The Beginning (3 page)

I just smiled and took it all in. I felt so good, both proud of myself for doing it and apparently doing it well.

“I have to go meet…” Samson cut me off.

“Saw him, totally gorge! Just what I told you to look for. Let’s get you back out there.”

“What do I wear?”

“No worries babe, I keep the quality left-overs.” I must have made an awkward face because he continued, “Girls that never come back, after a week we pop the locks and it’s free game for what’s inside. Mostly junk, but sometimes good stuff and I keep it for the new girls like you that don’t have anything. That’s where your earrings are from. Don’t worry, I wash, clean, and sanitize everything.” He began to dig around in a locker and pulled out silk scarf and a black sequined tank top. I didn’t even notice that we were alone again in the locker room.

“Here put these on.” And handed them to me.

I wrapped the short faux-Chanel scarf like a mini sarong around my hips and put the tank top on. It was cute and I was ready for my “date”. Samson freshened my make-up and I was ready to go back out there.

“Remember you are LENOX!!” Samson yelled after me, and as he did, he spritzed some fragrance into my vanishing frame.

When I walked out of the locker room I looked up and saw the manager staring across the room at me, still sitting on his barstool. I caught his eye and smiled, he tipped his head and smiled back. I felt empowered. I walked over to the handsome man awaiting me and sat down.

“Hi I’m Jonathan.” as he pulled out a chair at his table.

“Hi, I’m Lenox.” Phew I did it, and we were off and talking.

“Like the fine china. Was Mikasa taken?” He looks bemused.

Is he making fun of me? I am hurt and a bit embarrassed already. I must have made a pouty or shocked face because he puts his hand over mine that is resting on the small table.

“Hey” he says softly “I’m sorry. I know you girls make up names and I never meant to make you feel badly. I was going for a bad joke. Forgive me?”

As I look up at him he is staring intently and deeply into my eyes searching for understanding. He really looks like he cares that this hurts me. It makes me feel warm inside and I lighten up and smile, “Forgiven.”

“Great” and he takes his fingers that are laid across my hand and bends them around the outside my palm and gives me a squeeze. This move radiates up from my hand, through my arm and makes me feel flush.

“So… what do you do?” I ask  him trying to start small talk and to keep me from drowning in those dark cerulean eyes that pierced me down to my toes.

“I work with computers.” He said, never even glancing at the new girls coming to the stage. He keeps a steady gaze on my face the entire time. It made me feel like we were sitting alone in the park on a bench with nobody else around. I liked the way his gaze made me feel. It was attentive but yet commanding.

“Like sell them? Do you work at Best Buy?”

“No,” he smirked but in a good way. His smirk was one of amusement and the right side of his mouth turned up a little, “more computer language and coding.”

“So are you one of those guys that had an idea and sold it for like a billion dollars?” I asked cheekily.

“Yes.” he stated very matter of fact and turns to the waitress that is suddenly at our little table. “I’ll have three fingers of the best single malt you have and she’ll have…?” and they both look at me. I was not ready for questions. I don’t think I could even name anyone that I ever read about or saw on TV that had a billion dollars, let alone sit with one and have a casual drink. They are both still staring at me, but he is looking at me and sincerely waiting for my answer, as if he has all the time in the world. There is no anxious look in his eyes, just a pleasant patience.

“Oh I’ll just have a vodka and soda with two lemons please.”

“She’ll take Ketel One Citroen.” and the waitress walks away. “If you like two lemons in your vodka why not have a great one with a lemon flavor right?” and he is looking at me still with no hurry.

“Um, sure, yeah, of course. I don’t drink that often and when I do it’s just with dinner or something.”

“You don’t go to bars and clubs with your friends and get crazy?” His smirk is more of grin now almost like he is picturing it in his head, and he is imagining me on the top of a bar somewhere dancing and singing in a crazy drunken stupor.

“No, I don’t really know anyone here in the city. I’ve only been here a few months.”

“No friends? I am sorry to hear that. I’d like very much to be your friend.” He places his hand back over mine. This man is so charismatic and so sexy and he wants to be my friend…yes please!

