-CHAPTER 04:

When everyone had left the kitchen for the other room, she touched my arm and looked at me very troubled;

➖How are you, Lauric? You seem very calm today. In fact, you haven't said a word since Janina and Théophile arrived.

➖ME: I'm fine mom. He just gets under my skin sometimes.

She says;

➖I know, but he is part of the family.

If you only knew, I thought, as she handed me the large jar of okra. I carried the tray to the dining room table, came back to help him with the bread and drinks. My in-laws took their usual places at both ends of the table. Théophile and Janina were seated on the two chairs opposite me. I took a chair across from them and made sure I was right across from Janina. I sat down and started to eat. As usual when Théophile was there, he was at the center of the conversation. I only participated when I was asked a direct question. I answered as quickly and briefly as possible and resumed my meal. I noticed that Janina was also extremely quiet despite her father's best attempts to engage her in the conversation. I looked up several times and caught Janina looking at me. I looked away quickly so as not to let everyone know with my eyes what was apparently written on my face. I had fallen madly in love with my wife's younger sister. Soon it was time to go home and I said my quick goodbyes and headed to my car.

On the way home, I began to wonder how long this charade would last. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that there was no way to have an affair and keep it quiet. And to be honest, I realized that I wanted a lot more than an affair. The more I thought about this situation, the more I realized that she couldn't go on. The moment I got home, I made the decision not to pursue Janina any longer.

The next two to three weeks passed and I made no attempt to contact Janina and she made no attempt to contact me. I thought to myself that at that time, she felt about the same as me. As good as it was, it just wasn't something that could go on.

It was early December and Christmas was almost here. I had really started to hate vacations in recent years. Everyone was always so happy and surrounded by their family. With Miriam gone and no kids, Christmas was just plain depressing to me. The extent of my Christmas shopping was a present for the mother-in-law and father-in-law and one for Janina and Théophile. I had no family since I was an only child and my parents were both deceased. I've always waited until the last minute to shop and this year was probably going to be the same. About a week before Christmas, I got the usual call from my in-laws inviting me to Christmas dinner. I told them that I might not be able to make it this year, I might have other plans. I actually had no plans, but the thought of spending hours so close to Janina again was something I didn't think I could bear. Better to stay home and have a quiet day.

On Christmas Eve, I stopped by my in-laws and dropped off presents for them. I told them that I had been invited to a friend's house this year and wished them Merry Christmas. My mother-in-law accompanied me to the car. I knew she wanted to talk to me about something.

She asked me;

➖Lauric, what's been happening to you lately? And don't tell me you're just tired.

I answered;

➖Mom, you know, it's just that time of year.

She answered;

➖No, it's more than that.

I did my best to reassure her, but like most mothers can do, I think she saw through me. I kept making excuses as I got into my car to leave. Once again I wished her a Merry Christmas and walked out of the driveway.

Christmas morning arrived and felt like any other day. I got up, looked ahead and saw some of the neighbor's kids playing with their new toys. I made breakfast and sat down in front of the television. A few hours passed and my cell phone rang. It was Janina. I answered the phone.

She asked;

➖Where are you, Lauric? We're at mom's, she told me you wouldn't come today.

I answered;

➖No, I have other Janina plans.

➖JANINA: Lauric, are you avoiding me?

I tried my best to be convincing;

➖Not at all. I was invited to a friend's house this afternoon and decided to go.

➖JANINA: Okay. Have a nice day, I miss you.

➖ME: I miss you too honey.

The following week was almost over and New Year's Eve was approaching. Again, I had no plan and figured I would spend the holidays alone watching TV. Friday night was New Years Eve, Wednesday I got a call from a long time friend of mine. We had gone to the same high school together and both had played ball later in the same middle school. I had heard that he had just opened some kind of nightclub in the city, but I had never really heard of it. We quickly caught up on each other's lives, not that I had much to say. He told me he was having a big party on New Years Eve at his club. Kind of a grand opening, he explained. He invited me to come, adding that I would be his VIP guest and everything would be on the house. I'm not a big drinker and I'm definitely not the club type. I started to apologize but Pancras didn't hear anything.

He says;

➖You know you have absolutely nothing to do but stay home and be miserable. You'll be here or I'll pick you up, period.

I knew Pancras, he never bluffed. He would come get me. I agreed to go for a while and he gave me the address of the new club. He told me the party would start around 9 p.m. and last until who knows when. He told me to bring whoever I wanted as a guest and that he would honor them as well.

