5 word challenge: light, smoke, pillow, whipped, chat

The light in the room was dim but the bright lights of the stage made her lion costume uncomfortable. The singer dressed as a ring master whipped at her rump as she passed, occasionally making real contact which the audience enjoyed and thought part of the act, even though they thought themselves superior to those who would seek out the Berlin dens where a women would whip another other for real.

The smoke from cigars and the murmur of chat were the only real signs that people were out there watching her, if they did indeed raise their heads from their plentiful food and drink.
 
Tonight she had three more acts to perform, three more opportunities to have her dream of stage stardom fade.  The new year was two months away, 1930 was the year she was going to escape this place, but all she wanted just now was to rest her head on a cool pillow and go to sleep.