“I got it,” he says again, his voice firm enough this time to make me put away my wallet.
We’d passed a man on our way in — a really big guy who was watching people go by as he talked on his phone. As Garrett and I are about to step up to the counter, that man appears at our side.
“Excuse me, I need to check your ID,” he says, looking directly at me. His voice is like something out of a commercial for giant trucks, or some other super-manly product, and it perfectly matches his massive body. He gestures for me to cross the lobby with him, and I again reach for my wallet as I follow him.
Since the lights are dim, the big man, who looks to be at least ten years older than me, aims a small flashlight at my driver’s license. “Nice picture,” he says, eyeing my face to ensure I match the ID. Then his eyes dip a little lower, and I wonder if this is how he gets his kicks. I guess ogling people is part of his job.
“Brought your boyfriend?” he asks, his eyes flickering over my shoulder.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“No?” His eyes dip down again and linger for a moment at the neckline of my dress. “Brother?” he asks.
“No, just a friend.”
“Interesting.” He offers my license to me and holds onto it for a split second longer when I start to grab it. “Have a good night, Autumn,” he says.
4
Garrett
When the security guard is done hitting on Autumn, she finds me waiting at the entrance to a hallway. The man looked vaguely familiar, like I’ve seen him around town. He’s so big, he’d be hard to miss, and his behavior reinforces my reason for being surprised that Autumn is a virgin. She must get hit on all the time.
It pissed me off that he flirted with her, but what can I say or do about it? She’s reminded me a few times already that this isn’t a date. Which leads me to once again question myself: Why haven’t I ever asked her out on a date?
If I’d known she was a virgin, I would have asked her out, work rules be damned. But I’ve been operating under the idea that she would never be interested in me romantically, and who knows? Maybe that’s still a correct assumption. Just because neither of us has ever had sex doesn’t mean she’d think we’re a perfect match.
Autumn has to wait for a large group of women to pass until she can get to me. This place must be making bank. In the off season, Four Points Island has always seemed like a sleepy place, but there’s nothing tired about this club.
“Thank you for buying the tickets,” she says. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“No problem.” A few more women push past us in the hall, jostling Autumn into my side. Her skin is so soft, like I’d always known it would be. We never touch at work, outside of an occasional high-five, and even those are enough to get my imagination going.
I put my hand on her shoulder and pull her closer as two more people hurry by.
“This place is nuts,” she says, making a funny face.
“Are they giving away money?” I ask rhetorically, getting a short laugh from Autumn.
Inside the main room, there’s an even bigger crowd than I expected. We should have come earlier, because it’s definitely standing room only. “Would you like a drink?” I ask when I spot the bar at the back.
She nods enthusiastically. “Yes, please. But I’m paying.”
“No, you’re not,” I say, bending to talk right next to her ear, because both music and people talking make it hard for us to hear each other. “What would you like? Maybe a lemon drop?”
She nods as she looks at me like I’m some kind of mind reader. “How did you know I like those?”
I smile and shrug, but don’t bother yelling over the noise to answer. I know because I listen when she talks.
I start toward the bar, but after going a few yards, I realize Autumn isn’t behind me. I spot her over the heads of a group that’s come between us. When she reaches me, I take her hand. “So we don’t get separated,” I say, when she looks at me in surprise.
Maybe I should ask her out. Maybe she can wear sexy dresses like this and we can go to places that aren’t filled with screaming women and posters of mostly-naked men.
There are a few other guys here. They’re few and far between, but I’m not the only one. I spot one group of men, who I assume are gay and excited to see the show. Then there are the men who are with women, like I am, though they’re probably with wives or girlfriends who are going to get horny watching the show, and then go home and go to bed with them. I know that’s not how my night is going to go, but maybe this can be the start of something more than friendship.
As I’m getting the drinks, the room gets darker and the lights flash. The show is starting. “Where do you want to go?” I ask Autumn when I hand her the cocktail.
“Let’s try to get a little closer,” she says. “I don’t think I’ll be able to see from here.”