Saving Dallas Forever (Saving Dallas 3)

“Red, baby,” Brooklyn said, handing Red a shot and putting her arm around her shoulders. I waited for Brooklyn to give Red the reassuring speech I knew she needed as Red eyed her thankfully, assuming Brooklyn understood why she chose not to dance. “Get your fucking ass on that stage.” Well, so much for reassurance and understanding. I was so ‘Team Brooklyn’ as I nodded, agreeing with her demand.

“If you don’t, I’m gonna stomp that bitch to death with my boots,” Punkin added, propping her foot on the table and revealing her black boots, which were laced up her ankles.

“Red, Red, Red, Red,” Mary began to chant, and soon the entire bar was calling Red out.

“I fucking hate y’all.” We cheered, as Red downed the shot Brooklyn handed her and made her way backstage. I clambered up on the table in front of our booth, using Brooklyn’s shoulder to hold me up. Once I was up there and steady, she and Maddie joined me, while Katelyn, Katina, Mary, Punkin, and Chi Chi stood on the booth behind us.

“Look behind you,” Maddie said, signaling toward the door with her head. I turned to see the Devil’s Renegades standing at the door, looking intimidating as hell with their arms crossed and faces serious. I frowned when I looked at Luke, hoping he wasn’t mad at me for being so drunk. I mean, it was my birthday after all. When his eyes found mine, he gave me a wink and a smile, and as I lifted my arms to give him a little dance and show off my dress, I lost my balance and nearly fell off the table, taking Brooklyn with me. It took every ol’ lady in our group to steady us back in position, and when I looked up again, all of the men were fighting hard not to laugh. All but Regg, who stood directly behind us looking nervous as hell. I was not the only one looking at the hot bikers lining the back wall. Every horny woman in there gaped at them with open mouths. There wasn’t a dry pair of panties in the house, and my sisters and I held smug smiles because we knew that it was us they would be going home with. Everyone cheered as Gabby, or so the announcer called her, took the stage wearing a black, leather vest and shorts. I booed her, alongside my sisters, before the music even started. When Nelly’s “Hot in Here” blasted through the speakers, I couldn’t help but dance to the music. Maddie grabbed my arm, and shook her head at me and I stopped, frowning as I watched Gabby work the stage like a pro. Everyone cheered, as she stripped down to her nude underwear and swung around the pole, smiling as if she knew she had already won. She never made it all the way up the pole, but made pretty good work of the part she used. Plus, that was a long way up there. It must just be for decoration. The strobe lights flashed around the room as everybody moved in tune with the music, while Gabby entertained the shit out of them. When the song concluded, ones were thrown on the stage and she sashayed off with her hips in full swing. I looked to Brooklyn, my lips pressed in a thin line.

“She was good,” I shouted in her ear, already accepting defeat. Brooklyn threw her head back and laughed at me, lighting a cigarette before she spoke.

“You ain’t seen shit, baby girl,” I dug my ones out of my dress, ready to throw them at Red to make her feel better, although the bitch hadn’t given me shit when I danced. But I hadn’t been in a competition, and it took a lot of guts to get on stage and dance against someone who actually knew what they were doing. The lights dimmed, and the strobes were turned off, as a single spotlight hit the center pole. The announcer welcomed Red to the stage and we screamed our asses off, waiting for the music to start. When it didn’t, we finally shut up. Once the room was quiet, a song began to play and I recognized it immediately. “Gorilla” by Bruno Mars was a slower tune, one that is sexy and sultry with a good tempo, and, after watching the music video, I had to agree that it was a great song to strip to. Red walked onto the stage in a red, satin, spaghetti-strap nightie that was super short, but covered her. Her long, red hair flowed down her back as she walked around the pole slowly, as if to get a feel for it. When the light caught her just right, I got a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were closed and it was as if she had tuned out everything, but her and the music. When she lifted her arms and swung around the pole, her short skirt fanning out around her, I thought she looked beautiful. The move didn’t require much skill, but Red did it with grace, and I was glad she was playing it safe. She twirled around and around, her legs stretching out into a split, until she sat on the stage in front of us, her head hung as her hands slid from the pole, down the sides of her neck, down her waist and over her thighs until they lay splayed on the stage in front of her. I thought she was quitting. I figured she had given it all in her one good move, and she had even surprised me with the splits thing. I gave her an E for effort and we would love her just the same. But Red’s timing was perfect, and just as the chorus started, her head snapped up and she became a vixen before our very eyes. I stood in awe, one hand holding onto Brooklyn’s shoulder for support, while the other held a fistful of money. Red drew herself up on her knees and began crawling toward us, as we all looked up at her speechless. Her gaze held that of someone who stood behind us and I didn’t have to guess who it was. I wanted to look, but I couldn’t peel my eyes away from the girl on the stage, who rolled onto her back, lifting her long, shapely legs in the air and crossing her ankles. Her arms splayed at her sides and her back arched off the stage, giving us a look at her face, which held emotions of pain and pleasure. The pole was positioned right between her legs, and her next move had her pulling herself to her feet for only a moment before she was climbing. Her ankles wrapped around the pole as she pulled herself up with her arms, then came back down on a slow twirl, her arms extended and her head dropped back, so that her hair hung freely. This time when she hit the stage, it was on the words “bang bang”, and that’s exactly what Red did.