It had been some few minutes since Alfredo told them their guests were already seated and waiting.
The stature of the men got seen but as silhouetted against the curtains. Eleanor tried to separate her kinky hair strands.
With her skater skirt that matched her blouse, she took in a deep breath.
Eleanor was a short, brown-skinned woman with an endowed stature. She was curvy, her eyes were blissfully brown, and her dazzling smile was always what people saw when they first met her.
The curtains raised as Lolly attempted to overshadow her by standing in front of her, shoving her behind her, and flinging her hands around, forcing Eleanor to go back into the shadows.
That would've been inconvenient if the crowd had been paying attention.
Lolly started moving her waist to the beat of the music, and as the music became louder and faster, the body did as well.
On every stage she stood on, the chick understood what she was doing when it came to dancing. She danced like a bull seeing red, and she was typically serious about what she was doing.
Eleanor kept an eye on Lolly as she went about her business, not because Eleanor was afraid of being injured by Lolly's strong arms but because she didn't want to be wounded by them.
She had trodden on Eleanor's foot the last time they danced together, and her left foot had never been the same since then.
The only light in the room was a red lamp in the center, making it difficult to see the men, especially with their heads lowered and reading from the same sheets.
Eleanor assumed it wasn't her because she was covered and hidden behind her dance companion when one man lifted his eyes to look at them.
"And what are you doing hiding behind her?" One of the men asked a question that drew all eyes to her and caused her to fidget with her feet.
Lolly felt compelled to stroll towards them at that moment, so she rose her feet, tiptoed over to them, and removed her top, leaving only her undies.
Eleanor was taken aback by this. Lolly only removed her clothing when she was dealing with high-profile clientele. They were eager to pay more, and they gave out money lavishly, the more exposed she was.
They both were unable to see who they were, but they were able to get a glimpse of their appearances.
Six males were seated in front of them. Eleanor noticed something odd about them that she couldn't put her finger on, but she knew they weren't the type to let you go just because you stepped on their toes.
She didn't know why, but her heart was nonetheless flattened. Although she could hardly make out their faces, she yearned to be there- to impart and display to them her ability in its greatest form.
Although she didn't understand it, the tickling of her nerve endings made her very conscious of her surroundings.
They were all dressed in black, with matching loafers. Only one of them had dressed in jeans. Two were dressed in t-shirts, one in a long-sleeved shirt, and the others in shirts and suit coats. They also wore watches that matched each other.
Eleanor mumbled to herself, 'Fancy,' and then let go of the breath she had been holding for a few seconds.
'Okay, I was intimidated, but it wasn't because of Lolly; it was because the men seated in front of me are the most attractive men I've ever seen,' she acknowledged, immediately engrossed in her world, oblivious to the fact that one had just shouted at her.
The males were annoyed as she stood there and succumbed. They didn't like to see them, but they knew their brother had paid a lot of money to have the dancers come and perform.
'Why didn't we see more of these types of men? I'm sure I would've been married by now,' she said as she stood still. She still had those dreamy eyes, and turning on the lights would have been the most humiliating experience she could have had.
Lolly was leaving with her hands around one of them before she realized it. That wasn't part of the arrangement, so she was perplexed for a moment before recalling Alfredo's statement that whatever they did with them was not his problem.
At the very least, she assumed Lolly was dating Alfredo and would treat him with deference- respecting him enough to not sleep with any of the people that came to the club.
That left only her, so she took a long breath and awkwardly threw her head back, raised her hands over her head, and moved her hips.
Again, she had curvier ones, so sue her.
Eleanor, in contrast to Lolly, was gifted and blessed in all the right places. Lolly, on the other hand, got her blessing too because she was overconfident and had a lovely long hair. Despite having different physical shapes, both of the women were stunning.
Eleanor continued to bend down- slowly raising her head as her hair flowed back, then turning to show them her side while slowly descending with both hands on each thigh.
She moved seductively and became immersed in the dance, a smile forming across her lips. It was a sight to watch.
One, at least, appeared to be enjoying her dance as she noticed him looking and bobbing his head to the beat. She, on the other hand, was blind to his discomfort.
***
She smiled and walked out after collecting her part share from Alfredo and exchanging a 'see you later' with him.
She felt followed as she walked down the quiet street, whistling along with the music she was listening to on her phone.
She wasn't afraid because it had occurred before. After all, she was an expert at retaliation. She routinely walked home from work and then back to work, so she was familiar with the neighborhood. It was a short distance from her house.
So the young woman kept walking, and as she got closer to the trees, the street lights went out, making it hard for her to see who was following her.
The street was quiet, and no one else was strolling down it. All that got heard were the crickets chirping and the calm breeze.
She heard a harsh snarl in an instant and her face suddenly turned ashen, she stopped walking for a short second before continuing her walk, she felt her chest racing and she wiped the cold sweats that formed above her lips and under her nose.
It sounded closer, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from, so she moved her legs quickly.
The roar got heard again, but she chose to ignore it this time and moved even faster than she had been.
She was startled when she saw an animal as large as a dog appear in front of her and slowly approaching her while it roared.
Because the area was dark, she could only see its shadow, but she knew it was a large dog.
'This has to be a prank,' She thought. 'Where did this creature come from?' While her gaze had riveted on the creature, the notion ran through her thoughts.
Eleanor pondered as she walked backward slowly and deliberately, oblivious that she got followed.
She prepared to run as the muscles in her legs tensed and her knees locked. If she didn't make a right turn, she might tumble and her stalker might get a hold of her.
That might be the least of her worries, for she knew the stalker would flee as the enormous dog pursued them both unless he became too drunk to think. She imagined it was a man following her as well.
She was grabbed hard and unable to get out of his reach before she could think of turning properly and fleeing for her life.
The man following her had caught up with her, and it appeared like the enormous dog was not going to eat them both.
Her cheeks were caressed- by a silky handkerchief before it was wrapped about her nose, forcefully smelling its contents.
The scene went black, as did all of the sounds.