Page 4 of Stroked
“You leaving already? It’s early for The Lounge, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Well, it’s very peoply in here, and not my kinda people. But congrats to you, too. Nice crowd tonight. I’ll catch y’all tomorrow.” I nodded to Jason and turned to leave.
Chapter 3
Amy
It was still hot as hell outside, even though it was nine at night. And it was humid.Georgiasummers. The Lounge was on the other side of town, far from my apartment and the club. I checked the time, and a bus was running soon. I quickly walked up the street to the bus stop and made it, just as it was pulling up. Not very luxurious, but air-conditioned and much cheaper than a ride share. The bus made it to the stop the block down from The Lounge, so I hopped off and walked to my second favorite spot.
The Lounge was a little more upscale than the club, but not fancy and no dress code. Softer lighting, more updated décor, and no live music. Just a mix of pop and dance music. The drinks were a little pricier, but it was also the unofficial gay bar in town. Some straight people came, but usually, with friends. Lucy used to come with me when we were in college, but it was a more mixed crowd back then. It was not near my old job, my apartment, and the people here didn’t go to the club.
I enjoyed my space and never had a relationship after college. And that one was a disaster. I didn’t need anyone stalking me. Although, I often ran into ladies here that I already had my fun with. There had been a few times where drinks were tossed at me, as well as a few choice words, but generally, they would leave after giving me a death stare for a few minutes. I had a reputation here and I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked it that way. The ones who got attached had no excuse. I was upfront with my expectations, or lack thereof, and the warnings about me were sprinkled around this place like Frank’s Hot Sauce. But some misguided souls always thought they could change me. The thing was, I didn’t need to change.
I had my dream job, my best friend, and I liked variety and my freedom too much to be tied down. It did sting that I was losing my best friend to a man. Okay, not losing, but getting less of. She was right, though. Even though I was not serving anymore, my hours were still all over the place. Being a curator was a huge responsibility and the gallery had a lot of events in the evening and weekends due to the clientele. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. Lucy and I were often ships in the night, but we did have the occasional day together or even morning or evening, depending on my old schedule. But once she hooked up with Jason, they were attached at the hip. And now they were moving in together since they were engaged. They didn’t even have a date set for the wedding and she was leaving.
Oh well. At least, I could be naked in the apartment all the time now.
I grabbed a Blue Moon at the bar and scanned the place. A few familiar faces, but nobody I hooked up with. Not recently, anyway. I saw a cute blonde grinning at me on the other side of the club. She had a nice black, strapless A-line dress on. Very nice breasts, more than a handful, but not too large. My mouth wasn’t huge, so I didn’t prefer them big like Lucy’s. Jason had a big fat mouth, so that must work out well for them.Why was I so salty over this?
I figured the blonde would be a good distraction, so I made my way over to introduce myself.
“Hi, I’m–” I was cut off before I could introduce myself.
“–You’re Amy, I know,” she said slyly. “I’m Julie.”
“Well, Julie, are you here with someone?” I asked.
She nodded and replied, “Yeah, but just friends. Why, need some company?”
“Maybe. Do you need a drink?”
She nodded, so I reached my hand out and she took it. I guided her back to the bar with me. She was cute. Even in her heels, she was substantially shorter than I was. Soft hands, and she smelled sweet, like peaches and pears. I wondered if she tasted that way. I’d find out later.
We got to the bar, and I flagged down the bartender and asked Julie what she was drinking.
“Can you get her a Tom Collins and I’ll have another Blue Moon, please,” I told the bartender as I pulled cash from my wristlet.
Julie was facing the bar, but I turned a little to the side as we waited and placed my hand at the small of her back. A small grin spread across her face. Then the bartender brought our drinks over and pushed them across the bar. I motioned for her to head back across the club where I saw a high-top table open.
We sat and nursed our drinks while we enjoyed small talk. We were almost done with our drinks when her friends made a brief visit. Based on their glares, they already knew me. Their visit was short-lived. Once they walked away, I initiated my spiel.
“Julie, listen, you seem really sweet, and you’re very cute. So, I need to tell you, I am not looking for a relationship right now. And if you need something more, I get it and wouldn’t hold it against you if you needed to find your friends.”
Julie took a sip of her drink before speaking. “I appreciate the honesty. But as I said before, I know who you are. And I’m okay with that.” She put her glass down and leaned across the table. “And maybe you could hold yourself againstmetonight.”
I liked her moxy. Not sure she’s being honest with me, or herself, but couldn’t say I didn’t warn her.
I finished the Blue Moon and put my hand out to guide her to the dance floor. We stood close and I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me.
She put her arms around my neck, and we swayed together to the music. Between the lights and the movement, we were both beginning to glisten with sweat, our skin gliding against each other’s. The music changed to a slower song, and she pulled me closer. I tightened my arms around her, stroking my hands up and down over her back, occasionally running my palm over her exposed skin. She began running her hands along my arms, reaching under and around my back. She pulled my hips even closer to her with one hand, then ran the other back up my side, gently grazing the outside of my breast before she pulled me by the neck to her mouth.
Her lips were warm, soft, and slick. I felt her tongue tickle my lips before pushing into my mouth, stroking my tongue with hers. I ran a hand up to her blonde hair, taking it into my fist. She pulled away briefly and looked into my eyes with a sultry gaze, her lips already swollen. I could definitely spend some time with her tonight.
“Where’s your place?” I asked, just inches from her lips.
“Close enough,” she said before she pressed her mouth back to mine, biting at my bottom lip briefly. “But I have roommates.”
“My place isn’t nearby,” I replied as I pulled her back to me. She tightened her grip around my waist. I was pulling back again to allow her time to invite me over when I glanced over her shoulder and saw red.
