Chapter 18

They were in another club, this one completely different from the last. In particular, it lacked the paddles and fet-wear. The dance floor was crowded, filled with scantily dressed women swaying provocatively to sexy club beats, grinding their bodies against their partners while eager hands slipped sensually up and down their thighs, occasionally stroking a breast or two.

Emma stood off to the side, shielded by a half wall that separated the dance floor from the rest of the bar. Luke left her side to go to the bar for a ‘stiff one’, he’d quipped as he disappeared into the crowd. She assumed he meant alcohol.

For the first time since venturing out with Luke she felt sexy and self-assured. She had gone shopping earlier in the week and had purchased sexier clothing, determined to feel more confident. She didn’t have a clue where to start, but thankfully a young, fashion-forward sales girl took pity on her and spent more than an hour bringing her different outfits to try on. She was pretty opinionated about what looked good and what didn’t and truthfully, Emma didn’t have any reason to question her fashion sense. She had left the store feeling like her shopping spree had been a success, returning home with three dresses, four (cleavage-friendly) shirts, a denim jacket, an itty bitty leather skirt and two pairs of what the clerk called “boyfriend” jeans. They were the perfect addition to her dowdy wardrobe. Andrew would have disapproved.

She chose a sexy little black dress for that night’s adventure, low cut and slit way up her thigh. It hugged in all the right places, enhancing curves she never knew she had. She matched it with a pair of strappy heels and a simple pair of silver teardrop earrings. When she took her jacket off and handed it to the coat check, Luke’s expression told her she chose well. She laughed and told him to close his mouth before someone slipped something in there he might not want, but she felt flattered, nevertheless.

There was good energy in the club, an undeniably sexy vibe, thick with pheromones. Emma rocked her hips to the music, a sultry tune flirting its way into her soul. It had been a long, long time since she’d been to a dance club, not since college. Andrew hated dancing. He hated being anywhere the music was loud. Even on their wedding day they married at noon, an event with no alcohol, music or dancing. The whole blessed event was over by four o’clock. His mother planned the whole thing, right on down to the guest list, inviting all the right people to elevate their social standing. Casual elegant, she called it. Emma wished it had been more of a party but she kept her opinions to herself, afraid to rock the boat with her new family.

She felt Luke slip in beside her, placing a drink in front of her.

“What did you bring me?” she asked, stirring the clear liquid with the little red straw.

“What else, a gin and tonic. I made it a double,” he grinned, raising a beer to his lips.

“A double? Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“Trust me, you’ll need it,” he quipped provocatively. She wondered what he meant by that and grinned..

“Why’s that?” she said, close enough to his ear for him to hear her.

He winked back at her, chuckling like he had a naughty secret, “You’ll see. Now drink up, I want to show you off on the dance floor, see if that dress can dance as well as it

flirts.”

Emma laughed and sipped her drink, wondering what Luke was alluding to. They stood side by side, a friendly distance between them yet close enough for her to hear his encouraging words. He explained to her that the bar, Alchemy, was actually a premier Lifestyle Club catering to adventurous, sexually fluid couples looking for a more intimate, sexy social scene.

“A swingers’ club?” Emma gushed, curiously scoping the room. Upon closer inspection, she realized that there was a beautiful texture of ages, colors, shapes and sizes. People ranging from millennials right on up to baby boomers. She quite enjoyed the unapologetic diversity and felt like she fit right in.

“Swinging is such a 70’s idiom, don’t you think? It conjures up images of shag carpeting and naughty games of Twister,” Luke chuckled. “New swingers are so much more sophisticated.”

Sophisticated was a perfect way to describe the atmosphere. It was an upscale club, smartly decorated with high-end furnishings and expensive fixtures, the antithesis of how she imagined a swingers’ club would look. It was elegant, sensual, and playfully inclusive.

She glanced over at Luke and saw that he was staring at the dance floor, grinning as though he recognized someone. She followed his eye-line and landed on a hot young couple, probably just a little older than she was. They were dancing quite sensually together, their hands all over each other. She was small, perhaps only five feet or five two, with a beautiful mane of silky golden hair that swung loosely down her back. She was quite attractive with lovely almond shaped eyes and full red lips. By contrast, her partner was tall with dark hair and eyes. He was holding her closely while they danced, his expression denoting a healthy combination of desire and love.

“Let’s dance,” Luke gestured, nodding his head toward the dance floor. She took his hand, allowing him to lead her through the crowd of swaying bodies.

