Mike looked at his watch. His shoulders slumped. It was worse than he thought. Two-and-a-half hours. After an hour, he'd realized that she was probably not going to show but he'd already paid the cover charge. Might as well stay and "enjoy the scene".
What that really meant was that he might as well hang around because he had nothing better to do. He'd nursed the same overpriced drink, only his second, for an hour now. The music was uninspired and consisted mostly of a pounding bass beat and the occasional sample loud enough to be heard over the otherwise monotonous rhythm.
The only potential highlight was the women. Unfortunately, that didn't mean much to Mike. Officially he was dating, even if this, fourth, incident pushed it over the edge to the point where she stood him up more than half the time. Besides, while the women in the impeccably short skirts and floss-thin tops were hot, they really weren't all that attractive to him. There were a few women around from subcultures but, in general, the bouncers kept them out with the other "undesirables".
"I can't believe she stood me up again." Mike mourned into his drink.
A snort of amusement pulled his attention. His head spun to glare at whoever had the nerve to find humor in his predicament. The fact that it was a young woman did little to cool his ire. That she was dressed in a black leather miniskirt, a fishnet top with nothing but a black bra beneath, and knee-high leather boots covered in buckles made a bit of a difference. The short, black hair, pale makeup, black lipstick and eyeliner further helped.
It was the look of absolute contrition and shyness that broke through Mike's fury. The way her head and shoulders slumped in and she could not meet his gaze spoke volumes of her self-worth. That was really too bad, since she was actually quite attractive. Sure, her breasts were a bit small for "conventional" beauty but that only played into her unconventional style.
"Sorry." The girl's mumble could only be heard above the heavy music because of a trick of acoustics. The corner he'd parked himself in contained a couple of the building's support beams that helped baffle the noise and allowed for conversations without the participants shouting themselves horse. The table and couple of chairs snugged into a nook only added to the effect. "I just noticed your button."
Confused, Mike looked down at the lapel of his trench coat. After a moment, a lopsided smirk settled on his lips. He'd completely forgotten about the thing. His best friend had pinned it to him in a fit of ironic humor.
VAMPIRES SUCK
WEREWOLVES BITE
FAIRIES BLOW
The local BGLAD contained more than it's fair share of goths and had taken to the politically incorrect slogan. Then again, his best friend could call himself, and those like him, whatever he wanted.
Mike felt no need to explain the situation to the young woman. It had brought a small smile to her day, and that was enough. Particularly when he got the impression she wasn't used to such exercise of her facial muscles.
"It's okay. I think I just got stood up. Or maybe dumped." Mike shrugged. After a moment's thought, he slid his bag off of the seat next to him and waved in its direction. "You wanna sit?"
Shoulders still slumped forward, she glanced over at the offered seat. An uncertain smile crossed her face but she nodded slightly. It hadn't dawned on him, when he offered, but she'd have to slide between him and the table to get to it. He should have shifted himself over and offered the closer chair. He didn't think of it until she'd started past.
She turned towards him and their bodies pressed against one another as she slid past. The feel of her soft body, barely encased in her sparse outfit, sent a jolt of energy through Mike that he couldn't really explain. He wasn't generally the lust-at-first-sight type, but the fiery surge settled confidently between his legs and bore heavily in his loins.
"I'm Mike." He held out a hand to shake when she finally settled herself on the inside of the half-booth. Meekly, she took the offered hand and shook. She veritably radiated skittishness and he wished he could settle her nerves some.
"Lilly." She replied.
Of course! It finally dawned on him that the seat he'd offered left her trapped fully within the nook. The only way out remained through him. Given the acoustics, someone would have to already be practically on top of them to hear if she tried to scream for help. The low ambient light and shadows of the booth meant his body would naturally block any sight of her.
Mike felt like a complete dick.
It was only by some miracle that she didn't think he was a creep and a dangerous perv. Of course, she'd accepted the seat so either she had a truly self-destructive streak of danger-seeking or she thought he looked trustworthy. He liked to think he was and he vowed to be extra careful so as not to confirm contrary appearances.
"I'll be honest," Lilly muttered, "I saw you hanging out over here and thought you were kinda cute. I figured I'd come say hi. But you looked like you were waiting for someone. So, you got stood up?"
The whole thing came out in a rush. He found her nervousness kind of cute. He suspected she might have used a little liquid encouragement to build up her courage to talk to him. He recognized the concoction in her glass by the neon colors. It was pretty potent stuff.
Mike shrugged. "Yeah. Supposed to be my girlfriend, but I dunno. Not like this is the first time. No call, no nothing."
"That's not how you should treat someone." Lilly grunted. "But it leaves hope for the rest of us."
Mike was acutely aware of the way those small breasts hugged his arm when she leaned forward. He had to remind himself that the drink, not to mention the club's meticulous policing of the age limit, meant that she was legal. Otherwise he'd have felt more than a little like the perv he already seemed to be when his pants started to grow tight.
Lilly's hand negligently drifted across his chest and flicked at the button that had broken the ice. "So, which are you a fan of?"
"Excuse me?" Mike gulped, trying to swallow past a lump in his throat. He couldn't help but think of the innuendo involved, particularly with those moist, black-clad, lips so close.
"I bet you're a fairy kind of guy." Lilly looked up, through batted lashes, to meet his gaze. Mike was acutely aware of how hot and stuffy the club was. Somehow, however, his mind and body screamed that the only natural reaction to all that steamy heat would be to strip down.