Who was that girl in the pink boots? C.C. tried his best to place her as the music blared.
The din of the football game blared from several widescreen plasmas, serving as background for various women onstage in the “entertainment” area. C.C. watched one after the next, each more beautiful than the last. He had lost count of how many bourbons had come and gone.
The new girl in the pink boots was now making her second appearance since C.C. had settled in at the bar well over an hour ago. Her platinum hair was pulled high on the back of her head in a ponytail that swung halfway down her back, and she writhed to a Gwen Stefani tune.
The pole was a wonderful thing and this girl knew how to use it. C.C. marveled at how a waist that tiny could physically support boobs so huge. The girl was great, true, but she couldn’t compare to Tina.
Who was late…again.
C.C. checked his watch, growing impatient.
Two new girls in an Asian motif were on the stage. One had something like a fly-swatter in her hand. Okay. C.C. settled back for the show.
“Lenny, hit me one more time…just to take the edge off. And, the cheeseburger?”
Onstage, the girls began a series of elaborate contortions, one doing a backbend, G-string and pasties toward the audience, while the other miraculously managed to hang upside down by her ankles on the pole, dangerously waving one leg out toward the audience.
Mesmerized, C.C. didn’t break his gaze, but as a second thought, called out, “And Lenny, make it well!”
Rare meat disgusted C.C. Always had. He always liked to taste a little grill in his steak, lighter fluid and all. He only wished he had stock in A-1.
He almost didn’t notice when Tina finally showed up, breezing through the front door past Sam and straight to the bar to hug him lightly from behind, reaching her arms across his chest. Startled, he looked down. The long, hot-pink enamel nails studded with rhinestones were a dead giveaway.
“What do you want to drink, babe?”
Disentangling herself, she carelessly dropped a huge metallic silver Prada bag to the floor beside their stools and settled in beside C.C.
“Pink Cosmo for me, Lenny. I only have ten. I’m due onstage.” Tina called out her order, then swiveled around to look C.C. in the eye.
“I saw you on the eleven o’clock news. You were standing in front of the mikes.”
C.C. waited for the same old complaint she hadn’t been allowed to come to the party.
“You looked good, babe. I’ve never seen you in a tux before.”
“And you look great!” he said, trying to sidestep the party last night as Lenny set two drinks with napkins in front of them. “What’s your song? Got a new routine for me?”
She looked back, coyly eyeing him over the rim of the frothy drink.
Using her long pink nails, she dug into the froth, fished out the lime, and started tearing the fruit off the rind with her teeth.
“Maybe I do have a new routine just for you…you’ll have to see. Right now I’m feeling all left out and hurt about last night. I saw Betty standing behind you. I bet you still haven’t told her, have you?” Her tone took on a childlike whine.
He turned toward the widescreen. The game went to commercial and came back to two men in painful-looking sports coats who began discussing the game, laughing as if they’d told the funniest joke ever. C.C. couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Tina pulled his sleeve. When he didn’t answer, she continued, “You know, I’m starting to think that after I pulled you through all this, I’ll never even be invited to the Governor’s Mansion, much less live there with you like you promised.”
“Baby, you know now’s not the time to announce our engagement. Just be patient. You’ll see.”
Tina glanced at her watch, drained her drink, and slid down off the chair until her spikes touched the floor. Gathering the Prada and the full-length amber fur coat she carried everywhere, she whispered into C.C.’s ear.
“I got you a little surprise tonight.”
“What’s that?”
Her last “surprise” had been when she tattooed his initials inside the top of her thigh. It had led to a nasty infection and cost him thousands in doctors’ bills.
“You’ll see!” With a tongue-kiss in his ear, she was off. A thick cloud of perfume hung in the air behind her.
The music blared, the players ran up and down the field onscreen, the girls danced, and Tina made her way to her dressing room. C.C. pulled a nice Dominican from his shirt pocket and lit up.
The two with the fly-swatter were still onstage. By the looks of it, C.C. figured they must be professional gymnasts.
The cheeseburger came with a huge side of fries. After smothering them with ketchup, he dug in. He waved at the next man down the bar and gestured for the salt. Before the guy could respond, a feminine hand came between them. It was wearing a full-length, hot-pink evening glove, with plenty of bling on the slender fingers outside the glove. Reaching between the bar patrons, it was holding a salt shaker.
“Hi, Judge. I’m a friend of Tina’s. How are you tonight? Feeling good? You’re looking good!”
C.C. looked into the eyes of one of the most beautiful, tall, statuesque women he had ever laid eyes on. She was the color of mocha, with brunette hair falling nearly to her waist in waves.
“Well, hello! It’s nice to meet you. Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so.”
After all the bourbons, C.C. couldn’t quite make out her accent, but it was husky and exotic.
What a beauty! C.C. was thrilled. Could she possibly be…?
“Are you my surprise? From Tina?” he asked tentatively, hopefully.
Would Tina be so magnanimous?
Of course she would! She was being squired by the next governor!
This was his victory lap!
She smiled at him. Her lip gloss smelled like cinnamon. It was so thick he could smell it, even over the cheeseburger.
“Surprise? Yes, that’s what I am…your surprise…your special, private surprise.” Her words came out like honey being poured from a jar.
He knew it. Tina was an angel.
“But for the rest of the surprise, Judge, the cherry on the icing, we need privacy. It’ll only take a minute. But my special surprise for you has to be in private. Tina said so.”
Private? Just the two of them?
Just at that moment, right on cue, Tina emerged onto the stage dressed in an Egyptian-style headdress and sandals with straps crisscrossing up her legs. Her eyes were rimmed with elaborate blue and black kohl eye shadow, and she wore a shiny black Cleopatra wig. She lithely stepped up onto the backs of two muscle-bound guys on all fours on the stage floor. Just before she swung into gyrations, balanced on their backs, she tossed a kiss onto one index finger toward the JumboTron, her secret “hello” to C.C.
He took it as a sign that he was meant to fully enjoy his “surprise,” with no guilt attached. Tina truly was his dream girl.
The surprise whispered into his ear, “Go to the VIP men’s room, far end stall. I’ll meet you in five minutes.”
Without a word, C.C. drained the remainder of the golden liquid in his glass, turned, and headed toward the men’s room in the VIP at the rear of the club.
Making his way through the club, C.C. adjusted his eyes to the darkened VIP Pinkie Suites.
“Hey Jack. How are you tonight?” C.C. asked the attendant outside the bathroom.
“You’re looking good, Judge. Looking good.” C.C. breezed through the swinging door and, amazingly, found himself alone in the john. By instinct, he squatted over and checked. No feet below.
Perfect!
This was incredible, just the beginning of his new life and all the wonderful opportunities that would come with it. As instructed, he marched directly into the last stall.
Wait…maybe he should freshen up.
Peeking outside the stall’s metal door, he noticed he was still alone and ventured out over to the multiple sinks lined beneath a huge horizontal mirror. A long counter ran below the mirror, covered with men’s hairsprays, condoms, lotions, and aftershaves.