by Small,DJ
Ava turned to leave when the woman shouted, “Does she know what you do for a living?”
That stopped Ava in her tracks. She knew she should have kept going and not let the woman’s question get to her, but it was too late. The fact that some stranger had the audacity to question her about her life pissed her off. Ava turned and stalked back over to the woman. When she came to a stop in front of her there was less than an inch of space between them. Ava glowered at the woman and said through clenched teeth, “You don’t know shit about me, and what you saw today is none of your concern. Do you understand?”
A sexy, irritating smirk appeared on the woman’s face. “I see Sunshine has a dark side.”
Ava jabbed her finger into the woman’s shoulder and spat, “Fuck you.”
“I would love to Sunshine, but I think this establishment has a no touching policy,” the woman quipped, the smirk on her face melting into a wide grin.
Ava wanted to slap the infuriating smile off her face, but at the same time she wanted to grab the woman by the front of her shirt and kiss her stupid. Ava couldn’t understand why she was unable to control her libido whenever she was around this woman. She hardly knew her. Ava heard the backstage door open, then Rachel called out, “Sunshine, you’re up next.”
Ava held the mysterious woman’s gaze for another second, then she turned around and walked over to the door. She and Rachel walked over to the area behind the stage, and as Ava took off her robe, Rachel asked, “Should I have Frank take care of that for you, Ava?”
Ava thought about it as she hung her robe on one of the hooks that was on the wall. She did enjoy the idea of seeing the woman get tossed out on her ass, but she wasn’t going to let that happen. The woman was more of a nuisance than an actual threat. She shook her head. “No, don’t worry about it. She hasn’t threatened me or anything, just been a pain in the ass so far.” Faintly, Ava could hear the DJ making his closing announcement for the woman that was on stage before her. She turned to look at Rachel. “Wish me luck?”
Rachel ruffled her hair a bit then smirked. “You don’t need luck.” She turned Ava around then pushed her towards the stairs of the stage. “Go get ‘em, girl.”
Ava chuckled as she walked to her spot in the wings and waited for the DJ to announce her. “If this next dancer doesn’t brighten up your day, then you are in the wrong place. Let’s give it up for Sunshine!”
The sultry voice of the female vocalist came through the speakers and Ava made her way onto the stage and down the runway to the pole that was in the middle of it. The tempo of the song changed, and when the heavy bass line began to thump through the speakers Ava felt a chill go up her spine. This was one of her favorite songs to dance to. The hip-hop beats mixed with the vocalist’s sultry voice made her feel like she owned the stage.
Ava twirled around on the pole and when she came to a stop she glanced at the end of the runway. Again, sitting front and center, was the persistent woman, and there was a smirk on playing on her lips. Ava decided to ignore her, and continued on with her routine. Even though she did her best to disregard the woman, knowing that she was watching her every move proved to be a problem for Ava.
Halfway through her routine, Ava walked down the runway, her hips swaying from side to side, and she came to a stop directly in front of the woman. Ava tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked down. She waited as the woman took her time looking up her body. When powerful, brown eyes met hers, Ava dropped down to her knees and she gripped the edge of the stage before leaning forward. There was a breath of space between her lips and those of the woman and Ava let her face linger there for a few seconds before she leaned back.
Ava got off the floor of the stage and finished her routine, except this time she kept her focus on the woman and allowed her lust to drive her movements. There was something about this woman that caused Ava’s body to ignite in ways that she had never felt before. Not with previous lovers or girlfriends. Not even her wife was able to provoke the primal desire that she felt whenever she was around this mysterious woman.
As the second song of Ava’s first set came to an end, she collected the money off the stage then walked down to the end of the runway. She sat down on the edge of it and looked at the dark-haired woman whose eyes surveyed every inch of Ava’s body. They weren’t appraising her in a perverted way like the other customers did. No, this woman seemed to be caressing Ava with her eyes, and the mere thought sent a delightful shiver up her spine. When their eyes met the woman smiled knowingly, and Ava hopped off the stage and held out her hand. “I think I owe you a dance.”
