Friday night started out like any other. Michael was in sales, and he had finished his appointments early. As he was dressed, he didn't bother heading home to shower and to get ready to go out. He knew if he did, he wouldn't get out until late, if he was able to leave the house at all. With his father gone, Michael moved in with his mother to help her out. She always seemed to come up with reasons for him to not go out. Considering that he had turned 37 a month earlier, he hated having to ask Mommy for permission to stay out past his bedtime.
Technically, Michael was still married, although he and his wife hadn't been together in over a year. She moved out and told him she wanted a divorce, but she was insisting that he pay for it, not her. He had more than enough money for the lawyers and all of the things that went with it. It was the principal. If she wanted the divorce, she could pay for it. It wasn't like he was sitting around waiting for her to come to her senses and take him back. He just wasn't going to pay for her to rape him in court.
His normal routine was to go to the Underground, a bar in the basement of an apartment building. Realizing that he hadn't eaten in the past 9 or so hours, he stopped into the diner for a quick bite to eat before going to the bar. He usually only had a couple, but he still hated to drink on an empty stomach.
Finally arriving at the Underground, he could hear the music from the top of the stairs. The marquee above the door said it was James' Birthday Fiesta tonight, and the music was being provided by the Party Express. James was the manager of the bar, and a real sleaze. He had an apartment in the building and was known to find one of the patrons to sleep with him at the end of the night. He would ply her with free alcohol, then when the bar closed, and she was in no condition to say "no", he would take her upstairs, "to keep her from driving drunk". If that didn't work out, the bar always had some chick that was too drunk to say no.
As he opened the door, he had to stand there for a second to allow his eyes to adjust. Normally, the place wasn't this dark, but the DJ was going all out with the dancing lights. It was hard to make out any faces, or where his bar-friends were sitting. Getting his bearings, he headed for the bar.
"Cindy, my love! I have returned from the wars and I am parched. Bring me yon ale with which I might quench my manly thirst!"
"Mikey, you studly piece of man meat! How about we go back into the cooler and you can work off this beer? It's been a long time, and I could definitely use some of your good loving."
Michael and Cindy had gotten together a few times, but nothing had ever come of it. It was understood by the both of them that it was what it was. Neither was interested in anything more. They finally realized that they were going to be friends and that sex didn't feel right, so they stopped. Of course, it didn't stop them from offering each other any chance they got.
"There ya go, Love," she said passing over his beer. Michael dropped a five dollar bill on the counter and started walking to a table where a group of friends had gathered. He made it about half-way when he saw a flash of movement. With barely enough time to react, and almost dropping his beer, he turned and caught a female who had launched herself into his arms and buried her face into his neck.
"Save me, save me, save me, save me, save me..."
His mind finally cleared, and he was able to recognize the woman who had attacked him as Debbie, a friend of his from a couple of college classes he had taken a few years ago. She was well known within the circle of friends that inhabited the Underground on the weekends. It was rumored that she was still a virgin at the age of 22. Only a couple of her trusted friends, Michael included, knew for sure that she was.
Debbie was a bit of an oddity to Michael. She was young, barely 22, and he was clocking in at about 37, and she seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time with him, both in and out of the bar. There were friends that she had that were close to her age- there had to be- yet she went to concerts with him, ball games, movies... she seemed to spend more time around the "old man" than kids her own age. She wasn't unattractive- in fact she was a kick boxer and had an athlete's body. She was just the kind of woman that you would miss on the street. Well, if she wanted to spend time with him, he wouldn't object too much.
As he held her up, he moved his head away from her.
"So, what's up, Kiddo?"
"James is trying to get me drunk. Please save me. If I get drunk, he's gonna try and get me upstairs. I don't want to go upstairs."
She buried her head back into his neck.
"Save me, save me, save me, save me, save-"
"OK, OK," Michael replied. "I get it. You want me to save you from Jimmy."
He let her down, so she could stand on her own feet and kept his arms around her. By the smell of her breath, James had not only tried to get her drunk, but had actually succeeded.
"What has Jimmy been feeding you?"
"Tequila Rose. It's my favorite."
"Yeah. How many of them has he bought you?"
Debbie giggled.
"I've only had about three shots."
"Only two shots of tequila, eh?"
"Well," Debbie replied, "that and two or three beers."
Michael looked at his watch.
"What time did you get here?"
"Oh, about 9:30 or so."
"So," Michael looked at his watch again. "In the past two hours you've had two shots and two beers..."
He was right... James had succeeded in getting her drunk.
"OK, love. I'll stick with you the rest of the night and make sure you get home unmolested."
The next two and a half hours went without too much of an incident. Micheal's bar friends showed up at the table to say hello, and a couple of the girls made passes at him to judge their chances of after-hours activity with him, and then they all left. James stopped by the table once to see if Debbie needed anything to drink- on the house, of course.
"Yo, Jimmy," Michael said. "You know she isn't the kind of girl that is going to go upstairs with you. Just let her go."
Jimmy smiled. "Maybe that's her decision to make, not yours. Now, I offered her a drink, so I think it is up to her to take the drink and enjoy it."
"Actually," Michael said standing up, "I think she did make her decision. The fact that she is sitting here with me and you are trying to get her back over there with you so no one can stop you from your evil plan means that she has decided to stay here, and not end this evening with you bouncing up and down on top of her."
"Jimmy, please..." Debbie pleaded.
"Let me tell you something," James said, leaning forward.
"Shove."
"This isn't over," James threatened.
