Chapter 6

The second act turns out okay. Jane isn’t too pleased with her performance. She missed a few steps and couldn’t really get back into sync with the rest of the dancers. Her mind had been distracted by the odd visit in the change room. She felt nervous knowing she was being watched.

Afterward in the change room, Martha, the dance instructor, goes up to Jane and asks her what the hell was going on and why was she all over the place on stage. Jane cries openly, saying she just wanted to give up, that life is too hard and she probably shouldn’t even bother being a ballerina.

Martha puts her arm around her and tries to comfort her without making it look like she is favoring Jane.

“Sweetheart, the funder, Brad, clearly sees your talent. Maybe that’s what threw you off. Tomorrow’s another day, and the Universe has a funny way of turning things around. Never mind, and we’ll talk about it another time, okay?” Martha reassures her.

Jane sniffles and appreciates Martha’s patience with her.

One of the other dancers, Liz, comes up to Jane and invites her out to The Virgin Cocktail for drinks. At this point, Jane feels like she has nothing to lose.

“Yeah, sure, thanks for the invite,” replies Jane.

“Maybe we’ll find you some hunka-hunka of a guy,” says Liz, winking at Jane as if to tell her to lighten up about all the teasing.

“Wouldn’t that be a treat,” Jane replies and smiles.

All the dance troupe members head out to the bar, and order shooters all around. Jane can’t stomach them, so she goes for Piña Coladas instead. They taste so sweet and remind her of anywhere but the big city. God, what she would do to go somewhere tropical and get away from it all.

After about four cocktails, Jane feels the room spin and she looks around to see if there is anyone she can talk to. She’s bored of the dancers and their whole scene. She wants someone who will actually stimulate her.

At the end of the bar is a man nursing a beer and he seems to be staring at Jane. Jane feels a bit nervous and looks around in disbelief that someone would be gazing at her.

He is wearing a black suit, his silver tie loosened up, and his hair shaggy in that cool sort of way. He looks about 10 or 15 years older than the rest of the crowd, and Jane wonders why he’d be at a dive like this.

He continues staring at Jane and moves his head to show he’s watching her. Jane, assumes it must be someone else he’s wanting to catch eyes with. She looks around, but no one is behind her. She points to herself as if to say me? He nods, motioning for her to come over to him.

Jane, feeling aroused and curious with her normal guard down and loosened by the alcohol, teeters off her bar stool, pulling her dress down so it’s not sticking to her panties. She slowly makes her way over to him, walking unsteadily on her heels. Her knees are shaking with nervousness and excitement. She tries to find a flirty but graceful way of introducing herself like they do in the movies. She’s never done something like this before, but already loves how it feels to be someone else for a night, instead of the ‘good girl’ that everyone expects her to be.

He pats the stool next to him, indicating that she should sit down. She regards his body, imagining strong arms through his dark suit, his broad shoulders suggestive of a man in charge. He’s clearly a man who knows how to take care of things, a man who gets whatever he wants.

“Do you always tell people what to do?” Jane asked, surprised she’d come up with such a bold quip. Sitting down next to him, her skirt hikes up her thighs and close to her panties by mistake.

He reaches over, touches her thigh, and lightly rubs it. Jane is shocked and turned on all at the same time She wonders if she should slap him or let him take that hand further up to meet her trembling pussy.

He gently pulls her skirt down toward her knees, while his fingers graze over her skin and return back to his cold beer.

For a moment, she misses his warm hand on her fragile body. She wants to take that hand and have him rub her breasts through the white cotton shirt she is wearing, letting the nipples go hard and perk up so everyone will know she, too, is a wild woman who isn’t afraid of a man touching her in public. She wants to show those other girls that she’s not as much of a prude as they think she is.

“Do you always show off your panties in public?” he whispers in her ear.

His warm breath makes her close her eyes and pause for a moment. Oh my God, he feels so good next to me, Jane is thinking.

She opens her eyes and smiles demurely, as if she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. She wants to say only for you, but she knows that would be far too provocative, and she’s not sure if she wants to lead him on. The reality is that she wouldn’t even know what to do with him if he were to take her home.

He leans over and kisses her on the cheek, and she reacts with a nervous giggle.

“Do you like that?” he asks, knowing the answer, given the way she’s blushing.

He moves toward her and kisses her with his thick, warm, wet lips. Then he uses his tongue to moisten her thin, pink lips, moving her mouth open and holding her head back. She surrenders to him, and he shows her exactly what he wants, while making her feel secure. It is as if everyone else in the room disappears, and only the two of them remain.

Overhearing Valerie’s laugh in the background, Jane stops kissing him immediately, terrified that Valerie is watching her. She looks up and around the bar, and thankfully, finds Valerie in the middle of a crowd of guys, faking a strip tease. She is too busy to notice what Jane is doing.

Jane pushes herself up off the bar stool and looks away from Brad in embarrassment.

“I gotta go,” she says, walking away as fast as possible, grabbing her purse from the other stool.

“But…” Brad starts.

He doesn’t get a chance to introduce himself or get her number.

“Damn it,” he mutters. “Another beer, please, bartender.”