Forever Again, Short Story, Chapter 1

  Chapter 1
         Lily had been standing in line for thirty minutes, with her two nieces outside Club Live Wire's entrance. The sidewalk was not getting any softer. They had ten feet of chattering women between them and the door. The thought that this was a stupid idea fought for control of her mind, but she wasn't listening, not much anyway. The day had started with her nieces taking her out to breakfast, progressed to the beauty shop, for a complete pedicure and manicure (two things off her bucket list), a short nap and then here. Looking down she admitted to herself her new closed-toe sandals, her nieces insisted she buy looked perfect with her new sundress.
         It was 8:00 pm on a beautiful balmy Florida Spring night. The beach was on the other side of the condos across the two-lane main street running parallel to the shore. The smell of salt water hung in the light breeze blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. Lily listened to the younger women's excited conversations.. The parking lot was well lit and full. The small restaurant, known as TJ's located in the front of the large, rectangular, cinderblock building, which they stood behind, would be closing in about an hour. The doors were just about to open at the business in the rear where she was standing.
         Six months ago Lily had started her bucket list. Her nieces were about to help her cross off  number three on that list. She was going to her first and probably last All Male Review.
         "Aunt Lily are you alright?" Kerry asked. Kerry was twenty-two and full of life. She could text on her ever-present cell phone and keep up a conversation without missing a beat. "Magie, I think Aunt Lily is going to faint,"
         Magie was twenty four and although a tad more reserved then her sister, she had a wicked sense of humor. "Nah, she'll be fine once we get inside." Magie looked at  her own cell phone and chuckled. "They're advertizing they're performing the Country Stomp dance tonight. Last time it was hot. Aunt Lily you are in for a real treat."
         "That's nice dear. I'm sure it will be very enjoyable." Lily smiled, but had no idea what else to say.  She tried to concentrate on what was happening around her. She got a lot of pleasure watching people go about their normal everyday lives.
         When the doors to the club opened, the excitement meter climbed quickly. Was she the only one here on her first visit? She was definitely the oldest. Maybe she should just leave this to the younger crowd. The door greeter smiled and asked her for her I.D. Lily first looked at him like he was crazy but as his smile broadened and he added a wink. She smiled back pulling out her driver's license. His last words to her as he passed them through were, "You be good, young lady. If you need anything you call for me. The name is Jamerson." Lily tried real hard not to fan her face. The hunk of a man was six feet tall, about 230 pound, with Azure blue eyes and jet black hair, which curled at the top of his ears. He was right out of a romance novel. For some reason she wanted to kiss him. She held back, barely, and followed her nieces into the room.
         Kerry and Magie led her to a small table near the end of the I-shaped stage. Lily peered around the room. The walls were dark paneled, pretty standard for the few lounges she had been in, over the years. There was a thin wooden bar running along one side wall with a few stools. Their table crescent shaped, one of the dozen surrounded the stage on the front and along the side opposite the bar. Rope lights ran around the bottom of the table. When the lights were low, the underneath lights would offer a gentle amount of light to move around the room, without detracting from the stage. Her heart started to beat faster. The ambiance the designers had created, added to the excitement in the room, made Lily giddy with anticipation.
         Settling into their seats, a waiter, clad in a 14-inch square loin cloth, came to the table and took their order. "We'll have a carafe of Pink Zinfandel, a side order of stuffed mushrooms and a plate of cheese nachos," Kerry ordered. "Our Aunt has decided to celebrate her birthday with you all. She has never been to a review before." Kerry smiled. She tried to hold back the chuckle, knowing her Aunt would be embarrassed by the mention of her birthday. She also knew her Aunt would get extra treatment, which she deserved, because of the comment.
         The waiter smiled, stepped up close to Lily saying, "Well I know you're old enough because I saw Jamerson ask you for your I.D. I'll have to keep an eye on you. A beautiful lady like you may cause problems with our dancers."
         Lily smiled and fought the heat of a blush filling her cheeks. "Young man you sure are full of it, but thank you for the compliment." The waiter winked at her nieces and sashayed away.
         "Why did you tell him it was my birthday? Now they might make a big deal about it," Lily glanced over her shoulder, watching the tight backside of the waiter. The noise level of the club was rising. The music had become louder. Not enough to drown out the voices, but enough to ensure you could talk in a normal voice without worrying someone was listening. She only received two shrugs from the girls in return to her question.