He pulled her close to his chest after spinning her playfully around, their smiles only inches apart. It felt so good to be out dancing, leaving everything else behind. When she was getting ready that night, she promised herself that she would just go with the flow, open her heart and mind to whatever the universe saw fit to offer her. She didn’t know what Luke had planned for her. His text was an intriguing poem but also pretty non-specific. She assumed it would involve dancing, but what else?

Once Cinderella, locked up tight in a tower, No longer a woman without any power, You get to choose, nothing or all...put on your shoes, it’s time for the ball...

“So what do you think?” Luke asked curiously, looking down at her. If she didn’t know him any better she would have sworn he was sneaking a peak at her voluminous cleavage.

“Hey, Romeo, my eyes are up here,” she scolded playfully, raising his chin with her polished fingertips.

“Busted,” he grinned, winking at her. She didn’t mind, really, even if he was her friend it was still flattering. “I’m sorry...” he added with a wink, shaking his head no.

“You’ll never change, will you?” she purred, unable to hide her amusement.

“Would you want me to?” he asked, pulling her a little tighter.

“Not a chance.”

He raised his hand and placed it gently behind her head, leaning in towards her. For a moment she thought he might kiss her and whether it was her sexy mood or the naughty atmosphere, she wasn’t sure she would have refused him. Instead, he whispered in her ear.

“I want you to meet some people. I think you’ll like them.”

He gently spun her around, continuing to sway behind her, his hands holding her hips gently. She could feel the hardness of his chest against her back, warm and comforting. Dancing in front of her was the couple she had spied earlier. They were smiling at her and Luke, the way people do when they’re comfortably familiar with each other. They knew him well.

“Hi Luke, it’s been a long time,” the blonde said, easing politely around Emma to offer him a hug. He held her warmly for a moment or two, obviously pleased to see her. Emma wondered who she was. A friend? A past lover? He released his embrace and held his hand out to her partner to greet him.

“Nice to see you guys, you look great. Hottest couple in the room, as always,” Luke flirted, completely at ease with them.

“I wouldn’t say the hottest couple,” the man returned the compliment, his sweet smile landing on Emma. His chocolate brown eyes were incredibly kind, shy even, Emma noted. There was something appealing about him, like a warm blanket on a chilly night.

“I want you to meet my friend Emma,” Luke offered, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. She nodded shyly at them, still wondering who they were to him.

“It’s great to finally meet you!” the blond said with the sweetest southern drawl, pulling her in for a hug. Emma appreciated the welcoming gesture and hugged her back in return. “I’m Jane, and this is my hubby, Paul. We are just so glad you’re here! We’ve heard so much about you!”

“Nice to meet you too,” Emma offered politely. Luke squeezed her shoulders gently, offering her the reassurance she needed. As if on cue, the DJ flipped the music and started spinning a slow, sultry ballad to lure more people onto the dance floor.

“Do you guys want to get a drink? We can grab those free couches over there,” Luke suggested, taking Emma’s hand. In agreement, they all followed Luke through a narrow trail of warm bodies and a cloudy concoction of many different scents, most of them pleasant.

They sat down on the comfortable sofas, Jane making herself cozy on her husband’s lap. He embraced her tightly and kissed her shoulder, gazing at her like she was the greatest treasure on earth. It warmed Emma’s heart, even made her a tad envious. They seemed so in love. She glanced at Luke, who was smiling warmly at her. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a look that asked, ‘are you ok?’. Emma nodded, assuring him that she was.

“Emma, honey, we are just thrilled you’re here, Luke talks about you all the time. He just thinks the world of you,” Jane said, offering her another bright smile.

“Thank you! We’ve been friends a long time,” Emma replied, taking Luke’s hand gently into her own, professing her point. “How long have you two been married?”

“Well, we’ve been married four years but together six. We met at work. At first, I resisted him but his persistence paid off. I mean, how could I say no to this face,” Jane gushed, kissing her man on the forehead. “I finally went out with him and what a sweetheart he turned out to be!” She giggled, wiping away the trace of red lipstick her kiss left behind.

“I wore her down,” Paul contributed, clearly delighted by his memories, “I’m a lucky man.”

“Come on now,” Jane said, “I’m the lucky one. He’s so good to me, the best kind of man. A good boy with bad boy blood in his veins. He keeps me on my toes!”

“I think it’s the other way around, Janie,” Luke teased, as though he was aware of this fact intimately. Emma looked at the three of them curiously, tuning in to their obvious chemistry.

“Where did you work?” Emma asked, amused by their banter.

“Clay Lacy Aviation. It’s a private jet charter company. They cater mainly to dignitaries, Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, celebrities. We still work for them,” Paul chimed in, waiving down the waitress as she walked by. “Can we get a bottle of Beringer Private Reserve? Four glasses, please.”

