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  Immediately I lose them both among the shadows. ‘Guys?’ I call, with no response. So that’s how they want to play it, I resolve and go into stealth mode myself. Harkening back to the days of hide-and-seek with my brothers, I find it fun to duck behind mirrors and creep around corners, hoping to surprise one of them before they find me. A literal game of cat and mouse is playing out between us.

  I spot Jimmy on the spinning floor and jump on, intending to startle him. It’s silly, but I still shout ‘Boo!’ and find myself hanging on to him for balance.

  ‘There you are,’ he says, making a point to hold me at arm’s length. He has to squint, trying to focus on my face in the strobe lights. Then, his eyes trail to my chest, still wet from our water fight. What he can’t see clearly he proceeds to feel, rubbing his fingers into my open collar.

  His hand moves under my bra straps and his parted lips graze against my face, zigzagging from one side to the next while he’s caressing my breast. He’s placed my hand between his legs and I can feel his dick growing inside his trousers.

  ‘Tina, what you do to me ...’ I can hardly hear him; he murmurs the words so slightly. I’m not even sure that he’s said it, but it’s enough to pique my interest.

  Holding me by my waist and keeping me steady on the turntable, he lowers himself to his knees and softly kisses my stomach as I hold up my shirt. Am I going to take the upper hand now? The prospect excites me. We might be breaking our agreement, but I am determined that Jimmy is not going to get the best of me this time.

  His tongue circles my belly button and his kisses are gentle nibbles. On his knees in front of me, I draw my fingers through his curly hair, watching as those kisses electrify my skin with their sweetness. Spinning around and around, I’m suspended in time by them, delighting in every second we spend there.

  When I finally look up, Lance is rounding the corner. Even though I’m enjoying those tender kisses, mischief is calling me. I hold Lance’s gaze as best I can as he innocently tries to make us out in the light bursts. He continues towards us in response to my flirty wave and I tap Jimmy on the shoulder to let him know we have company, bringing him to his feet. Spotting Lance, he gazes sideways at me, searching for a sign of what I’m thinking. Who’s going to be the one to make the next play and what is it going to be? This time around, I’m in the driver’s seat.

  ‘You want to take a spin?’ I call to Lance and push Jimmy back a little. A fresh grin spreads across Jimmy’s face as he recognises a new course being charted. Like a master, proud of his student, he steps aside to watch.

  Lance is wasted, maybe even more than Jimmy or I. Additionally, he doesn’t have a clue about the unspoken dynamic being played out. He’s just having a good time, and, after all, so am I. Taking his hands, I engage him in a playful game of chicken on the turntable by pressing into him and attempting to knock him off balance. He chuckles a little when I’m nearly successful a few times. On my last attempt, he’s definitely about to fall off and I grab him by his shirt. Pulling him closer, I recognise startled confusion on his face. On the contrary, Jimmy is keenly aware of what’s about to happen.

  I begin to kiss Lance and Jimmy stands motionless, arms folded and slowly nodding his head in knowing approval. He’s surely bluffing; pretending not to be dismantled by watching me with his friend. I gamble that inside, he’s dying to rip me off of him and take me for himself. And so, I play on. Nature takes its course with Lance, and in no time, he’s lustily running his hands over my body in response to the depth of my kiss. His mouth is sloppy on mine, hastily devouring me with impatience. Though needful and intense, the efforts he makes do not draw nearly as lubricating a response as Jimmy’s soft lips moments before. Still, I certainly do my best to make Jimmy think so. I turn in Lance’s arms, and his hands continue to travel across the front of my torso. In and out of my shirt and between my thighs; he can’t get enough. As predicted, he’s the willing yet unwitting co-star in my performance and Jimmy does not take his eyes off of us.

  Finally, when he can’t remain on the sidelines any longer, he steps forward and reaches out, catching a piece of my shirt in between his fingers for a moment. I turn back around to face Lance and throw my arms around his neck, thrusting my tongue into his mouth once more. Jimmy steps onto the turntable and pulls at my waist. I hold on tight to Lance, enjoying every minute that I keep him waiting. When he realises that I’m not going to let go, he attempts to persuade me from behind.

