Stung by the Wasp

Dancing in the Dark

Jennie woke, a viscous sensation on her upper lip alerting her to the pool of blood that had stained the mattress where she lay. She felt dizzy. Dabbing at her nose her fingers came away sticky and tainted with dried blood. She sniffed and her sinuses prickled. She went into the en-suite and checked her face in the mirror. Using a damp tissue she wiped the gore away, and washed her face. Emerging from the bathroom, Kai came in from the kitchen, Taemin on his heels, stopping just inside the door.
"We're making the drop today" Kai said. He jeered when he saw Jennie.
"It's about time you got up" he said to her, shoving past her to the desk in the corner. He jerked his chin in her direction, indicating at the briefcase full of cash on the desk.
"Count the money for me, and put our share in the bottom drawer" he demanded.
Jennie complied.
"Ok, I'll call Mr Lee and tell him where to meet us" Taemin said, pulling out his phone.
"That should have been done already" Kai spat, lighting a cigarette.
"It would have been had I known that our usual location was comprised sooner" Taemin shot back, running his fingers through his fringe. Kai rolled his eyes.
"How long you been in this business ?" he countered, raising an eyebrow. He sucked loudly on his cigarette, exhaling through his nose as he awaited Taemin's response.
Taemon opened his mouth to reply just as his phone rang, interrupting the conversation. He answered it, disappearing out of the bedroom as he did so.
Jennie heard Kai sigh before sinking down onto the mattress, sprawling his long limbs wide. She didn't speak. The money chafed her fingers as she counted the bills, making quick mental notes of the total as she did so. Kai received thirty percent of the profit from every successful deal, and the rest went to their boss Mr Lee.
"Have you counted it yet?" Kai asked from the bed.
"I've counted four thousand so far" Jennie replied.
"Hurry up" came the reply. "The boys and I have to make the drop in the next hour"
Jennie continued summing up the cash, terrified of making a mistake. Kai joined her side, snatching the wad of money out of her hands roughly. A thin trail of smoke filtered gently out of the end of the cigarette that hang precariously from his full lips.
"I'll do this" he said. "Count another batch"
"Ok" she said quietly, pulling the bills out of another wad without a word.
Taking the fag from his mouth, Kai set the money down on the desk and picked up another bundle. Jennie did the same. They were up to six thousand now. Taemin burst through the door then, Lisa on his heels. Kai glanced up at the intrusion.
"Our warehouse downtown" Taemin cried. Kai put the fag out on the side of the desk.
"What about it?"
"It's been raided"
"Fucking hell" Kai exclaimed. Predicting Kai's movements, Jennie rescued the rest of the money from his wrath, just as he grabbed the briefcase with the rest of the cash in it, sending loose bills to the floor. He swung it towards Taemin.
"Load the van" was the order.
Taemin complied. Lisa shook her head at Kai.
"The tip came in from one of our clients"
"Then lets do something about it" Kai replied, pulling his own handgun out of one of the drawers in the desk. Lisa followed Taemin outside.
Jennie got up. Kai pushed her back down into the seat roughly, holding his gun inches from her face.
"Stay here" he said, voice chilling.
"You know what'll happen if you leave"
Jennie nodded in understanding.
Kai left the flat without another word, leaving Jennie alone in the stuffy dimness.

Taking advantage of the quiet, Jennie sent Taehyung a text. The silence that ensued whilst she waited for a response allowed enough time for the regret to sink in, and she warred with herself about whether she should delete the message or not. Panicked, she did a line of cocaine to calm her nerves. The second her hormones peaked a message came in on her mobile. Her face warmed at the thought of seeing Taehyung again. She texted a quick reply before tossing the device on the bed, hunting around the vacant room for some clothes. Once dressed she placed a cap on her head to hide her greasy, unwashed hair. Her phone dinged a second time as she left the apartment, pulling the visor of the cap low over her face as she dodged down the streets, not wanting to be spotted. The bus journey to Taehyung's location was short, and she got off in the busiest district in town, avoiding the crowds. A breeze tugged at her hair as the afternoon fell away. She reached the large dance studio in ten minutes, balking at the vastness of the structure, all glass and modern architecture. Nervous she walked inside. The floor was marble. Plants stood in every corner. Her junkie self didn't belong here and she knew that. Hesitating at the door she contemplated texting Taehyung and telling him she got lost, but the determination inside her won out and she walked down the hall with a false confidence. Glancing into one of the studios she could make out a group of young men milling about and executing complex choreographies in the mirror. She pushed open the door and slipped inside, sticking close to the walls as she tried to spot Taehyung amongst the moving heads. She found him in the centre, wearing a sleeveless shirt and low crotch black jeans. A moist sensation pooled between her legs at the sight of his sweaty physique gliding across the wooden ground as she moved. He caught her looking at him in the mirror and grinned. He stopped dancing to approach her, the rest of his crew carrying on behind him.
"You made it" he said. He smelled like Lynx and perspiration.
Jennie couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips at his words. "You should thank Google Maps" she said, tone playful. Tae grinned, chest rising as he tried to slow his breathing. Jennie met his gaze, and the same connection she felt at the beach sparked between them once again.
"Tae" someone called from the far side of the room. A tall dark haired guy jogged over to them.
Taehyung slapped him amicably on the chest. "Jennie, this is Jungkook" he said.
Jungkook fist bumped her in lieu of a greeting. Jennie returned the favour, a giggle escaping her lips. Jungkook turned to Taehyung.
"Let's do another run" he said.
Another guy whistled at the two from the middle of the studio. Jungkook went to his side and faced the mirror, as did the rest of the group.
"Come on Tae" the guy said, raising his voice slightly.
Taehyung faced Jennie. "Take a seat" he said.
Several plastic chairs had been folded neatly in the corner and not wanting to disturb the dance crew she opened the nearest one and sat down into it. As she did so, the cocaine she had taken earlier took affect, and the sudden spike in dopamine made her fidget. She crossed her legs and stared into the mirror in an attempt to restrain her sudden desire to be active. The music pumped from the large black speakers hanging from the ceiling and her heart rate picked up in sync with the beat. Swest beaded along her hairline and she adjusted the cap twice to dab it away. She watched the men dance with intrigue. They effortlessly swapped potions, not missing a single beat or step. The sound of their shoes squeaking on the wooden ground added to the impact of their strong synchronicities and powerful movements. Once the song ended, Taehyung and three other of his friends dropped to the floor, exhausted. Taehyung lay there, hands crossed on torso, legs spread. His friends teased him and he let out a laugh, a sound that Jennie wanted to burn into her ears for the rest of time. Watching him so relaxed and at ease made a lump form in her throat.
The chatter died down, and Tehyung waved his friends away as they filed out of the dance studio, leaving Jennie alone with him in the space. Jennie got up and went to the mirror, suddenly captivated by the need to dance and move her own body. She noticed Taehyung gazing back at her in the reflection. He remained sprawled on the ground. A new song filtered through the speakers, one with a strong beat and danceable lyrics. Wiggling her shoulders a few times she broke out into a slow choreography, keeping her eyes trained on the mirror as she moved around the studio, using an old tape marker on the ground as her focal point. The song picked up and Jennie popped her chest twice before dropping low. She continued to cut move after move into the music, her mind glued on her body's energy and what it was doing. She rolled her head around as she launched carefully into the next step. She spun around and then froze. Taehyung was sitting up watching her, intrigue and fleeting desire etched into his face. Jennie fixed her cap shyly.
"I didn't know you could dance" Taehyung said.
"You never asked me" Jennie replied.
Taehyung got to his feet and stalked into her space. Panicked Jennie stepped away from him, keen to keep her distance.
"Dance with me" he said.
Jennie glanced up at him from beneath the visor of the cap, chewing on her lower lip in reluctance. Taehyung inched closer.
"Please"
"Sure" Jennie said, standing next to him. Her skin ignited at the proximity. Using a remote to control the speakers Taehyung skipped through the tracks before landing on a song. The grungey melody created a sultry vibe, one that created tension between Jennie and her partner. Taehyung intimated the first move and Jennie followed, copying his steps with relaxed execution.

She turned, locking her eyes with his, watching him prowl the floor like a predator. She toyed with him, her lithe figure breaking out into a natural dance rhythm, hips rocking first before she introduced her best assets, teasing him with her body before taking it away again, ensuring that all his attention was focused on her. Jennie's limbs moved without instruction, and she slid to the  ground with agility, feeling her muscles burn in all the right places.A noticeable sweat clung to her skin, and she relished the sensation. Pushing her fringe back she surveyed his flow, refusing to stop the routine she had carved into the music as she did so. He was there. The second the beat dropped, they had already united on the dance floor, two bodies crushing together in a silent pact. He mirrored her moves perfectly, his tall, strong chest rising to meet at all the right moments. Jennie forced herself to dance into his space against her better judgment. She worked with the generic music, her body throwing one move after the other into the mix with zeal. He slid back into her space, his large body blocking her in, forcing her to engage with the limited space provided. Jennie met his eyes boldly. He grinned, facial expression obscured by locks of long, brown hair. As if on cue, she slid into his embrace, cocking her hip up into his groin in an effortless manoeuvre, only to meet the subtle thrust of his hips at the same time. With every brush of fabric against bare skin, Jennie felt elated. Letting her guard down, she pushed her assets towards him, and he reciprocated, choosing to grab the dip in her thighs to pull her even closer than before. Jennie slammed into his build. Wanting to remain in control, she began to swing her hips left and right, and Taehyung didn't disappoint, following her unspoken commands with athletic composure. Jennie flicked her head to the side, engaging with the beat and matching her own steps to every little component in the song, refusing to miss a second of it as the melody pounded in her ears. Taehyung bent down to graze his cheek against hers, but Jennie spun out and away from him, snatching back his prize with gusto. He eyed her through his wet fringe, and Jennie could feel a sense of an animal instinct radiate off him from five feet away. She cocked her head, goading him, coaxing him out into the open, her seductive nature daring him to chase.
Taehyung did just that.
They collided in the centre of the studio just as the song came to an abrupt end, and breaching each other's personal space, they froze, bodies one breath apart, exhaling heavily into the sliver of air between them. Jennie's hair tumbled into her face, curls clinging to the damp on her neck and cheeks, cap long forgotten. She looked up through her lashes to see the handsome face staring back at her in high definition. A smirk broke his lips at the corner, his palm resting comfortably low on her hip. His shirt clung  to his moist body in all the right places. He steered her in the direction of the water dispenser, dropping into a chair as he did so. Jennie sipped at the water tentatively, afraid to meet Taehyung's gaze. He gulped loudly from a plastic bottle, splashing the last of the contents onto his forehead.
"I wish you told me you could dance" he said.
"It would have spoiled the intrigue"
"I don't think I've even come close to cracking the intrigue around you" he countered. Jennie hid a smile behind her plastic cup.
"It's complicated" she said. "I can't dance as freely as I'd like to"
"Why's that?"
Jennie cut him a side long glance. He was already looking up at her.
"I told you, it's complicated"
Taehyung got to his feet then, and Jennie marvelled at his height. "I'd like to know"
Jennie chewed her bottom lip in contemplation. Panic gripped her heart at his words.
"Like to know what?"
"Everything" Taehyung replied, cocking his head. "Starting with your name?"
"It's Jennie" she said, voice barely a whisper.
A blush crept up her face and she pulled her hair forward to cover her reddening cheeks.
"Don't hide" he said. Jennie could hear the smile in his tone. "You're a beautiful dancer, Jennie"
Jennie liked the way he said her name.
"Maybe I can dance her again someday" she said, throwing her disposable cup into the bin next to the dispenser.
"Of course" Taehyung replied.
Jennie picked her cap up off the ground and sat it back on her head. It felt tighter than before.
"I'm going to head now" she said.
Taehyung followed her to the door. "Again?"
"Yeah. I don't want to .. eh.. miss the bus"
Tears clogged the back of her throat as she tried to speak.
"I can drive you home if you miss the last one"
"No". The word came out sharp. Taehyung stopped in his tracks. Jennie tried to look everywhere except at him, her eyes gleaming with fresh tears.
Taehyung invaded her proximity, eyes pleading. Jennie turned her face away from his, but he did the same, trying to entice her to look at him once more.
Jennie kept her gaze low, the walls around her heart shooting up in defence as they had done so many times before.
"Why won't you let me in?" he asked.
"It's not that fucking easy" she choked out. Sensing hostility, Taehyung backed off, scrubbing a hand over his beard scruff in agitation.
"Fine" he muttered. "I won't push"
Jennie darted to the door on agile legs.
"See you around" she said over her shoulder as she vanished down the hall. The cold night air chilled her flaming cheeks as she ran for the last bus, feeling her heart shatter inside her chest as she moved. The bus pulled up at the curb with a hiss and she clambered on, visor low in an attempt to hide herself from the rest of the world.