Caroline and Janet were busy in their own bathrooms getting ready for
their big interview. Showering, getting dressed, and putting on make
up. Both were excited and it was obvious.
"You ready, Caroline?"
Janet asked. "We have to be there at seven."
"Almost,"
Caroline replied. "When do we need to leave?"
"Now."
It
was 6:40 already. It took them fifteen minutes to get to the club
from Janet's apartment. Caroline finished up and threw her dancing
gear into a small duffle bag.
"Aren't you looking cute
tonight?" Janet said to Caroline.
"So are you," Caroline
replied with a smile. "We're going to be two hot babes on the
dance floor tonight."
Janet laughed and replied, "No boy there
is going to be able to handle us!"
Caroline laughed back and
said, "I'm ready to go."
"Me, too," Janet said.
They
left the apartment, walked to Janet's blue Mazda RX-8, and drove to
the club.
David dried himself off as he got out of the
shower. He put on his clothes, did his hair, and brushed his teeth.
His cologne of choice was Chrome by Azzaro. By the time he was done
getting ready, it was 9:50 pm. Time to head over to Meghan's. He
walked out of his house and up to his car. He unlocked the door, got
in, and pulled out of his driveway.
By the time he was at
Meghan's, Chelsea was already there.
"What's up, David?"
Meghan asked as he walked in.
"Not much," David replied. "Just
ready for some clubbing." He then looked at Chelsea and asked, "How
are you, Chelsea?"
"Doing good," she replied.
"That's
good," David said.
They passed a little more small talk as all
three of them walked out to Meghan's car to leave.
By
10:20, Meghan, Chelsea, and David had entered the club. There weren't
too many people there yet. David's experience with Philly clubs
told him that would change very soon. Especially when the club
stopped serving alcohol and allowed the eighteen to twenty year-olds
in.
The three of them walked out on the dance floor and started
dancing with each other. This was Meghan's first time clubbing. So
she was just getting a feel for the music and the environment. It
didn't take long for Chelsea to go off on her own and start dancing
with other guys and girls. So Meghan and David just stayed with each
other.
David started realizing that the inside of the club had
changed quite a bit since it became The Arizona Beach Club. He
noticed that there were four elevated platforms on the corners of the
dance floor. They stood about four feet in the air. There was a go-go
dancer on each one. Until now, he hadn't really noticed who the
dancers were. He was checking them out. The first three were right in
front of him. He turned around to see the fourth, and that was when
he saw her. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen before in his
life. Blonde hair about shoulder-length. She was wearing a light blue
bikini top with a white mini skirt and glitter on her cheeks. She was
dancing bare foot. The way she moved on the platform captured his
attention. He was mesmerized by her.
As he kept dancing with
Meghan and grinding on her, he would sneak glances up at the platform
to see the go-go dancer up there. He couldn't believe how beautiful
she was to him. She had tan skin that appeared to be smooth. Her face
was so beautiful to him, and the way her hair seemed to fall on it as
she danced.
A short while passed and the go-go dancer got down
from the platform to take a break. She didn't go far though. David
watched her go to a nearby table and sit down with people who looked
like other go-go dancers and club bouncers. He decided to take a
chance and say hi to her. Although, he was sure he would just look
like another guy looking to take advantage of her. He knew he had to
say something that would get her to notice him, but would also appear
as if he had no other motives.
He walked up to her. She saw him
when he was just about three feet away. He leaned into her and said,
"Hey, I saw you dancing and I just wanted to say that you look
absolutely beautiful tonight."
Her mouth opened just a bit, and
she said, "Aw. Thank you."
"You're welcome," David
replied. Then he waved and walked away.
As he walked back to
Meghan and Chelsea, he reviewed what had just happened in his mind.
Content that it went just the way he had hoped for, he thought,
Perfect!
Soon after, David was dancing with Meghan and Chelsea and
he saw The go-go dancer on the floor with another girl who was a
little taller. They were dancing with each other and some of the
other people there.
David wanted to go dance were her more than
anything. But he knew that wasn't a good idea. He knew there had to
be other guys at the club she would rather spend her time dancing
with.
He kept looking at her though. She was still wearing the
same bikini top and mini skirt. But now she had on a transparent pair
of open-toed high heels.
David was not a very sexually-minded
person. He was one of the exceptions to the rule when it came to guys
and sex. Even though his mentality had not changed with this
dancer–partly because he was forcing those thoughts out of his
head–he still could not get over her beauty. He just had to dance
with her.
