Chandler stands once the show is done, but I stay rooted to my seat. I can't remove my eyes from the stage, not while the little mermaid is still circling my mind. A small laugh sounds from above me, but I ignore it.

"Sutton, are you okay?" Chandler asks, but it sounds further away. I glance up at my boss, shaking my head to rid the spell I'm under.

"Who was that?" I question, my blue eyes wide in astonishment.

And he studies me, making me uncomfortable. "Listen, Sutton. That was a stripper, okay? I suggest you clear away whatever false feelings you're experiencing."

"Not false," I mumble, looking around and hoping to spot Ariel wandering around. "She watched me and I watched her."

With a sigh, Chandler pats my shoulder. "Listen, I'm going to go look for Chance. He's probably wasted and vomiting in a toilet somewhere."

Without waiting for a reply, Chandler makes his way to the bar. I only nod, even when I realize my boss has already walked away. Facing the stage, I look to where the timer sits. Will there be another show? Will I see Ariel again? I can't help the questions that swirl around my head. I'm infatuated and as the seconds pass, I think it may be love at first sight.

"Sutton, listen, we have to go," Chandler says frantically, coming out of nowhere. He motions for me to get up, but I don't. All I do is look at him with furrowed eyebrows, wondering why our night is being cut so short.

I shake my head. "No, I think I'm gonna stay."

"Fuck me," Chandler mutters, frustrated. The skin between his eyebrows crinkles as he furrows them. "I don't have time for this. Chance is missing and we need to go find him, Sutton. Let's go."

"No, you go." My voice is soft as I shake my head once again. "I'll be okay, really. I'll get a cab home soon, but I can't go now."

We're quiet and Chandler stares at me. His green eyes reflect confliction. They jump to the exit quickly before turning to me. Perhaps he's afraid to leave me alone because he sees me as weak. Perhaps he's afraid something will happen to me because he only sees me as this nervous, anxiety filled kid. But I'm putting my foot down now.

"Alright, listen—" Chandler pulls his wallet out. "I swear to God, Sutton, if I don't find a text on my phone at midnight, you're fired, then I'm going to the police."

His claim surprises me. I never expected my boss, Chandler Novak, to show he cared like this. And looking at him, I see it's just as much of a surprise for him as it is for me. Chandler hands me a couple of bills, then storms off. He needs to find his cousin, so I'm not upset by his new lack of presence.

Shaking my head, I snap out of my blank stare. I look around and reprimand myself in my head. Why the hell did I say he can go without me? Now I'm in an unfamiliar place, and it may be near impossible to hail a cab when the time comes. Letting out a sigh, I stand and stretch before looking around once again. Maybe Chandler is still around so I can catch him.

Deciding to look on the brighter side, I begin making my way around the club. My shoulders continuously graze other men and even some women as I walk. It seems the place has become a little more crowded since Ariel's show. Is it because of her or because it's a Saturday night and these guys have nothing better to do? Am I really in a place to judge, though? I let my boss and my boss' cousin drag me here. Or rather, I was almost happy to come along.

Nevertheless, I'm ready to go now that my group has disbanded. Making my way around one last time, I head towards a viable exit. I move past the bar and the main stage towards a section that's hidden by a blood red velvet curtain. Part of me knows this isn't the exit, but part of me is choosing to stay ignorant towards that fact—the larger part of me, that is. It overshadows the sensible side, so I continue towards it.

A guard stands outside the curtain. I'm not sure what to do in the presence of a man whose biceps are the size of my head. I also don't know how to continue past this point. Am I meant to talk to the guard? Ask what the point of this section is? I don't know and suddenly my heart is trying to beat out of my chest.

When I walk up to him, he drills me with his eyes. The man, big and bulky, crosses his arms in front of him. As I say nothing, he raises an eyebrow.

"You got something you want to see?" he asks, startling me with the resonance of his voice. "Well? Speak up."

"Um... a private dance?" In my head, I reprimand myself for the childish crack in my voice. This is one of the few things I know about exotic dancers. They offer private dances.

"Password?" He gives me a smug look, squaring his shoulders and spreading his legs.

Another password? This place must be off the grid for everything to be so secretive.

"Sugar... tits?" My cheeks glow at the word I just spoke. My typical language is never dirty, yet now it is. And it's just

My heart falls into my stomach as the guard rolls his eyes and steps aside. A velvet rope reveals itself as he moves to the right. Grabbing it, he unlocks one side and stares at me expectantly. For a full thirty seconds, I just watch the man. Again, he raises an eyebrow.

"I don't have all day." His words spur me on, pushing me to move.

Gripping the doorknob, one twist sends it opening. Unlike the pink lit main room, this hall has dim fluorescent lighting. Eight doors line the walls, four on each side. The ones on the left feature all male names while the right has female names.

In my chest, my heart seizes up. The trek down the hall is slow as I scan each name on the doors. Who knows if she even has a door here? Disappointment wells in me and I get ready for my hopes to be crushed. The third door reads Yummy and I sigh. The last one has to be a different name. There's no way my luck will be that good. Closing my eyes, I take a final step. Turning my body to face the last door, I pry my eyes open. A breath whooshes out of me.

Right there, in silver gleaming letters, is Ariel.

Voluntarily, I smile at the sight of her name scrawled on the smooth painted wood. I lift my hand and hesitate for a moment, wondering if this is the right choice. Just knock.

I close my eyes, then bang my fist against the door in a gentle knock, three times. Silence meets my ears, save for the muffled music coming from the other rooms. Sighing, I drop my head before I turn on my heel. Not two steps later does the door open behind me.

"Looking for someone?" a smooth and sultry voice asks from behind me.

