5. Chapter
It was after ten when Robyn and Cathy made their way into the entrance to
the MouseTrap. The club was filling fast and the sound of loud music
throbbed in the air.
"Two, please."
Cathy handed the bouncer a twenty for the cover charge, then showed him her
driver's license. He checked her birth date then stamped the back of her
hand. Then Robyn stepped up and extended her arm to be stamped.
The bouncer looked her over critically then said, "ID?"
Cathy interrupted before Robyn could open her mouth, "My friend forgot her
license, okay?"
He shook his head. "Sorry, miss. Can't let you in without proof of age."
"Don't be silly!" Cathy blustered, "Anybody can see she's old enough."
"Look lady, I've seen high school kids who make themselves up to look older
than your friend here. I'm sorry. Club policy, no ID no admittance. It's
out of my hands."
"Cathy, let's just go " Robyn whined. She felt self-conscious enough
dressed like she was, now they were drawing even more attention to
themselves. She started to back towards the exit.
Cathy grabbed Robyn's arm, preventing her from leaving. She was determined
to get inside to meet Greg. "No. We're here to have some fun, Robyn!" she
turned back to the bouncer and smiled ingratiatingly, "Aw, come on. Give us
a break. She's twenty-three."
The bouncer was trying to hand Cathy back her money when Brad appeared.
He'd been watching the scene unfold from the bar. "Robyn! Hi! I'm glad you
made it." He appreciatively looked Robyn up and down and whistled softly.
"Wow. I thought you were gorgeous when I met you this afternoon but I gotta
say you really clean up damn fabulous. Wait here while I call Playboy to
tell them I just captured an escaped Playmate."
Robyn felt herself go all shy and awkward under Brad's teasing attention.
"Um hi Brad." she mumbled, eyes downcast.
Brad nodded to Cathy, received no response from her other than a cold
stare. He shrugged it off and waved to the club's entrance. "Shall we,
ladies?"
Robyn said "Um we can't."
"Oh? Is there a problem, Johnny?" Brad asked the bouncer, his tone
indicating a friendly familiarity.
"Yeah, your friend says she forgot her ID"
"It's okay. I'll vouch for Robyn," Brad patted the bouncer on his shoulder,
then shook his hand. Robyn couldn't be certain, but she thought she saw
Brad slide a bill into the bouncer's palm. "I've been coming here a long
time, and I've always treated you right, haven't I Johnny?"
"Well, I really shouldn't, Mr. Franklin " the bouncer hesitated a moment,
his eyes flickered down at what was in his hand. Then he slipped the hand
into his pocket and continued as if granting a major concession, " but if
you say she's over twenty-one then I guess I can let her in just this once.
But next time she better have ID"
"Thanks!" Cathy exclaimed in relief to the bouncer, then looked warily at
Brad, "And thank you, Brad."
Robyn held her hand out to be stamped, then said shyly "Thanks Brad. I
really appreciate this "
"No problem, girls. Why don't you let me buy you a drink?" Brad gestured
toward the bar.
"Thanks, but you've already done so much" Cathy demurred, "And we promised
someone we'd meet them here " she craned her neck, scanning the crowded
club. Then before Brad could object, she grabbed Robyn by her wrist and
pulled her off into the dimly lit interior of the club.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Robyn glimpsed guys tracking their progress
as she and Cathy walked across the room. Heads swiveled to follow them as
if attached by invisible leads. Several times she saw someone point at them
and lean over to say something to a friend. As Bob, he studiously ignored
any stares from people --- he assumed anyone who looked at him was doing so
out of morbid fascination, repulsed by his gross body. The stares she was
getting now, as Robyn, were entirely different. She felt overly displayed
by the tiny dress she wore, and was very self-consciously aware of what was
probably going through their minds. But also, she felt a weird kind of
pride --- that she was attracting so much attention gave her a little
thrill.
Cathy must have sensed the same watchful eyes on them. She leaned over and
giggled into Robyn's ear, "Did you see those guys checking us out? Get
ready for some fun tonight!"
