Page 15 of Rage & Paradise
“I want to see it all. Come on, Starlight. Shine bright like I know you can.” Oro smirks at me. It’s devilish, a challenge if I’ve ever seen one.
Oro has only known me as a child. He might have changed over the years, but so have I. All those years living with the monster I knew as my father hardened me too. He’s not going to break me.
“There’s no music,” I offer, maybe just to buy myself a little time. If I start right now, I’ll be uneasy on my feet. It’ll show in my movements.
“Que joda.” Oro rolls his eyes. “I’m not asking you to do a full choreographed event. Strip. Shake your ass. Blow a kiss. Show us you know what the hell you’re doing.”
“Well, shit. Just when I thought all my fun was done for the day. Where’s the popcorn? Let me get my singles.” Digger jokes, shoving his hand in his pocket as if he’s really about to start pelting me with dollar bills.
“You want a dream? You got it.” I take a step forward, kicking my shoes behind me.
“This is really happening?” Lobo questions. I don’t know if he’s talking to Oro or someone else. I’m not focused on him. I’m trying to get in the zone. Selling a dream is easy. It’s all about being able to identify exactly who the dreamer is.
“Can we turn down the lights a little bit?” I ask. Coca rushes to do what I ask, and a second later, the ambience is set. The light is just enough that nothing is hidden, but dark enough to make each person feel like they could be alone.
My heart hammers so hard I can hear it in my ears. Every eye in the room pins me down, and I can’t tell if I’m about to reclaim my power or hand it over. I've done things like this before but always to benefit someone else. Tonight, I'm doing this for me.
I close my eyes and scroll through some of my favorite mental tunes.
Di Mi Nombre by Rosalía starts to play in my mind, and I start weaving the carnal story they want me to tell.
I start slow, moving my waist and hips from side to side. The wide, wave-like motion already quiets the room, hypnotizing the men in front of me. Then I move on to removing my clothing. Turning my back to them, I bend to touch my ankles, swinging my hair from side to side before I gently peel my shirt off so that when I slowly stand up, they can see the profile of my chest. I don’t have much up top, but what’s there is perky.
There are some gasps and whistles when I turn with my hands pressed against my tits. I squeeze tight and get a few more groans from the men before I slowly slide one hand down the center of my body while I slide the other up toward my hair.
I scan the crowd, looking for the dreamer. The one.
Of course, it’s Oro.
He went on and on about how he hated me and didn’t want to help me, but now as I dance to the music playing in my head, he can’t keep his eyes off me. It’s not just lust either. Sure, that’s there, but I also see confusion, gentleness, secrets.He looks like he’s trying to remember how to breathe.
I guess I should be ashamed that the man who was once legally my stepbrother is watching and enjoying me strip naked for him, but I’m not. We never developed any type of sister-brother bond. There are no happy family pictures. He’s just another part of my past I tried so hard to get away from.
When my fingers get to the button on my pants, I quickly flick it open and slide the zipper down. I turn again, adding an extra bit of swing to my hips as I walk toward the empty lounge chair.
With each step, I tug the pants down little by little until I reach the chair and let the fabric drop to my feet, leaving only my thong behind.
“Madre de Dios! You’re killing me,” Digger yells out as I bend over, displaying my round ass. I slide my hands up my legs, oneon each side, until I can grip my ass. I swing it around in small circles until I’m doing a softer, gentler twerk.
I pull one knee up onto the lounge chair and look over my shoulder, bringing my finger up to my mouth, biting on the nail while I find Oro’s eyes once again.
The confusion is turning into something else. Guilt? Rage? I can’t tell, but I know I need to be finished with this dance before he loses his shit.
With an extra bit of flair, I spin once and land with one leg crossed over the other, sitting on the lounge chair.
Figuring the show is over, everyone claps and whistles. Even Coca has a smile on her face. It’s safe to say she’s impressed. Everyone looks happy. Everyone except Oro.
“That’s one hell of a performance, but I think a one-on-one performance might be needed.” Digger pops up from his seat, looking like he’s coming straight for me.
Before he can get too far, Oro jumps up and grabs hold of him. He jerks Digger back. “For fuck’s sake, can you go one damn hour without trying to get your dick wet?” Oro barks at Digger, who doesn’t react.
“No, what’s the point of not trying? That’s stupid.” Digger chuckles, clearly not fazed by what just went down between him and Oro.
“Pendejo.” Oro mutters under his breath as he bends to pick up a throw blanket that was draped over the back of one of the chairs. “This is just an interview. She obviously knows what she’s doing, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to be thrown in the deep end yet.”
With that, Oro tosses the blanket in my direction. “Go to Seda. We’ll let you know if we’re going to take you on.”
I don’t wait for any further instruction. Instead, I wrap the blanket around my body and speed-walk toward what might just become my safe haven.
