His Personal Dancer

7

     My teeth latched onto the skin of the inside of my mouth, I shook my head as I began to back up slowly "I just want to go home" I clenched onto my bag and began to turn away. "No no no, why the sudden rush?" A hand grabbed onto my upper arm stopping me. I looked over my shoulder and a tall brown eyed, brown haired fellow towered over me. My body drowned in fright as the other gentleman who sat in chairs stood up approaching me slowly "Don't worry, we'll take good care of you" the man who had a grip on me traced his fingers along my hairline and down onto my cheek, my body shuddered at his touch, I turned my face away from his touch but his grip on my arm only tightened. "I could only imagine what a private dance from the famous Dazzle could feel like.." A voice appeared behind me, I looked around quickly as my heart began beating out of my chest. The man behind me latched onto my shoulders giving them a squeeze. I tried nudging his touch off me but that only made him latch onto me tighter. 

      "Andrew, Kyle. That's enough.." the two men who had their grasps on me and the men who were starting to surround me all looked in one direction. Mr. Ace sat there comfortably with his lips latched onto the rim of the glass that carried his drink. The gentleman who had begun to surround me, turned away and sat down. The two men, who I presumed to be Kyle and Andrew were more defiant. The man in front of me scoffed before turning away from Mr. Ace and looked back down at me. "Don't mind him. Promise you'll be a good girl?" he said with a perverted smirk on his face. The man behind me slowly brought his hands up from my shoulder to the sides of my neck. Heavy nervous breathing escaped my lips as my body started to shake with fright. "I don't like to f*****g repeat myself!" A sound of glass crashing caused everyone in the room to jump. A wall that had liquid dripping against it and glass where the wall met the floor was where everyone looked. Mr. Ace had his fists clenched, as he stared down the wall, I could see his jaw tighten from feet away . The gentleman behind me slipped his hands away from my neck, and the gentleman in front of me rolled his eyes before releasing the grip on my forearm. I didn't hesitate to turn around, run down the stairs, and out of the club.

      Zeke's phone went straight to voicemail. I walked down the dark streets of New York at 1 am in the morning. Every inch of my body was shaking in fright, I didn't feel safe. My head was aching with anxiety and fake scenarios of me dying at the hands on those men. "Ms. Dazzle?" His voice frightened me, I jumped causing me to drop my phone onto the ground. I turned around and there he stood. Mr. Ace had his hands tucked into his trouser pockets. He wore the usual black suit with a black button up and tie. "What do you want?!" I screamed, I was out of breath. Being afraid was truly exhausting. I bent down to pick up my phone off the ground without taking my eyes off of him. "I just wanted to make sure that you were alright-" He took a few steps towards me and I scoffed at his words. I rolled my eyes and shook my head "You need to leave me alone" I hissed. Mr. Ace stopped abruptly a few feet away from me. His entire appearance was deceiving, you would think that he would be a professional businessman but he is an abusive, narcissistic, sadistic, disrespectful swine! "It's a matter of your safety Ms. Dazzle. At this hour, a young lady shouldn't be walking home by herself.." All of a sudden he was concerned? He was a hair slicked back, suit wearing devil! "Yeah your right! Because men in fancy suits approach you to be their personal prostitute!" I turned away from him walking at a quick pace trying to get as far away from him as I could. "I always had the knowledge that you were inept, but it's quite apparent that you are lacking in reading and comprehension!" He screamed, that man has some f*****g nerve to basically call me in i***t. I couldn't help but turn around and march right back up to him. "I GRADUATED TOP OF MY CLASS, YOU PERVERTED DEVIL!" I pointed my finger at him with so much force it felt like I was stabbing him. I dug my finger into his suit as I jabbed his chest with the tip of my finger. The scent of his cologne attacked my nostrils, he didn't smell necessarily bad, good actually. He looked down at me and smirked, he loved getting a rise out of me. Sick. "What college did you go to?" He asked, raising his eyebrow, still having the smug smirk on his face. s**t. I said too much, I needed to stop entertaining him and maintain a level head. I dropped my finger from his chest and ran my fingers through my hair. "Or were you talking about highschool?" He nodded his head and looked away from me, soft laughs escaped his lips. I backed away from him, I pressed my lips together refusing to say anything else that could incriminate me. "It would explain a lot of your tantrums and immature behavior. You're nothing but a child" He said looking back at me. I couldn't take it anymore, his disrespect, his perversion, his obsession with making me lose my head. I raised my hand and sent it flying across his face. His face was thrown off the the side  and the smirk on his lips disappeared  "You know nothing about me, you demented man!" I spat, I didn't wait for his response. I turned away from him and ran off. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!" He screamed as I disappeared into the night.