  It’s a mix of sensations so overwhelming that my legs waver underneath me. Wedged in between their bodies, their hands trade positions between my legs and on my hips. I’m losing track of who’s rubbing me where and all our skin is a mix of black and white in the strobe. My mouth is fixed with Lance’s as Jimmy twirls his tongue on my neck. Lightning enters my body through his circular licks, then exits from my lips and into Lance. Our chain of kisses is so erotic, the mere notion makes me cream as much. All the while, we continue to spin and the flashing lights make it like a dream.

  Jimmy reaches around the front of me and slides his hand down my belly, into the front of my pants. With a demanding grope, he presses me back into his groin. I cling to Lance’s rippled deltoids and, with my back arched, I throw my head against Jimmy’s shoulder. In response, Jimmy places his hand under my chin, pulling my head into him as he gently bites my jaw. My shirt is open now, though I don’t know which one of them has popped my buttons. With my breasts exposed from my bra, Lance hungrily floods me with his wet kisses. It is a raucous scene as I play the role of the rope in a sexy tug of war.

  ‘Enough!’ I hear Jimmy seethe in my ear. Laughter pours from my lips in response to his request and lights the air around us. He pulls my hair in an indulgent show of domination that gives me chills. ‘That’s enough,’ he repeats softly, taking his other hand and running his fingertip along my jawline and down my neck. Satisfied that I’ve won that round, I allow him to pull me away from Lance.

  Poor Lance is positively dizzy by the time I release him. Left alone on the turntable, he stumbles backward and lands on his ass.

  ‘Dude, you’re done.’ Jimmy offers him his arm and helps him to his feet.

  Still woozy, he insists he’s all right. ‘No, I’m good, really. Where are we headed next?’ he asks, with hopes of living out the fantasy we have started.

  But Jimmy is already on his cellphone. ‘I’m calling you a cab, my man. This is the end of the road.’ He fixes him with a few extra seconds of eye contact and – despite his drunk and horny state – Lance understands the underlying message: he’s not invited to the after party.

  We all stagger through the exit of the funhouse, wired from the adventure inside. On the way out, the attendant jokes about us getting lost. I guess we had been in there longer than usual. After depositing Lance back at Finnegan’s, Jimmy escorts me to his car.

  ‘Get in,’ he instructs in a dark voice, holding the door open for me. I pause a moment and he twists the corner of his mouth in a smirk, sweetly adding, ‘Please.’

  I respond by ducking inside.

  ‘Are you ready?’ he asks once in the driver’s seat.

  ‘Are you?’ I counter. Now I’m bluffing, not sure what he has up his sleeve. He pulls out of the parking space and shifts up to fifth gear. Thunder claps overhead, rattling my nerves even more. What has happened to keeping it in my pants? I’m sure that I won’t be able to. He grins at my bravado and presses the accelerator, propelling us down the street. The sly look in his eye compels me to ask, ‘Where are you taking me?’

  ‘Only where you want to go, Tina.’ He turns right at the next light bringing us deeper into downtown.

  ‘You and your cryptic bullshit, Jimmy. Just tell me where we’re going,’ I demand, unable to hide my irritation. What I want him to say is: ‘To my place where I’m going to fuck your brains out’ but instead, he just shakes his head.

  In less than ten minutes, I have clearly lost my advantage, but excitement is quelling any feelings of uncertainty as I lay
my destiny in his reckless hands. I’m quiet the rest of the way, betrayed by my intrigue about the balance of the evening. Back at the funhouse, I enjoyed teasing Jimmy by getting a little naughty with Lance. Whether he intended on showing me or not, I know that I’ve gotten under his skin. Now I feel myself falling back under his spell, eager to know where the path he’s blazing will take me.

  I check myself in the passenger mirror. I’m a mess to say the least. At the next red light, I scoop my tousled hair into a loose ponytail and reapply some red lipstick, trying to put myself back together some. I’ve tied my shirt up around my waist after losing a few buttons to Jimmy and Lance in the funhouse. It’s dry again and black lace peeks out from my open collar. I only hope I look OK for what’s next.

  Like he’s read my mind, Jimmy gives me reassurance. ‘You don’t need any of that stuff, Tina. You’re beautiful no matter what.’ He looks almost embarrassed by the gravity of his tone. ‘You don’t even have to try.’

