If I Had A Heart

Chapter 6

He came in to see her everyday for the rest of the week after that.

Regine would move through the motions during her shift, only to be approached by another dancer or Vinnie, who would then proceed to throw a hefty bundle of money in her face and off she'd prance over to the Pink Room where he was always waiting for her.

They never spoke.

Not one word was uttered between the two of them, but their short time together in that room was evoking something inside of Regine that she never thought she'd feel, especially with a customer. She felt strange thinking of him that way – as a customer – but she also wanted to slap herself when she would begin to think of him as something more.

Because he wasn't. Not really.

Beyond explanation and way passed logical thought, her entire being was consumed with his, something she'd never experienced with any of her regulars before. His touch made her weak in the knees and his gaze was strong and commanding, no matter how much she liked to believe that she was the one in control. As the music faded away, so would her hypnotic trance and she would leave the room without looking back once, for fear of saying something idiotic probably. If he didn't feel the need to say anything, then neither did she. What was happening between them was so strange, yet so natural at the same time, and Regine didn't want to complicate things. Either that or she was just too scared.

He would completely disappear from sight after she left him, never sticking around on the main floor or grabbing a drink at the bar, and she was convinced that was for the best. She didn't know why, but the thought of David watching her dance and interact with other customers unnerved her. He would undoubtedly be staring at her the entire time and she would need to fight the urge to run away like she had the first night he was at the club.

It wasn't like she even needed to keep working after their dance, anyways. He was paying her enough per night for her to completely blow off her other regulars and just go home, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was trying to do exactly that; give her more money than she needed so that he was the only one she needed to dance for. While that thought sounded more idealistic in her mind, she couldn't just leave in the middle of her shift. Vinnie would have an aneurysm if she even tried to do something like that, especially since she was gaining more and more regulars as time went on. It wasn't only about her and she knew that, making her wonder if David would soon grow frustrated that she was visiting with so many other men besides just him.

Then she'd remind herself that he wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what she was from the moment they met eyes from across the club a few days ago; this wasn't some dreamy romance novel where the prince falls in love with the lowly bar wench. All this was simply a transaction between two consenting adults and that was that.

This was the inner dialogue Regine had with herself every night as she walked home after her shift. The intoxication of his presence completely worn off at this point, she would push all thoughts of attraction and intrigue from her mind and try to focus on other things. Tonight, her body was almost buzzing with excitement as she made her way home.

Tomorrow was Saturday, which meant that Regine finally had the night off! While work had been heating up lately due to a certain someone, the thought of going out for a night of fun with Jane seemed like a desperately needed breath of fresh air. A night on the boardwalk would hopefully clear her mind and give her a chance to spend some of the money she'd been stacking over the past week. She deserved it.

Quickening her pace, Regine shivered as she walked along the streets of Santa Carla. Most of the bars and restaurants she passed along the way were alive with commotion, with Friday night bringing out locals and tourists alike for a bit of drunken fun. No other bar was busier than St. Mary's, of course, and Regine debated heading over there herself for a drink, feeling as energetic as she did.