Sample:
It was summer, so we decided to amble the distance, as though time of year took precedence over any immediate weather condition. A minute into it, I retrieved a joint from my breast pocket. Triggering the inhalatory urge would doubtless cause me to chain-smoke cigarettes later on, but that couldn’t be helped. When he noticed what I was doing, Drake muttered something about not having changed since University, which was a bit rich coming from him, and certainly did not stop him partaking.
'Embargo' looked like a tarred warehouse from the outside. There were about ten people waiting outside the doorway. Just in front of the entrance however, controlling a grubby red guide-rope, were three gorillas, all dressed in long heavy black coats. In front of them stood a most effeminate looking Latin gentleman, armed with clipboard and earpiece.
Uh-oh. This prick was clearly dying to refuse us entry from the moment his shifty pupils swept over us. Fucking annoying. Typical door-policy really, but very weird considering we were the ones whom Embargo would make the real money out of. Girls struggle to spend even single-digit amounts on alcohol.
As we got there though, two girls extricated themselves from the group in front and hailed us. It was the two from Small Sips, thank goodness.
“Where’ve you been?” they asked, puzzled that they had got here before us.
“Gus drinks like a girl,” replied a beaming Drake, which was the spunky one’s cue to contest the issue and begin a jocular war of words.
Needless to say, with them in tow, we were admitted within minutes and with no hassle whatsoever. As we wandered past, I could not help but glance at the black-coated behemoths again. Hannibal crossed the Alps on lesser creatures, surely.
Inside it was dark, and loud, and unremarkable considering the twelve notes I’d been forced to part with to gain entry. The only bar I could see was large and circular but set off-centre from the middle of the space, which qualified the free side as the dance-floor. There was an upper level running around the perimeter that seemed less packed than the throbbing multitude we’d joined down here.
We spent some courtesy time with the girls we had got in with at the bar, and I made the switch back to white spirits. After that first drink though, I did not feel obligated to remain in their company, regardless of Drake s obvious interest.
I wandered around and inevitably was impressed with the standard of ladies. Newpy joined me on the tour and in his usual manner managed to get talking to girls without really expending any effort. I recalled endeavouring to lose my virginity with him around being a trying time indeed. It was the grey pupils that did it, I reckoned, and nothing had changed. I knew exactly what was going to happen tonight; firstly, in order to add interest to the evening, I’d soon be doing shots at the bar, probably with Drake. Soon after that, I’d actually manage to start a conversation with a girl successfully but would be too drunk to make it lead anywhere. Oh shit.
I shook the melancholy away; confidence and good humour were the key, so I allowed a smile to trace itself across my features again. Newpy told me of the outrageous things he’d said to one of the girls we came in with. Apparently she wasn’t willing to rate her aptitude at giving blowjobs, though she did enjoy anal sex. His explanation of a barracuda handshake though, had been one sordid topic too far.
I took an offered cigarette off him, laughing at his brazenness with girls he wasn’t interested in.
After that, there was a blur of drinking, smoking and laughing, during which Drake rejoined us.
We went upstairs for the first time. It was sparsely populated, having reached that point in the night when almost everyone was on the dance-floor. There was seating dotted about the place here and there; blue, plush-looking pieces that matched the elaborately hung swathes of cloth adorning a good deal of wall-space. I spied another, smaller bar halfway around the level.
On the way to it though Drake and Newpy both stopped as one to talk to the prettiest girls I’d seen all night, relaxing on a two-seater, having a cigarette. The black one sat on the arm, whilst her Caucasian friend sat on one of the seats. I recognized the Nubian princess almost immediately. To her credit, she was currently starring in a TV advert for err something or other, no doubt Johnson and Johnson were involved. Her brunette friend was very pretty, but seemed a table lamp beside a bonfire.
My two friends were making small-talk, gamely trying to distribute their focus equally, but we all knew what was coming. I had one chance.
Hey, started Drake. You know you look just like the girl in this advert God bless the man. As all attention shifted to the budding actress, I made sure to be looking at her friend, the brunette. When she noticed, I gave what I believed to be an electric smile. She smiled back, so I bent space and time momentarily and found myself perched alongside her.
Hi. I m Gus,
Nat. We shook politely. At some point, I’d become the carrier of Newpy’s cigarettes.
Nat I said, forcing myself to repeat it in the hope that it’d stick. “I don t suppose you have a lighter, do you?”
“Yep. You re in luck, I remembered to bring one tonight,” I looked puzzled.
“You normally forget?” I queried. “I mean, I only smoke when I’m drinking, that s my excuse.”
“Same here,” she said, momentarily placing a hand against her sternum, though that area attracted enough of my attention on its own. “It’s a terrible habit.” She said.
“Disgusting,” I agreed before sparking up. “So, any other filthy habits I should know about?” She grinned prettily and looked away.
“Maybe,” she meowed.
“Really? And here I thought you were a nice, church-going young lady.” She laughed.
“Nooo.”
“Heh. Well I m moved by your honesty; most people would’ve lied.”
“Nah. There s no point. You gotta be true to yourself.” Spoken like a genuine nympho. Then she turned to face me. “How about you? Any filthy habits I should know about?”
I shrugged; blew out some smoke. “A couple. I m only human,” I said, to imply divinity her way; she was already smiling so who knows how it went down. “There’s gotta be some reward for getting up early five days out of seven. That was enough about me; I needed to get her talking about herself. I leant back in the seat and gestured towards the others. So other than listening to blokes ask your mate about that advert, how’s the rest of your night been?
We hit the dance-floor later. We kissed. I bought her a drink. We did a lot more kissing back upstairs.
Sometime later on, I left.
And she came with me.
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