026: Involvement

Dexter

The room is completely dark and what little light is streaming into the room is coming from the lamp post outside. It’s bathing the entrance in an orange light, but that isn’t enough to fully see.

I look around for the kid and don’t see him, not right away. By now, he’s probably seen that I followed him, so he must be hiding. Before I utter a word, I look around in hopes of spotting him. I have no luck.

“Kid?” I ask as I look around.

No answer comes from him. I add, “I saw you come in here. Are you seriously going to act like you’re not here?”

Still, no answer.

“Fine. We’ll just stay here the whole night. I have time.”

He’ll definitely hesitate after this. Nobody wants to be caught sneaking in anywhere. As for me, I could always say that I found the door open. I fold my arms and lean against the doorframe. Although I’m curious to look around, I know better than to turn on the lights.

Finally, I hear a sigh. “I just came in for some snacks.”

“So, you are here?”

“Could you close the door? I’ll turn on the lights.”

I do as he bids and then the light above is turned on. It flickers before bathing the room in light, allowing me to see the boxes stacked one on top of the other. This seems to be some kind of storeroom.

“What are you doing here?” I ask before recalling what he said to me. “Snack?”

“Yeah, they have food in here,” he says before making close to a single box near a stack of others and opening it. I see bags and bags of chips inside it. He takes one and then closes the box again.

“So, you’re stealing?”

He shrugs. “All this food is just lying around.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

The boy sighs and lowers his head. I have to say he looks younger than I initially thought. At first, he looked around nine, but now? He can’t be older than seven.

“This isn’t an interrogation,” I assure him. “But I want to know why you’re doing this. Is it because you’re hungry?”

I look around the room. This is a perfect opportunity for me to take a look around. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find the drugs that Red talked about. I start looking around, opening a few boxes here and there. I’m very much aware of how long we’ve been in here. I can’t afford to be caught here. I see nothing but food in these boxes. What are they for? Why would Ambrose need to keep so much food here?

The boy still doesn’t answer me. “Hey, let’s get out of here, okay? I don’t want you to get in trouble. Get your snack and let’s go.”

He trudges past me and I ask him to lock the door, which he does, still using his pins. It’s very impressive, but I can’t help but wonder where on earth he learned such a trick at such a young age. What kind of people is he around? With a mother as a stripper, I suppose he’s around just about the worst type imaginable.

“You really shouldn’t do that,” I scold him. “It’s dangerous. If you’re caught, you can get in serious trouble.”

He walks toward the metal staircase. I can’t help but feel sorry for him. Poor kid. Resorting to stealing because he’s hungry? What kind of mother would leave their kid out here anyway?

“You sit there and don’t move,” I tell him. “Wait for your mother and don’t get yourself into trouble, do you understand me?”

He nods and I make my way inside the club. For some reason, I can’t get the kid out of my head. The problem is how much he reminds me of my younger self. I was like him once upon a time ago, before my mother’s death.

I tell the guard to tell Ambrose that I want to see Red. He skitters away and I make my way to the bar. I order a drink and take the opportunity to look around. I see Red on the stage. She’s wearing an all-red ensemble and many men are cheering her on. She seems to be having fun. She likes what she does.

Someone pats my shoulder. It’s Ambrose himself. “Back again?”

“Yeah,” I answer.

“I see you’ve taken a keen interest in Red,” he states.

I nod. “She’s a special girl.”

“That she is, no doubt about it,” he says. “You’re one of the many men who like her style of dancing. She’s fairly new but she’s already turning many heads.”

I don’t see the point of this conversation so I don’t say anything. I get my drink and then sip it while staring at Ambrose.

“She’ll be down in a moment,” he tells me before walking away.

The guy I gave the message to collects the payment and then it’s all a matter of waiting. I can’t take my eyes off Red as she dances. I’ve never seen someone move so sensually. Watching her stirs feelings in me that shouldn’t exist. I convince myself that the only reason why I feel remotely attracted to her is because of how bad things are in my own relationship. If things between Ellen and me were normal, I would never have looked at her twice.

It’s the reason why Mr. King sent me here even though this is a strip club. He knows how moral I am. He trusts me to do the right thing.

However, that’s not been happening lately.

After her dance, I watch her be informed by Ambrose that I’m waiting for her. Her eyes search the room for me, and when they finally land on me, they widen and she appears stunned before relaxing her features. I frown. What’s that about?

It’s like she’s shocked to see me. Like she doesn’t want to see me.

I ignore this feeling and go to our usual room. There, I wait for her to arrive. She takes a little longer than I thought she would, but when she returns, she’s wearing this tight red dress.

“My apologies, Mr. Russell,” she says as she walks past me. “I had to get ready.”

“You know you don’t have to,” I tell her.

“But I want to,” is her response.

We’re facing each other now. She’s wearing a dark red lipstick and suits her face very well, and it matches the color of the dress. She flashes me a smile and asks, “Is there a particular reason why you’re here?”

“Any news for me?”

“No,” she claims. “Not really. Well, he was on the phone with someone named Hans earlier. They were talking about some kind of shipment.”

“A shipment?” I ask.

“Yes. It’ll be arriving tomorrow at around noon. At the docks.”

I stare at her for a long time before asking, “And, you’re sure of this?”

“One hundred perfect. That’s what I heard.”

“But not what kind of shipment it is?”

“No,” she says.

A shipment. I’ll have to do something about that. If I can find something on that man, I’m sorted. They’ll immediately file for a warrant and we’ll be able to search this property.

“Is that good enough?” she asks.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“I’m glad to not have disappointed you, then,” she says in a low voice. She eyes me in this way that makes my groin stir. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. She’s not even touching me; she’s just looking. And yet, I’m already affected by it.

What does this woman do to me?

“Anything else?” she asks. “Maybe I can dance for you.”

“That won’t be necessary,” I say, standing up.

She immediately steps in front of me. “Why is that?”

“Our relationship is a professional one. Nothing more, nothing less.”

But even as I tell her this, my eyes are on her lips and without meaning to, I imagine them wrapped around my cock, her lipstick leaving stains everywhere her lips touch. It’s a dirty, filthy scene, and it has its effects on me. I’m not thinking straight. I shouldn’t be having these kinds of feelings for this woman.

“What I’m doing is professional,” she retorts, though she sounds a tab bit provocative. “This is my job, Mr. Russell. My job is to make people feel…good.”

Fuck. My pants are feeling a little too tight now. My eyes are on her lips. They’re so plump and fucking beautiful. Then, they’re on her eyes. Her eyes are magnificent and they remind me of something. I’m not sure what, but looking into them makes me feel like…

I lose my train of thought when she touches my chest. Her hands are cold; I can feel it through my shirt.

“Why don’t you sit down?” she asks. “We still have a few minutes.”

I should leave. I should go home. This is trouble, and I know it because I can feel it in my bones. If I don’t turn back now, it’ll be impossible to predict what happens.

But against all better judgment, I sit down.

And her show begins.