The fast paced song coming from the speakers suddenly appears to be slower to Hyde. As he stands mere inches from his ex-girlfriend, all the anger from the past five years resurfaces and for a moment he has to fight the urge to tell her off. As they stand, glaring at each other, all the words unsaid and unresolved feelings seem to be looming over them and there suddenly is not enough room for the tension that is building between them. As he scowls at her, Hyde notices how cold and detached her stare is, so unlike that of the young girl he used to know.
Behind her, he catches a glimpse of shuffling and breaks eye contact with to see the older man who has resumed rummaging through his pockets. Hyde raises a brow in slight amusement and once the man looks up, Hyde shoots him a menacing, almost daring, look. The man, clearly determined not to be outdone, fishes two fifty dollar bills from his jacket pocket and slaps them on the table.
Jackie turns to the man and shoots him a satisfied smirk, which is unfortunately short lived as Hyde throws yet another fifty onto the table. "150" Hyde says firmly which causes Jackie to turn to him yet again and narrow her eyes.
Choosing to ignore her piercing glare, Hyde focuses on the man who is now emptying the content of his jean pockets in a last effort to outbid Hyde. A few seconds later, the man has placed a wrinkled twenty dollar bill on the table, his expression no longer amused but rather challenging. To him, this is no longer about Jackie, it's now a game of pride. There is no chance in hell a young kid is going to show him up.
Hyde furrows his forehead in annoyance and quickly finds two twenties. He directs his focus towards Jackie and sees her shooting the older man urgent looks. She obviously does not want Hyde to win this little battle, for she knows that nothing good can come out of them spending time alone together...not after the way things ended between them.
The older man finds a ten dollar bill in his wallet and slaps it on the table in sheer exasperation. Hyde smirks triumphantly, thinking that this is probably it. He pulls a fifty dollar bill and hands it to Jackie who snatches it from him and places it on the table, on top of the small pile of bills.
The older man looks grudgingly at Hyde and finally puts his hands up in defeat. Hyde nods towards him and watches as Jackie snatches the 270 dollars from the table and storms away towards the back of the club, through some red satin curtains. Without hesitation, Hyde walks after her.
Past the curtains is a more private section. The walls are a dark red, the paint chipping in several places. A small stage is located in the center of the room and is surrounded by cheap yet cushy, bench-like sofas. The floor looks old and worn-out and steel poles decorate the perimeter of the room. On the walls are full-length mirrors and posters of famous pin up girls. Hyde quickly spots four other dancers entertaining clients. All four are dancing seductively to the instrumental sound of Guns N Roses' Welcome to the Jungle.
Jackie is sitting on the opposite side of the room and watches intently as Hyde checks the place out. The mere sight of him makes her blood boil and she hasn't figured out how to deal with the situation. Out of all the joints in Wisconsin, what are the odds that her ex-boyfriend would walk into hers? The universe has a sick sense of humor and frankly, she was in no laughing mood. Her body stiffens as he walks towards her.
Within seconds, he is standing right in front of her and proceeds to take a seat next to her. She instinctively stands up and creates some distance between them.
"Go on" Hyde finally says as he leans back on the sofa and rests his right foot on top of his left knee.
Surprised at his request, she takes the time to analyze him. It's been just over three years since she's last seen him and she can't help but take him in. He still has the same frazzled, curly hair and the sunglasses that cover his blue eyes. She can tell he has gained a little weight, but his arms and shoulders are still as toned as she remembers. His mannerisms show her that he is still the king of zen. Unfortunately for the king, he is also a good teacher and two can play this game. She slowly starts moving her hips from side to side and she makes it a point to keep eye contact to seriously screw with him. If he thought this would be easy, then he is sadly mistaken.
She dances for a few seconds, straining her eyes to try and look past his sunglasses. She can see the faint outline of his eyes and sees that she has his full attention. The irony of the situation finally dawns on her. Once upon a time, the thought of Hyde around strippers was enough to send her running for the hills and now...well, here they were. She scoffs in disgust at the weird twist of fate and catches him raise an eyebrow as a response.
'Time to step it up' she thinks to herself.
Suddenly, with one swift motion, she positions herself so she is straddling him. She starts gyrating her hips and grinds them against his crotch. She can hear a low grunt involuntarily escape his lips and she relishes the reaction he is having. She digs her feet firm on the floor and thrusts her hips harder and faster onto him. As she continues doing this, she feels a bulge through his jeans and she knows she has him exactly where she wants him. The only thing standing in the way of her complete victory are those stupid sunglasses of his. It amuses her that even after all these years, he still shields his eyes with them.
Determined to finally beat Hyde at his own game, she slowly reaches up to his face and slides them off. She is suddenly met with a pair of familiar blue eyes. The intensity in them almost proves too much for her to bear, but she reminds herself to not look away. Hell, even if she wanted to, she couldn't break away from them. Everything there was to know about Steven Hyde, his passions, his fears, his pain, could all be found in his eyes. They truly betray him and break down all the barriers he's worked years to build.
"Jackie" Hyde starts, "you stopped."
She frowns and realizes that she has indeed stopped dancing. She got so caught up looking into his eyes and letting her mind wonder back to happier times between them that she forgot what she is supposed to be doing. 'Focus' she thinks. She starts moving her hips once again and begins running her hands down his body. She lets herself touch his face, down to his shoulders and his chest. She revels in the sensation of exploring his body again and for a split second, they are back in his tiny basement room, on his cot, alone. Her heartbeat speeds up as she feels his hips slightly moving to match hers and now it's her turn to respond. She lets out a soft moan and can feel herself losing control of this little game, but hell if she makes him stop. Part of her wants this, needs this, if only for some closure.
"You know," he whispers, "I doubt my fiancé would approve of this."
Jackie's eyes widen and she stops moving immediately. Fiancé? He just said fiancé.
She looks into his eyes, searching for a hint of humor that tell her he is only kidding, but she doesn't find it. She slowly gets off his lap and shakes her head slowly. How could she have been so stupid to put herself in this position, again? No matter how much time passes or how much distance she creates between them, she always manages to become a silly girl around him. She loses any inhibition and rationale and hands him all her cards. Why did she think this time would be any different?
She quickly turns from him and rushes out of the room and heads towards the back entrance of the club.
Just like that, Steven Hyde has won.