Chapter Three: Erotic Dancer

I sat there contemplating what the physio was going on about, Jack pulling me from my thought process.

"Please tell me you didn't?" She looked at me with concern, my brow raising. "Didn't what, Jack?" I questioned, gulping down the rest of my gin, pushing the cup towards her. " Flirt with Big Red." I choked as soon as the words left her mouth, spitting mad. " You're fucking gross. We just had an interesting conversation."

I glanced over at the table with silver tongue and rolled my eyes. "I caught the eyes of the unwanted... Again." I put my head on my arms, groaning as my head began to pound. She chuckled and gently patted my shoulder, going to refill my cup. It takes me a while to get drunk; it's damn near impossible to; I was already on my fifteenth cup to try and take the edge off, and I got hit with the headache.

I wasn't feeling nice, I wasn't feeling free, I felt trapped and annoyed, and the pounding headache in my head felt like it was going to split into two.

" Just be careful, Big Red and the ones over at the table aren't my usual customers, but they tip me extremely well." She set my cup down in front of me and started at my face for a moment. " I should know," scoffing, I placed back over to the table and then back at her. "Silver tongue had a ball bouncing over two hundred thousand off my ass earlier tonight." I watched as Jack's face drained of color, and she shook her head.

" Anunde, you promised that you would stop dancing." She looked at me, even more, worried for my safety than I was. Grabbing my cup, I drunk all of the contents placing the cup down on the counter. " this place can't make me the money that I want. I'm trying to leave here." I scratched my head furiously for a moment before getting up. " it seems that dancing is the one thing I'm good at, apart from kicking ass." I winked, watching her roll her eyes.

I got up and stayed my hips from side to side for a moment, grinding like Cheshire from ear to ear.

"Go and have your fun, dear." She smiled, turning the music up a bit so that I could grove.

I tipped an imaginary hat at her and turned around, dancing away from her. Where ever I went, their eyes followed, and where ever I disappeared, they'd go looking.

"Ya sure know how to move, lassie." I felt the breath on my ear and stopped, turning around to see the bar brawler. " well, look at you, Big-Red." I shoved him back, glaring. " I will take happily best your ass again." He scoffed, watching me move again. " Erotic dancer, are ya?" He sat in an empty seat not too far from me, popping another cigarette in between his lips.

I stopped and faced him, crossing my arms over my chest. " what is it to you?" I tilted my head and stepped closer, watching him tense. "What did I tell ya earlier?" He lit his cigarette, blowing smoke in my face. " Yer worth protecting, and I always protect what's mine." His eyes lowered momentarily, mesmerized by the circular motion of my hips. He blinked, stunned, and looked up at me before relaxing again, chuckling.

"I'm not yours, or anyone's for that matter." I completely stopped all movement and stood there glaring at him; my fingers curled into fists at my sides. He got up from the seat and walked towards me, leaning down to tower over my form. " Either I have ya... " he grinned his famous grin. "Or they will. What they have in store for you is nothin' good."

He openly looked over at the group that's been watching me the entire night they stepped foot in.

"I've seen one of them already. He and someone else came in Ballin at the club I work at." He immediately tensed up as I said this, staring down at me as if he was reading my soul. "He also stopped me in the parking lot on my way here; he even had the nerve to grab me."

"Stay away from 'em. Yer life depends on it." He snapped suddenly, his face red from rage. The muscles in his arms bulged, and the veins in his neck popped out and pulsed wildly as he glared over at the table.

"Why?"

"Because I said so." He grunted, glaring at me. "Ya stand out like a thorn." He earned back against the table, closing his eyes for the moment, tuning me out. I just walked to the back door and stepped outside, inhaling deeply.

*like many others, he thinks he owns me.*

I fished into my pocket for my split, searching around for my lighter. "Need a light?" I heard a chuckle as he rounded the corner, seeing his wild red hair hit the light first, holding his lighter in hand.

*he may be an asshole, but he's certainly a good-looking one.*

"Are you going to keep following me?" I frowned deeply, leaning against the aide of the building.

He just winked, throwing the lighter at me. I caught it with ease, opening it and lighting my split. I was utterly lost in thought as I took a deep inhale, watching him through my high.

"Something in me is saying that you or that group of freaks at the table aren't normal," I said, suddenly watching him freeze. He started down at me with an unreadable expression on his far before fighting a smile. " Ya aren't either; anyone ever told ya that, lass?" He stared me down with an intensity in his eyes that made the back of my neck warm. His question caught me off guard just like silver tongue had; he was way too familiar, and it troubled me.

"No need to clobber me again, but if I see it, they do as well. They're onto ya, waiting to see who yer got to first." He stepped closer, boldly caging me against the brick with his body.

"What are yer feeling in this very moment, lassie?" He smiled as I pressed myself closer to the wall, the heat from my neck rising to my cheeks. I felt threatened, caged, scared almost, but that was because I didn't know what he would do to me. I placed both of my hands on his chest, pushing at him, surprised when he didn't budge. " Right now, I feel threatened. You're way too close for comfort." I shocked at him again, feeling his abdominal muscles shift and flex under my fingers. He dared to take another step closer, which put him chest to chest with me.

That heat on my neck and cheeks spread further, and I found that I had trouble breathing. "T'is not all Ya feel, is it, Lassie?" His voice came out husky and rough, and he reached down to grab the split between my lips, lifting it and taking a pull of his own.

He suddenly grabbed my chin and lifted it, placing his lips on mine, shotgun with me. He pulled away with a crazy grin, leaning his shoulder against the brick.

"... You're an asshole" I grunted, punching him in the mouth. He grunted, stepping away from the wall holding his sit lip, his eyes darting to me. " shiet, women!" He shouted, watching the blood splatter against his hand. I just took that as my cue to walk back inside.

"I only want ya more now!" He shouted after me before the door shut in his face