was awakened by Kate’s phone repeatedly going off.
Fuck, the damn thing never shuts up.
I pull myself off the sofa to reject the call, but thankfully, it stops.
“My head hurts. Who the hell calls you so early in the morning?”
“Argh, was it ringing?” She stands up, unsteady on her feet. “Shit. It’s my boss. Fuck.”
“Oh my God, Kate, come work for me. Seriously, what is his problem?”
“Yeah, I know, but I kinda understand why he’s so short-fused. I mean this woman who he is irrevocably in love with isn’t talking to him, and to be honest, it’s not even his fault, you know?”
It sounds all too familiar.
“Well, if it isn’t his fault, then he needs to make her realize that, whatever it takes.”
“I think the damage has already been done.”
“No, I’m sure it can be sorted,” I say, thinking his situation couldn’t be as bad as mine. “He just needs to be honest.
***
“Seriously, Charlie, fluorescent pink?”
“Yes, Kate. If I have to wear fluorescent yellow, then you have to wear pink.”
“And the whistle?”
“Eric said you have to wear these colors and a whistle around your neck. I don’t know the protocol of the gay scene,” I huff. “Okay, listen, I need to take a shower. Eric should be here any second now. In the meantime, make sure you put on the dress and whistle, or he’ll feed you to the gay herd, and let me tell you it’s not pretty.”
I close the bathroom door, taking a nice long, hot shower. As I stand here, my mind wanders to how long it has been since Lex touched me last. Yeah, like five fucking days. I thought about Nikki’s words. Okay, so part of me is coming around, but fuck, it’s Friday night, and I refuse to spend it wallowing or masturbating in the shower over someone I can’t have.
Quickly dressing in my outfit, I examine my face in the mirror. I’ve lost weight, and the bags under my eyes are more than evident. I apply makeup with dark eyeliner, more so than usual to hide the circles. Placing my hair in a high-side ponytail, I adjust my strapless dress, ready to hit the gay scene. Oh, wait, my shoes and whistle. I leave the bathroom in search of these two most important items.
“Oh, hey, so I’m glad you were in the shower. You would’ve just encountered the beast.”
“Who? Your boss?” I ask, amused.
“Yep, work matters.”
“It’s Friday night!”
“Everything is urgent with him.”
“Why didn’t you invite him to come out with us? Or better yet, you should’ve sent his hot ass into the bathroom to visit me. I surely could have used it.”
“Oh, Charlie, I’m sure he’d have gladly taken you on.” She laughed.
The knock on the door breaks me from my shower fantasy—it’s Eric loaded with whistles.
“You said we had to wear one whistle, E,” I point out.
He blows the whistle. Ouch, it hurts my ears. “I brought spares in case you forgot.”
“Oh, we didn’t forget. Trust me.”
“Oh, hello there, darling!” He leans in kissing Kate on both cheeks. “You biatches look amazing. Are you ready to watch a bunch of gay guys get it on? I want to be walking like John Wayne tomorrow.”
“Oh, my days,” I mutter, shaking my head.
Kate laughs, pulling me along and closing the door behind her.
After waiting in line for only a short time, we’re allowed to enter the club. Okay, so I’d never been in a gay club before, but it’s exactly what I imagined. The club is dark, crowded, and the heavy scent of sweat lingers in the air. Eric calls this ‘man juice.’ The neon lights flicker like a light show, the techno beats bounce off the walls while I’m almost trance-like, and the atmosphere is euphoric. The men are wearing fluro jocks. I feel extremely overdressed, not to mention conscious of the fact that we look like the only women here.
“E, aren’t you a little overdressed?” I yell over the music.
He grins, removing his pants and shirt and handing them to the coat guy who wears nothing but a fluro pink thong with the words ‘Hands Off Snakey’ written on the front.
Everyone has a whistle, all being blown to the beat of the music. We make our way to the bar where, thankfully, girls are hanging out. We look at each other, and although they are strangers, we throw each other a big smile and say hello. Well, at least we don’t have to worry about sleazes trying to pick us up at the