The three young men walked down the brightly lit street in the heart of the red light district. A tall man with reddish brown hair led the way, followed by a shorter man with a sumo wrestler’s build, and another his own height.
The leader stopped at an open door surrounded by flashing lights.
“This one’s still open. Are you in?” He turned to his two companions. The taller of the two looked at the neon signs proclaiming ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ with wide eyes.
“Joe, we can’t go in here!”
“Why not? Afraid you might see something you like?”
Ken and Joe stared at each other, daring the other to do or say something that would lead to an all-out brawl.
“Guys, sheesh. Give it a rest, wouldya? Ken was right, you were wrong – not everything can be solved with a Bird Missile.” Ryu put his hand on Joe’s shoulder, “Doesn’t matter how it happened, the bad guys are still dead and the world is still safe, Joe. Get over it, already. As for going in here, I agree with you. We’re just looking for a place to wind down, Ken. It’s not the best, but we don’t hafta watch if we don’t wanna.”
“Fine, but I can’t afford the cover charge.” Ken stuck his hands into his pockets and looked down at the ground sheepishly. “Don’t suppose one of you would float me?”
Joe laughed. “Knew it had to be something like that. Come on, I’ll cover you.”
After paying the doorman and receiving tokens for a free drink, the three entered the dimly lit club pulsating with music. Ignoring the brightly lit stage with its performer in full swing Joe scanned the room. Finding what he was looking for, he tapped Ken on the bicep and indicated an empty table in the corner, returning a moment later to grab Ryu and drag him over.
“Can I get you boys something to drink?” Purred in a liquid foreign accent by a waitress in tight black hotpants and even tighter black top that momentarily distracted Ryu from the gyrating dancer.
“Three beers, brand doesn’t matter,” Joe said, taking the eyeful he’d been offered. The waitress leaned over further, resting her elbows on the table between him and Ken, crossing her arms over her exposed cleavage.
“How about I get you 3 sodas and forget to do an ID check?” She raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow above dark blue eyes that looked deep into Joe’s.
“I believe that is what we ordered...”
She smiled, stood up, and ruffled his hair. “Good boy.”
Joe turned to watch her walk to the bar on the opposite side of the room. “Damn.”
“In here for less than a minute and you’re picking up the waitress! So much for just getting a drink.” Ken’s tone was disapproving.
“Ken, relax, willya? I’m not picking her up, and she’s not getting picked up: it’s just an act they pull at places like this, keeps the patrons happy.”
“And you would know.”
Joe leaned over and looked directly at Ken.
“Yes, I would. I’ve been here before, and God only knows how many like it. You wanted to blow off some steam, to relax after the mission. I provided the only solution for a Tuesday night after 11. You don’t think I haven’t trawled this town looking for things to do at 1 am before? It’s either here, or go for a jog, which will only wind you up more. Your choice.”
Ken dropped his gaze, looking at the table. Blowing air through his nose he replied, “Sorry, I know you’re right. It’s just that this place is so, so seedy.”
“Only if you come here for the show, Ken. Personally, I find watching the patrons more interesting. I wonder why they choose to be in a strip club instead of spending time at home with their wives and kids, or out at a club looking for company they can take home... I mean, it’s nearly 1 am and look at how many are still here, even though they probably have work in the morning. I pity them: they have no idea of what life’s really about.”
“Here you go, boys.” The waitress returned and placed glasses and bottles on their table. “Just a warning, we close in 10 minutes.” Just then the ‘last drinks’ call could be heard from the bar. The performer made her final bows before disappearing stage right, her g-string festooned with bills from the drunks in the front rows.
“What? We just got here!” Joe grabbed at the waitress’ arm as she turned to leave. She quickly looked up and shook her head at a burly man near the door. Joe immediately removed his hand from her arm, knowing it was a major breach of the house rules. Glancing at the bouncer, he could see that while the big man was not coming over, he was not taking his eyes off the table.
“Look, I understand. It is, how do you say, annoying? But it is also the rules. We must close at 1 am or we will lose our operating licence.” The young woman carefully enunciated the final words. She squatted at Joe’s side, with her hands on the table. “Listen, I know you did not come in here for the show. If you did you would have been here earlier, and you would be sitting closer to the stage. I will ask Billy if it’s all right for you to stay longer, okay? We cannot sell you anything to eat or to drink, but I don’t think that it will be against the rules for you hang around while we clean up.” She waited for Joe to nod before heading towards the bouncer by the door.
“Oh no, she’s not getting picked up at all...”
“Shut it, Ken.” Joe picked up his drink. “She’s just being nice. Believe it or not, people that work in these places are quite often human.”
