The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 6- Latina meets Americano

 

These cats may not be twins
but they do have identical personalities, lol

         

            The reason Scarlet was up half the night woke up her the following morning—a text from Javier.
            Their series of exchanges began after Emilia brewed them some tea to wind down for the night. Unsure where to begin, Emilia made suggestion after suggestion, practically carrying the conversation until she fell asleep. By that point, they learned he grew up in a deeply rooted Latin community in Miami, his parents separated when he was a teenager, and since moving to the island with his mother, he’d had no desire to return. And how an old friend from high school would be staying with him for the summer. Before she could ask more about that, he turned the spotlight on her. 
            Early in the dialogue, he set the ground rule that they would only disclose what they were comfortable revealing. He was candid in his texts, which put Scarlet at ease right away. Without going into too much detail, she said she ran away from home because she didn’t get along with her father, a new friend helped her get a job at the restaurant that became Calypso, and she’d been dancing with Talia since she was 16. Sleep caught up with her at that point, so she called it a night. His final text was sympathetic: Sorry about the trouble with your father. I came here with my mother so she could get away from mine.
            All of the signs pointed to “yes,” but Scarlet had trouble shaking the feeling she had upon reading Javier’s morning text—asking where and when she wanted to meet. She enjoyed their exchanges and really wanted to see him again, but she still had reservations. The floodgate of memories that typically came when someone asked her out hadn’t arrived. But as far as she knew, it was a matter of time before the beatings and the habitual rape at the hands of her father resurfaced from her subconscious.
            She had to return to her apartment anyway to freshen up and change for rehearsal, but more importantly, she wanted to discuss this with Ruby.

*           *           *

            “Hey, where’ve you been? I thought you’d be back ages ago,” Ruby asked, nearly getting whiplash as her sister dashed past her.
             “Sorry, I lost track of time,” Scarlet began as she ran into her room to find something to wear for tonight, “Emilia invited me over to talk about last night. It was interesting to say the least.”
            “Really?” Ruby slowly followed the vapor trail through the living room to the hallway between the bedrooms. With increasing interest, he observed Scarlet holding a red and yellow salsa dress in front of her body in her wardrobe mirror. “What makes you say that?”
            “Well, I can’t speak for Talia. That was probably just another of her ‘performances.’ But…”
            “But what?” Her smile hung open with anticipation. “Don’t tell me I missed more. The one time I don’t come to see Talia in action.”
            “I got us a gig for tonight… and I think I met someone.”
             “Oh?” She positioned herself behind her so she couldn’t avoid her reflection the same way she’d been avoiding her eye.
            “Yeah.”

            The adrenaline in her subsided as she addressed the nearly identical occupant in her mirror. Over the years, the other sirens rarely had difficulty telling the twins apart. This was mainly thanks to the highlights in their hair being polar opposite- Ruby being a redhead with blonde highlights and Scarlet blonde with red highlights. But their personalities and other factors beyond the physical also contributed. The one exception to this arose whenever both sisters wore identical wigs for specific routines and they reserved most of those for karaoke.
            “He came up to me when I was leaving our tip.” Scarlet explained, “And we talked… and I was up some of the night texting him.”
            Ruby returned a generous smile. “Wow. So, what’s he like?”

 “He has a calm energy. I mean, I could have cut and ran a couple times, but… I couldn’t. Javi, there’s something about him that I really liked.” Ruby nodded repeatedly with playful grunts of acknowledgement but didn’t say a word. Realizing what she was waiting to hear, Scarlet rolled her eyes and gave it to her. “And of course he’s gorgeous with that bronzed skin and those dark brown eyes.”

             “Ok, then.” Ruby took her gently by the arms and spun her around. She massaged her shoulders. “You just seemed so anxious coming in.”

 “That’s the interesting thing,” she tilted her head slightly right, “I got a text from him this morning asking about meeting tonight and I panicked. You know, because this is a huge step for me. But I figured if I invited him to see us perform, you and Talia could give me a second opinion about him. She does it for Vanessa all the time.”

            “Of course,” Ruby pulled her twin in for a warm hug, “whatever you need.”  Then when she put her at arm’s length again, it was back to business. “Now, tell me about this new gig you ‘volunteered’ us for.”
            “Well, you said you wanted to try out this new number on a fresh audience. Plus the invite specified cha-cha and Paso, which is kind of our specialty.”
            “In that case, we should join Talia for rehearsal sooner rather than later.”  
            “Yeah…” Scarlet trailed off as her sister went into her room to change. She followed, but chose to linger outside her door, leaning in the archway. “I hope she’ll be okay about Javi coming to see us. I need to run it by her before I text him again. I’m sure it’ll be fine—she seemed happy for me last night.”
            “We all are. We know how much you’ve wanted to move on, but the right person had to come along.”
            “I just feel like… this is my time, you see what I’m saying?”
            Ruby combed out her bangs and replaced her diamond earrings with the pearls. “Of course. You never gave up on finding love, so if any of us has a real chance at getting that perfect ending, it’s you.”

*           *           *

            Rehearsal was already in full swing when the twins arrived. Talia, as always, was stage ready. She sported her favorite red belly-dance outfit clad with rhinestones. She inspired such professionalism, the others rarely appeared in anything but costume.

            Upon noticing their arrival, she slashed her throat and hissed for Alejandro. He rushed backstage to cut the sound system. She crossed her arms, her tone halfway between demanding and sarcastic, “I thought that maybe I would have to handle this by myself. Dress rehearsal begins at 6 o’clock and we can’t afford to waste any time.”
            Scarlet raced up the stage first. “It’s my fault, Talia. I’m sorry. I got up late because I was texting that guy I met last night. I promise it won’t happen again.”
            Her composure changed before either could blink. Disgruntled evaporated and understanding took its place. “No, I am sorry. This is a big moment for you. So, everything is still going well with you two?”
            “Yeah, it is. In fact, he wants to see me again tonight and I really want you to meet him. Just to make sure he’s okay.”
            “I would be happy to. This is a private event, but I think I can make an exception for this one. Text him back and tell him to meet us after dress rehearsal at 7 o’clock at this address.” She handed over her phone, which displayed a text with the location.
            Scarlet exhaled as if she’d had her heart in her throat for the past 90 seconds. She caught both of them up with the details she had so far and they nodded encouragingly. Even Talia seemed intrigued about him and men rarely impacted her this way.
            Clearly, Javier had been waiting for this response because he replied right away. Her wide smile shrunk as she read it. “Oh… I must have let it slip about this new club looking for a band. He’s asking if we could get an audition for his… I’m sorry, Talia, I know it wasn’t my place to mention that to him.”
            “No, it’s ok. There’s only two local bands auditioning. One more should be no problem.” She waved away her concern. “Did he give you any information? How long he’d had this band, if they write their own songs or do covers?”
            “In our conversation last night, he was saying how he and a friend of his gave up music to support their families and with his friend in town for the summer, they wanted to try again. I think they both write their own songs, but I didn’t get a chance to ask. At least I don’t think I did… it was a long night.”
            “Hmm… Assuming they have the talent, I see no reason why not.”
            Regaining her confidence, Scarlet recalled, “He did say that he does karaoke a lot at Eclipse. That has to be a good sign. You know how the crowd can be when the acts are terrible.”
        “All right. Text him back. Have him bring a demo and we’ll go from there.”

