The club was very loud and active. The music was basically the pop music of today and the early 2000s. There was a DJ booth with a young looking guy spinning, and lights were shooting everywhere with the music, which was pretty cool. A majority of people were dancing, while others sat in the seats that benched around the club, and some at the bar getting a drink.
Leo started bouncing his shoulders a little to the beat. "I think I've missed this. I'm feeling it tonight." Leo fit the setting. He looked like a clubber. "I think I'll go get some dancing in before anything else."
Sage's shoulders were moving, too. "I think I'll join you." They both headed into the crowd of dancing people, disappearing from sight.
Terry faced the bar. "I think I'll go get me a drink before I try and flirt around."
Amara giggled a fake laugh. "I think guys with glasses are so cute." She said, obviously playing with him.
He smiled bright, obviously thinking he had accomplished something. "Really? Well there's a lot you don't know about this guy with glasses." He put an arm over her shoulder and led her towards the bar. It was just the three of us now.
Kai eventually didn't know what to do. I didn't either. He eventually wandered off out of sight, leaving Victoria and I alone. "What do you want to do?" She asked me.
I shrugged. "I never really have been anywhere like this. The closest I've been to is the bar I work in, but it usually just sells drinks and food and doesn't play much music."
She smiled. "Get yourself a drink?"
I shook my head. "Not much. I'm driving."
"Ah." She looked around, and nodded. "We can go sit in the corner booth for a little. It's empty."
I nodded and she led me to the corner where it was mostly empty. There was a booth with a love seat that curved the corner of the wall and a table in the middle. I took a seat at the end of the seat, and Victoria got in on the other side, scooting farther in where she was at the edge of the opposite of the corner from me.
We sat in silence for a little, watching the people in the club dancing, having a great time. Some were dancing alone, while others danced with friends, and even some were dancing really close to one another, and it was easy to tell what was on their mind.
My curiosity started to kick in, as I needed to have a conversation. "So, how often do you guys do this?" I asked Victoria.
She smiled but kept her eyes on the crowd. "We come to places like these every now and then." She admitted. "Sometimes for food," She glanced at me, reminding me of what she meant. "and sometimes for fun."
I nodded. "Makes sense. How easy is it to find someone that will, ya know, feed you?"
Her smile turned evil very quickly. "I've got my ways."
I couldn't help but laugh. I didn't know what it was, but Victoria, when she's not on duty, had a personality that you could just vibe with. It's like whenever she smiles, you smile.
"Who's the next victim gonna be?" I asked.
She looked around, her eyes tracing over everyone in the room. "Hmm, well, why don't you try and pick one out for me."
I laughed. "Okay. One sec." I looked around, and pointed at this one blonde guy wearing a white button-up that outlined how slim but fit he was, dancing in the crowd. "How about him?"
She shook her head. "Not my type. Not much into blonde guys, or people that wear bright colors."
I smirked. "You're actually picky?"
She looked over at me with eyes that penetrated mine. "Try again."
I looked around, and nodded. "Black tank." The guy was in a black tank with ripped jeans and tattoos all over his ripped arms."
She shook her head. "Nope. Not into ruffians. Can't you tell by the tattoos? He's always in trouble and in jail."
"Tattoos mean you've been to jail now?"
"I can tell by the way it's made. There's always a different style of tattoo when it comes to prison."
I sighed in defeat. "I give up. I am not looking for a toy for you in here."
She laughed. "Wise choice."
We chatted a bit after that, talking about different things. Weather, politics, and even biology. I told her the largest living thing on our planet is the blue whale, and she argued saying that it's actually a wide forest of interconnected trees. We talked about the places we've been, and the people we've met.
Eventually, we saw a room that we didn't notice until now. It didn't say if it was the bathroom or if it was employees only, and we did see random people going in and out, so we decided to go in and check it out. I didn't even notice she had her feet in my lap until we had decided to go check out the room.
After getting up, and making our way to the door, we opened it and I was surprised. What I saw was something I had never seen in real life, only in some movies. There was a little stage, and there were people at tables and at the edge of the platform, throwing money at the topless lady dancing on the pole in the center of it.
I immediately felt embarrassment, and tried to turn around. Victoria put a hand on my shoulder and stopped me. "Let's stay." She said with a smile.
I didn't feel comfortable, but changed my mind and followed her lead inside. The music and atmosphere was different than the main room. The music was slow and steady, and so was the dancing lady. She moved to each beat of the song in a routine, like it was part of her life.
Victoria and I grabbed a seat at a little round table and watched the stage. While doing so, another woman, wearing a cutoff white tee, came up to the table. She made it clear that she wasn't wearing bra, and she had really short shorts that were cut all the way up to the top of her thighs.
"Anything I can get you two?" She asked in a voice that sounded older than both of us.
I shook my head, staring at the table instead of her. "I'm good."
I felt a pair of hands on my shoulder. The woman was behind me, rubbing my shoulders. "How about a little private dance? I'm even considering it being half of what I charge because of how cute you are."
I stayed silent, feeling utterly nervous. I didn't move or anything. I looked at Victoria, who had a satisfied look on her face. She waved the lady's attention over to her. "Sorry, but he's only here to watch the show on stage."
"Oh really? Well, what a shame. I would've loved to see his face with just us alone." She told Victoria. "What about you? I like dancing for girls, too"
Victoria smiled a seductive grin. "Tempting offer, but I'll pass. Although I'm into females, the only one I'm seeing naked is a man tonight." She looked at me, and winked with the same smile on her face.
