There are few sounds more satisfying than the click of closing a laptop at the end of a busy but boring day of entering data and reviewing account reports. I rubbed my temples before getting up to relieve the headache that was threatening to beat a tempo in my head. It was Friday. Thank God.
"Mr. Galloway," the petite administrative assistant poked her head into my office, "you asked me to remind you about the Greenway deal before you left for the day."
Tina was a competent assistant. Too competent. I would have preferred that she forgot that particular tidbit, seeing as it required a phone call that would probably take a half hour.
"Thanks, Tina." I watched her nod and turn to leave. I liked watching her leave. She had a perfect ass tucked up under that skirt, and the fabric showed it off like the masterpiece it was. I entertained the distracting thought of bending her over my desk for not the first time as I dialed Greenway Trust.
Fortunately, the call didn't take too long, and I was in my car by 5:30. I had to pick up my wife Sara and get to the restaurant by 6 or lose our reservations. Sara and I were celebrating our third wedding anniversary, having tied the knot after she got her teaching degree. We were still in the honeymoon phase, but real life was beginning to intrude on our happy home. My job as an investment banker was pulling more hours lately, and Sara had been tasked with serving as a faculty adviser for two student clubs at her school, which meant a lot of after school work. She loves her job, so she doesn't mind the work, but it does take a bite out of our romantic time. Tonight was our attempt to carve out some "we" time.
I love Sara and I know Sara loves me. I do, however, appreciate the aesthetic qualities of other women when I notice them. I haven't hit on them, propositioned them, or touched them, at least not physically. I would never betray my marriage by doing something like that. In my mind's eye, however, I've bagged hundreds of them. Particularly Tina.
Tina's ass was still on my mind when I pulled into the drive. It was already 5:50 and it would take me ten minutes to get to the restaurant, so I sprinted up the walkway to the door. Sara was coming down the hallway in her little black dress as she wrestled an earring into her right lobe. She took my breath away in that dress, with her hair done up and the perfect amount of makeup. I immediately regretted all the times I've taken her for granted when she dresses for her job or a day around the house. Fortunately, when she wants my attention, she knows how to get it. She benefited from good genes. Her mother was a stunner as well, even though we didn't spend a lot of time with her. She and Sara have been somewhat estranged since Sara's father died while she was in college. She came to our wedding, and we did go over to visit one Christmas, but it was a chilly visit that had nothing to do with the weather. Sara refuses to talk about it with me.
"Sorry, I know I'm late," I said as I neared her. "Let me call the restaurant..."
"Don't worry, Chance. I already did." She stopped at the hall tree mirror and fluffed her bangs as she regarded her reflection. "We're good."
I relaxed and put my phone down, stepped behind her and kissed her shoulder. "You're perfect, you know that?"
"Of course, I do." She smiled at my reflection. "But don't let that stop you from saying it." This woman completes me.
Dinner was fantastic and we enjoyed some nice drinks after they cleared our table. I held my glass aloft. "Here's to three wonderful years with the love of my life."
We clinked glasses and she took a sip from hers. The brandy made her lips shiny, and she smiled as her eyes drifted into memory. "Three years," she said. "It seems so long ago and just like yesterday at the same time."
"I know, right? Every day with you is both new and familiar."
"Oh, that's such a beautiful thing to say."
"You inspire me. I'm so lucky you chose to be with me for this journey called life."
She smiled. I know it sounds schmaltzy, but I was speaking from the heart. It was time to spring my surprise on her. "So, it's still early. Would you care to go dancing? Catwalks has a jazz quartet tonight. I could try out some new moves you might like."
She beamed a smile at me. She loves dancing and she knows I can take it or leave it. It's rare that I suggest cutting a rug, so she really appreciates it when I do. The surprise was that I had been secretly taking dance classes in preparation for tonight.
"Oh, yes. That sounds wonderful. And after that," she leaned forward and lowered her voice, "you can take me home and I could try out some new moves on you that I'm sure you'll like."
Thoughts of dancing left my head for a moment as I pictured her naked body hovering over mine. I blinked. As much as I wanted her, I spent a fortune on those lessons, and I wanted to get my money's worth. Besides, for her, dancing is foreplay. I knew I had one hell of an evening ahead of me.
We made our way to our car, pausing to enjoy a passionate kiss by her open door before I got in and piloted us to the club. I felt good about the night so far. Even if I had to work late, and we had to reschedule the reservations, everything was still golden. Until we got to Catwalks.
The first clue there was a problem was that the marquee was dark and the usual line to get in was missing. There was a sign on the door apologizing for the inconvenience, but it seemed an electrical problem forced the temporary closure. I cursed our bad luck.
"It's okay, Chance," Sara said. "We can come back when it's open."
"But the Jazz band may not be here then." I hated sounding whiny, but I had really been looking forward to this.
"You mean the Red Cats?" A voice spoke to us out of the darkness. I turned to the door to see a man's face in the ticket window. "They found another gig. You can see them here." He thrust a card out of the narrow ticket slot. "It's a different kind of club though, and they finish their set early, so you may want to hurry."
Ordinarily such a situation would have filled me with doubts, since it sounded shady. But if they're playing a different club, what could be the harm in driving by and checking it out? If it was shady, we could just keep on driving. Sara looked her concern at me when we got back into the car.
"If it looks bad, we'll leave. This may be our only chance to do some dancing to live jazz."
She quietly nodded and we were off. The club was in a part of the city I didn't usually visit, but it was in no way shady. It bordered to one of the richest subdivisions and was near several top ranked schools and fancy retail stores. The club's sign was just one in a large marquee and it did nothing to stand out. Likewise, several concrete cubes with no signs, banners, or windows lined a full parking lot. Each had a pair of darkened glass doors in the middle. Only one had a light on above the door and a man standing in front.
"This is a night club?"
"Evidently. And evidently, it's pretty popular judging from all the cars."
"What are you thinking?"
#
"Let's stick our heads inside. If we don't like the vibe, we'll leave."
It wasn't as easy as all that. The man at the door stopped us. He was a big man, kind of like a Hispanic Vyng Raimes. "Invitation?"
"Invitation?"
"This is a private club," he said with a sigh, as though he'd grown weary of telling people this fact. "Membership or invitation only."
"The guy at Catwalks told us the Red Cats were playing here. He gave me this." I handed over the card.