*           *           *

The new venue was small, roughly the size of the stage and backstage areas at Calypso. A wooden dance floor, the building’s newest addition, took up most of the room. There were a few vintage pub tables with stools located closer to the entrance, but the row of metal chairs six feet from the stage would serve as designated seating for tonight’s VIPs. The sirens brought along garment bags to accommodate their costume changes. Alejandro, meanwhile, was in charge of music and transporting various other props they would need. Considering the owner was one of the brothers’ closest associates, Talia wanted to be sure not to skimp on quality as well as keep their options open if they ran long.
        Scarlet’s nerves gave way to jitters of excitement as the next hour drew nearer. She committed to each of the numbers they ran through in dress rehearsal. It was when the music stopped when she fidgeted, paced, and checked the time on her phone every few seconds.
            Just as Talia began approaching, another pep talk evident in her posture, Alejandro intercepted her by the arm. She flinched, about to slap it away when his stoic countenance stopped her. “Know what, Talia? I got this. Scarlet, I’ll meet Javier by the entrance and bring him to you.”
            “Are you sure? You already have enough to do as it is…” Scarlet began apologizing, but he wouldn’t have it.
            “All of which I am more than happy to. Don’t worry about me. Besides, what really matters is that you are happy.” He turned to Talia. “I promise, as soon as I’m done, I will have everything finished in time.”
            For a flicker of a moment, she saw the man she almost took a chance on, before “the great betrayal.” But for Scarlet’s sake as well as recalling the fact Alejandro was her friend long before she was, she merely pushed his arm off hers and let him go.
            “Hey Talia, thanks.”
            “It is fine.” She waved it off, more so out of distraction.
            “No, really,” Scarlet came over and gave her a warm hug, “I really appreciate you being so supportive of this. Even if this doesn’t last more than a couple weeks.”
            “Hmm, you don’t really believe that, do you? The way you talk about him...”
            “I guess not.” She let go. “But I do wonder how you are okay with that and you can’t even take your own advice.”
             “Because I trust your judgement. You know exactly what you want and finally, you found the courage to go after it. I accepted long ago that I can never have any of this. Even if I wanted to.” She stepped away, breaking eye contact and put that wall back up immediately. “Don’t turn this into a big deal, ok? Vanessa and I already had words about it last night.”
            “We just want you to be happy. Like you want for us.”
            Talia searched for another direction to focus but stopped when Alejandro returned with a tan-skinned gentleman with face-framing facial hair. He wore a black pin-stripe collared shirt with the first two buttons undone and tan slacks.
            Scarlet clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my… it’s him. He’s here.”
            “Not only handsome, but a sharp dresser too.” Ruby mused, her fist resting under her chin. “He must really like you.”
            Scarlet softly rolled her eyes at her sister. “Well, I did imply tonight was kind of important.” As he drew closer, it became harder to maintain control of her smile. She decided to meet him halfway, Ruby and Talia flanking her automatically. It was a tactic that tended to intimidate men or make them think twice about the intentions they came with.
            Javier, however, was unfazed. He locked eyes with Talia and Ruby, nodding, before he addressed Scarlet. “Wow, Scarlet, you look even more amazing.”
            “Talia insists we have a sense of professionalism while we perform. Even in rehearsal. Javi, this is Talia and my twin sister, Ruby.”
            “Yes, I’ve seen you two pole dance at the karaoke nights. The synchronicity is top-notch.” He flashed them a thumbs up with a wink.
            Ruby responded, “I learned that at a strip club owned by a friend of our father’s. I’m not proud of it, but it was the best lesson. Learning to lose yourself on stage. There’s no better adrenaline rush than performing.” At the mention of their father, Javier turned his attention back to Scarlet. She brushed her ears, trying to be casual about it, but upon meeting his eye, she stopped. Just as quickly as her breath was stolen, she regained it thanks to a smile and another nod.
             “Here,” Javier reached into his back pocket. “We cut this demo in my home studio this morning. It would be an honor if you listened to it.” Talia swallowed back the urge to scoff, however sincere his compliment was, passing the CD case over to Alejandro who took it to the sound system. “Just as fair warning, it’s rock music, so it starts a little loud.”
            A guitar solo ripped through the speakers, but it settled into an invigorating groove within seconds. The singer had an edge to his voice that paired well with his great sense of melody. Ruby and Scarlet were both in awe, their smiling mouths agape. At the same time, an odd sense of intrigue washed over Talia that left her mentally scratching her head.
            After it finished, Javier clarified, “That’s me on guitar and my friend JP on vocals. He woke up with it in his head and insisted we record right away.”
             “That is quite impressive. And yet,” Talia absentmindedly added, “oddly familiar.”
            “Would you like to meet the rest of the band? I don’t know what your plans are after your set but if you’re interested, I could have them come by a little earlier before it’s time for the audition.”
            Talia began pacing, appearing oblivious to Javier’s proposal. In reality, she was trying to place the singer and where she might have heard him before. Ruby nudged her before she completely lost herself in thought. “Yes. Yes, you can bring them backstage after our third number. If you will excuse me, I need to take care of a few things in the front of the house.” Exchanging no more glances or words, she disappeared through the curtain.
            Ruby interceded before awkwardness could take root. “Don’t mind Talia. She just wants everything to run perfectly tonight. Being a workaholic helps her survive the craziness of our lives.”
            “Oh, I understand. I can be that way with my music sometimes too.” He raised his hands. “Well, I’ll leave you ladies to it. Break a leg.”
            “Thank you,” the twins said in unison and laughed upon realizing it. Scarlet giggled, “I swear, we’re not those clichéd kinds of twins who always finish each other’s sentences.”
            “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m not.” He winked before leaving them alone.
            Scarlet’s legs trembled like they just became jelly. “Oh my God, he’s so cute.”
            “He looks like a really good one, Scarlet. If you weren’t my sister, I’d be here wondering what exactly you were so nervous about.”
            “Well,” she sighed, “one step at a time, right?”
            “Exactly.” She looked up to find the house lights blinking—their five-minute warning. “Come on, we better get ready to go.”
            Their set consisted of three routines: two solos and one group number at the end. Scarlet and Ruby opened with their latest and most ambitious TwinSanity routine to date. Amber, who shared two nights a week with Ruby, coined the term once in rehearsal. Although she’d said it in an off-handed way, Scarlet liked it so much that she insisted on keeping it. She and her sister were so precise with their synchronicity, anyone who didn’t know better would mistake them for the same person. But unlike their earlier routines, this one had a story to it.

The curtains open, revealing a pedestal with a velvet cloth draped over its treasure. From opposite sides of the stage, the twins arrive at the exact same moment. They wear masks over their eyes and nearly identical flamenco dresses. Scarlet’s—a canary yellow with splashes of red. Ruby’s—an inverse pattern using the same colors.
            To size each other up, they take turns doing identical choreography. A couple of steps followed by a sweeping arm motion running from eight o’clock to two o’clock. One echoing the other’s movements on a five second delay. Little by little, they drift closer to one another until they’re two feet apart. Desperation compels them to grasp each other’s hands and the struggle grows more intense. They try to overpower one another, but their strength is equally matched. But as they grapple, they remain on tempo with the music and retain the same elegance. The routine ends differently every time to keep the audience on their toes. Today, Scarlet emerges victorious. She takes the cloth on the pedestal and throws it over Ruby’s face to obstruct her vision while she makes a quick getaway with her trophy: a large multi-faceted jewel.

Talia’s answer to this was far less insane, but she left an impression all the same. The accompaniment track was purely instrumental—a violin with an Arabian flair backed by a bongo percussion section. The tempo was fast and every seductive movement from her hands to her hips rose to the challenge. Her eyes scanned her small audience and each man had thirty seconds of exclusive eye contact.
            The performer of the group number’s track sang it entirely in Spanish. Talia took inspiration from the Indian influences in the music to craft her attempt at the Bollywood genre. With the twins at either side of her, every one of their hand gestures had intention behind them. The chorus had them moving from left to right, shifting direction every two measures. Following the theme of the previous routines, large sweeping arm motions were at the forefront. Their hips, which shifted toward the left in time with the vocal, drew just as much attention.
            Although it was just the one singer, the three of them split up the verses as if the song had been done by a girl group. Each of them got to show off their different personalities. Scarlet was the most playful, Ruby brought the most energy and Talia made every moment seem effortless.