Turning again, I meet the expectant gaze of Ariel. Up close, I can now see that her eyes are a honey brown which compliment her tan skin. With this better inspection, I can also see that her hair is weird, almost like it's not attached to her head. Either way, she's still beautiful.

"Yes?" she speaks again, gifting me with her melodic voice.

"Ariel..." I trail, my voice a whisper as I'm finally able to squeeze the words out. She enthralls me, no doubt about it.

"Yes," Ariel says slowly, nodding. She tilts her head to the side, the red locks shifting over her shoulder. "Did you come for a dance, or are you just here to talk?"

I furrow my eyebrows. Glancing from side to side, I'm unsure of what to say. "We can just talk?" I then ask. It seems odd to come to a strip club for a talk, but what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.

Ariel laughs. The giggle is soft and abrupt. When she stops, she lifts a hand out and grips the front of my shirt. I hate to admit it, but the action is unexpected, causing me to shift back unexpectedly. But I'm not sure if I'm extremely light or if Ariel is just unnaturally strong. She keeps a firm hold on me, even pulling me towards her a bit.

"Come on in, pretty boy." She gives me a soft smile before yanking me into the room.

I stumble over my own feet as I'm pulled inside. As I step in and get my balance intact, I study the place. The lighting here is normal, bright fluorescent and not pink or red. There's a pole right in the middle of the room, a chair positioned in front of it. Across from those items is a cream-colored suede couch. The walls are painted a pretty, pastel pink that somehow reminds me of Easter. Looking at the other side of the space, I catch my reflection in the vanity that sits against the wall. To match the couch, a cream-colored cushioned stool is placed in front of it. Next to the vanity is a rack of clothes. Or, at least, a rack of lingerie.

"This is your room?" I ask as I take a final look around.

"It is," Ariel answers. She steps towards me and reaches for my hand. "Did you want a dance?"

I look down at Ariel, just now noticing the considerable height difference. I have to be at least half a foot taller than her. It makes her seem dainty, almost, or it gives her an aura of innocence. "Dance? Like... slow dance?"

Ariel turns around and walks to her clothes rack. She gives a fleeting glance to me, shaking her head. "No, a dance. Like you sit and I dance on you. You can also sit and I can dance on the pole, whatever you want, baby."

My Adam's apple bobs as I gulp. I look over at the couch, then move my gaze to the chair. Blowing out a nervous breath, I return my eyes to Ariel. Her back faces me as she rifles through her assorted lingerie, shifting the pieces left and right.

"We don't dance together?" The question must sound stupid, since she just told me how things work. I'm also sure that I'm a dead man by how many times my heart has sputtered and stopped. It can't be natural or healthy.

Ariel raises an eyebrow once again. She turns around and lifts her arms up, crossing them as she juts one hip out. My eyes trail down the curve of her waist, landing on the hip that's out. Widening them—my eyes, that is—I take in her form. I've never been so close to a woman before. Let alone a barely clothed one.

She steps towards me until we're chest to chest. The plushness of her breasts press against my much harder front. Our combined warmths mix and mingle as we breathe each other in. Though I'm not sure if I'm even breathing.

"Sure, pretty boy. Let's dance." Ariel smirks, bringing her arms around my neck.

I'm stiff and unknowing of how to go about this. My mother is the only woman I've ever touched, and that's because she's always smothering me with hugs and love. There's Amy, but we've never touched like this. That's always been platonic.

"You've never danced?" Ariel pulls away. She gives me a questioning look, her eyebrows coming down. "Hold on."

I watch her as she walks to the vanity where her phone rests. Rapidly, her fingers tap against the screen a few times before music comes on. It's slow and melodic, like something a person would hear in a romance movie. My cheeks blaze as I start tapping my fingers against my leg, going with the beat. But it's more of an awkward tick than anything.

Ariel makes her way back over to me. "You take these," she grabs my hands, "and place them here." Ariel sets them on her hips, causing me to subconsciously grip them.

Placing her arms around my neck again, she gives me a small smile. In a slow motion, she begins swaying her hips. Now that I'm up close once again, I can see the beautiful color of her eyes again. Golden yellow, despite the shade being rare. In the light, they seem to brighten and sparkle, almost like they're casting a spell. More than I already am, it makes me nervous.

Everything about her is hypnotizing. Her odd-colored eyes, her red hair that glows unnaturally, and her tan skin that matches her irises oh so well.

Especially the sway of her hips that's driving me crazy right at this moment.

We're too close and it's getting too hot. Her chest is still pressed against mine and I think I can feel two hard pebbles pressing against me. Without noticing, I squeeze my hands, also squeezing her hips. Ariel's skin is so soft, soft like a baby's. Remembering earlier on how I appreciated the pudge of her stomach, I'm beyond happy to feel that now. She's real to me. Then there's the fact that our pelvises are almost touching. I'm aroused and I don't know what to do about that.

"Yeah, now you've got it, pretty boy." Ariel smiles up at him. She continues to move her hips from side to side, even going as far as to step closer so that our hips actually touch.

Then I do something I thought I never would. I pull Ariel even closer before bending my head to rest against her shoulder. It's awkward for me since I'm much taller, but I don't care. I just want to feel her more. Our heartbeats mingle just as our breaths do. The song ends and a new one starts, a more upbeat song. But we don't stop. We continue to hold each other and sway to the imaginary sound of a slow, soft song.

I pull back to see her face. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," I tell her, interrupting the silence. "You've trapped me under your spell... like a siren."

Ariel is quiet, her breath stilling. She blinks and presses her cheek against my shoulder. "That's why they call me the little mermaid."