12 The Dancing Temptress

Miracles happen all the time, but Red, a man of logic, believed it could happen to anyone but not to himself. He prolly had more chances getting struck by lightning compared being confronted by some kind of miracle.

Unbeknownst to him a strange coincidence which even the deities couldn't have predicted was in store for him and his fate was sealed the moment he stepped into the bar.

Frowning at his impromptu decision to sneak in for a drink, he plowed his way across the sweaty bodies gyrating across the dance floor while J Lo's On The Floor blast through the gigantic speakers.

A kaleidoscope of colors burst through an enormous ball rotating from the ceiling, and he inched his red cap lower to cover his face before anyone could recognize him. 

Craving for a shot of cold whiskey to quench his thirst, he quickened his pace until he was finally able to make it out of the suffocating heat.

"Hi hottie, want to have some fun?" A girl with purple hair  and tight scanty miniskirt blocked his path.

"No thanks." He responded, giving her a sharp look that make his employees cower to a corner. "Go home and study, kid." 

The girl instantly turned crimson red and she stepped out of the way, magically disappearing through the throng of bar-hoppers.

Finally he reached the bar after almost taking an eternity and occupied one of the bar stools.

"Whiskey please." He ordered.

"I'm screwed." A voice mumbled. He looked to where it came from and noticed the woman in red halter top seated next to him.

"Not as screwed as I am." He grumbled under his breath, emptying the contents of his glass in one audacious gulp.

"I'll probably get disowned by my father first thing in the morning." She went on mumbling as though her world was about to end.

"That doesn't sound as bad as chasing and being rejected by the same woman over and over again for the past twelve years." He retorted, absentmindedly staring at his empty glass, wondering if there's hope waiting for him tomorrow.

"What am I going to do now?" She asked, heaving a frustrated sigh while scratching her head.

Red wondered if she was trying to gain sympathy on purpose. He wasn't in the mood to entertain anyone and he was about to bluntly tell her that but stopped after finding out she wasn't even talking to him.

Color spread on his cheeks but whatever shame he felt died down the instant he realized there's not even a reason to feel that way.

She was not even aware he was there. Her mind was busy wandering elsewhere to even notice his presence.

The woman snapped out of her trance and spoke bitterly. "Cheers to my doomed life," she  raised her glass in the air and finished her drink in one go. 

Red found himself swallowing hard as his gaze swept her appearance. She wasn't conventionally beautiful but she was a stunner.

Exactly his type of woman.

Strangely beautiful in an ethereal way, she looked as though an AI painted her whole face. He bet even without makeup on she would look good.

The woman had this inner charm that just drew him to her in an inexplicable way. Strange as it may seem but he felt like it wasn't the first time they had met.

Hell, what was he doing admiring a woman other than his fiancée? Ashamed of himself, he pulled a stop on his wayward emotions and looked away.

He only had his eyes on Phoebe. From the moment he asked for her hand and Melinda agreed, his attention should only belong to his future wife whether she liked him or not.

He won't allow himself to get tempted by  a beauty just because she resembled Phoebe a bit.

Red was on his fourth glass when the woman straightened on her seat and asked the bartender. "Martini please."

There was something oddly familiar by the way she spoke but he immediately dismissed the idea before his thoughts wander elsewhere.

The moment the bartender placed the glass, he witnessed at the corner of her eyes how she finished it in one go. A short moment later, she asked for another and just like the first, the Martini magically disappeared within a minute

He gradually grew concerned at how she downed those glasses as though they were nothing.

Raising a hand, he signaled the bartender and he immediately nodded in agreement like he understood. "We ran out of Martini Ma'am." The bartender lied when she asked for it.

"Is that so?" She sighed, "Can I have a glass of water then. I'm very thirsty." 

With a differential nod, the bartender obliged and handed her water. Lowering the empty glass, the woman looked at Red. "You look like a good man. You didn't try to hit on me like countless other men did."

"Looks can be deceiving." He replied without even looking at her. "Don't get the impression people are good just because they look like it or you'll put your life at risk." He added, giving her a piece of his mind.

"I just feel down and I want to talk to a sensible man to express my frustrations." She complained like a child.

"Then talk and go home already."

The woman lapsed into silence and just when he thought she'd never speak again, she began, "I really had a rough night."

"You aren't the only one." He snorted, unable to hide his sarcasm.

"I couldn't sleep a wink because I was traumatized. And I thought a drink will help loosen me up but it seems I'm  wrong." She took a deep breath and continued, "My friend almost died tonight and I have to rush her to the hospital. Thank god she was saved and so the baby in her womb." He could feel each word she said oozing with sincerity.

"I'm sorry." Red whispered. "I thought you're just some spoiled brat who whines over everything." He admitted, feeling ashamed he suspected her of making up a story.

"I do whine sometimes over reasonable stuff but that doesn't mean I'm some spoiled brat."

A smile went across his lips before he could stop himself. "You remind me of someone."

"Should I be pleased or alarmed by that?" she raised an inquiring brow.

"Pleased I guess." He answered, emptying his glass, deciding he had enough drinks tonight and it's about time he got home.

Red rose from his seat, paid for his drinks and handed the bartender a five hundred dollar tip.

"It's nice talking to you Miss, but I gotta go. Don't stay too long. It could be dangerous for a woman like you." He reminded her.

The woman gently grab him by the arm before he could make so much as a step. "Where are you going?" She whispered.

"Leaving." He plainly responded, frowning as he looked at her dainty fingers.

"C-could y-you t-take me with you."

"No Miss," He declined straight away. "My house is not a shelter." And my fiancee is definitely not gonna like it when she hears I let some woman in my house. Red thought to himself.

Finally she released her grip on his arm and got to her feet. "I'm sorry for saying that. Have a goodnight Sir."

They briefly had eye contact before she strutted to the dance floor and men's lecherous eyes followed her movement.

Those eyes looked damn familiar with their enigmatic hazel green orbs. He watched her walk away, wondering where he'd seen those before.

The woman climbed into the center stage and as if on cue Lady Marmalade began blasting through the speaker. She began swaying her hips in a slow, seductive rhythm, making breath hitch on his throat.

He wasn't the only one watching her though, every man in the bar had his eyes on her. 

Red suddenly had the urge to pull her off the stage for some inexplicable reason.

Whistles and cheers filled the room but the woman barely noticed them. She was absorbed in her own world, swaying her arms and slithering her hips with her eyes half-closed while she held on a pole.

The spotlight finally landed on her face and Red almost died from a heart attack when he realized the woman dancing like a siren with men groveling at her feet was Phoebe herself.

He didn't realize it soon because she wasn't wearing her goddam glass and without those gigantic, weird, old-fashioned glasses she looked way different.

Red couldn't contain the surge of emotions blowing up inside him all at once. He plowed his way into the frenzied crowd and climbed onto the stage. Without so much a word he grabbed her fingers. "Let's go home." He hissed, trying to contain his anger as he resisted the urge to hurl her body on his shoulders like a sack.

Slowly opening her eyes, Phoebe tilted her chin and gave him a sweet smile. "So you changed your mind, lover boy."

She wrapped her arms around his neck when he lifted her slender body and carried her to the door in bridal style while the crowd went clapping and cheering like crazy after mistaking them as lovers.

Shivers run up his spine when Phoebe laid soft, wet kisses on his neck.

"Your condo or mine?" She purred like a wildcat in his ears.