*           *           *

            “Great job, both of you.” Talia raised her hands and exchanged high fives.
            “Once again, you ladies were amazing.” Javier clapped his hands after parting the curtain. “That detail and precision—it’s no wonder you are the best in town.”
            “Hmm,” Talia mused, keeping her back turned so only her friends saw her smirk, “flattery will get you nowhere with me. But thank you.”
             Scarlet approached, her eyes still cascaded by her lashes. Javier lent his hand and she lifted her head as she gave him hers. A gasp escaped when he gave it a kiss. His mustache tickled, but she barely noticed with the adrenaline still fresh in her veins. He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “My eye was on you the entire time.” His charm rendering her speechless, a beaming Scarlet could only shake her head.
             “Hey Javi, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

            The second male voice was distinctly American. Talia’s body stiffened immediately upon recognizing it. Masking her horror as well as she could, she turned around. “JP, this is Scarlet and her sister, Ruby. And Natalia, I believe you’ve already met.”
            Talia squared her shoulders, her right hand resting firmly on her hip. “Juan Paulo…” She started to speak, but for a reason she couldn’t explain, the rest of the words fell out of her head.
            “Hey Talia,” he beamed, “I didn’t think I’d get to see you again so soon.”
            “Yes,” she stammered, “I could say the same thing.”
            “So Javi said he got us the audition. I can’t begin to thank you for that. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about music and I hope maybe this will be our chance to make something happen after all these years.”
            “Well,” she slowly crossed her arms and felt herself gaining back some traction, “getting the audition is only half the battle. The real challenge will be winning the headliner position. These men can be very critical.”
            Completely unfazed, he grinned, “I appreciate your concern, Talia, but we’ll be fine.” Then he took a step forward and her heart skipped as she studied his face. She recognized the look in his eyes and his next comment confirmed her suspicions. “I never got the chance the other night, but since you’re here, I wanted to ask you. Maybe after we’re finished here, we could go out and…”
            “Juan Paulo,” she hissed through an overcompensating smile, “could you excuse me for one moment? I still hear a good crowd out there and an encore might be in order.” She dashed off before his reaction could reach her ears.
***

Music: 
Scarlet and Ruby- "Americano" by Lady Gaga
Talia (solo)- "Bellydance" by Edvin Marton
Siren group number- "No Hay Igual" by Nelly Furtado

Dance styles include, but not limited to: flamenco, Paso Doble, bellydance, Bollywood

Demo song- to be announced in the next chapter, hehe

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 5- "Promiscuous Girl"

(Scarlet in her element)

            

(close-up of Talia and Scarlet's wardrobe)

            Shortly after her appointment ended, Talia decided to pull out of Calypso’s lineup that night. She brushed off Emilia’s concerns, insisting this would be a good opportunity for her as a new siren to increase her rapport with the audience. The show went off without a hitch and the applause was just as appreciative as it had been the night before. At different times, Scarlet and Vanessa observed Talia while she watched the show alongside Alejandro and knew from her rueful expressions how much she wished she was up there with them.
            Their favorite karaoke spot, located one street over from the twins’ apartment complex, already had a thriving crowd that night. Luckily, Talia called ahead of time so one of the bar tables in the back of the room would be reserved for them. Once there, she ordered all of their favorite drinks: blue margarita for Emilia, Pina colada for Scarlet, frozen margarita for Vanessa, and a whiskey sour for herself.
            Scarlet scanned the room, aglow with enthusiasm, “Wow, it’s almost a full house tonight. Any volunteers to go first?”
            “It was your idea,” said Emilia. “You should start the night off.”
            “All right, see you guys in a few.” Scarlet was practically a pro. She and Ruby not only put on shows on a bi-weekly basis, the performances they brought to Eclipse’s annual end-of-summer karaoke contest made even top-tier contenders look like amateurs. Out of superstition, she took that all-important sip of liquid courage before approaching the emcee. They shook hands and he escorted her onto the catwalk that halved the building.
            Big screen TV’s displaying the lyrics were located at each of the room’s four corners plus two additional screens at either side of the catwalk’s center point. At both ends, there was a pole for those who wanted to bring that something extra to their performance. When Scarlet came with Ruby certain weekends, they took full advantage and received ample applause. Although she was flying solo tonight, she easily won over the crowd with a coy belly dance/cha-cha number.
            As she left the stage, Scarlet made eye contact, as she always did, with a couple people in particular. Typically, she focused on those who enjoyed themselves the most, hollering her name and clapping voraciously. But today, she locked eyes with one individual whom she’d seen at Eclipse a number of times. Handsome as he was with his bronze skin, dark hair and chocolate eyes, she blushed and turned away.
            “All right,” Scarlet exhaled, taking her barstool back at the table, “who’s next? Vanessa?”
            Somewhat distracted, Vanessa lagged in giving her response. “Actually, I’m going to sit out tonight… Emilia, you can go.”
            Bright-eyed as ever, she launched herself from her seat. “Okay. Wish me luck.”
            Everyone quickly murmured the sentiment and turned inward towards one another. With Emilia occupied elsewhere, Vanessa wasted no time beginning her interrogation. “So, how did it go with the doctor?”
            Talia tentatively knit her fingers together and stretched out her arms. “Everything is fine… there are no physical signs of distress.” She bit her lip. “But I have to abstain for at least for a week or two. Just as a precaution.”
            “I’m so glad. We were really worried about you.” Scarlet patted her shoulder, which she halfheartedly acknowledged.
            After taking a quick sip of her margarita, Vanessa suggested, “You know, this could be a good thing. You could use this time to actually meet people. Someone who sees you more than just…” Before she could launch into her latest attempt to dissuade Talia from what the other sirens considered her most notorious client, she was immediately beat to the punch.
            “Vanessa…” Talia cut her off, feigning a headache. “Really, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I told you before. Normal relationships, that’s not for me.”
            “Come on, Talia. You won’t know until you give it a try.”
            “Why try?” Both hands immediately came down on the table. Some of the nearby parties reacted but just as quickly returned to their own conversations. “When every man I get close to lies to me? No, I will not put myself through that humiliation again.” A moment later, her phone vibrated. Not looking up from the text, she said, “One of the brothers’ associates is starting a small club for the summer. As a favor, he wants us to help open tomorrow night for him and his investors.”
            “Is there a fee?” Scarlet craned her neck around, hoping to get a better look.
            “It says 500 per dancer, but 2000 for a maximum of three girls. Just to appear for a couple numbers.” A subsequent text appeared a moment later. “Interesting… he’ll also be holding auditions for a house band and wants our feedback. I remember him saying about going to America and being fascinated about all the clubs where big-time music acts start out.”
            “I’ll do it. I have some new moves I’d been working on with Ruby that I’d like to try out on a small crowd. And you know me, I love my music, especially live music.”
            “All right, I’ll text him back right now. You don’t mind sitting this one out, do you, Vanessa?”
            “Of course not. But this conversation isn’t over.”
            Talia’s thumbs clicking away were the only thing distinctly audible outside of the poppy upbeat music, the droning of their neighbors, and Emilia’s alto voice. Once she replaced her phone in her clutch purse, she folded her hands on the table. “I’m listening.”
            “Look… I’m sorry if I’m coming on too strong. Tonight was supposed to be fun, just like last night was supposed to be fun. Now I’m the one ruining it for everybody… I just want you to enjoy yourself for once. We hate seeing you so unhappy. And every other Wednesday when you’re with…” The rest of her speech was drowned out by the increasing volume in the building. Talia’s attention was drawn toward its source and Vanessa had no choice but to put it on pause indefinitely.
            Emilia came off the stage to a warm reception from the crowd. She fielded high-fives left and right while others clapped and cheered. Talia glanced in her direction and let out a sigh. “You’re right. Tonight should be fun.” She sprung out of her seat. “I can take the next song… unless you want to go.”
            “No, you go ahead.” Vanessa raised her hands, palms forward. “Do you know what you’re going to sing?”
            Talia inspected the crowd. She fixated on a young man in his late 20’s. He had light tan skin, a complexion that didn’t detract from his thick blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes. “I have a good idea. And I think I see someone else in need of a good time.” Whenever she did karaoke, Talia brought a guy on stage to do a duet. Usually, it was someone she recognized in the crowd while dancing on Calypso’s stage This time, it was a complete stranger. The three girls looked at each other as if to ask if they’d seen him before; the consensus was a resounding ‘no.’
            “Wow, he’s cute,” Emilia spoke first.
            “I don’t think he’s from around here.” Vanessa’s eyes narrowed. “I wonder what she’s up to.”
            “Vanessa,” Scarlet leaned across the table, softly rolling her eyes with a teasing smile, “we are here to have fun and support each other, remember? Quit being a wet blanket. Come on, let’s move closer.” She swallowed half of her drink and rushed to the edge of the catwalk. Vanessa and Emilia were just as quick to follow.
            After saying a few words to the emcee, Talia crossed the catwalk. The lights flickered a couple times. Many conversations evaporated and billowing roars of enthusiasm erupted in their place. Talia always made an entrance. The locals knew this. And those who didn’t know her yet, it was only a matter of time before they did.
            The soft red spotlight stayed on Talia until she stepped off the stage. This signaled that she’d made her choice. Engrossed in conversation with friends, the young man was oblivious to the building anticipation of the crowd until its reason stood in front of him. His skin flushed a darker shade as his eyes panned upward. The lace in Talia’s green dress showed off her arms as well as the scoop of her neck. Together with the thin belt across her waist, it sheathed her figure while allowing more than enough breathing room for dancing.
            Once his lower jaw returned to its proper place, she asked, “What’s your name?”
            He exhaled, caught off guard by her warm accent, but just as quickly recovered. “Juan Paulo Esposito.”
            “Oh,” her eyes lit up upon perceiving the tenor of his voice, “an American. Why not come on stage with me? I will show you how we like to have fun around here.” The crowd immediately voiced their support. Unlike her previous partners, who were prone to intimidation, Juan Paulo didn’t need further convincing. He joined her side at the emcee’s stand by the bar where they picked up their microphones and she made her music selection. “Do you think you can handle this?”
            “It’ll be my first duet, but yeah. You don’t need to worry about me.” He met her fearless bravado with a pleasant smile. Talia found this combination refreshing, but she didn’t dwell on it long.
            The crowd chanted her name as she took center stage. “Everyone, I would like to introduce Juan Paulo. He’s not from around here, so please give him a welcoming round of applause.” She turned to watch his reaction, amazed to find it hadn’t fazed him at all.
            He raised a hand, making eye contact with as many people as he could manage in a short time. Lowering his mic, he whispered to Talia, “I’m here with my band. So this isn’t exactly my first rodeo.” Two guys, one dark-haired and goateed and the other bald and clean-shaven, waved back when he pointed in their direction.
            “Hm, this is a first for me as well then,” she murmured back. She flipped her hair. “Be ready. Your line is first.”
            He nodded. “Ready.” She echoed him at a louder volume and the music started.

