Tuesday, September 30, 2003
ADOLPHO THE THIRD: Installment the Next
(Note: This is the third hunk of a serialized story that I’m posting this week for reasons that will remain locked in the darkest chambers of my bosum for the time being. For part one, look back here. Part two appears here. Now, buckle up and keep your hands and head inside the tram, it’s time for the next installment of:)
ADOLPHO’S BIG NIGHT:
II. THE PROFESSIONALS
Adolpho had been bopping along to the beat, resting his eyes and savoring the physical sensation of a deep, strong bass line. As he raised his glass to drain the final mouthful of lager, he stepped back for balance. Swallowing, he lowered the glass. “Buy you another?” The voice in his ear was honeyed. The speaker was also honeyed, and tall and beautiful. She had a slim and striking physique, high cheekbones and feline eyes, expensive blonde hair and perfect makeup. Her tiny black dress looked more like a tattoo than clothing. Adolpho checked to either side to see to whom she spoke. There was no one else around.
Returning his gaze to her, she smiled broadly. “You mean me?” he asked.
“Sure, it looks like you’re fresh out. What are you drinking?”
“Whatever you like,” he replied. “Beer, I guess. Lager.” She flashed a wink that turned his knees to water, and turned on a stiletto heel toward the bar. Adolpho leaned on a nearby table and watched her go to capture the bartender’s attention. He was too stunned to smile, but glanced around to see whose table he’d crashed - to see, in fact, if anyone was there who had noticed his good fortune.
The three women at the table gleamed like gems in the dusky light of the club. They resembled each other in only two regards: they were female and they were gorgeous. A redhead with sweet cream skin and a necklace that dripped real diamonds grinned at him, leaning forward on her elbows and flipping her hair over a bare shoulder. “How’s your evening treating you?,” she asked. “Pretty good so far,” Adolpho managed to reply; with a supreme effort he tore his eyes from hers to see what the others at the table made of the situation.
A woman with dark skin, limpid eyes and phenomenal muscle tone seemed to be trying to restrain a smile, with only partial success. She whispered, “Hi,” in a voice that sounded the way cardamom smells, and lowered her eyes to her drink. She glanced back to him, giggled just a little, and shrugged coyly. The woman standing next to her had hair that was streaked blonde and black; she was tanned and shapely, with a regal bearing. She leaned over to the darkskinned one to whisper something in her ear, looking over Adolpho with mint green eyes, bemusement playing across her brow. The dark one started nodding, wrapped long slim fingers around the other’s forearm and replied in another brief whisper, blushing but smiling openly. The tan woman nodded briefly, straightened up and pouted her lips slightly before saying, “I’m Amanda. This is Luz, and this is Claire. Did you already meet Tressa?”
Tressa returned from the bar with Adolpho’s lager and a cocktail for herself. “Yes he did,” she replied, placing his beer in front of him and draping an arm around his waist. She pressed against him, conforming to his posture and radiating a wild heat into him. “Here’s your beer. What have they been telling you about me?” Adolpho almost opened his mouth to reply, but he held back. He knew he had to take his time - one wrong word, he thought, and he’d just wake up in his own bed and all of them would be gone, irretrievably lost among all the dreams he wished he could redream.
Claire relieved him of this anxiety by speaking first. “Nothing, darling,” she said with a grin. “Why should I talk about you when I’m so much more interesting?” Tressa playfully pushed Clair’s shoulder, her fingers lingering just a moment against that impossibly velvety skin. The slight force of that gesture pushed Tressa more firmly against Adolpho, and her hand, wrapped around his hip, gave him a barely perceptible squeeze. Claire continued, looking deeply into Adolpho’s eyes, “Just because she saw you first doesn’t mean anything. I think you’d be smart to play the field.” Adolpho looked back to Luz and Amanda.
Luz licked her lips with a subtle yet compelling flick of her tongue. “Thank you for joining us,” she said. Her voice was low and rich. “I hope you aren’t too busy to spend a few minutes.” “No,” Adolpho managed to reply, “I have a few minutes. Oh, and thanks for the beer,” he continued, tearing himself away from Luz to speak to Tressa, who was leaning ever closer to his face. Her breath warmed his neck. He was becoming distracted; he felt the others looking at him as he looked at Tressa. The ball was in his court. He turned back to Luz, “But are you sure a few minutes will be enough?” Her eyes brightened and she laughed, bouncing a bit on her toes. “I’m sure it would be better if you took your time,” she said, and the smile faded on her lips as her eyes drilled into his.
A woman with jet black hair and fair skin strode purposefully to the table, staking a claim to the spot between Luz and Claire. She wore sheer slacks that shimmered with her every movement, and her bare midriff was flat and muscular. Like her friends, she was an exceptional specimen. “I thought I told you not to get started till I got back,” she told Claire in a stage whisper. “Damn, I take five minutes in the ladies room and I miss all the fun.” Claire remonstrated, “We haven’t even started yet. You’ll have your chance.” The new woman grinned and extended an elegant hand to Adolpho in greeting. “I’m Jasmine,” she announced to him. “So very glad to meet you,” he replied. “The pleasure is mutual,” she responded, her broad smile relaxing as she gave his hand a demure squeeze that sent an electrical charge right up his arm and through his whole body. “Anyway, I’m sure it will be,” she added softly. Adolpho grabbed his beer and drank about half the pint in a few swallows, hoping the cold crisp liquid would ground him, keep him cool.
Claire had been quietly watching the others exchanging glances and pleasantries and reached across the table to put her hand over the hand with which Adolpho held his beer. “Actually, I’m a little dry. May I have a sip of your beer?” He smiled his assent and together they raised the glass to her mouth. As she drank deeply, she looked at him with such intensity he was sure she was reading his mind - and, incredibly, was endorsing the lewd fantasies that were now arising unbidden from his libido. Her hand was warm and her fingers interlaced among his as they put the glass back on the table. “Mmmmm,” she sighed, and he felt the vibrations of her voice through their joined hands. She continued, “You know, I wasn’t sure about coming here tonight but they told me I’d have a good time. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with your instincts, you know? Sometimes you really need to separate yourself from what you’re doing and let life take over. It’s been so hard to hold myself back these past months - we’ve all been working so hard, always on the road, always having to put ourselves second so we can be perfect for someone else. What a pleasure to be in the present moment, to really feel things. To enjoy myself for a few minutes, just for the sheer pleasure of being alive.” The others nodded and murmured their agreement.
Amanda unwrapped her arm from his waist and leaned into the table. “Girls, you know we can’t stay here all night. Let’s finish our drinks and take the limo back to the suite. We can have more fun if we have more room.” Adolpho looked for confirmation to the others, who seemed to shimmer with enthusiastic anticipation. Luz spoke first: “Go on, finish your beer. We have all night. Don’t let her rush you.” “I’m not rushing,” he replied as he gulped what was left of his pint. “I’m ready when you are.” As they grouped around him and escorted him from the club, a stretch Escalade pulled up to the front door; a statuesque woman in a grey hat and tight dark business suit stepped out efficiently to open the car door for them. “Okay,” he though to himself, “now things are getting really interesting....”
