She sat alone in a dark corner of the club, her presence only to be noticed if she wished it. The place carried the stench of cheap perfume, even cheaper cologne, overpriced alcohol and worthless sex. The strobe lights pulsed in tune to the stale techno rhythm as she watched girls far too young to have been allowed into the dank pit getting hit upon my men old enough to be the fathers that they were trying to get away from. She watched as some thug put a tiny tablet into the drink of a woman who should have know better than to accept a drink from a stranger in a place like this. She was beginning to think she'd have to settle on something less than what she wanted. Then she saw him.
He had just walked in and was alone. He was young, no more than twenty, and had a lean and muscular body. A head full of wavy brown hair sat over a clean-shaven and flawless face. Bright brown eyes went wide and then he flinched as the lights and loud music overwhelmed his senses. Her lips stretched into a thin smile. Here was someone who didn't come to places like this; here was someone she wanted to meet.
She slid out of her shadowy corner and made her way across the room. People moved out of her path without even realizing what they were doing. They parted before her like water and flowed back to fill the wake of her passing, completely unaware that she had ever been there.
The young man took a seat at the bar and ordered a bloody Mary. He shyly looked around at the mass of people, searching for a friendly face. All he found were dull looks of intoxication and lust. He sighed and thanked the bartender for his drink. He suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him. He twisted in his seat to see a gorgeous woman sitting beside him. He couldn't believe that he had somehow missed her. Her long black hair fell like rain from her head. Her skin was very fair, almost white, and her lips were a deep vermilion. There was an air of perfection about her and he couldn't tell if she was wearing make-up or not.
Her dark blue eyes smiled at him. She asked, "Aren't you going to say something?" Her voice was lovely, almost musical.
"W-what?" he sputtered.
"Most men have some sort of opening line. Something like, 'Come here often' or 'Don't you hate places like this?' " She could read his body language and already knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth.
"Actually, I've...I'm mean, this is my first time in one of these clubs." He said. "I didn't realize how noisy it would be."
"Oh yes," she responded, turning her head to the dance floor, but never taking her eyes off of him, "The lights, the music, the drinks and drugs, it's all noise. This is a place for those who can shout over the noise. The loudest and most obvious people do well here." She cast her hand out to the crowd. "It's a place to deafen your soul."
His eyebrows shot up, "Wow...I really didn't expect to hear something like that in here."
She asked innocently, "What did you expect to find here?"
He paused for a second and said, "I really don't know...I guess I just wanted to hook up with someone...try to forget about life for awhile."
An expression came over her face that he couldn't quite identify. She said, "Life is something that you can never forget about, no matter how hard you try." She glanced at his drink, "What's say when you're finished with that, the two of us go some place a little quieter?"
She could read the question on his face. Should he leave with this woman he just met? She saw a moment of indecision and then he pushed the drink away. "I'm ready to go right now."
They left the club and walked out into the street. It was a busy time of year and tourists were milling about like ants following the trail of those who came before them. Most not even sure of where they were headed, only knowing that if others were here, there must be something to experience.
He walked a half step behind her, letting her lead the way. He broke the silence by saying, "Well, I guess introductions are in order. My name is Gary."
She laughed, not a sound of actual humor, it was more like someone trying to remember humor. "Oh, of course, where are my manners? My name is Dania, it is my pleasure to meet you Gary." She tipped her head in his direction.
He got up beside her and asked, "Well Dania, what place did you have in mind when you said somewhere quieter? Is there a nice restaurant or something around here? I'll gladly pay if there is."
She smiled, "You don't think that I can afford a meal?"
He shook his head and tried to explain, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant, I wanted to offer, that's all."
She patted him on the arm, "Don't worry Gary. I know what you meant. It was very gentlemanly of you to offer." She pointed to a building a few blocks away. "I have an apartment near here."
Gary looked shocked. His head went back and forth between Dania and the building several times before he said, "Uh, are you sure you want to take me to your place? I mean, we don't know the first thing about each other..."
Dania broke in, "I'm sorry, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I just thought that you'd like to talk for a while. My apartment is right off the street and it's comfortable and private. If you don't feel right..."
Now he interrupted her, "No, I'm cool with it. It's just, you know...your apartment, and... Uh...well usually it takes longer than two minutes for a girl to ask you back to her place." He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't mean anything by it."
They made small talk the rest of the walk to her building, although it was Gary doing most of the talking, Dania said little more than was necessary to show that she was keeping up with the conversation. She unlocked the front door and led Gary up a dark stairway filled with long, strange shadows cast by a single emergency light. She opened the door to her apartment and motioned for Gary to come in.
The place was large and open. An ancient writing desk stood side by side with a giant plasma screen television. The entire room held the same feel of the antique and the ultra-modern.
Gary stepped in and said, "Wow, this place is huge." He looked around the room. "You must have the whole floor to yourself."
Dania went into the kitchen and came back with a bottle of wine and two finely detailed wine glasses. "Actually," she responded, "the whole building is mine. I live on this floor. The rest is..." she poured a bit of wine into a glass and handed it to him, "unused."
Gary shook off the offer of the wine, "No thanks, I don't drink." He looked around in wonder, "You own the whole building?"
She put the glasses down and said, "Yes, I was once a bride of a very wealthy...husband. He was lost to me long ago. He was quite well off, however, and I am able to exist without want or need of material things."
He focused his attention back on Dania. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. It must be very hard for you."
"Not really," she replied, "as I said it was a long time ago. Besides, I was never the only one. He had many such as me. Most of the time he didn't even know I was there."
A slight twinge of guilt touched Gary. He didn't even know she was in the club until she had spoke to him. He tried to change the subject. "You don't look old. You must have gotten married when you where very young."
