Night One

*Bzzzzzzt*

Dante took his phone from his pocket. 11:19pm. New Text Message:

“Hey Dante, it’s Abigail. We are outside in line!”

“Kk I’ll be outside in a sec. If you get to the bouncer before I get out there, say you’re on the red list.”

The crowd inside was already starting to swell and Dante had done his obligatory rounds of asking how the staff handled Thursday night. He stood at the end of the bar by the service entrance were off-shift bartenders usually commiserated over discounted drinks. He had been chatting with Marissa, whom he had worked with for some time. Marissa was tall, getting closer to 30, and had dyed black hair, pale skin, and a generally gothic-noir vibe about her.

Dante put his phone back in his pocket, ”Rissa, I booked Table 11 for some friends tonight. Can you have the bottle girls avoid us like the plague?”

Marissa smiled knowingly, ”What’s the matter, you don’t want sparklers shoved in your face and then have to tip fifty bucks for the privilege?”

”Something like that. Ron is running VIP tonight and I just figured I’d run here if we need anything. Any chance of you getting cut tonight and joining us?”

She laughed, ”Oh I don’t think tips will be that bad, but I’ll be here afterhours, as always.”

”As always, then.”

Dante worked his way through the outside of the crowd, avoiding the dancefloor. He wore black dress jeans, a black sports coat, and a loose off-white shirt. He nodded to the regulars he recognized and did his best to look like he was busy. Towards the front of the nightclub the music died off and was replaced with the chattering of patrons waiting for someone to arrive or wondering where their friends stumbled off to. Dante flicked his hair back and proceeded outside.

The wind was strong and the autumn air had the familiar fall scents, but it cut through clothing like it was already winter. The front door bouncers were dressed for the weather, and from what Dante could see of the line, most of the patrons were not. Jeremy, the head doorman, was doing his due diligence to look busy in front of the impatient customers in line. Though Dante had been working in clubs since he was a teenager, the art of managing a door was beyond him. It was too cruel.

”Hey Jeremy, did Ron tell you I had some guests coming in?”

Jeremy looked down from his clipboard and further down to Dante. Jeremy had played tackle for the university team and Dante had got him a job after he had finished school.

”Yeah he mentioned it, no one has come up yet. Bring them right by whenever. Also, when you go back in ask if Marissa can bring me a shot of Jameson next time she comes out for a cigarette. Fuckin’ wind is killing me tonight.”

The other door guys looked at Dante expectantly, ”Alright a round for the first line of defense.”

He walked out on the sidewalk to peer down the line. Towards the middle of the queue, Dante spotted Abigail and Maddy quickly huddled in a collection of small groups, around fifteen people in total. At the very least, Dante would be able to claim he had brought some customers in. He walked towards them and saw as Maddy nudged Abigail and gestured his way. Abigail wore a black cocktail dress and had worn her hair down loosely over her shoulders, her pale freckled legs strained as to not shiver. Dante noticed with some satisfaction that she had goosebumps. Maddy had dressed in a similar cut, but red with pumps instead of her friend’s smaller heels. The blonde had worn her hair up in a way that reminded Dante of the Spice Girls, for some reason. Neither wore a jacket, which Dante always thought was a strange thing that girls did when they went out partying.

”Hi Maddy, Hi Abigial. I do appreciate you coming out tonight,” Dante smiled magnanimously shrugged down the line at their party, some of whom he remembered from a few hours before, ”How many did you bring?”

”Sixteen!” Maddy said proudly, by now most of the group had noticed the approach of their benefactor and were awkwardly shifting and looking as if they were supposed to introduce themselves. Abigail seemed hopeful that Maddy’s answer would be pleasing, she smiled when Dante met her eyes and he smiled more broadly for her benefit.

Dante spoke to the group, ”That’s good, you guys saved my ass tonight. Now, when you get to the front of the line, we are on the ‘Red List’. Remember that. Now I can’t get everyone in right now but the line is moving quickly, you shouldn’t be out here for more than ten more minutes. I’m going to steal your friends, but we’ll meet you at the bar in a few. Thanks guys!”