One after the other, words appear on each of the screens. Talia’s gorgeous swaying outline disarms Juan Paulo. But finding the screen that allowed him to divide his attention evenly between her and the lyrics only takes an extra second and he is back on track. He keeps pace with the rap, a cool swagger radiating from the movement in his shoulders and through his eyes. Talia knows the song so well that improvising to the beat comes to her with utmost ease. By the chorus, their rhythm synchs up and the crowd immediately responds.
            Soon enough, promiscuity expands beyond the lyrical content. The R&B groove provides a nice pocket in which to remain, but Talia’s belly wants this dance even more than her hips. Sexuality oozes from the rolling of her midsection. Juan Paulo notices this change and rises beyond the challenge. He takes his eyes off the lyrics, focusing their smolder exclusively on her while her lines appear on the screen. Another surprise—and adjustment—comes when she leans her body against his. She gasps a moment for breath, and he does the same, but for different reasons.
            Uncertainty finally finds him when his mic-free hand reaches for her stomach. Just as quickly, the tension in his breath subsides when she encourages the gesture. He pulls her body within inches of his own. Together, in perfect synchronicity, they groove for a steamy dirty dance. Ooh’s and aah’s explode through the audience. Cheers follow close behind.
            Talia leans in. Juan Paulo swallows and shuts his eyes. His heart races, anticipating the meeting of their lips. Her mouth, instead, lingers by his ear. “Thank you for the dance.” The music ends, taking the warmth of Talia’s body with it. Juan Paulo’s eyes reopen to meet his new supporters. But upon finding Talia had gone, his heart sinks.
            “Talia?” Juan Paulo’s calls fell on the deaf ears of the applauding crowd. Remaining on the raised stage, he frantically searched all 360 degrees of the karaoke bar—a pointless effort. Talia vanished into the mass that generally came for her and Scarlet before leaving; their exodus was the perfect smokescreen. The moment he turned to search in a difference direction, she separated herself from the crowd long enough to share a glance and nod with Vanessa. 
            “Come on, hurry.” Vanessa led the charge towards the back door with Emilia in tow.
            Eying their former table, Scarlet called after them, “I’ll be right behind you. I need to take care of something first.” She withdrew a few small bills from her purse to leave for the waitress. Thanks to regular business from the young locals and tourists, Eclipse was among the more successful establishments in town, but thanks to personal experience, the girls knew full well that every dollar helped.
            “Excuse me. Scarlet?” A man’s voice caught her attention just as she was leaving. Slowly, she turned around, coming face to face with her bronze-skinned admirer.
            “Hi,” she exhaled. She bowed her head to hide her smile.
            “You were really great up there. But of course, you’re always amazing.”
            “Thank you.” She nodded timidly. Her eyelashes acted as a veil. “I’ve seen you here before too. You don’t… you don’t come here just to see me, do you?”
            “Well, sometimes I like to sing myself,” he approached her, his hand positioned over his heart, “but you ladies kinda shut the place down tonight.”
            “What can I say?” She shrugged, still smiling. “Talia likes to make a clean getaway after she performs. I’m glad you enjoyed us.”
            “So, those other girls that performed, they’re with you? I’ve seen you with your sister, but this is my first time seeing either of them.”
            “Yeah, we’re dancers at Calypso, the club at the center of town. Oh shoot,” she suddenly gasped and looked around the room. Beside the staff, they were the only two left. “I need to go after them. They’ll be wondering what’s taking me so long. It was nice talking to you.”
            “Wait, when I can see you again?” Again, the smoothness of his voice elicited a knee-jerk reaction in her to stop.
            Even though her damaged past had been behind her for over a decade, Scarlet still found it difficult to accept advances from anyone. She’d sooner turn them down than risk bringing back any of those dreaded memories. But there was something different about this one. She felt calm in his presence, a quiet confidence.
            Whirling back around, she found her admirer by the table—the same spot she left him. The fact he didn’t pursue her extinguished whatever doubts remained. She approached as casually as she could manage, her smile working its way up to her eyes. “Tomorrow, I’m performing with Talia and my sister Ruby at a new club that’s opening up for the summer. For an associate of our bosses and his investors.”
            “All right. How about I give you my number and you can text me the address and time?” They exchanged phones to add each other’s information. Once he replaced his in his inner jacket pocket, he took her hand to kiss it. “See you tomorrow, Scarlet.”
            She waited for him to leave before allowing herself to giggle and swoon. “Oh my gosh. Such a handsome guy,” she mused to herself as she read his name off her phone: Javier Taylor-Lopez. “I can’t wait to tell the others about this.”

*           *           * 

“Tonight turned into a pretty good night,” Vanessa said as she unlocked the door to her and Talia’s flat. Emilia had invited Scarlet to spend the night at her place. It was a short walk from the karaoke bar and she was eager to hear more about Javier. “More fun than I think any of us have had in a long time.”
            Talia conceded, “It was a good crowd.” She closed the door behind her. “It was even better for Scarlet. She was the real star tonight.”
            “Yeah, she was. I’m so happy for her excitement about this guy. It’s not easy reopening your heart to love. All of us know too well what that’s like.”
            “Not Emilia,” Talia quickly added, “and I hope to keep it that way.” The seriousness in her tone made Vanessa stop in her tracks. Talia brushed past her towards the bathroom. There, she began to take off her makeup and jewelry.
            Vanessa leaned in, bracing the doorway. “Is that why you sidestepped her questions about your dance partner?” Talia hung her head, almost in slow motion. Her hands clenched around her newly removed dangling earrings on the sink.
            Before Scarlet caught up with them, Emilia had gushed about Talia’s performance and how good she and Juan Paulo looked together. In response, Talia simply said, ‘the siren name is about drawing men into falling in love. And it would seem I have not lost my touch.’ Understated as her tone was, that had been a major concern. Now, she wanted nothing more than to take this victory and look ahead—to the next performance.
            “There’d be no point, Vanessa. Juan Paulo is an American tourist. Sooner or later, he will leave and all of us will move on.” She shrugged.
            Avoiding all eye contact, she strolled past Vanessa. But before she could disappear into her bedroom, Vanessa opined, “For a moment there, you even had me believing you liked Juan Paulo, and I know your style better than anyone.”
            “Vanessa,” Talia half-heartedly sighed her final word on the matter, “long ago, I chose this life. That is never going to change. I accept that… and I wish you and everyone else would too.” 
***

Music: "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera (Scarlet),
"Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland (Talia and Juan Paulo)

...even now, I still don't know what song I would've had Emilia sing at karaoke. But unlike a lot of the other songs I'm using that are a little more urban or sexy, she'd probably do something poppy and... for lack of a better word, tamer than a lot of these songs. Something that's not super sexy in its meaning.

