It was starting to get dark when we pulled back into town. As we did so, I slowed my vehicle to a crawl since the usually empty street was bustling with people. Both Bridget and I watched in awe as we saw them marching—somewhat disorderly and even a little rowdily—toward the Treasure Chest. If I had to venture a guess, I would’ve estimated that the entire population of the town was pushing and shoving in order to make their way into the establishment. Personally, I wondered what anyone would want to see there since the joint’s hottest lady was beside me on my passenger seat.
“Oh, shit!” Bridget suddenly let out as I put my foot down on the brake and glanced over at her.
“What is it?” I asked. “Is everything all right?”
“I totally forgot what day it is!” The beautiful brunette exclaimed. She watched as an entire flock of people she had known her whole life filtered into one of her places of employment. “It doesn’t happen around here very often since we’re so far out in the sticks, but there’s a hot band playing at the club tonight!”
I chuckled since it was funny to see how riled up the town’s citizenry was over the appearance of a touring band. It certainly wasn’t unheard of for people to get excited over a group of musicians showing up, but the people of Bridget’s hometown were feverish to pack themselves into the Treasure Chest. It was definitely a happening they weren’t accustomed to seeing since they were so far off the beaten path.
“Would you like to go check them out?” Bridget asked with obvious excitement in both her voice and eyes. She placed a hand on my right arm as her orbs practically begged me to park the vehicle.
“Looks like the whole town is going to be there,” I pointed out. “If someone sees that you’re not sick, how will your fellow workers at the diner feel? I wouldn’t want them to get angry with you…”
“I got better!” Bridget jested as she made up a cheesy excuse on the spot. “Come on, Marcus! Quit being such a square! What do you say?”
“You bet!” I chuckled as I pulled the pickup in and parked next to the little saloon I had been leaving my truck next to the entire time I had been in the small village. I let out a bit of a sigh as I shut the vehicle off and reminded my beaming partner, “They might not let me in after the little incident yesterday, though! If they don’t, I guess I’ll wait outside for you because I don’t want you to miss out!”
Bridget reached over and latched onto my arm. “They wouldn’t dare! As long as you’re with me, they would never kick you out!”
I laughed a bit more since I enjoyed the brunette’s enthusiasm. I decided to take her word for it as we climbed out of my pickup and made our way over to join the rest of the impatient crowd.
*
It was incredible to see how many people were able to cram into the small strip club. We were like sardines in a tin container, and it was nothing like the night before, when there had been a max of eighteen to twenty people watching the women on stage. This time around, the tables had been removed in order to allow for more room. I really did believe that the entire village had shown up for the event.
I’ve never been one for large gatherings of people, so being stuffed into the relatively small establishment with a bunch of noisy, sweating strangers was not something I enjoyed. Almost every other person had a cigarette hanging out of his or her mouth, and there were already a few patrons who had had far too much to drink. The band hadn’t even taken the stage yet and three small scuffles had already broken out. Thankfully, I wasn’t involved in any of them since I knew Bridget hadn’t liked it when I had tussled with Rutger on that second occasion.
I kept my eyes open for the suspicious man I had met nearly twenty-four hours earlier. I knew he would stand out if he was wearing his hooded cloak again, and I was ninety-nine percent certain he wouldn’t show up in public without it. I had seen his kind before…and he was going out of his way to conceal his identity.
I felt an elbow in my back and turned to see that it had been accidental. After the man apologized, I told him it was no big deal as I turned back around and laid eyes on my date for the evening. She could see that I felt ill at ease, so she kindly said, “If you don’t want to be here…”
“I’m fine,” I told the caring brunette. I may have felt out of place, but I wasn’t going to ruin her evening just because of my discomfort. I could put up with a crowd for a few hours if it meant seeing Bridget happy. Besides, for all I knew, the band could’ve ended up being pretty good. Since it occurred to me that I hadn’t asked, I leaned close to the beautiful brunette so she could hear me as I inquired, “Who is this group, by the way? What kind of music do they play?”
“I think it’s some kind of punk or metal band,” Bridget answered as she tried to see past a few of the heads blocking her line of sight. While struggling to achieve a better view of the stage, she started standing on her tiptoes as she went on, “From what I’ve heard, it’s an all-female band…and their gimmick is that they always play in the nude! I’m guessing that that’s why there are so many people here! A bunch of damn perverts!” She laughed after adding her last comment.