  He’s smiling at me with a sincerity rarely seen in his eyes and I only want to kiss him. Raising my hand to his angled jaw, I guide his lips to mine and sink into them with all the fire that’s been burning inside of me over the past two weeks. Racing from the base of my spine to the top of my head is pure lust, plaguing me since Jimmy first opened the doors to his psychological lair. But more than that, our kiss makes me aware of a surprising tenderness in Jimmy, a vulnerability that persists in the slow churning of his tongue and the soft, blissful sweeps of his lips. I, for one, am bubbling over inside and loving the splendour of our connection. Then, abruptly he pulls away and I detect a glimmer of fear in his expression before he throws the car into gear and speeds off through the green light.

  ‘You know, I did you a favour tonight. Lance is a terrible fuck,’ he’s saying and checking my reaction.

  I take the bait. ‘Oh yeah, how do you know?’

  ‘I know, because his wife never stops telling me.’ He’s smirking like he has just delivered the punch line.

  ‘You’re fucking his wife?’ I turn to him with a furrowed brow, anxious for the answer.

  ‘Not exactly.’

  ‘Just fucking with her,’ I return, knowing what he means. She’s caught in his web the way I am. How many women does he have on his string?

  Jimmy laughs a little and changes the subject, putting the focus on me. ‘So, tell me about what happened last week. You got into some kind of trouble with the law?’

  It’s my turn to smile now, suddenly eager to share the entire story. ‘Like I said before, I went shopping after leaving work and ended up stealing a dress.’

  Jimmy is shaking his head in amusement and I press on with the other details. ‘Then, when the security guard caught me, I jacked him off and he let me go.’

  He jerks the wheel suddenly and pulls over to the curb, a very real look of shock on his face. ‘What?’

  ‘It was incredibly hot.’ I search his features for signs of understanding. Of all people, I expected him to relate.

  He’s searching my face for truth. ‘You really did that?’

  Does he approve? Is he disgusted? I can’t tell. Then finally, his expression relaxes. ‘That must have been one hell of a handjob. I wish I could have seen it.’

  I smile back at him. ‘Me too, but you were there in spirit.’ Together we chuckle a bit at the concept.

  ‘If you like, I can give you an instant replay,’ I coax, reaching for his zipper. He recoils from me, though he’s still grinning.

  ‘Soon. We’re almost there. You can show me what you’re made of then.’

  Chapter Five – Noemi

  MY GUILTY CONSCIENCE IS nagging me for ditching my shift at the hospital. I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else but Jimmy. When he called to find out if I was working the club tonight, I wasn’t about to say no. I wasn’t sure why he was asking either, but really, it didn’t matter. The thought of him always brings a smile to my face and the anticipation of seeing him tonight has me bouncing around the joint like the fucking Easter Bunny.

  ‘Why are you in such a good mood? You’re not even supposed to be working tonight,’ Stacy, one of the other waitresses, says, huffing in annoyance.

  ‘I switched with Kim,’ I answer simply. ‘Besides, half the time you’re complaining about what a bitch I’m being,’ I jibe with a toothy grin and a snap of my bar towel. ‘Just can’t win with you, huh?’

  For better or for worse, the group I work with is like a family. There hasn’t been someone new in years; in fact, as clubs go, I think it’s the best one to work at in town. The tips are amazing because we cater to a select upscale clientele. For those who know, the club offers a tastefully sexy experience and a chance to experience something sexy for every taste. Some nights are dedicated to the BDSM crowd and the stages are full of pierced self-avowed freaks engaged in all types of extreme debauchery. Other themes include candling and nude body painting. But on Fridays and Saturdays, the vibe is smooth and relaxed while drinks pour and the dancers entertain among the techno music and late-night chatter that fills the room. Hookah pipes encourage sharing in more ways than one, as it’s common to find couples huddled together around them on the velvet couches that litter the space.

  Now fully lit and empty except for the bar staff, the place feels completely different and I’m still impressed by the transformation it undergoes to a red light district-style lounge five nights a week.

  ‘Oh, I get it,’ Stacy says, leaning against the register and watching me check my hair in the mirrored wall. ‘You’re thinking that guy Jimmy will run through here tonight.’

