Page 33 of Dance for Me

Vanessa nervously looked from him to the other two men, which went on for a few seconds before answering. “V-Vanessa Sanders… I work here.”

He finally stopped, not leaving too much room between them and if she backed up anymore, she was going to hit the back wall.

“Please, I don’t mean to make you nervous Miss Sanders. I was just simply looking for Jack.” He looked her up and down like he was going to chew her up and spit her out. He had a thirsty, unkind presence behind his eyes.

“He’s not here.”

He nodded, never taking his stare off her. “You said you work here, are you one of Jack’s dancers? Forgive me, but I don’t remember seeing you here before.” Clearly, he didn’t own social media.

“No. I’m not. I uh… design the girl’s outfits,” she swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry but who are you exactly?” Vanessa’s mouth felt suddenly dry.

The two men never moved and this guy didn’t glance in any other direction but hers. She regretted not taking that pepper spray her mother wanted her to take before moving. Maybe the only good idea her mother ever had. But honestly, three against one. Men, for that matter, pepper spray wasn’t going to help her.

He reached up and took a piece of her hair into his grubby fingers. She closed the distance with the wall in an instant. Palms pressed flat against it. The man smelled of cigars and overly priced cologne. Should she make a run for it? Call the police? But how would she ever make it around them? She wouldn’t be able to.

“I would greatly appreciate it if you removed your hand off of me.”

He grinned his perfectly white teeth at her. “You’re very lovely and your skin looks to be very… soft.” He leaned in and took a finger, running it down her cheek. She clamped her eyes closed, avoiding his eyes.

“Stop, please leave now!” Her breathing was heavy and her heart rate was most definitely above the normal limit.

He sneered and finally took a step back. “Tell Jack that his business partner stopped by,” he tugged the front of his suit jacket and turned. Leaving first, then following was the other two men. She watched until they were all the way outside before she pressed off the wall and ran to the door. She slammed it closed and locked it, all within thirty seconds.

Her hands were violently shaking, so it took her three attempts before she was able to click on Jack’s number in her contacts. She didn’t know the guy’s names because he didn’t tell her. Clearly, they knew Jack and Jack knew them. Business partner? She didn’t know that Jack had a business partner. A disgusting business partner if he had been.

She shivered at the memory of his fingers running down her cheek.

“Vanessa?” Jack said answering on the second ring. I guess the surprise in his voice was understandable, considering she never called him.

“J-Jack…” she paused so she could try and breathe. “Jack… men, here… there were three of them and they…” He cut her off. Thank goodness because trying to form a sensible sentence wasn’t working.

“Vanessa, breathe,” his voice sounding stern. “Now, are you okay… where are you?”

Vanessa took a deep breath in and then exhaled. Collecting her words. “I’m at the club.”

“Stay there. I’m on my way.” He ended the call and showed up no more than ten minutes later.

Vanessa sat at the bar while her hands nervously gripped into her hair. The same hair that creepy man had his fingers on. Jack flew inside, causing Vanessa to jump out of her skin. She must have still been shaken up from what happened.

She stood up as Jack approached her. She wanted to sink into him. Throw her arms around him. Breathe him in. But she didn’t and he didn’t attempt the comforting gesture, either. He did, however, place both his hands on her shoulders.

“Vanessa, what happened?” His eyes were scary and he looked like he was trying to contain his anger.

“Three men came here, the one said he was looking for you.” She felt his gentle grip tighten on her shoulders. His chest heaving up and down like the night after he gave her ex a not so friendly choke hold.

“Did they touch you?” His eyes were frantic and dark. She didn’t want those eyes. She wanted the ones that she knew so well. The ones that made her secretly long for him. Made her skin ignite. Made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Like she could be good enough for anything but instead, she saw secrets, ghosts. Something was haunting him.

“No,” she softly answered.

His grip then loosened and he lowered his arms to his side. “I mean, the one got a little too touchy feely and it made me uncomfortable a little but…”

Jack ran his hands through his hair and let out a murderous yell. Then, he took a glass and tossed it like a baseball at the wall. It shattered into tiny pieces onto the floor, causing her to jump.

“Jack!” She cried out to him.

But his broad back remained turned to her. She took him all in. He was like this giant wall, a barricade. How can a man this strong, be so angry and scared?

“Fuck,” he mumbled but it was loud enough for Vanessa to hear.

---