The Dare

The bass hit me before I even entered the club.

Lights flashed, people screamed, bottles lifted in the air.

I shouldn’t be here

“Woooo!! It feels like a dream. The Raina Cole is actually in a club,” my friend, Cassie, yelled, flinging an arm over my shoulder

“You two deceived me,” I yelled back over the music, pointing at both my friends. “You said a small dinner.”

“It got you to come along, right?” Katrina jollied, already eyeing one of the male dancers.

She caught my gaze as I looked around the club in discomfort, my hand covering the side of my face.

“Don’t worry, miss billion dollar queen. This is a high-end private club, so don't worry about paparazzi or the media capturing you. Come on, now lighten up.”

“Besides, it’s my bachelorette night.” Cassie added. “And you need to remember what fun feels like.”

I scoffed as we took a seat in the VVIP section. “I know what fun is,” I muttered, under my breath.

“Yeah, sure you do. Your idea of fun is a quarterly report that balances to the last decimal.” Cassie mocked me.

“Or a business meeting,” Katrina added as they both burst out in laughter.

Katrina gave me a smirk and I instantly knew where she was going. “You know what would make tonight historic? If Raina actually looked at a man.”

“Yesss!” Cassie seconded. “Come on, Raina. When was the last time you went on a date or, dare I say, even got railed?”

I shrugged. “What’s the point? You meet someone, think he’s different, fall in love, he cheats, you cry, you spend months hating him, and then you do it all over again with a new face and the same disappointment. No, thanks.”

The memories of what happened the last time I completely gave myself to a man came flooding my head all over again, and I sighed, finally pouring myself a drink.

Katrina and Cassie booed in unison.

Cassie stopped booing first. “Sweetheart, it has been three years. The world moved on. You can too. You’re gorgeous, and I promise there are a lot of men who would do anything for you. You just have to open up your heart and believe in love again.”

I rolled my eyes and released a laugh that sounded fake even to me. “I have moved on. Love’s just bad business, y’know. High investment, low return, guaranteed loss. I stopped playing that game. Hard pass, guys.”

Katrina groaned. “There she goes again. Three years without a man and she’s quoting business philosophy.”

“Three peaceful years.” I reminded

“Okay then let’s start slow, pick a worthy man here and just get fucked tonight.” Katrina pressed

“I hate to break it to you, Kat, but having sex with someone doesn't count as ‘starting slow’,” my lips curved to a slight grin

They were about to press further to convince me to take a man home tonight when the lights in the club suddenly dimmed

The crowd screamed louder, and I looked at the stage.

Twelve spotlights flared, revealing four male strippers, muscles gleaming in different role-play costumes.

Katrina got on top of her seat and cheered while Cassie clapped.

I tried to pretend to be interested to get Katrina and Cassie off my back for the night. I cheered when they did and wore a tight smile, but I remained utterly unimpressed.

Until the fifth stripper walked out.

I felt my breath stop in my throat.

My eyes followed him instantly, the noise in the club immediately drowning.

He was also in a costume—a firefighter’s and way taller than the other four, easily six-foot-six. His long hair, lustrous from the lights dangling at the back of his neck, just a little above his shoulders, adorned with a dramatic helmet at the top of his head

He started moving slowly along with the other dancer, peeling off the gear. He started with the helmet, tossing it casually to someone.

The process of taking off his jacket felt like absolute torture to me. He teased by just unbuttoning the jacket and I could see his skin peeking out.

He finally peeled the jacket off of his back and…. Christ, his body looked like God himself had taken his time to sculpt them

I didn't know if it was a mixture of oil and sweat, but fuck, his entire body glistened like he was an actual meal.

I bit my lower lip before I even realized.

I blinked, shaking my head as though I could shake the thoughts of him away completely. What was happening to me?

I looked away immediately, pouring myself another drink.

I tried to look anywhere else but at the stage and at him, but it felt like there was some kind of pulling magnetic force that compelled me to look at the him

Okay, one more look wouldn’t hurt. One more look and that’s it. I lifted my head to the stage once more and his eyes caught mine

I froze, refusing to even move my neck. His stare lingered on me, and he grabbed the pole on the stage, dancing slower and more seductively now, as though I was the only one he could see in the club, and he was performing for just me.

My eyes were now glued to him as he spread his legs on either side of the pole, his pelvic region and his body now directly in contact with the pole.

I swallowed, my entire body suddenly hot. I tightened my legs and folded my hands, piercing my skin, hoping I would snap out of whatever hypnotics this man on stage had me on.

He moved according to the slow sensual sounds, grinding and humping against the pole, his eyes burning into me

Ohh…fuck me

With his eyes almost burning a spot on my face, he threw the jacket he had taken off to me and, before I knew what I was doing, I had caught it.

“Raina!!!” Cassie jerked me and I blinked, finally looking away from him

“Are you actually checking a man out?” Katrina gasped

“What? No..I..”

“Don’t even try to deny it. You were totally eye fucking him. You didn’t even hear when I called you until I shook you.” Cassie interrupted me, bouncing excitedly in her seat

Maybe it was just the neon lights and the music making everything feel like a sin worth committing.

“Just appreciating the choreography,” I defended, even as my pulse disagreed.

I tried to keep my eyes on both of them, holding back everything in me that wanted to drift back to the stage to look at him.

“Appreciating the choreography, huh? Is that why you’re holding on to the jacket he gave you like it might disappear?” Katrina pointed

She was right. I was clutching the jacket. I quickly tossed it beside me and the sudden applause and cheers from the crowd made me realize that their performance had come to an end.

His exit from the stage left a lingering ache in my chest that I disregarded

“Okay then, prove it.” Cassie's voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Prove what?”

“Prove that he’s just another guy, and his presence had no effect whatsoever on you,” Cassie dared

“How am I supposed to do that?” I rolled my eyes, throwing my hands softly in the air.

Katrina and Cassie exchanged glances and then whispered in each other's ears before they looked at me with mischievous smiles on their faces.

I raised my brows, bracing myself for what they were going to say.

“Book a private dance with him," Katrina said, “Ten minutes. I guarantee you’ll fold and be all over him in less than five minutes.”

“We’ll pay for the private dance if you agree. Unless you admit that you’ve finally found a guy that pulls your attention after ages,” Cassie teased.

I could easily refuse, but if I did, they’d think I hadn’t moved on, or they’d think I was finally coming alive and would try to link me up with men.

“Fine. Book the dance. When I don’t melt because I honestly couldn’t care less, you both owe me silence for a month.”

They screamed, high-fived, and called for the hostess

A part of me that agreed was just to prove to myself that I was still in control, and he was just like every other man.

Across the room, I looked up just in time to see him glance over his shoulder, his gaze landing right on me again, his lips curved into a smirk.

My nipples hardened instantly, what had I just agreed to?