  ‘Whatever,’ I say, dismissing her. But she’s not easily dissuaded.

  ‘My ass – you’re glued to him every time he comes in here.’

  ‘What business is it of yours anyway?’

  ‘I’m just saying, is all.’ She gives me a sideways glance, not able to leave well enough alone. ‘You know that he’s fucked just about every girl in here, right?’

  I know nothing of the sort. ‘Since when? He never even talks to anyone but me.’

  ‘Yeah, now you’re the only one he makes chitchat with, but before you got hired – shit, he’d leave here with a different girl every night, sometimes two or three.’

  ‘You?’

  ‘Not me,’ she smirks. ‘You know I don’t get down like that.’ Stacy leans forward and twirls a piece of my hair around her finger. ‘But I did get to watch once ... in the back room, after closing.’

  It’s more than a little disturbing to imagine Jimmy, my Jimmy , with any of these chicks I work with. Why do I feel like such a fool? He hasn’t told me any different – not that he owes me an explanation either. But how come he hasn’t tried to get with me? What the hell?

  Everything about this is telling me not to, but I whip out my cell to call him anyway.

  I’m surprised when it doesn’t go to voicemail. ‘Hey, I’ll be by later,’ he says with the noise of a crowded room in the background. ‘I’m bringing a friend.’

  I wonder if he’s bringing a guest especially for me. ‘Really, what’s his name?’

  ‘I’ll introduce you to her when we get there.’

  ‘Her?’ My mouth is open.

  ‘Yes. You’ll like her.’ Someone calls him out of the jumble of voices; he responds, ‘Yeah, get me another beer.’

  ‘Are you fucking her?’ I can’t believe how jealous I sound.

  ‘What? Noemi, where is this coming from?’ He sounds concerned.

  ‘I just can’t understand why–’

  ‘Ohhhh! Not another home run!’ I hear loud booing coming from around him. ‘Listen, I’ll see you soon,’ he says and hangs up.

  I knew that I shouldn’t have called him. I feel even more twisted than before and my good mood – totally squashed.

  Stacy snickers in the presence of my frown and steps closer. ‘Want me to help put a smile back on that pretty face of yours?’ It’s only the hundredth time she’s propositioned me and, by now, it’s a bit of a jo
ke between us.

  ‘You know I don’t get down like that ,’ I say, as she’s able to bring a smile to my face after all.

  Around 10 p.m., the first few well-dressed couples wander in for some after-dinner port and a little visual stimulation. I can always tell the newbies. After getting past our hulky bouncer and making their way down the narrow blue-lit hall, lined with black-and-white nude photography, they can already feel the techno base vibrating in their chest through the heavy stainless door. Once inside, they nervously look for a table to park themselves, trying not to stare too hard at the scantily-clad male and female dancers winding themselves around each other in erotic motion. On platforms throughout, the entertainers bump and grind alone, in pairs and in groups of all combinations; a feast for their eyes I’m sure they’ve never experienced before.

  Jimmy finally arrives around 11.30 p.m. with a petite brown-skinned young woman looking the part of the ingénue. He leads her over to one of the sofas at the edge of our banquet of muscles and curves. From across the room, I watch as she smiles self-consciously and tucks herself into his shoulder. She’s cute, I guess – longish hair piled into a loose top ponytail and big wide eyes. But she looks nothing like what I expected. I suppose I expected her to look like me.

  My first glimpse of a woman on Jimmy’s arm has me hoping she is really just a friend. But what kind of friend? I rub my thumb against my chin considering what Stacy told me earlier, about Jimmy sleeping with practically every girl in here. Why had he been turning me down left and right? The whole thing is fucking with my head and I’m beginning to think that the decadent words I love to hear haven’t been just a game between us; they’ve been a joke.

  Stacy walks over to me. ‘I’ll take his table if you’re not going to,’ she says, ready with a tray.

  I straighten my black miniskirt and tell her, ‘No. I got it.’

  Taking a deep breath, I make my way to them. With proficiency, I dispense two cocktail napkins, my cleavage pouring from my white collared shirt as always. ‘Hello, Jimmy,’ I say coolly as the woman glances curiously in my direction.