The lady wore her witch black hair in full fringe and, for some reason, a torturous scene from the past flashed in my head, making me tense up with the intense emotion that came with the memory.
For the life of me, I found myself unable to take my eyes off the girl and spaced out.
I swallowed hard when Jacob said, “They are really eye-catchers aren’t they?”
Then I heard myself say, “Can I get a private dance with the one in the middle facing us?” My voice sounded a bit different and I wondered if Jacob caught the intensity.
“You have to be a gentleman and ask her yourself. We asked them to stay for the party, so go and mingle, Evan,” he teased, and walked away to attend to some other guests.
The sound of my heart pounding was quite loud in my ears, even though I knew the probability of the woman I knew turning out to be a stripper or dancer was nil. But then I was never given the chance to even ponder on the probability of what she did to me and yet she had, blowing my heart sky high. I didn’t know when I got up. I was consumed by the sight of her.
“Hey,” I said, standing behind the two other girls, towering over the three with my eyes on the one facing me. I watched as her eyes widened in obvious shock under the mask. I let out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry I missed your dance, and would very much like a private one with you… if you don’t mind,” I said, looking at her intently, steeling myself from dropping my gaze to those lush lips I know so well. She shook her head without speaking and I added, “If it’s about payment, trust me, I can afford it.”
“I’m sorry, sir, she doesn’t give private dances,” the lady in front of her to my right said in a cultured tone that sounded British. I darted her a glance, flashed my most charming smile, and reverted my gaze at my tormentor.
“Thank you, but, I would love her to say that to me herself,” I said and saw her full chest heaving. ‘Come on, baby, speak to me,’ I thought in desperation. I knew it was her. It has to be. I would know those striking hazel eyes, that heart-shaped face, curves, and even her scent anywhere. My heart floundered and constricted.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and I let out a shaky breath. I had to press my teeth together to keep from shuddering noticeably.
When she turned away, I said, “Would a million dollars do? Or Two? Name it… Name your price. I can transfer the money into your account at this very minute. All I need is a few minutes alone with you,” I said, and heard her friends gasp. I knew if not for the loud music and voices, we would be drawing everyone's attention by now. But I didn’t give a damn!
I took out my wallet and started counting 100 dollar bills deftly, while my eyes stayed glued on her until she walked back, holding my gaze via her mask, and came to stand in front of me.
“Stop…” she said in that soft sultry voice that had tormented my dreams for years, and for about a minute I couldn’t speak. I could only look into her eyes as if I was under hypnosis. Then she snatched my wallet and the wads of cash from me, arranged the money back inside, and gave it back to me.
“This way… sir,” she said, leaving the large room to walk down a side hallway. I hurried after her, trying not to stare at her shapely back and the way she tended to move as if she was on a runway, in a graceful catlike prowl with her hips swaying.
I swallowed, following her inside a deserted private room with one of those pod chairs and a cream leather chaise sofa with a sidebar and an automatic music selecting device.
“What song would you like, sir?” she said, laying emphasis on the last word. If I hadn't been so nervous I would have found our situation quite amusing, but there was nothing amusing about this particular role-playing.
“You pick, you are the one to dance to it,” I jeered, and in my bid to act nonchalant, I went to pour myself some brandy, but then my hands shook and I poured some of the drink on the rug as a result.
A mellowed rhythm and blues filled the room, and I watched as she moved seductively to the beat. Echoes of her laughter filled my ears, blocking the sweet sound, all I could hear were voices—hers and mine-–hauntingly filling my head, tearing me inside out.
“I may be wrong, but seductresses are supposed to be way closer than you are right now,” I said, drinking more of the brandy. I was aware I was drunk now, losing all inhibition. But at this point, I could care less if I was acting like a fool. I was utterly convinced it was her.
I went to take a seat on the chaise sofa, watching her dance and trying very hard to ignore how my body was automatically responding to her. When she danced close to me, swaying her body delicately with her eyes holding mine. I lowered my gaze to her left kneecap and saw a thin pale scar on her skin, and remembered when I had startled her one time when she was emerging from the outdoor sauna naked and she had fallen and scraped her knee. I reached for her waist, pulling her closer to me so she could straddle me.
“Please do not touch—” she said softly in panic, with her full chest heaving, and I held still in order not to scare her and slowly brushed my thumb on the scar.
