Club Night in Georgetown

A few words from the author:

Technically, this is the first thing I've

written

for the site. I got a little anxious and posted "Spanish Lessons" without an editor, and I'm thinking that may have been a hasty decision, despite some really wonderful comments.

This the second thing I've

posted

, because I was fortunate to have two excellent editors on this one. (I think the second draft took longer to write than the first.) So I would like to express my sincere thanks to

Azhura

and

Volunteer_

for their invaluable skills. This is a better story because of their efforts. Any remaining issues are purely mine.

I do appreciate constructive comments. If you think it stinks, that's fine. But please don't be rude. Tell me WHY it stinks, so I can fix it.

Any characters involved in extra-curricular activities (actual or implied) are over 18.

Hope you enjoy it.

**********

I slowly pulled up to the curb in front of my parent's house and sighed. A week ago, I'd been on the bridge of USS Gravely, standing Special Sea and Anchor Officer of the Deck (OOD) watch as we pulled into Pier 7, Naval Station Norfolk.

Three days after that, I was listening to the sound of two bells over the ship's public address system (aka the 1MC), followed by "West, departing!" I saluted the quarterdeck, saluted the ensign, and headed down the brow for the last time.

I was whistling, happy that after nearly six years of sea duty, I was finally going to be able to spend the next three years ashore.

'West' is me. LT Tom (not Thomas) West, USN. The Navy was more of a means to an end for me. I wasn't one of those kids who was groomed from before the womb to serve their country. Not to say that there's anything wrong with that! I was proud to serve. It's just that I had to figure out some way to pay for college. I was a good student, and a good athlete. But they don't give scholarships for good, unless you're willing to make a commitment. And the military was willing to give me that opportunity. I'd grown up around boats and the water, so the Navy seemed like the best fit.

Anyway, there I was, pulling up to the curb at my parent's house just south of Annapolis. I was driving my truck, which was packed full of my worldly possessions, and towing a rented box trailer that had my Triumph TR-6 and the rest of my stuff in it.

I opened the door and slid out, stretching. It's not

that

far from Virginia Beach to Bay Ridge, but dragging a trailer up I-95 and partway around the DC Beltway is NOT fun.

I stood there for a moment, admiring the place. Dad's fortunes had improved considerably in the years after I left for college, and he and mom had worked hard for it.

Before I had a chance to grab any of my gear, I heard running footsteps, and I turned, barely in time to catch my little sister's flying leap. I staggered back a step as she wrapped arms and legs around me, kissing my cheek.

"Tom! You're here!" she cried.

"You've found me out," I said dryly. "No fooling you, is there?"

She giggled, gave me one more squeeze, then demanded, "Put me down, you big goof!"

"But... you..." I sighed, certain that it was she who had leapt on me. But that was my baby sister Bevvie. Logic need not intrude in her philosophy.

I pinched her butt just to make her squeak, and set her down.

"Come on, help me with my stuff."

We moved some essentials into the guest room. I'd never actually lived in this house, so Bevvie was the only one with an actual room of her own. When she and my folks moved here, I was already off at college, and my older sister Annie was halfway through med school. Bev was just in middle school, so this really was home to her.

Bevvie and I took after our mother as far as appearance. We were both tall with dark brown hair - mine obviously kept short, but hers was past her shoulders and wavy. Bevvie was slender, too. Our sister Annie took after Dad. Not as tall as Bevvie, and a little more solid, with sandy brown hair. And she was driven, like Dad. Bev and I owed her a lot.

Annie and I remembered eating a lot of mac and cheese, while Mom and Dad worked their butts off to get Dad's company off the ground. I was proud of his success, but it was hard not to resent all the time that they weren't there. I relied on friends a lot for rides to practices, and it was rare that anyone was able to attend my games.

Annie spent a lot of her own time looking after me and Bev, so her social life suffered. She always said it was worth it, and I believed her, but now, there's nothing I wouldn't do for her. When she left for college, I took over as best I could, looking out for Bev. As a result, the three of us were pretty close. I mean, my parents loved us, but there was always that slight feeling of... distance.

"Don't worry about the rest," I told her, as she eyed the trailer suspiciously. "I'm going to have to find an apartment pretty quick, so no sense in moving everything more than absolutely necessary. I'll just leave it in the trailer for now."