“Wow, you’re a pilot?” Emma asked as soon as the server walked away.

“I am,” Paul replied, helping his wife slide off his lap. He draped his arm around her casually. “Jane is too.”

“Really?” Emma looked back and forth between them and then at Luke, trying to hide her surprise. She had made the assumption that Jane was a flight attendant and felt more than a little foolish for underestimating her. Jane nodded warmly and smiled, completely unfazed, as though she was usually underestimated.

“I’m sorry, I hope that didn’t come across as rude,” Emma exclaimed genuinely. “It’s a rare thing to meet a female pilot. I’m impressed!”

“No worries, Darlin, happens all the time. I don’t exactly look like a pilot, now do I?”

“Maybe Pilot Barbie. I’ve flown on her pink airplane, it’s quite cozy,” Luke teased, receiving a good-natured, middle finger salute from his feisty friend.

“Careful with that,” Luke winked, stealing a giggle from her. She shook her head and glanced back at Emma, as if to say ‘can you believe this guy?’.

“The airline has been good to us. We get lots of fun perks! A couple of times a year we get all expense paid vacations anywhere we want to go. That’s how we met Luke,” Jane explained, smiling warmly at him. The server returned with the wine and they waited for her to uncork and pour for them.

“So tell me the story of how you met Luke,” Emma urged, anticipating a tawdry tale. She took a sip off her wine, appreciating the velvety flavor on her tongue.

“Well...” Jane hesitated, her eyes trying to read Luke’s before continuing.

“Go ahead,” he gestured with a soft shrug of his shoulders, “I tell Mimi pretty much everything.”

“We met in Cabo, about 3 years ago, right Luke?” she began.

He nodded casually, “Sounds about right.”

Emma remembered when Luke had gone to Mexico. It was during a particularly rough period with her ex. She had just found out about what she thought was his first affair. When Luke returned he had been so relaxed and happy that she didn’t want to burden him with her crap, so she avoided him for a few months. He finally put his foot down and insisted that they get together for drinks. He told her back then to leave Andrew but she had been too afraid to start over, afraid of the consequences.

“Paul and I were on our first trip ever to a hedonist resort. We had no idea what to expect, other than the fact that we were excited to add little extra spice to our relationship, a different flavor if you will,” Jane continued, giving her husband a little squeeze to his thigh. Paul smiled at her lovingly and placed his hand over hers. Emma smiled at the gesture.

“We were a little nervous and kept to ourselves for the first few days, sunbathing on the nude beach, late night hot tubs, making love under the stars. It was just lovely, but not exactly what we were hoping for”, she paused to take a sip of her wine before continuing. “Then we met this handsome man. There was a foam party by the pool on the third night of our vacation and the place was just packed. Half naked people were just everywhere, dancing, laughing, kissing, partying. It was a crazy fiesta! We were sitting at a table just soaking it all in, polishing off a bottle of wine...”

“It might have been our second, Darling,” Paul corrected her playfully. She laughed and nodded enthusiastically. Emma decided there and then that she loved Jane’s vibe. Her energy was infectious.

“Yes, it probably was! Anyway, we happened to have two empty chairs at the table we were sitting at and along comes this handsome fella wearing only a pair of swim trunks, towing a little brunette behind him. She was a cutie, page boy haircut, athletic body....goodness, what was her name Luke?”

Luke cocked his head and grinned, as though shifting through the memories right along with her, “Sara. She was a nursing student, We flew down together on her spring break. Fun girl. Freaky.”

“Oh yeah, Sara,” Emma chimed in, recalling that she had been one of the longer relationships that Luke had enjoyed. They had been together three or four months if she remembered correctly. “What ever happened to her?”

“She started dating her roommate Annie”, Luke shrugged, “pretty sure they’re a couple

still.”

“Right! I remember that!” Emma giggled, her hand loosely landing on his thigh. He smiled at her and toasted his wine glass in her direction.

“Yes, Sara, she was all over the place that week, wasn’t she?” Jane continued her story, pleased to have the stage. “But we didn’t mind! We got Luke all to ourselves. Boy did we have a good time with you, my friend. So many laughs! It was the start of a life-long friendship, wasn’t it?”

“It sure was,” Paul agreed, holding his fist out towards Luke, which he quickly bumped back. Total bros.

“It was a fun week, that’s for sure,” Luke agreed. Jane looked at him warmly and paused to see if he would go on. He shrugged his shoulders, silently giving her the go-ahead to continue.

“Did you tell Emma about that vacation?” she asked casually, sipping the cabernet.