Do it, David, he thought to himself. This will most
likely be the only chance you ever get to dance with a girl as
beautiful as her. Better that you try and be shot down than not try
at all and wonder for the next however long what might have
happened.
David observed a guy dancing with her who kept trying to
put his hands on certain parts of her body. By the looks of her
shaking her head and putting her arms up in frustration, David got
the impression she did not like that. Finally, she walked away and
went to a part of the dance floor that was closer to David. He smiled
and knew that he had a chance to dance with her now.
He walked
over to her, leaned into her ear, and asked, "Wanna dance?"
Even
though she was frustrated with the last guy who was all over her, she
noticed that David bothered to be a gentlemen and asked as opposed to
just walking up to her and start grinding; expecting her to be ok
with it.
She smiled and said, "Yes."
David contained his
excitement. They walked back into the center of the dance floor and
started grinding softly on each other. David didn't want to move
too fast or hard on her. He was trying to send the message that he
was not a threat to her. He assumed she must have picked up on it
because she took the initiative to move in closer so that their whole
bodies were up against each other. David knew for sure she had not
done this with the other guys. Nor had she danced as long with the
others.
While grinding, David watched his hand positioning. He
kept both hands right on her hip bones. As she moved in closer,
though, he put his left hand on the small of her back, just above the
waist line of her mini skirt. His right hand was on her upper back,
right in between her shoulder blades. Caroline had both hands around
David, and he was in seventh heaven.
After a few songs, she asked
in his right ear, "What's yo name?"
"David. What's
yours?"
"Caroline."
"That's a pretty name," he
said.
"Thanks," she replied. "So, you saw me dancin'
earlier?"
"Yeah I did. I was trying not to stare, but I
couldn't help not noticing you."
"Aw," she said.
That
was when he realized that her breath smelled of alcohol. David was
not a drinker. He had never tried it and had absolutely no interest
in. But he ignored it. It was just a dance.
Or was it? He kept
thinking of what Caroline was like outside of the dance club. He felt
lucky already and wondered how far he could push that luck. Could he
really ask her for a date sometime? Or would she take him as a
typical guy and blow him off?
"So tell me a lil' about
yourself real quick," Caroline said to him.
Oh man, David
thought. She's asking about me! I might actually have a
chance.
"Well," he started to say, "I go to ASU for
communications. I work for a moving company. I like hanging out with
my friends and I am big into sports."
"How old are you?" she
asked.
"Twenty-three. You?"
"Twenty-one."
"That's
cool," he said. "Tell me a little about yourself."
Caroline
was hesitant to give personal information about herself to someone
she didn't know. He was respectful, but still a stranger.
"Is
it ok if we just dance?" she asked.
David wasn't sure why she
didn't want to tell him. He figured it was just because she wasn't
familiar with him and it was her way of being on guard for freaks.
He
was right.
"Yeah," David said, "totally."
They
continued to dance. David loved every minute of it. He loved the way
the body of the most beautiful girl in the club felt up against his.
He could feel his blood flowing relentlessly with chemistry. He felt
like there was some connection between Caroline and himself. He
wondered if that was really a connection he was feeling, or just a
strong infatuation. He decided not to waste these amazing moments
thinking about these things. He just wanted to enjoy the time he had
with her.
A short while later, she said, "I have to get back to
the dressing room."
"Ok, "David said. "Could I get your
number and take you out sometime?"
She seemed hesitant. Then she
said, "I'm interviewing for a job here t'night. I don't want
to ruin anything by bein' unprofessional."
"I understand,"
David said. "Well thank you for the dance. It was amazing!"
"Aw!"
Caroline said with a huge smile. She looked at him for a second. She
knew he had respected her during the dance. He had been very polite.
Maybe he did deserve a shot. She then said, "Meet me outside the
back of the club at four a.m. That's when I get off. I will give it
to you then."
"Ok," David said a little uncertain. "I will
be there."
"Cool. Look for me by a blue Mazda RX-8. That's
my ride home."
Caroline put her right hand on the left side of
his face. She smiled and said, "See you then."
"Bye,"
David said. He then watched her walk away.
He went to find Meghan
and Chelsea.
"Find yourself a new girlfriend?" Meghan asked
David.
David looked back in the direction from which he came. When
he looked back, he said, "I don't know."
Chelsea laughed and
asked, "What was her name?"
David smiled back.
"Caroline."
"Does she work here?" Meghan asked.
"Yeah
she does."
"I must admit," Meghan continued, "Not exactly
the type I have seen you go for."
"Yeah I know," David said.
