The Twin Dragons Mate

Chapter 4: Anastasia

I sat on the couch in some sweats and my hair up in a messy bun, stuffing my face with an ice cream called Broken Heart Fudge Brownie. We had some on reserve just in case Lucy and Andy broke up or whenever Ruby gets ghosted by someone she really likes. The last time this ice cream was brought out, Ruby had just got done having the night of her life with a girl she met at a library and had brought her home. But the following day, the girl was gone, and her phone number was changed. We went through two tubs of ice cream for a week. I was sitting here, eating ice cream while Lucy was rampaging around the apartment. “I can’t believe we let you go out with him!” She yelled; Ruby sat on the couch beside me, rubbing my thigh, “If I ever see his stupid face again, I’m going to,” Ruby cut her off,

“Cálmate,” Ruby told her; Lucy calmed down, at least enough to not blow the roof off the building. They both looked at me and sighed, “We both know how men are, and some women too.” Ruby said to her, “Instead of threatening someone that we will more than likely never see again, we need to comfort our friend.” Lucy sat down beside me, “Acordada?” Ruby asked; Lucy nodded,

“Agreed,” Lucy told her, as they both cuddled next to me after putting on a movie; of course, they chose Titanic. Then Ruby chuckled,

“Besides, while Ana was getting ready to go with that creep to the wedding, I threatened to tie him up, cut off his d**k and shove it in his mouth if he hurt you.” I turned to Ruby, Lucy doing the same, “Nobody messes with mi familia.” She told us; I leaned away a bit,

“I’ve never been more scared in my life,” I told her, then Lucy chimed in,

“I thought I was the crazy one in this group, but I’m even scared now.” Ruby jumped towards us, making us scream and giggle. We laughed for a few minutes before turning our attention back to the movie.

I stretched my arms when I woke up from bed. It was already eleven in the morning; I sighed, remembering that I had to work tonight. I got up and stretched out my back before heading towards my bathroom. I turned the shower on then went back to my room while waiting for the water to warm up. I honestly didn’t remember going to bed last night; Andy brought us some alcohol after a few movies. The rest of the night was a big blur. I grabbed a pair of shorts, a tank top, and some underwear, laying them on my bed before heading back into the bathroom. As I stepped into the shower, I was engulfed in the steam, immediately soothing my tensed muscles. I washed my hair in my vanilla-scented shampoo and conditioner before continuing with the rest of my routine. Once my legs were shaved, I began washing my body and finished off with a body scrub on my legs and arms. 

After my shower, I wrapped my towel tightly around my body then went into my bedroom. After I was dressed, I went over to my dresser and brushed out my red locks. I checked myself out in the mirror to make sure I looked alright, then applied a bit of lip balm. I had a few errands to run before work, so I grabbed my purse and shoved my keys, wallet, and phone into it before walking out. The apartment was quiet, well, except for the banging from Lucys’ room. I rolled my eyes then banged on the door; I heard shuffling, and then Lucy came up to the door, opening it slightly, “Ana, what’s up?” She asked me innocently; I glared,

“How Ruby can sleep through that, I don’t know, but seriously, tone it down.” Lucy’s face turned all shades of red, “Also, I’m about to run some errands, so I’ll see y’all at work.” She nodded before shutting the door. Out of curiosity, I went over to Ruby’s room and knocked on the door, no answer. I knocked again, and still no response. I decided to open the door slightly to see Ruby in bed, sound asleep, with her Bluetooth headphones on her head. I could hear the music blasting from the headphones from across the room. I chuckled to myself, so that’s how she can sleep through Lucy and Andy. I will need to see if she has a spare pair, I think as I close the door behind me. I smiled to myself, thinking about my two best friends, then headed out the door.

After finishing my errands, I still had two hours before going to work. So, I decided to head over there to help get set up. I came up to the door and used my key to get in; the owner gave us all a key just in case we needed to crash at the club or needed to get things ready when he was not here. Jackson may be a prick sometimes, but he’s one of the few good men in this city. 

