The weekend greeted me with no male prospects, but with two tickets to a juicy-booty strip-fest at Shakers. The idea of seeing the infamous club for the first time, and seeing well-oiled, well-hung men without the hassle of pickup lines intrigued me. So I grabbed my animal print dress, my 4-inch high heels that defied all boundaries of common sense and gravity, and made myself a promise. The day may have caught me without someone, but I wasn't going to let this weekend pass without being good to myself.
My best friend Lina was waiting outside the club when I arrived. She wore a simple black dress, nasty high zebra print heels and a scowl on her face. "Good grief, girl. Smile, will you?" I teased. "You'll have people thinkin' some john cheated you out of your papers for the night!"
"You're late," she scolded. "Damn, Val! You know I like to get up close to the stage!"
"Girl, the show doesn't start until 8:30."
"But they open up at 7:30! Now come on, let's get inside!"
The bar was padded with black leather that had seen better days, the air was smoky and thick enough to be sliced in two, and some of the booths had been patched repeatedly. But there was something about Shakers that made me feel right at home. All the seats were taken, but after checking our coats, we inched our way to a small table. It wasn't impressive, but it was just close enough to the stage to make Lina happy. I bought the first round of Coronas, and by the time I got back to Lina, the emcee was taking the stage.
"Are you ready for some booty?" The emcee only needed to ask twice as dozens of women hollered back in frenzied response. The place was screaming for flesh, and Shakers did not disappoint. Talk about your rainbow connections! There were all kinds of shades, shapes and sizes of molded male muscle to ogle, drool over, and get a feel of if your money was right! Lina treated herself to a lap dance with a high-yellow honey in red bikinis. On stage, there was a coffee brown Jamaican brother with lovely locs who did a trick with a bottle of chocolate sauce and his dick that drove the place insane! The pride of the evening came onstage wearing an astronaut's suit that sparked thoughts of "what the hell?" But underneath all that silver was a beefy, golden brown bod that had every woman in the place begging him to beam her up!
By midnight, I was already flush from the smoke, the Coronas, and all that lovely flesh that had pranced before my eyes. As the DJ took over, men were finally admitted into the club. All at once, the stage filled up with ladies and brothers showing off their best steps, shakes and shimmies. Lina wasn't feeling the music yet, so while she snatched up a booth on the far wall, I excused myself and went to the ladies' room to get a breath of somewhat fresh air.
Still on my Corona buzz, I just barely made it downstairs to the bathroom door when a low voice startled me. "Excuse me, can I tell you something?"
Oh, damn. Here it comes, I thought, the lame pick-up line, the fake smile, and I'll have to duck and cover for the rest of the night. I turned, and my jaw almost dropped. Before me stood the most luscious milk chocolate man I'd seen in ages! He wore a black mesh-knit shirt and khaki pants that did nothing to conceal his muscular frame. As he ran his hand over his smooth shaved scalp, he looked at me with dark eyes contrasting with a very bright smile.
"I won't hold you up; I just had to tell you that you are looking so fine in that dress. Is there any chance I might have a dance with you?"
He's kidding, I thought. Once he gets upstairs, some other hoochie'll snap him up but quick. Partly convinced I wouldn't get a taste of his chocolate, and feeling a little cocky, I answered, "After an opening line like that, you've got a real good chance. But I've got to freshen up." I walked into the bathroom, and saw that my makeup was holding up pretty well for once. A few more deep breaths, and I headed back outside. When I reached the stairs, out of nowhere, a strong hand grabbed mine.
"I'm sorry, but I have to dance with you."
Any other place and time, I probably would have hauled back and belted him. But my buzz, my outfit and the music were in perfect synch with each other. Somehow, we found a spot on the dance floor, and only then was I able to look into his eyes again. I didn't even know his name, but our movements began to flow and meld as if we'd been long-time lovers. "Ghetto Jam" blared all around the room, then the beat changed to a reggae grind, and suddenly, our hips introduced themselves, rolling from front to back and side to side, my dark brown gallant matched my gyrations with a stronger invitation of his own. He was drawn to me, drawing me into him all at once. He placed his hands around my waist, and in turn, I put my hands on his chest.