Sunday afternoon. Killing time in a city, hours away from home, waiting to fly out on vacation the next day. We came up on Saturday, had a nice dinner then visited the strip bar we'd visit whenever we were in town. Three stages, tons of people on a Saturday night. It was one of those girl-friendly places where the women who came with their men would get giddy on lemon drops or wine then get pulled up on the stage by the strippers, crowd cheering as 90's rock played and girls in G-strings pulled off their guests' tank tops and unbuttoned their dresses, the wives and girlfriends suddenly bare-breasted and powerful.
But that was Saturday night. Now the city is quiet. Brunch late enough it qualifies as lunch. Walking through outlet stores, the clock moving slow just like us.
Wonder if the strip bar is open on Sundays, she asks. Phone says it is. So we drive out of city center and head a half-hour outside of the core, taking an exit just where the traffic thins, following a twisty road with trees alternating with convenience stores and the occasional stop sign until we arrive.
Inside looks exactly like Sunday afternoon at a strip bar. Thin crowd, songs are slower. Tables back in place where people were standing a half-day before, with one or maybe two people at each table, mostly if not all men. Dancers sitting on the corner of their stages, talking with regulars.
We sit down near one of the two active stages and I get myself a beer and a tequila shot; tequila and margarita for her. An 80's metal ballad flows into a poppy rap song, followed by more ballads. My wife and I talk about the girls -- who's breasts are real, who's are the nicest, which ones are probably new, which ones are probably barely hanging on - and we talk about the trip we head out on in the morning, breaks in the conversation filled with girls winking at us, prone on the stage, occasionally smacking their own asses when they see us looking back at them.
I bring back a second round as a larger group settles into a few tables, pulling them together to fit everyone around.
Being 20 miles away from our hotel this will probably be our last drink, although I might be able to have one more round since mid-afternoon Sunday isn't exactly the prime time for DUI hunting, I'm guessing.
A few more songs and another change of dancers and not much beer is left in my glass. I don't have to look over at her glass to know it'll be closer to half-full at this point. We start talking about where to eat tonight (both of us thinking near the hotel) and I put a pause on the conversation by getting up for the third beer.
As I stand up the crowded table is looking at two trays of drinks, one an array of beers, mixed drinks, even a white wine while the other is nothing but tequila shots, each with its own lime, glasses and a couple salt shakers all catching some light. Maybe six or seven guys, three or four women, everyone older than us. Probably in their late 40's, some in their 50's with me 30-something and her mid-20's. One guy was standing, trying to get everything handed out. Way too many tequila shots, he says, looking at some of his friends. No way she got it right.
He looks over at me. Probably us, with her sitting at the table just a step behind me, her brown hair cascading around her darkly tanned oval face. Do you guys want some shots, he asks. Free.
I glance back at her and she shrugs her shoulders, says free sounds good.
We go over to the strung-together tables and I see a woman laying on them, one of the guys doing a shot off her, her shirt pulled up exposing her stomach, his mouth taking the lime out of hers, a couple cheers to mark the moment.
Standing guy checks out my wife. She's taller, long legs wearing a white shirt, shorts and sandals. Then he looks at me: wanna do a body shot, too?
She looks at me and I know she's embarrassed but okay with it, probably would be more embarrassed by saying no. She's shy but no so shy that we don't come here. Not so shy that she doesn't let the dancers pull her up and take off her bra on Saturday nights. So, she's fine. We're on vacation, or at least will be tomorrow.
The other woman is lifted off the table by the guy who had the shot. Standing guy hands my wife a shot, says ladies first. He goes to hand her a lime, but she waves him off, shooting me a look. It's a long running joke between us that I need the sidecars but she takes hers straight. She drinks it fast, making big eyes at me as she rolls onto the table then looks up at the lights in the ceiling, squinting for a second as her eyes adjust. A 60's soul song gives the two dancers something to sway to as they slip each other out of their clothes just a few feet away.
As for me, I will need the sidecars, so I motion to standing guy, who is apparently named Dave. I turn to face her. The three circular tables pushed together resemble an 8 that added a third loop. Her hair falling around her, she's surrounded by all Dave's friends, some out of their seats and standing to make room for me on one side of the tables while on the other side many are still sitting, a couple of guys near her head and torso, a couple of women by her waist and legs. One of the women - the one who had just been on the table - picks up her margarita, probably worried any leg movement at all could spill it.
Plenty of advice and questions start getting tossed out. Put the tequila in her belly button last or she'll spill it all. Don't let that shot glass drip on her. Where you gonna put the salt?
Where am I going to put the salt? Neck is how we've usually done it, but she doesn't really like being licked that much. Some issue with saliva. I lean over and lightly and quickly lick her nape, then shake some salt on there, then hand her the lime for her to put between her lips before taking the shot from Dave. I work hard to get most of the tequila right into her belly button, which is very deep. Just a little bit starts running off her left side as she tries to hold still. Tries hard not to shiver or to laugh. One of the woman grabs a napkin and dabs it off as it runs towards her side.
The table starts chanting "go." I grin at her as she closes her eyes and I lean over to take the salt off her neck with my tongue, feeling the rocky salt and her soft flesh on the tip of it. I then quickly push my lips around her navel, sucking the gold water out and swallowing quickly as I lean towards her bee-stung lips to take my lime. Of course, I press my lips too far and get a good deep kiss in as the chanting turns to cheers and she starts laughing with embarrassment and lightly pushes me away. The lime is fully in my mouth, the sour juices and bitter rind on the front of my tongue while the back still deals with tequila echoes.
I give the cheering table a nice bow and reach out to her to help her off the table, but as I do Dave asks if there's any chance he could do one, too. It wouldn't be the first time someone else did a shot off her. And he did pay. I look at her and I can tell she has pretty much the same thought process. As she lays back on the table I watch her breasts jiggle just a little, packed tightly inside a bra and tight white shirt, something the guy sitting less than a foot away from them notices, too.
Okay but no kissing at the lime, she says. Just take it nicely. Dave nods. She starts peeling her shirt back up just below her bra line again and Dave leans over to her right nape, the side closest to us. The one I didn't lick. She moves her head away from him a little. I'm not big on licking, she says. A few people at the table make some ooh sounds. One guys looks at me and says that's not good for you, buddy. I laugh.