Ethereal Darkness

Chapter 4

The club was even more packed tonight than it was last night. Buzz had quickly generated because of this new girl. Not even Hill expected her to have had such a huge impact on sales so quickly. But men do love their naked women. Or half naked women I should say.
Tom and Harrison walked in and went to their normal table in the back of the club overlooking the entire area. A brown haired man approached their table ready to take their drink orders.
"Whiskey neat." Tom said. His eyes were locked on the stage. Ready for the curtains to draw and reveal his latest prey. Harrison ordered the same. A few minutes later the waiter returned with their drinks.
"When does the show start tonight?" Harrison asked the waiter.
"Oh uh I believe in another five minutes or so." He replied back.
"What of that new performer? Is she set to be on stage tonight?" Tom turned towards the waiter as he asked. The man shifted uncomfortable from one foot to the other. Tom raised his eyebrow at him awaiting an answer.
"Stephanie is suppose to sing tonight yes, but it's only her second day so she's doing one set only." The man replied hastily.
"Stephanie... you know her?" Tom asked. He nodded.
"After her performance bring her by my table. Tell Hill that the owner of the club wants to speak to her about her... talents." He clicked his tongue at the word talents. The waiter nodded and walked away in a hurry. The curtain started to open and the show began. Half naked girls running around the stage, dancing, stripping, teasing the men. Tom saw as one of his girls, the girls from earlier took to the stage. He adjusted himself and watched her intently.
She was unattractively too thin, something about her body shape did nothing for him. But she was eager to please and he would never turn down such a little slut. Her boobs weren't slappable the way he preferred and her ass was too flat. She was average at best. He turned away uninterested. She might have noticed because after he turned she tripped up, and quickly ended her number. Just as she exited the stage the spot light turned out. Heel clicking echoed off the stage and the light turned back on.
Standing there, in a floor length silk dress, falling perfectly on her curves stood Stephanie. Her hair was curled up like Marilyn Monroe, red lips and silver gloves fell upon her hands. The music started and Tom leaned forward. She scanned the crowd and hardly landed on his eyes. She bounced her eyes to each man, something she must've been told to do as a way to entice them all to tip well. She began singing Yayo by Lana Del Rey. Her voice breathtaking. Tom noticed all of the men, including Harrison, were locked onto her. She knew she had their attention more than the girl before her.
Something about Stephanie was a classic beauty. Something out of the 50s it felt like. She wasn't the normal standard of beauty. She was angelic. The light that shone on her made her look like she was sent from heaven to perform specifically on this night.

She began walking out into the crowd. Touching the faces of the men ogling at her. She sauntered around the club, as the light found her. She found her way over to the same man who she locked eyes with last nights table as she sang, "let me put on a show for you Daddy, let me put on a show, let me put on a show for you tiger..." she swung her hips and was almost on her knees and rose back up. Eyes never leaving the man's gaze. "Let me put on a shooooow," she walked away and back on stage. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked. Cory walked backstage to wait for her. He didn't seem happy at all.
"Sweetie what's wrong?" Steph asked him touching his face.
"That same man you were 'flirting' with out there at the end of your set asked me to send you over to his table after you finished your act." Cory said annoyed. Stephanie's face fell.
"Sweetie I'm sorry. The girls told me this afternoon at the end of the song to just look at the man you were closest to and do that type of seductive thing. You know I didn't mean anything by it right?" She asked him, a worried look in her eye. He nodded.
"Well let me at least walk you over there and introduce you to the men." Cory sighed. He guided Stephanie with his hand out of the back and out onto the main floor. Gentlemen callers pleading for her attention, she smiled and waved at them. Her heart racing as she saw that same brown haired man staring directly at her.

Stephanie approached Tom's table and he couldn't stop staring. His other pet was back on the stage. It was impossible to follow up on the act just given. The poor girl shouldn't even try. Tom was pretty sure she was trying to catch his attention again because she didn't even usually do finishing acts. Regardless, Tom couldn't care less. His eyes were fixated on the blond beauty being escorted over by his waiter from earlier.
"Sir, I'd like to introduce you to the woman who just performed, Miss Stephanie Soreno." The waiter gestured to her. He was standing awfully close and had a scowl on his face.
"Tom Holland. I'm the owner of this elite night club. You were absolutely breathtaking as you were on your knees for me just a few minutes ago." Tom flirted, sipping his whiskey. Stephanie smiled at him.
"Well it's all apart of the act. It's nice to meet you Mr. Holland." She replied gracefully. His comment had made her heart stop for a second. On her knees, she hadn't even touched the floor but she was very low.
"Please, sit with me and watch the rest of the show. I'll buy you a drink." Tom gestured to the waiter, "get her a," He turned to Stephanie, "what's your drink of choice dear?"
"She likes red wine. Stella Rosa Black." The waiter answered for her. Stephanie's eyes grew wide at his sudden answer as she sat.
"How do you know that?" Tom asked him quizzically. A small smirk on his face, something was bothering this poor man and he knew it had something to do with him.
"Cory, your waiter, he's my boyfriend." Stephanie replied. Tom's eyebrows raised and an evil smile formed across his face. Another waiter brought over the wine. Tom raised his glass as Stephanie took hers.
"Well here is to your beautiful girlfriend and her performance." He looked right into her eyes, "may she perform even more wonderfully in the future for myself and for her patrons." Tom sipped his whiskey once more and Cory nodded and walked away to wait on other tables.

"I have been rude and haven't introduced my associate. This is my best friend and right hand man, Harrison." Tom gestured to the blond man sitting across from her.
"Nice to meet you." The curls that use to be so tight in her hair were now falling slightly as she tucked a strand behind her ear.
"So you gentlemen own this club? Are you business men?" Stephanie asked.
"I am the sole proprietor over many individuals who own different businesses. Thus making myself the owner of those businesses. Harrison and I see to it that our partnerships with our men are well taken care of and in order and sometimes people will come to us for... help... in certain situations and we take care of those things for them too." Tom explained. Stephanie laughed awkwardly.
"And you? Have you always aspired to be a burlesque dancer?" Tom asked. She shook her head no.
"I'm in school right now to become a teacher. I'm actually studying abroad... I didn't even intend on dancing, Mr. Hill just made me do it last night. I wanted to be a waitress." She explained. Tom nodded his head.
"You seem to enjoy the attention given to you by the audience. Myself included."
"Well it's hard to resist when you're being reassured every second that you're gorgeous. Even if all the men just want to have sex with you." Stephanie said.
"You don't want to have sex with them?" Tom laughed.
She shook her head and laughed also, "no not quite. I haven't even had sex with Cory yet." Why did I just say that? She thought to herself. Tom's curiosity was peaked at that statement.
"No? What are you waiting for?" He asked.
"I shouldn't have even mentioned anything. It's nothing. Thank you for the wine but I should get backstage." Stephanie stood up and walked away.

"What was with all the questions?" Harrison asked Tom.
"What do you mean?"
"There was nothing inherently special about that girl. She sang on a stage. She's hardly anything." Harrison spoke.
"You're right that she's not much different from the others. But I think you missed one key detail." Tom said slowly.
"And what's that?" Harrison asked, rolling his eyes.
"All the other girls here threw themselves at my feet. Sure she was basically on her knees but that was apart of the act. Her sitting here, real, she sat silently, she wasn't trying to impress us or get any extra attention. She sat there, tentatively. She wasn't interested in either of us." Tom explained.
Harrison raised an eyebrow at his friend and boss.
"You like her because she didn't like you back?"
"The hunt for prey can be just as intoxicating as devouring it, Harrison. Especially one that's never been caught."