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She weaves her hands around the two firefighters’ arms. “Trevor and Adrian used to dance there, before they became firemen,” she says, making my eyes go wide again.
Out of respect for Autumn, I try not to notice the men’s bulging biceps, but I can’t help but think about how good they must have looked on stage at Club Red.
“Since Duke has to work the party, I’m going to go, too, and so are these guys.” She gestures at her three men, who don’t look completely on board with her plans.
“We are?” Garrett asks.
Autumn huffs a playful sigh at his reaction. “Anyway, I’d love to have a girlfriend there to spend time with, since these three don’t properly enjoy the club.”
“If Sabrina goes with you, can we stay home?” Adrian asks.
Autumn lifts a brow and gives him a wink. “When you see what I’m going to be wearing, you’re not going to want to stay home.” As all of the men’s eyes widen, she turns back to me. “Did I mention that it’s a costume party? That’s the main reason I want to go. I love to dress up.”
As I’m nodding in agreement, she asks, “Do you have a boyfriend? Would he mind you going? You can bring him, of course.”
“No boyfriend,” I say, feeling a bit sorry for myself. This woman has four, and I haven’t found one.
“I’d love it if you’d come with me,” Autumn says. “I can be your wingwoman.”
The idea of going to a male strip club when my boss will also be there is a bit strange, but Autumn is so nice, and her enthusiasm is infectious. I’ve always enjoyed dressing up for Halloween, too, and the older I get, the fewer opportunities there are.
Besides, the party sounds like fun, and the last thing I want to do on my favorite holiday is sit home alone and wonder where my housemates are and who they’re spending the night with.
“I’m in,” I tell my new friend.
* * *
I already had the makings of a good witch costume, but since the party is at Club Red, I figured something sexier was in order for this Halloween. When I was there for the regular show, most of the women in the audience seemed to be wearing their hottest, tightest, tiniest dresses, so I can only imagine what sort of costumes the party attendees will be wearing tonight.
Since I don’t want to look like a child trick-or-treating by comparison, I swap out my long, flowy dress for something new: a form-fitting minidress with a gothic pattern pressed into the black velvety fabric, and inky silk laces that cinch up the front of the low-cut bodice. The hems on the bottom of the dress and the long sleeves are ragged, and though the lace-up front doesn’t allow for a bra, the fabric is thick and dark enough that I don’t need one. Plus, it feels appropriately naughty for the holiday not to wear one.
I accessorize with a black velvet choker band that features a silver spider at its center, and of course, the outfit is topped with a witch’s hat, a beautiful one I’ve had since high school, that’s covered in black lace and decorated with dark iridescent feathers and little plastic spiders. As I pull up the thigh-high stockings netted with a spiderweb pattern, I feel positively bewitching.
Autumn promised to meet me in Club Red’s lobby, and when I arrive, I find her looking equal parts cute and sexy, her hair in pigtails, and wearing denim shorts, a red gingham shirt tied just below her chest, and cowboy boots. A massive tattooed man has his arm around her.
“Sabrina, you look great!” Autumn steps away from her man to give me a quick hug, both of us being careful not to disturb the other’s costume or makeup.
“You look great, too!”
“This is Duke, by the way,” she says, stepping back. “Duke, this is Sabrina.”
The big man gives me a polite nod, though he barely takes his eyes off of Autumn. Physically, he’s so different from Garrett, and from Autumn’s firefighters, though all four of her men are handsome. What a lucky woman she is.
I don’t know if I could even handle four men, but I’d welcome the opportunity to try. An image of my four housemates instantly comes to mind, but I push it away—hard. I need to forget about them. I’m here to have fun tonight, and hopefully meet someone new. Wouldn’t it be something to date a male revue dancer? Autumn’s firefighters used to dance here, after all, so it could happen.
“Did Garrett and your other guys come tonight?” I ask Autumn.
She tips her head toward the hall that leads to the showroom. “They’re inside, getting drinks.”
“I need to get back to my post,” Duke says, his voice deep and gravelly. “Nice to meet you, Sabrina. Hope you two have fun.”
After receiving a parting kiss from Duke, Autumn leads me to the showroom, where there’s a big crowd already, at least ninety percent of it women wearing very revealing costumes. I instantly realize I need to adjust my expectations for the evening.
I’m not going to stand out among all of these beautiful women; none of the dancers will probably even notice me.
CHAPTERFOUR
Icatch the negative thoughts a few seconds after they sink in. I guess living with four men who don’t even seem to notice that I’m a woman has eroded my self confidence. But realistically, the odds are very low of making a meaningful connection with someone here when there’s so much competition. If the dancers are coming into the audience to mingle, they’ll probably be moving woman to woman pretty quickly, spreading themselves thin. Oh well, I can still have fun with my new friend.
