Abstract Pleasure

The rays of the setting sun danced like flames upon the surface of Mirror Lake as the heat of the summer day still lingered, matching the electrifying anticipation the upcoming night had promised. Lana felt anxious. The invitation to Late Night Ladies Night sat in her passenger seat, a new exhibit at the Alfred-Conner art museum promised to feature women artists from all over the world. The local news mentioned this would be a daring, yet exciting display, it's all anyone could talk about. However, cameras weren't allowed to show anything from the exhibit, and this was the first showing, so the pieces were still quite a mystery. Even the protestors couldn't tell whether this was something to protest or not.The only thing known was the main artist featured, Imogen Frost, who was quite the mystery herself.

Somehow Lana was invited to attend the early access showing. Due to limited space, the invitation told her to come alone. She typically didn't like attending social events, much preferring to stay at home with a good book, but this was something she couldn't pass up. The intrigue of the exhibit outweighed her social anxiety.

Lana looked down at her clothing as she munched on some fries she got from the fast food joint down the street. Her black shirt now covered in fry dust and some lingering salt. She sighed and brushed off her chest, reminded that she probably wasn't dressed the best for the evening. She sat in her car, parked facing the lake, however she could see the museum in her rear view mirror. She spotted women going in every once in a while, and they all looked like the artsy fartsy type, definitely not what Lana was dressed as. Sure, she loved art, but dressing up might bring attention to her, and she definitely didn't want that. T Shirt and jeans worked just fine for her.

"Maybe I should just go home." Lana said with a sigh. The cool afternoon breeze blew in from her open window, and she glanced in her rear view mirror once more. She watched the traffic pass by when she spotted a familiar blue car with LGBTQ+ bumper stickers driving by her. Lana followed the car with her eyes, trying to spot the person who was driving the car as it pulled in a couple of spots away. Her head tilted left and right as she tried to look through the windows of the cars between them, and finally recognized her friend Rowan.

Lana smiled, feeling relief that she wasn't the only familiar face coming here tonight, it'd be helpful to have someone she knew by her side. Lana stuck her hand out the window and waved at Rowan, but she wasn't paying attention to her, she was looking down at her phone.

Lana pulled out her phone and texted Rowan, "Bitch, is that you?!!? Look to your right!"

A few seconds later Rowan looked up and finally met Lana's eyes. Rowan mouthed something to herself in her car and waved. Lana beckoned Rowan to come, who was already getting out of her car and headed her way.

Wearing high heels, a black dress and black stockings, Rowan scurried over to Lana's passenger side, and got in the car while Lana moved her stuff out of the way. Lana groaned internally, feeling even more self conscious in her basic clothes.

"Did you get an invitation too?" Rowan asked as she flashed her own invitation in front of Lana's face.

"Yep, I guess because we're members of the gallery? That's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. Maybe we won some kind of members-only lottery?" Lana held out some fries, to which Rowan eagerly took.

"I feel like we're about to walk into some

Eyes Wide Shut

shit." Rowan laughed and began reading the invitation.

Dear Rowan Torres,

You are cordially invited to attend a once in a lifetime experience.

The Alfred-Conner Gallery presents Late Night Ladies Night

A sneak peek into our upcoming exhibit, Abstract Pleasure.

Featuring Imogen Frost and many other women artists from around the world.

Please join us for a night of excitement as we celebrate women artists.

Artwork features never before seen exhibits, it's sure to thrill the artistic spirit and titillate all senses.

This invitation is valid only for the member holder, we ask that you come alone due to limited space.

A special exhibit is planned just for this one night only, we will be taking cell phones off your person before entry to ensure no photos or recordings are taken. It's imperative to respect the request of our artists.

"Remember that the password is Fidelio." Rowan added.

Lana laughed, taking a sip of her iced tea and offering some to her friend. "I was contemplating whether to actually go in or not. Do you even know who Imogen Frost is? I heard she's some kind of recluse who only comes out for gallery showings. She's always photographed wearing some kind of mask or feature to hide what she actually looks like."

"I don't know much about her myself, but the mystery of it all makes it so much more exciting. Maybe she'll be here tonight...I wonder what she looks like...oh! Do you think she's hot? My God, my nipples are tingling in anticipation!" Rowan shook her chest to emphasize her joke as she laughed to herself.

