Just One Dance

4. Red-Haired Beauty

Jacob was not an alcoholic or anything, but he was dying to get some hard liquor to calm his nerves. Dealing with Katrina had made him uneasy and the simple fact that she nearly convinced him to stay, made it worse. Jacob didn't love Katrina, but she was still a woman and he was still a man.

She was an attractive woman. He had to give her that. Even though she was ugly on the outside. He was not about to force their relationship by giving her a ring when he knew it wasn't sincere. Next, she would expect him to bend his other rules for her.

She'd tell him when he could or could not leave the house, and that wasn't OK with him. No woman would ever get the chance to dictate his actions, and that is the reason why he was not proposing to Katrina. She knew what she had been getting into since day one, so she couldn't play the clueless victim.

Jacob breathed a sigh of relief when the neon sign 'Club Erotico' came into view. The place was packed so much that Jacob had to wait inside his car for a while for a valet to retrieve it for parking.

Jacob exited his car, handed his keys to the valet, and straightened his clothes, brushing off invisible dirt. He didn't want to deal with the press, but he had to pass by them to get inside the building.

They were there to interview the people about the charity event, but he didn't think that Tony would let them inside the establishment and he was right. Walking past them, while they were bombarding him with questions about his love life, Jacob saw that the atmosphere inside was the total opposite of the outside. Calm and welcoming.

Jacob walked over to the bar and ordered a double shot of Hennessy on the rocks. He needed nothing to trace his drink at the moment. If he could live in the strip club, he would take pleasure in doing so. He wouldn't hear anyone in his ears nagging him unless it was to ask what he wanted.

As long as you had money, everyone did what they were told. He wished it was the same at home. Jacob put his feelings aside and went to give away some of his money at the auction. That was the reason it was being hosted after all.

After giving all of the money that he had gone there to give, Jacob went back to the bar. It was going to be his new favorite place for the night. No Katrina to pester him about marriage. Just him and his alcohol. Jacob was startled by a slap on his back. He was busy thinking of a way to get Katrina to back off, so he didn't see Tony coming his way.

"Hey, man. I'm glad you made it." Tony gave him a friendly hug, to which he reciprocated.

"You have no idea how glad I am to be here." Jacob replied. Tony immediately caught on.

"Trouble in paradise?" Tony asked, raising a brow, daring Jacob to tell him otherwise.

"When is there not? I am sick and tired of Katrina. All she talks about is getting engaged. I told her that I wasn't interested in marriage, so it wasn't like she didn't know what she was getting into when we decided to make things 'official'." Jacob ranted. He was grateful that he had someone to spill his guts to.

"Why don't you remind her again?" Tony asked his best friend, who seemed frustrated with the situation.

"I always do and I did. Right before I was getting ready. But, then..."

"You f*cked her. Didn't you?" Tony asked Jacob, already knowing the answer.

He had already told his best friend that if he took a stand and told Katrina how he felt about her forcing him to give her a ring, he should not sleep with her afterward, because she would get the wrong idea and think he had changed his mind about marrying her.

"Yes, I did. Please don't judge me. She went into the shower with me because I refused to tell her when she would be getting a ring, and after she dropped to her knees and took my c*ck inside her mouth, I was blinded. I lost it then." Jacob said, feeling the effect of the alcohol slowly creeping in while telling Tony what happened before he went there.

"Do you love her?" Tony asked.

"No! I don't!" Jacob said a little too quickly. "But I am happy she's around because she chases all the other women away. I just can't deal with the crap from them."

"So, she's just there for convenience?" Tony asked a question that he already knew the answer to.

"When you put it that way, it sounds bad, but yes. But, when I had explained to her that I didn't want to be committed, she agreed and said it was fine with her." Jacob said. He didn't know if Katrina had agreed just to try and change his mind later.

"But now, she wants more." Tony said.

It was crazy that Katrina thought she could change him by offering him s*x. There were plenty of women who would drop to their knees at his command, without wanting anything in return, so s*x alone couldn't hold onto him.

"Am I crazy for being the way I am? For not wanting a committed relationship?" Jacob asked his best friend. He needed to know his opinion because he was one of the few that mattered to him.

