I must be out of my mind, Joe thought to himself. I’m actually going to a nightclub which I have never done in my entire life. I’ll probably be the oldest person there. Love certainly makes us do crazy things sometimes.
“You look so adorable,” Kalisha said.
“Adorable?”
She laughed. “Adorable and sexy.”
“Sexy is better.”
“You don’t need the tie.” He removed it. And she reached down and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. “That’s much better. You look more hip.”
“Hip?”
“Yes. You look cool, trendy.”
“Oh. Well, I hope I don’t pull a muscle or throw my back out or something trying to keep up with you on the dancefloor.”
She laughed. “You won’t. You’re much fitter than I am.”
“I’d have to be.”
“Well, a stud muffin like you won’t have any problems busting a move on the dancefloor.”
“Stud muffin?”
“Yes. You’re a very attractive man who’s amazing when it comes to sex.”
“And I’ll probably be the oldest man there.”
“Maybe but, you’ll be the sexiest.”
“Hmmph.”
She laughed and leaning over she kissed him on the mouth. “I adore you,” she murmured when she drew back.
“And I adore you which is why I’m going through with this.”
“Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He stood up and holding her hand, they went to where his car was parked.
“It has been a while since I’ve been to a nightclub.”
“When was the last time you went?”
“After I graduated. Some girlfriends and I went to celebrate.”
“What about Brody?”
“He and I had broken up by then besides, he wouldn’t have wanted to go.”
“A very disturbing thought just occurred to me.”
She looked at him. “What?”
“It occurred to me that I might run into a student.”
She laughed. “So what? They’ll just tell their friends that they saw you with a hot young woman busting up the dancefloor.”
“Yes, and I’ll never live it down.”
“Listen, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You and I are going there to have fun and we don’t care what other people think.”
“Which club are we going to?”
“LVL 44. One of my co-workers went there last week with her boyfriend and she said that it’s a great place. The music was mostly R&B with some throwbacks. She said that she would definitely go there again. And as you know there’s no smoking in bars and clubs.”
“Good.” He was relieved to hear that. Whenever he thought of nightclubs, he thought of smoky, red spaces with loud, pulsating music and gyrating bodies. At least he didn’t have to worry about second-hand smoke.
“I was thinking that afterwards, we can go to The Brit for something to eat.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I probably will work up an appetite.”
When they went into the club, it wasn’t too packed but it was early yet. The crowd would probably start pouring in after eleven or around midnight. There were seats even with no bottle service and they found a spot. While she sat there, looking around at the people, he went and got the drinks. “That was fast,” she remarked when he returned.
“Yes, there wasn’t a line up and the bartender was pretty quick. There were some pretty friendly women at the bar.”
“I bet they were.”
“One of them even winked at me.”
“Really. I’d like to throw this drink in her face.”
“Now, Honey, don’t get all bent out of shape. Remember we came here to have fun.”
“Hmmph.”
“This place is not bad. There are all sorts of people here and they’re having a good time.”
“Was she pretty?”
“Who?”
“The woman who winked at you.”
“She reminded me a little of Angelina Jolie.”
“Oh. I wonder if it was such a good idea coming here.”
He reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “None of these women stand a chance because I’m spoken for.” He kissed her tenderly on the mouth.
When he drew back, she smiled at him. “I told you that you were the sexiest man here. You’ve got women looking like Angelina Jolie making eyes at you.”
“Let’s finish our drinks so we can go and bust some moves.”
She laughed and reaching up, she kissed him on the lips before having more of the Piña colada mocktail.
Fifteen minutes later, they were on the dancefloor. Kalisha was impressed when she saw Joe moving to Montell Jordan’s This is How We Do It. She noticed that other people were watching him, especially the women but he was oblivious to them. A few of the guys were checking her out but she ignored them. She only had eyes for her man who was one-upping them.
When Endless Love by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross played, Joe was happy and he eagerly took Kalisha in his arms, holding her close as they moved to the music. Their bodies touching felt wonderful. The words of the song reflected how he felt about her. She was his endless love. All the love he had inside him had been given to her. It really didn’t matter what other people said or thought. He was madly in love with this girl and he wasn’t ashamed of it.
They danced to more slow jams and then, they left. It was midnight. They had spent two hours at the club. Now, they were thankful to be out of there. The night was pleasantly cool and many stars dotted the sky. The restaurant didn’t have many people and their table was in a corner under one of the lamps. He had the New York Steak sandwich and she the Shepherd’s Pie. “Did you have a good time?” she asked.
“Yes, I did.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m surprised and relieved.”
“Relieved?”
“Yes. That it’s over and I’m still in one piece.”
She laughed. “You were tearing up that floor. I and everyone else were impressed.”
“Yes, it must have been quite a spectacle seeing a man my age acting like he was still in his twenties. Thankfully, I didn’t see anyone I knew.”
“I thought you were amazing. You’re a terrific dancer. You had the moves and the mojo.”
“I’m happy you think so. I was trying to impress you.”
“You did. You were working it.” She began to move as if she were dancing and laughed when she saw his expression.
“Somehow I think my moves look better on you.”
“You looked amazing, trust me. And I’m glad you had a good time. I did too.”
“No more clubs, though.”
“No more clubs.”
“The next time we dance in public, it will be at Georgiana’s wedding.”
“It has been ages since I’ve been to a wedding so I’m really looking forward to this one.”
“You’ll meet her and the rest of my family.”
“I’m a little nervous about meeting your family.”
He reached over and covered her hand with his. “Don’t worry, I will be there.”
They talked more about the upcoming wedding as they lingered there after they finished eating and then, left. They went back to her place and he stayed over.
Notes to Women 