"Quit showing off, dork. You could knock someone out with those things." Lana giggled before continuing.

"As far as looks go...I can just see her now, some artsy fartsy chick with a nose ring, and an arm sleeve of tattoos with obscure meanings that only true artists will understand."

"Oh, bonus points if her hair is dyed blue or purple. Oh...and red lipstick, and pale white skin...maybe she's a sexy vampire." Rowan took a look at herself in the rear view mirror, clearly looking for a catch tonight.

"So, we just listed a whole bunch of gay stereotypes like she's some kind of super lesbian. Does she tick all your boxes, Rowan?"

"I'm okay if she doesn't sparkle." Rowan laughed.

"Noted, we'll both be on the lookout for a non sparkly vampire with arm tattoos, blue or purple hair, and red lipstick."

"Oh, and glasses! Black frames." Rowan added.

"It's kind of strange that no one really knows what she looks like, but I guess if I was famous, I wouldn't want people to know what I look like either."

"Really? I think I'd want people to know exactly who I am."

"Well you're outgoing and hot, so of course you would."

"Oh hush." Rowan smirked.

"So...do you think she's hot?" Lana wondered after a moment of silence.

"Definitely." Rowan winked and polished off the french fries in her hand.

Lana watched Rowan finish eating and carefully fixed any flaws with her makeup. Looking like Rowan seemed exhausting, sure she got a lot of attention, but it didn't really seem worth it to Lana.

"I don't want to impose on you and this mystery recluse artist, maybe I should just go home. I think you got this handled." Lana half joked, feeling more self-conscious than before. Whenever Rowan and Lana went out together, Rowan was the one who caught all the looks.

"What?! You have to go in! We can't chicken out now, don't you want to see what all the fuss is about?" Rowan took a sip of Lana's iced tea and set the drink back down.

"I know...but what if they have weird stuff in there?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know...like what if they make you slaughter a chicken and rub blood all over each other like some kind of weird cult or coven?"

Rowan stared at Lana. "You've been watching too much TV."

Lana giggled, "You know I'm uncomfortable in public settings, especially when I don't have my sacrificial garb on. I might be unprepared for the sacrifice. What will we do then, huh?"

"We'll thank them for a lovely time and turn around and leave...or you can, I don't know, I might be into it." Rowan laughed.

"Of course you'd say that." Lana rolled her eyes.

Rowan looked behind them and was silent for a couple of minutes. "I mean looking at the women going in, it seems pretty normal I guess? I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

"You're going in with me, right?" Lana asked.

"Of course. If they want to sacrifice us, I'll be sure to push you in the way first."

"It's the chickens they're going to sacrifice, remember? And besides, good luck getting away in those heels."

"Oh, I can run pretty damn fast in these heels, don't worry."

Lana smiled, and then sighed, "You know I could be at home right now, reading a good book? It's past my bedtime already."

"Oh my God, woman. You need to get out and live a little. The book will still be there when you get home, but this is once in a lifetime shit. Maybe you'll find a little late night lady to take home." Rowan joked.

"Not when you're standing next to me wearing that. You'll have to beat the women off of you." Lana motioned to Rowan's outfit.

"Oh stop it!" Rowan shrugged her compliment off, but Lana caught a smirk on her face.

"You love it, don't you? Getting all the girls." Lana stated more than asked.

Rowan looked at her friend for a moment, "Yes, it can be nice sometimes, but you know you got it going on too, don't you? I mean, my God, you don't even have to dress up and you're still gorgeous. Me? I have to try really hard to look this way, for you it's effortless."

Lana blushed, "I don't see it that way."

"I do. You're gorgeous with zero effort. If we weren't friends, I'd be all over you."

"Oh shush." Lana smiled, the burning of her cheeks increasing as the seconds passed by.

"I'm just saying...you're a knockout Lana." Rowan genuinely smiled at Lana.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as they passed the iced tea to each other until it was finished. "Well, shall we Ms. Torres?" Lana asked finally.

"Yes, let's Ms.Delane." Rowan agreed, and both women got out of the car.

