CHAPTER TWO
1694 Words
Sheila's POV
Never stop dancing. Even if the world is ending, a volcano erupts, or the city is under alien attack, never stop dancing until your shift ends.
This was the unspoken rule of that Dragon Aisle, the exclusive club I worked at as an exotic dancer, but I had an advantage: I was allowed to choose my clothing as long as I could attract customers.
“You're up, Lily!” Phillip, the manager said.
I sighed and slipped on my mask, then walked upstage. The audience cheered and clapped as I began to dance. As I moved slowly towards the audience, they whistled in anticipation.
I was one of the most liked dancers here, and even though I didn’t think I was much of a great dancer, I put in my best. I did more than put food on my table. A look at Xyla, my kid, was all I needed to press on, even though I didn’t enjoy the job. I would do anything for her, even if it meant working as a dancer in Dragon Aisle—one of the most frequented clubs in the city, under a fake name.
A man grabbed me by the waist, and I slowly pushed him gently away. He was one of our biggest customers, and anyone who crossed him would be fired. I couldn’t afford that, so I stayed away from him.
When I was done with my dance, I blew the audience my signature kiss and was about to go backstage when I heard a familiar voice. “Who said you could leave?”
Shakily, I turned around, and my fears were confirmed as a pair of gray eyes with a glint of silver stared right in mine. I froze on the spot. He looked almost the same as he did three years ago when I had a one-night stand with him.
Or maybe even better, but he had a few outgrown beards, which made my insides churn, but I blinked away the thoughts biting at me.
I felt my cheek burn. I never saw him after I ran off the next morning. How could I still remember every detail about him? I didn’t even know his name.
I composed myself and smiled, though it was impossible to see through the mask.
Phillip quickly intervened. “I'm sorry, sir, but her time is up. Please sit back and enjoy the rest of the show.”
He frowned slightly. “I want a private dance.”
Phillip chuckled, and I bit down on my lower lip. This was an opportunity to make more money off me, but I shook my head. The last thing I want is to spend another minute with this man who had been invading my dreams all these years. “I'm sorry, but my services are limited. I'm sure you can find someone else.”
“I want her,” he insisted, his eyes glued on me.
“Sir, I can get you our best dancer here—”
“I'll pay a hundred thousand dollars,” the stranger said, his eyes never leaving mine.
Phillip’s eyes dilated in shock, and so did mine. I instantly knew the man was crazy to offer such an amount. The best dancer wasn't even worth anything more than a thousand dollars for a private dance. The club couldn’t even make that in two months.
A grin appeared on Phillips’ face and he immediately frowned as he turned to me.
“Do it or you're fired,” he said with a hard glare that almost felt like daggers. Then, he walked away, leaving me with no choice.
Reluctantly, I showed him to the private room, and he sat down. “Do you have any special requests?” I asked, grudgingly, keeping my eyes on the floor.
“Make it worth my money,” he said with a smirk.
“I'm employed to dance; don't expect anything more than that,” I said, then played Tyla’s Water after grabbing a bottle. Then, I began dancing.
From the corner of my eye, I could see him smirking at me while gingerly sipping his alcohol.
Three minutes later, he stood up and approached me, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to himself without warning.
“What are you doing, sir? This isn’t part of the package!” I said, my voice glib as panic clawed at me.
He chuckled softly and touched my face. “You’re an exotic dancer, and I paid for your services. I could buy you if I wanted to. How about you ease yourself into my embrace and take full advantage of this?” He whispered seductively.
With all my strength, I pushed him away as my breathing accelerated. Flashes of the night when we had s*x resurfaced, and I was afraid he had tracked me down.
He suddenly burst into laughter and went back to his seat, then downed his glass of alcohol. “Keep on dancing; I just need to get my mind off something.”
I breathed shakily and picked Tyla’s Push to Start, whining my waist in sync to the dance of the song.
All through, he watched my every move like an eagle would, and about ten more songs later, he stopped me.
“That's enough. I've seen enough; you can go.” He uttered, suddenly losing interest.
“What? I can go?” I stuttered, caught off guard.
“What? Just about half an hour ago, you wanted to escape this room, and now you're reluctant to leave?”
I shook my head. “No! I'll leave!” I quickly responded.
“Go!” He growled.
I rushed out of the room and went straight to the dressing room. When Phillip came to see me, I thought I'd be fired, but he was grinning widely and placed a fat envelope filled with cash in my hands.
“That's twenty-five thousand dollars, your pay,” he said, the wide grin still on his lips, and he walked away without waiting for a response.
The news spread like wildfire, and other dancers swarmed around me to ask questions and tips.
When I got off work at dawn, I made my way home. My house was not far from where I worked, so I decided to take a walk instead.
My thoughts were all over the place as I recounted the incident.
Does he remember me? He couldn’t. It had to be a coincidence.
It’s been three years. Besides, it was just a one-night stand. He’s probably had several of them.
Why does the thought of that make my heart constrict? I swallowed, pushing the thoughts out of my mind.
I should be grateful that a mere coincidence like that earned me cool cash. When I arrived home, Xyla was fast asleep on the couch, and I gave her a kiss on the forehead before taking her inside.
It didn’t take time before my exhaustion caught up with me, but my eyelids quivered when I felt constant taps on my arm.
“Mommy…”
“Xyla, Mommy needs to sleep,” I said without opening my eyes. “I had a really long day at work today.”
She hit me again, pointing at something in the distance. “Mommy…”
I yawned.
“I see you’re tired after all the show.”
My eyes instantly flew open as I heard a masculine voice, and I jumped out of bed in fright at the sight before me.
There he was, leaning against the frame of the bedroom door, looking dangerously handsome.
“How did you get in here? What are you—”
“Doing here?” He interrupted, then smirked.
I was petrified beyond words and couldn't move. Was I too tired that I didn’t lock the doors? How did he get in?
“You know, you should listen to children when they tell you something. Their intuition is pretty good.” He uttered as he took steps towards me. I immediately reached for Xyla and hugged her against me, instantly protective of her, as if this man would snatch her away from me.
My action must have amused him because he chuckled as he halted right in front of me, bringing his face closer to mine. “Do you think I wouldn't recognize you even though it's been three years?” He asked calmly, and panic crawled up my chest, raw and primal.
I pressed my palm over Xyla’s ears so she wouldn’t hear him, shocked that he recognized me. “What are you talking about? I don't—”
“Save it,” he snapped and stepped backward as Xyla tugged at my dress.
“I’m curious about something, though. Why did you move to another city entirely?”
“Mister, you can't barge into my house and question me! You should leave!” I retorted.
He tutted and stared at me dead in the eyes. “I think we're past that level, Lily; we both know what happened a couple of hours ago.”
My cheeks burned from embarrassment. He knew who I was, and yet he asked me to dance?
“Is that even your name? Lily?” He asked.
I shook my head. “It doesn't matter. What do you want from me?” I asked, and when he squinted at Xyla, my heart skipped a beat.
No way he knows. He doesn’t know who Xyla is. My subconscious yelled.
“She looks beautiful; is she yours?” He asked, curiosity heavy in his tone.
“She's none of your business,” I retorted.
He shrugged and let it slide.
“Why did you run away the next morning after spending a night with me?” He asked, out of the blue.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said defensively.
“I've been searching for you for three years, and you think I wouldn't recognize you behind a stupid mask?” He laughed.
“What do you want?”
“To finish what you started that night.”
“What?”
“Marry me,” he said without blinking.
- Writer