The stripper over me let out a sigh. "I see. I didn't mean anything by it. I didn't know you two were together."
"Oh, no. Don't apologize. It's your job, and it's only professional." Victoria reassured her.
The lady walked away, leaving Victoria to continue watching the dance, and Victoria leaving me in confusion. "'the only one I'm seeing naked is a man tonight'?" I repeated. "You found someone?"
She smirked. "She assumed I was talking about you." She told me while continuing to watch the show.
She was avoiding the question. "And were you?"
She rolled her eyes towards me while keeping her head still. "If I wanted you, you'd be under my control by now. And I can say things like this and everyone will just think I'm a dominatrix."
I huffed. "Still doesn't answer my question." The dance had ended, and the stripper had picked up the cash she had earned and made her way backstage. "Can we get out of here now?"
She rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "Fine, you little schoolboy."
We started to head out. On the side we were at, there were rooms that were for private dances. People started exiting, and to my surprise, Kai walked out of one of them. He turned and saw us and froze. "Oh... Hey..." He said as we came up to him.
I shook my head. "I don't wanna know." I told him.
The three of us headed out and looked back at the bar. We made our way there. A few chairs from where we sat was Terry and Amara, laughing and having a good time. Eventually they made their way towards us. Terry was already tipsy.
Eventually, out of the crowd, Sage and Leo came jogging towards us, laughing and taking a seat beside us, Leo sitting beside Amara and Sage stood by my side. "Man this place is fun." He said while panting.
I nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you guys are having fun." I told him.
"What, you're not having fun?" Victoria asked.
I shook my head. "That's not what I meant-"
Suddenly, a guy came and shoved Sage out of the way. "Get me a beer please." He ordered the bartender.
This guy was around my height. If not, a little taller. He looked like he weighed maybe 20 more pounds than me. He was wearing a denim vest with the sleeves torn off and light blue jeans that matched. He was bald and had a nose ring, and was maybe around 30 years old with a few tattoos here and there.
"Watch it, man." Sage told him, not being rude at all. I know Sage, and I know when he's being aggressive or not.
The guy turned and looked at Sage. "I've already 'watched' enough of you and your boyfriend over there, faggot." He snapped at Sage.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Sage's fists balled, and his breathing increased.
"You heard me." The guy continued. "I'm not gonna sit around and wait for some pansy ass-muncher so I can get a drink."
I stood up and put my hands on Sage's shoulder and immediately snatched him back. He had already swung at the guy, and it took Kai and Victoria to hold him back while he was kicking to get loose and get to the guy.
The guy was standing there with a hungry smile on his face. "That's right, come get your ass cut, kid." He teased.
"You need to watch your mouth." Kai said suddenly, obviously offended by his words as well.
"Oh you want some too, weasel?" He teased Kai too. How mature, calling someone an animal.
Kai didn't say anything, but stared a hole through the man. Terry was even riled up in his drunken stupor. "Get this supremacist outta here!" He yelled.
We were attracting a crowd. Everyone was watching now. I had to play it off so we wouldn't cause any trouble. Regardless, however, I also felt pissed by the guy's hateful comments towards Sage.
I looked at him, taking a step in between him and my group. "Look, you can't just say things like that around people you don't know." I told him. "You don't know what they go through."
The guy smirked and lifted his chin up, as if he was so much more bigger than me, which he was. "Yeah, okay kid. Keep telling me that, and it'll make me do it even more."
I was losing my patience. "Why do you gotta be an asshole, man?"
He shoved me. "What are you gonna do about it, bud? Sue me for freedom of speech?"
"James! Don't let him do that to you." Sage yelled at me.
I recovered, and I was a little less patient than before, but I held my composure. "Sage, shut up. We're leaving." It was better not to make the scene here any worse than it already was.
As I turned to start leaving, the guy couldn't let it be. "Yeah, take your little boyfriends out of here. If I was like that guy, I'd kill myself knowing that I would never be accepted.
I stopped, and I couldn't take it anymore. I lost it. I balled my fist, and, with as much force as I could muster, I spun and knocked the guy in the jaw. He fell to the floor, holding his face in shock. Everyone was surprised, including Sage and the rest of the group.
I saw the looks on their faces. "What?" I asked, still angry.
Suddenly I heard the guy get back to his feet, and I faced him as he threw both hands onto my shoulders and pushed, trying to force me to the ground, however I used his momentum, put both hands around the back of his head, and fell, drilling my feet into his groin and flipping him onto the floor.
I rolled backwards on top of him and started laying waste. I punched hard, seeing the bruises start to form and swell, and the blood from his mouth start to run. He threw a few punches up, and one hit my nose and made it bleed, but it didn't phase me, because I couldn't stop myself.
It took Kai and Sage to get me off of the guy. This time, he didn't get up. He was out cold, and I had blood and swellings on my fists. We needed to get out of here fast before cops showed up, so we made our way out quick, with the crowds of people moving for us to go, some even cheering me on for the fight.
...................................
While in the car, after saying goodbye to Victoria and the others, Sage and Terry were so hyped up. "Damn! Our James can throw hands." Sage had said.
"Where-" Terry burped. "did you learn to fight that aggressively?"
I shook my head. "Let's just get home." I didn't want to talk about it because that wasn't my character. That wasn't ME tonight.
.......................................
I had dropped everyone off and had gotten home. When I did, I immediately got in bed and shut my eyes. I only opened them again when I had gotten a text on my phone. It was an unknown number, but it turned out to be Victoria.
I'm sorry for the night not going so well. She had texted. I wish things could've been better.
I texted her back. I actually had a nice time.