He asked if Alexandra was her real name, and she just looked at him. She kept a half-smile on her lips, but that was just reflex. Alexandra wasn't her real name, of course--it was Lisa--but the question itself was a step into the danger zone. This was a fantasy world, and the paying customers were expected to recognize that. Asking about her real name was an attempt to penetrate the veil.
He must have seen some of this in her less-than-genuine smile. He demurred, dropping his eyes to the bottle on the table in front of him. "I'm sorry," he said, now half-smiling himself. "I'm not supposed to ask about that, am I?"
No, he wasn't. She didn't answer directly, just stood up from the table. "I have to get ready to go on stage," she said. "I'll try to come by later."
Walking back to the dressing room--it really was almost her turn for the stage, although she could have stayed a few minutes longer if she wanted to--she decided that she didn't feel threatened. Normally when a customer asked one of the girls about her real name, it meant that customer was starting to lose their sense of perspective, that they might be starting to think that the interest they had bought and paid for might actually be real. This guy...she had a feeling this guy was just making conversation. Sure, he had overstepped his bounds, violated an unwritten rule, but maybe he just didn't know any better. That was a little hard to believe, she thought, but not entirely out of the question.
AUTHOR'S COMMENTARY: I don't know how accurate this scenario is, but when I get down to the point of using this in a real story, I'll do what I can to find out. Unlike the last blurb, I actually have something in mind for this, and I just needed a way in. |
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