"Although..." I said, as I eyed the large homes and well-manicured lawns nearby, "Dad probably doesn't want my junk cluttering up his front yard. "Guess I should go find a storage unit somewhere."

"Yeah, probably a good idea..." Bev agreed.

"Come on," I said. "Get on your phone and see what facilities are close. I'll stash the trailer and then I'll buy you lunch. Maybe Mom and Dad will be home by the time we get back."

"Works for me," she said easily.

We found a place nearby that was pretty reasonable, and big enough that I could just back the trailer inside. The rental fees were going to suck but I just didn't feel like dealing with it right now.

After taking care of that chore, we headed downtown.

"What do you think? Middleton Tavern?"

"Ooh, sounds good. Can we sit outside?" she clapped excitedly.

"Naturally!" I grinned. She's such a kid at heart.

We had a nice meal, watched the tourists, and then took a stroll along City Dock down to the water.

We watched the boats, playing our old game of making up stories about who was onboard, and where they were going. After a bit, I casually slung an arm around my baby sister's shoulder. I gave her a squeeze.

"It's good to be back" I smiled. "I know I've never actually lived here, but we spent enough time visiting Grandma (who had owned a house in Eastport, which is just across the water from where we were standing) when we were kids that it feels... familiar. And now I'm going to be working right... over... there..." I pointed to where we could see the edge of the Naval Academy property.

"So... home, yeah?" Bev grinned and looked up at me.

"Yeah."

**********

I heard Bevvie shout, 'We're here!" from the foyer.

I'd been home for almost two weeks, and Bev had finally badgered me into taking her and a friend out for the evening. There was a club in Georgetown that she'd heard about, but despite the fact that she was almost 23, Dad wouldn't let her go alone. Hence the full-court press to get me to be her chaperone. She finally wore me down, and I reluctantly agreed.

Upon hearing them come in, I grabbed the remote to shut off the ballgame I was watching, and stood, and turned to greet them. Bev gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then turned and said, "Tom, I'd like you to meet my friend Cristi."

I looked past her and literally, words failed me. She was wearing what I later learned was called a tulip-hem mini-dress. It was sleeveless, pure white, and covered her from neck to mid-thigh. I can't describe the things it did to me. I'd never seen anything that provocative without being blatantly obvious. I've always adhered to the notion that a woman doesn't need to dress sexily in order to

be

sexy, and Cristi was that in spades.

She had on some strappy sandals, and as my gaze made its way back up to her face, I couldn't help but notice how toned her limbs were. Defined, like a dancer. Her dress hinted at small breasts that fit her figure.

She caught me staring, and blushed slightly.

"Hi Tom, it's nice to meet you. Bev talks about you all the time."

I snapped out of my daze, and stepped forward to take her hand.

"Sorry for staring, Cristi. Can I blame it on being at sea for too long?" I tried to smile. "And it's an honor to meet you. Hopefully Bev hasn't told you anything too bad?"

She laughed. She had an amazing laugh, lower and huskier than I expected for someone so petite. She couldn't have been over 5'2", and if she weighed more than 100 lbs I'd eat my seabag. She had blond hair, with lighter streaks in it, like she spent a lot of time in the sun. It was just a few inches past her jawline, in a sort of asymmetrical cut that fit her face perfectly. It hung over one eye, so she was constantly pushing it back. Big green eyes, a cute little turned up nose with just a smattering of freckles across it, and a very slight overbite completed this vision of loveliness. The fact that she had one tooth that was just a bit crooked just added to the picture.

She was a sylph, there's no other way to describe her. And she made me feel like a gorilla. I was an entire foot taller than she, and twice her weight.

Bev looked from me to Cristi, then back again.

"AHEM. So, are we ready to go?" she prodded.

I jumped. "Oh, yeah, sure, sorry!"

I folded myself into the back of Bev's little SUV, and the girls got in front.

"Hang on!" Bev shouted, as she launched us toward the city.

I closed my eyes and hung on.

We arrived relatively unscathed, and stashed the car in a parking garage about a block from the club. The DJ hadn't started yet, and we found a high top over by the bar. I tried to be cool as Cristi hopped lithely up onto the tall stool, tugging at her hemline as she got settled.