Dante beckoned to Abigail and Maddy who followed behind him. Maddy couldn’t help herself and turned around to smile at her friends. Abigail covered her chest with her arms and stifled another shiver. Dante grinned to himself as he walked up to the door bouncers.

”There should be fourteen in line starting with whoever tells you they’re on the ‘red list’. They’re all here for me.”

Jeremy chuckled, ”The ‘Red List’?”, as the threesome made their way past the line of bouncers. Just inside the entrance Maddy’s head seemed to be on a swivel as she tried to take in the whole place instantly. Abigail seemed more relieved to be in a heated building than anything, though she too considered her surroundings. Lava was a beautiful club, recently remodeled, it had none of the tackiness of rowdy college bars. Most of the clientele was well off or at least fashionable. The club was setup like a bullseye, bars and seating on the outer ring, tables in the middle, and a dance floor in the middle of it all. There was a suspended level above that was for the DJ, certain VIPs, and staff. Opposite the DJ booth and above the suspended level was a what looked like, from the outside, to be some control room or office. The glass up there was reflective, so the nature of the room was anyone’s guess.

”I’d offer to take your coats but…” Dante leaned forward in sarcastic gesture. Abigail looked like she would have blushed again if her body were capable. Maddy simply ignored the jest.

”Where’s the bar?” Maddy, with feigned impetuosity.

”Maddy, we just got here!” Abigail spoke for the first time, and it was her turn to be sarcastic.

Dante knew what Abigail had meant, but he fundamentally agreed with her friend’s idea.

”How rude of me, this way ladies.” He led on, but instead of heading back to the main floor bar, Dante headed for a wide set of carpeted stairs to the side. There was a velvet rope and a better dressed bouncer that they did not stop and talk to, but Dante gave him a casual and quick handshake. He stopped on the fourth stair and turned.

”After you.”

Maddy wasted no time as she went up the stairs as gracefully as she could muster in those pumps and was fueled by her newfound luck and curiosity. Abigail seemed to be verging between wholly out of her element and timidly interested. As Abigail passed him on the stairs, Dante matched her step and placed a gentlemanly hand high up on the small of her back, as if to check her weight. For her part, she did not give off the impression of shock and awkwardness but smiled just a bit more than propriety called for. As quick as his hand had been there, he returned it to his side as they climbed the steps.

”Holy shit Abigail!” Maddy had hurried forward at the top of the stairs and was peering over the railing. Abigail joined her a moment later. They gawked at the venue. The floor’s lighting system was made to look like lava in most places, and the dance floor was state-of-the-art. The upper ring where they were formed a wide oval with layered seating and catwalks connecting to the first floor. The DJ booth was built for small concerts, and they had a separate catwalk leading to the service area around it. Waitresses and bottle girls scurried around.

They peered for a moment longer and Dante chuckled at several excitements like, ”Is she really dancing in a suspended cage?”

The girls turned around both looking more than a little wowed. Dante knew it was getting closer to 11:30 as the music was getting louder and the DJ’s were about to switch. He was already having a hard time hearing the girls so he motioned them to follow him further. They were crowd gazing when they came to a series of terraces straddling the second level. These were marked with velvet rope and small pedestal fires labelled one through ten. Some were empty, some had small parties, number nine had a larger and more rambunctious celebration going on with several scantily clad bottle girls running about.

It was Abigail that came alive as they past the large party, ”Is that Lil’… ugh, what’s his name?”

The music was getting louder still and Dante barely heard her, Maddy didn’t at all.

”Yeah, it’s his record party!”

They came past the rows of private terraces and came past the VIP bar to another velvet rope and another bouncer. This guard was the biggest the girls had seen yet and he abruptly and warmly shook Dante’s hand. The two men spoke briefly and the guard moved easily off towards the bar with a fatherly wink to the two girls.

