The Princess Finds Her Match

The driver stomped on the brakes abruptly, jerking him forward. He swore and got out of the cab. Slamming the door, he stared at the façade of a run-down looking establishment. The flickering neon green signage read “Space”. The words before and after “Space” were unlit. Turning to the cabbie so he could find another place − he wanted low-key, not derelict, he watched in irritation as the taxi suddenly sped off. Just great. What the hell, he thought, I’ll just grab a couple of beers and then be out in a flash. Just enough so that when he went back to his hotel room, he could flop on the bed and go straight to sleep. He didn’t imbibe at the party; with Tansy around, he had to keep his wits about him. Even though he had abstained, look where it had almost gotten him back at the stables. He stared at the unpromising façade morosely, and deciding that the night couldn’t probably turn any worse, he grasped the doorknob, a glow in the dark planetary orb, and stepped inside the black hole.

Chapter Two

“Are you sure he’s taking us to the right place?” Lexie muttered nervously as the swarthy-looking cab driver swerved to a side street well away from the neon fairyland that was The Strip. The area they were in was darker and appeared rundown. The dingy-looking convenience store was the brightest spot on the street.

“No one here will recognize you.” Blair appeared unconcerned while Lexie’s unease was steadily mounting. “The waiter back at the hotel said this was where the locals hang out. We can give our wild night out a bit of local color,” she said with relish.

Small shops with flickering lights advertised their interesting wares proudly. Lexie blinked to try and make out whether it was a man or a woman standing by a streetlamp in a Marilyn Monroe outfit. The taxi stopped in front of an establishment that said “The Space Bar”. Only the word Space was lit.

A few cars were parked out front. Some hipster-looking youths eyed them closely. Lexie gave them her best protocol smile but stopped midway when a hipster girl glared at her balefully. Some roughnecks standing by their Harleys whistled at them.

“Hi, boys,” Blair called out, all California friendly-like, tossing her fake hair. The bikers let out a chorus of appreciative greetings, some bordering on racy. Lexie felt her cheeks grow warm. She followed Blair nervously to the entrance and stepped inside the rabbit hole.

The first thing that assaulted Lexie was the smell. It was a mixture of cigarette smoke, wet dog, and stale sweat. It took her olfactory nerves several minutes to adjust. Next was the interesting décor. She almost screamed when her eyes encountered an alien head mounted on a side wall like a stuffed moose. Various paraphernalia such as newspaper clippings of UFO sightings, photos of Roswell, and blinking signs that read “We are not alone” and “The truth is out there” peppered the other walls liberally. Two pool tables and an old-fashioned jukebox added to the ‘dive bar’ atmosphere. There was a curved side bar with some empty seats. Blair, noting the bar was fast filling up with new patrons, grabbed the nearest one. Lexie followed suit, the sole of her right foot landing on something sticky. She didn’t want to find out what it was.

Her attention was drawn towards the back end of the bar, where several television sets were playing some films. She squinted and reared back, astonished. They were playing porn!

“First timers?” an amused feminine voice asked.

Lexie tore her eyes away from the screen and met the bartender’s friendly ones. She must have not hidden her reaction to the sight of her heavily-inked body exposed in a black tank top, because the bartender said, “Beautiful, right?”

“Gorgeous,” Blair gushed in awe of the tats. “I’m thinking of getting one. Right on my butt.” She patted said body part.

The bartender’s glance flicked to Blair. “Had them done a few shops down the street. My friend Vinny has mad ink skills, amongst other things.” She gave them a sly wink. “What can I get you girls?”

“I’ll have a cran vodka.” Blair was surveying the scene, her neck twisting and darting like an ostrich.