“Remember when you got this? I was terrified you were going to hit your head. I wanted to hold you in my arms and keep you safe for all time,” I said, and chuckled, sounding quite bitter, and my laughter hollow. She went very still. “So, are you going to take the damn mask off, baby? Or should we still continue this charade? Estera?” I said, slowly brushing my lips against hers. My body shook from restraint. She bolted out of my arms and ran out of the door.
It took me a second before I could collect myself and follow her. That slight touch of my lips against hers was quite disarming.
If I was looking for confirmation, I have it now. I ran outside the door and saw her disappearing down the passageway to the right, not the left, which led to the club room. I followed her, shaking my head to focus.
“Estera!” I called loudly, barreling after her to the end, then saw a fire escape door at the end of another hallway to my right and ran towards it. By the time I busted out through the door, she was already running down the long flight of stairs. “Estera, wait! Baby, I only want to talk!” I yelled down the endless flight of stairs, and my voice echoed in the confined space. She ignored me and kept her pace of descent.
‘So be it!’ I thought, running after her all the way down the building and busting out to a quiet alley at the back of the building. I was breathing hard and my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest, but she was no longer in sight. I raised my hands to my head and stood like that for about a minute just staring down the deserted road.
“Christ, s - she left…” I said under my breath in utter shock. My heart tightened so hard that I let out a pain-filled groan. And out of desperation, and the anguish ripping me apart, I screamed her name again, sounding quite lost. I couldn’t believe I saw her again, held her in my arms–albeit briefly– and she left. “Oh, God, my chest,” I said, lowering to the asphalt floor, breathing hard. The pain was excruciating.
“Evan—” I heard her voice again, and I shot up, turning around, then saw her come out of a shrouded corner a few feet away. She took hesitant steps towards me, then stopped. “Are you okay? What's wrong with your chest, baby?” she asked with great concern and my shoulders heaved as a result of my laboured breathing.
“Estie—you are still here…” I said in a low, deep voice ridden with feelings. “Yes…” she said in almost a whisper. “Small world, huh?” I said, letting out a pitiful chuckle. “Evan…” she said and looked as if she wanted to say more, then stopped. “Were you really going to run off without as much as a word to me, baby?” “I don’t know. You scared me!” she replied in an emotional tone. “Please… please tell me you went ahead and went to med school.” “I'm in my intern year!” “Then why the hell, Estera, are you in that getup, acting like a fucking stripper? What is that about? Do you need money?” “No, I don't need money. I’m doing this for a friend.” “How much?” “No, Evan. No. Just leave it be—” she said, still standing so far from me. I felt like I was in some bizarre dream and the need to touch her to assure myself it was real and she was actually there overtook me. “Come to me, Estera,” I said in an intense, commanding tone. “I shouldn’t… Evan—” “Don’t make me beg,” I said p
After the first round of our sexual indulgence, I bundled her off of the bed with her squealing with surprised delight to have a shower with her. I later left her in the bathroom to change the bedsheets, then returned to her to have her again in the shower stall. I was like an insatiable Stallone and I could only blame it on the alcohol, and the adrenaline caused by the chase and the escape from reality.With the few drinks that I had—okay, more than a few drinks—coupled with the emotional roller coaster and the pleasure of release with the only woman that I have ever wanted so desperately, it wasn’t a surprise that I slept off after getting her back in bed. Wrapping my arms around her firmly like I was afraid she was indeed a dream, nothing but a cruel play of my faculties. The sound of my phone ringing jolted me out of sleep, and I saw we had repositioned ourselves. She was now having her back to me, pressed snugly to my front in a perfect fit. Even with the blaring sound of the in
“Doctor Roberts?” the familiar voice of one of the nurses made me halt my strides. I had just finished assisting one of the attending physicians in major surgery and I was pretty satisfied it had gone well with no hiccups.“Yes?” I responded, turning around to face the dark-skinned skin, average-height young woman. She was about my age and I could say part of our clique. Most of the interns in Memorial Hospital often band together for one activity or the other to the point that we even have a popular bar a few blocks from here that we go to unwind at least once a week for a drink and a good time. Meredith was one of the few nurses that had somewhat drifted into the gang. She smiled at me and offered me a file.“Dr. Yen had a family emergency but was supposed to perform an Appendectomy this evening, she called and asked that you cover for her.”I took the patient’s file and flipped through it deftly. “Harrison Michaels…” I read the patient’s name aloud, “Is he here?”“Yes, Doctor.”“Ok