I recover and change the subject, “So what do you do now? I mean now that you sold whatever it was that you did sell.”

“Mainly VC stuff.” I can tell he is searching my face to see if I know what VC means.

“Are you looking for your next billion dollar idea?”

He chuckles with that smirk showing up again, “Well, those aren’t very common, most people if they work hard and are very lucky only have one great idea in a lifetime, and if they are extremely lucky, they might have a second. I had my one, but I am now starting to think I might have had another.”

As he talks, I watch his jaw move and undulate under his skin, which is covered by a closely cropped full growth of dark stubble that matches his hair. But it looks so well planned, not like most guys when they don’t shave. It looks manicured, and polished and soft and I want to touch it and see if it feels like the velvet I imagine it to. He has stopped talking and is looking at me, waiting for a response to what he just told me, shit. Ideas!

“Yes well then what was or is your next great idea?” that covers a lot of ground, I was vague but not too much. Phew.

“Well, I think I am having it right now.” He stops talking and just looks at me, his hand still on mine. I do not think he has taken his eyes of me since I sat down. It’s unnerving and exciting at the same time.

“And what is it?” I ask totally absorbed in his stubble and my sudden desperate need to touch his face. He must have noticed me not looking directly at him for a response because he takes his left thumb and puts the knuckle under my chin and moves my head up and so it’s looking directly at him, I am liquid racing to the boiling point at his touch.

“Coming in here tonight.”

Boiling over.

“Oushka” I say. I am speaking gibberish.

“What?” he laughs a deep laugh that delights and embarrasses me.

Crap.

“Um, I meant oh gee thanks.” I look away completely flustered and humiliated.

“That’s the same thing the company I sold my code to said.” I know he is grinning and still looking at me. With my chin downcast, I look up at him and he catches my glance and pushes my drink forward.

“Here, have a sip and relax.”

The moment has passed. I pick up my cool drink and take a big sip and it instantly calms me and brings me back to life. I am no longer boiling with liquid heat or embarrassment.

Jonathan makes feel comfortable the rest of the time we spent together. He didn’t ask for a table dance, and I was relieved since I didn’t know how to give one yet. We just talked about basic things, never getting too personal or too serious. It was perfect, like a first date. After an hour, a waitress came over to tell me my shift was up. I sat still; I didn’t want to end this moment we were having. However I knew better than to ask him to call me, he is a customer. Then he just stood and said he would see me soon and winked, so I stood up as well. Once he was standing he reached into his jeans pocket and placed three crisp hundred dollars into my hand.

“Goodnight Lenox.” He walked away towards the door. I stood for a moment and watched him walk away, through the black curtain. Goodnight Jonathan, I said to myself.

I went over to the cashier and to see the manager.

“You did good. There is a job here for you if you want it” he said.

“I do!”

“Good we’ll see you here tomorrow night, Friday, Saturday night and Sunday at noon.”

“Ok”. I walked over to the DJ booth and handed him a twenty. Even though I only was on stage for one song I wanted to stay on his good side. Just as I was about to open the locker room door, I heard my name.

“Lenox.” I knew it was him before I turned around.

“Hi.”

“Just one more thing,” and with that he leaned into my neck and I knew he was smelling me.

“Goodnight again.” and he walked out again. Interesting, nobody has ever done that before. I liked it, it felt…intimate.

I went into the dressing room to change. Samson was there and gave me a hug.

“How do I repay you?” I asked him.

“You PAY him.” Came from the stall.

“Well, I work for tips, like you,” he said.

“Ok how much is the norm? Is it like a waiter, like a percentage?” I asked.

“Yes, but not as high, if I do all your hair and make-up for the night the girls give me a cut. Ten percent is the going rate.”

“You got it” and I reached into my bra and pulled out all my money, a little over four hundred. I handed him two twenties and a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks love” and he handed me my jeans.

