Chapter One - One Night at The Luxies Club

"Manhattan. On the rocks, please." I didn't recognize the bartender, and that was probably just as well this evening. I had not been to The Luxies Club for a few months. While it was occasionally visited by a small college crowd that enjoyed a more sophisticated evening out, the normal crowd at Luxies was an adult gathering of couples and singles, many business travelers, and those just in town visiting family and friends. Luxies was known for its good food, and plentiful spirits. Springdale was a growing and thriving suburb located north of Chicago, along Lake Michigan, and The Luxies Club was a favorite of locals and visitors.

I was sitting at a high stool at the bar, with no one sitting on either side of me. I looked around the room and saw that the tables were mostly filled with couples out with friends, or singles out on the town. There were a couple of business men in dark suits and bright ties at the end of the bar, downing what appeared to be shots of some sort. They must be capping off a rough day at the office, I thought to myself. Two couples on the dance floor were dancing rather poorly to Coldplay's Paradise. They either weren't dancing with their normal partners, or they were just flat out poor dancers.

Based on previous visits to Luxies, I knew the floor would soon fill, as the dinner crowd moved to the bar and a mix of techno and rock music would be spun by the DJ of the month. Although not a regular here, on my previous visits I had observed a crowded dance floor. The bartender grabbed a cocktail napkin and placed it on the bar in front of me. As he placed the Manhattan down on the napkin, he asked if I wanted to start a tab. While it was just me for the moment, I planned to be at the bar awhile. I looked at the bartender's name tag, and responded, "Why yes Anthony, let's start a tab. He looked at the credit card I handed him, and said, "I'll be right back be Mr. Malloy." I extended my hand, shaking his hand firmly. It has always been common sense to me to become acquainted with the bartender. Many times on nights like tonight, their knowledge of people in the bar often came in handy. "Ronnie Malloy. Please call me Ronnie. Thank you for your hospitality."

As I took the first sip of my Manhattan, my head shook slightly. A Manhattan is certainly an acquired taste, and for me it is a drink with a purpose. I had been introduced to Manhattans by my father when I, as a lad of 18 years of age, tagged along on one of his many business trips. He let me try his Manhattan when we were out to dinner. Nearly gagging at the table, my father laughed and cautioned, one doesn't drink a Manhattan; one enjoys and savors the taste slowly, because you rarely need more than one. Over the years, I remembered my father's words, and found myself ordering a Manhattan to savor, and to help take the edge off. Nothing unwound me quicker than a strong Manhattan. After my round of golf this afternoon, I might need three to totally unwind. Today was the last round of a two day outing with old college buddies, and while my game had progressed over the years, I was no match for the five's that my buddies had become. They knew it too and enjoyed collecting their winnings at the end of the day. They all had to get home to their kids for the evening, or my plans might have been different tonight.

As I was savoring my Manhattan, the crowd began to pick up in the bar. Certainly not shoulder to shoulder, but the room was filling, and the atmosphere was beginning to liven. I had been talking to my new, trusted friend Anthony when he wasn't busy hopping drinks for the wait staff. As I looked into the mirror behind the bar, I could see a woman with striking features, with long blond hair, and full curves approaching the bar from behind me. As she drew closer, I could see better in the mirror that she was very attractive, and wore little makeup. Her form fitting navy dress over her full and feminine figure had definitely caught my eye. As she reached the bar, she pulled out the stool next to mine and sat down. I couldn't help but notice the hem of her dress pull up to the top of her white stocking clad thigh.

"Anthony, I'd like one of your special Cosmos, please," the blond in the navy dress commanded of my new bartender friend. Anthony flashed a big grin and responded, "One Anthony special Cosmo! Coming right up Angela." It was obvious the two knew each other, not just from their use of first names, but the way their facial expressions engaged each other. Angela continued to banter with Anthony as he prepared her Cosmo. While not intentionally listening to Angela and Anthony, since there was no one directly to my left, their conversation was the only one I could hear above the din of the building crowd. Thank you Anthony," Angela said, as Anthony again repeated the bar ritual of placing a cocktail napkin on the bar and placed Angela's Cosmo on the napkin. I noticed as she reached for her drink with her left hand, that Angela was not wearing a wedding ring.