I opened the door and flipped on the lights; no one was here yet. Then again, no one has to be here for another two hours. I went to the bar to see what we needed, then went to the back to get it; then I wiped down the bar, tables, and even the poles. Once everything was wiped down, I checked the bathrooms to see if they needed attention. After half an hour, the club was ready to serve. I went to the changing room and got ready; since I wore one of my outfits home, I made sure to keep a few backups here, just in case. I changed, then sat down to straighten my hair and apply my makeup; once that was done, I grabbed my purple hair chalk and put streaks into my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror for the second time today; I wore a pair of black leather shorts, my black boots, and a purple crop top tied in the back. It honestly looks like a bra. Deciding I looked alright, I decided to head out and listen to some music.

I plugged my phone up to the DJ booth and clicked the song I wanted to play. Since the booth was connected to the main stage, I was front and center in the middle of the club. The moment the beat dropped, I lost myself in the song. I began dancing, using the pole to help with the tricks I couldn’t quite do on my own. I even tried some of the moves Lucy and Ruby showed me. I felt hot, sexy, in control, and I f*****g loved it! I felt like I was on top of the world as I slowly descended down the pole to land on my back softly, arching my back as it came to an end. Once it was over, I went to the back to get some water before doing another song. I brought my water bottle and set it on the bar before heading back to the booth to find another song; I decided to go and try Ruby’s routine that she taught me. I put on Closer by Nine Inch Nails and went over to the sent stage, my back to the door on my knees. Once again, I lose myself in the song, trying to be sexy like Ruby told me. Lucy always tells me to move my hips and run my hands over myself. But also be seductive with all of my movements, even if it’s to move hair out of my face; I didn’t notice that this song is seven minutes long. I was so lost in the music. I didn’t care. When the song finally came to an end, I was on the floor of the stage once again, arms behind me, holding me up, with a leg propped up and on straight out, looking over the nonexistent crowd. I sighed then got up, ready to get to work.

The club was booming tonight; there were so many new people, I could barely find any of the regulars for a Friday night. Lucy and Ruby were getting booked back to back with dances, and now, I didn’t have any help at the bar since Darcy left me to be a dancer. I mean, I know they get more money, but I’d rather deal with the men who are too weak to handle their liquor than the ones who can’t take no for an answer. 

Just as I started to catch up, one of the managers came over to me, “Ana, Jackson wants to see you in his office.” I looked over the crowds of people,

“This is not a good time for him to need to get on my case about being late the other day. I came in two hours early today to set up, isn’t that good enough for him?” She gave me a look, “We’re slammed right now, Jullie. I’m the only bartender here.” I protested, she smirked, 

“Honey, what do you think I used to do before I became a manager?” She said as she started taking orders. I mentally groaned and made my way over to the office. 

I knocked on the door, and Jackson looked up from his laptop, “Ana, please, come sit.” I looked at him like I was going to kill him but did as he said and sat, 

“What’s this about?” I asked. He continued to stare at his screen before he finally glanced up at me with a giant smile on his face, 

“You’ve been holding out on me, Ana.” I raised a brow, 

“What are you talking about?” I asked. He turned the main computer screen towards me and clicked a button; my eyes went wide as the video played on the screen. I was dancing. “Jackson, I,”

“When were you going to audition?” Jackson asked me, “Darcy is good, yes, but the passion in your movements was exactly what this club needs.” I took a breath and proceeded to explain, 

“I was never planning to audition. I’m happy where I am, bartending.” He smiled and played the second video, 

“Ana, you’ve got to do it. I know it’s not your favorite thing but imagine how much money the club could make that you could make!” I stood, placing my hands on the desk, getting close enough so he could hear me clearly,

“I’m not dancing, Jackson. I don’t want to dance.” I told him sternly, “I don’t care if it’ll make me a s**t ton of money; I like the job I have. If you don’t like that, then get over it.” I told him, he sighed, 

“I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to this, but if you don’t take the job I’m offering, you won’t have a job here at all.” I straightened and stiffened. Blackmail, perfect. Now my only option is to take the job or not have one. I bit my tongue, 

“You’re a d**k, you know that?” I told him, he smirked,

“I’ve been called worse.” He stated, I flipped him off and went out of the room, “I want you on the stage in the next ten minutes, Ana.” I rolled my eyes as I tried to think of a way to get out of this.