Robyn looked at her horrified, "Cathy! I'm beginning to think this wasn't
such a good idea."
"Oh, relax Robyn. Loosen up and have some fun. You'd have turned me into a
walking wet dream, except it backfired on you. So now you're the one all
the guys are sniffing after. Why not make the best of the situation? Now's
your chance to really find out what that's all about. Here, let's grab this
table --- we're right out where everybody can see what we've got to offer."
Cathy steered Robyn to a table out near the dance floor. Robyn would have
preferred sitting further back where the lighting was lower and she didn't
feel so much like she was on display.
A waitress appeared, interrupting Cathy's little lecture. She was all
business, barely even smiling. She knew from long experience that two women
alone in a place like this would nurse their drinks all night until some
guy cut them out of the herd. Any tip would be minimal. The best customers
were always the lonely single guys hoping to impress her. She even
preferred a group out partying over a couple of women, partyers might run
her ass ragged but they usually pooled their cash and left a decent tip.
"What'll it be, girls?" the waitress asked.
Despite Cathy's advice to just go with the flow, Robyn was all but
trembling she was so nervous. She needed something to calm her down. Cathy
was right when she said she needed to loosen up.
"Whoa! Now that's the way to party, Robyn! I'll have one too. And bring us
a couple beers with that." Cathy said.
The waitress walked off to get their orders and Cathy scanned the crowd.
She didn't see Greg anywhere. She glanced back at Robyn and saw her
fiddling with a coaster, too nervous to look at the other people in the bar
for fear of seeming to encourage them. She reached over and put her hand on
Robyn's, halting her nervous twiddling.
Cathy leaned over and spoke directly in her ear above the roar of the
music. "Hey. You don't have anything to be afraid of. Every guy in this
place is probably more scared of approaching you than you are of them. You
aren't some nerd trying to fit in any more. Now it's the other way around.
People will be trying to impress you, hoping to win your approval. You're
beautiful Robyn. Enjoy it. Party on girl. Learn what it is to be beautiful
and have guys chasing after you. And if somebody tries something you don't
like, tell `em to go fuck themselves. It's your choice."
Robyn looked at her and smiled. Cathy made sense. She looked the part so
why not enjoy it. See what it felt like to be popular. Experiment with some
of the things that always used to make Bob envious about pretty women and
how they seemed to get away with murder.
The waitress returned with their drinks and Cathy paid her. Then they
grinned at each other, clinked their glasses together and gulped. Robyn's
whole body shuddered. She felt the liquor burn its way down her throat and
curl up in a warm pool in her stomach. She blinked back tears, grabbed her
beer and took a quick swallow. Her reaction was a bit of a surprise. She
used to be able to do a shot and hardly even feel it. She'd have to be
careful tonight.
"Whew! Sssmooth." She choked. Both of them broke out in peals of laughter.
"C'mon Robyn. Let's hit the dance floor." Cathy urged her to her feet.
Robyn cautiously followed Cathy out onto the hardwood square. She was still
unsteady in her heels. There weren't all that many people dancing this
early in the evening so she didn't need to worry about bumping into anyone.
Cathy started moving to the music and Robyn tentatively tried to imitate
her. In all Bob's 23 years he'd never before been on a dance floor, he'd
never even gotten up the nerve to ask anyone to dance. This was another
thing about women she'd envied -- their unself-conscious ability to dance
with each other or alone, something two guys would never try in a million
years. Women were more naturally exhibitionistic she thought, maybe it was
the wild styles of clothes, or maybe some evolutionary thing that drove
them to draw attention to themselves, but Robyn was beginning to suspect
the real reason women seemed to display themselves so readily was just that
men were always watching. It was going to take a real effort to forget her
shyness, ignore all the stares, and just let herself be natural.
They danced through several songs. Robyn found that if she just let her
mind focus on the music she didn't feel quite so self-conscious. She began
to feel the beat of the music and just let her body move. It was fun. She
felt energized and lighthearted. As she danced, Robyn caught an occasional
glimpse of Brad over at the bar watching her, but he didn't approach.
