One More Time

were stories aplenty about the goings-on in those hidden spaces.

High-end call girls could almost always be seen around the bar. You could just as easily order up a blowjob as you could a vodka-tonic. Your choice of blondes, brunettes, redheads – and even one fierce looking femme with pink, green and blue mermaid-inspired hair was available if you were into that.

Mermaid girl caught me staring. She gave me a toothy smile and slipped from the bar, walking toward us.

“Oooh, she might be the answer to your Danielle problems,” Greg said, licking his lips as he checked the girl out. “No rebound, just a night of unbridled fucking. Sounds like the perfect way to get over her to me. Just hate-fuck that girl and get Danielle out of your system, brother.”

“I don't need to fuck around, Greg,” I said. “I've got bigger things to worry about than getting over my ex.”

Mermaid girl leaned over the table with a big smile, her face covered in glitter. Maybe without all the makeup and glitter, she might have been attractive, but I didn't have a sea creature fetish and glitter was a pain in the ass to get of your clothes and hair.

“My name is Leilani,” she purred, her voice like velvet.

It's magical how high-end hookers can do that sort of thing with their voice. I've never known other women who can sound so sensual and sultry doing nothing more than giving you their name. I highly doubt her name was Leilani though. She looked more like a Jamie or a Sarah to me. Plainish, girl-next-door, with garish makeup to help her stand out.

“Greg,” he held out his hand. “And this is Malcolm, my good friend who happens to need a world-class humping.”

“Shut the hell up, Greg,” I said, annoyance and embarrassment flooding my body.

Leilani looked over at me, and asked, “May I join you?”

“No thanks,” I said.

She pouted.

“I'm not into paying for sex,” I explained.

Greg slapped me on the arm and I gave him a look of sheer irritation.

“What? It's the truth,” I snapped. “If you're into it, go for it. But I've never had to pay someone to fuck me, and I never will.”

Leilani saw that she was getting nowhere and left with an annoyed roll of the eyes. Greg stared at me, mouth open.

“What? I didn't want to waste the poor girl's time,” I said. “Unless you wanted to fuck her. If so, have at it. I'm not going to stop you.”

“I always forget how blunt you are, man.”

“No point in beating around the bush,” I said. “She wasn't going to get anywhere with me and she needs to earn a living after all. Better she finds somebody willing to pay for her services.”

Danielle had always hated this place, and I could see why. Temptation and vice lurked in every corner. Beautiful women threw themselves at you left and right. She'd never had anything to worry about when she was with me, though. I took my promises very seriously, and cheating went against everything I stood for. If you're not happy with your current partner, leave. Don't fuck around with them and don't fuck around on them.

Not that I'd always felt that way but seeing how an affair turned my mother's life upside down and changed her, I'd sworn to never get caught up in that sort of thing myself. For her. Because I knew if my mother ever discovered I was unfaithful like my father, it would kill her. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

“Well, look who's here,” Greg said.

I looked up and followed his eyes to see what he was staring at, and spotted Casey – the feisty, take no shit waitress he'd talked about earlier. She saw us and smiled, a huge, genuine smile that showed off her full lips. Her dark, nearly black hair had caramel highlights I'd never noticed before – and I only noticed then because the light hit her hair just right. Her thick, wavy hair fell down around her shoulders and down her back. Her skin was almost too pale for hair that dark and reminded me a lot of Snow White. But, it was her large brown eyes that seemed to tie all together.

“You should go talk to her,” Greg said.

“I told you, I'm not interested in dating right now,” I said. “I have a lot of family stuff to deal with. I don't have the time or interest for anything else.”

“Suit yourself,” he said. “So, what was that important family meeting about anyway?”

I hesitated and wished I had a drink. I wasn't sure it was something I wanted talk about outside the family – even with Greg. He may have been my friend, but he was not the most level-headed of guys out there. Not to mention the pressure he'd put on me to sleep around would have been even stronger, because he'd be able to hold the whole baby thing over me.

Not that I'd wanted to impregnate some random woman I met in the club anyway. That's not how I wanted to go about doing this. I wasn't sure how I wanted to go about it, but I knew that wasn't the way.

“My dad has a brain tumor,” I said.