As I walked out of the club, I felt electric. I was sweaty and a bit achy from the dancing in heels. My thighs and ass burned but in a good way. I could not wait to take a shower, but I also could not wait to count my $417 dollars again and again. I was on such a high I decided to walk home. But as I got to the corner a black SUV with tinted windows was idling and the window rolled down.

“Hey can I give you a ride?” A bit scared I shook my head and crossed the street. It followed me, and pulled up ahead of me but this time Jonathan poked his head out and said,

“Hey it’s me” and smiled. Relieved and excited I went over to the car.

“Hey again, is this your car” and nodded towards the driver.

“No, company car for those of us that work late.”

“And party late?” I added and tried to give a wicked cute smile. After all this guy just gave me over $300 dollars tonight. I already knew to not piss him off for my future. I also knew that I wanted to see him, desperately.

“Yeah” he chuckled. Showing me that strong jaw and his sparkling deep blue eyes. I looked down to his lips and for the first time tonight, I thought about how it would feel to kiss him. They looked soft and strong. I want to feel his tongue force it’s way into my warm and wanting mouth. Was he the kind of guy that kissed your neck and held your face? Was he forceful with his hands? What kind of…“Hello? Earth to Lenox?” I was jolted back to my reality standing on a street corner.

“What?”

“Do you want a ride home?”

“Yes…yes I do.” Never even wondering if this was safe, I didn’t care. I was hoping he would kiss me and I would have the answers to all those questions I was just asking myself. His driver suddenly appeared on my right and opened up the back door, I told him my address. I climbed in taking his hand and gave the driver my bag. It was soft and warm in the back. Leather seats, and soft blue neon lighting that appeared from nowhere out of the interior trim.

“Champagne?” “Drive around the park?” Jonathan offered.

“Yes and yes.” I smiled.

“Around the park Marcus” and the partition drove up cocooning us into a blacked out champagne picnic for two in the back. He handed me a glass and poured in the cold champagne.

“Do you always keep cold champagne in the back of your company car?”

“No, but when I saw you walk out on stage tonight I sent Marcus a text to get a bottle in the hopes that you liked it.”

“What girl doesn’t like champagne?”

“I don’t know you’re the first girl I bought a bottle for in hopes of having a drink with.” The grin he gave me was all telling. Sexy, thoughtful, and definitely not truthful. But I didn’t care, tonight was all about new experiences for me and I was ready for them. I took a sip and the car hit a small bump and a little bit spilled out of my glass and onto my chin. “Let me get that” and in a second he was leaning over me gently kissing and licking my chin of all the spilled champagne.

“Thanks” I said when he looked up at me. My voice was really breathy and low and I realized I was almost panting from his kisses. I put my fingers in my glass and wet them with the champagne and rubbed it on my lips.

“oops I spilled again”

“I got it” he said and slowly started to lick my lips. His tongue was so soft and warm. He took my bottom lip and gently sucked on it, then moved to my top lip and got that to. The stirrings between my legs was incredible, I could feel a little wetness in my panties and instinctively opened my legs a little bit. Noticing this he pulled my right leg in and around his back so that he could sit in closer and was now sitting in between my legs with my back again the car door. He leaned into me and said “Can I kiss you?” and I nodded since I couldn’t speak from anticipation. He took my glass and his and put them down next to the champagne bucket on a wooden mini bar setup behind the drivers seat. He put both of his hands on each side of my face, he pulled me close to him and said “You are so fucking beautiful” and kissed me fast and hard. I could feel his tongue dart around my mouth and I tried to open it as wide as possible and take him all in. I grabbed the back of his head and his hair and tried to pull him all into me. It was the most electrifying kiss I have ever had. Fast and hard but wet and slow and I could feel every cell tingling. As we kissed, he ran his strong fingers down my throat slowly to my chest and began to rub and massage my breasts over my t-shirt. I ached for him to touch my nipples that were as hard as diamonds. I couldn’t take it and let out a little moan when he finally put his hand under my shirt and flicked open the front clasp of my bra freeing my breasts. He gently but furiously rubbed my nipples. Oh my god I kept whispering, oh god that feels so good. He moved his mouth from mine and over to my ear.