Several guys watched them closely while they danced, their eyes following
every move. Checking them out, smiling suggestively. Robyn smiled back.
Finally Cathy dragged her back to their table. She was breathing a bit
heavy but not winded yet, feeling warm from the exercise and the tequila.
They sat and sipped their beers to cool off. Then a couple of guys were at
their table. They asked if they needed refills and Cathy gestured for them
to sit down.
Robyn nervously looked them over. They were big football types. Seemed
arrogant, she thought. They introduced themselves but Robyn's dazed mind
didn't catch their names. The guys tried to make small talk while signaling
for the waitress to come over. Bragging about their chances to go to a bowl
game or some such shit they thought would impress Robyn and Cathy.
Cathy leaned across the table and said, "Robyn? Do you need to go to the
Ladies'?"
Robyn shook her head, she would need to use the restroom eventually but she
wanted to delay it until absolutely necessary.
Cathy rolled her eyes, flashed her an exasperated look and said, "Well I
need to."
"Oh? Oh!" Robyn suddenly got the hint. She smiled to herself as she thought
this was her introduction to the time honored female tradition of going to
the Ladies' Room in a herd. "Okay, let's go."
When they got inside both stalls were occupied and one other girl was
waiting ahead of them. Cathy looked in the mirror and fussed with her hair.
"Those two are dorks, Robyn. Let's ditch them, okay?"
Robyn was relieved. "I couldn't agree more, Cathy! I wasn't the one who
asked them to sit down in the first place. I was afraid you liked them."
"Get out!" Cathy feigned astonishment. "They're kind of cute but as soon as
they opened their mouths' you could see all the way to their assholes."
Robyn laughed. She was tentatively trying to touch up her lipstick and
Cathy's comment almost made her ruin it.
"So when we get back, I'll think up some excuse. Then you just follow my
lead okay?"
Robyn nodded agreement.
When the stalls were free, they used the toilets. Despite her worries,
Robyn didn't have any problems --- it wasn't all that different than it'd
been as a man, except she had to sit down, and remember to wipe herself
instead of shaking it dry. More inconvenient was all.
They got back to the table and found the waitress had already brought them
fresh beers. They sat and smiled awkwardly in thanks. The bigger of the two
guys started to tell a story about their last away game. Robyn sipped her
beer and stared at the table in boredom. Cathy distractedly scanned the
crowd. Suddenly she let out a little squeal of delight and was out of her
seat in an instant.
"It's Greg! Robyn, hang on just one minute, okay? I'll be right back. Just
wait one sec." Cathy babbled excitedly before she walked off across the
room.
Robyn uncomfortably sat and watched as Cathy ran up and hugged a guy over
near the bar. He wasn't bad looking, Robyn thought. The way she hugged him,
she figured he must be Greg and not part of a plan to dump the two jocks.
Robyn's heart skipped a beat when she lost sight of them in the crowd. She
fervently hoped Cathy didn't forget her in her excitement and leave her
stranded here.
The awkward silence that had fallen when Cathy suddenly ran off stretched
on for several minutes and still she hadn't returned. Robyn couldn't stand
it any longer. She gathered up her purse and shawl and Cathy's things and
stood up.
"Guys I'm sorry, but I better go find my friend um thanks for the beer "
Robyn nervously mumbled.
The football players had been sullenly drinking their beers, their faces
clouding up with anger. Now that Robyn appeared to be about to leave them
too, one of them stood up. He was absolutely huge. He loomed over her by
more than a foot. He reached across the table and grabbed her arm, circling
her wrist in one large hand, not roughly but firm enough that she couldn't
pull away.
"Aww, c'mon honey. She'll be back, she left her stuff. Why don't let's
dance?" he said. He sounded drunker than he appeared.
Robyn tried to pull her arm back but he tightened his grip. His arm might
as well have been made of stone for all she could move it. She began to
feel real fear, he could do anything to her and she was powerless to
prevent it. "Ow! That hurts! Let go of my arm!" she pleaded, hating how
weak she felt and how whiney she sounded.