"But she is so gorgeous to me."
"Did you ask her for her
number," Chelsea asked.
"Yeah I did, but she said she couldn't
give it out while working."
Chelsea laughed. "Yeah, she's
not interested in you."
David realized she was probably right.
But his instinct told him something else. He was going to tell them
that she had said to meet her after the club. But he knew that
sounded as foolish as it really was. Going at that hour would only
make him look desperate. And since he didn't trust himself to stick
to that notion, he was too embarrassed to tell them.
They went
back to dancing and David tried to forget about her. He was having
difficulty. Normally, girls wouldn't have this kind of power over
him. Not because he saw dating as a power struggle. Just because he
wouldn't be into it with a girl this much so suddenly. Getting to
know a girl was usually more gradual for him and he would always have
other things to keep him preoccupied. The only thing preoccupying him
now was a beautiful go-go dancer–who was definitely not his
type–named Caroline.
David couldn't stop thinking about
whether or not he should come back to the club at 4:00 AM. He knew
that going back would be a dead give away that he was desperate.
Which for all intents and purposes was not true at all. But Caroline
would not see it that way. He might have been head over heels for the
most beautiful girl he had ever danced with at a club. But he
definitely was not desperate in general.
She could totally be
doing that to get a kick out me, David thought. Something for her to
laugh about with her girlfriend on their way home tonight. But at the
same time, she did seem real enough to me. This might be worth it.
Especially since I'll never see her again anyway. And anyone would
consider me a fool if a girl as gorgeous as her told me to meet her
some where and I didn't at least show up! Think about it, David.
What got you to dance with her? Knowing that you might regret never
knowing what could have happened. The same principle applies here. GO
MEET HER AT FOUR!
David knew that philosophy was the whole reason
she even offered to meet her. The philosophy drove him to ask her to
dance, which in turn, resulted in her offering. The philosophy had
paid dividends so far. Don't mess with success!
The songs played
through one by one as David danced with Meghan and Chelsea. When 3:00
AM had rolled around, all three were pretty tired. They decided it
was time to go home. They left the club, walked out to Meghan's
car, and drove home.
Once back at Meghan's, Chelsea said bye and
left. Meghan looked at David who appeared to be in a trance.
"David,"
she began to ask, "you ok?"
David looked at her and then back
out the window.
"Yeah," he said. "I am fine. It just felt
really good to get back to a club again. I had missed it."
He
was lying. The club wasn't good. The beautiful go-go dancer was
good. He was nervous about going back.
"How long has it been
since you were last at a club?" Meghan asked.
"Eighteen,"
David replied. He was lying again. He had been to The Beach Club when
he was twenty-one. It was known as Club Rio then. But he needed to
draw any thought away from the go-go dancer. So he continued, "I
remember how fun the Philly clubs were when I was living there. Being
at the club tonight just really reminds me of good times."
"Yeah,"
Meghan said, "I can understand that. She sensed something was
amiss. She knew he was either lying, or just not telling the whole
truth. "Well, I need to get to bed. I am exhausted."
"Ok,"
David said. "I should be getting home, too. It's pretty
late."
"Thank you for coming with us, David. It was a lot of
fun!"
They were both walking toward the front door by now.
"Yeah
it was. I had a blast. We'll have to do it again sometime."
Meghan
opened the door to let David out.
"Absolutely!" Meghan said.
"Call me tomorrow. I think there are a couple parties going on. We
should get the group together and go."
"Yeah," David
replied. "We'll figure everything out tomorrow. Good night,
Meghan."
David was outside on the front porch now.
"Good
night, David!" Meghan said with enthusiasm.
Meghan closed her
door and David was walking towards his car. He had every intention of
going back to the club. He couldn't stop thinking about Caroline
and had to know what would happen if he show up. He got in his car
and drove off.
When David arrived at the club, the parking
lot was empty and he could see the workers leaving. When he saw a
blue Mazda RX-8, he knew he had not missed Caroline. The license
plate read, 2LTL2L8.
He parked his car, turned off the engine,
and waited patiently for her to come out. He sat there thinking about
what was going to happen next. His heart was pounding.
At 5:00 AM,
an hour had passed and David started to wonder. He got out of his car
and walked around to the front of it. He leaned up against the front
hood of his G-35 Infiniti.
More time passed. He was just about to
head home when he saw two girls walk out. They were laughing and
talking. This was it. Time to see what would happen. David walked up
to them. They saw him just before all three of them met at the car.
Janet had no idea what was going on. Caroline did.
