacher to exotic dancer. “Lizzie, how long do you think you’ll work as a stripper?”
    Lizzie leaned close to the mirror and drew a perfect line with her eye pencil. “I don’t know. Maybe until my boobs are too saggy for anyone to pay to see them? Why?”
    “I just wondered. I don’t think I ever intended to be here for this long. I just needed some extra cash, and this seemed like a quick buck.” Suri pulled her long blonde tresses into a high ponytail and teased the hair so it would poof up higher. “I never thought I’d actually enjoy it, but sometimes I almost do.”
    “Suri, baby, there’s no such thing as extra cash. And anyone who disses us is just jealous they don’t have the guts to get up there.” Lizzie snagged a wig of loose red curls from a mannequin and began to fluff it up. “What’s been eating you? It’s like someone rained on your parade, and you can’t get over it. That’s not like you.”
    Suri wondered if she should tell Lizzie about the guy who had recognized her in public. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen, right? Except it had been a big deal. Especially since it had ended with her deciding to have the most fantastic sex of her life with Dante and Jericho.
    “Come on, spill!” Lizzie whisked a brush across her face, applying a thin layer of glittery powder.
    “You know I play cello in a string trio, right?”
    “How could I forget? I keep telling you to bring that thing in and play naked on stage. You’d make some killer