“And it has nothing to do with you batting your eyes at her.”
“Ken, you’re barking up the wrong tree – see for yourself.” Joe gestured towards the door. The waitress was leaning towards the bouncer, talking quickly, her hand on his chest, his on her bare waist just above the hip. Suddenly, she grabbed the much taller man by back of the head, pulling his face down and kissing him soundly on his cheek. Ken visibly relaxed and laughed.
“Guess you just might be right – for once. I bow to your superior knowledge of strip joints and topless bars...” Matching actions to words, he waited for Joe to shoot him a warning glance before taking a drink.
“Such a shame, our Joe might just have been in with a chance to blow off some steam.” Ryu chuckled. “You know he always has more than us!”
Joe’s hard stare at Ryu was interrupted by the black haired waitress’ return to the table.
“Billy says it‘s all right, but only until we need to clean your table. Okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I think I could just sit and listen to that girl talk for hours!” Ryu rolled his eyes dreamily as the waitress walked off. “Her accent is just so...cute. What do you think it is?”
“Don’t ask me, you know I can’t pick them up as well as you two do.” Joe took a drink from his bottle. “But I do know I could just sit and watch her walk for hours.”
“Oh, God, Ryu, you are becoming as bad as he is!” Ken laughed. “And I would say French. Both for the talking and the walking.”
The club security had started guiding the few remaining die-hards to the door with promises of more dancers and drinks tomorrow. One black-shirt moved towards the table in the corner, but Billy headed him off. The music cut off as the last patron left.
“LIGHTS!”
Joe followed the example of the five or so waitresses at the bar and covered his eyes, leaving Ken and Ryu stunned by the sudden brilliance of the house lights being turned on.
“ARGH, a little warning next time would be great!” Ryu bitched, while blinking rapidly.
“I’m going to be seeing stars for a week!” Ken ground his fists into his eyes.
Joe smirked as he slowly uncovered his eyes, noting that the waitresses were doing the same.
"I am sorry, we should have warned you that would happen," their waitress called from the bar. The others with her looked over and laughed at Ken shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut. A tall blonde leaned over. With heavily made-up eyes never leaving their table, she whispered in their waitress’s ear. The waitress looked at her blonde companion and shook her head with a smile.
“Girls, girls! You are not being paid to stand around!” Billy clapped his hands.
“We-e-e-ll, that would depend on what the client asks for, and how much of a ‘tip’ they’re offering, doesn’t it?” the blonde replied, laughing. Billy scowled, put one hand on his hip and pointed at her.
“Danielle, my little dove, your charms while standing still will make many a man’s charms stand too, not to mention getting a wallet or two to open. However, they are wasted on me. Get the gloves out, ladies!”
Joe steadfastly refused to look at Ken, knowing what the expression on his commander’s face would be.
“It would seem you are still very much in with a chance, Joe.” Joe was sure he detected a hint of laughter in Ken’s voice.
“Not interested, Ken. Some of these girls make money on the side, and since I have never paid, nor intend to, I leave them alone.”
“Looking’s free, right?” Ryu’s voice was amused.
“That it is, Ryu. That it is,” Joe smiled at the big man. “Unless, of course, you take into account we paid a cover charge!”
The girls had disappeared through a door behind the bar. They returned one by one, pushing cleaning carts with buckets and trays. They all got to work, clearing tables, wiping them and then putting the chairs on the table.
“Hey, Kat! Can you remember where that loner of mine sat? With the lights on I can’t quite pick it out,” the tall blonde, Danielle, called out.
Joe had the best seat in the house to watch the girls work and he realised that ‘Kat’ was the black-haired French girl who had talked Billy into allowing them to stay.
“Mmmm, let’s see. I could just let you find it, that would be fun.” Feigning fear at the face Danielle pulled, Kat moved to the bar and glanced over the room. “There, that table, the one to your left.”
“Don’t know how you do it, love, I can never remember.”
Danielle pulled out long latex gloves that went all the way up her arms to above her elbows. The others laughed at her as she made a performance of pulling out the chair with just two fingers, pretending to be afraid of what she would find on the seat.
“ARGGGGGGHHHHH, I was right. Oh, my God, I was right!”
“Oh, you poor baby! And if your loner was cute, don’t forget to save some for me!” Billy called from behind the bar where he was pouring drinks.
“What would Troy say? He would be devastated to hear you speak that way, Billy!” Kat scolded.
“He wouldn’t care, my little tadpole, as long as I return to him each and every night. Again and again and again...”
“Enough! And if you ever call me ‘tadpole’ again I will, will... um.... hold you down and kiss you – on the mouth!”
“Oh, that’s just icky! You can be very gross when you want to be, my little chicklet!”