Dance: not a specific style exactly, but definitely a lot of slinky/sexiness. 
JP and Talia's number slowly turns into a "Dirty Dancing" type of number but with maybe six inches separating them

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 4- Getting the Truth from Alejandro

            

(Before Talia arrives)

(After Talia runs into one of the offices)

            Alejandro looked up from polishing the bar when the entry door swung closed. “Hey there, Emilia. Nice to see you here bright and early.” He and Vanessa acknowledged each other before she rushed into the dressing room to get ready for the day’s rehearsals. 

             “You too.” She left her bag on one of the barstools. “Do you think we could talk for a minute? You know, before everyone else gets here?” 

             Her diminished tone caught him off guard. “Yeah, sure. Is there something wrong?”

            She bit her lip while summoning the courage to ask. “Vanessa told me about what happened between you and Talia before. And I wanted to know if maybe there was more to the story.” 

             His eyes widened. Trying, and ultimately failing, to fend off the urge to resort to sarcasm, he retorted, “Why would you think that? Talia made it clear what I have to say doesn’t matter.” 

             Emilia crossed her arms over the bar, leaning forward. “Call it a hunch.” 

             “We’ve been doing this dance for years. I’m tired of all the fighting. It’s even harder to get a date with my face black and blue from the slapping.” At the reminder, he rubbed his cheek. Talia hadn’t left a mark this time, but it still stung. “But things are so busy with work right now, I wouldn’t have the time even if I wanted to.” 

             “Just answer one question. Did you mean to invite a girl to your place the same night you were going out with Talia?” 

             He sighed deeply, placing his cleaning rag on the counter. His eyebrows arched upward. “Emilia, when I met Natalia, it was the first time in my life I wanted to be a one-woman man. I paid her compliments. I sent her flowers. All of those mushy romantic gestures I never thought I would do for anyone. Now, why would I throw away all of that effort by doing something so stupid?” She studied him for a moment before giving him a nod and a smile. He exhaled, allowing his stiff posture to finally relax. 

             Whenever Alejandro came up in conversation, Talia spoke of him with such disdain. As much as she admired her, Emilia found herself taken aback that she’d held a grudge all these years over a misunderstanding. When she came of age to audition, Vanessa and Scarlet were on the verge of giving up, to the point where they didn’t want to see any more dancers. Alejandro was the one who convinced them to give her that shot, for which she would always be grateful. So she took him at his word. 

             “I had this one girlfriend, Chica. We went out a couple times and had a lot of fun. But she was too clingy. She wanted to spend all her time with me making out, making love. I finally ended it after three crazy months. Then that night, I’m getting ready to go out. She shows up out of nowhere and starts kissing me. Talia walked in and saw us. Had no idea I was trying to break out of her grip.” He sighed, still shaking his head. “To this day, Talia never lets me explain anything.” 

             “We’re going out for a girls’ night after work tonight. I could try to reason with her.” 

             He rolled his eyes while maintaining a crisp smile. “Trust me, Emilia, no amount of alcohol can change how Talia feels about me. That love cruise sailed a long time ago. It would be nice for her to at least consider me as a friend. Instead of the co-worker she can’t even tolerate sharing a stage with.” 

             Not a moment later, Talia materialized. Her heels pounded against the wooden floor, each step as determined as the next. Emilia called to her. “Hey Talia, we were just talking about you.” Ignoring both of them completely, she opened one of the office doors on the right side of the building and shut herself inside. “Shoot,” Emilia gulped, “I shouldn’t have been so obvious. I guess she’s still mad.” 

             “I don’t think she’s mad.” Alejandro stepped from behind the bar. “She looked upset… like she’d been crying.” 

             “How can you tell?” 

             He didn’t meet her eye, fixated on the door. “We’ve known each other many years. I haven’t seen her this way since the day she came here.” 

             Before he saw her on stage. Alejandro caught his first glimpse of Talia when he was polishing glasses at the bar, something he did at the start of every morning. He could still remember how palpable her sexual energy was from across the room, as if she’d just engaged with a man minutes earlier. She struck up a conversation with Scarlet like they were old friends. The two of them were so absorbed in each other’s company that they didn’t even notice he was there. While he didn’t recall what words were exchanged, the fact she rubbed her eyes every other sentence stayed with him. Then he saw her perform a few days later and that vulnerable image was immediately replaced with a visage of strength and confidence. Seeing that fragility return made him want to rush to her rescue, but he had more than enough experience to know that was the last thing she wanted—or needed—right now. 

             Talia took the lone chair in front of the large desk. Meticulously labeled file cabinets lined the back wall, containing everything from liquor receipts to business contracts. The brothers generally left Alejandro and the girls to their own devices, interceding only on behalf of clients or to conduct the occasional welfare checks. The older handled the former, usually via call or text. He kept so busy that the girls rarely saw him. The younger of the two, by three years, took care of the latter—always in person. 

             He covered the receiver on his phone. “This will only take a moment.” She nodded, unable to manage a verbal response. He called for this meeting shortly after Carlos’s departure, clearly concerned. The anticipation and her lackluster performance still fresh in her mind made sleep nearly impossible. Once he finished his call, he folded his hands in front of him. “Talk to me, Natalia. Is there something, anything I may be able to help you with?” 

             Back at the bar, Emilia pointed across the room and brought a newly arrived Scarlet up to speed. “Talia’s in there. Did something happen? Is everything okay?” 

             “Not exactly.” Vanessa returned, having changed into a tangerine dress with sequins lining the sides and fringe across the middle. She narrowed her eyes at Alejandro. “Was that business call so urgent it couldn’t have waited another day?” He followed how her gaze drifted toward Emilia and he got her meaning. 

             “As I told Talia, it was a personal matter my uncles wanted handled before one of their top associates went away on vacation.” He shrugged. “Last I heard, the mission was accomplished but it looks like things didn’t go quite as well from her view…” 

             Vanessa offered him a generous smile and his posture relaxed. She clarified, “She’s been crying most nights anyway, so it’s not entirely your fault.” 

             “Oh wow…” Emilia had to take a seat. “She always looks so happy to me… when she’s not mad at Alejandro, of course.” He shook his head, aiming a self-deprecating smile at the ground. Emilia may have been a recent addition to the sirens, but she was already well educated about their inside jokes. The most common typically revolved around him being Talia’s favorite scapegoat. 

             Shaking her head, Vanessa conceded, “She’s an expert at putting on a brave face. After all these years, the cracks might be starting to show.” Her body went slack on the stool next to her, defeated. 

             Emilia looked at her inquisitively. Before she could form a question, Scarlet interceded, “So what brings you and Vanessa here so early?” 

             “I wanted to talk to Alejandro about… ‘the night.’ When Talia caught him with another girl. Apparently, she was just a crazy ex and he was trying to get rid of her.” 

             “Is that true?” Scarlet faced Alejandro. 

             He looked up at her and shrugged. “Yes… Chica was this ‘crazy ex’ I had. My uncles helped me get a restraining order against her, but the damage was already done.” Without missing a beat, he changed the subject. “I have to go check on the supplies. Want to give me a hand, Emilia?” 

            “Yeah sure.” She hopped off her stool. Once she disappeared into the storeroom behind the bar with Alejandro, both girls exhaled deeply. 

             Talia emerged from the office a few moments later. Scarlet and Vanessa rushed up to her, a hundred questions riddled across their faces. She held up a hand to stop them, conceding, “I never should have taken that call. That was very rude of me and I am truly sorry.” 

             Vanessa rubbed her back, a gesture she accepted with a nod. “You’re forgiven, but what about you?” 

