Chapter 7: My Saving Knight

• Taleela's POV
• I feel accomplished. Seeing him looking helplessly dazed gives me a satisfaction I can not explain. I revel in the way he watches me move my body.
• Have you ever overdone things just because someone who catches your fancy is around and watching?
• Yes, that's how I am acting right now. I wouldn't strip this way for a regular.
• Note that he doesn't catch my fancy. He's attractive, I must admit, but he's not my type.
• And he's a regular, too. I just enjoy tormenting him.
• The music gets to the interlude, and immediately, I drop to the floor, stretching out like a python. I am straight, as straight as the pole I dance on, and slowly, I begin to lift my head, starting from my hair. Both of my hands travel up the bare skin of my midriff till I can not feel my back against the cold floor again.
• I sit on my behind and split expertly, aware that he is drawing in deep breaths and wondering where he met me from. When I stand to my feet, I shimmy towards where he is sitting, working both of my hands around my body.
• I throw my head back and fall back to the floor with ease at his feet. I twist my body and turn my back against him, working my waist. I know how good I am at this. I know that I get to him because I feel the brush of his knuckles against the skin of my back.
• So, I bend forward and move my waist, wrapping my jewelry-adorned arms around his neck and slipping my fingers into his hair. His eyes close immediately, and he relaxes back on the chair, taking in a deep sigh of pleasure. I smirk, liking the way he is helpless.
• So much for acting like an Alpha male a few minutes ago, back when we were downstairs.
• I am time conscious and also aware that he has emptied his wallet on me. I smile in accomplishment. Once the music stops playing, I stand to my feet.
• "It's all over. You can leave now." I say in a really distant voice. Like, I have no idea what just happened in the space of a few minutes.
• Kal is slightly taken aback by my tone of dismissal. Without thinking, he stands to his feet and begins to walk towards the door leading out of the private room.
• I am already sighing a breath of relief when he stops, his hands on the door handle. He turns to look at me before he speaks.
• "Can I at least buy you a drink or two?" He asks in a pleading tone.
• I shake my head, aware that I should be careful around this man. "No, I do not have such time."
• Kal's hand drops from the door handle. He walks back to where I am standing, close to the table.
• "Please? I know I shouldn't be asking for this, but consider the fact that I really want to talk to you because I think you are fucking attractive. Just a drink or two, and we'll call it a night."
• I close my eyes and sigh, contemplating on whether I should accept his offer or turn him down. When I open my eyes to look at him, he has this pleading look in his bluish-green eyes that I find really hard to resist.
• "Okay."
• There's a look of relief on his stance. His face loosens, and he smiles like an excited teenager. "Thank you so much."
• Weirded out by how frigging polite he is right now, I nearly roll my eyes. "You'll have to leave first, though. I'll meet you at the bar."
• "But…" He starts, but one look from me shuts him up, and he strides out of the room, leaving the scent of his woodsy perfume behind for me to inhale.
• Once he's gone, I immediately bend to pick up the cash he sprayed on me. I might take several minutes here, but I do not.
• He can leave if he's not patient enough. If he does, I'd be a tad bit disappointed, though.
• So, I quickly picked up the money and arranged the bills on the couch he just stood up from.
• Wow, it's over a thousand. Christ! This is too much for a few minutes of stripping. Even my best customer hasn't paid me up to this amount. Anastis, the manager, would definitely be impressed.
• I smile to myself and arrange the money before standing on my feet and going over to the other side of my room to get my tote bag where I store my clothing after stripping.
• My high stilettos are sprawled on the table, and I pick them up and dump them into my bag before stashing the thick wad of cash into a purse I brought along with me.
• I leave the room, not forgetting to lock it, and hand over the keys to Jason.
• "That dude seemed to have the time of his life back there," Jason says to me with a tone laced with amusement and admiration. "I would kill to be him, though."
• Then he begins to check me out for the umpteenth time tonight.
• I find it offensive that he stares at me in such a manner, but I say nothing to him. Just a nod and an awkward chuckle before I hurry off to the counter where Kal would be waiting for me.
• I wonder what he wants to talk about.
• "Hey, Honey!" A man calls out from where he's sat in a private bar. I flip him the bird, causing his friends to laugh amongst themselves.
• The man feels embarrassed by how I ignore him and I also notice that he is slightly drunk. He's on his feet and walking towards where I am standing and waiting for the crowd watching a lady dance to liquidate.
• Aware that he is coming to meet me, I slip in between a group of people and a guy amongst them turns to look at the intruder with a disgusted look. But, when he sees me, the disgust on his face dissipates immediately into one of admiration.
• "Hey, sexy." He drawls and I want to cringe to death. "You lost?"
• I shake my head. "No, I am not. Thanks for asking."
• Then I focus on trying to get to the counter. I can see Kal from where I am standing. It's so easy to spot him; mop of healthy dark hair, height and broad back.
• Just then, I feel a hand wrap around my waist and feel myself being pulled away from the crowd of people.
• Immediately, I turn, fully alert. I recognize the man.
• "What do you want, dude?" I ask rudely.
• "You know what I want." He leans over to whisper into my ear. His breath reeks of alcohol and I want to throw up. "And, I'll make sure you suffer for embarrassing me back there."
• I roll my eyes and pull away from his hold, making a mental note to scrub myself thoroughly when I get home. "Fuck off, dude. You're drunk and you have no idea what you're talking about."
• "What's going on here?" A voice says from behind me.
• The drunk man looks at the other guy behind me. "It's none of your business, man. You can go about your business and not interrupt our conversation."
• "But, she's with me."
• "Well, right now, she seems to be with me. You're excused."
• God.
• I make sure to move completely away from them. I am already developing a slight headache from just listening to them banter like kids.
• "I am with none of you!" I say it out loud and this causes people to focus their attention on me for a bit of time.
• I don't even notice the drunk man coming up from behind me. But I feel myself being pulled with so much force that I almost feel my shoulder blades move out of their position.
• Before I know what is happening, thin arms are wrapped around my waist and I can feel the heat alcohol breath at the back of my ear again. I am already feeling nauseated by the mere contact.
• "You're coming with me, woman."
• "Leave me the fuck alone!" I say to him at the top of my voice. The other guy turns away like he has no idea who I am. But, the word that leaves his mouth as he turns doesn't escape my ear.
• "Bloody slut."
• I can hear it ring in my ears over and over and over again. And slowly, my blood begins to simmer to a boil.
• Violently, I yank myself off the drunk man who already stumbled backwards and begin to advance towards the other guy.
• I pull his collar from behind him. He turns immediately. "What the hell did you just call me?"
• There is a sinister smile on his face as he repeats what he said. "I called you a bloody slut. What are you going to do about that?"
• "You should try calling her that again. I'll show you what I'm gonna do about that." Another familiar voice I already recognize from just a two-day meeting speaks up from behind the man.