Laughing, the girls hurried about their work. Every now and again one would pull out the long gloves, to the laughter of her co-workers.
Ken, Ryu and Joe watched their waitress coming closer and closer. When she was working on the table next to them, Ken shyly asked, “You want us to leave now, don’t you?”
“No, no, you are okay. That table wasn’t used all night. I only need to get your glasses and bottles and give it a quick wipe. The chairs do not need to be cleaned, no?”
“No, NO!” Ryu caught her meaning and blushed bright red. Kat tilted her head at him, compassionate amusement on her face.
“You are not used to coming to a place like this, I think? Perhaps your first time?” Ryu nodded. “It is quite okay, you know. There is a demand and it is met, for the most part, of course. If it were not natural for men to like to look at a well-formed woman and get satisfaction from it, then the human race would not be here now. In my country it is an art form, here not so much, but it is the same all over the world. Straight men like to look at a woman’s body, at the promise she provides – it is natural.”
“Kat, are you done yet?”
“I am coming, Billy.” She turned to the three waiting for her next sentence. “He will want you to leave soon, we are almost finished, maybe 5 minutes?”
“Of course, thank you for allowing us to stay,” Joe focused his steel blue eyes on her, ignoring the reactions of his team mates. If she was free of entanglement with the big bouncer, and free in general, then he wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.
“You are very welcome.” She held his gaze a little longer than necessary and Joe felt hope blossom in his groin before she left to saunter over to the bar. Billy had lined up several shot glasses and, as one, the girls raised their glasses in a toast.
“Chin-chin!”
Ryu and Ken almost choked on their tongues: in Japanese it literally meant ‘dick’, but Joe just laughed.
“It’s Italian for ‘cheers’, you dickwads. Oh, and Ryu, Ken will drive you home.”
“You dog! What happened to not being interested and leaving them alone?” Ken’s face was severe.
“Well, mission statements change, Ken. You of all people should know that.”
Over at the bar, Billy poured another line of shots. Danielle and Kat moved closer to each other and turned towards their table. Watching for their reactions, Danielle dipped her finger in her glass and offered it to the smaller woman. A pink tongue flicked out and ran up the finger until it reached the tip and then Kat’s mouth engulfed the length to slowly pull back. The entire time, two sets of blue eyes observed the effect it had on the three boys.
“I think we need to leave – now.” Ken’s voice, husky from the scene before them.
“Um, standing up right now is not part of my ‘mission statement’ Ken.” Joe’s voice, just as husky, strained to be heard.
“Make it part of it. We’re leaving now!” Ken stood up. Placing one hand under Joe’s arm and the other under Ryu’s, he jerked the pair to their feet. Pushing the two unwilling men to the door he shouted over his shoulder, “Thank you, and good night!”
Breaking through into the cool night air, the three took big gulps of air, shaking off what they just saw.
“Hey!” Billy the bouncer poked his head out the door. “Danielle and Kat are just getting their bags, they want to know if you would wait for a sec.” Looking at them, he shook his head. “You’re staying.”
“I am definitely hanging around, guys.” Joe’s eyes glazed over at the memory.
“We’re not. Come on, Ryu.”
“Hey, leaving so soon? We have not said good night.” Kat’s musical voice was followed by her slender frame outlined in the door. As she stepped down, she was replaced by the taller Danielle.
“You aren’t going to leave two defenceless girls to walk home on their own, are you?” Danielle tilted her head at the trio.
“Of course. We wouldn’t do that.” Joe looked at his cohorts, daring them to leave.
“We do not live far, only a block away," Kat peeked up through her black fringe, her blue eyes heavy with promise.
“Um, we really need to leave, early start in the morning and all that..” Ken made one last desperate attempt to get out of this.
“If you must go, you two may leave." Danielle placed a hand around Kat’s waist, drawing her close, nuzzling her upturned ear before running her tongue down the exposed neck. Kat moaned with desire before breaking from her hold. Walking over she held her hand out.
“But you will come with us, no?”
A hand taken, but willing given, was pulled alongside the tiny form. His body stumbled, but was steadied by another arm around his, his body bracketed by dark and light, short and tall.
“Do not worry, mon chére, we will be gentle,” Kat said softly.
“At least for the first 10 minutes!” Danielle laughed.
“Goodnight boys,” Kat blew a kiss over her shoulder.
Ken stared at the backs of the threesome disappearing into the night, mouth agape.
“You know, unless at least one of them turns out to be a man, he is gonna be just insufferable for weeks.”
“And you’re not?” growled Joe.
Chapter End Notes:
Thank you, UnpublishedWriter, for your patience, experience and ability to make sense out of tense!