The woman took hold of her hand and stood up. “I think you do.”
Ava rolled her eyes then guided the woman over to the couches where the lap dances were performed. She pushed the woman onto the couch then straddled her thighs as she stood over her. Ava leaned forward and rested her forearms on the woman’s shoulders. She whispered against her ear, “What is your fascination with me?” She leaned back, and her hands inched down the front of woman’s tight black t-shirt. They slid over her breast and Ava let her hands linger there for a moment. The woman bit her lip as she watched them. Realizing that she was torturing the woman Ava chewed on the inside of her bottom lip to prevent a smug smile from appearing on her face. She stood up straight then turned around.
Ava dropped down into the woman’s lap then held onto her thighs as she rotated her hips. She wasn’t certain if the move had the same effect on a woman as it would a man, but when she glanced over her shoulder, Ava saw the woman visibly swallow. She smirked to herself before leaning back to rest against her. Ava tilted her head up so that she could look at the woman and as her hand caressed the woman’s neck she said, “You didn’t answer my question.”
The woman was quiet for a moment, then she licked her bottom lip. “You’re beautiful.”
Ava pushed off of her then stood up to face the other woman. She placed her knees on the sofa so that she was hovering over the other woman’s lap. Ava wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck then lowered her head. “Just because I’m beautiful it doesn’t give you the right to borderline stalk me,” Ava murmured. She pushed her chest forward and invaded the space in front of the woman’s face with her breasts. She wasn’t pressing them into it, but they were close enough. “You’ve been to the club before?”
The dark haired woman nodded. Ava leaned back as she held onto the back of the woman’s neck then she brought herself up. “How long have you been coming?”
The woman shrugged then looked into Ava’s eyes. “Years, but I had to go away and recently came back.”
That made her even more intriguing to Ava. She couldn’t deny that the woman was mysterious and sexy, but there was another part of her, a part that had dangerous edge, which only added to Ava’s curiosity. She didn’t even think about the reaction her body had towards her, because if she did, the private dance would become something else. As Ava’s hands caressed down the woman’s neck and across her collarbone she wondered aloud, “Why did you have to go away?”
The woman tilted her head back and flashed that annoying smirk at her. “That’s information you got to earn, Sunshine.” Ava scowled, but it was fleeting. Her curiosity about the woman was outweighing her rational thought, and that prevented her from getting irritated at the response.
The song that Ava had been dancing to was coming to an end and she knew that she was going to have to conclude her dance for the woman. She got off her lap and asked, “Will you be leaving now?”
The dark haired woman grinned at her. “I was going to step out for a smoke and hang out for a bit. But if you want me to come back to watch you, then I can do that.”
There were faint alarms going off in the back of Ava’s mind as she stared into the woman’s playful eyes. They were telling her to leave and to let the woman make the choice on her own, to just go backstage and stay there for the rest of the night, then leave. But those intense eyes were drawing her in, and before Ava had time to
think through her response she said, “Please?”
The woman gave a slight nod, then she reached inside her jacket. “I’ll be here.” She pulled out a small stack of bills, and Ava watched her peel four fifty-dollar bills from it. She held out the money. “I think the kind of attention I just received deserves payment, yeah?”
A brief smile came to Ava’s face as she took the money. “Yeah. Thanks.” The two of them looked at each other for another second, then Ava turned to leave.
She had only walked a few steps before she heard, “Hey Sunshine,” she looked back at the woman, who had a grin on her face. “Thanks for the dance.” Ava returned the smile with a wide grin of her own. She had to admit the woman was charming when she wasn’t being irritating. She got off the couch and moved closer to Ava. The woman spoke again. “I think you’ve also earned this.” Ava’s eyebrow went up, perplexed by what she had earned. The other woman held out her hand and said, “The name is Kacey.”
