“Down girl,” William whispered in my ear.
“Ew, you guys are gross.” Jane rolled her eyes.
“I’ve been sayin’ the same thing for months! Did anybody listen to me? Noooo,” Adam said, having stepped back from Flem.
“Like I said, you whine,” I admonished.
Chapter Ten
“Can I get y’all a drink?” Adam asked, squinting at me, “It’s usually the only way to shut her up.”
“Always the gentleman, Adam,” I said over the chorus of yes’s.
We told him what we were drinking and he left to get it for us. I went to help him, patting William on the butt as I walked by.
“Need help?” I asked Adam good-naturedly as I approached the bar.
“Nah, you’re alright. Enjoy yer friends.”
I ignored him. “You never told me you were going to make a play for me...”
He was surprised but tried to hide it. He shook his head.
“Look,” I said, “I will just bring it up when I get drunk, so I thought I would do it sober. I hope I didn’t treat you badly or anything. I didn’t know.”
“Jessica, no, of course... Willie was into you long before I even saw you. Given the opportunity, sure, who wouldn’t go after a beautiful girl? And you are, you know. Beautiful. One of the most beautiful girls I ever seen. I wanted to tell you that on occasion, but didn’t want you to take it wrong-like. But you made your choice like Willie did. I knew that. But yeah, if he passed, his loss... so to speak.” Adam blushed and shrugged.
“Were you gearing up for it that night at Froggy’s?” I pushed. I wanted this all out on the table. I didn't want any closeted feelings or anything that might crop up later and put a damper on our friendship. Or worse, his and William's.
Adam shrugged again. “Maybe. Just gettin’ to know you, was all. You’re a handful. Pure evil on occasion, then sweet as pie the next second. Too much of a whirlwind for this country boy. It worked out like it shoulda. Willie needs a strong hand to keep him in line, and you need a guy that won’t backhand you.”
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, slapping his arm.
He laughed and hugged my shoulders. “Nah, you know I’m kidding. But yeah, it worked out like it shoulda. You and Willie fit like a glove. I was just admiring the real estate.”
“Cool.” I nodded with finality. It was like I’d thought. I wasn’t what he wanted. Granted, he didn’t seem to know what he wanted, but he was right—while he was strong and tough and manly, he was a pushover at heart. I would walk all over him then feel badly about it. William at least made me work to get what I wanted, which made it all the sweeter when I eventually did.
“I wanted to clear the air,” I said, watching the bartender make our drinks. “You are a good guy, Charlie Brown. And besides, now you got even prettier girls you can hook up with. Lump makes me look like a street corner girl.”
He shook his head. “I mean, yeah, all you girls is pretty! But that girl...Lump? Queer names y’all got. Lump is damn pretty, sure. Not denyin’ that. But she ain’t any prettier‘n you if you wanna know the truth. Don’t mean nothin’ by it. Just callin’ it like I see it. You are just as beautiful, each of you in your own way.”
I scoffed at him.
“I think a lot of that happened when you started gettin’ close to Willie, though,” he said, contemplative. “Seems like he lit some kinda spark in you‘r somethin’. Him, too. Spark I mean, not beauty.” He waved his hand in front of his face. “Listen to me! I sound like a g*y from San Francisco with all this feelings ‘n crap.” He shook his head.
“Wow, that was not very P.C. of you, Adam. But thanks.” I leaned on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the check. I grabbed three drinks in a pyramid so I could carry them. “Shall we?”
He nodded, slightly relieved and definitely embarrassed.
When he was grabbing drinks I looked at him again. If it wasn’t for William, I would have counted myself lucky to get Adam. He was all kinds of good. Tall, handsome, hardworking, a gentleman, a lot of fun to be around, and someone you could count on. Yes, I might walk all over him, but I was a head-strong jackass. If he got a more even-tempered girl with a dose of patience, she’d get a great guy in him. I really hoped he’d find it.
