A drink and a room

The two men sat a little confused, taking in the appearance of the bar tender with a bit of stunned surprise.

“You boys gonna order a drink or are you going to just sit there and admire my smile?” The masque asked with a grin.

Humoring what they were both looking at until Dennis leaned forward to make an order, deciding to break the tension.

“I’ll take a beer.” He smiled, nodding to Carl who ordered the same.

The masque grinned and the woman turned around to pour their drinks. While her back was turned, Carl looked around the wall she was facing to find several framed photographs, some showing pictures of the bar, others with group photos or pairs. Each of them seemed to have some of the women in costume standing behind with famous people. Stephen King, Tim Burton, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter. He wondered if the pictures were fake. Or… if they WERE real, then what did it make this place? Because he had never heard of it if people like that visited it often.

“Alright gentlemen, here you are.” The masque holding woman stated as she placed their drinks on top of coasters. Watching the two men sip at their drinks, the masque smirked and narrowed her eyes, seeing that they have been looking around the memorabilia behind the bar, along with the activity at the center stage where Leandra had the men cheering and whistling as she spun upside down on the pole gracefully.

“Like what you see?”

“She’s… Well… Limber.”

“So… What is this place? Like a horror themed tiddy bar?” Asked Dennis, looking over his shoulder to the goth woman still dancing for the horny, drunken crowd of bikers and truckers throwing money to the stage.

“Something like that…” The masque smiled, still obscuring the woman’s real face. “My name is Judy; I own the place… But I wasn’t the original owner you see.”

Waving over to the framed photos behind her with her gloved hand, the woman continued. “This place has been around since the 1950s. during that time Ray Bradbury and Rod Sterling were frequent patrons, Hitchcock has been here a couple of times, but he wasn’t one for the entertainment sadly.”

Chuckling to himself, Dennis looked over to all the photos and shrugged. Looking back over his shoulder where the woman finished her dance and was replaced with another exotic dancer, this one looking somewhat human, but her eyes looked golden and glossy like bug-eyes, and she sported a pair of diaphanous wings that occasionally buzzed to the bass of the song she danced to.

“Geez, this place is like Guillermo Del Toro’s wet dream!”

Turning sharply to face him, Judy’s masque took on an almost insulted frown. “Bite your tongue human, he’s the reason half of us got any employment since the 90s!”

Pointing back at a photo behind her, it showed the director smiling back at the camera where several giant mantises could be seen surrounding him from behind and waving back to the camera. The bottom corner of the photo read ‘On stage of the film Mimic, circa 1997 “Thanks ladies for all the help” Guillermo XOXO.’ Something that made Carl chuckle a little bit when he spotted it.

“Wow…”

“Yeah…” Seeing that Judy raised the mask along with her heard as if to raise her chin, even the masque gave the two men a smug look before turning her attention to three others who sat at the bar and pulled her attention away from the two.

“Let me know if you two need anything else.” She winked, then turned her back so she could greet the trio.

During that time Carl and Dennis leaned in close so they could speak privately, talking under the thrum of the rock music behind them.

“THIS place sure looks like a lot of fun.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up Dennis.” Snorted Carl, looking at the rates sign behind the bar and looking out into a hallway into the building where he could see a flight of stairs leading up to the upper floors. “I wonder if the upstairs has rooms for rent, so we can stay here the night and gas up before heading into California.”

“But we made reservations at the hotel there.” Looking up, the two men could hear thunder outside, despite the beat of the music behind them. I there was any doubt that it was storming outside, the roll of thunder doused that doubt very quickly. “Ah fuck it.”

Seeing the bartender finish with the three at the bar, Dennis nodded her over, pointing over to the rates on the wall along with a row of keys that had numbered tags on them. “Does this place have any rooms to rent? I don’t think we’ll be doin any travelling tonight.”

Hearing the roll of thunder again overhead, Judy nodded, her masque smirking as she turned to the set of keys on the way and plucking two sets that were next to each other and handing them to the two gentlemen sitting in front of her.

“We have rooms to rent upstairs for just such an occasion, we charge about $50.00 a night.”

Offering the keys, Dennis leaned to take them when Judy pulled her fingers back, jangling the keys between her extended fingers while the Masque gave the man a firm stare.

“First and foremost, the girls live here too, they have room upstairs as well as you do, so don’t be causing any trouble.”

“Good to know.” Dennis winked, getting the keys once the woman planted them in the palm of his open hand. Handing one of them to Carl, the two men read the room numbers and pocketed their keys, then paid for the rooms along with their drinks.

“Well then, I think I’ll head under.” Said Carl, getting up from his seat and making his way down the hall to the rooms.

“Sure thing Carl, I’ll just enjoy the show while you take your beauty sleep.”

“Says the guy who napped the entire trip…” Whispered Carl as he made his way down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor.