Chapter 3

After lunch at the five star, world renown Westbrook resort the girls would later go on to a shopping spree in town. Again, not Elsie's intention but you'll be a fool to underestimate Bella's persuasion skills. She knew how to get anything from her best friend. It was six in the evening when the girls went to their different directions. The driver dropped Elsie to club Scorpion where she was waiting on Lewis for their date before he was instructed to drop off Bella at her place.

Fun fact or rather an annoying one, Elsie did not get a chance to talk to her best friend about her boring sex life with Lewis. So, what are some friends for?

Elsie was officially back to being lonely. It's said, a problem shared is half solved. She had no one to tell her problems. Maybe her mother who always had the same answer...

"I have told you more than a dozen times my daughter. Marriage is about sacrifices, you went into that relationship with a fifty percent deficit..."

"And am supposed to offer fifty percent, I know mum you've made me recite that one like the pledge of allegiance. The problem is am giving fifty and am getting like ten percent of it"

"There is always good in every bad situation no matter how bad"

"Mum, there is nothing good with sleeping all alone for three months. Am still a hot blood mum"

"I didn't know it's this bad, I'll talk to Beth. Woman to woman but don’t do anything stupid out of anger"

"I won't mum, thanks. Say hi to dad and everyone"

"Okay, bye"

She had lost track of time while talking to her mum in the bathroom. When she checked her phone it was already eight in the evening. No call from Lewis meaning he was not yet there. She tried to call him, no response. She called his secretary, it went straight to voicemail. Then it dawned on her. 

"I have been stood up!" She screamed walking out of the bathroom.

Her mother's words "don't do anything stupid" were ringing in her head but the louder they got the quicker she dashed and squeezed herself through the people to the club downstairs. Uptown music was blasting the speakers, shaking the ground beneath her feet. The dance floor was filled to the brim, revelers were swaying their bodies to the rhythm their arms and beer cans in the air. Rotating disco lights above the ceiling, all colors from red to blue, yellow to orange lit up the floor in beams making it look like a distance galaxy. The smell of alcohol, sweat, perfume and the heat radiating from the super active crowd hit the air making it hard to breath and concentrate. 

"Two shots of tequila please" she said to the bartender.

It was time to loosen up a little bit. Why worry about a man who didn't give a rat’s ass about her? She send the two shots down her throat successively then hit the dance floor to showcase her dancing skills. 

Fate was bringing two souls together that particular Friday night at club Scorpion. In the same club, there was Frank with his friends at the VIP section enjoying drinks their eyes roving over the dancing crowd beneath them. He was a very outgoing person just not on that particular day.

"You're not yourself today buddy, we could be having two to six girls on this table right now" Jimmy pointed out.

"Am fine dude sometimes you just want to chill and see how this rotating time bomb called earth goes" he said his guess fixed on someone in the crowd.

"Come on, go for it" Jimmy said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" frank said embarrassed, his guess shifted to something else at the counter then back to Jimmy who was giving him that sarcastic look. 

"It's in your blood, you can't run away from your shadow. Go for the girl she..." jimmy looked at Elsie moving spirally to no visible axis, "dude she is a goddess" he said but when he looked at Frank he was not there, he was already making his way to the dance floor.

Everyone had their eyes fixed on Elsie as she got consumed by the lively tunes of the DJ. Her upper body moving opposite direction to her thin waist. Men who couldn't help it were salivating trying so hard to hide their misbehaving boners. Some were slapped back to reality by their girlfriends, I bet they already had her undressed in their minds. Frank who went there with the intention of dancing with her was also watching her dance. Being a professional dancer with a dance school of his own, he had dance embedded on the core of his soul by a carving knife and he also knew how to translate what dance meant.

"Dude, go for it" jimmy whispered in his ear.

"I don't want to ruin this for everyone, she is not just dancing she is communicating...and from the look of things, with me since none of this idiots seem to understand her"

"I don't understand"

"The girl is sad, she feels like a prisoner in a cage that she really wants to break free from"

"And you are going to break her free" jimmy said and pushed frank in the imaginary circle that was created.

It was too late to turn back as the crowd went into a frenzy. Everyone in that club knew who frank was, drunk or sober. And if dance was life then he lived it. Purple-white light the rotating disco lights focused on frank, Black hoodie, black adidas sweat pants with double white stripes on the sides from the waist to the ankles, white cap behind it his long dark hair tied into a pony, matching white sports shoes on his feet. The lights went dim around everyone and the beat changed to an old school hip-hop beat and the crowd cheered on jubilantly.

"Ready for this sweetheart?" He asked Elsie stalking her in the typical dance battle manner.

Elsie had no idea what was going on. She stopped dancing breathing heavily her guess was fixed on frank. He was what she considered hot. His eyes, his beard and physique. Bad ideas were coming up in her mind.

"Can I buy you a drink?" She asked walking up to him barefoot, she was carrying her heels.

"Yeah" he said the two leaving the circle amid protests and boos from the crowd.

That was a long awaited dance battle gone sour whose magnitude could only be compared to WrestleMania, the Super bowl or golden state warriors vs. Lakers and maybe El classico when Messi and Ronaldo were still in their prime.

"They hate us" Elsie said leading them to a table for two further away from people.

"They'll get over it, so? Do you dance I couldn't help but notice your moves, they are flawless you're a joy to watch and you brought this warmth in my heart...."

"Slow down there we just met" she said smiling and tucking her hair.

"Am sorry, I just wanted to say you're a good dancer and I have a proposal for you if you'd be kind enough to consider it"

"You're Frank Tazz oh my God I can't imagine I was going to battle the legendary frank Tazz" she said happily, it had taken her some time to realize who he really was.

"And you're Elsie Woodley, I didn't know you can dance"

She laughed lightly avoiding eye contact. That was among the downsides of being a celebrity she missed that freedom of privacy. The waitress brought them a martini each. Frank was still admiring her beauty, from her hair down to her cleavage. The warmth he talked about consumed him. He was also having very bad ideas sprouting in his mind.

"I don't dance, at least not professionally as you do am an accountant" 

"I know doctors who dance"

"What was your proposal?"

"I would want you to stop by and teach the kids a few moves"

"You want me to be a dance teacher?"

"Yeah, is it bad? Come on just because you come from the Woodley family doesn't mean you can't dance, I know you think it's beneath you..."

"It's fuckin awesome!" She said happily her eyes closed her arms spread.

That's when frank realized she was getting tipsy and he had to consider the fact that there was not a grain of truth in everything she had just said. 

"Okay, so how do I get...?”

"You want to get out of here?" She asked.

"Am not sure that's a good idea..."

"Don't think of it, first make sure that guy over there in a suit is distracted and let's take this fun somewhere else"

That was once in a lifetime opportunity knocking at Frank's door and like Jimmy said. It was in his blood he couldn't ran away from his shadow. He rarely left the club the same way he came in, alone. Frank called jimmy and whispered something in his ear. 

"Who was that?"

"The guy who is going to make sure your bodyguard isn't a problem" frank said his guess following jimmy.

"He is not my bodyguard he is my driver" 

"Whatever let's go!" Frank said dragging her out through the back door.

Her driver was still trying handle jimmy. When he looked at their table Frank and Elsie were gone and so was jimmy.

"Taxi!" Frank shouted holding Elsie's hand by the roadside, she was trying kiss him all that time.

They got in.

"Hiddenvile Street" Frank said giving the cab driver a two dollar bill.

"Can you imagine I haven't had sex in three months?" She asked in her drunkard voice.

"That's so bad, who wouldn't want to have sex with a girl like you"

"Ask the idiot who stood me up" she said sitting on franks lap, their lips met and Frank couldn't turn her down anymore. She was already unzipping his trousers, the cab driver seemed serene. It was a daily occurrence to him. 

"Slow down" Frank tried to say breaking free from her lips.

She stopped abruptly her hands entangled around his neck.

"You don't want to kiss me?" She asked sadly, the straps of her dress were sliding off her shoulders and her bra caps were getting visible. 

"No, am just saying we are in the back seat of a cab"

"Driver! Are you offended?"

"No, I have two rules, no food and drink in my cab and no semen or whatever you hot bloods secret"

"Don't worry I'll swallow every drop of it"

"Come on we are here!" Frank said as the cab driver slowed down to his apartment building.

They did not even remember to take change, the two left the door open and kissed their way through the gate, frank had one hand holding his trousers and carrying her purse and heels while the other was making sure she didn’t fall. 

“Are you this is where you live?” Elsie asked when they got to the lift.

“Am not that drunk, come on let’s see how bad you need to get laid”

****

Lewis sneaked in the manor in the middle of the night. When he got to the door of their room he stopped and checked his phone for any red flags, deleted his dirty texts. The task ahead was to face an angry Elsie behind that door and he was already running out of excuses. He exhaled slowly and opened the door. It was dark, he walked slowly and carefully like a lion stalking its prey to the bed and to his surprise it was empty.

“Thank God!” He said taking a sigh of relief and quickly changed into his pajamas. He then went to check the bathroom and the walk in wardrobe, there was no sign of her.

It all depended on how long she had not been in the room because the next morning he was planning to lie about how early he came back feeling tired.