Back with everyone, we toasted and drank. More men joined us, since the girls were starting to get their flirt on, but the dance floor was starting to fill up and dancing was necessary. I grabbed Flem by the wrist and pulled. She grabbed Claire who pushed Lump who glared at Jane who in turn glared at me.
“Dance!” I yelled.
“Hot men!” Jane yelled back.
Steve—I think that was his name—beamed. He thought he was getting some.
He was wrong.
I pulled harder, noticing Moose nudge Adam and point. They were no doubt pleased I was getting my aggression out on the girls rather than them. Little did they know, I was just getting practice. I’d be back annoying them soon enough, with more force!
With a little more pull, I got the ladies, one and all, on our way to the dance floor. We left our area with a trail of boys in our wake. We walked along the railing to the stairs, looking down at what we would encounter, or back at what was left behind.
“Some serious lookers in that group!” Flem yelled over the music.
“Would it be uncomfortable for you if there was a one-night-stand?” Jane yelled from behind me somewhere.
We congregated at the stairs. Across the large expanse of space in from of me I could see William watching me with a smile, talking to the guys around him. We were still, easily, the prettiest girls in the club. Easily. More lookers would definitely come, but they didn’t have what we did—mayhem! Hot and exciting, watch out!
“Don’t touch anyone with a girlfriend. Don’t do more than one in the group. Don’t put yourself on display. Other than that, good hunting.”
“Should we call dibs now, or later?” Lump asked.
“Adam!” Flem and Claire shouted at once.
“Moose,” Lump said with a smile.
“He’s too nice for you, one,” I noted, looking down the steps. “And two, he’s got a girl. Okay, everyone grab banister. These steps hold no prisoners.”
I led with the first sure-footed step, looking for all the world like it was the easiest thing to do, ever.
I continued the conversation, “I would’ve gone for Brad in the beginning if he didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Ah crap, he’s got a girlfriend?” Jane asked. She must have been last in the progression judging by the slightly distant voice.
“Not anymore. Go for him. He’s cute and nice.”
“Yeah, I need to get laid. I haven’t been out, I haven’t been seeing anyone, and I haven’t had any fun. Seriously, school is kicking my ass. But if I get through, I will probably make bank!”
“Money is nice.” I made it to the bottom with a sigh.
“William’s got loads, huh?” Claire asked, next down and looking around the half-full dance floor.
“Yeah. It’s nice, but kind of awkward. I mean, I’ve got not a lot, so he doesn’t really understand life without money. Plus, his mom thinks I’m dating him for his wallet.”
“Eh, mothers!” Lump rolled her eyes.
“Okay, enough talking. I am ready to wipe the floor with your asses,” I declared, grabbing Claire and heading into the fray.
I was easily the most trained dancer among them, but when there are club beats, if a girl knew what she was about, lessons meant nothing. And the girls I was with, even Jane, knew exactly what they had to work with, and they made the most of it! We moved our hips, shook our bodies, and got into the music together. No holds bar.
Sometimes we danced together, sometimes we branched out and danced with other guys. At one point I glanced up toward our area and saw a line of men, leaning against the banister in various forms of relaxation, looking down on us like we were a Las Vegas show. I pointed it out to the girls and, laughing, we put on a helluva show. We didn’t need a dance-off to get attention. And no, that wasn’t always a good thing. Actually, it rarely was.
Still, we went for it anyway. I noticed guys calling more men over, many trying to get as close as possible to William to say something or other. Regardless of conversation, or lack thereof, all eyes were on us, which was why I figured we’d done enough. I knew people here, and what’s more, a lot of people knew William. I didn’t want this talked about negatively.
I waved a finger in a circular motion, calling for the girls to wrap it up. Flem did an extravagant humping of Lump, who pushed her off and slapped her in the arse, and then we flipped everyone off and went back to normal dancing. Just a splash of humor.
Sometime later, when the girls were looking a little flushed and sweaty, I stepped out of the cluster of bodies and off to the stairs. There was still a line of men from our area, eyes still mostly on one or many of us, but they weren’t so single-minded in their staring. I figured that was a good thing. If we’d made too big a spectacle, or were still making one, there would be much more drool.