Thursday morning at work I went online and typed in the address of the club and saw it was only a block away from Rivoli. In fact, there was a website for the club. I clicked on the link, it took a while to load. When he did, it started obvious, it just wasn't a club. It was a very upscale club. I had never been to a strip club before, so I didn't know what to expect. All day, I really wanted to call him back and give him an excuse not to go. But knowing Pancras, that wouldn't pass. Soon it was time to leave and come home.

I got home a bit later and saw the recorder light flashing, I had a message. I clicked on the machine and heard Janina's voice. She asked me if I could call her at home when I came in. I picked up the phone and dialed his number. She answered the phone quickly;

➖Hello Lauric. I want to invite you with us tomorrow night. We are going to a big party at the house of one of Théophile's friends.

I answered;

➖Thank you Janina, but I already have plans.

I told him about my invitation to the new Pancras club for the grand opening. I was now glad to have accepted the invitation. A night where Theophile got drunk and hung out with Janina was nothing I wanted to see. The only time he paid attention to her was when he was drinking. And after a few drinks, he usually got rude and rude to her.

She exclaimed;

➖Where are you going? Do you know what kind of club it is?

➖ME: Yes. But I really have to go, I've known Pancras forever.

➖JANINA: Ok I understand, but if you change your mind, let me know.

We hung up and I made dinner and sat down to eat. The phone soon rang again. I answered and this time it was Théophile. He told me that Janina had just told him where I was going tomorrow night. He was very excited and asked;

➖Do you know this is the hottest new club in town?

I answered;

➖Not really. I grew up with the guy who owns it, he invited me.

He asked quickly;

➖Can you bring us with you?

Great, now I'm back to square one. I can spend the evening watching him get dumped and Janina get abused. What a great way to usher in another year.

➖ME: I guess so, if you two really want to go. Are you sure Janina is okay with a strip club, strip club? I mean I've never been there, but I'm sure there won't be many non-working girls there.

➖THÉOPHILE: Oh, that's fine, she'll be fine.

We agreed to meet there around 9 p.m., I didn't want to ride with them, I knew I would like to leave long before Théophile. And you could never convince him that he was in no condition to drive at the end of the night. We agreed to meet in a parking lot next to the club which had secure parking.

I arrived around 9:15 p.m. and parked in the parking lot. I paid the attendant and waited for Janina and Théophile for a few moments. They arrived about 10 minutes later and parked. We greeted each other and headed for the door. I noticed that Janina looked a little uncomfortable. I figured that wasn't his cup of tea, so to speak. We opened the door and walked into a small reception area, and were confronted by two very tall men with black t-shirts that said Security on them. I told one of them that I was a friend of the owner. He walked over to the table and picked up a list and flipped through it. He found my name and gave the three of us a gold bracelet with VIP inscribed on it. We opened the next door and entered the main room.

The place wasn't that crowded, there were open tables just about anywhere you wanted to sit. Both bars were packed and the seats near the stage were full. Two things I immediately noticed. First, the girls who worked in this club were all very attractive. Second, Janina wasn't the only woman in the club. There were several couples seated and a few at the bar. I was glad to see that, I knew it would put Janina more at ease.

A very beautiful girl in a black jacket, white shirt and tie, black panties and lace stockings approached us. She told us she was the hostess tonight and took us to the VIP section on the left. I noticed now that this area was bounded by red velvet ropes and golden poles. We were the first to arrive I guess. I tipped her and then she told me she would tell Pancras I was there. Moments later Pancras came to our table and greeted us. I hadn't seen him for a while, he hadn't changed much. I commented on how good the club looked and once again thanked him for inviting me. We talked for a few more minutes, then he excused himself to greet the others.

We hadn't been seated long when our waitress, another gorgeous blonde came over and took our drink orders. Théophile ordered his usual Jack Daniels & Coke and a glass of wine for Janina. I ordered just an orange juice, I wasn't in the mood to drink. Our drinks arrived moments later, along with an appetizer for the table. Seconds later, the stage lighting changed, the music playing abruptly stopped, and a new song began. The curtains parted and a beautiful red head fell on stage. She moved slowly and deliberately towards the golden pole at the center of the stage. You could see immediately, she was no amateur. She had the whole package, looks and body, and she knew it. She worked the stage and the bar for about five minutes and got a pretty good tip. At the end of the song, the thong was loaded with five and ten euro notes. I smiled and thought to myself that there were no one euro notes here.

