Stripped

Missing Persons 1 and 2

“Shit! Are you alright?!” I caught her arms just before she fell back with her chair.

She looked shocked and I couldn’t hear what she was saying when she opened her mouth so I took her to the nearest open room. Her friends were wasted enough that they even cheered when I closed the door.

“Miss?” I started shaking her but she just stared at me. She opened her mouth again but the muffled music and voices behind the door were all I could hear. “Miss?” I held her to me with one hand and lightly tapped her cheek with another. I was going to move her to the bed when she blinked. She looked deep in my eyes and tried to say something again, but then she looked away and carefully removed her arm around my neck and straightened up.

“Are you okay, Miss?” I couldn’t let go of her elbows as she still looked wobbly.

“Uhm… Maine. It’s Maine. Yeah, I’m alright. Just a minor whiplash. Sorry about that. But uh... thank you... for saving me.”

She continued stepping backwards away from me while nervously trying to straighten her dress and hair. I watched her every step, ready to catch her in case she fell over again.

“I think you should sit--” her legs hit the foot of the bed. “--down.” She sat still looking dazed, while holding her nape. I was about to step toward her when she raised her hand to stop me.

“Please… just… just stay there.” She said, her other hand still on her nape. She managed to stand and sit on the chair in the corner of the room instead. She closed her eyes for a second and I thought maybe she was dizzy. I decided to sit on the bed where she was. At least it’s closer to her. It was only then that I got a really good look at her face. No doubt about it, she has got to have one of the most gorgeous faces I have ever seen up close in my life. I watched her relax, her eyes still closed, and all I could think of was how much I wanted to see her smile.

“You obviously find this amusing.” I didn’t notice when she opened her eyes because I was staring at her luscious lips.

I stupidly nodded and smiled to conceal my embarrassment at being caught.

“Well, I’m glad,” she said. She sat up straight and continued. “Look, I’m assuming my friends already paid you?”

They didn’t.

But I nodded again, my smile probably wider and I hoped to God she didn’t see any signs of what I was thinking. But damn, she’s beautiful, especially with that pursed lips that revealed her cleft chin and dimple. She’s killing me twice over, on top of her big, piercing eyes.

“Well are you just going to nod all night?” She crossed her arms.

No. But I can watch you talk or just sit there all night.

And then it hit me. As the night’s stripper, maybe that’s what she was waiting for. I smirked and stood up from the foot of the bed.

Stripping it is.

Without taking my eyes off her, I quickly untucked and unbuttoned my shirt, fully revealing my chest and abs. On the second to the last button, panic rose in her eyes.

“Wait wait wait! What are you doing?!” She abruptly stood and asked in horror, like I was about to murder someone.

“Uhhh… stripping? That’s what I intend to do all night. I can dance without music.” I casually replied.

“Oh... no… that won’t be necessary. No, please. No stripping. You don’t have to do anything. You’re uhm… you’re free to go.” She said while waving her hands at me.