"Come on, Annie, you gotta come to check out this new club with us." Lane said. All I could see of her was her bright green eyes, dark brunette hair framing her high forehead, and her long fingers over the edge of my cubicle wall. "This place is supposed to be amazing fun and super sexy. Jimmy, Chris, and Dan are coming, so please don't make me be the only girl. Besides, it'll give you a good excuse to get close to Chris. I know you are crushing on him hard." I could see the smile in her eyes and her well-groomed eyebrows lifted while she waited for my answer. I finished logging out of my computer and gathering the things off my desk for the weekend. I slipped my shoes back on, pushed back the chair, and stood.
"I don't know, Lane. The club scene isn't really me. Can't you ask Brittani? I'm sure she would be more into that sort of thing." I answered, knowing that wasn't' going to appease my relentless good-time friend. She and I had been friends since high school and she was forever trying to get me out of my quiet, bookish shell. Now that we worked at the same customer service call center, it was harder for me to say no. She had pulled me into a little social circle formed from singles around our age that had the same lunch shift. Besides, she was right. I definitely had it bad for Chris and would probably go on the off chance I could sit near him.
"Brittani met that guy last week, remember? She's got a date tonight." Lane moved into the hallway with me as we exited the building. "You know you want to come. I'll help pick out your outfit and do your hair! The club has a reputation for being very progressive. They only advertise by word of mouth and from what I've heard, they do live shows with volunteers." Thoughts of stage magicians in big capes sawing some woman in a sequin dress in half flashed into my mind. Lane caught the odd look on my face and laughed.
"No, not what you're thinking. More like a strip club. Think on-stage lap dances, like in Magic Mike." She grinned as we reached the parking lot. "I've always wanted to try a strip club. Going with the guys will be even funnier. But don't worry, you have to volunteer, they won't just pull you on stage."
"All right, all right. You've talked me into it. What time are we meeting the guys? I don't even know if I have anything to wear." I started to feel the familiar anxiety of trying something new and being around a large group, but this time oddly mixed with excitement and sexual arousal at the thought of the setting and being with Chris. I had never been in a strip club, although I had a secret fantasy of voyeurism. The thought of watching someone be an object of desire, debased and used for their body, was extremely erotic to me. I hadn't ever given in to this fantasy, having a shy personality. The few boyfriends I'd had were bland guys with no imagination in the bedroom or out, with minimal chemistry. As I followed Lane to her apartment, I decided to go all out. Let her do my makeup, dress me in some of her inevitably slutty "going-out" clothes. I would be open to anything and everything, let my secret fantasies run wild. Who did I have to impress? What did I have to lose? And what else was the point of going to a singles bar on Valentine's night when you were in your early twenties?
*************************************************************
When we arrived at the Lonely Hearts Club, there was already a line at the door. It moved pretty quickly though, and the place filled up fast. We shoved through the crowds to find the guys holding a table near the roped off stage for us. The lighting was very dim in the main floor of the building, with red rope lights around the mirror and shelving behind the long bar. I saw three young and muscular guys working behind the bar, and half a dozen women my age in tight strappy dresses of various colors and teetering high heels. A blonde in a bright red slinky thing sidled up to our table and took our drinks order. She batted her eyes and made sure to touch each of us, a hand on a shoulder there, a hip bump here, even going so far as to brush her rather large breasts against Chris when she leaned over the table to take the menus. His eyes just about bugged out of his head and I blushed, partly in jealousy but mostly in arousal, imagining I could ever be that bold with him.
"Take off your coat, Anna Banana. Show the guys the goods! I worked hard putting that outfit and hair together." Lane shrugged out of her coat to show off her tight silver leggings that hugged every curve and the black lace crop top. The guys whistled as she did a slow spin so they could check out her ass. Then they all turned expectantly toward me. I slowly unzipped my coat, keeping my head down and hair hanging in my face to hide the blush. Don't be such a wuss, I told myself. You decided to show off how sexy you can be tonight. Go all in or go home. I lifted my chin, pulled open the coat and slid it off my arms.
Lane grinned as all three guys' jaws dropped. I was dressed in a very short black skirt. The thing was about 4 inches away from showing my panties, which would be extra embarrassing because I was wearing a lace thong under the skirt. Thigh-high leather boots with tall heels (think Pretty Woman) and a sequined halter top completed the look. I had opted to go without a bra because of the type of top and my C cup breasts jiggled freely under the thin material. Looking around, I could see that I was getting more than just the attention of my table. Our friends had never seen this type of look on me before. I usually wore conservative business casual at work, and the few times we had gone out for drinks I was in leggings or jeans and a nice blouse or sweater.
As I carefully sat down at the table, Dan whistled and said, "Jesus, Anne. I didn't know you were hiding all that under your baggy sweaters. I think we need to take you out more often." I smirked at him and looked across the table at Chris, trying to judge his reaction without being obvious. He was still having trouble picking his chin up off the floor. Our drinks arrived and I grabbed mine for a bit of liquid courage before I put my coat back on and ran for the door. The conversation at the table started back up slowly, progressing from work stories to personal life anecdotes.