I was a little caught off guard by the fact that the entire band would perform without clothes on. I guess it made sense that they would choose a strip club to play in. “They all play naked?”
“Don’t get too excited!” Bridget jested. She then explained, “They cover up with their equipment! I’ve heard they use their guitars and basses to mask their naughty bits, and they also utilize the straps of said equipment and sometimes play behind the amplifiers. I think they do it to tease the audience!”
I had to say that it sounded kind of clever. If the group members were attractive, it did indeed seem like an inventive stratagem to gain attention. Plus, if their music was any good, people would no doubt get behind them as they were getting hot and sweaty on stage…
“Are you all right, Marcus?”
I glanced over at Bridget. “Wha…? Yeah! I’m fine! Why do you ask?”
The bountiful brunette placed her hands over her mouth and laughed. “I was just giving you a hard time! You men are so funny when nudity gets brought up in a normal setting!”
I did my best to chuckle in return. I felt that our current setting was anything but normal, but I didn’t want to hurt Bridget’s feelings by saying something that might make her feel bad about where she worked. I had absolutely nothing against strip clubs…I just wasn’t familiar with them enough to not feel out of place. “So, what’d you say the name of this band was again?”
“Um, I think they’re called ‘The SPs.’ I don’t know if that stands for anything or not.”
My blood ran cold as my eyes suddenly became wide. If I had to guess, I’m fairly certain that I mumbled something to the effect of, “Dumb, fucking luck…”
Bridget glanced over at me when she realized that my mood had suddenly changed. “Marcus? Are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
“This group,” I mumbled as my mind became flooded with memories from half a lifetime ago. “The SPs stand for the Squirting Pussies.”
Bridget giggled since the real name of the group was obviously quite naughty. “Sounds like someone must be a fan!”
It took me a moment, but I finally glanced over at my amused friend and told her, “Bridget, I know the bass player of this group!”
“Really?” The beautiful brunette queried with a hint of doubt in her voice. “Are you sure? I think this group comes from pretty far away…”
“I slept with her once nearly eighteen years ago,” I shot back in a faraway voice. I didn’t mean to come right out with my admission, but I couldn’t help myself. Thoughts of the hauntingly hot gothic girl by the name of Ashlee Belle came screaming back to me.
Bridget raised an eyebrow and glanced up at me. “Would it be safe to assume that this girl is not the Eve you told me about the other day?”
I shook my head. “Certainly not. Eve has absolutely nothing in common with Ashlee…well, except for one thing.”
“What would that be?”
“She’s a wonderful person at her core…and she’s beautiful in her own way.” I sighed and mumbled, “Okay, so two things.”
Bridget studied me for a moment and I’m sure she had a hundred different thoughts racing through her mind. I had confessed to her how much my past loves meant to me—and still do—so I’m positive she felt a little awkward since we had spent the entire day making love in different positions and locations…and now I was about to be confronted by one of those past loves. However, she had asked me out by the lake if she had by chance made that critical list, and I had told her—albeit in my own way—that she certainly had. It goes without saying that I meant every word. I had fallen hard for the combination waitress/topless dancer.
I finally turned so I could gaze directly at the lovely brunette. “That was years ago, Bridget. Ashlee is a part of my past, and while I’ll always carry feelings for her, she’s exactly that: Part of my past. I certainly hope she’s happy with the lifestyle she’s chosen since she always wanted to be part of a band, and if I’m being honest, I doubt she even remembers me. She obviously went on to make it big, so I’m sure Marcus Veovin has slipped completely under her radar.”
“I doubt that very much,” Bridget told me as she finally met my gaze.
I had a look of befuddlement on my face that the gorgeous brunette could clearly see.
“To know and be sexually ravaged by Marcus Veovin is something a girl would never forget!”
I was happy to see that Bridget was smiling as she spoke her last sentence. I didn’t think she would be the jealous type, but I also couldn’t blame her if she felt the slightest bit odd given our current circumstances. I knew if the shoe had been on the other foot, I would have felt a little weird. I hate to admit that, but it’s true.