But she caught me looking again, and stuck out her tongue. I blushed, grinned, and headed to the bar for a couple of white wines and a beer for myself.

Bev looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"This is it for me, promise" I said. "You ladies have fun, and I'll be your designated driver for the evening."

"Such a gentleman," Bevvie batted her eyelashes at me.

We chatted for a bit, continuing our conversation from the car ride in, before it started to get too loud for normal dialogue. They told me the story of how they met. I found out that Cristi was in marketing, and worked for one of the larger realtors in town. (I made a mental note to ask her for apartment recommendations.) She told me that she had a much older brother, but she mentioned that they weren't really that close. She said she envied how close Bev and I were.

Bev and I talked about how we'd grown up, having to rely on each other and our older sister, because our parents were so busy. Cristi said Bev had told her parts of the story, but she was glad to get to know a little more. She reached over and touched my hand as she said it, and I know this sounds cliché, but I definitely felt something. I saw her eyes widen slightly, so maybe it wasn't my imagination.

Of course, the DJ chose that moment to launch into his first set, so we just turned to watch and listen as people started drifting toward the dance floor. He was actually pretty good. There was a definite 90s theme, but he mixed a lot of different genres in a way that kept everyone on their feet.

Finally, Bevvie drained her wine glass, shouted, "I'm goin' in!" and dove into the crowd of bodies.

I looked at Cristi, raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the melee. She looked a little dubious, but jumped down off the stool and took my hand.

I was able to clear a small space for us to move in, and we just danced. I have two left feet, but Cristi... the way she moved was incredible. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Neither could a lot of the other guys in the club, because several of them tried to cut in, but she just looked at them, then at me, and shook her head.

Eventually, I needed to recycle that beer I'd had earlier. I looked around for Bev, because I didn't want to leave Cristi alone. She picked up on what I was doing, and said she'd be fine, and she'd look for Bev while I hit the head. I nodded, and promised to be right back.

There was a bit of a line for the men's room, and when I came back, she was dancing with some random dude. I watched for a second, and surprisingly - well, maybe not surprisingly - felt a pang of jealousy. But as I watched, it was pretty clear she was just having a good time. I realized that she was mostly dancing by herself, and Random Dude was just there.

So I cut in, and got a dirty look from the guy, but a big smile from Cristi who threw her arms around my neck.

"I MISSED you!"

I laughed, "I was only gone for two minutes! Who's your friend?" I looked around and caught the guy sulking against the wall.

She followed my gaze. "Who, him? No idea. He jumped in before you even got off the dance floor. I couldn't find Bev, and I was having fun so I just kept dancing. Why, jealous?" She grinned.

"Of course! You're the prettiest girl here, and I don't like to share," I grinned back. I realized we were slow dancing to

Always There

, by Incognito, which was to put it mildly, not quite the right pace for that song. We slid apart and started moving to the beat. (If you've never heard it, Jocelyn Brown can SING. 'nuff said.)

After that, she patted me on the chest and told me it was her turn for a break. I found a spot to lean against the wall, where I could see the restrooms. I knew what the line to the ladies was like in these clubs, so I tried to get comfortable.

After about 30 seconds, I was surprised to see the same random dude - by this point I had started thinking of him as 'Randy' - pulled up a spot on the wall next to me.

"Bro, whassup, man that girl is smokin'! What's the deal?"

Of course I instantly disliked him. I glanced at him and went back to watching the hallway to the restrooms. I wasn't born yesterday, some of the sleazier guys would work an angle of distracting a girl's date while another guy tried to make a move.

I didn't see anything like that going on, so I turned back for a moment and gave him a level stare.

"A little respect, 'bro,' that's my girlfriend."

"Hey it's cool man, no disrespect intended!"

He started asking questions about us. Who we were, where were we from, what did we do, on and on. I answered in monosyllables, and lied about everything. No way was I giving this asshat any ammunition.

At one point Bevvie went spinning by and blew me a kiss. 'Randy' had a field day with that.

"Dude, what the hell, do you know that girl too?"

At that point, I was fed up. I saw Cristi coming down the narrow hall, so I just said, "Yeah, that's my other girlfriend," and started to walk off.

When Cristi spotted me, I smiled and gave her a half-wave. She grinned and hurried over. "Sorry about that, you know these lines..."