Lana sounded the alarm on her car, and the two women walked across the street to the museum. With each passing step, Lana felt her stomach lurch and her heartbeat quicken. She didn't know why she was so nervous, especially with Rowan right next to her.

Rowan noticed Lana slow down a stride, and said "Hey, are you okay? You know we don't actually have to go in, right? If you want to turn around, we can both go back to your place and just chill."

Lana shook her head, "I'm fine, I know I'll regret it if I don't go in. Besides, once I'm inside I usually calm down. It's just the anticipation that makes me so nervous."

"Okay sweetie, just remember what I said. Now let's go look at some art." Rowan smiled.

The two women approached the entrance as the sun finally set over the horizon. As they got closer to the entrance, the doors opened for them. Two women were standing there, dressed in all black just like Rowan. Lana caught a glimpse of their appearance, not wanting to look the women directly in the eyes, but she could tell they were gorgeous. The feeling of not being appropriately dressed intensified. She felt like she didn't belong, and wanted to shrink into a corner and disappear. It was always like this, the feeling of never being good enough always lingered in the back of her mind. She was used to it by now, and tried her best to brush it off.

"Welcome to Late Night Ladies Night." Both women said in unison.

Lana smirked, not sure if that was intentional or not. Rowan just slowly looked at Lana, eyes wide with excitement. She could tell that her friend was really excited to be there, another reason why she decided to go through with this. She didn't want to let her friend down, or seem crippled by social anxiety. There were many moments in her life where something seemingly normal to most people was a crippling moment for Lana. She became used to putting on a brave act and trying her best to seem like it didn't bother her, but she always felt people could see right through her. It was exhausting.

"Thank you" Rowan said, breaking Lana out of her inner monologue.

"May we see your invitations?" one of the women asked.

"Oh yes", Lana reached into her purse and presented the invitation. Rowan gave hers to the other woman.

A couple of seconds passed as the woman glanced at the invitation. "Perfect. Now let me get you a key so you can store your belongings in our lockers. Remember, no video recording or pictures are permitted."

Lana nodded her head as the docent handed back her invitation along with a wristband with a key attached. As the docent handed back the invitation, their hands brushed against each other, a momentary feeling of warmth and connection passed between the two women. Lana looked up at the docent and their eyes finally met. The docent's eyes were like ice, light blue and piercing, her fiery red hair surrounded her eyes in a perfect frame. Lana had a hard time looking away, this woman was absolutely stunning, quite possibly the most beautiful woman she's ever laid eyes on.

The docent smiled softly, her hands lingered a second longer and then finally released. Lana could feel her cheeks burning, a weird feeling of calm and slightly turned on passed over her. Lana continued to look the docent in the eyes, every second the docent's smile becoming slightly bigger, slightly warmer, going all the way up to her eyes.

Lana smiled back, a small giggle escaping her lips.

"Uh, Lana, you ready?" Rowan asked, breaking Lana out of her trance once again. Rowan's hand brushed against Lana's forearm, forcing her to look away from the docent.

"Yep, totally fine. So where are these lockers?" Lana shook her head, the sight of the ice blue eyes lingering in the back of her mind.

"Right down here Lana, let me show you." The docent smiled, and placed her hand on the small of Lana's back, guiding her towards the room to the right of the entrance.

"How'd you know my name?" Lana asked.

"It was on your invitation, and your friend just said your name silly." The docent smiled.

"Oh right, duh!" Lana's cheek began to burn once again. The docent smelled intoxicating, confusing her senses once more.

Rowan laughed as she walked along with them, eyeing the docent's hand on the back of Lana.

Once they reached the locker room, the docent let go of Lana, and asked, "Would either of you like a glass of champagne? Compliments of the gallery."

"Oh, awesome! Yes please, Lana would you like any?" Rowan asked.

"No thank you, do you have anything non-alcoholic?"

Rowan let out a small laugh before the docent could say anything, "Oh come on, one glass isn't going to kill you. Don't be such a dork."

Lana sighed, "I guess I'm going to let peer pressure win this time, sure I'll take a glass."

The docent smiled, "Perfect, I'll be back shortly while you two ladies put your things away, and just in case, we do have non-alcoholic drinks. You just need to ask one of the guides around the gallery, and they'll be happy to help."

"Thank you." Lana said, truly appreciative of the gesture.