The curtains on the stage suddenly opened and some feedback erupted from a mic as the crowd around us went nuts. A band of four captivatingly hot women—one blonde and three with black tresses—took center stage as the lead vocalist let out a screech. From what I could tell, they all wore black, thigh-high boots, and they had black, mesh gloves that went all the way up to their shoulders. Other than that, they were butt-ass naked…but professionally kept themselves covered with their instruments.
At least the one I was staring at did since I didn’t care about the other three.
The grippingly enticing bassist named Ashlee Belle stood on the left side of the stage. She had the body of her bass guitar conveniently placed in front of her vaginal area, and she held the neck of it in such a way to cover up part of her left breast. The instrument’s strap was over her right shoulder and covered her right nipple.
Nearly half a lifetime later, I was seeing my goth babe again.
I think Bridget took note of me staring. She placed a hand on my right shoulder and tried to look above some of the taller heads in front of us. The haze from everyone’s cigarettes certainly didn’t help her visibility. “Is that her? The one on the left?”
I nodded as I said, “Her name is Ashlee Belle. She’s a year younger than I am…and she’s a wonderful person.”
Bridget could see that I was taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane. As The SPs started to play their first tune, my brown-haired companion tried to be heard over the roar of the crowd as she inquired, “If you don’t mind my asking, what happened between the two of you? Why’d you ever split if she’s so wonderful?”
Even though none of the surrounding people could hear us, I didn’t think the crowded strip club was the best place for the story. I decided to give my brunette compeer the abridged version as I told her, “We kind of ‘dated’ for a few months if you want to call it that, but in the end, she did something that betrayed my trust…so I decided it would be best to move on.”
“Did she cheat on you?” Bridget shouted in order to be heard.
Since no one around us cared about our conversation and could only hear the heavy metal riffs of the SPs, I also raised my voice as I answered Bridget, “Absolutely not! It wasn’t anything like that! I just…I just felt like she had backstabed me.”
“If she didn’t cheat on you, then how did she backstab you?”
Again, I felt like the strip club wasn’t the best place to have such a pivotal discussion, but I decided to divulge, “The first and only time we made love, she had her friends hide a video camera in the room. She then showed the tape to a bunch of her friends, and believe it or not, that videocassette was how they came up with the name of their band.”
After thinking about it for no more than two seconds, Bridget deviously smiled at me as she remembered all the kinky fun we had enjoyed throughout the day. “Oh, I can believe it, all right!”
It took me a little longer to realize what she meant, but when I picked up on it, I playfully shoved her. “You little vixen, you!”
Bridget laughed as someone brushed past her who recognized her. After a quick exchange, the woman moved along. Once she was gone, my brunette friend looked at me once more and asked, “When the show’s over, don’t you think it would be nice to go say hi?”
I chuckled in response as a few of the screaming fans around me went wild. I wasn’t sure if my wonderful date for the evening could hear me, but I replied, “Like I said before, I doubt she would even remember me! Besides, I would feel a little awkward if she happened to be sitting around backstage wearing only what she has on now!”
Bridget also laughed and tried to make me feel better as she assured me, “Take it from me…you handle yourself pretty well around naked females!” She winked before giving me one of her sly looks and reminding me, “You’ve been naked with her before, so it shouldn’t be too difficult!”
I have to say that I was grateful for Bridget being so understanding and supportive. Anyone who’s heard any of my tales knows that I care a great deal for each and every woman I’ve ever shared a crucial part of my life with, and even though things may have ended sourly between Ashlee and I, there was no doubt in my heart that I still loved her very much. The time I had spent with her still meant a great deal to me all these years later. If I thought for one second that she actually remembered me, I would be thrilled to catch up with her…even if it was only for five minutes.
Bridget and I continued to listen to the four talented rockers pour their hearts out as the jam-packed crowd cheered them on. We did the same in order to show support, and at one time, I even hoisted my brunette companion up on my shoulders so she could get a better view. She laughed and waved her arms about while having a blast.
Throughout the evening, plenty of drinks were spilled and one man was even pulled off the stage after attempting to climb onto it so he could more than likely touch one of the band members. Had I not been located toward the back, I guarantee I would’ve been there to pull that obstinate drunkard back and knock him out if need be. Fortunately, he was taken care of before he managed to get very far.