The trio walked past the rope and down a few stairs. This VIP area was unlike the others, glass lined the railings to form a room and the terrace in the open club was through a glass door. There were seats and Roman couches in a large semicircle around a small butane fire, and towards the back and away from the glass were a pair of booths complete with curtains. It was a large enough space, twenty or so people could fit and sit comfortably and still be personable, and it, like the other VIP rooms, was perhaps the only place besides the bathrooms where you could have a meaningful conversation without shouting.

”Well, that’s better now. We can hear each other again.” Dante opened a metal cooler by the booth and produced a bottle of champagne. Maddy turned and hurried forward with a polite smile, Abigail bashfully in tow.

Dante carefully popped the cork and poured it expertly into three glasses, handing them out.

”To new friends?”

“To new friends.” The girls echoed. Dante and Abigail had a sip as Maddy downed hers. Dante shrugged and finished his off as well, and Abigail followed his lead.

”Oh hey, I think I see Derek at the bar downstairs. Should we bring them up here or is this, like, your thing Dante?”

“Of course, bring them up whenever. There is a private elevator by the VIP bar, when the bouncer sees you come out they’ll let you back in with whoever. Oh, and also…” Dante fished in his jacket pocket and produced a scarlet colored card with a magnet stripe. He handed it to the blonde. “This is my tab card. Give this to one of the bartenders downstairs and everyone we’ll get that free round I promised.”

Maddy thanked him and made to the VIP exit, she turned back at the stairs with a sarcastic scowl.

“Abigail, aren’t you coming?”

Abigail looked at Dante with a hesitant and regretful look and turned towards the stairs. She took a step and met her roommates already rolling eyes.

“Well god, don’t look that depressed. Stay here with Dante and try not to drink all the champagne.” She winked and headed out. Abigail turned to Dante who was already pouring out more drinks. She turned to join him.

“How’d I do?” Dante asked as he plopped comfortably on a plush couch, his expression was neutral as he blinked at Abigail.

“Oh the nightclub is beautiful! It’s so nice of you to have us up here like this. I’m sure it wasn’t cheap.” She walked to the glass barrier and looked out over the crowd, her back to Dante. She watched her floormates establish themselves at a little corner of the bar down below. Maddy hadn’t reached them yet.

Dante took a sip and looked at Abigail from behind, her long pale skinny legs meeting at what was a surely a firm, growing butt. He wondered for a moment if her ass had freckles as well. He liked the cut of her dress, particularly how it accentuated her shoulders. The blacklights in the nightclub made her complexion almost surreal.

“No, I meant trying to solve your roommate’s social crisis.” He took another small sip to hide his grin when she turned around.

“Surely, you didn’t do all this just because I complain-… because I mentioned Maddy was having a hard time adapting?” She arched an eyebrow as she turned. Dante rose, with two glasses and stepped close to the girl. He stopped just short of what would be perhaps be too intimate of a distance. She took the offered glass.

“Well, I admit the thought had crossed my mind that it would be easier to ask you out on a date if your roommate liked me.” He held up his glass, trying his best to look neutral and unassuming.

Abigail steeled herself, her stomach fluttering. This was the first time she ever actually been asked out on a proper date, other than just implied outings with friends to the movies. She was not even sure if she was being asked out, officially as it were. Nevertheless, she managed an unsure smile and clinked glasses. They shared a sip.

“Thanks for everything in that case. For Maddy, for the champagne, for the room…” She batted her eyelashes and met his eyes. “I’m serious. This means a lot.”

Dante shrugged, “For what it’s worth, you’re welcome. I’m not trying to come off as flashy or presumptive. I know this is a lot to take in, and I’m don’t want to imply any superiority; I just remember what freshman year was like. Everyone trying to fit in. I can see you don’t seem to care about things like, but…” He gestured down at the dancefloor, where Maddy had made her way up to the group and pointed up at the sky lounge room.

“…it means a lot to her.” Abigail finished.

Dante nodded, “Of course you still haven’t said yes or no yet.”

“What? Oh, I mean of course. I’d love to go out with you.”