The Red Lounge

Chapter 49

"On second thought, I think I do need a shot."

Chanel gave me a wink and proceeded on filling up a pink shot glass. "Drink up!"

I threw my head back and emptied the glass. I nearly gagged from the burning sensation that coated my throat, but I composed myself.

"I'm so excited!" Chanel shrieked. "Should we do our playful routine?"

Back when I used to work at the lounge, Chanel would come in early and teach me some tricks. At some point, we were both acting playful and made up a sexy little dance routine. We loved it so much that we opened up with that dance before we practiced since it was a good way to pump ourselves up. We never shared our dance with the crowd, but it was going to be a nice treat for them tonight.

"Yes!" I said, grabbing her hand and walking out to the lounge. We made our way up to DJ Louie who had a big, white smile plastered to his face.

"Is it really Ms. Beauty?" He asked. That was his nickname for me since I reminded him of Belle. He said that I had the brains to go to school, but the balls to mess with beasts.

"It is," I said, giving him a quick hug.

"What brings you here?"

"Just had to drop some heels off for Chanel, but decided to stay for the fun."

"That's what I like to hear! Is there a specific song you'd like me to play?"

"S&M."

Chanel cupped my shoulders and peeked her head over. "Babe, please give her an introduction too."

An introduction? At first I didnt like the idea, but then I realized it was the perfect way to lure Elijah out. I could be dancing all night and wouldn't do any good if he wasn't out in the crowd. He had to know that I knew about his whereabouts despite his efforts to ignore me.

As the beginning of the song played, Chanel and I strutted onto the stage with a flirty smile on our faces and took our places on our pole. I had to take a deep mental breath, I was incredibly nervous. I hadn't dance in weeks and I was afraid of what havoc I could wreak.

"Is this a trick or is this a treat? The gorgeous Chanel accompanied by the beauty herself, Carissa!" DJ Louie introduced us.

We blew him a kiss which he pretended to catch. "Yes, be jealous," he laughed. A few men in the crowd chuckled. DJ Louie really knew how to interact with his audience.

Chanel and I danced around the pole as we maintained eye contact. Our eyes parted and we focused on the glistening, silver poles. We traveled up the pole, wrapping our arms and legs around it like a missed lover and slowly danced down them. We swayed our hips side to side as we performed our little dance that seemed to capture the attention of men.

Through the beams of lights, I searched the audience to see if Elijah had come out but he wasn't in sight.

Our bodies were pressed together, we danced rhythmically, never missing a beat to the vibrating song. Chanel ran her slender hands down the side of my body, creating a tingling sensation to surge through my body.

I turned around to face her and from the corner of my eye, I saw someone appearing from the hallway that lead to the private rooms. I peeked over her shoulder, only to find Elijah staring at me with an intense gaze. He didnt seem happy in the slightest.

My eyebrow perked up and a mischievous smile crept up on my face. He appeared at the perfect time. The song was approaching the snippet that would be the most familiar to him.

I lowered myself, feeling Chanel's figure as I mouthed, "Oh, you turn me on," directly towards Elijah's direction. He walked closer to the stage and I could see how tightly he was clenching his jaw.

I tore away our gaze by molding my back into Chanel's front as she felt my breasts. I tossed my head back in pure bliss and parted my lips as she continued to explore my deprived body.

A handful of cash flew our direction and that's when I knew that I was doing my job of making Elijah jealous. This had to be the reason Elijah wanted me to stop stripping. He couldnt bear the idea of other men wanting me, and I was stupid enough to oblige. Not anymore. If another man wanted to give me the attention he refused to give me without an explanation then so be it. Elijah and I were through.

Towards the end of the song, Chanel and I locked lips for the second time in our lives. Her glossy, pink lips lingered on mine until I pulled away. The song had finished and the dance high was washing away. A wave of guilt started to fill me and I quickly ran off the stage, avoiding the cash and the eye contact.

"Morena," I heard Elijah plead.

I turned around for a brief second. "Don't talk to me ever again."

I ran back to the dressing room and could hear Elijah starting a commotion. From the voices and the grunts, it was obvious that Elijah wanted to come back here but Ronny was not having it.

I took that opportunity to grab my backpack and slip on my shoes. I ran out the back entrance and headed towards Xavier's frat house. I would look back as I ran, thinking that Elijah was right behind me. I wouldn't know how to act if he stopped me in private.

The frat house was audible from a block away. As I approached it, I saw Pia and Xavier stabbing beer cans in the front lawn and sipping out of it. I felt relieved seeing them. It was going to be harder to for Elijah to get my attention when I had my two best friends on my side.

"Guys!" I panted.

"There you are!" Pia cheered. "Drink with us."

I bent over and placed my hand on my hip, trying to catch my breath. "Give me a minute, I might actually puke out the shot I had." I could feel the burning liquid rise up and I tried fighting it off by shaking my head.

Xavier left and then reappeared with a cold bottle of water. "Drink."

"Thanks," I muttered.

"You had a shot? Where?" Pia asked.

"Its such a long story," I sighed.

"We have all night!" Pia chirped as she danced around under the stars with no care for the world.

Xavier started chuckling and shook his head. "Its the brownies. Do you want some?" He said, pulling out a treat out of his pocket.

"Like pot brownies?" I asked, hovering my hand over it.

"Yeah," he mused, wiggling his eyebrows. "Take a quarter. They're heavily dosed."

I looked at Pia who was just swaying around with a goofy grin on her face. I wanted to feel that. I wanted to feel free from all the negative feelings that had engulfed me the past few days.

"A little shouldn't hurt, right?" I said, grabbing a pre cut piece and eating it.

"You look good, by the way. A jesterina couldn't look any better," Xavier complimented.

A flashed a smile and began swirling around with Pia in excitement.