Cherish

Groove Me (20)

"Groove Me" -- King Floyd

Hey there, sugar dumplin'

Let me tell you somethin'

Girl, I've been trying to say now

You look so sweet

And you're so doggone fine

I just can't getcha out of my mind...

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A green bottle filled with ice-cold beer in her hand, Mack traveled up the steps, her destination the second level of Jungle Gem where their party of seven had reserved a booth. Having just finished some vigorous dancing with a couple of gorgeous women wearing skirts that could have belonged to them when they were eight year olds, she was feeling overheated and wanted to rest for a bit. Mack deemed herself lucky when she found Sharon occupying the booth by her lonesome. She had wanted to speak with her privately and now was her chance.

Swallowing a mouthful of the slightly bitter beverage, Mack walked toward her crush, hips gently swaying as she neared her. Sharon failed to notice her until Mack slid into the leather booth and closed the distance between them until their thighs touched underneath the table. Smiling, Mack set the beer on the table and said hello in her sultriest voice.

"Hello, Mack," the nurse politely responded.

"Why aren't you dancing? Everyone else is downstairs shaking their groove thangs."

That managed to get a chuckle out of Sharon. "Maybe later on I'll go shake my groove thang too."

"If you decide to, will you promise to fill in a place for me on your dance card?" Mack ran her index finger along Sharon's armband tattoo consisting of flames surrounding Yin and Yang symbols. Sharon's bicep involuntarily flexed as Mack's finger continued to caress the dark tattoo. The young musician wondered how those arms would feel tightly wrapped around her body. She definitely works out and does it very well, Mack mused.

"I...uh...will do that."

Drawing her hand back, the younger woman offered a pleased smile. "How many tattoos do you have? Or is this the only one? I like it."

"Thanks." Pulling her glass over, Sharon took a sip of Coke. "I have three more." When Mack asked if she could see them, Sharon turned her head toward the left and pointed to the tattoo on the nape of her neck. It was a small indigo blue dragon spitting an orange, red, and blue flame.

"That is awesome, Ronnie." Mack had to reach out and touch that tattoo as well. "I've been thinking about getting a tattoo. You make me wanna get a dragon."

There was a faint smile on the nurse's lips as she turned back to her admirer. "I'll tell my sister that you like her work. She drew what I described and then I took her artwork to my tattoo artist. Here's the third one." Pushing the table back a few inches, Sharon pulled up her right pants leg and showed Mack the row of Chinese characters tattooed down her leg with the word 'serenity' in petite script beneath them. "This is my latest tattoo. Had it done back in February. The Chinese symbols translate into serenity, so I thought I'd have the English meaning tacked on so people wouldn't have to constantly ask what it says." Grinning, she added, "Of course, some people do that anyway."

Not wanting Sharon to get the impression that she was a groper, Mack put her hands in her lap. "It's beautiful, Ronnie. I like how the English translation of serenity is done in purple."

After fixing her pants leg, Sharon pulled the table toward them. "I chose that color because it symbolizes peace of mind and spirituality, which I have been striving for. I chose serenity because I like the softness of the word when I say it and its meaning, which is the condition of peace or tranquility. With the help of my therapist, I've been making some progress."