         After half an hour, the lights flickered and then dimmed. The only illumination in the room were the rope lights. which outlined the stage and a spot light pointed dead center to the front edge. A man, Lily guessed in his late twenties, walked out from behind the curtain. The announcer casually strode to the front of the stage. He wore black leather pants, an opened leather vest with biker boots and a black Stetson. Lily swallowed hard. His outfit brought back old memories. Good memories but painful ones also. Her late husband had been at home in western ware and he had owned two Stetsons, both of which still hung in her bedroom.
         He stood there with thumbs hooked in the top of his low riding leathers. The vest showed off his chiseled six-pack and the pants did not hide the notches in his hips. "Good evening ladies," he started with a deep voice coated in pure honey. "My name is Darik and we would like to welcome you to the Club Live Wire."  Moving his hips slightly caused a slight hum in the room. "I see some of our friends who have returned. There are also some new faces in the crowd."
         Lily felt a tingle run down her spine when the man's eyes lock with hers. She smiled but could not hold the contact with the dark iris'. Her chin dropped to her chest. Even she recognized a Dom, when she saw one.  When she looked back he had walked to the left. She watched as he worked the room from left to right, tipping his hat and acknowledging a few of the women. As he returned to center stage, he continued to draw them into the mood. "We have a few celebrations here tonight, but I will get their permission before I point them out. We also have at least one birthday." Again his stare locked with hers. Everyone would know it was her because both nieces let out whoops of joy and pointed to her.
         She covered her face with her hands and tried to control the blush, which wouldn't leave. Sixty years old and she still blushed. Peaking out the side of her fingers she whispered to Kerry. "They know don't they? When you told the waiter it was my birthday, he passed it on, I just know he did." She sighed when her niece, smiled and chuckled. Lily took a breath and slowly lowered her hands, folding her arms on the table. She tried to straighten her back and look like she knew what was happening around her and was alright with it.
         Darik was walking, no that was the wrong description, he was "John Wayning" his way to the back of the stage. He had a fantastic butt. He turned, tipped his hat and announced, "Let the fun begin," then strutted off the side of the stage.
         As the lights lowered, Lily looked down at the stack of dollar bills Kerry was pushing in front of her. There must have been fifty. Magie was slowly pushing a smaller stack of fives to the same spot. She looked back and forth between the two girls. "You have got to be kidding?" To their smiles she shook her head. Lily had seen enough movies and read enough books to know what the money was for. She just never thought she would be part of a group shoving money down men's briefs. She had to admit the possibility added spice to the night. Picking a couple of each denomination she held them in her fists waiting for the show to begin.
         Two gunshots rang out and drums pounded. Gaiters were added to the mix as five men walked out and bedlam erupted. They were wearing the same outfit Darik had worn. Their heads were down and their black Stetsons covered their faces. Backlighting prevented anything but muscular outlines from being visible. The noise heated up as they started to dance, which could only be described as pure cowboy choreographed seduction. Every glorious part of the men's bodied seemed to be in motion, drawing the spectators into their world. Screams and catcalls grew louder. Lily found herself mesmerized.
         Five minutes later, the men turned their backs on the audience and threw their hats toward the back of the stage. Lily added her shout to the others. This was great. Every year on her birthday Lily had gone to watch some type of dancing show. Her husband had loved to dance both with partners and without. He had been very good at it. Every year he had taken her out to dance. The trips she made now helped her with the pain of his loss, even after thirty years of being alone. She had tried dating but always compared the men to Michael. Finally she had given up and found an interest she could enjoy as a single person. She had to admit this was by far the best night she had spent trying to recapture the fun. She let the music sweep her into the view on stage.
         The lights slowly came up as the five men danced with their backs to the crowd. Removing their vests gave a fantastic view of rippling back muscles. The muscles were moving to the beat of the music. The man to Lily's farthest right turned forward never missing a beat. Then the man beside him turned. The process continued to the left. Lily could physically feel the  excitement in the room build higher, as each man faced forward pumping their hips to the music.. As the last man turned Lily froze. Her eyes locked with the man's and she inhaled. She willed herself to hold the contact. When the fifth man turned away, continuing to dance, her hand came to her chest. He was in his late twenties or early thirties and could have been the twin of her deceased husband, at that age. The sounds of the room faded as if they were coming from far away. It took her long heartbeats to realize Kerry had her hand on her arm and was asking if she was all right. Lily nodded and tried to pull her attention back to the present. Her brain was trying to process the fact the man on the stage was not her deceased husband.