             “Yeah, is everything okay?” Scarlet asked. “We’re here, you know. If you want to talk about anything.” 

             “I know. Thank you.” She tentatively traded glances between her friends and the floor. Surprising no one, she said nothing about the moment of weakness they witnessed, but she revealed one notable takeaway from her consultation. “We just made an appointment for me to see a doctor so I will be gone for a couple hours. And hopefully… they tell me this problem is all in my head.” 

             “Ok.” Vanessa asked, “Do you want us to do anything for you while you’re gone?” She readjusted her purse strap. 

            “Don’t tell Emilia.” Her heels clicked out of the building at half the speed they did coming in.

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 3- "Showtime"

 

            Scarlet peeked through the curtains. Just as she suspected, judging from the silence in the main room, the crowds had gone home for the night. A smile broke across her face. “All right, everyone’s gone!” She returned to the others, raising her hands up. “We did it!”  

            As they did after every successful night, the girls spent the next several moments exchanging high fives. Emilia beamed until her cheeks hurt. She used to walk by the club with her friends every afternoon and watch the sirens rehearse. Her visits were so frequent, in fact, that she started absorbing choreography from multiple routines. All of that hard work had finally paid off, more than she imagined in her wildest dreams. Talia hugged her to her side, resting her chin on top of her head. “I’m so proud of you, my Emilia. May this be the start of another successful career here at Calypso.”
            “Thanks, Talia. I can’t tell you how much your support has meant to me. I couldn’t have done this without your guidance.”
            She withdrew her embrace, placing her hands on her shoulders. “I have waited a long time for someone like you to join us. Someone with raw untapped talent, who learns fast. Now, I want you to remember: you were the one responsible for all this, not anyone else.”
            “Hey Talia!” Alejandro announced himself as he returned to the stage, eliciting a groan from her lips. After every show, he swept the premises for stragglers and locked the doors before touching base with the dancers. But when he singled Talia out by name following a performance, it was always over something trivial, so her buoyant mood vanished in an instant.  “Talia, you were fantastic tonight…”
            Talia cut him off, exasperated, “Save your breath, Alejandro! Just because I agreed to let you on stage with us this one time does not mean things have changed. Come on, ladies, let’s go home.” She strutted past him with Emilia, Vanessa and Scarlet in tow.
            But Alejandro insisted on having the last word. “Jesus! That was years ago! You have to forgive me some time!”
            Her heels stopped pounding against the floorboards. She sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of her nose. Vanessa patted her shoulder. “Do you want me to take care of him?”
            “No, I will handle this.” She spun around, charging back to Alejandro. As she drew closer, his smile evaporated when he saw her flaring nostrils up close. She slapped him across the face with almost enough force to knock him off his feet. “Haven’t you moved onto your next girlfriend by now? Forget any idea of having a relationship with me. What you did is unforgivable.”
            He rubbed his cheek. “I’ve been trying to explain that night to you for years. You never listen.”
            “That’s because everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. You are no different than…” She skidded to that wall before coming to it. Her eyes grew wild and she had to turn away.
            His tone softened immediately. It’d been a while since this subject had come up. “Talia, I am not your stepfather.”
            “All of you men are alike. I cannot afford to bring myself into that hurt. Never again.” Without another word, she stormed off with the other girls. Alejandro had no choice but to hang his head and let her go.
            Talia draped her trench coat over her dress, tying the belt so tight not a single sequin could be seen. Ever curious, Emilia asked, “What happened back there?” Scarlet and Vanessa looked back at her, then at each other. Talia made no gesture to indicate she’d heard the comment at all.
            Scarlet tried to change to a happier subject. “Tomorrow’s Friday. How about we do some late-night karaoke? We haven’t been in ages.”
            “That sounds like fun.” Emilia jumped in. “Come on, Talia. What do you say?”
            She shrugged, but the turn-around was quicker than any of them expected. “Why not? Let’s say, around 10 o’clock right after work?” One by one, everyone happily agreed.
            After reaching their loft, Vanessa stayed back with Emilia. “You two go ahead. I’m going to walk Emilia home.” She aimed a knowing glance to Talia.
            She got her meaning right away. Pausing a moment to swallow the bile in her throat, she conceded what needed to be done, “Thank you, Vanessa. That would be a great help.”
            No sooner had the two of them disappeared around the corner, Talia’s cell phone rang and at this time of night, it only meant one thing. She spared Scarlet an apologetic look before answering, “This better be a good one, Alejandro…”

*           *           * 

Emilia huddled close to Vanessa as they walked down the cobblestones on an off shoot from the main road. The area was all but deserted, so the echo from their heels on the stones carried far. “Is it really that hard for Talia to talk about?”
            “Her past is a constant burden, no matter how hard she tries to hide it.”
            “So, what’s her history with Alejandro? Why does she hate him so much?”
            Their pace immediately slowed to a stroll. Vanessa collected her thoughts. “A long time ago, Talia was betrayed by someone she was very close with.”
            “Her stepfather...”
            “Yeah. That’s a story she’d probably rather tell you herself.” Vanessa pressed on. “As long as I’ve been here, Alejandro has been interested in Talia. She never had any intention of trusting herself to be in a relationship after her complicated history with her stepfather. On a whim, she finally said yes. I remember how excited she was that night. She dressed in her best and was as giddy as a schoolgirl.” Her entire face glowed with reminiscence, but it didn’t last long. “Talia got to Alejandro’s, only to find him all over another girl.”
            “Oh my gosh…” Emilia’s hand grasped her heart. “No wonder she’s furious with him all the time.”
            “She didn’t speak to him for months, a difficult feat when his family owns the club and our dance troupe was Talia’s responsibility. So I acted as the go-between. Not always easy, but I owed it to her for giving me the courage to leave my controlling ex. That time feels so far away now. As it should be.”
            “Oh wow.” Emilia clenched her teeth. “It seems like everyone’s had it rough.”
            “Some more than others, but it’s up to each of us to decide how much we want to share. It’s a great rule, although sometimes I think Talia came up with it to protect herself more than the rest of us.”
            “What makes you say that?”
            “Did you notice how Alejandro tried to explain himself but Talia wouldn’t listen? A couple of times, I’ve thought about asking for his side of the story. Maybe I’m just afraid Talia might actually be right about him when he’d been so great to the rest of us.”
            Things got quiet for a few minutes while Emilia mulled everything over. Erring on the side of caution, she offered, “I could ask if you really want to know. Then you can decide whether or not to tell Talia.”
            “It couldn’t hurt, but no matter what he says, I doubt she’ll ever forgive him. That’s just who Talia is and we have to accept that.” The moon came into view as they turned the corner. Vanessa had to pause to admire it. With all the hustle and bustle that comes with the job, these moments of reflection were rare. “It’s been some time since I’ve looked at the moon like this.”
            “It’s so gorgeous when it’s this full.” Emilia concurred, but couldn’t help asking the final question pressing on her mind. “So you don’t think there’s a chance she’ll ever let another man into her life?”
            Vanessa could only shrug. “It would have to be the right guy at the right time. As much as I hate to say it, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

