Page 96 of One Night Only
Annie looks worried. “They’re going to grind?”
“That’s the whole point of the show!” she exclaims. I say nothing, drinking my martini.
It’s finally Annie’s bachelorette party. She and Paul arrived two nights ago for Paul’s final bit of work before he transfers to the Dublin office and Soraya wasted no time in dragging Annie out. She has very a different interpretation of fun than Annie does but at least it’s only the four of us. And the night she planned doesn’t sound too bad. An over-the-top male striptease show, followed by drinks at The Aviary was positively tame compared to what we used to get up to in college, and Annie had even put on the plastic tiara Claudia bought her. She drew the line at the sash, however.
“I didn’t know men used poles too,” Claudia says, craning her neck to get a better look. We arrived early to get our drinks and now find ourselves right at the edge of the stage as the room fills up behind us. The show is due to start at any second. “Wouldn’t it be fun if they came out wearing costumes and then one of the guys gave you a lap dance and he took his mask off and it was Paul all along?”
Annie turns wide-eyed toward me.
“That’s not happening,” I reassure her.
Soraya looks annoyed. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I thought organizing the bachelorette party was supposed to be your job,” Annie mutters as the girls order a few bottles of prosecco from a passing waitress.
“She feels bad about not making it to the wedding. She wanted to do something for you. Just relax,” I add, pushing her drink toward her. “It’ll be fun.”
Annie takes a sip, glancing at the other tables. Her brow creases. “There’s not a lot of women here.”
I follow her gaze around the room, realizing the same thing. The other patrons seem to be exclusively made up of men. I catch the eye of one at the table next to us, who immediately looks away, embarrassed.
“Hey, Soraya?” I ask as another scantily clad waitress walks past. “You said this was aMagicMikething, right?”
“Uh-huh. Well, legally they can’t say that but…” She trails off as she too notices the other guests. “Hmm.”
The thumping music gets louder as the lights dip, bathing us all in a deep pink glow.
“Soraya?” Annie definitely sounds worried now. Even Claudia looks unsure, sipping on her drink with a frown.
“Just one second,” Soraya says, frantically scrolling through her phone. “It’s fine,” she says as she starts to read. “See?A first-class experience of some of the sexiest, talented male performers… heart-pumping, empowering dance routines… bottomless prosecco…” She winces. “Join us every Friday night when we’ll—”
“It’s Saturday night!” I interrupt with a hiss.
“Yes, obviously I realize that now!”
We jump as an announcer speaks from the heavens, introducing a series of women as they take to the stage.
“Oh my God,” Annie mutters as they parade around us, taking up their spots around the club including one particularly well-endowed woman right by us.
“It’s fine,” Soraya insists, still searching through her phone. “We’ll go somewhere else. There’s another— Holy crap.”
We all lean back as a woman drops to a perfect split in front of us, her body moving sinuously across the polished floor.
“She must spend a fortune on waxing,” Annie mumbles before growing thoughtful. “Or do you think it’s laser?”
“We can leave,” Soraya says.
“But we’ve already paid for the drinks,” Claudia says. “And—” She breaks off in a gasp as the dancer moves to the pole, spinning twice before inverting herself. “Think of her core strength,” she says, sounding a little awed.
“You see that shoulder definition?” Annie says, tapping my arm. “That’s what I want.”
I nod, transfixed as the dancer holds herself up with her thighs before twisting her body in a way that surely defies the laws of gravity. None of us say anything else for the next few minutes, bursting into applause as soon as the song ends.
The table of men next to us begin to look very uncomfortable.
“That wassoimpressive,” Annie says, taking out her purse.
“Is there a course you do?” Claudia asks as the woman leans down to her. She slides a bill under the strap of her thong. “Or is it more on-the-job training?”