"Yeah honey, I was just talking to my new friend there." I rolled my eyes, and gave her a 'help' look, where Randy couldn't see. Cristi's a smart girl, she picked up on it right away.

"Oh sure, hi again!" Before 'Randy' could speak, she turned back to me.

"Oh My Gawd, I love this song!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me back out the dance floor.

The song was

Missing

, by Everything but the Girl, and it was fine, better than fine, as we could finally have that slow dance. She put her arms around my neck for the second time this evening, but this time she closed her eyes as she rested her cheek on my chest. With our height difference, I did have to lean toward her a bit... otherwise, it was a very nice fit.

After enjoying the feeling of her body pressed against mine for a couple of minutes, I leaned down, put my mouth next to her ear and whispered (well, whispered is a relative term in a dance club) but you get the idea. I think she shivered as my lips brushed her ear, but she calmed down after I started talking.

"Cristi, I'm loving this, but I gotta be honest, that dude is making me nervous and I just have to let you know what's up." I explained how he had tried pumping me for information, and obviously was keeping tabs on both of us.

"And he saw Bevvie wave at me, so god knows what else he's thinking. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I've learned to trust my gut."

"The only thing I could think of at the time was to tell him you're my girlfriend, hoping that might make him back off." I pulled back a little and searched her eyes. It was hard to tell under the club lighting, but I think she might have been blushing.

"That's ok, Tom, I don't mind," she faltered just ever so slightly.

I gave her a real smile, and went for it. "What could we do to, um, reinforce that impression for him?"

Her eyes got big. Like I said, she's a smart girl. Then, she grasped the back of my neck in both hands, closed those beautiful green eyes, and pulled me to her.

Magic. Like, cliché fireworks. Wow.

When we finally parted, we could do nothing but stare at each other. I was opening my mouth to say... something, anything, when, of course, Bevvie.

"Surprise!" she shouted as she nearly pounced on us.

Cristi jumped about a foot in the air.

"DAMN it Bev! You scared the heck out of me!"

I gave her the eye. She knew the look. I'd been giving it to her for as long as we both could remember.

"What?" she asked innocently.

I shook my head.

"Nothing, Bev... come on, y'all, I think this place has outworn its welcome."

Bev started to protest, but Cristi chimed in.

"I really don't want to stay here. Don't look but there's this scuzzy guy over there who has been creeping on us."

Of course Bev started looking around.

"BEV!" Cristi exclaimed, "What part of 'don't look' are you not understanding?

She smirked. "Oops!"

**********

We had just entered the parking deck and were headed for my truck when we heard footsteps. I told the girls to keep moving, and turned to check who it was. Of course it was Randy, and he had brought two of his buddies.

"Hey, what's your hurry? We didn't get a chance to party with your lady friends," he snickered.

"Party's over, junior. Past your bedtime," I said, cordially.

"Now that's no way to be," he smirked. "We just want to show them a good time."

"You wouldn't know how to treat a lady if your life depended on it. Now get lost. I'm not going to tell you again."

"Fuck you, get those bitches!" he hollered. Guess Randy wasn't one for small talk. Being the big, bad alpha male that he was, he took off after Cristi and Bev, while the other two stooges came at me.

It's not that much harder fighting two people than one, especially when they have no idea how to work as a team. They both rushed at me, and it was a fairly simple matter to dodge the first guy and push him into the second. They both went down in a tangle, and I kicked Idiot #1 of them in the side, hard. He collapsed on top of his friend, so in the interest of fairness I gave Idiot #2 a shot as well. After what they surely had planned, I didn't feel too badly about leaving them there groaning.

I turned to see how the girls were doing. Randy was clutching a bloody nose and spinning in a circle. Cristi was shaking her hand, and Bevvie was on Randy's back like a wildcat, scratching at anything within reach. Randy was finally able to dislodge her, and she fell on her butt. He turned back around, only by blind luck to catch another fist right to the same spot. Cristi must have used her other hand, because she was hopping around muttering, "Damn that hurt," and trying to tuck both hands into her armpits.

I walked over and gave Randy one more to grow on, and he decided to scurry off. Bevvie got up rubbing her behind, and threw a kick at his departing backside. She missed and almost fell.