The surgery didn’t take me more than an hour, and we were on our way out of the hospital's main entrance by seven-thirty in the evening.“What’s the plan?” I asked as we walked past the parking lot heading away from Madison Avenue to Riverside Boulevard walking towards E 99th St.“We go home to change, and join the girls at Sapphire nightclub,” Ashley said, “They want us to watch them perform, before giving us a few pointers. And tomorrow we go shopping!”“It’s a good thing tomorrow is Saturday, I am beat!” I said, sounding like I felt -- tired.“Thank you, Estie for doing this,” Ashley said and I waved her off.“We need something fun for a change anyway,” Ameera said.“Are you saying our lives are boring, Doctor Ameera?” I said in theatrical shock. She giggled and rolled her eyes.“Our lives are a boring routine, Doctor Roberts, we are in dire need of an adventure,” she said with a sigh.About ten minutes later we were already at our apartment building. We chatted animatedly as we he
“It is nice to officially meet you all,” Anna said, the Hispanic beauty placed her hands on her ample hips and openly assessed us.“Wait till I tell my mum, we have doctors working at the strip club now,” Tamika said, taking us all in. Ashley quickly made a sound to negate the claim.“Just like I said, my friends are involved because they want to help me and it’s only going to be a one-time thing,” Ashley explained in a rush, letting out an awkward laugh.“That’s all they all say,” Tamika replied, throwing Ashley a skeptical glance.“Ignore Tamika, she is messing with you,” Anna said and cut her eyes at her friend. She responded with a raised eyebrow. Ameera shared a look with me. “I already told my boss about you and he has something huge coming up you might be interested in, but he would like to see what you can do before he can hire you three for the gig.”“And since we are to train you, and serve as agents, we get a 20% cut, aside from Bobby’s 30% of course,” Tamika interjected.“
We all watched as the girls left the stage and another lone figure came out. She wore a black leather bodysuit with a matching mask, holding a horsewhip. I smiled. She reminded me of Catwoman. The mask covered almost all of her face and I wondered if, like us, she was someone who wanted to be incognito or just one of her acts. I watched with interest as she moved about, sinuously, slowly snapping the whip with expertise. Then she began to pull down her front zipper exposing her full chest, narrow waist, and wide hips. When she stepped out of the bodysuit she was completely naked. The boys went wild, but not once did she disturb her mask. It was riveting and I watched till the very end. Anna and Tamika came back up to get us and took us to a private room for practice. And like the private box, it looked like a place where a wealthy client would enjoy a striptease all alone. “Do you think they allow the girls to go further than just showing off their goods?” Ashley asked evidently we
The girls and I spent the better part of the following day shopping, but when it came to what to wear for the upcoming gig, I chose a black leather bodysuit with a matching knee-length boot and mask. The others waited to see me in it before rushing to pick theirs. The three of us adorned similar attire and stood in front of the boutique mirror, admiring ourselves then we exchanged satisfied grins, turned to the shop attendant, and chorused, “We will take these.”We later joined Anna and Tamika at a Pole dancing dance and fitness center somewhere along West 27th Street and spent a few hours having a crash course on strength-building exercises before braving choreographed moves. We were also taught aerial hoops with Anna and Tamika showing us the step-by-step moves. And at every chance I got, I sketched the detailed moves in steps, and thus when it was my time to show what I had learned for the day. I let out a deep breath and let my memory guard my every move. When the instructor gave
Ever since I walked through the doors of Memorial Hospital, I had done everything I could to prove I was going to be a formidable contender in the surgical world, and of course the next best Surgeon in the entire country -- if not the world. I had taken every chance I could to assist top surgeons in major surgeries, ensuring they knew I was dependable and would have their back in any difficult cases or the very worst of scenarios. And that–-I trust–-had made Cole, who was the head of my department, assign me solo cases that someone at my level shouldn’t be handling. And thus it was quite worrying when I ducked each time a nurse called out to me or even approached me. By 3 p.m. Tuesday, I wasn’t overly surprised to see Cole glowering down at me at the cafeteria. “A word, Doctor Roberts?” he said as soon as I bravely raised my eyes to meet him. I nodded in resignation and he took the seat opposite mine. “Hey,” I said with forced bravado. “What’s going on?” he asked, arching his thi