He didn't release her, instead he began pulling her toward the dance floor.
"Jus' one dance, babe. Then you can go."
Robyn's struggles were totally in vain. Inexorably she was forced towards
the dance floor. She was overwhelmed by fear and frustration and felt her
eyes welling, a tear rolled down her cheek. Then suddenly the football
player stopped pulling her along and stood still facing Brad who was
standing there blocking his way.
"Let her go, Johnson." Brad said calmly.
"Aw, c'mon man. What do you care? I was just having some fun. The bitch got
me to buy her a beer and then she was gonna dump me."
"She's a friend of mine, Johnson. Let her go."
"Shit! Franklin if we weren't fraternity brothers I'd bust your ass."
"Just leave her alone. I'll pay for the beer. Chill out, man, okay?" Brad
reached for his wallet.
"Forget it, man. One beer. You can owe me. Stuck up bitch anyway." Johnson
waved off Brad's money.
"Hey Johnson, I think I saw Becky Moore at the bar. She's hot for you,
bud." Brad mentioned one of the cheerleaders who had a rather legendary
reputation.
Johnson released Robyn's wrist and mumbled, "Uh too many beers, I guess.
Sorry, I didn't mean anything." Robyn rubbed her wrist then irritatedly
brushed the tears off her cheeks. "It's okay forget it." She said sullenly.
Johnson gave a halfhearted wave, then went to rejoin his partner and they
both walked over to the bar. When he was gone Brad heaved a sigh and joked.
"Sad thing about Johnson. Too many steroids I think. Must have gotten to
his brain."
Robyn laughed, feeling immensely relieved. "Thanks Brad. That's twice
you've saved me."
*****
Robyn was swaying gently in Brad's arms. The deejay was playing a slow
song. They'd already danced several songs together. Cathy had returned
shortly after the incident with Johnson and claimed her jacket and purse
from Robyn. Through mutual agreement they had separated into two couples.
Cathy with Greg, had gone off to a corner somewhere to relive old memories.
Robyn and Brad ordered new drinks and talked and danced, getting to know
one another.
Robyn pressed her cheek to Brad's chest. Dancing close like this evoked
strange feelings in her new body. She felt tiny next to Brad, but not
afraid like she'd felt when Johnson grabbed her. His arms around her felt
secure, safe, not menacing. Even in heels her head was below his eye level,
so it was natural to rest her cheek on his chest. And it made her feel
good.
"Robyn?" Brad whispered, his breath stirring in her hair. "I'm glad I ran
out of ice today."
"So am I."
She looked up at his face. He stopped moving to the music and held her
still. His expression grew serious. Slowly, watching her face closely for
any sign of rejection, he lowered his mouth towards hers.
Robyn felt dizzy, as if the world were receding from her in all directions.
She stared up at Brad as he slowly leaned over her, his lips growing
nearer. She closed her eyes, feeling her heart hammering in her chest. Ever
so gently his lips brushed hers, tenderly warm and soft, then drew back.
She felt his fingers touch her cheek, his hand cupping her face. After a
slight pause, his lips lightly touched hers again and then again. Tiny
butterfly kisses lingering only a moment before retreating, leaving her
lips empty and wanting, yearning for the next contact. Almost involuntarily
her lips parted just the barest fraction and she tasted his warm breath. He
tentatively probed her mouth with his tongue. She felt an electric thrill
as their warm wet flesh touched. She reached up clasping the back of his
head in her hand, feeling his thick hair against her palm. He slid his
tongue in further past her lips, gliding slick and slippery over her own
tongue. Deliciously, languorously their tongues danced together in her
mouth. For a brief instant the thought flickered across her mind that she
should feel strange kissing a man, but it felt so wonderful she didn't
worry about it. So this is kissing, she thought rapturously.