“Kacey…” Ava repeated as she took hold of her hand and shook it. She liked the way the name fell off her tongue. She smirked. “It’s nice to have a name for you.”
Kacey chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. “It keeps things interesting.”
Ava chuckled then turned to make her way backstage. If the woman wanted to keep things interesting, then she was going to keep things interesting. The faint alarms that had been going off in Ava’s head were starting to chime louder, telling her that she shouldn’t be doing this, but she chose to ignore them. It was innocent flirting.
When she stepped through the door of the backstage area a flurry of red hair came rushing towards her and Rachel wrapped her up in a tight hug. Ava grunted and tried to get the woman off of her but it wasn’t happening. After a few eager squeezes, Rachel let go of her and squealed. “I am so proud of you! You just gave your first private dance!”
Rachel squealed again and Ava cringed a little. The woman’s excitement about her giving Kacey a lap dance was way over the top. Before Ava was able to explain that what she had done with Kacey was an exception, Rachel went off on a tangent. “When Lydia said that you were giving a private dance I thought she was lying, but sure as shit, you were grinding on a customer. Not just any customer, might I add, but the attractive brunette.”
The two of them made their way over to Ava’s spot at the vanity as Rachel continued to go on about her dance, and how Ava was only going to get hot chicks from here on out. Ava laughed. “Rach, I appreciate your enthusiasm and all, but this was a one time thing. Trust me.” She sat back in her chair. “I figured if I gave her a private dance then she would leave me alone.” She couldn’t resist that the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. She didn’t want Kacey to leave her alone. She wanted to know more about the woman.
Rachel handed her a bottle of water, grinning. “Well, you better hope she doesn’t want another one.” Ava opened the water as her mind began to wander. The thought of being able to touch and dance on Kacey while she had to keep her hands to herself made the smile on her face grow wider. The scenario made for a great power play fantasy in her head. Rachel was quick to notice the smile and exclaimed, “Ava, do you have a crush on your stalker?”
Ava rolled her eyes. She didn’t have a crush on Kacey. At best, it was mild infatuation. She took a drink from her water bottle then laughed. “She’s not a stalker. She’s just someone who has bad people skills.” Ava gave Rachel a pointed look. “And no, I do not have a crush on her.” She turned to look at her reflection in the mirror, and as she thought about Kacey again, a faint smile played across her lips.
“She’s actually a very sweet person and it was unexpected considering how annoying she can be.” Ava continued to think about Kacey and this new side of her that she had seen. Kacey did seem like a nice person, when she wasn’t being irritating and talking in circles. Ava glanced at Rachel in the mirror and the woman was grinning from ear to ear. She sighed. “What, Rach?”
Rachel continued to grin coyly. “You have a crush on your stalker.”
Ava rolled her eyes again. She did not have a crush on Kacey. Rachel was reading too much into the situation. Glancing down at the four fifties lying on the counter of the vanity, she smiled helplessly, while purposefully ignoring the alarms that continued to go off in her head.
∞
The rest of the night was a whirlwind for Ava. She didn’t perform any more private dances, but with Kacey sitting in her usual spot at the end of the runway, it seemed like every dance Ava performed was a private one, even though the club was packed with customers. After her last set, Ava went backstage and changed into her sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt before washing her face to get the makeup off it. She said goodnight to the other girls that were still there then headed out.
As Ava walked out of the club, Frank asked, “Need me to walk you to your car?”
She turned around, and as she walked backwards, Ava declined his offer. “No thanks, Frank. You can still see me, so if I need any help, I’ll scream.”He chuckled and Ava turned around to head to her car; but as she did, she walked into someone. She was about to apologize, but then she noticed whom she had run into and Ava smirked. “Sorry about that. I’m not usually so clumsy.”
Kacey grinned at her and remarked, “I’m certain you’re not.” The grin faltered a little. “You need to let Frank walk you to your car. It’s not safe out here.”