*           *           *

She still had her reservations, but Vanessa found Emilia’s optimism oddly refreshing. It also reminded her how she’d looked forward to this night for a while. For the first time in what felt like ages, it’d only be the three of them at the apartment. Scarlet was spending the night because her twin sister, Ruby, was entertaining a few “guests” at their flat.
            In addition to being dancers, the sirens made extra money closing deals for their bosses by means of sexual favors. Although the ladies meet potential clients at the club on the nights it’s closed to the public, the brothers primarily left Calypso’s affairs to Alejandro and the dancers. Their drug enterprise, the largest in the region, kept them busy so they only checked in when they need a favor. From there, Talia made the necessary arrangements. This side of the business was kept so secret, only those with direct involvement were aware of its existence.
             As much as she enjoyed dancing, Scarlet never found the strength to embrace this aspect of being a siren. Every sexual experience she’d had was at the hands of her abusive father. After a particularly harrowing episode, Ruby snuck Scarlet out of the house; she found her own escape route a few years later. Understandably, both had their misgivings about exchanging sex for money. Because she’d built up the constitution over the years, Ruby agreed to take on the load for both of them. 
            Vanessa participated early in her employment to repay Talia for helping her leave her possessive boyfriend, Richie. Then as the years went by, her heart reopened to love so unless money was tight and she happened to be single, she considered herself retired.
            What impressed Talia most about Emilia’s audition wasn’t her knowledge of the choreography, but the sense of freedom in her dancing. Before even speaking to her, she knew no man had broken her heart or taken advantage of her. She treasured that purity so much, she vowed to do everything in her power to keep it that way. For this reason alone, Emilia was the only siren who knew nothing about Calypso’s “extracurricular activities”.
            Vanessa doubted Talia could maintain this charade forever, but she respected her wishes nonetheless. As her oldest friend and confidant, she shouldered the responsibility of explaining sensitive information about her past to Emilia, but only did so on a need-to-know basis. She also suspected Talia had other secrets she wasn’t privy to, but she knew better than to press her for the details.
            Immediately upon her return, Vanessa knew something had gone awry in her short absence. Scarlet was sitting outside the steps leading to the apartment on the second floor. She hugged her knees and stared at the ground. Because of her history, Scarlet still found it difficult to be in earshot of people having sex. Nights like tonight when her sister was with a client, she slept over at a friend’s house so she wouldn’t have to deal with it. Unfortunately, Talia’s last-minute rendezvous left her between a rock and a hard place.
            “Don’t tell me…” Vanessa stuttered. “Oh Scarlet, I’m so sorry…”
            Scarlet nodded, not meeting her eye. Her voice strained, unable to speak above a whisper. “It’s ok, really… she swore this one was a personal favor from one of her regulars.”
            “Which one?” Vanessa asked, tentatively.
            She smiled to offer her reassurance. “Carlos.”
            “Ok, that’s good. He’s certainly one of the more courteous ones.” Vanessa took a seat next to her and patted her shoulder. “Things didn’t exactly go well with that other one yesterday…”
            The recognition made Scarlet clench her jaw and turn toward the closed door. “They’ve been in there for a while… now I’m really worried.”
            “Yeah,” Vanessa admitted with a quiet resignation, “that makes two of us.”
**                                                                                                                               ***

Talia saw dozens of men through her bosses. Carlos was one of many who’d gotten to know her over the years. Sometimes, the reason she contacted them was for her own pleasure rather than business as usual. When she needed a morale boost or her sexual appetite proved insatiable, she liked to call for impromptu sessions. Her recipients happily obliged. They enjoyed her company. There were also times when they needed a boost of their own—particularly when they had issues with performance.
            Carlos replaced his pants and belt and straightened himself in the mirror over the dresser. Still catching her breath, Talia sat on the bed. The color finally returned to her knuckles, but her legs felt heavy and her heart was hard in her chest. He took a seat beside her. “I’m sorry about tonight, Natalia. Is it all right for me to go?”
            “It’s fine, Carlos.” She exhaled, drained of energy. “I am just a big mess right now. It’s been like this for weeks and I have no idea why."
            Cautiously, he patted her shoulder. “Maybe you need some time away from all this.” He rose, taking his coat. “It’s only a suggestion.” Upon opening the front door, Vanessa and Scarlet lifted their heads and jumped to their feet. Carlos made the effort to make eye contact with both of them individually. He nodded his head. “Ladies…”
            “Carlos,” they recited back to him. Their smiles were pleasant, yet they acknowledged the gravity of the situation. His departure did nothing to ease the tension.
            With the door wide open, both girls saw Talia clearly. She’d curled into a ball on top of the tussled sheets, her left hand covering her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her body convulsed as she struggled to muffle her cries. A faint melody crossed her lips, but with the cacophony of sorrow surrounding her, its true nature was indecipherable.
***
Song: "Showtime" by Nelly Furtado (alhough it's one of those chapter names I might change in the future, to something that's a better fit for what exactly happens in it)

Around the time I was brainstorming for the story, I'd play this song and imagine three of the girls in lacy dresses delicately dancing over cobblestones on an abandoned street. A very feminine and gorgeous image, yet a polar opposite of what most of this story is like. 
I'm also pretty sure that it's one of those songs where the music gives off an innocent vibe but the lyrics are about something slightly different. I can almost imagine the instrumental playing in the background during the flashback where Talia is putting on makeup in the mirror and she runs away in horror as it ends. But somehow I doubt it would work. 

And in case anyone's wondering, I will be getting away from this one artist and album in the upcoming chapters. But Loose was such a huge spark of inspiration for all this, it will definitely make a few more appearances as things go on.

(an early glimpse of Vanessa-
Scarlet and Talia would've been in it too if this scene ever came together)

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 2- "Maneater"

            

            It was 10 years ago, but Alejandro still remembered it like it was yesterday. He arrived at work late that day because he had been up all night brainstorming plans. Before it was Calypso the night club, the building was a simple bar and restaurant. Unfortunately, after years of steady success, it was beginning to lose more money than it was bringing in. He sat down at one of the barstools and for what felt like the hundredth time that week, he traced through the ledger to see where they could cut back on expenses to save money. Nothing was flying off the page and within seconds, he was seeing spots. “Ah,” he rubbed his eyes, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that all-nighter."
            Then out of nowhere, music blared over the speakers, startling Alejandro so badly he nearly fell off his seat. If he hadn’t instinctively reached for the counter to catch himself, he would have. He whirled around to locate the source, which was in the back of the room, and his jaw dropped. “When did we build a stage in here?!” His voice hit an octave it hadn’t reached since puberty. The structure was massive, raised five feet above the ground with staircases on both sides. Foot lamps lined the edge. The red velvet curtains were drawn open, but he could see further back that there was another set, black as night, that was closed to hide the backstage area.
            The musical arrangement was very sparse at first: drums and cymbals with collective moans lingering in the background. It gave the impression a ritual was about to take place—perhaps to make a sacrifice to please a great deity. As the composition settled into place, flourishes of R&B and hip-hop took charge. Tribal undertones aside, the two girls on stage were dressed like they were ready to go salsa dancing at the next street party. The neighborhood came together every Saturday night to feast on homemade dishes and play music until the sun came up. Although with more youth leaving the island to pursue their American dreams, these events have become less frequent in recent times.
            Scarlet was on the left; he recognized by her hairstyle immediately. At the time, she and Carmen were the only waitresses left on the payroll. Business had gotten so bad that everyone who had families or alternate means of income had already left. Her partner in crime on stage wasn’t their co-worker, but someone entirely new: tall, blonde and swimsuit model gorgeous. Both wore similarly designed dresses featuring oranges and yellows that zigged and zagged to form dozens of triangular polygons. They moved their arms in unison, sharply and precisely to the music. Despite the intensity they emitted, their mouths were wide with joy.
            As he continued to take in the bizarre scene, Alejandro noticed something else. Situated between them was what appeared to be a cauldron. Colored smoke was pouring out of it. Then they each took an elongated lighter one would use to activate a charcoal grill and ignited them inside. Something clearly caught because a distinct sizzling proceeded to grow louder until a barrage of snaps crackles and pops erupted in its place. The sparks flew higher into the air with each iteration, putting Alejandro on edge. The last thing he needed was for the place to burn to the ground because of out-of-control pyrotechnics. But before he could think “fire extinguisher,” the cauldron sunk through a trapdoor on the stage.
            In all the chaos, Alejandro hadn’t noticed that the girls had stopped dancing. The lyrics hinted that something or someone was about to arrive. Dozens of sparkles reflected off the lights. He squinted for a better look when she suddenly appeared. Her arms flailed wildly as she spun in several consecutive circles. Although moving just as fast, her hips and abs maneuvered with a greater degree of control. Her eyes were shut tight as the dance possessed her. The sparkles came from the rhinestones adorning her red dress; it hugged her body yet was loose enough to allow an adequate range of movement. Red chiffon sleeves ran from her wrists just past the crook in her elbows, flaring at the sides to give the impression she had caught fire.

Each and every detail, he committed to memory. At the same time, Alejandro found it impossible to describe what it felt like, seeing Natalia dance for the first time. He only knew that she needed the dance like it was her personal brand of oxygen and he had never seen a girl quite like her. However, as he would soon discover, Talia had more planned to save his family’s business than simply rebranding it. She was also a lot more than a pretty face and a strong core. These qualities made her an inspiring person to work with, but at times, she could be equally as frustrating. 