Trying to be friendly, with my right hand I lifted my still three quarters full Manhattan glass and said rather loudly, "Cheers!" Angela and Anthony broke their conversation and looked over to me. While it seemed like a minute, I am sure it was actually all of two seconds, Angela gave me the once over glance with her eyes going from head to toe. While no one would confuse me for an Adonis, I do consider myself an attractive man, 6'3" tall, fair dirty blond hair, with baby blue eyes. After 42 years of wear and tear, I managed to keep my body in sporting shape. Tonight I was just wearing casual black slacks with black loafers, an oxford white shirt with a thin navy pinstripe, and a simple but crisp black sport coat. It was my usual night out attire. I am a simple man who doesn't change much the things he likes. I liked this outfit for me. Only after doing the once over with her eyes, did Angela's face break into an easy grin, and she replied "Cheers to you sir." With that, we casually clinked our glasses. Anthony, the bartender, interjected here. "Ronnie, please meet my friend Angela. While she doesn't visit me every day here, she visits enough that I remember how to make her special Cosmo. Angela, meet my new best customer Ronnie. I believe this is Ronnie's first visit to Luxies. I've never seen him here before."

I corrected Anthony's assumption. "Oh I have been here a few times over the years, Anthony. I just haven't been here for a few months. And since I have achieved new best customer status, please put Miss Angela's Cosmo on my tab." At first Angela gave me a questioning look, but then, again, broke out in a natural grin, clinked my glass, and said, "Thank you." With that exchange the three of us broke into easy laughter. I prided myself on being able to quickly judge a person's character, and my early judgment was that Anthony and Angela were friendly people. We struck up an easy conversation even as Anthony was often pulled away for the demands of his job due to the growing crowd in the bar.

The music had gotten louder and broke into a heavy beat. The dance floor was crowded with all kinds of moves on display. I learned that Angela was a local girl, who came with friends to hang out at Luxies. She explained to me that she and her friends liked to dance and would come here to cut loose after work or on the weekend. She pointed to her group of friends on the dance floor; most of them were just dancing with each other and laughing. She pointed to a couple of girlfriends that were dancing with men. She laughed as she said that one of the two was married and the most daring thing in her life was to come to Luxies to dance with single men. Angela went on to say that she was absolutely certain that nothing more happened than dancing, that her friend was too committed to her husband to think of doing anything else. I chuckled at the scenario she described.

As we turned our backs to the bar, and momentarily watched the people dancing, we both noticed the door from the dining room open, and into the bar walked a most striking woman. She was tall, at least 5'10" with flowing waves of jet black hair that ended in the middle of her back. Her face was stunning with bright green eyes and long eyelashes evident even across the dance floor. Just as eye catching was her attire. While Luxies attracted a well dressed, professional crowd, this woman's attire was two steps higher, accentuating her sex appeal. Her top was a white silk blouse with flowing long sleeves. The neckline of the blouse plunged and her cleavage was prominently on display. Over the blouse she wore a long black jacket with a dark purple paisley print and padded shoulders. The jacket buckled at the waist yet did not cover her cleavage, and it flowed to below her calves. Just showing below her jacket were black leather shoes with silver stiletto heels, at least 4 inches long by my estimation.

This was clearly a lady who commanded attention. She stood confidently in the doorway looking to the left of the room and slowly scanning as if searching for someone she knew. Her stare was piercing as she slowly worked her gaze to the right, passing over Anthony, Angela, and myself at the bar, and a number of people on the dance floor. She kept going slowly to the right until her eyes locked onto someone. She was staring directly at the two business men at the end of the bar with six empty shot glasses standing beside them. I thought I detected a sneer on her lips, but perhaps it was just a tight smile. As she sauntered through the crowd on the dance floor, many pairs of eyes from those at the bar and tables watched her. When she reached the two businessmen at the bar she leaned over their shoulders and said something. They both turned and while the shorter of the two men stood open mouthed and eyes bulging, the taller man clicked his fingers for Anthony to come tend to their needs.