The docent took her leave, and Lana turned around to meet Rowan's mischievous eyes and the goofiest smile.

"What?" Lana asked as she found her locker, and began to put her stuff away, her cheeks still burning from the interaction.

"Do you see the way she looked at you? She's eye fucking you."

"Oh shut up!" Lana laughed, "I don't think anyone was thinking that." She placed the back of her hand against her cheek in an attempt to cool off.

"Oh come on, I can tell when a woman is interested, and she definitely was. Besides, looking at the way you were looking at her, I would say the feeling was mutual." Rowan took her purse and locked it away, moving a little closer to her friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lana said, but couldn't help smiling. She pulled at the wristband with the key attached.

"Mmmhmm" Rowan laughed.

"You're positively giddy over this, aren't you?"

"Of course, I want to see you get laid, and she's definitely interested."

"Rowan, I highly doubt that, she's just being nice. They probably have cameras in here and can hear everything you're saying by the way. She's probably in a back room somewhere laughing her ass off at the conversation we're having."

"Oh stop, they don't have cameras in here...do they?" Rowan looked around, her voice suddenly getting smaller.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

The docent came back in with two glasses of champagne, handing Rowan hers first and then carefully handing Lana hers, fingers brushing up against each other again.

"Thank you." Lana said quietly.

Rowan took a sip of her champagne and watched quietly from the side. The glass hid her smirk.

"Now, where do we start?" Lana asked the docent, taking a sip from her own glass.

"Right when you walk out, you'll want to go into the main entrance and view some of our larger pieces, from there you can branch off into whatever direction you prefer, there's no real linear way to go, but I would suggest saving the most interesting exhibit for last." The docent smiled, truly showing passion for what the galley has on display.

"What would that be?" Rowan asked.

"Abstract pleasure, of course. You'll find it on the top floor of the gallery. I think you'll both be in for a treat. I myself love each and every piece there. I could spend all day just looking at it all."

"That sounds like it's quite exciting, I can't wait to see what this mystery exhibit is." Lana said, truly interested now. Her social anxiety seemed to have gone away.

The docent placed her hand on Lana's arm, "Oh you'll love it, I'm sure. I can't wait for you to see it."

"Well thank you, you've been really kind...I'm sorry I don't know what your name is, how rude of me." Lana apologized, searching the docent for a name tag but not seeing one.

"Oh no worries, you can call me Willow."

"It was very nice meeting you Willow." Lana said.

"You as well Lana...and Rowan, right?"

Rowan nodded, "Yep, that's me."

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Willow chuckled, and excused herself.

"If there's anything you two need, there's always a docent around, please feel free to ask any questions, we'll do our best to answer them."

"Thanks Willow." Rowan said as she took Lana's hand and led her away.

Once they were out of ear shot, Rowan leaned in and whispered, "She totally wants to fuck you."

"Right here on the gallery floor?" Lana tried to brush it off with a joke, but she could sense something too. She didn't know if she was going to be able to focus on the actual exhibit or if Willow would be dancing around in her mind, preferably topless. The thought of the gorgeous redhead moaning her name crossed her mind briefly before she forced herself to think of anything else.

"That'd be hot. It could be the newest exhibit." Rowan chimed in.

The two women entered the main gallery, and were met instantly with gigantic paintings on the wall. One of them was a self portrait made up with a collage of torn up tampon boxes, another showing the virgin Mary with a vacuum cleaner. The focus was definitely on the struggles women have with everyday life and the expectations that came with simply being a woman. Lana was genuinely fascinated by the art, but her mind kept lingering back to WIllow.

Everytime Rowan said something or commented on a piece, it took Lana all the brain power she had to pay attention to her. Most of her replies were nods, or Mhm with the occasional comment or two. Lana had absentmindedly finished all of her champagne and now carried the empty glass around with her, twirling it between her hands.

"I'll take that. Would you like another?" A familiar voice came from behind the women.

Lana jumped, not expecting Willow, or anyone for that matter, to be right behind her. She turned around and smiled, making sure Rowan wasn't near her, "Can I have a bottle of water please, I'm such a lightweight."

"Of course, I'll be right back with that." Willow took the glass and disappeared into another room, not bothering to ask Rowan about her glass.