Chapter 5

By the time she arrived at the fairgrounds, she had her outward façade of carefree, newly single in place. She glanced in the rearview mirror, hiding any signs of what happened. Her heartbeat returned to normal, and the "dreadicles" in her stomach disappeared.

The fairgrounds were abuzz; tents, rides, and other structures visible over a chain link fence covered with thick, black plastic slats. If this was an adults-only carnival, as Elleane explained, then making sure prying innocent eyes couldn't see inside was a good idea.

After getting out of the car, she immediately welcomed the delectable sounds of laughter and music, the mouthwatering scent of deep fried food, and the eye-catching sight of gorgeous men.

She took a deep breath, smoothed her hands over her hair, tugged at her skirt, and steadied her emotions. The giddy girl in her wanted to forget all the craziness from the car and let go for one night. With that thought in mind, she went looking for her friends, determined to enjoy Carlenna's Carnal-Val.

Haven met up with Elleane and Rhiannon inside the entrance gate. Rhiannon, the newest member of their band of the beautiful and fun loving, started working at the club six months ago. Her perky, yet reserved personality, cloaked in a hard-nosed, no-nonsense candy shell, made her an immediate comrade-in-arms. Over a night of freely flowing margaritas, Monty Python, and almost-pissed-my-pants laughter, they'd forged an inseparable bond.

Elleane and Rhiannon greeted her with quick hugs and warm smiles.

"Hey, hey! This place looks amazing." The provocatively dressed carnival-goers moved among large, red and orange tents, food vendors peddled their fattening wares, and flashing lights and carnival posters filled her vision. "I can't believe we're here. A carnival for grownups-what a kick!" She laughed.

"Okay, I can't keep my excitement in my pants, let's get going. I'm ready to see the sights, eat some food, and get a cheesy t-shirt!" Elleane squealed.

"Wow," Haven breathed as the bright colors, upbeat carnival music, and raucous noise dazzled her. "You outdid yourself on this one."

Elleane's smile could melt ice off Pluto. "I did, didn't I? I knew you'd love this place. Now, let's go see what's so carnal about Carlenna's Carnal-Val." She moved in the direction of the fairway, and Rhiannon and Haven tried to keep up in the crush of people.

Since none of them had eaten, they stopped at a hotdog vendor.

"This is delicious," Rhiannon exclaimed as she dug into her food. The other two mumbled in agreement as they devoured bite after bite of their own frankfurter masterpieces. Haven grinned and peered at all the amazing diversions. "Carlenna's Carnal-Val is something else, isn't it?"

"It sure is," Elleane said, pointing at a fire-eater. "Hmm, he's hot." They chuckled.

"So, Haven, you glad all this divorce and gambling debt stuff is over?" Rhiannon asked, nursing a beer.

"Oh hell yeah. You don't even know. I still can't believe it's been five damn years. Five years, plus hard work, equals me with my freedom from Elgin and his money problems."

Laughing, Elleane said, "I still remember your first night at the club. You came in, super modest, and filled to the brim with attitude and ass." They all giggled, Haven a little less sincerely than the others.

"Well, we'd just emptied the last of the money from my savings account, and I was desperate." For the second time that day, five-year-old memories swamped her.

She'd met Elgin at the university where she'd begun her nursing studies. He was the hottest guy she'd ever seen, and he made every naive bone in her body melt under his gaze. She fell fast and hard, and they got married three months later. Soon after her courthouse wedding, she discovered his ugly little secret. He had a gambling addiction, and he owed $125,000 to loan sharks. The money she'd saved through high school didn't last long, and within eight months of marriage, she was heartbroken, drowning in debt, and in desperate need of a job. She had no idea where to get one that paid enough to keep Elgin's bookies from breaking her legs, and keep a roof over her head.

Craigslist had been the answer to her prayers.

'DELICIOUS. NOW HIRING WAITRESSES AND DANCERS.

APPLY IN PERSON.

GREAT PAY.'

She couldn't finish out the school year anyway, and waitressing wouldn't be so hard.

She applied, but too bad her new boss had different ideas.

Honestly, she didn't care what she did as long as she didn't have to ask her parents for money. Not that they had any. Going home was not an option. Her stepfather was reason enough to never step foot in town again. He'd gloat over her failure like the Devil did over gullible sinners.

She'd changed a lot in the five years since she left. The naïve nineteen-year-old girl who'd lived life under the ridiculing eye of self-righteous town folk and their mean daughters didn't exist. A smart-mouthed, no-nonsense woman took her place.

She pushed the memories aside and made an effort to live in the moment, turning to look at her friends.

Elleane gulped almost half of her beer, and burped. "After this we should head to the games. I want to win a blow up doll."

Haven and Rhiannon joined her in the merriment, creating a chorus of ribald laughter. A passing balloon vendor interrupted their revelry by shouting for customers at the top of his lungs.

Glancing at his balloons, they got an eyeful of multi-colored phalluses.

Carnal-Val indeed. They looked at each other, and broke into gales of laughter.

"Too bad those aren't life-sized. I wouldn't mind climbing on top of one if it were attached to that guy." Elleane finished by pointing to a tall blond deftly handling a giant hammer, smashing it into a dinging platform. She smiled as Elleane fixated on his back and the muscles flexing beneath his black t-shirt.

Carlenna's Carnal-Val boasted sword-swallowers, jugglers with chainsaws and meat cleavers, half-naked acrobats, a burlesque show, body painting booths, tents filled with pillows and large hookahs, and-Elleane's favorite attraction-the Strongman. His muscles glistened and bulged beneath the weight of three bikini-clad women straddling an enormous plastic penis about the length of a park bench.

Talk about overcompensation.

The daylight dwindled, and twilight embraced them. In the distant reaches of the carnival, music played, but not cheesy carnival music, her kind of music. The kind that called to her on a primal level.

She couldn't ignore it.

"You guys hear that?" Her voice raised an octave in excitement. Rhiannon and Elleane turned to her with smiles. They knew exactly what she was thinking.

As one, they wound their way to the large white tent cleverly outfitted as an outdoor nightclub.

Bright red and green lights flashed above from the tent's support poles, and a DJ spun tracks from his perch at the front of the dance floor. Dozens of men and women converged on the tent, hoping to get in on the action.

She, Elleane, and Rhiannon pushed their way to the middle of the dance floor and, as the DJ mixed in another track, they danced. Everywhere around them, couples locked in intimate embraces, bumping and grinding to the music, making love while clothed.

As Chris Brown's Forever flowed into Beyonce's Sweet Dreams, she morphed. The demon of sensuality kissed her, and she gave in to the tempo. She moved to the music, pleading with the haunting melody to show her mercy-to give her glorious release.

Elleane and Rhiannon danced chest to chest with men who held them tight, grinding their crotches against them in slow, sensual movements. She didn't have a partner, but she could care less. She had the music-the only partner she needed.

The music pulled her, enticing her into its labyrinth of beats and melodies, and she was lost.