“I think you did, didn’t you Luke?” Emma asked, thinking that if he had, he definitely left out some of the juicy details.

“Did you kiss and tell, Luke?” Jane taunted, her smile making it clear that she didn’t really mind one way or the other.

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Luke admitted, looking at Emma for confirmation. She shook her head, thinking that he might have kept some of the details of the trip to himself, just because of the shit she had been dealing with at the time.

“Well, let’s just say we got to know each other intimately, didn’t we? He certainly made the trip memorable,” Jane gushed, her giggle punctuating her memories. “He was delightfully naughty.”

“I’m sure he was,” Emma laughed, throwing Luke a knowing glance. He shrugged, his dirty smile proving he had no regrets. She hoped that he would fill her in on the rest of the story later.

A pause in the conversation gave them all a chance to listen to the music and peruse the room. The carnal electricity in the air was palpable, they all felt it. People were grouped together, flirting, teasing, kissing, caressing one another sensually, inspired by the sexy music, dim lighting, and of course, the alcohol. Emma couldn’t help but be aroused by it all. As her eyes drifted back to her new friends, she noticed Jane assessing her, smiling sweetly. She modestly averted her gaze, certain her arousal was evident.

Jane chuckled warmly and said, “It’s quite the place, isn’t it? It’s so sexy being around such uninhibited people, driven by nothing more than a desire to give and receive pleasure.”

Emma nodded softly, a blush rising in her cheeks.

“You’re such a beauty, Emma. Why do I get the sense that you don’t really know how gorgeous you are?” Jane asked, her tone laced with sincerity. Emma felt the compliment land on her in the best way possible and gave pause, considering Jane’s question carefully. She had felt pretty tonight but that was a rare thing for her. Flattery from her husband had been infrequent and was usually back-handed, insults disguised as compliments. Out of self-preservation, she learned to side-step it, like one might dodge a slap.

“Thank you, Jane. You’re a sweetheart,” Emma replied shrugging dismissively, unsure how to navigate her way through genuine kindness, offered without any expectation.

She turned to Luke, who was enjoying his conversation with Paul, and listened in on a story about a recent flight in which he chartered a famous movie star and his wife to the Cannes Film Festival in France. The actor had just won an Oscar for a major block-buster, a fantastic film that she and Luke had seen together just a few short weeks after her separation. Apparently, the two of them, madly in love, were quite amorous in their private quarters and joined the mile-high club on the flight. Paul told the story proudly, like it was a badge of honor.

Chuckling, Luke gazed over at Emma, “You good?”

She really was, content, horny and happy, but she really had to pee.

“I’m awesome, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the ladies room,” she admitted, standing up and straightening her dress.

“I’ll walk you,” he said, gesturing to follow.

“I’m fine, enjoy your friends. Just point me in the right direction.”

Emma washed her hands and touched up her lipstick, giving her hair a quick fluff with her fingertips. The bathroom was just as high-end as the rest of the club with grey-blue Carrara marble countertops and funky cobalt blue glass faucets, unlike anything she had ever seen before. Kudos to swingers with good taste, she thought, rearranging her breasts inside her push up bra, ensuring they were presented in the best light possible. She made a funny face in the mirror before turning to leave.

Walking down the long corridor from the bathroom her body tingled with anticipation, as though it sensed that something racy might happen. She eased past a couple that were up against the wall, making out, their bodies entwined in the kind of embrace reserved for new lovers, intense, passionate, all-consuming. It made her ache with longing, to be held like that. As she passed them, another couple skirted by, oblivious that she was in their path. She jumped out of their way, spinning around to avoid their frolicking, and smacked right into a man’s chest. He reached out and scooped her into his arms before she could tumble to the ground.

She heard his voice before she saw him, a familiar creamy accent that instantly made her weak in the knees, and pretty much everywhere else too.

“Hello, Mimi McGuire, fancy meeting you here,” Arran purred, righting her to her feet. “Are you stalking me, clever girl?”

“No!” Emma blurted, “I had no idea you would be here,” she stammered, tripping over her own tongue.

She saw his face brighten playfully, realizing he was only teasing. He was just as striking as she remembered and at that moment all the hot fantasies she’d had the night she met him came surging back, pinking her cheeks with pleasure.

“No matter, I’m just happy to make your acquaintance again. You are a ray of sunshine in a rather bland evening. Let’s enjoy a cocktail and get to know each other, shall we?” he said, reluctantly releasing his hold on her. Emma smiled sweetly at him, grateful her trembling legs held her up.

She nodded, bewitched by his persuasive blue eyes and inviting smile. He clasped her hand in his and guided her toward the bar.