Her body was on fire. She felt her nipples stiffen and her pussy began to
tingle. Her knees felt weak, but she was so secure in Brad's arms. He was
so powerful, his muscles felt firm and strong underneath his skin. She
pressed herself against him, feeling her breasts yielding to the firmness
of his chest. She arched her body into him, surreptitiously rubbing her
crotch against his. He was hard, she could feel the heat and firmness
straining against her through his jeans. She felt as if she wanted to touch
him everywhere, feel him enfold her, feel him inside her. God, she couldn't
believe how wondrously excited she was.
He pulled back from her lips after a time and nibbled her ear, sliding his
tongue along the sensitive skin behind her lobe. She shivered in delight
and arched her neck like a cat. He slid his mouth and tongue down from her
ear tracing the tendon of her neck and planted a feather-light kiss at the
base of her throat. Then his mouth rose back up to meet hers and took her
lower lip gently between his teeth, pulling at it tenderly and sucking. She
giggled against his mouth and slithered her tongue out to trace his upper
lip, briefly touched the smooth hardness of his teeth. He released her lip
and planted a firm yet brief kiss on her mouth. He pulled his head back and
smiled down into her upturned face.
"Mmmm. Robyn, let's go sit down," he said hoarsely.
She nodded and he led her off to the table, holding her hand.
*****
They sat close together in a dark corner of the club and kissed and touched
each other, occasionally sipping their drinks. Robyn didn't flinch at all
when Brad slipped his arm around her waist. She just smiled contentedly and
cuddled closer. For an indeterminate time they kissed and caressed each
other while their surroundings faded away. She didn't hear the noise or see
the other people in the bar, she was in her own private universe with Brad.
She could really get used to this! How much of life she'd missed out on up
to now. Until tonight she hadn't lived at all. She never wanted the night
to end.
"Robyn! There you are, I've been looking all over." Cathy's voice brought
her back to reality. "Greg and I are leaving. We'll drop you off on our
way. Let's go, okay?"
Robyn looked up at her in a giddy daze. "No. No. You guys go on ahead." She
turned back to Brad and smiled. "I'm sure Brad will take me home."
Cathy's jaw dropped. "Robyn "
"I'm okay! Go! I'll be all right." Robyn hissed. She didn't want Cathy
spoiling her wonderful mood.
Brad spoke up, hoping to reassure Cathy, and send her on her way. "I'll
make sure she gets home. I live right next door. We'll be fine."
"Well, you're a big girl. Suit yourself. But I hope to hell you know what
you're doing." Cathy flashed Brad a warning look and walked off toward the
exit.
*****
They danced and drank and laughed on into the night. Robyn was having more
fun than she'd had in all the years of her previous life. She drank quite a
bit and events became blurry as the night wore on.
One exchange stuck in her memory mostly because of the brief look of shock
she saw on Brad's face. They were teasing each other about sex, and Robyn
drunkenly hinted about her unusual situation, thinking herself very clever
as she did so.
"You know I'm a virgin," she slurred, enjoying her private joke, "I've been
saving myself for the right woman and now I'm her."
Suddenly very serious, Brad asked, "You're really a virgin, Robyn?"
She hiccuped and nodded solemnly, then flashed him a smug smile.
He looked a little troubled. It was nearly impossible to imagine such a
pretty girl had never had sex. But he shrugged it off momentarily -- it
would only make having her that much more satisfying.
Robyn also remembered spending some time in a little coffee shop. It must
have been late because they were the only customers. She couldn't remember
leaving the MouseTrap but that didn't really worry her at the time. There
was more kissing and joking and Brad got her to drink some coffee and
swallow some advil.
Then she woke up outside the door to her apartment and Brad was asking her
something about keys. Things were moving jerkily and the world seemed to be
at a strange angle. Then she realized Brad was carrying her cradled in his
arms like a small child. That was so sweet!
She smiled up at him and tried to imitate Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie,
crooning in a singsong voice, "Honey, we're hoooooome!"
Brad laughed and kissed her. He somehow managed the door without putting
her down. Then he asked which was her bedroom.
Robyn let her arm flip vaguely in the direction of the hall and said "Last
door on the right." Then she snuggled closer to Brad's chest and kissed his
neck. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder as he carried
her down the hall.