The smoky haze drifting throughout the room stung my eyes, but it didn’t stop me from taking in all of Ashlee that I could see. The raven-tressed rocker still had the same length of hair, and she had certainly added more tattoos to her body. She looked just as fit as she had when I had known her during our school years, and to be truthful, I think she looked even better now. As the sweat flew off her fair skin, I found myself wondering if she still had her small, upside-down triangle of pubes above her wonderful vagina…and I also pondered if her nipples were just as pink and pointy as before.
Bridget continued to cheer for the talented quartet as I faced my past and felt a deluge of emotions wash over me. I can’t stress enough how very thankful I was that my brunette compeer wasn’t the type to become upset with me for the fact that I was being encountered by a past love in the present.
I’m not sure how long the band had been playing, but the lead vocalist finally announced that their next tune was dedicated to a long-lost love. She said that she wouldn’t be singing the song…but instead her bass player would. The track was titled “V.”
Bridget glanced in my direction and lifted an eyebrow. “Doesn’t remember you, huh?”
It had to be a coincidence. That, or the “V” stood for something else. Hell, The SPs were known for having some dirty tracks with some unsavory lyrics. Maybe the song was about a vagina or something. It’s not like Ashlee actually remembered…
“A long time ago,” I heard a dusky and frighteningly attractive voice suddenly speak up after receiving a microphone, “I knew a man I had an all too brief stint with. He was a clever man with a bright future ahead of him, and I wronged him in a way I never meant to. Since hitting the road, I still think about him daily, and after nearly eighteen years, I’ve found that playing this song for audiences such as you makes coping with his loss easier.”
I could feel Bridget staring at me. She knew as well as I did whom Ashlee was speaking of. We both knew that the gothic beauty had written a song about me since she had been carrying baggage of me for eighteen years.
It goes without saying that the song was beautiful. It was a steady-paced ballad that was nothing like the rest of the tracks The SPs played. It was a masterwork that should’ve been topping out every musical chart…and I’m not ashamed to say that it brought tears to my eyes.
“You need to talk to her, Marcus Veovin!” Bridget scolded me as the tune wrapped up and the crowd surrounding us clapped and cheered. “You have to demand to go backstage when this show is over and have a word with her! You need to let the poor girl know that you still care about her…because she obviously hasn’t been able to let you go!”
“But what would I say?” I asked since I was at a loss after hearing the beautiful song. “I know I should apologize for misunderstanding what she did, but what if seeing me triggers all of her old feelings? I’ve never thought of myself as a ‘catch’ or anything, but what if she sees me and it breaks her heart all over again? I would never want that!”
“But what if it restarted something beautiful?” Bridget shot back.
I glanced at the brunette with a quizzical look on my face. As the people around us shouted for more and the lead vocalist again took the mic in order to start their next song, I couldn’t help but ask my amber-eyed compeer, “Are you trying to pawn me off?” I was joking…for the most part.
“Absolutely not!” Bridget exclaimed. “But I would never want to stand in the way of something that was meant to be! I know this is going to sound both silly and stupid—and it may be the ‘small-town girl’ in me talking—but I’ve always believed fate plays a huge role in our lives…and maybe you and Ashlee were meant to be together!”
To say I wasn’t the least bit offended would be a lie. After the incredible day Bridget and I had shared, I felt like she was trying to jettison me to the first woman who was willing to take me.
I think the buxom brunette could see the hurt on my face. She quickly reached out and grabbed my nearest arm as she reiterated, “Don’t you dare take that to mean that I don’t want you, Marcus Veovin! I still have a gallon of your cum in me from earlier, and don’t you think for one second that that doesn’t mean something to me! Hell, I’d battle all manner of beasts and fiends just to get in your pants again…let alone spend the rest of my life beside you!”
As frivolous as her words may have sounded, they really packed a meaningful punch. I could tell that Bridget was telling me the truth, but I couldn’t help but be a little confused still. She sounded like she wanted to stand aside for Ashlee if it came down to that, but at the same time, it also sounded like she would stand up and fight for me. She couldn’t possibly have both…could she…?
My mind was a maelstrom of mixed feelings and emotions as I pondered Bridget’s cryptic words. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t realize that an abrupt outburst of feedback was suddenly blazing from the stage and had the crowd in an uproar as they tried to figure out what had transpired. I didn’t realize it at the time, but apparently, the band’s bass player had suddenly dropped her instrument…and lunged off the stage to the crowd below.