He leaned over and said something to Anthony, and I could see Anthony pour three more shots of Patron and pour champagne from a rather large bottle into a tall fluted glass. Anthony brought the drinks to the end of the bar where the lady and two men quickly downed the shots, and then the lady took a long, slow drink of champagne.

"Wow, what an entrance," I heard Angela exclaim. "I have never seen that woman here before. You see both men and women hitting on each other here all the time, but I have never seen anyone enter like that!"

I finished my Manhatten and commented, "It was rather eye catching. We weren't the only people watching that entrance. It felt like time stood still there for a moment as she walked across the floor. By the way, Angela, why aren't you dancing out there with your friends?"

"Well," she smiled as she replied, "I came to say hi to Anthony, and then you, kind sir, bought me a Cosmo and I am enjoying our conversation." I could feel my face flush a little when she said the words "kind sir". While 42 years of age, and I guessed about five years older than Angela, I still had trouble relating to the word "sir" in a social situation when meeting someone I didn't know. To me, the word sir, was akin to an air of superiority. I hardly ever thought of myself as superior to anyone.

At that moment, Anthony strode back to our spot at the bar and asked how we were doing. "Just fine," I replied. "Who are the three people enjoying shots at the end of the bar?"

Anthony grinned and answered, "Well you certainly don't see someone come in like that every night at Luxies. That was a first for me. I don't know the dame, but the two guys are Chad Brockton and Mark Willis. They are lawyers and the two biggest buyers of meat in this market." Anthony winked as he said that, and Angela and I laughed out loud. "Best I can tell, she doesn't know either one of them, and Mark is clearly out of his league, but Chad is making a go of it. He ordered some high priced champagne that I had never heard of before tonight, and had to look up the price. It's $300 a bottle. The clown better not stiff me on the tip!" Angela and I laughed at Anthony again as he rolled his eyes.

All three of us were looking at the other end of the bar as Anthony spoke. The striking woman was smiling big now and laughing with Chad and Mark. Chad must have been the taller of the two, at maybe 6'1", as the lady was clearly paying more attention to him. At one point, she took the finger of her right hand and slowly placed that finger on his lips, dragged it slowly down his chin, down his throat, down the length of his tie, and then it disappeared down below their barstools. We all noticed Chad's face display a moment of surprise, followed by a big grin and laugh. "Fuck, did you see that!" Angela exclaimed. I could only nod my head yes as my eyes were glued to the striking woman's finger. I had felt a surge in my loins as the scene unfolded. Anthony was also shaking his head at the sight. I would have loved to make eye contact with the vixen at the other end, but she appeared to be totally engrossed with Chad and never took her eyes away from him.

Bringing our attention back to the three of us, Angela stated as she looked into my eyes, "I'm thirsty. Who's ready for another round of cocktails?"

"While I am thirsty, I best switch to ginger ale at this point. Barkeep, your best ginger ale for me, and please make another special Cosmo for the lady." Angela looked disappointed when she heard me say ginger ale. Anthony went to get the drinks. "I have to drive home tonight, and it is a fair distance to drive, so I don't want to overdo the Manhattans," I explained to Angela. I was a little disappointed too. Between the buzz of the first Manhattan, the exhilaration of meeting new friends in Anthony and Angela, and the striking sex appeal of the woman hanging on Chad, I was feeling quite good and having fun. It really was too bad that I needed to drive home at some point. Not only was Angela an attractive woman, but she had an easy going and engaging personality. She was definitely someone I would like to get to know more closely.

As we clinked the glasses of our second round of cocktails, the DJ changed to a deeper, techno type beat. All kinds of theatrics were being staged on the dance floor, from twirling and spinning, to bodies held close and grinding against one another. The dance floor was now very crowded. Angela and I noticed a whole section of dancers move to the right, as Chad and "the vixen", as I had dubbed her in my head, had moved to the floor. In contrast to the rapid and strong moves of the other dancers on the floor, Chad and the vixen danced slowly. They held each other close, embraced in each other's arms with their hands roaming up and down their backsides. They traded off between conversation and nibbling at each other's ear lobes. The heat in the room had gone up considerably. As the song ended, the two broke their embrace and the vixen made a grand display of unbuckling the belt of her jacket and slowly taking it off, throwing it on a chair at a table close to where Angela and I sat. My eyes bulged and were glued to her attire that had been hidden by the jacket. She wore a short, very short pleated red skirt that was in deep contrast to the white blouse and the sheer black stockings. The tops of the stockings were clearly visible below the skirt. I assumed she must be wearing a thong or nothing at all underneath the short skirt, because the bottom curve of her cheeks would show as her skirt adjusted as she moved. At that moment, Chad was the envy of every man, and I assume some women, at Luxies.

