Angel on the Stage

After selecting her music, some to dance to and some to accompany her singing, Angel was ready to go on, but she still had a while to wait. With some butterflies in her stomach, she peeked through the curtains at the room, and was pleased at what she saw. The doors had only been open for a few minutes, but already more people were inside than usually showed up, even on a Saturday night. Bambi, Heidi and the new hostess would be busy that night. She didn't know how many were there to see and hear her, but she did recognize some of those who regularly sat at her tables, and she hoped they would like Samantha, the T-girl who was her replacement.

As her gaze panned around the room, one unusually well-dressed man at one of the front tables, just a few feet from the center edge of the stage, caught her eye. She had never seen him before. Angel knew she had never seen him until then, for she most assuredly would have remembered it. He was extremely handsome, not in a pretty-boy way, but with short, iron-grey hair, a bristly mustache and a square chin. If the lights had been better, she might have guessed him to be in his early fifties. In other words, he was just the kind of man, ruggedly handsome, distinguished and mature, who appealed most strongly to Angel.

Minutes later, Jo walked on stage to start to introduce the acts that would be appearing. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to inform you that you are in for a truly special treat. THE LOVELY ANGEL, the most beautiful T-girl in the world, will be on this very stage to entertain you tonight."

She continued for another minute in that vein, before introducing Bertie Capp, the standup comic, who knew his place in the scheme of things. He was there to warm up the crowd, and it was the biggest crowd he had ever seen in the club. After telling a few jokes in his Cockney accent, while Angel prepared to make her entrance, he got to his real job.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the sexy treat you've all come here to see: The Loverly ANGEL!" After the introduction he hurried off the stage, because he was also responsible for operating the lights and playing the recorded music.