"No, I don't think you're crazy. Everyone has their ways and methods of dealing with things. You just don't believe in marriage, the same way I don't believe in settling with one woman. So I understand." Tony paused as if he had more to say.

"I can sense a 'but' coming." Jacob said. He knew Tony well and he was sure he had something else to say.

"You're already living with Katrina. That alone must have given her hope that both of you could be something more. I don't want you to get her hopes up any more than you already have, but if a ring will keep her a*s quiet, just give her one. Explain to her that it doesn't mean you're going to get married any time soon. If she doesn't agree, take back your decision. It's as simple as that." Tony said.

"The only problem is that I am not going to get married. At all. I don't want her to think that a ring means marriage is on our card." Jacob said. He considered what Tony said and thus, he was conflicted if it was a good idea or not.

'Maybe it could make things go smoother at home.'

"I guarantee you, it will make things better." Tony said.

"I'll think about it. Now, where's my seat?" Jacob asked, looking around the room to see if he could spot the chair with his name on it.

"You're right beside me, at the front, where you will be able to see the special treat up close." Tony grinned as he spoke.

"What's the treat?" Jacob asked eagerly. He had forgotten about that when the topic of Katrina came up.

"The best question to ask is, who is the treat?" Tony said, with a sly smirk.

"OK. Who is the treat?" Jacob asked correctly this time. His curiosity got the best of him.

"You'll have to wait and see." Tony grinned, making Jacob want to hit him across the head. Why did he bother bringing it up if he wasn't going to say anything?

Jacob looked at the stage where the women were dancing. They were helping Tony with raising funds for the needy and he could appreciate the fact that they did. But, there was nothing special about anyone of them. He didn't mean to be disrespectful, but they were typical strippers. Jacob watched as Tony went backstage.

About five minutes later, the lights dimmed as Tony made his way back to him. Jacob kept his eyes glued to the stage. He was eager to know why Tony had behaved like that and he had a feeling he was about to find out.

Jacob couldn't help himself when he gasped, seeing the angel walk on stage. She was clad in all white, with angel wings. Her hair was red, which was in contrast with her outfit, making her look glorious and magnificent. If they weren't inside a strip club, he would have thought that he was in heaven. He snickered at his thoughts.

He leaned forward as she slowly made her way on stage, not wanting to miss a second of her. All through her performance, Jacob had a hard-on, imagining what he could do to her in some of those positions she had easily maneuvered.

He had to find somewhere to jerk off soon, or he would be blue-balled because he was not planning on f*cking Katrina again. It was only when she had walked off stage, the lights came back on, and the crowd cheered her on, that Jacob snapped out of his trance.

Jacob didn't know who she was or why it was his first time seeing her there, even though he had been to the strip club plenty of times. He knew one thing though. He wanted a taste of what she had to offer and he was willing to do anything to get it.

"Hey man, you look lost. Did you not enjoy the special treat?" Tony asked him, grinning. He knew he did. Jacob cleared his throat.

"I enjoyed it. I did too much. Who is she?" Jacob asked, not able to hold back any longer.

"That's Scarlett. The best." Tony replied.

"The best, huh? How come I've never seen her before?" Jacob asked.

"That's because you always come in when she is not here."

"When is she here?" Jacob wanted to know, so he could come to visit her while she was working. He had an idea.

"She only works late at night. Wait, why do you want to know?" Tony asked, now aware that his friend might be interested in Scarlett. She was his best dancer, and so, she was off limits. Even if it was to his best friend.

"I want her to dance for me." Jacob said, matter-of-factly.

"No man, Scarlett is off limits. I can't let you mess with her head." Tony said, shaking his head.

"I won't. I just want one dance. I'll pay for the entire night." Jacob said.

It had started to sound as if he was pleading. Tony was less resistant when he heard that Jacob would pay for an entire night. He was well-off, but he thought that one could not have enough money. Birds of a feather flock together.

"She has to agree to this, and if she doesn't, I want you to leave her alone. Got it." Tony asked, no, demanded.

"Sure." Jacob said, nonchalantly. He wanted one night with Scarlett, but deep in the back of his mind, Jacob knew that one dance would never be enough.