As the music again changed into another strong techno beat, the couple commanding attention of most everyone in the bar intertwined legs and leaned back. I imagined that most married couples don't grind against each other as hard in bed, as these two were doing on the dance floor. The vixen placed her hands around the neck of Chad, her fingers interlaced, and leaned way back as her hips swayed in rhythm with the beat of the music, provocatively rubbing against Chad's masculine physique. Chad's hips responded to the music and the Vixen's grinding, pushed back with hard thrusts. Chad kept one hand on her hip, and the other hand was on her ass, obviously squeezing her cheek through the red skirt. I found myself getting up to stand as I watched the couple on the floor, with a knot in my stomach, and a growing erection in my slacks.

Angela picked that exact moment to tap me on the shoulder, momentarily interrupting my gaze of the Chad and vixen show on the dance floor. She leaned comfortably into my body and spoke loudly into my ear. "Nice show from Chad and his new friend, huh. I need to use the powder room. Will you please save my stool Ronnie?" I slowly nodded my response to Angela and watched as she made her way to the side of the bar where the restrooms were located.

I quickly looked back to the grinding show on the dance floor, my eyes glued to their hips, thrusting into each other. I was mesmerized by the couple, and the knot tightened in my stomach, and my cock was fully hard now. The music changed its beat once again, and Chad and the Vixen once again embraced closely in each other's arms. This time, Chad's hand was at the bottom of the vixen's skirt, reaching under to squeeze her cheek, which was clearly on display as the skirt hiked over his hand. I found myself taking a step to the dance floor, when the vixen looked up and directly at me. Our eyes locked momentarily. There was no expression on her face, but a very slight curve of her mouth in an obvious sneer. Why? As her eyes froze my feet from moving, I watched as her hand slid up to the back of Chad's head. The vixen grabbed a handful of Chad's locks and pulled his face quickly to hers and the two of them started a most passionate kiss. It was obvious their tongues were tangling with each other. Chad's hand roughly pulled the vixen's ass tight to his body as they kissed in the middle of the floor. Completely frozen, the knot in my stomach tightened even further.

With yet another change in music, the passionate couple broke their kiss and the vixen leaned into Chad's ear and she was whispering something to him. He looked at her and grinned, nodding his head up and down. The vixen stopped their conversation, and she again looked over, directly at me. I could feel my face blush bright red. She proceeded to grab the collar of Chad's suit jacket and the two of them began to walk towards me. Were they walking to me? What did they want from me? They were off the dance floor and within 10 feet of me when Angela arrived back from the ladies room.

"Ronnie, you should hear the buzz in the bathroom about Chad and that woman. Everyone is talking about them."

At the same moment, Chad and the vixen were standing right in front of me. It was only then that I noticed that Chad had a massive erection in his suit slacks. He's a monster I thought to myself. The vixen then opened her mouth and spoke in a loud, harsh tone, "Why, young lady, are you bothering with this man. He is my chauffeur tonight. He needs to drive me and Mr. Brockton home. In fact, driver, I am ready to leave with Mr. Brockton now."

"You know this woman, Ronnie? Why didn't you say so?" asked Angela.

Before I could speak, the vixen answered for me, still looking directly in my eyes with that sneer of hers, "Yes, Ronnie knows me. However he won't know me tonight, not like Mr. Brockton will know me. Ronnie is a poor excuse for a man, but he will serve just fine as a chauffeur." The vixen then looked directly to Angela, "Young lady, you may run along now, Ronnie, my HUSBAND, will not be allowed to stay any longer tonight!" I could hear Anthony gasp behind the bar. As I bowed my head in embarrassment, I remember seeing both Angela and Chad. I don't know whose jaw had dropped lower.

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