***

Featured Song: "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado (no relation at all the Hall & Oates song of the same name)
Featured Dance Style: ...not sure- I always envisioned something very tribal and uninhibited like Afro-Jazz or a wicked fast Bollywood routine
Featured Photo: Did this in my Animal Crossing: New Horizons game today. Might do more in the future but can't make any promises

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 1- "It's Only Human"

            The legend of the siren dates back to the days of Ancient Greece. Women of unsurpassed beauty whose mesmerizing voices drove many a sailor to wreck their ships on their shores. On a small island in the Caribbean halfway between Florida and the northern shores of South America, this tradition continues today.
            Instead of song, the sirens of Calypso, its most famous club, spellbound their audience through dance. They performed regularly year-round, but they drew the largest crowds in the summer months, the height of the island’s tourist season. This year’s busy season began with a particularly special occasion: the debut of their newest member.

            Spotlights crept across the velvet fabric, seemingly without aim, but with the music pumping softly in the background, tension built with each passing second. A voice then broke over the speakers. “On behalf of the sirens, a big thank you and gracias for being a wonderful audience. Please offer one final round of applause for our hard-working dancers as they take their bows. As always, feel free to cheer loudest for your favorite when they’re called by name.” The honor of M.C. typically fell to one of the girls, but this curtain call was so last minute, Alejandro, the bartender and nephew of the club’s owners, took the reins.

            As the music raced toward crescendo, the house lights transitioned, revealing four shadows behind the curtains hitting each beat on cue. Then as they drew apart, the sirens emerged one by one and retook their positions. Their steps combined the basics of samba and cha-cha as they brought the music to life. During the pre-chorus, the volume lowered slightly to alert the crowd of an impending announcement.

            The brunette with the red sequined belly dancing outfit stepped forward. “Yes, as Alejandro said, thank you again for your warm reception. Please, give a warm welcome again to our new sister, Emilia De La Rosa!” The musical volume resumed normal levels just in time for the chorus. Bursting into the spotlight was a girl no older than 18 in a powder blue dress. Her shoulder length blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and her bangs arched just above her fair eyebrows. She started with the same quick-paced cha-cha steps but incorporated some contemporary leaps and spins to accentuate her great lines. It was this unique skillset, along with her youth, that earned her the new opening in the roster. The venue had gained such popularity among locals and tourists alike in the last two years, it became necessary to bring on someone new to expand upon the depth of routines.

            Further into the number, veterans Scarlet Castillo and Vanessa Zapata took solos in their own styles. Scarlet made quick work of the cha-cha with her short stature and precise footwork. Her tangerine mullet dress, its skirt open in the front to better highlight her legs, complimented the shade of her pixie cut well. Vanessa, donning a canary gown adorned with fringe, put all of her curvy 5’ 10” frame into her Samba-influenced shimmies. Her long ashy blonde hair made her silhouette particularly striking because it was always in constant motion. Small tinges of brown broke the outline, the unfortunate side-effect of excessive dying she did in the early years.

            Using this venue to make a fresh start was a common thread that bound the sisterhood of sirens together, some coming from more dire circumstances than others. Even though Emilia had no ghosts in her past, she was adored for her sweet personality as well as her innocence, something everyone else had long lost.

            Then their leader, Natalia Montez, had her turn and the audience was in the palm of her hand instantly. Not only could she do all the classic Latin styles, blending them in and out of her belly dancing, but she had the innate ability of commanding the attention of every room she walked into. While this particular routine had been a mainstay for years, tonight was different for two reasons. In addition to Emilia, it was the first time Alejandro shared the stage with Talia. The accompanying song had a rap she typically used for the full extent of her solo. Alejandro suggested, for this special night only, he perform the rapper interlude live while she belly-dances alongside him. Normally, she wouldn’t give his suggestions the time of day, but because he helped Emilia get the audition after what had been an exhausting process, Talia finally granted him the wish he’d had since the day he first laid eyes on her.

***

Featured Song: "Afraid" by Nelly Furtado feat. Attitude (which helped spark this idea in the first place)
Featured Dance Style(s): Cha-cha, Samba, contemporary jazz

(Some images I saved while brainstorming Talia's bellydancing outfit)

The Sirens of Calypso- Upload Schedule and introductions

I'd been wanting to upload the full story onto this blog for a while. 
After much delay, I think I'm finally ready to give it a try.

This post might be more for my use than anyone else's, but I'll include one or two things that will "enhance" the reading process. If only to give everyone else a few hints of how I envisioned it in my head if the writing itself doesn't make that super clear.

Scheduling

In terms of upload schedule, this is how things are going to work:
I'll reread the story in batches of chapters, make what remaining editing changes I need, and post them. One chapter at a time, one per day. And if I stop posting consistently for a while, I'm currently busy reading/editing the next batch.

Just to give an example: the first set of chapters all take place in the same night. 
The way I wrote this, I'll sometimes have several chapters taking place within hours of each other. Others, there's a bit of a time jump so the time between one to the next is days/weeks apart. 
I have no set timeline for everything to be uploaded, but I'll try to remain consistent if I can.

Editing Notes

Each chapter, I'll enter exactly as it's written in my 250+ page Word document... with one exception:
The handful of sex scenes will be edited down to a couple of sentences. For the sake of posting it on a blog only a few people (most of which will be family) will read, I'd rather leave the "full" content for whenever the book gets published. Assuming that's in my future. 
Nothing gratuitous- all of it has some sort of purpose for the story. And in Talia's case, that's just part of her character. A very complicated part of her character.

Also, all the inspiration for these moments came from some R-rated movies and TV series. Nothing is autobiographical, I promise. 

Setting the Scene(s)

At the end of each chapter, I'll include a few linear notes.
If the chapter features or was inspired by a particular song (and most of them are), I'll include them at the bottom. 
If there's a performance, I'll include the dance style.

In my mind, this story is a mix of Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Broadway musicals, Purple Rain, and classic MTV music videos.

The story is located on a fictional island in somewhere in the Caribbean. Somewhat of a melting pot of different cultures. All of the characters have Spanish roots, but it's most prominent in Talia and Alejandro. Despite it being one of the main languages on the island, none of the other sirens know or speak Spanish.
It's one of those resort type islands that thrives on tourism. All of the main streets lead to Calypso, the venue where the sirens perform. Some of the buildings are thriving businesses, some have been condemned for some time. The rent is high in the apartment buildings where the sirens live, which is why the supplemental income from their side hustles is needed.

Then there's another side of town known as The Underground, which is the gritty side of town the tourists aren't meant to see. This comes into play later in the story, but it's noteworthy because of the streetwalkers that roam at night. They're the type of prostitutes most people would think of. They're controlled by their pimps, either by money or drugs, and have accepted their fate. And they hate the Calypso girls who "choose" to sell themselves for money when they actually have a choice to do otherwise. 
...I'm making sort of a big deal about this, but really, only a chapter or two focuses on the dark underbelly of the island. And it helps to set the scene.

The story takes place during the course of summer at the height of tourist season.
Emilia is making her debut as the newest siren at Calypso and Juan Paulo (Talia's future love interest) will be vacationing with former schoolmate, Javier, for the summer.

She won't come out and admit it, but Talia has been in a rut for some time. Whether or not she's ready for it, that's about to change.

What's in a Name?

Originally, my title for the project was "Te Busque", the middle track of Nelly Furtado's "Loose" album. (Not sure if this is the correct prounciation but in the song, I hear it pronounced as "ta-boos-kay"). But since I don't speak Spanish and don't want to imply the story will be in Spanish, I figured "The Sirens of Calypso" was a good substitute. 
I thought about using a character's name followed by "and the sirens of Calypso" but I couldn't choose a specific one. I began writing with Talia in mind as the main character, but her screentime takes a major hit at the halfway point. I could used a few other sirens in her place, but their screentime isn't significant enough to warrant them being in the title.
I thought for a second about Alejandro or Juan Paulo, but Talia wouldn't appreciate that very much. If that doesn't make sense yet, it will very soon.