For the first hour or so, one after the other, the dancers took turns taking the stage. Each of them was very attractive and extremely fit. The club was now packed and the money was flowing well. Each girl was rewarded with a good reserve after each dance. After a while, the lead dancer, the redhead, came back and did another show. Apparently there were about 8-10 dancers in total and they were starting a new show. Our waitress kept checking us in for 10-15 minutes. Théophile followed her, ordering her a new drink each time she came back. Janina was still on the second floor. I kept looking at her for her reaction to the situation but she seemed at ease. I noticed that Theophile leaned over from time to time and whispered something in her ear. Soon Théophile got up and went to the toilet. Finally we could talk.

I asked;

➖How are you?

➖JANINA: Yes it's fine, I'm fine. This place is really nice. It's not what I imagined in a strip club. I'm really surprised at the couples here.

➖ME: Me too. It's really nice to see you again, Janina.

She gave me her smile and once again I felt those familiar feelings. They quickly relented as Theophile returned to the table. He was starting to get a little loud and he was on his way to another world class drunk. The next hour passed quickly and Théophile had still swallowed four or five glasses. He was officially himself, rude and obnoxious. He started ordering our waitress around and making fun of Janina every time she opened her mouth. I thought it was time to leave. I started looking for Pancras and spotted him towards the back of the club. I excused myself from the table and went to meet him. I told her that I would be leaving soon, but Janina and Théophile would probably stay. I told him that if he had a problem with Théophile, throw him out, that was fine with me. He laughed and told me he wouldn't have any problem, he took care of drunks every night. He told me before leaving that he wanted me to go to one of the three VIP rooms upstairs. I thanked him but told him that I was really ready to go. He refused to accept my goodbye and told me I had to go upstairs at least an hour before leaving. He told me to take Théophile and Janina with me. He waved the hostess we had met to come in and she came. He asked her to take us to Room 1. She smiled, nodded, and motioned for me to follow her. Reluctantly, I followed, motioning for Janina and Théophile to join me. We followed the hostess upstairs to a hallway that had several doors. She took us to a door that had a big gold number 1 on it. She opened the door and ushered us in. The room was a good size but very private. On one wall was a large, semi-circular, black leather couch that appeared to hold about three to four people. Additionally, there were two armless chairs also in black with two side tables in the room. We all sat down on the couch and she took over the drink orders. Our drinks arrived a few moments later and the waitress told us that one of our room attendants would be arriving soon. Moments later, the door opened again and one of the dancers from downstairs appeared. She was a brunette, very pretty with a very hot body. She was wearing a very waxed top and a thong, teal, nothing else. Her breasts were of a good size and very firm.

She exclaimed looking at Janina;

➖Oh good. I love mixed parties. Which of you is Lauric?

I obediently raised my hand, waving at him. She smiled and walked over to me and put her hands on my shoulders. She asked;

➖ So you are the guest of honor. Do you want to be the first or the last?

I answered stupidly;

➖Uh, for what?

She quickly said;

➖Your special dance.

➖ME: Thanks, but I'll pass.

She said;

➖You may want to pass, but that's not an option. All VIPs have a special dance, without exception.

Théophile quickly indicated that he would be delighted to be the first. Now he didn't care how Janina felt, he was way too far away. She looked at him, somewhat annoyed, but nodded in agreement. She walked over to the shelves on the wall that held the stereo equipment, pulled out a CD from the rack, and inserted it. As the music began to play, she walked over to Théophile and stood in front of him.

She says in a very neutral tone;

➖Ok, these are the rules. You only touch what I tell you and when I tell you. You break the rules, the dance is over. No exceptions.

Theophile nodded in agreement, but now he was so drunk that if she had told him she would cut off his ear, he would have agreed. The song started and it moved above Théophile. I looked at Janina and she was looking down at her knees fixing her skirt. She wore a very short beige skirt with a cream colored blouse. The color really suited him. Although she was older than all the young women in the club, she was definitely as beautiful as any of them. I could tell she was really embarrassed to be here. Moreover, she always became very distant when Théophile drank like this. She knew how bad he could get.

The girl who was called Radhia started her dance on Théophile. She would slide down and sit on her knees, rock her hips back and forth, then return to a standing position. Each time, she sat a little longer. On the last trip down, Théophile raised his hand and put his hands on his hips. She quickly knocked them down and shook her head, then continued her dance. I could tell by Theophile's movement that she was beginning to reach him. I have to admit, this girl could really dance. I was getting a little excited just watching. I looked at Janina to see her playing with her skirt again. A minute later, the music stopped and Radhia stood up. She smiled, leaned over and gave Theophile a quick kiss on the cheek.

She asked with a smile;

➖ So, who is my next victim?

TO BE CONTINUED...

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-PAGE: EROTIC+ TV

-TITLE: I HAVE FOUND LOVE AGAIN

-AUTHOR: LOLO