"Hi," David
started, "I'm David. The one in the club who you danced with and
you told me to meet you here after work."
Janet looked at
Caroline confused. Caroline was dumbfounded. She had no idea he would
actually show up. Her facial expression revealed her surprise to
David. He began to think that showing up really had been a bad idea.
But what David didn't know was that Caroline was somewhat happy he
had.
"Yeah," Caroline said, "I remember. I didn't think
you'd actually come."
David glanced at the ground a little
embarrassed. Caroline recognized it and said, "It's coo that you
did."
David looked back up with hope in his eye, trying not to
seem too excited. He was trying to keep his cool.
"I'll give
you my number under one condition," Caroline said.
David nodded,
a little surprised at her demeanor, and said, "Fair enough. I'm
cool with whatever."
"Don't rush anything. I'm giving you
my number 'cause you showed me some respect. But don't start
tripping 'bout a relationship on the first phone call."
David
grinned and said, "You don't have to worry. I'm not like most
guys out there."
"I hope not," she replied.
"I
promise," David said, "I'm not."
"Ok," Caroline
said.
David opened up his cell phone and punched in Caroline's
number as she gave it to him. After he saved it, he wasn't sure
quite what to do next. He knew he couldn't stand there silently. So
he asked, "How did the interview go?"
"A'ight," Caroline
said. "We find out next week if we gots da job."
"Oh ok,"
David said. "Good luck with it. Let me know how it goes."
"Thanks,"
Caroline said.
"Well," David continued, "it's late. I am
gonna get going. I will give you a call soon, Caroline."
"A'ight,"
Caroline replied. "Talk to you later."
"Good night," David
replied back. He then looked at Janet and waved goodbye to
her.
"Bye," Janet said.
David walked back to his car
smiling hard. He was trying hard to contain his excitement. But he
knew he had to until he was out of sight. By the time he got back in
his car, he could see Caroline and Janet pulling away. He decided to
wait a few so that he wouldn't feel like he was following them if
they so happened to be taking the same route home.
After he could
see they were gone, David drove off and headed home. He lived in
Mesa, right off Loop 202. He was too excited to play any music. He
was so happy he had gone against his better thinking and showed up at
her work after hours. He also knew he had a chance because she had
openly acknowledged to him that she appreciated his candor around
her. Right now, he would just be a friend and get to know Caroline
for who she was. He wanted to prove he could be anything she wanted
him to be.
Meanwhile, in Janet's car, Caroline thought
about what had just happened in the parking lot. She stared out the
window while she cursed herself in her mind.
Caroline! What the
hell are you thinking? You have enough drama in your life right now!
You don't know who this David guy is or anything about him.
"I
can't believe you gave that guy your number," Janet said. "Why?
What made you give it to him? And it isn't even as if you gave him
a fake one."
"I know," Caroline said.
"You gave him
yours?" Janet continued.
"I know!" Caroline
conceded.
"Why?"
Moments ago, Caroline was asking herself
the same question. But now that someone else was asking it, her
defense mechanism was kicking in and the answer was coming. All of a
sudden, she knew what she was doing.
"'Cause," Caroline
started. "I just…"
A short pause.
"… I just gots a
good feeling about him that I can't explain."
"And how did
you get that?" Janet asked skeptically.
"We danced in the
club," Caroline said.
"So that makes him a good person and not
a serial rapist?" Janet asked.
"No! It doesn't. I mean it
does. I mean-"
Caroline sighed for a second and Janet stared out
the windshield, waiting for an answer.
"It just means,"
Caroline continued, "That outta all da guys in da club who treated
me like a sex object, he actually had respect."
"That could be
part of his rape plan," Janet challenged.
Caroline chose to
ignore the challenging statement and continued, "He asked me
questions about me. He complimented me in a respectful way. Most guys
would just be like, 'Damn girl shake dat ass!' But not David. He
told me I was a good dancer. He complimented my name and not my
tits."
"Well I guess that makes him a champion," Janet
said.
"Don't worry. If this guy ends up being a complete
psycho, Alex will jack him up real good."
"You're trying to
break up with Alex," Janet reminded her.
Caroline did not
respond to this. She had reminded herself of this before Janet did.
However, that was not what got Caroline thinking. She was comparing
David to Alex in her mind. And that was not even what got her so
silently thinking. She was liking the results of her comparison.
On
a good day, this might have scared Caroline a little. But her life
had been in such disarray that it was almost refreshing. Her life had
been so miserable in some ways that to have something good happen was
a welcoming change for her. She found herself hoping David would call
soon.