I turned in time to catch a raven-haired beauty soar through the air before landing between a group of people clustered up front. How she managed to land without snapping an ankle due to the heels of her boots and from such a height, I’ll never know, but what was important was the fact that she began shoving her way through the crowd. A few of the even more “grabby” perverts amongst the gathering tried reaching out to do more than pat her on the back for her performance thus far, but she answered them in kind by slapping them away. One man who ventured a little too close even received a kick straight to the nuts…and it looked like it hurt. Good. The bastard deserved it. I would’ve laughed had it been Rutger, but unfortunately, it was not.
I don’t know if the “fate” that Bridget spoke of earlier had anything to do with it, but in that moment, the crowd seemed to part and left a space of ten feet between the raven-tressed dazzler and myself. We stood there just staring at one another as the mob around us watched on and waited for what would happen next. Through the smoke and haze, the tattooed beauty looked just as stunning as she had at nineteen years of age…and the fact that the entire trunk of her body was sweaty and naked didn’t seem to faze either of us as we just stared at each other.
The torrid bass player suddenly made a beeline for me. Even though she only had ten feet to cover, she darted right at me…and sprang into my waiting arms. She lunged onto me and wrapped her arms affectionately around my neck as I pulled her in close and spun her around. Her knees were bent back as we turned, but she eventually wrapped her legs around me while catching me off guard yet again with a kiss that may have had more passion behind it than the one I had given Bridget mere hours before.
I’m not sure how long our embrace lasted. I was so caught up in the moment and the fact that I was being reunited with a woman I had always wanted a chance to speak with again that I lost all track of time. I’m not sure how long it took me to realize that Bridget was leading the entire group around us in a cheering session as men and women as young as twenty and quite possibly as old as seventy were clapping and whistling. Even though Ashlee’s bare bottom was facing a good half of them as the two of us seized each other, I think the applause was for the fact that they somehow knew we had been reunited after such a lengthy span of time. Maybe I had been so caught up in the moment that I had missed Bridget informing them that the smokin’ hot bass player had found her “V” after all these years.
After finally pulling away from one another long enough to have a good look at each other, I remembered that Ashlee was for all intents and purposes naked. I think I did the blushing for her since she was used to performing on stage in her altogether. She simply smiled as I peeled my shirt off and started to put it on her.
“I’m sorry if it’s a little sweaty,” I tried to be heard over the din of the surrounding crowd. “Your show has really been something, so I may have perspired a bit.”
Ashlee’s laugh was so damn hot. She just let me put the shirt on her as she replied, “I’m not too worried about it, Marcus. I did a little sweating on stage myself.” She smiled before slyly adding, “Besides, I never had a problem with your sweat before.”
Before I could make a fool of myself, Bridget stepped forward and gained the taller Ashlee’s attention by placing a hand out. Her energy didn’t ebb in the slightest as she introduced herself, “Hi! My name’s Bridget! I have to say that it’s really something to meet a bona fide star!”
The gothic woman accepted the hand as I awkwardly tugged at the bottom of the shirt to make sure it was covering everything. I caught a few glimpses of some of the tattoos Ashlee didn’t have when we knew each other…but that was all I looked at in that moment. I did my best to peel my eyes away when I realized that Bridget might get the wrong idea.
“It’s nice to meet you, Bridget,” Ashlee cordially said while shaking the brunette’s hand. “My name is Ashlee Belle.”
I could tell by the sound in the dark-haired babe’s voice that she wondered who exactly her new fan was. I’m sure she had seen her with me in the audience…
Glancing around and seeing the eyes of the nearby crowd members upon us, Bridget couldn’t help but look at her fellow citizens and ask, “Do you mind?” Most of the people she addressed did their best to look away and focus on the stage again.
Ashlee just had to laugh as she turned her attention back toward me. “Maybe it would be best if we went outside to talk. I think we’d have a little more privacy there.”
“What about your band and the show?” I queried as I pointed back at the stage. I could see that the lead vocalist looked to be waiting for her bass player. “Won’t they be upset if we leave?”
“Are you kidding me?” Ashlee shot back as she looked me over with a sly smile. “I’ve waited half my life to see you again…and I’m not about to let you walk out of here and wait another eighteen years for this moment!”
END OF PART FIVE OF NINE