Ava covered her chest with her hand and gasped theatrically. “Aw, you care about me.” She let out a small laugh, and the other woman rolled her eyes. “I’m a big girl Kacey. I think I can walk a few feet by myself.” Ava continued to walk to her car, and Kacey followed her. She laughed to herself then looked over her shoulder. “I’ve been walking this path for the last few months and haven’t had any issues. The only problem I’ve had to deal with is you.”
“Oh, so I’m a problem now?” Kacey teased as they reached Ava’s car. Ava turned to look at her, and she saw a small smirk on her face.
Ava smiled and folded her arms over her chest then she leaned against the car. “It sounds better than stalker.”
Kacey chuckled and glanced down at the ground. She kicked it with the toe of her boot. “Yeah, that does sound better.” Kacey looked into Ava’s eyes and she returned the woman’s gaze. Ava studied her brown eyes, and she could tell that there was something going on inside of Kacey’s head, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. A few seconds went by then Kacey broke their silence. “Does she know?”
Ava’s eyes never wavered from the ones that were looking at her, and she tried figured out how she was going to answer the question. She knew who Kacey was talking about, but she wasn’t going to tell her anything about her personal life, so Ava decided to play dumb. “Does who know what?”
Skepticism flickered across Kacey’s face, then she shook her head and let out a small chuckle. She looked at Ava, her mouth turned up into a smug smile. “Your roommate.”
Ava’s eyebrows knitted together, and she tilted her head in confusion, then she realized what Kacey was doing. She knew that Robin wasn’t Ava’s roommate, but because she hadn’t answered the question, Kacey was going to call her that. She didn’t believe her fake ignorance, and Ava was aware of that, but she didn’t care. Her personal life was none of this woman’s concern. She pushed off the car and remarked, “You know she’s not my roommate.”
Kacey reached into the front left pocket of her jeans and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Ava watched as she placed one of the white, filtered sticks into her mouth. The feeling of wanting to be the cigarette came over her again and she quickly shook her head to rid herself of it. She needed to get a grip on her libido. Ava opened the driver’s side door and as she tossed her gym bag into the passenger seat she said, “Can you not smoke around me please?”
Kacey swiftly flipped the cover down on her lighter and extinguished the flame that had been burning from it. She pulled the unlit cigarette away from her lips and as she put it back into its pa
ck she asked, “Happy?”
Ava closed her car door and gave her a gracious smile. “Yes, thank you. You shouldn’t smoke, you know. It isn’t good for you.”
Kacey pulled a pack of gum from her other pocket and got out a stick. She offered the pack to Ava, and she took it. “I know it isn’t, but I need something to keep me sane.” Kacey unwrapped the piece of gum then put it into her mouth. As she chewed her on it, Ava handed her back the pack. The two of them stood there in silence as they chewed their gum, and after a minute had gone by Kacey said, “I wasn’t talking about the smoking, just so you know. I was asking if you were happy with your roommate.”
Ava turned away from Kacey and leaned back against her car, staring at the vacant building that was across the street from the club. She wasn’t going to answer that question. Kacey didn’t need to know if she was happy with Robin or not, nor did she need to know anything about her and who she was to Ava. However, Ava was certain that Kacey was able to discern that Robin was something other than her roommate. Regardless, she turned her head and looked at the woman that was facing her. “I’m not answering that.”
Kacey slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans then rested against Ava’s car. “Good answer, Sunshine.” She glanced over at Ava, and the expression on her face was neutral. “I actually don’t care about the answer. It’s obvious that she isn’t someone you fully love or trust.”
Ava’s eyes widened and her lips parted as she turned her head to stare at the woman in astonishment. No one had ever been so blunt and tactless towards her and it pissed her off. Ava stood up straight and narrowed her eyes as her lips pursed together. “What the fuck gives you the right to say that? You have no idea what the hell you are talking about.”