      Finally being able to curl up in my blanket on my bed eased the tension that today. I stripped my body of my clothing, slipped into a nightgown, and drowned my body underneath my duvet. It was a long day, a stressful day. I rested my head on the pillow, I couldn't help but feel anxious. Mr. Ace's voice rang through my head like an alarm "You'll pay for this?" I said, "What did he mean by that?!" I asked frustratedly, my mind began to create random scenarios, violent ones. What if he killed me in my sleep? Or..sexually take advantage of me? I sat up in my bed not being able to keep my mind at ease. I was dreadfully scared, I couldn't even look at the shadows in my own room without being frightened. He's going to hurt me, I just know it. A sudden bang caused me to jump, my heart exploded with pure fright and anxiety. The bangs came from the front door and they wouldn't stop. I kept my hand over my heart as I slipped out of my bed. Was this the night I died? I stepped out of my bedroom and tears began flooding my eye sockets. "LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M CALLING THE POLICE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs from my bedroom door frame trying to attempt to make the person go away. Tears began to stream down my face, as I already began to Invision men beating me to my death. "b***h!-" My sudden dark thoughts went away and I wiped my cheeks dry "I dare you to call the police on me! Now open up the door, I have to take a piss!" Zeke's voice never brought comfort to my soul but right now he soothed me. Even if he necessarily didn't have the nicest things to say. I ran to the door and unlocked it before opening it. A wide smile crept onto my face as Sugar, Henna, Zeke, and Cherry came into view. "Move hoe!" Zeke grunted pushing past me into my apartment. The stench of alcohol hit me like a tidal wave. "Ray, you did not tell me you lived in the ghetto.." Henna said as she brought me into a hug, I smiled, shaking my head as I allowed the ladies to walk into my place. I closed the door after them and they made themselves comfortable in my living room. "This place is cute though.." I crossed arms and leaned against the door "It's not ghetto. It's just a rough neighborhood, the people are really nice" Henna rolled her eyes at my words and kicked off her heels before propping her feet up to the coffee table. The girls reeked of alcohol and bad decisions. I figured I would get them some water and chicken nuggets. Zeke took a deep sigh as he walked back out into my living room. "That was amazing" Zeke dropped down onto the floor in the living room and sprawled his body out on the fuzzy carpet. After dumping an entire bag of chicken nuggets on a plate and heating it up, I brought it over to them along with some water bottles. Once I set it down on the coffee table along with a bottle of ketchup I smiled widely and brought my hands together "Dinner is served.." Everyone in the room stared at it silently before looking back at me "Girl, this is dog food!" Sugar screamed, my smile dropped and I glared at them "I don't even know why I put up with her anymore" Zeke groaned into the carpet. I rolled my eyes, them being intoxicated made them less appealing and tolerable. It felt like dealing with a bunch of toddlers.

      After Zeke drunkenly ordered pizza and Chinese food. Thank God there was a place open this late. I finally got the fussy children fed but now they wanted to be entertained. As I put a slice of pizza into my mouth Henna who was sitting on the couch and I on the floor in front of the coffee table on the other side facing them, she smiled at me while taking a huge gulp of water. "Ray, are you a virgin?" I choked on the bite of pizza I just swallowed and dropped my pizza back down onto the plate I picked it up from. Everyone was now focused on me with intrigued smirks on their lips. I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head "No, I am not a virgin" The whole group laughed at my response. A pout came to my lips as my face heated up with embarrassment. "Well s**t Raina, where have you been hiding him?" Cherry snickered as she playfully hit Henna's arm. A sigh of irritation escaped my lips. I pressed my lips together and crossed my arms over my chest "I'm not hiding anyone!-" I said, but it came out more of a whine. I cleared my throat which silenced the group. I wish they took me seriously. "I had s*x with Brian Fick my sophomore year of high school, his parents were at work and it lasted about a few minutes. And I was on top!" I tried making myself seem more mature than I actually am. The smirks on their faces dimmed into nothingness, Henna looked away from me and sighed deeply "If a guy makes you go on top for your first time Raina, he's an asshole. Did you even feel good?" She looked back at me and I shrugged as I began to fidget with my fingers. "Not necessarily, it just hurt most of the time" Zeke shook his head and crawled over to me before placing his arm around my shoulders. "There are so many things you haven't learned about boys.." He pulled me into a squeeze. My parents never taught me anything about boys, I was just coming to the age where I started having serious crushes and they died. Everyone around me was never willing to sit down and do my parents job. So I was left without the knowledge of a lot of things. "Yeah, after my parents died, no one wanted to sit me down and really talk to me about those things. I'm not saying I'm completely ignorant, I'm just lacking.." The girls couldn't help but feel sorry for me. I didn't want them to pity me, or see me as the victim. I've gotten along okay by myself. "Well Ray, we are your family now. A weird, messed up, miscellaneous family" All of the girls got up from the couch and surrounded me with their embrace. "Your graduation, your wedding, your first kid. We'll be there, holding your hand, doing your makeup, and possibly yelling at you. I'm just sad that we didn't get to see you at your prom" Sugar said, I let out a laugh and nodded my head as my eyes began to tear up. I leaned against Zeke and closed my eyes biting my bottom lip "I never went to prom.." All girls gasped and began to ramble on shocked that I never went to a once in a lifetime event. They began to press me with questions on why I didn't go. I never thought I would have a family again. It may be dysfunctional and a bit untraditional,  but it was mine. 

