Page 10 of Dance for Me

The men who Michelle pointed at were attractive sure, if pretty boy was someone’s thing. They weren’t anything to make her womanly parts come alive and shout, take me, anytime soon. Apparently, she found her new type to have a snake tattoo, eyebrow piercing, and a killer smile.

“I need to find a job, not a distraction,” she said to Michelle.

“You won’t find one at nine-thirty at night,” she paused, “A job I mean.” Michelle flagged down the waiter and he approached her with a smile. “Excuse me, but can you tell the bartender to buy those men over there their next round on me.” She smiled flirtatiously, “Thanks.”

Didn’t take more than ten minutes before the two men walked over.

“Ladies,” the blonde man said as his eyes stayed on Michelle. He wore a polo shirt and khakis. His friend next to him was already glaring at Vanessa when she looked up to see him. He was also wearing a navy polo shirt and a blush colored pair of pants. “Would you like to join us at the bar?” Vanessa thought it was cute that they kind of matched together.

Michelle was already getting up from her seat. “Of course, we would love to.” She smiled and the blonde man led her over to the bar.

Then there were two, his friend introduced himself to her. “I’m Fred.” Vanessa couldn’t help but shutter at his name. Not that Fred wasn’t a good name, it was fine. It just did absolutely nothing to help her attraction to him, or lack thereof. At least having a spicy name could have possibly made up for the fact that he wasn’t the bread to her butter.

“I’m Vanessa.”

“Care to join them?” He gave her an attractive smile.

“Sure.”

With absolutely no excitement, Vanessa got up and took his arm, which he had extended for her.

She noticed he wasn’t very tall, but he was at least lean and in good shape. Maybe she would just accept it and use him as a distraction, which definitely made her sound like a total sleaze. But she didn’t doubt for one second that he had only one thing on his mind, too. When did she start becoming so judgmental? Right, it started this morning.

She found herself daydreaming for almost every conversation that this man had to offer. The night was dragging on forever and she should have just stayed home to do more job searching. Or just had gone to bed. Today just needed to be over, so she could pretend like it never happened.

Fred must have said something, but she stopped listening to him like thirty minutes ago. She was pretty sure she knew his whole life’s history down to his first pet’s name. Barky, how generic.

“I mean, don’t you agree?” Fred asked her.

Vanessa was staring at her wine glass because she honestly had no idea what he just asked her. “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

After he repeated himself for the second time, Vanessa decided to dodge his topic on politics. Politics, what an uninteresting conversation piece. He might as well have worked in the weather. Today’s forecast… a bit dumb, with a slight chance of boring.

“I’m sorry, but will you excuse me?” He looked at her like his puppy just ran away.

“Oh, sure. Did you want another drink?”

She shot him an apologetic smile and told him she needed to leave. Gave him an excuse that she needed to go home and feed her cat. Wasn’t a total lie, she did have a cat but she didn’t need to feed her.

After telling Fred her goodbyes, she got up and walked over to Michelle, “I think I’m going to take off.”

“What… really? What about Fred?” She playfully smirked. She must have read Vanessa’s body language though and realized she wasn’t remotely interested. “Got it. Need me to go with you?”

“No, it’s fine. Stay, you look like you’re having fun.”

“Alright girl, text me when you get home.”

“I will.”

* * *

She opened the door to her apartment and set her bills on her kitchen counter. It must have hit her all at once.

Wrapping herself into a cocoon with her throw, she stared at her floor. She felt defeated and now more than ever, scared.

She wrapped the blanket more tightly to her. The burning tears started to turn her vision blurry. She didn’t cry, she was tough. But tonight, she was a crier. So, without trying to hold them back anymore, she let them fall. Every now and then she would sweep the fallen dampness that ran down her cheek.

Her thoughts went to Jack. Could she do it? Would being a stripper save her from being evicted and pay the bills that were piling up? The bills that were eventually going to need their own living space if they continued.

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