Flem joined me. “Time to go up?”
“I’m hot. You want to stay?”
“No. I’ve worked myself sober. Hanging out and drinking for a while would be good.”
“Hey,” Lump said, joining us. “Going back?”
“Yeah, that okay?”
“Definitely. Should I get Jane and Claire? They are trying to out-do each other.”
I shrugged. I was in no hurry.
“Oh wait, here they come.”
“Hey ladies, want to join my buddies and me?” It was some ugly man in tight jeans and cowboy boots.
“No, thanks,” Jane said as she walked up.
“I’m f**king roasting!” Claire roared, stepping in front of the ugly man and fanning herself.
We all eyed the stairs.
“Why the feck did they make these things so steep?” Claire asked, her hand on my arm.
“Bar. C’mon.” With a determined look, Flem grabbed the banister and Lump’s hand.
“Wait, let me get toward the banister,” Lump said, trying to angle behind Flem.
“No way!” Flem yelled. “You have the best balance of us all. You’re going in the middle.”
“What, so you can drag me down with you?”
“Yea.” Claire stepped in front of me and grabbed onto Lump.
Lump shrugged. Apparently death wasn’t a big of a deal to her. The woman never cared about much.
In a random, haphazard progression in which we all held heads high and tried to keep our eyes up and our bodies confident, we traversed the steepest stairs in America. One self-assured step at a time. Until Claire misjudged the height and stubbed her toe.
“Fuck!” was the only indication that something went wrong.
Claire wildly grabbed onto Lump as she pitched forward, kicking a foot back and hitting me in the shin. That threw me off balance, and I clutched onto Jane next to me, who dove for the banister as she tipped backwards. Lump, seriously the best I knew at balancing, which was why she earned the spot she did, planted her heeled feet, gripped Flem’s shoulder, who was in turn gripping the banister with both hands, and grabbed Claire by the back of the neck. She pushed a swaying Claire down toward the stairs, making the other woman nearly lay on it, while keeping herself firmly braced between two stair levels. Her shoulder, back and arm muscles, though not bulky like those of Moose, were cut and defined under the strain.
We teetered, Flem and Jane, our anchors, taxed.
Finally we stilled, regained balanced, and breathed. Claire straightened up with a firm hand on Lump.
“Holy f**k! I nearly broke my head!” Claire exclaimed before she started laughing.
“Stop laughing. We have half the stairway to go,” I said through the chorus of giggles.
“Near death experience,” Jane muttered, clearly shaken. She obviously thought she was going down, backwards, headfirst.
When we finally made it to the top we met my bouncer friend. He was known to be the hardest bouncer here. An ass**le to everyone. In his forties, with a solid tenure, he didn’t give a shit about anyone. But he’d taken me up and down the stairs the last time I’d been here. Why? Because I was fun and nice. That’s all it usually took.
Well, and in need, but I didn’t go around advertising that.
He was out of breath and wore a fierce scowl when he got to us. “If you girls can’t walk up the stairs on your own, would you call me so’s I can get ya?”
“Yes,” we answered like petulant children in chorus. He let us pass with a stern look each.
Next came Adam, Moose and William.
“Ah crap, we sounded the siren,” I mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Lump asked with a wary look. She didn’t like being rushed by a group of large men. I didn’t blame her.
“Ever since the first Dusty incident these guys have been a little…protective over me. With the second incident they are downright overbearing.”
“Well, that makes sense. You’re a nutcase. But stairs?”
“I did say overbearing.”
William was the first to reach us, the other two right behind.
“You girls okay?” he asked, looking at my shoes.
“Did ye see that, lads?” Claire laughed. “I nearly domino’ed the whole lot of us!”
“Close one,” Moose affirmed, a smile tickling his face.
“Jessie, you shouldn’t wear those kinds of shoes.” Adam tsk'ed like a mother hen, also looking at my new cute stilettos.