      A month passed by in a flash. Everything was perfect. Business was flourishing. The girls didn't have to do things they no longer felt pressured to do, they also began to pursue other careers. That left me, just working, saving up as much as possible to go to college. Zeke and the girls took me out on more outings that didn't include drinking. We went on picnics, to the beach, even to the zoo at one point. Being able to spend time with them outside of the club was amazing, fun, they've given me an abundance amount of advice about everything. Especially boys. It was me, Henna, and Sugar sitting at a breakfast place around 10 in the morning. Cherry had to stay home because her kid got a fever. It was Sunday and the club was closed. "To a second location!" Zeke exclaimed as we raised our glasses of champagne, well I had orange juice. Zeke had finally finalized his second location in Boston, Massachusetts. He had been traveling there to find a building, staff, the interior design, and so much more. Everything finally came to a conclusion and it's opening night was tomorrow. I sat next to Zeke and Sugar and Henna sat in front of us. The restaurant was expensive, the people who dined there wore expensive clothing and carried acclaimed designer bags. While I sat there with a pair of Chuck Taylor's, ripped denim pants, and a short sleeved white shirt. Zeke and the girls didn't give me the impression that we were going to a high end fancy restaurant for dinner or else I would've dressed up more like them, fancy and high end. 

      I had ordered hazelnut omelet with garlic bread. Zeke and the girls have all been trying to watch their figure for the opening night in Boston so they are salads. "I already booked the hotels for all the dancers, and you too Ms. Dazzle.." Zeke winked at me and I smiled at him. I didn't think I would be going, not that I have a problem with going. I have never traveled outside of New York so I'm super excited. Zeke put a spoonful of the salad in his mouth. All the girls would be hosting the event but they all wanted to debut themselves in Boston so they are doing a group performance. "Raina, it would be amazing if you performed with us. The way you work the stage is f*****g amazing, don't even get me started how you made the pole your b***h!" Henna said a bit too loudly, she had a huge smile on her face. She grabbed the attention of surrounding customers. I turned my head and nodded at them "Sorry.." I said before turning back to Henna. I shook my head, I had thought that people forgot about my other persona 'Dazzle'. Although gentlemen who came to the club no longer asked for her, they still talked about her. I heard their conversations. By the grace of God they didn't recognize me. They say that Dazzle was a ghost that bewitched and robbed men of their money and also their hearts. I couldn't help but snicker at their stories. The girls wouldn't take no for an answer so I sighed and shrugged before cutting a piece off of my omelet. "I'll think about it.." The girls and Zeke nodded at my answer before going back to their food.

      We bathed ourselves in small conversation and giggles before we were unexpectedly interrupted. "Long time no see.." I felt nauseous hearing his voice, so I dropped my utensils into the plate holding onto my stomach as flashes of our last encounter that didn't end so well. Zeke shot up from his seat and embraced Mr. Ace into a hug before sitting back down. "It has been a while Sebastian. How are you?" I rolled my eyes at Zeke's invitation to start a conversation with that man. "Work as usual. It's nice to see you are doing well. Ladies, nice seeing you" Mr. Ace smiled at the girls causing them to melt at his words "Hi Mr. Ace" they said in unison, I gagged to myself and looked at Mr. Ace who stared right into my eyes, stripping and peering into my soul. Instead of his usual black suit, he had on a light blue suit with a white button down, with no tie. He looked less threatening with bright colors. I bit my bottom lip and pried my eyes away from his alluring ones and took a bite of my garlic bread furiously "Well, I don't want to disturb your outing. Enjoy.." Mr. Ace said while he turned away. I smiled at his presence fading but Zeke stopped him causing my smile to go away  "Sebastian, I'm opening up a second location in Boston. The opening night is tomorrow-" Mr. Ace turned around interested in what Zeke was saying. "I've already done the advertising, and it's going to be a night to remember. My girls will be performing, along with-" Zeke slowly turned to me and shrugged softly , I shook my head vigorously already knowing what Zeke was going to say. "Ms. Dazzle will be making a special appearance-" Zeke turned away from me, and scoffed underneath my breath and bit my tongue to make sure I didn't make a fool of myself. "I'll be there. Meet me at the airport at 5 am and we can fly there together on my private plane" I looked at him and he had on that devilish grin I despised so much. "I can't, I have things to do with our location here before leaving. The girls  have to  make preparations for their kids.." Mr. Ace nodded at Zeke before fixing his eyes onto me "Then I suppose it'll just be me and Ms. Dazzle.." before I could oblige, Mr. Ace smiled at me and turned away from us. I narrowed my eyes at Mr. Ace as he disappeared into the restaurant. Hell could freeze over, the world could burst into flames, the dead could rise, and I would still refuse to be in the same room with Mr. Ace, let alone thousands of feet in the air.